On the Wind God Continent, year after year passed. On this land, whether mortal or cultivator, they continued their ceaseless slaughter against the Wind Beasts.
Yet, amidst this cruel and endless killing, truces lasting several months, or even several years, slowly began to appear in some places, like the renowned Sand Gate Temple.
It had been three years since they last fought with the surrounding Wind Beasts. This allowed more mortals to come to the temple, and the incense offerings grew more prosperous by the day.
The mortals increasingly believed that their piety had moved the heavens, that Buddha had finally seen the suffering of this region, allowing them to begin to leave their hardships behind and step into a Land of Bliss.
Among mortals, those with the ability to fight Wind Beasts were mostly masters of the martial world. Ordinary folk could only worry day after day about their villages and cities being attacked. Once the defensive line formed by cultivators and soldiers was broken, death would be their only fate.
But now, the instances of surrounding Wind Beasts actively attacking were becoming fewer and fewer. Especially within a fifty-thousand-li radius of the Sand Gate Temple, Wind Beasts had basically ceased to appear.
This led many mortals to believe that Buddha had finally shown his power and begun to save the common people. Otherwise, why were other places still ravaged by Wind Beasts while they already had their Land of Bliss? Thus, they would travel thousands, even tens of thousands of li, just to offer a stick of incense.
Similar situations also appeared in a few other places on the Wind God Continent, and the most prosperous and flourishing of these regions was the territory governed by the Tianli Clan!
At this time, Hong Yin had already returned from the outside world. Although she had not traveled to all the places she had planned, she remembered the agreement she had made with Li Yan in her message and returned to the clan on time.
When she learned that the Tianli Clan had been safe and sound, and that Li Yan was still in seclusion within the clan, Hong Yin's heart was put at ease.
During her travels, she had searched for the ruins of sects from her era, but had only found one named the Gemini Sect.
In her time, this sect had also been a top-tier sect, but now it had become a second-rate one, and everything within it was completely unfamiliar to Hong Yin.
Only a few cultivators stood guard within the sect, which had become a vassal to another powerful force. After sneaking into their scripture pavilion and consulting a large number of records, Hong Yin found no mention of the Red Whisk Temple.
The sects she was looking for had once had good relations with the Red Whisk Temple. Logically, a sect like the Gemini Sect should have had records of the Red Whisk Temple's disappearance.
After all, the Red Whisk Temple had been even more powerful than the Gemini Sect back then, and the two sects had close ties. It was normal to keep records of powerful figures.
But no matter how she searched through all their materials, she could not find any record of the Red Whisk Temple, not even a single word.
She didn't know if it was because too much time had passed and the ancient jade slips had long since disappeared, or if they had been sealed away separately by the Gemini Sect.
Hong Yin later performed a Soul-Searching Art on all the Golden Core cultivators of the sect, but to her disappointment, the information she obtained was that the scripture pavilion she had visited was indeed the place where all the sect's historical records and jade slips were stored.
There was no other sealed location as she had guessed. As for the soul-searching of the Gemini Sect cultivators, Hong Yin, out of consideration for their past relationship, did not harm their Seas of Consciousness, leaving them completely unaware.
As for the other sects she had planned to find, Hong Yin found none of them. Her era was too far in the past.
Even a powerful existence like the Red Whisk Temple had failed to leave many traces after the attacks of the Wind Beasts, so one could imagine the fate of the other sects.
This was different from the Malevolent Spirit Sect. They faced other human sects, and their battles were not the ceaseless, day-after-day slaughter, which was why they had flourished for so long.
After returning to the Tianli Clan, Hong Yin knew that her next target could only be the Desolate Moon Continent. She had once heard Li Yan say that there should be Spirit Transformation cultivators within the Four Great Sects, as well as other hidden, powerful existences.
Therefore, she would of course adopt the safest method to enter the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, and this would require Li Yan's assistance.
Moreover, the place she was entering was the secret realm of the Jingtu Sect, one of the four great powers. It would definitely attract the attention of their Spirit Transformation cultivators. With Li Yan's help, it would be much smoother.
Hong Yin's mindset was now calm. She was no longer a Spirit Transformation cultivator. Her past glories had vanished. In this realm, although Spirit Transformation cultivators lay dormant, they were the true giants pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
And she had to accept the fact that she was powerless to resist them. She would wait until she could resolve some of the questions in her heart, and then she would ascend to the Immortal Spirit Realm. There, she believed she could quickly re-cultivate to the Spirit Transformation realm.
Li Yan had not come out of seclusion, and Gong Chenying was in seclusion as well. Hong Yin was not too anxious about this; she could certainly afford to wait.
In the third year after Hong Yin's return, on this day in the Tianli Hall, the Sixth Elder was handling affairs. Now, the Great Elder and the Clan Head had also entered arduous cultivation, hoping to achieve a breakthrough soon.
The reason for this was Li Yan. His rate of advancement was too fast. The Great Elder had practically watched him catch up, like splitting bamboo, and then surpass him.
This gave him, who had been stuck at the Late-stage for a long time, hope of breaking through to the Spirit Transformation realm. It was the same for others like the Third Elder. Thus, only two elders were left to oversee the clan.
Suddenly, the Sixth Elder, who was examining a jade slip in his hand, saw his expression change. A terrifying might swept in from a distance in an instant. He had only just sensed it.
That terrifying might instantly enveloped the entire Tianli Clan. The intensity of this might gave the Sixth Elder a feeling of powerlessness.
"Who... is this?"
This might appeared too suddenly, descending in an instant without any warning, catching everyone completely off guard.
Just as the Sixth Elder's heart was filled with terror, and a sense of dread and unease had just risen, a voice like a colossal thunderclap rolled in.
"Li Yan, get your ass out here!"
The voice shook the four corners of the world, like a muffled, rolling thunderclap. It made everyone's ears buzz, and many mortal clansmen died on the spot, bleeding from all seven orifices.
Even among the cultivators, many fell from the clouds like rain, dying from the impact after fainting. Such power was truly horrifying.
The Tianli Clan's protective grand formation was instantly activated to its maximum strength. The Sixth Elder also felt dizzy and his vision swam.
"Who is it?"
At the same time, the Great Elder's furious shout also exploded in the sky. Even in seclusion, his mind was connected to the clan's grand formation. The immense pressure transmitted from the formation had instantly awakened him.
When the Sixth Elder flew out in a hurry, he saw that the figures of the Great Elder and Gong Shanhe had already appeared in the sky. Behind them, the figures of the other elders and Hong Yin also appeared.
Further away, the figures of Li Yan and Gong Chenying also materialized.
Even seven or eight thousand li away, there were the auras of Yan San and four other Wind Beasts, though that was beyond the range of the Sixth Elder's Divine Sense.
Among the few Wind Beasts, the fourth-rank Wind Beast whose physical body had been blown apart by Li Yan had already recovered somewhat after its Body Seizure. Sensing the abnormality outside, they had all flown out to investigate.
However, by the time they came out, the other party had already flown past the Wind Beast territory and reached the border between the Wind Beasts and the Tianli Clan. At such a distance, apart from Yan San, it was beyond the Divine Sense range of the other Wind Beasts.
Yan San's Divine Sense swept out. He had just seen a short-haired man in a black Daoist robe and another figure. He couldn't yet discern their cultivation levels, but the thunderous voice still made their hearts tremble.
Since the short-haired, black-robed man had not fully revealed his cultivation to avoid triggering the world's rules, in Yan San's eyes, they were two Nascent Soul cultivators, one a Late-stage Great Cultivator and the other an Initial-stage Nascent Soul.
As a result, they were completely unaware that they were already on the verge of danger.
Two people hovered in the sky: a short-haired, burly man and a handsome young man in white robes.
Their earth-shaking arrival had forced out all the experts here. They had come with menacing intent.
Li Yan's face was also gloomy. He had been in seclusion, arduously cultivating the sixth layer of the "Qiongqi Purgatory Art" and the Gui Water Immortal Sect techniques from his new advancement.
After years of hard cultivation, his various arts could only be considered to have minor achievements, but he had not yet reached his expected goal.
But just now, a might that made even his heart pound with fear had instantly pressed down on him, and it had directly penetrated the restrictions he had set up.
Before that, Li Yan had not detected the slightest sign of it, which made him both shocked and angry. He flew out of his cave at once.
The moment he ascended, he saw the distant figures in the sky. With a sweep of his Divine Sense over the range of several thousand li, he clearly saw the two people.
One of them was none other than Wan Qingshe, whom he had beaten into retreat. And the short-haired, burly man beside him, dressed in a black Daoist robe, exuded a heaven-shakingly astonishing aura.
Even from several thousand li away, Li Yan felt as if a giant mountain was pressing down on him.
'A Spirit Transformation cultivator!'
In an instant, Li Yan determined the other party's cultivation and already had a guess in his heart.
"Senior, why have you harmed my clansmen without reason? What grievances does my Tianli Clan have with you?"
The Great Elder's voice rolled out. With a sweep of his Divine Sense, he found that several thousand of his clansmen had died from that single shout just now, about ninety percent of them mortals. He was instantly filled with a mix of shock and rage.
A deep hatred filled his heart, but with the other party so close, he could also guess their cultivation level. Yet, he did not recognize them, so he could only suppress his anger.
Unlike Li Yan and the Third Elder, who had both met Wan Qingshe before, the moment they saw him, they had a guess about the burly man.
The Spirit Transformation cultivator of the Sword-Washing Sect, Wan Qingshe's master—the "Peerless Sword of Hua Tian," Xue Longzi.
So, almost at the same time the Great Elder asked his question, the voice transmissions from the Third Elder and Li Yan sounded in his mind.
The Great Elder was aware of Wan Qingshe's previous visit to the Tianli Clan, so he immediately had a guess as well.
"Hmph, you still haven't come over to pay respects to my master, a bunch of uncivilized barbarians who know no respect! Especially you, Li Yan!"
After the Great Elder had spoken, the short-haired, black-robed man did not speak, but merely cast a faint glance at the crowd.
Although they were several thousand li apart, his gaze seemed to traverse thousands of mountains and rivers in an instant. Everyone felt as if he was looking directly at them, his gaze icy and chilling.
And Wan Qingshe, by his side, seeing the Tianli people appear, immediately shouted sternly. His Divine Sense also quickly locked onto Li Yan, his voice growing colder as he spoke the last few words.
The last time, he had been tortured to death's door by the poison the other party had used. At that time, he felt as if he could die at any moment.
He later used a supreme-grade detoxification pill, and with his master's help to expel the poison, he had still lain in bed for more than a year before recovering. How could he not hate him?
And today, with his master by his side, all his accumulated anger and humiliation exploded in an instant.
Li Yan remained expressionless. He didn't care much about Wan Qingshe, but he was wary of the man beside him.
With his own strength after a full eruption, he wondered if he, now a Late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator, could poison a Spirit Transformation cultivator.
"What grievances does my Tianli Clan have with your Sword-Washing Sect?"
The Great Elder completely ignored Wan Qingshe's words, his aged eyes staring fixedly at the short-haired, black-robed man.
"Insolence! You actually abandoned your human identity to trade resources for them, allowing them to grow stronger. Hmph, then I shall discipline them on behalf of your former Great Sacrificial Priest. They can die first!"
Just as Wan Qingshe was about to shout again in anger, the short-haired, black-robed man had already glanced sideways at the Great Elder, his voice suddenly growing even colder.
As he spoke, he suddenly made a casual slash behind him. Only a few Late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivators like the Great Elder seemed to see a flash of cold light, but it felt like a trick of their Divine Sense.
"Not good!"
Their hearts lurched in unison. Especially Yan San in the distance, the hair on his entire body stood on end. The shadow of death instantly enveloped him. He had only just heard their conversation clearly.
His heart was filled with terror. According to what the Great Elder called the other party, that person should be a Spirit Transformation cultivator.
And that short-haired man had attacked on sight, intending to kill their Wind Beasts first.
"Run!" Yan San roared, instantly revealing his true form. They had previously appeared near the "Heaven's Eye Pit" of the more forward-positioned "Wind-Iron Beast" clan. At this moment, they instantly dropped down.
"Ah! Ah!"
Although their speed was fast, almost at the same instant the short-haired, black-robed man's voice fell, a large splash of blood erupted in the sky.
The afterimages of a fourth-rank "Wind-Iron Beast" and a "Wind Elephant Beast" as they fell suddenly turned into a sky full of blood.
Their shrill screams came to an abrupt halt in the next moment. They were several thousand li away from the other party, and they didn't even have time to fall into the "Heaven's Eye Pit" below.
The other party had only made a casual slash, and the two beasts couldn't even let their Nascent Souls escape. Yan San, in his haste, managed to shoot out a black light, which was only enough to wrap around the other two fourth-rank Wind Beasts.
And on his back, in that instant, a jet of blood also shot out. The protective light shield of a Late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator was as fragile as paper, utterly useless.
Fortunately, his innate divine ability was his speed, a point even the Great Elder admitted he couldn't match.
Therefore, he still managed to twist his body in a hurry, dodging most of the power of the cold light and avoiding the fate of being cut in half at the waist in an instant!