After waiting for a while, once Duan Qiu and the others from Tiantong Academy had arrived, Su Wenjing displayed his spatial ability. Soon, the group arrived at the academy entrance.
Without much to say, they thanked Su Wenjing for bringing everyone back, and then the many went their separate ways.
As a graduate, Li Yunxian naturally no longer had her own villa in the academy, but she had her teacher.
She wasn’t formal about it and directly occupied a room in Li Tianying’s villa.
Li Tiansuo, who had just returned from finishing her classes:
She didn’t quite know what expression to make.
In the past, the students Li Tiansuo had taught would either never be seen again after graduation or would only be met briefly after a dozen years at some meeting or due to a special work situation.
As for Li Yun…
She had returned in the blink of an eye, and she was different every time they met.
Well, this referred to her cultivation.
The last time Li Yunxian left Li Tianying’s side, she had said she was going to Pingnan. When they met again, Li Yunxian was already at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.
This time was even more exaggerated. After not seeing her for a few months, Li Yunxian was already at the Jindan Great Perfection.
Li Tianying had originally been somewhat proud of her Fenshen Stage cultivation, but now, a sense of crisis inexplicably surged within her.
She didn’t mind her student surpassing her, but she did mind the rising generation only taking a tiny bit of time to so easily overtake her!!!
Li Yunxian was already used to the shocked gazes of others; many had been shocked when she returned to the Capital City of Shenzhou.
She happily spent some time with her teacher before quickly starting on serious business.
Li Yunxian pulled out a pile of Jade Slips: “This is all the knowledge I excavated from the researchers on the Interstellar side. Teacher, see if it’s of any use.”
These were the opinions and suggestions Li Yunxian had asked for from Duan Huacai and her people during her later entry into the Gap in Time.
Li Yunxian was half a researcher herself, and Duan Huacai and the others happened to be at the intermediate layer between Shenzhou’s current technology and Interstellar development.
Their insights and suggestions were even more useful than books directly fished from the Interstellar side.
Li Tianying picked up a Jade Slip and scanned it, and as expected, she was soon immersed in it.
Many lines of thought and ideas were opened up. Li Tianying’s inspiration began to spark one after another, and such a state could not be wasted.
Li Tianying immediately grabbed Li Yunxian: “Let’s go, let’s go, we’re going to the workshop!”
What? Li Yunxian wanted to occupy a room in her villa here?
In her dreams! Go work together!!
With an innocent expression, Li Yunxian was taken to the workshop by Li Tianying.
Heh, everything was going according to plan!
While giving Li Tianying a hand, Li Yunxian used the workshop’s Heaven-Grade Artifact to temper her own Divine Soul.
Clang, clang, clang!
She fused her newly harvested Merit Golden Light and her Divine Soul together. Li Yunxian’s unformed Nascent Soul, which had looked quite pathetic and miserable, finally looked much better this time.
But this was not enough.
It wasn’t safe enough.
After consuming all the Merit Golden Light, Li Yunxian didn’t stop for a moment and continued to use the artifact to temper her Golden Core.
Li Yunxian didn’t dare use even a bit of the vast amount of Immortal Spirit Qi she had harvested in the Manxian Pond.
She was afraid that if she wasn’t careful, she would step into the next stage and be finished.
Taking advantage of the current opportunity, Li Yunxian hurriedly gathered all this Immortal Spirit Qi at the position of her Dantian, enveloping the Golden Core.
Tempering fiercely!
Other people tempered their Golden Core to let the Nascent Soul emerge better, but Li Yunxian activated the artifact to temper her Golden Core for the sake of reinforcement.
She was afraid that it might accidentally crack one day.
Add one layer of protection, add two layers of protection.
The Immortal Spirit Qi all sank into the shell of the Golden Core, wrapping her Nascent Soul tightly and securely.
Only after processing everything did Li Yunxian barely gain a sense of security.
Li Tianying still hadn’t noticed these little movements of Li Yunxian’s. She was currently dragging Li Yunxian to discuss the structure of the Town-Sealing Artifact.
Li Yunxian couldn’t talk about the crisis on the Interstellar side while she was there, but back in Shenzhou, there was naturally nothing she couldn’t say to Li Tianying.
Li Yunxian explained all the sinister aspects of that artifact.
Li Tianying didn’t say much after hearing it, but disgust appeared in her eyes.
However, Li Tianying was still very interested in this technology.
“Using a knife to hurt people is the fault of the one holding the knife, not the knife itself.” Li Tianying was also a Fenshen Stage cultivator, and she was very clear on these principles.
Being able to maintain the Lingli in a city, ensuring everyone could practice cultivation normally, while also suppressing the birth of Creepy entities and protecting the safety of ordinary people—this was a good thing!
It made no sense to stop doing something because of a minor risk.
What they needed to do was eliminate the negative impacts of the Town-Sealing.
Li Yunxian had no talent in this area.
She simply dumped everything she had learned onto Li Tianying in one go, then used the excuse of Fu Ling looking for her to run away in a flash.
Seeing her student rushing off again, Li Tianying paused for a moment, and then she suddenly began to worry.
She didn’t know if the next time they met… Li Yunxian would be at the Nascent Soul or the Fenshen Stage.
Sigh!!
Li Yunxian’s excuse for running away was, of course, the truth.
Fu Ling really had come to find her.
During these days, Fu Ling had finished assigning all the tasks of Wenwu Academy and taken a long leave of absence.
She had handled all the things that might happen later, and for this reason, Fu Ling had been delayed for a few more days.
She had originally felt very apologetic, but when she tried to contact Li Yunxian, she found she couldn’t reach her.
Fu Ling: …
Fu Ling, who had absolutely no idea how bad Li Yunxian’s track record of disappearing was, was even wondering if she had been played.
So, she inquired about Li Yunxian’s location and came to Tiantong in person.
Then Fu Ling learned from Su Wenjing that Li Yunxian was in the workshop, being forced to work overtime by her teacher.
Recalling the things she had heard at Pingnan Academy about Li Yunxian’s actions at various academies, the strange thought “So you have your day too” couldn’t help but pop into Fu Ling’s head.
Then she asked Su Wenjing to use his Divine Sense to notify Li Yunxian.
Fu Ling had said Li Yunxian didn’t need to hurry, but Li Yunxian arrived very quickly.
Li Yunxian didn’t want to hear Li Tianying and the others keep questioning her, telling her to think again about whether there was anything else like that on the Interstellar side.
These people really wanted to squeeze her dry!!
However, with the strength of Li Yunxian’s Divine Soul, if she said she didn’t know, then she didn’t know—there was really no need to think about it!
Fu Ling’s arrival was indeed a relief for Li Yunxian.
“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” Li Yunxian grabbed Fu Ling, ready to run.
Fu Ling shrugged and grabbed Li Yunxian, immediately using the Shukudi Chengcun technique.
She was at the Body Integration Stage Grand Completion, and this technique had already reached the pinnacle of mastery. In just a few blinks of an eye, the two had already arrived outside Heaven’s Ruins.
What entered Li Yunxian’s sight was a vast, barren plain.
Standing on a cliff, she looked at the layers of mist drifting from below. It felt like a mass of damp, cold vapor was rising from underneath, bringing a sense of chill.
Li Yunxian’s physical body was now no different from a Clone. A truly ordinary chill meant nothing to Li Yunxian, no different from an ordinary warm and pleasant breeze.
For her to feel cold, the horror within needed no words.
Truly worthy of being called Heaven’s Ruins!
Li Yunxian marveled in her mind, then turned her head to look to the side, her voice filled with confusion: “Why are you here?”
The one being questioned, Su Wenjing: “?”
Confusion arose in his eyes: “Didn’t you two ask me to come along?”
Previously, when going to Interstellar, hadn’t Li Yunxian encouraged him, saying that if Heaven’s Ruins didn’t welcome him, then he should go even more.
They, who were re-cultivating through the Transcendence Stage, should be a bit rebellious!
Then Fu Ling finished her business and came to Tiantong. The first thing she did was greet him, and only then did she ask about Li Yunxian.
Wasn’t this an invitation for the three of them to set off together?!
Li Yunxian: …
Fu Ling: …
“Ah, yes, yes, that’s what it meant!” Fu Ling immediately spoke up, taking responsibility for the mix-up. “I asked him to come along!”
She knew Su Wenjing was a Yaoxiu who had survived from ancient times and once had a very high cultivation.
Even though Su Wenjing had been at the Fenshen Stage since Fu Ling first started cultivating, and now Fu Ling was at the Body Integration Stage while Su Wenjing was still at the Fenshen Stage, Fu Ling didn’t dare look down on him at all.
As everyone knew, although the Fenshen Stage was traditionally considered part of the immortal class and was not threatened by lifespan, all cultivators had their Jie Du.
The longer one lived without any progress in cultivation, the greater the Jie Du would become.
It was even possible that through ordinary practice of heart techniques, one might accidentally make a mistake, leading to Soulfire burning the body and direct annihilation between heaven and earth.
But Su Wenjing didn’t have that.
He had always been alive.
Living for a long, long time.
That was what was truly terrifying.
Having such a big shot along was naturally the best thing for Fu Ling.
Li Yunxian had only asked casually. Since Fu Ling had taken the blame, she naturally wouldn’t say anything more.
Li Yunxian smoothly turned the topic back to Heaven’s Ruins itself.
“What’s the situation inside this Heaven’s Ruins?” Li Yunxian asked.
Fu Ling, feeling that she was the initiator of this operation and had the responsibility to answer Li Yunxian’s questions, said: “Heaven’s Ruins is said to be the site of an ancient battlefield. It’s filled with soaring baleful aura, brewing many Creepy entities of pure slaughter.”
“These Creepy entities have no intelligence, only a pure consciousness of slaughter. They will do their utmost to destroy anything that obstructs them, whether it’s a living thing or a dead object.”
“But that’s not the most terrifying part of Heaven’s Ruins. It’s said that Heaven’s Ruins has a very strong longing for life, so it absorbs the consciousness of all life in Shenzhou.”
“Those with strong cultivation can even find their own identifier within. This identifier is either that person’s Secret Oath or their karmic hindrance.”
“Legend says that as long as one can find their identifier and incorporate it into their body, they can break through their current shackles and reach the next stage of cultivation.”
Listening to Fu Ling’s words, Li Yunxian felt more and more like it was an enhanced version of the Illusion Array she had previously given to Boxbone.
“Is it for real?” Li Yunxian turned to Su Wenjing for confirmation.
Su Wenjing nodded and gave his affirmation: “It’s true. That is everyone’s past. By being able to accept your past self, your thoughts will naturally be clear, and your state of mind will be without obstacles.”
Li Yunxian gave an ‘oh’ and continued to ask directly: “So is that why you didn’t dare come before either?”
Hearing Li Yunxian’s question, Fu Ling was stunned.
Was this something that could be asked so casually?!
She remembered the Li Yunxian she knew was very tactful!
As Fu Ling’s mind raced, thinking about how she should smooth things over, she heard Su Wenjing’s voice.
“Yes,” Su Wenjing replied. “All of my clansmen are buried here. They told me not to come back and to live well.”