Chapter 240: Going Home

After listening to Qing He’s explanation, Chen Yuyang showed no trace of surprise on his face.

All of this was exactly what he had anticipated.

The current state of the Qiankun Sect was precisely the outcome he wanted.

He had crippled it, leaving it powerless to trouble his Shizun or the Hehuan Sect for the next century or two.

At the same time, he had controlled the formation’s effect, avoiding large-scale direct slaughter.

Although, given his skill in formations, he could have used this opportunity to kill most of the Qiankun Sect’s members, he had chosen to stop at just a warning.

After all, the sect still had three Mahayana Realm cultivators, and among its disciples, there might indeed be innocents.

Chen Yuyang avoided pushing them into a corner where they would fight desperately.

As it was now, the warning had achieved its goal without causing too many actual deaths.

Instead, it would make the Qiankun Sect more wary and cautious, no longer provoking trouble lightly.

Qing He finished speaking and had been watching Chen Yuyang’s expression.

But she noticed that he remained calm and indifferent throughout.

‘Is he truly unfazed by all this, or did he already know?’

Qing He wondered inwardly, but this time, she did not press further.

After hearing her out, Chen Yuyang nodded slightly.

“Thank you for the intelligence, Daoist Qing. It’s getting late; I should head back.”

Qing He quickly nodded and rose to see him off.

“Daoist Chen, go safely. Once I have progress on the intelligence you need, I will notify you immediately.”

She respectfully escorted Chen Yuyang out, only withdrawing her gaze once his figure disappeared at the entrance of the inn.

Leaving the inn, Chen Yuyang took a deep breath of the air on the street, mingled with the noise of the crowd, feeling much more at ease.

His main objectives for this training trip down the mountain were essentially complete.

As for the matter of the Hehuan Sect senior’s living puppet, there was now a new direction for investigation with Mo Jiang.

The only thing still without a clue was his Shimei Yunlian’s enemy.

But regardless, matters here had come to a close.

Thinking this, Chen Yuyang quickened his pace and headed straight for the inn where they were staying.

The training trip seemed truly about to end.

Although Chen Yuyang hadn’t explicitly said so, Yan Luo had already keenly sensed it.

Recently, the rest periods had increased noticeably, and Chen Yuyang no longer gave clear directions or goals like before.

Yan Luo felt a vague unease in her heart.

The reason was simple: she didn’t want to part ways.

Although she still hadn’t found a good opportunity to get him until now, over the past half year plus of living together day and night, the young girl had grown completely accustomed to his presence.

His steadiness, strength, reliability, wisdom… were all so captivating.

Now, thinking about possibly separating, she felt a sense of confusion and loss.

Just then, Chen Yuyang sent her a voice transmission: “Luobo, come to my room.”

Yan Luo’s heart tightened.

She quickly stood up, took a deep breath inwardly, adjusted her collar, and walked toward Chen Yuyang’s room.

Pushing open the door, Yunlian was already sitting inside.

Chen Yuyang sat at the table.

Seeing the girl enter, he made a gesture for her to sit.

“Let’s discuss our next steps,” Chen Yuyang said straightforwardly after both sat down.

“I think this training trip is about done. Everything that needed to be done has been done. It’s time to return to the sect.”

Upon hearing this, Yan Luo’s heart jumped violently.

‘As expected, the training trip is really about to end.’

Although Yunlian was a bit surprised, she quickly regained composure, nodded, and said softly, “That’s fine. I’ve seen a lot outside during this time and made progress in cultivation. I do need to settle down and digest it. After returning, I plan to go into seclusion to stabilize my realm.”

Chen Yuyang nodded, then turned his gaze to the silent Yan Luo.

“Luobo, what about you? What are your plans?”

Yan Luo bit her lip, avoiding Chen Yuyang’s eyes, her head slightly lowered, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.

“I… I don’t know.”

Chen Yuyang raised an eyebrow, looking at her in surprise.

‘Don’t know? If you don’t know, then who does?’

“You don’t want to go back?”

Chen Yuyang noticed her expression and asked after a moment of thought.

Yan Luo quickly shook her head.

‘Go back?’

She knew that if she went back to the Yan Family like this, her grandfather would surely ask why she hadn’t secured Chen Yuyang yet.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about it, but Chen Yuyang was too proper, and deep down, she hoped everything would happen naturally.

Without a suitable opportunity, she couldn’t exactly force herself on him.

“Then do you want to continue training outside?”

Chen Yuyang asked, changing the question when she shook her head.

Yan Luo shook her head again and muttered softly, “Training alone is too dangerous.”

Chen Yuyang nodded, finding her reasoning sound.

Although Yan Luo’s strength was decent, it wasn’t safe for a young girl to travel alone.

But if she wouldn’t do this or that, what did she actually want?

Chen Yuyang looked at her with some helplessness.

“Then what exactly do you want?”

Yan Luo bit her lip, seeming to make a big decision.

She lifted her head, a hint of testing in her eyes, and asked, “Um… could I go to the Hehuan Sect?”

Yunlian, who had been sitting quietly to the side, raised an eyebrow at this, a flash of alertness in her eyes.

“What are you going to the Hehuan Sect for?”

“I… can’t I just visit as a guest?”

Yan Luo’s heart was a bit nervous, but she still held her head high.

“Besides, the Heavenly Prodigy Ranking Battle is in two and a half months. I’m definitely going to participate, and Yuyang, you’re going too, right? So why not let me stay at your Hehuan Sect for a while? Then we can set off together and look out for each other on the way.”

The more Yan Luo spoke, the more she convinced herself the reason was perfect.

Even she was persuaded, and her tone grew more resolute.

“The Heavenly Prodigy Ranking Battle…”

Chen Yuyang frowned, only then remembering that matter.

He had almost forgotten about it during this period.

But he couldn’t escape it—after all, it was his Shizun’s task.

“Alright then,” Chen Yuyang mused for a moment, then nodded.

“Since that’s the case, you’ll come back to the Hehuan Sect with us.”

Yunlian pouted beside him, quietly throwing Chen Yuyang a dissatisfied glance.

She mouthed the words “big pervert” in his direction, though no sound came out.

She didn’t believe Yan Luo wanted to visit purely as a guest—she must be after her Shixiong’s body.

And her Shixiong actually agreed—he must be blinded by lust.

…..

Hehuan Sect, Martial Arena.

Ling Xi held a crimson longsword, sparring with Gu Qiushui on the training ground.

In the arena, sword light intertwined with silk ribbons, spiritual energy surging, producing a series of whooshing sounds as the air was split.

Their figures moved swiftly, attacking and countering, crossing paths without any clear victor for a moment.

Over the past half year, Ling Xi’s progress had been astonishing.

She had successfully broken through a bottleneck and just entered the Nascent Soul realm.

This was not only due to the elixir Chen Yuyang had given her before, which vastly improved her spiritual root and physique, but also because Tai Lingxuan’s improved Hehuan Jue had discarded its previous flaws, allowing her cultivation to progress smoothly.

Gu Qiushui, on the other hand, was now at the third layer of Nascent Soul.

Although she held a clear advantage in realm, she felt immense pressure. ‘

‘Shimei’s progress is too fast… How old is Ling Xi? At this rate, I, as her Shijie, will soon be outshone by her.’

As she thought this, Gu Qiushui’s eyes sharpened.

Spiritual energy erupted from her body, sweeping Ling Xi’s sword aside.

Simultaneously, the young girl twisted her wrist.

The ice-blue ribbon coiled around her arm instantly flew out, spiraling in midair and transforming into a sharp spear, thrusting fiercely toward Ling Xi.

Ling Xi dared not be careless.

She channeled her spiritual energy to its fullest, the sword in her hand blazing with spiritual light as she swung it in an attempt to block the attack.

But Ling Xi’s sword technique had only just begun, not yet forming a defensive stance, when Gu Qiushui’s attack arrived.

The ribbon-turned-spear dispersed the moment before it would have struck Ling Xi, confusing her vision.

In that gap, Gu Qiushui’s main body closed in with her sword, the blade vibrating through the air with a crisp hum.

When Ling Xi could see clearly again, the sword was already pointed at her throat.

There was no need to continue fighting.

The victor was decided.

Gu Qiushui let out a long sigh of relief.

She had used almost all her strength in this exchange, barely managing to uphold her dignity as Shijie.

Ling Xi, though defeated, showed no disappointment.

Instead, she felt quite proud.

Having just entered Nascent Soul, she was very satisfied to have fought to such a level against a Nascent Soul third-layer Shijie.

Ling Xi sheathed her sword and immediately bowed respectfully to Gu Qiushui.

“Thank you for your instruction, Shijie.”

Gu Qiushui waved her hand a bit embarrassedly, a warm smile on her face.

“There’s no instruction to speak of. Ling Xi, you and I are now fellow cultivators at the same realm. I’m just a few years older and have more combat experience.”

As she spoke, Gu Qiushui looked at Ling Xi.

The girl’s face showed little expression.

She just frowned slightly, her head bowed, carefully pondering the flaws in her performance during the fight and areas for improvement.

‘This girl… she’s becoming more and more like Shidi,’ Gu Qiushui couldn’t help shaking her head in amused resignation.

Putting away her ribbon, Gu Qiushui was about to leave the Martial Arena when her peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of three figures standing at the entrance of the training ground.

And when her gaze locked onto the familiar young man’s silhouette in the middle, her pupils dilated, and her heart began to race uncontrollably!

It was him!