Translator: CinderTL
Song Wen didn't dare delay for a moment, pouring all his energy into the Thunder Escape Technique and rushing forward at full speed.
Xue Mei also knew about the Teleportation Array in the Nether Shrine within the Endless Desert.
If she arrived first and joined forces with Gui Ni and Yang Yu to set up an ambush, their plan to reach the Chaotic Sea would likely be ruined.
Three days later, Song Wen appeared in the vast desert.
A black stone mountain loomed in the distance.
The mountain was hollow, with a massive cave entrance nearly a hundred feet tall piercing its side.
This entrance led into the Nether Shrine.
Song Wen activated the Shadow Gu within his body, awakening both the one he possessed and the Third-Tier Peak Shadow Gu that had been dormant.
The three Shadow Gu fluttered their wings and entered the cave entrance.
Guided by Song Wen, they quickly reached the underground cavern where the Nether Shrine was located.
The Shadow Gu thoroughly explored the entire cavern and the Nether Shrine several times, confirming that no one was lying in ambush and that no one had visited the place in a long time. Only then did Song Wen relax and fly into the Nether Shrine.
Song Wen went straight to the inner hall of the Nether Shrine and placed seventy-two High-Grade Spirit Stones at the base of the Teleportation Array.
Next, he took out his Array Disk and activated the Teleportation Array.
The Teleportation Array flared with a brilliant blue light, gradually engulfing Song Wen's figure.
Half a day later, Xue Mei and her two companions materialized within the inner hall.
Seeing the fragments of Spirit Stones still faintly radiating Spiritual Qi at the array's foundation, Xue Mei's expression darkened.
"Damn it, we're too late. I should have realized earlier that Ji Yin would come here to use the Teleportation Array to escape to the Chaotic Sea."
Gui Ni and Yang Yu, however, showed no signs of regret. Instead, their eyes gleamed with keen interest as they examined the Teleportation Array.
"Fellow Daoist Xue Mei, is this truly an ancient Teleportation Array? Can it really transport us to the Chaotic Sea?" Yang Yu asked.
"Indeed," Xue Mei replied. "But to activate this Teleportation Array, we need its Array Disk. The only one is in Ji Yin's possession."
Gui Ni and Yang Yu's enthusiasm immediately waned.
"Since Ji Yin has already fled to the Chaotic Sea, if we destroy this Teleportation Array, wouldn't that mean he can never return to the Tianyuan Continent? We wouldn't have to worry about him seeking revenge."
As Yang Yu spoke, Spiritual Power surged through his hands.
Seeing this, Xue Mei's mouth parted slightly as if to stop him, but after a moment's hesitation, she remained silent.
Boom! Boom!
Yang Yu's two palms slammed down, sending dust billowing into the air.
The ground, once etched with the Teleportation Array's intricate patterns, crumbled into a fine powder.
The Nether Fox surveyed the small island beneath its feet and the omnipresent Primordial Qi swirling around it, a flicker of joy flashing in its obsidian eyes.
"Master, have we returned to the Misty Ghost Realm?"
"Yes," Song Wen nodded slightly, then continued, "Do you wish to regain your freedom?"
"Of course!" the Nether Fox exclaimed eagerly.
But then it grew wary. "Our hundred-year agreement still has twenty-three years left. Do you have some hidden scheme?"
Song Wen replied, "If you don't want your freedom, then return to the Spirit Beast Pouch."
"No..." the Nether Fox cried out immediately. "Master, I was wrong! I don't want to go back to the Spirit Beast Pouch. Please, Master, release the Spirit Beast Contract!"
Song Wen said, "The hundred-year term hasn't expired yet. The contract can't be dissolved for now."
Mi He had once told him that the Nether Fox's opportunity to advance to the Fourth-Tier lay within the Misty Ghost Realm.
This had reminded Song Wen that the Nether Fox's strength had grown only marginally during the years it had followed him.
Therefore, Song Wen decided to leave it in the Misty Ghost Realm, hoping that if it achieved a breakthrough in its cultivation, it might prove useful later.
Six months later.
Liangyi Sect, Four Symbols City.
Song Wen had come to Four Symbols City to gather intelligence on the current situation between the human and demon races in the Chaotic Sea, in order to plan his next move.
Within the city, cultivators bustled about, creating a lively atmosphere.
This suggested that whatever the current state of the Human-Demon Conflict, it hadn't significantly impacted the Liangyi Sect.
Song Wen took out Zi Yun's Communication Jade Slip and sent a message:
Fellow Daoist Zi Yun, it's been many years. How have you been?
Moments later, Song Wen received Zi Yun's reply, her tone filled with surprise:
Ji Yin! You're still alive?
Fellow Daoist, I've never offended you. Why would you curse me? Song Wen replied.
Forgive me, Fellow Daoist. I got a little too excited and misspoke. You've been out of contact for nearly a century. I thought something terrible had happened to you, Zi Yun explained.
Song Wen said, Fellow Daoist Zi Yun, would you be willing to meet and discuss this in detail?
Of course. Where are you? Zi Yun asked.
Four Symbols City, Immortal Spirit Tea House, Song Wen replied.
Wait a moment, Fellow Daoist. I'll be there shortly, Zi Yun said.
Not long after, the two met in a tea room.
Zi Yun had now reached the Early Stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
After exchanging greetings, Zi Yun asked, "Ji Yin, it's been a century since we last met. You didn't come here just to catch up, did you?"
Song Wen replied, "My purpose in coming today is to inquire about the current situation between the human and demon races."
"Ah!" Zi Yun sighed deeply, her voice tinged with a hint of world-weariness. "Twenty years ago, the Human Race suffered defeat in the Northern Region. However, both sides suffered heavy losses in that battle, leaving both races severely weakened. In recent years, both sides have tacitly agreed to recuperate, avoiding large-scale conflicts."
"So the Northern Region fell into the hands of the Demon Race?" Song Wen asked.
Zi Yun nodded, glancing at Song Wen with a peculiar expression. "What about the Jing Clan of the Northern Region? Were they annihilated?"
"The Jing Clan wasn't annihilated," Zi Yun explained. "They retreated to the Central Region and became an affiliated family of my Liangyi Sect."
After explaining, she countered, "Ji Yin, where have you been all these years? How could you not know something everyone else does?"
Song Wen's expression remained calm. He had already prepared his explanation for Zi Yun's inquiry.
"I'm a quiet person and have no desire to get involved in the Human-Demon Conflict. For nearly sixty years, I've been in closed-door cultivation. It was only recently, when my cultivation resources ran out, that I was forced to break my seclusion."
Song Wen's explanation confirmed Zi Yun's suspicions, so she didn't dwell on it. She sighed wistfully.
"Fellow Daoist, your reclusive cultivation has certainly granted you a life of carefree freedom. But this Human-Demon Conflict is a struggle for survival. Someone must face it, someone must bear the burden. Take my Liangyi Sect, for example. In the great battle twenty years ago, we lost nearly ten thousand disciples, and many Golden Core Stage elders perished. Even my master, Daoist Lan Yin, was severely wounded."
"Daoist Lan Yin was injured! How serious is her condition?" Song Wen asked with genuine concern.
His reaction wasn't entirely feigned. He held a deep sense of gratitude toward Daoist Lan Yin. If she hadn't allowed him and Zhu Yin to enter the Illusory Spirit Valley back then, they wouldn't have been able to obtain the Purple Golden Ginseng needed to refine the Nascent Spirit Pill. Moreover, Daoist Lan Yin's detachment from power and her refusal to resort to unscrupulous means for cultivation or strength made her a rare and pure figure in the Immortal Cultivation World.
Though it went against Song Wen's principles, he couldn't help but admire Daoist Lan Yin.
"My master is now out of danger, but her Nascent Soul was damaged, causing her cultivation to regress. She has fallen to the Early Stage of Nascent Soul, and she will never be able to advance her cultivation again," Zi Yun said with deep regret.
(End of the Chapter)
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