“This crafty old fox, couldn’t he spare more time for a little chat? Would talking a bit more kill him…”
Li Muyang stood amidst the void, looking at the familiar surroundings and muttering to himself.
At this moment, he had indeed been sent back to his original location by that old fox.
On the distant mountains, flames and smoke rose, the remnants of a Flying Boat crash.
A few beams of Tunneling Light hung above the mountains; they were Tingyu Tower’s Cultivators cleaning up the aftermath.
The ancient Holy Spirit that had been here, along with Yu Chan, whom the Holy Spirit had taken away, were now without a trace.
Li Muyang, looking at everything before him, reluctantly retracted the remains of Mo Immortal with frustration and irritability, feeling rather defeated.
After advancing to the Purple Mansion level in his Cultivation, the frequency with which he could summon Mo Immortal had increased once more.
From two remaining summons, it had increased to a total of twelve times.
Though it was more than before, each summoning was still precious.
Now that he had wasted one opportunity and failed to save Yu Chan, ending up being toyed with by the Reincarnation Record, it felt like a loss.
Although he obtained a lot of crucial intelligence at that old fox’s place, it still felt like a loss.
But how does this old fox, who clearly hides in a secret world and never leaves, know so much about the outside world?
He even knew about the Netherworld Saint Spirit ascending to land twice and being blocked both times.
And that monster going to the Tianyuan Continent and getting injured by a Sword Cultivator… that must’ve been True Man of Green Leaves’ doing, right?
Tsk… No idea how True Man of Green Leaves is doing now. That unbeatable Sword Cultivator disappeared after entering the Misty Sea; he didn’t get harmed by the Netherworld Saint Spirit there, did he?
Li Muyang’s mind was reeling with complex thoughts as he rode the Tunneling Light across the night sky, approaching the mountains where the Flying Boat had crashed.
The Cultivators from Tingyu Tower were tidying up the aftermath; Three Miss, like a persistent pest, flew up and asked with a frown, “Where the hell did you go just now? How did you disappear all of a sudden and then reappear? Didn’t the Reincarnation Record kill you?”
Seeing Li Muyang return unharmed, Three Miss seemed rather annoyed.
Luckily, Li Muyang was used to her rude mouth.
He glared at her, the so-called she-beast, and said, “None of your damn business!”
After cursing out Three Miss, Li Muyang felt a bit better.
Indeed, when people are upset, finding a scapegoat to vent on is the most relieving.
Approaching the Cultivators of Tingyu Tower, Li Muyang said, “You all head back to Tingyu Tower for now. Yu Chan has been taken by a mysterious powerful figure, but they bear no ill will towards her and won’t harm her.”
“I will find a way to bring Yu Chan back. Leave the rest to me.”
Saying so, Li Muyang prepared to leave with Li Damu and his wife by his side.
Since Yu Chan wasn’t there, Li Muyang didn’t plan on going back to Tingyu Tower.
Tingyu Tower, which operated in the gray area between right and wrong in the Cultivation World, had a reputation that was neither good nor bad, prioritizing interests above all.
With Yu Chan absent, Li Muyang couldn’t ensure that they wouldn’t covet his Immortal Artifact.
Thus, he decided to part ways with the crowd.
Youth Qu Yan was very eager to stop him, trying to persuade Li Muyang to go back with them, claiming that everyone in Tingyu Tower would pledge loyalty to Li Muyang.
This youth was Li Muyang’s little fanboy, but unfortunately, he didn’t represent the entirety of Tingyu Tower.
Tingyu Tower had been able to continue for so many years because it definitely had its own internal factional powers.
Yu Chan, the heir to the Corpse Immortal, could only be considered a mascot, raising the question of how much loyalty she could actually command from the elders of Tingyu Tower, let alone Li Muyang.
Declining everyone’s kind offers, Li Muyang left with Li Damu and his wife as well as Three Miss.
They flew through the sky on the Tunneling Light, heading towards the ark outside the world.
After much thought, the ark outside the world seemed the best place to settle Li Damu and his wife.
Since no one was watching the ark now, if Li Damu and his wife stayed low and pretended to be ordinary people, they could live safely.
That was what Li Muyang had in mind.
However, Li Muyang and Three Miss hadn’t gotten far when a brilliant light suddenly burst forth in front of them.
Bright and gentle white radiance descended before Li Muyang, abruptly blocking the path.
Within that soft and pure light, a solemn and dignified woman stood in the void.
She was extremely beautiful, but her aura was cold and her appearance saintly, resembling a Bodhisattva venerated in temples, commanding respect from others.
Her name is Qing Hui, a friend of Yan Xiaoru and an acquaintance to Li Muyang from several encounters.
She is also a member of the chat group, the master of an Immortal Artifact, Jing Muan.
Seeing her appearance, Li Muyang immediately narrowed his eyes.
Following that, the presence of other Cultivators emerged behind and to the left of him.
Trails of Magic Artifact radiance, no less imposing than that of Qing Hui’s, materialized in the night sky.
In the blink of an eye, the wilderness was bathed in the bright light of three Ancient Immortal Instruments, as if three suns hung in the sky, awakening the creatures in the forests and mountains below.
Li Muyang, whose path was blocked, narrowed his eyes.
Without a word, he summoned the Startling Swan Immortal Sword, silently watching the figures blocking his way.
He chuckled: “Distinguished seniors, by blocking the road here, are you waiting for me?”
Li Muyang’s gaze swept over the remaining two masters of Immortal Artifacts.
One was a reclusive white-haired man known as Ghost Mansion Seven, whose real name is Xie Liuyun, with whom Li Muyang was quite familiar.
However, Li Muyang did not recognize the last master of the Immortal Artifact.
That was a man with covered eyes and a gaunt figure, distant in demeanor, with a bare torso marked by many red, mysterious patterns, resembling a barbarian from the snow-covered northwestern plains.
In his hands, he held a domineeringly designed great bow, exuding a hair-raising aura of slaughter.
The three masters of Immortal Artifacts had all appeared at this time to accurately block the path.
Li Muyang suspected that they had been led here by the Netherworld Saint Spirit.
After all, it seemed that the masters of Immortal Artifacts and the Netherworld Saint Spirit were in an unending battle.
However, it was the Netherworld Saint Spirit that ran away and ended up exposing him.
After all, he had just unleashed the Startling Swan Immortal Sword in a great battle, and its aura could not have been unfamiliar to these masters of Immortal Artifacts.
Indeed, Qing Hui said, “We were pursuing the monster of the Misty Sea, yet unexpectedly encountered you here.”
Xie Liuyun, who had a better relationship with Li Muyang, said with a chuckle, “Who would have thought you were the enigmatic Cang Su San? You really had us chasing our tails.”
The other master of the Immortal Artifact, speaking indifferently, said, “Call me Dou Sujiu or Tuoba Lie if you will.”
After a brief self-introduction, he fell silent.
He was much like Dou Sujiu in the chat group, seldom speaking, low-key in presence.
Qing Hui cut off Xie Liuyun, who wanted to catch up on old times, addressing Li Muyang, “Cang Su San, we mean you no harm. We have come forth to invite you to join us on our journey.”
“During the time you were unreachably absent, we’ve reached a consensus and confirmed something.”
“The ancient prophecy mentioned by the Heavenly Machine Pavilion is about to come true.”
“In order to prevent disaster from descending, we must gather our strength and travel together to find the hidden Ascendant in the Cultivation World and eliminate him to prevent future troubles!”
Qing Hui’s tone was grave, her gaze icy.
When she mentioned the Heavenly Machine Pavilion, Li Muyang was already feeling uneasy.
Now hearing her speak of killing the Ascendant, Li Muyang’s heart lurched, and he felt a chill run down his spine.
“What? Who did you say you want to kill?”
How on earth have I offended this group of Immortal Artifact Masters again?
“Didn’t you say before that you wanted to stay away from the Ascendant? Why do you want to kill him now?”
Li Muyang was utterly puzzled.
The last time the Ascendant was mentioned in the chat group, these folks were talking about staying away.
Are they so quick to change their minds?!