In these three years, Li Yan had not only fought with cultivators in the Chaotic Flow Space but had also encountered many strange and bizarre starfall beasts. Some of these starfall beasts were ones he had never seen in any classics, which made it somewhat difficult for him to deal with them without being familiar with their habits and characteristics.
During his years of traversing the Chaotic Flow Space, Li Yan had killed another three Nascent Soul cultivators, from whose divine souls he had obtained a great deal of useful information. Besides various information about starfall beasts, Li Yan was most interested in the locations of various dangerous areas, and of course, he had also obtained a large amount of spirit stones and starfall beast materials.
Among the spirit stones, there were even seven supreme-grade spirit stones, as well as six magical treasures, and a large number of talismans and medicinal pills. Among the talismans, Li Yan had found another thirty-three of those dark red talismans. After a soul search, he also learned that this type of dark red talisman was called a "Primordial Chaos Earth-Suppressing Talisman." It was a life-saving talisman for some cultivators who often traveled in the Chaotic Flow Space and could resist black holes and spatial fragments for a few breaths.
However, its origin was a minor realm called "Tongsha," so only cultivators who had traveled in this part of the Chaotic Flow Space for a long time would have the chance to obtain it through trade or by killing others.
Li Yan was also deeply moved by this. Killing and robbing could sometimes be somewhat addictive. As for the other medicinal pills, talismans, and magical treasures, Li Yan had no time to study them carefully.
A year ago, Li Yan had also encountered a late-stage Nascent Soul great cultivator. Li Yan had been extremely depressed at that time. His luck had been so bad that his journey had been full of obstacles. With his current strength, if not for his concerns about the hidden dangers in the Chaotic Flow Space, there were very few people and things in this realm that could make him afraid.
Late-stage Nascent Soul great cultivators were a rare "species" in the lower realm. Li Yan had not expected that he would encounter one after only entering the Chaotic Flow Space for a period of time. Fortunately, Li Yan had always been cautious in his actions. After forming his Nascent Soul, he had not been in a hurry to go to the Wind God Continent but had been making various preparations. Now he thought he had some chance of escaping from the hands of a late-stage Nascent Soul great cultivator.
Although it was not high, it was at least not completely hopeless.
That late-stage Nascent Soul great cultivator was an old man with all-white hair. He just glanced at Li Yan from a distance and, under Li Yan's surprised gaze, smiled at him and then flew away. This made Li Yan stunned for a moment before he quickly fled. It was not until half a month later that he was sure that the other party really had no intention of attacking him.
"Perhaps I met a cultivator who was looking for an ascension node, so he didn't want to waste time on me!" This was what Li Yan had guessed afterward.
From this, it could be seen that the Chaotic Flow Space was several times more dangerous than Mo Qing and the others had said. The cultivators who could appear here were all high-level cultivators. Not only were they powerful, but they were also extremely cold-blooded. Fortunately, the old man who had made his heart pound with fear had not attacked.
After cleaning up this one starfall beast, Li Yan identified the direction, and with a flicker of his figure, he had already flown dozens of zhang. If someone were to see Li Yan's speed at this moment, they would definitely take him for an old hand at traversing the Chaotic Flow Space.
...
In the main hall of Lesser Bamboo Peak, Li Wuyi had just sent his eldest disciple out on an errand. He was just about to lift his teacup to take a sip when his expression suddenly moved. Then, a gentle smile appeared on his face. Without looking up, he blew on the green leaves in the cup and let out a soft chuckle.
"Come on out, I already see you!"
After saying that, he lowered his head and took a small sip of the fragrant tea.
As his words fell, a small head poked out from the side of the main hall's doorway. It was an exceptionally fair and refined little face, with a pair of phoenix eyes as bright as stars, and a long, black ponytail tied behind her head. She was now pouting her rosy lips, her two tender, white, slender hands gripping the doorframe, her head half-poked out.
"Uncle is cheating! You clearly used your Divine Sense, but you said you saw me. Hmph!"
Li Wuyi put down his teacup, chuckled, and beckoned to the little girl.
"Zhaoyan, why are you running around again instead of cultivating properly? If your mother finds out, she'll definitely lock you up!"
Seeing Li Wuyi beckon, the little girl immediately flashed from outside the main hall and, with an ethereal movement, appeared in front of Li Wuyi.
Seeing this scene, a hint of surprise still flashed in Li Wuyi's eyes!
Although he had seen Li Zhaoyan's speed more than once, she was only a little over seven years old and at the second level of Qi Condensation. But her speed was something that even an eighth or ninth level Qi Condensation cultivator could not catch up with.
However, Li Wuyi was extremely happy about this. He usually doted on Li Zhaoyan very much. Every time he scolded his own pair of children, he would use Li Zhaoyan's aptitude as an example, making Li Fuge and Li Lichou smile wryly and feel depressed.
"Is this related to the demonic cultivation method Min'er practices, and Little Junior Brother's Fragmented Poison Body?"
Li Wuyi thought to himself about Li Zhaoyan's unusual speed. When Zhao Min was pregnant with Li Zhaoyan, it was different from Miao Wangqing and Li Changting. It was not ten months, but five years and three months. If not for the fact that cultivators had Divine Sense and could look inside their bodies, even Zhao Min herself would have thought the baby had died in the womb.
It was just that every time she looked inside with her Divine Sense, she found that the fetus in her abdomen was exceptionally lively, which put her at ease. But Li Wuyi and Wei Zhongran were not at ease. But even as Zhao Min's closest relatives, they could not scan Zhao Min's abdomen with their Divine Sense. In the end, it was only after having Li Changting and Miao Wangqing check on her every once in a while and confirming that everything was fine that the two of them were relieved.
Zhao Min had actually already faintly guessed some of the reasons later on. The fact that she had been pregnant for more than ten months without giving birth was probably related to the "Heavenly Demon White Jade Plate" she cultivated. She knew that because of their physical bodies, demon cultivators generally needed about ten years to carry a child to term, and she herself was cultivating the supreme treasure of the Demon Clan.
Although she had such a guess, it was not until more than five years later, when Li Zhaoyan was born, that Zhao Min was finally relieved.
"Mother started her seclusion today. She told me to come and find uncle and have you guide my cultivation."
Hearing her uncle say that her mother would lock her up, Li Zhaoyan couldn't help but shrink her neck. She was a little afraid of her mother. Every time, she would set a very strict goal for her, telling her how long to cultivate, how long to reach a certain level, and so on. And she had to achieve the set goal. Otherwise, Zhao Min would lock her in the cultivation chamber and seal it with a formation.
Even when she had cried to her grandfather, that almighty Malevolent Spirit Sect ancestor could only comfort her with a few kind words. Because Li Zhaoyan had seen her grandfather speak to her mother in person, but her mother had just remained silent. Afterward, when she should be punished, she would still be punished, without any mercy.
"Hehehe... alright, in a while, uncle will see how you're cultivating now?" Li Wuyi chuckled. Zhao Min hadn't cultivated properly for several years, and had been helping Li Zhaoyan lay a solid foundation. Now she might have had some insight, which was why she had suddenly chosen to go into seclusion.
As for taking care of Li Zhaoyan, no one would care whether she had informed him in advance or not. Li Zhaoyan was now the treasure of Lesser Bamboo Peak. She was the granddaughter of the sect's ancestor Wei Zhongran, and Li Yan's daughter. Apart from Zhao Min herself, who wouldn't dote on her as if she would melt in their mouth or fall if held in their hand?
Moreover, Li Zhaoyan was extremely clever. No matter who she saw, her mouth was as sweet as honey. Even that stone, Yun Chunqu, would inadvertently show a smile every time he saw Li Zhaoyan.
"No, I want to go and soak in the bugs with Aunt Changting!"
Hearing that Li Wuyi was going to test her cultivation, a pitiful look appeared in Li Zhaoyan's eyes, and she tugged at Li Wuyi's sleeve.
Hearing what Li Zhaoyan said, Li Wuyi felt a headache coming on.
Perhaps because Zhao Min herself had refined a large number of Gu-insects, Li Zhaoyan was particularly interested in those strange and even disgusting insects that still made Li Wuyi's scalp tingle when he looked at them. Li Zhaoyan especially liked to go and find her Aunt Changting. Li Changting would also take her to her own beast-rearing chamber. Not only did the little girl's eyes sparkle with starlight, but she even looked at Li Changting with a look full of admiration.
This made the thoughtless Li Changting, still like a little girl herself, directly take Li Zhaoyan to the alchemy chamber. There, she taught Li Zhaoyan how to dissect maggot-like Gu-insects bit by bit, and also taught her to put bright red Gu-insects that looked as if they were covered in pustules into wine one by one…
When Li Zhaoyan came back and excitedly told Li Wuyi how amazing her Aunt Changting was, and then looked at the proud and smiling Li Changting at her side, Li Wuyi only felt a chill in his heart. He couldn't see how a delicate little girl like Li Zhaoyan could be so "ignorant and fearless."
It was known that Li Fuge and Li Lichou would hide whenever they could when Li Changting dragged them by the ear to cultivate Gu arts. They were so scared of Li Changting that their faces would turn pale. This angered Li Changting so much that one day, she directly locked this pair of children in the Myriad Gu Grotto on Bu Li Peak, so that they could feel the "lovely" aura of the Gu-insects up close.
When Miao Wangqing found out about this, her eyes turned red as she looked at Li Changting, on the verge of tears. Li Changting, however, just snorted coldly…
"Ahem! Zhaoyan, you are now in the process of refining qi and laying a foundation. Don't put the cart before the horse. Otherwise, your mother will discipline you again when she comes out of seclusion!"
"Mother is a disciple of Bu Li Peak, and those Gu-insects are really cute!"
Li Zhaoyan kept shaking Li Wuyi's arm, her eyes sparkling with bright stars. If not for the fact that Zhao Min hadn't given her a flying spirit artifact, she would probably have flown off to find her Aunt Changting long ago.
Li Wuyi held the teacup in one hand and rubbed his brow with the other, thinking to himself, 'You call those things cute? Little Junior Brother, if you come back and see your daughter bring out jar after jar of colorful Gu-wine and excitedly introduce this jar and that pot to you, I wonder if you'll be happy, or happy?'
...
A month later, Li Yan's expression suddenly moved in mid-flight, a long-lost smile appearing on his face. In the dark land ahead of his Divine Sense, some faint gray light had suddenly appeared. And when he extended his Divine Sense further, the dark light slowly turned a dark yellow in a layered progression…
On a vast azure sea, the surface of the sea was sparkling, the sun was warm and gentle, and the sky was clear for thousands of li. It was a scene of peace and tranquility.
Suddenly, in the azure sky, a crack opened in a certain spot. The crack was dark inside, and a figure flashed out from it. The moment the figure appeared, it also brought out a gust of astral wind. As the astral wind spread, it blew a patch of ripples in the surrounding void, which then smoothed out again…
By the time that figure had stood still in mid-air, the crack behind him had also quickly disappeared.
When the figure had just appeared, it seemed as if his eyes could not be opened by the dazzling sunlight. He immediately closed his eyes, but a wave of hidden Divine Sense swept out in all directions.
This was a young man in a black robe. He had an ordinary appearance, dark skin, and a head of short hair as tough as steel, which was quite eye-catching.
In Li Yan's Divine Sense, he did not find any danger. He just closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, his eyes were already flashing with a sharp light. The permanent darkness of several years had not had any effect on Li Yan, but it had made him a little unaccustomed to such dazzling sunlight for a moment.
"I've finally arrived!"
Li Yan looked around and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
The spiritual energy concentration here was also quite good. A gust of sea breeze blew on his body, giving Li Yan a long-lost feeling of comfort. Here, even without using his Divine Sense, he could see many islands of various sizes as far as the eye could see. Those islands were covered in green.
The patches of verdant long bamboo were pleasing to the eye. Most of those long bamboos were very thick, and many were as thick as Li Yan's waist. Many huge banana leaves also grew on the islands. As the sea breeze blew, they constantly swayed in the sunlight, a scene of vibrant life…
"This is the Nanzhu Sea Region!"
Li Yan thought to himself. As he looked around, he had already withdrawn his gaze. The temperature in this sea area was so suitable, but he had not seen a single seabird flying in the sky, nor had any fish jumped out of the sea below.
Suddenly, Li Yan's expression moved slightly. A flash of red light from his hand, and a crimson long brush appeared. He thrust it fiercely into the void behind him.
"As expected!"
Li Yan's mind raced!
The crimson long brush from Qi Jinghong had now become a common item for Li Yan. After so many years of experimentation, he was finally able to activate a good deal of its power. He would not take out his natal magical treasure in a normal fight. Even though the power of the "Gui-Yi Water-Parting Spike" was even greater with the support of the second-level cultivation method, it was still mostly used for sneak attacks. If he could avoid exposing it, Li Yan still would not take it out.
It was just that with his strong and fit appearance, holding a long brush in his hand did not make him look like a scholar at all. On the contrary, it gave him a nimble and fierce look.
With a flash of red light, a "ding" sound was heard. Then, a faint shadow appeared from the air. It was a giant bird in the shape of a fish hawk. A giant beak took up half of its body's length. And at this moment, it was pecking at the crimson long brush with a fierce look in its eyes.
After seeing the giant bird's appearance clearly, Li Yan poured his magical power into the tip of the crimson long brush. Under the giant bird's vicious gaze, with a "hiss," it pierced through its head. At the same time, the aura on his body, which had been as calm as a mortal's, was no longer there. A profound and powerful aura rolled out.