Immortal Chong Yi immediately began to focus and release his Spirit Clarity Net. The Strange Folk Tomb was filled with corpses of overseas strange folk, the oldest having been stored here for over a thousand years. Over the past millennium, extremely faint traces of spiritual energy would remain on the bodies. He slowly eliminated them one by one. Suddenly, he sensed a very familiar, subtle spiritual energy.
This type of spiritual energy was one he had experienced many times at Wu Yue Yan Yi’s Hu She Peak, the aura of that immortal who had once astounded the entire Central Plains immortal world. Immortal Chong Yi abruptly opened his eyes and looked toward the source of the spiritual energy. It was coming from that mummified corpse whose features were completely indistinguishable!
The shock in his heart was too great, and the Spirit Clarity Net stopped suddenly.
Immortal Cui Xuan, with his eyes closed, said softly, “Continue. That’s Qing Cheng’s body. There’s no need to be astonished.”
Immortal Chong Yi took a deep breath. Being so quick-witted and perceptive, he had already vaguely guessed some of the reasons. He forced himself to calm down and continued to release the Spirit Clarity Net. In the entire Strange Folk Tomb, apart from the slight spiritual energy of the overseas strange folk, there were only three strands of spiritual energy: two from the elder immortals and one from Immortal Qing Cheng, who had passed away not long ago. Besides these, it was exceptionally clean, with nothing else present.
He tried three or four times consecutively before stopping the Spirit Clarity Net. He then cupped his hands and said, “This junior has not detected any abnormalities.”
Immortal Cui Xuan laughed, “Truly nothing at all?”
Immortal Chong Yi said solemnly, “This junior swears on his life that there are indeed no traces of anything unusual.”
Immortal Cui Xuan’s drowsy eyelids slowly drooped again as he said softly, “If that’s the case, then it was Qing Cheng’s fate to perish. What a pity. He was so unyielding and outstanding, not saying a word even unto death. Indeed, he hadn’t changed at all. Qing Cheng, oh Qing Cheng…”
Saying this, he fell into deep thought. After a moment, he suddenly asked, “That girl, is she your disciple? I see she has many extraordinary aspects. As her master, have you noticed anything else unusual about her?”
Immortal Chong Yi pondered for a long time. Immortal Qing Cheng’s death was strange and cruel, and Immortal Cui Xuan was known for his ruthless methods in the past. If he was suspicious of Li Fei, the child might not have peace for quite some time. She had always been diligent and obedient. As her master, he must protect his disciple no matter what.
He immediately spoke, “My little disciple doesn’t seem to have any particularly unusual traits. She is, however, very diligent and hardworking, which makes this junior very pleased. That’s why I brought her out this time to hunt demons and refine magical artifacts, hoping her cultivation could progress somewhat.”
Immortal Cui Xuan made a sound of acknowledgment and nodded slightly, “If that’s the case, then you may leave.”
Immortal Chong Yi bowed and left the small world. Li Fei saw that his face was calm and unperturbed, and Immortal Cui Xuan, who followed closely behind, was no longer as intimidating as before. Her heart settled a bit. The other elders quickly went together to the center of the trial ground to seal the Strange Folk Tomb. The four of them, master and disciples, stood by the cliff for a long time. Suddenly, Elder Guang Wei said, “Chong Yi, your expression is off. Did something happen inside?”
Immortal Chong Yi shook his head, “I can’t say.”
Elder Guang Wei chuckled, “I guess it’s related to Immortal Qing Cheng?”
Immortal Chong Yi looked at him glumly. Guang Wei had always been clever and excellent at reading people’s expressions. He was probably fishing for information. Unexpectedly, Elder Guang Wei suddenly sighed, “Several years ago, I accidentally overheard those elder immortals saying they had discovered Immortal Qing Cheng’s whereabouts and were going to capture him alive. I had already guessed a bit about the situation. I’m afraid all that talk about searching for spiritual herbs was nonsense. In those years… he was overseas, wasn’t he?”
Immortal Chong Yi, on the contrary, smiled bitterly, “You’re so outspoken. Talking about the Strange Folk Tomb is one thing, but discussing these matters in front of disciples, what will they think?”
“These two are not mindless. Can’t they discern for themselves?” Elder Guang Wei’s voice was steady and calm. “You two are quite good. Our trip to the White Edge Land this time is to seal the Strange Folk Tomb of the Thousand Isles and Myriad Islands overseas. This Strange Folk Tomb originally didn’t belong to our Wu Yue Yan Yi, but was owned by this now-exterminated immortal sect.”
“The so-called Thousand Isles and Myriad Islands overseas refers to the thousands and tens of thousands of continents and islands overseas, collectively called the Thousand Isles and Myriad Islands. You already know about the Sea Calamity. At that time, all kinds of strange phenomena erupted between heaven and earth. Heavenly thunder and seas of fire would come from overseas to our Central Plains. The overseas strange folk even could make the demons and fierce beasts of the Central Plains submit. All sorts of
unimaginable things were not surprising. This exterminated sect was once an extremely powerful immortal sect that surpassed all the major sects in the Central Plains. During the thousand-year Sea Calamity, they collected many corpses of strange folk. Rather than calling them trophies, it’s better to say it was the mentality of Central Plains people wanting to understand the overseas. Hehe, it’s still the same today. The immortals of the Central Plains both fear and yearn for the unknown power from overseas.”
“Five hundred years later, another Sea Calamity descended, which was the one five hundred years ago. That time, the immortal sects of the Central Plains truly suffered heavy casualties, because two fierce Yakshas came from overseas, heading straight for this sect’s Strange Folk Tomb. Two Yakshas, in one night, slaughtered the entire sect. They came and went like the wind, incredibly fierce. Many immortals hadn’t even seen clearly before dying under the Yakshas’ claws. So, you should understand why we are so angry about the Strange Folk Tomb.”
Elder Guang Wei looked solemnly at the two disciples and said gravely, “With this Sea Calamity descending, the Strange Folk Tomb absolutely cannot remain in Wu Yue Yan Yi. It can only be sealed in White Edge Cliff. We cannot repeat the tragedy of this sect. However, the Yakshas are incredibly fierce, and this Sea Calamity will be another bitter battle. Who knows how many elders of our immortal sects will die in battle?
These things were originally meant to be told to you after you broke through the sixth bottleneck and became immortals. However, I’ve always disagreed with this approach. The earlier you know about the real dangers, the earlier you can prepare. The cultivation and mindset during the disciple phase are crucial for becoming immortal. The secrecy of the previous generation resulted in the weakness and incompetence of our generation. I don’t want the next generation to be the same.”
Immortal Chong Yi smiled and said, “You speak so eloquently. These words should be said to those elder immortals.”
Elder Guang Wei sighed, “The generation of Immortal Cui Xuan suffered too many casualties, so naturally, they act ruthlessly and cautiously. They could even deal with Immortal Qing Cheng and the others. How could one or two words persuade them? Do you know? Back then, only our Wu Yue Yan Yi’s Immortal Qing Cheng could fight against the Yakshas. He cut off one of Yaksha’s horns. Later, the Yakshas retreated overseas, and Immortal Qing Cheng was also severely injured and difficult to heal. He left Wu Yue Yan Yi after that, and his last known whereabouts were that he was lost in the East Sea.
There was no trace of him after that. So many years have passed, I thought the elder ancestors had long stopped paying attention to him. Unexpectedly, they’ve been secretly investigating all along. Such behavior can only lead to the speculation that Immortal Qing Cheng must have gone overseas. How did he go overseas when he was severely injured and difficult to heal? What kind of scene is it overseas? I really can’t figure it out. I’m afraid this puzzle can’t be solved in my lifetime. Falling into Immortal Cui Xuan’s hands, and with Immortal Qing Cheng being so unyielding, I’m afraid he couldn’t keep his life.”
Immortal Chong Yi said calmly, “He has already passed away.”
“…Is that so?” Elder Guang Wei sighed deeply, “Such extraordinary talent ultimately turned to dust. If only he hadn’t stubbornly insisted on fighting the Yakshas back then… Alas, the overly rigid breaks easily! Xiu Yuan, your actions are quite similar to Immortal Qing Cheng’s style. What worries me is precisely this point.”
Lei Xiuyuan said softly, “This disciple will heed Master’s teachings.”
Elder Guang Wei shook his head. A person’s nature can’t be changed with just a few words. Lei Xiuyuan had an extremely strong desire to compete. When encountering unavoidable strong opponents, while others would think of begging for mercy, he would find ways to challenge them. The stronger the opponent, the stronger he became. This was his innate nature, which couldn’t be taken away or changed.
As they were talking, the elders who had gone inside to seal the Strange Folk Tomb also returned. Even the two immortals, Cui Xuan and Shou Zhong, looked somewhat tired, showing that sealing the Strange Folk Tomb was not an easy task.
Immortal Shou Zhong said, “The sealing is done. We shall return to Wu Yue Yan Yi first. The demons in the center of the Central Plains are very powerful. You two, bring your disciples, and don’t be reckless. Don’t be greedy either. Chaos has already begun in the outside world. Returning to the sect to discuss important matters is urgent.”
After bidding farewell to the various elders and the two elder immortals, Immortal Chong Yi immediately let out a long sigh of relief. He and Elder Guang Wei looked at each other and smiled, both saying, “They’re finally gone. With those two seniors around, it’s hard to speak freely.”
Unexpectedly, even though the two elders had elder immortals they feared more. Li Fei couldn’t help but want to laugh. Suddenly, she saw Lei Xiuyuan step forward, bow, and say, “Disciple is being presumptuous, but I have one request. This disciple and Li Fei are in love and wish to become Dao companions. We hope Master and Elder Chong Yi will give their blessings.”
This sudden, unpredicted announcement surprised her so much that she forgot to be embarrassed and just stared at him with wide eyes.
Immortal Chong Yi raised an eyebrow and smiled, looking towards Elder Guang Wei. Guang Wei also smiled, remembering Immortal Cui Xuan’s instructions to go to Qing Qiu to investigate Jiang Li Fei’s matters. He had been somewhat hesitant, but these two children had grown up under their watch and had been in love for so long. Deep in his heart, he was happy to see this outcome. He immediately stroked his long beard and smiled, saying, “You two can be considered childhood sweethearts. One strong, one gentle; one active, one quiet. You can be called a match made in heaven. I naturally have no objections. Chong Yi, what about you?”
Immortal Chong Yi looked at Li Fei and said gently, “This is your affair. You should speak for yourself openly.”
Li Fei was momentarily shy, then emotional, then overjoyed, and then a bit scared. She stared blankly at Lei Xiuyuan, who was turning his head to look at her with a smile, his eyes seeming to say: Do you dare?
She hesitated for a long time before finally stepping forward gracefully, bowing, and saying solemnly, “Disciple Jiang Li Fei is in love with Xiu Yuan and wishes to become Dao companions. We request Master and Elder Guang Wei’s blessings.”
Immortal Chong Yi smiled and nodded, helping the two of them up. He then pulled Lei Xiuyuan aside and whispered the method of dual cultivation in his ear.
Immortal Chong Yi also pulled Li Fei aside. After thinking for a moment, he instead smiled and said, “If Zhao Min knew I was teaching you the method of dual cultivation, she might accuse me of being improper. This method should be taught by her. After sealing the Strange Folk Tomb, it will be a journey of demon hunting, traveling day and night. I’m afraid you two won’t have much interest, and when she starts rambling, it can be quite headache-inducing. It’s better to wait until we return and let Zhao Min teach you.”