Chapter 51: Returning to the Sect

The starry sky was as dark as ink, and a full moon hung high.

Upon the silent ancient road in the dead of night, the sudden sound of galloping hooves rang out.

A magnificent steed approached from the distance, carrying a youth in gray clothing who was focused intently on guiding the horse. Nestled in his arms was a woman in white; her eyes were tightly closed, and she leaned back against him, seemingly asleep.

However, the occasional playful twitch of her brow and the mischievous smile curling at the corners of her mouth betrayed her true state.

The youth in gray was, naturally, Liang Yan.

Given the sharpness of his six senses, he should have been able to keenly perceive the small movements of the woman in his arms in such a quiet environment.

Yet, he failed to notice them in the slightest, for a continuous, agonizing pain was surging through his sea of consciousness. It was a tearing sensation, as if something were consuming his sea of consciousness bit by bit.

Gradually, Liang Yan felt the scenery before his eyes grow increasingly blurred, and his own consciousness grew weaker. A flash of blood-red streaked through his eyes, followed immediately by a flash of golden light. Amidst the alternating red and gold, it felt as though his very mind might explode.

Finally, darkness fell upon Liang Yan's vision. He tumbled silently from the horse, and just before he lost consciousness completely, he seemed to hear a woman's startled cry, after which all was lost to nothingness.

After an unknown amount of time, Liang Yan finally regained a glimmer of vague sensation, though he remained unable to move. In his stupor, he felt as if he were lying on a bed, with people talking nearby.

At first, he faintly heard the sound of a woman weeping; later, he heard a man's voice, his tone quite concerned, seemingly inquiring about Liang Yan's condition.

He wanted to speak, but found his tongue heavy and his eyelids impossible to lift. After a few struggles, he lapsed back into deep sleep.

"Sigh, I wonder what happened to Junior Brother Liang during this trip to make him fall into such a coma."

The speaker was a burly man in gray clothing. Had Liang Yan been awake, he would have recognized him instantly as Li Dali, his senior handyman from the Yixing Pavilion. Standing beside him was a tall, thin man, who was naturally Sun Qianli, another handyman disciple from the Array Vein.

"We all know the extent of Junior Brother Liang's cultivation and divine abilities. It is said he only went down the mountain to assist that Senior Sister Tang with a secular mission; how could he have sustained such heavy injuries?" Sun Qianli said, standing by Liang Yan's bed with a furrowed brow.

"That, I wouldn't know. Humph! From what I saw, that woman didn't have a single scratch on her. I suspect she used our Junior Brother Liang as cannon fodder," Li Dali said with indignation.

"That wouldn't be the case."

Sun Qianli smiled. "You just happened to be away the day she brought Junior Brother Liang here. You have no idea how much Senior Sister Tang cried. She even specifically requested an Uncle Master to treat Liang Yan's injuries. If you ask me, he wasn't cannon fodder—perhaps our Junior Brother Liang was playing the hero to save a beauty?"

Hearing this, Li Dali's expression softened considerably. He nodded and said, "Regardless, we must keep a close eye on Junior Brother Liang these next few days. His current condition is too strange. Although there is no immediate danger to his life, it is better to be cautious."

Sun Qianli nodded in agreement. After chatting a few more words by the bedside, the two extinguished the oil lamp, closed the door, and left the room.

It was already night. With the departure of Sun and Li, Liang Yan's room was plunged into pitch darkness and absolute silence.

After several more hours had passed, the window at the north end suddenly gave a creak as it was gently pushed open. A white figure flipped through the window and landed on the floor of the room.

The oil lamp was relit, illuminating the face of the newcomer: Tang Diexian.

However, her face was now haggard, and her eyes were bloodshot and swollen. Compared to her usual self, she lacked her transcendent, immortal aura.

She walked slowly to Liang Yan's bedside, her beautiful eyes staring at his profile as she murmured, "Liang Yan, what exactly happened while I was unconscious?"

She sat blankly by his bed, appearing to be lost in memory, her face etched with an expression of fear of loss.

Just then, a soft sigh drifted from outside the room. The door was pushed open, and a beautiful woman in palace attire entered. She appeared to be in her thirties, possessing a dignified and graceful bearing, much like a noblewoman of the secular world.

As if she had expected it, Tang Diexian spoke without looking up, "Aunt Yu..."

The beautiful woman shook her head with an air of helplessness and sighed, "Why must you do this to yourself? You know how much the Ancestress dotes on you, yet you dared to openly defy her for the sake of an outsider boy. You have truly angered her this time."

A rare trace of shame appeared on Tang Diexian's face, but she still spoke, "I know I was wrong to defy the Ancestress. It's just that she actually set a rule... saying I can never come to find him again..." As she spoke, she turned back to Liang Yan, looking as if she were about to burst into tears.

The woman shook her head. "Silly child, you possess the rare Wood Spirit Physique, the most suitable constitution for practicing our family's secret methods. In the future, let alone Foundation Establishment or Yuan Gathering, you might even have a chance at forming a Golden Core. But this person is merely a handyman disciple with a chaotic Five Elements spiritual root; for him, even Foundation Establishment is a lifelong dream. The two of you are worlds apart, living in two different realms. How could the Ancestress allow you to be together?"

Tang Diexian's delicate body trembled. She stood up, took the woman's hands, and pleaded, "Aunt Yu, I know you love me most. Can you please speak for me? I will work hard at my cultivation and no longer be frivolous, but if you make me never see him again, I will feel as though I have lost my very soul..."

Seeing her large eyes filled with pleading and the faint glint of tears, the woman's heart softened. She thought to herself, *Xian'er is, after all, just a young girl inexperienced in the ways of the world. It is normal for her to be obsessed with a man. It is better to trick her into returning to cultivate in peace; in time, she will forget. Once Xian'er achieves Foundation Establishment and this man has long since turned to dust, they will naturally have no connection.*

With this thought, she stroked Tang Diexian's long hair and said softly

"Liang Yan did contribute much to this mission, and your safe return is partly due to his efforts. I will reluctantly speak for you, but you must promise me that you will return to secluded cultivation immediately after tonight. You are not permitted to emerge until you reach the sixth level of Qi Refinement. After all, for us cultivators, our cultivation realm is the most important thing. If you neglect your training, this romantic sentiment will ultimately turn to nothing."

Tang Diexian turned to look at Liang Yan, falling silent for a long moment before nodding helplessly.

A look of joy appeared on the woman's face, and she added, "Don't worry, I have checked him. His injuries are not that severe; it is just that his divine sense was damaged for some unknown reason. I gave him three 'Spirit Restoring Pills' last time; I believe he will recover after a few days of rest."

The woman took Tang Diexian's hand and continued, "Come now, the Ancestress is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Although she scolded you harshly this time, she is actually very concerned about you. Come back with me first and apologize to her."

As she was led out, Tang Diexian turned back one last time to look longingly at Liang Yan before turning to gently close the door.

***

Three days later.

Lying on the bed, Liang Yan slowly opened his eyes.

He first scanned his surroundings in a daze. Upon realizing he was in his own thatched hut at the Yixing Pavilion, his heart settled slightly.

But immediately after, remembering something, he hurriedly circulated his divine sense to look within his body.

Within his "Two Fish Twin Array," a red orb of light was being enveloped by a mass of golden spiritual energy, lying there quietly.

"It seems this red orb is the thing that Blood Mad injected into my body, and the culprit behind the collapse of my divine sense. Come to think of it, if my Buddhist spiritual energy hadn't automatically protected me by enveloping that red orb, I really don't know what would have happened."

With this thought, Liang Yan attempted to circulate his spiritual energy to charge toward the red orb. But no matter what method he used, the red orb remained unmoved, as if sitting calmly in a fishing chair.

"I don't believe it—you think you can truly resist me?"

Gritting his teeth, Liang Yan secretly activated the "Two Fish Twin Array." The blue and gold spiritual energies, two distinct forces, rotated against each other like two swimming fish joined head-to-tail, and lunged fiercely at the red orb.

*Boom!*

When the two-colored spiritual energy struck the red orb, it actually vibrated violently, emitting a booming sonic wave that caused excruciating pain in Liang Yan's sea of consciousness. Just as he was about to cry out, the sonic wave slowly dissipated.

Liang Yan took a deep breath, drenched in sweat. Looking back at the red light within his body, it still showed no sign of being damaged.

"What on earth is this thing!"

Just as he was feeling frustrated and agitated, he heard a loud voice calling from outside the door: "This is Wang Biao, the messenger disciple of the Ritual Pavilion. May I ask if Junior Brother Liang is in?"

(End of Chapter)