Cultivators’ memories were all very good.
Even though that was the most painful and unbearable period of Xie Linlang’s life, he had never forgotten it in the over hundred years that followed. He even forced himself to recall every little detail of those days.
After Pei Ji disappeared, Xie Linlang personally visited the Nine Spirits Sect.
Even when he secretly cast a forbidden technique and used the most powerful Heavenly Demon under his control to infiltrate the sect’s forbidden grounds, he found nothing.
He also used special methods to meticulously examine the divine soul and memories of the cultivator surnamed Xu who had invited Pei Ji to the Nine Spirits Sect, from inside to out.
That Cultivator Xu was said to be a friend Pei Ji had met during an expedition.
Pei Ji had an optimistic and outgoing personality, and he made all sorts of friends.
Xie Linlang was introverted and disliked interacting with too many people. Whenever he accompanied Pei Ji to meet friends, he always sat to the side with a gentle smile.
It had never been an issue in the past, but after Pei Ji’s disappearance, Xie Linlang realized that Pei Ji had shielded him from so much trouble. Yet he knew nothing about how many friends Pei Ji had made or their backgrounds.
Thus, Xie Linlang forced himself to learn to interact with fellow cultivators like Pei Ji did. He couldn’t earn others’ trust with just a few casual words like Pei Ji, so he simply accepted every request to refine pills without refusal.
As long as he was useful, people would come to him of their own accord, wouldn’t they?
Decades later, the Silent Night Demon Lord attacked the Nine Spirits Sect for some unknown reason and completely destroyed the sect’s founding grounds, leaving not a single trace.
Cultivator Xu also perished in that battle.
Now, upon entering the Purple Radiance Mountain Small Secret Realm, Xie Linlang felt a faint pull of attraction.
Considering the connection between the Derivation Spirit Sect and the Nine Spirits Sect, Xie Linlang grew tense without realizing it.
He asked Shen He, “Do you feel anything special?”
Shen He shook his head. “No.”
Xie Linlang felt a twinge of disappointment. Could it be that Shen He was not Pei Ji’s reincarnation?
Or was Shen He’s cultivation too low?
Whatever the case, they were already here, so they might as well investigate thoroughly.
The subsequent exploration went smoothly. Because Xie Linlang was inexplicably drawn to the east, Shen He quickened their pace.
However, as a pill master, Xie Linlang always spotted good items, forcing Shen He to stop and harvest them, which cost them some time.
Moreover, the higher-grade herbs were always guarded by Demon Beasts. Under Xie Linlang’s guidance, Shen He familiarized himself with sword techniques and combat rhythm. Whenever Shen He lost his tempo, Xie Linlang took direct control, demonstrating personally.
Shen He was also exceptionally clever. Five days after entering the secret realm, his battles became methodical, and the Emerald Jade Sword paired seamlessly with the Black Bone Bell. Demonic Beasts and monsters of the same level were no longer his opponents.
During this time, Shen He also spotted traces of other cultivators.
Everyone knew there were ancient sect ruins to the east of the secret realm, where all the treasures lay. Each person wanted a share.
Since the secret realm lasted a full month, the cultivators inside had not yet clashed—mainly because there were no gains worth fighting over—and the overall atmosphere remained calm.
Even if cultivators crossed paths by chance, they merely nodded from afar or turned and left.
Shen He saw Cultivator Zhang, who had previously taught him how to deal with Demon Beasts; the team leader holding the Secret Realm Key; and Le Qingping in her pink dress with a gentle smile.
But this time, Le Qingping had a child who looked about twelve or thirteen, with rosy lips and white teeth, by her side.
The two seemed to call each other sister and brother, their relationship intimate, which made Shen He’s heart race in fear. He quickly turned and fled.
Because Xie Linlang could not discern the child’s cultivation depth.
“Theoretically, all cultivators entering the Purple Radiance Mountain Secret Realm are below Foundation Establishment. That child appears to be at Late Foundation Establishment, but his divine soul is at least at the Nascent Soul level. Considering his cultivation is likely compressed, his divine sense would be suppressed accordingly…”
Xie Linlang concluded, “That makes him at least a Soul Transformation Cultivator.”
On par with Xie Linlang before his fall.
Xie Linlang rarely felt curiosity. “Is that Le Qingping’s master?”
Shen He looked defeated. “I heard Senior Brother Hong mention that Senior Sister Le’s Shizun is a senior who appears as an old woman.”
Cultivators mostly maintained youthful and beautiful appearances, but there were exceptions.
Each cultivation realm had a lifespan limit. For instance, Golden Core Stage cultivators could live around 150 years, while Nascent Soul cultivators could live three or four hundred.
If a Nascent Soul cultivator broke through to Soul Transformation at the end of their lifespan, their appearance might remain aged.
Le Qingping’s Shizun had broken through to Soul Transformation Stage unexpectedly at the end of her Nascent Soul stage, when her lifespan was nearly spent, so she retained the look of an old woman—a kindly old lady, by all accounts.
Xie Linlang frowned slightly.
An unfathomable cultivator had appeared in a secret realm meant only for Foundation Establishment and below.
Hindering his investigation of the secret realm’s interior was a minor issue; if it affected his resurrection, that would be trouble.
“…Do you want to warn her?”
Xie Linlang said slowly, “The secret realm suppresses cultivation. Even if he’s a high-level cultivator, as long as he doesn’t want to be expelled, he can’t use power beyond Foundation Establishment. If you two work together, you might have a one-in-two chance of winning.”
