For the past century or so, Xu Cuihua had been waging war alongside Li Dalong in the Underworld.
In that realm, malicious ghosts fighting for territory and slaughtering one another were everyday occurrences; in that barren land, such violence was the most common pastime for spectral beings.
Now that she had returned to the mortal world, Xu Cuihua was even more decisive.
She took only a single glance to assess the disparity in strength between the two sides, and then she charged forth to kill.
In just a moment, the members of the Li Clan shattered the trapping arrays within the Void Dimension.
The cultivators of the Grand Tower proved to be nothing more than a disorderly rabble. They had been gathered from all corners of the world; it was likely that many didn't even know one another.
Cooperating to intercept the heavily injured Huan Gui was one thing, but now that they realized they were the meat on the chopping block—coupled with Consort Ji's hesitation-free flight—panic set in.
With disaster looming, it was every man for himself.
"Master."
Li Tianyi unleashed his Profound Seals Talisman, allowing the seniors within to assist his clansmen in battle.
With a flash, he appeared beside Huan Gui, who lay limp on the ground.
Having spent many years at the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, the memory of the mysterious and formidable aura of the Four Great Leaders seemed like it was from just yesterday.
Yet now, Taotie's life hung by a thread, and even his Master was grievously wounded. Seeing them in such a wretched state caused Li Tianyi to sigh with endless emotion.
Huan Gui glared furiously at Li Tianyi, her gaze filled with vigilance. She remained silent, forcing a bitter smile from Li Tianyi.
In her current state, it was clear that Huan Gui could not be reasoned with.
He raised his head slightly, watching his elders hunting down the members of the Grand Tower. Finally, he let out a long sigh. Deciding not to take another step closer, he flicked his storage ring. A box appeared in his hand, which he tossed to his wary Master.
"Master, this is a Fifth Grade 'Vitality Life-Sustaining Pill' refined by my Great-Aunt. It can pull Senior Taotie back from the brink."
Huan Gui remained silent. She caught the box, yet the vigilance in her eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
Li Tianyi shook his head.
"Master, flee towards the North. It would be best not to use your Void Refining Spiritual power for your escape.
The Immortal Suppression Department has already cast an inescapable trap; you cannot evade their eyes. As the saying goes, 'a great hermit hides in the city'—mingling with the crowds is the most effective way to hoodwink them."
Having said his piece, Li Tianyi spoke no further. He cast one final glance at Huan Gui, then floated up to assist his two younger brothers in slaughtering the enemy.
Li Tianqi and Li Tianming were seated on their lotus platforms. Li Tianqi was deploying formation arrays, while Li Tianming was wielding Dharma Treasures.
As Li Tianyi ascended to join them, the two brothers simply glanced at Huan Gui, who was carrying Taotie away without the slightest hesitation.
They exchanged a look and frowned in unison, but said nothing.
Suddenly.
Li Yunbing, who had been holding the line on the battlefield, flashed over to appear in front of Li Tianyi.
Seeing the trace of reproach in his Second Uncle's eyes, Li Tianyi wore a guilty expression.
"Second Uncle, I... I let Master go."
"You were afraid that we elders would kill that master of yours."
Li Yunbing snorted coldly.
Li Tianyi lowered his head. He knew his family's nature well. For the family to reach its current state over the years, it had weathered many events and learned many lessons; not a single accident could be tolerated.
Although he and his two younger brothers spent their years running amok outside, they remained cautious and prudent, daring not to leave even the slightest handle for others to exploit, for fear of bringing a crisis upon the family.
This time, the family's powerful experts had mobilized in full force. Every aspect of this arrival was a secret operation.
As the saying goes, "The tree that stands out in the forest is sure to be destroyed by the wind." If they were exposed too much, it would likely cause those with designing minds to become guarded and hostile toward the Li Clan.
His Master knew too much, and the clan members knew nothing of her background or true nature.
Let alone the elders—putting himself in their shoes, even he would have moved to kill a stranger hailing from the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
Two corpses at the Peak of the Void Refining Realm were excellent materials for the family in its current state.
As for capturing Huan Gui or persuading her to stay, Li Tianyi had never even considered it.
After the battle at the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, the "True God" was still alive!
They had been stitching corpses for tens of thousands of years.
Li Tianyi knew all too well that even if they wished to go to the Azure Cloud Prefecture, without absolute power to keep them in check, it would amount to nothing more than bringing trouble to the family.
"Hmph, what's done is done. Look at you, looking so weighed down by worry."
Li Yunbing took a deep breath and planted a kick right on Li Tianyi's backside, leaving Li Tianyi stunned for a moment.
Immediately after, he barked, "Go pick up your talisman! Huan Gui is a separate matter, but don't you dare show any mercy to these people from the Grand Tower!"
"Yes, Second Uncle!"
The light returned to Li Tianyi's eyes, and his spirit was completely revitalized.
Seeing his nephew grinning as he charged off to slaughter the enemy, Li Yunbing flashed away, vanishing from his spot to join his Big Brother in the void, pursuing a Void Refining cultivator from the Grand Tower.
At this moment, the Skyveil Hall was already manifested upon Li Yunlin; his entire being was as deep and unfathomable as the starry sky, and he held a long halberd in his hand.
No sooner had Li Yunbing approached than he felt a tremor of alarm in his heart.
He was merely at the Pseudo-Void Refining stage and was currently still exploring how to use his own laws to break through to the True Void Refining stage.
Yet, the aura radiating from his Big Brother was overwhelmingly oppressive—identical to what he had faced against Ming Daozi during the battle at Prince Qian's Mansion.
How could Li Yunlin possibly resemble those typical sages with their "immortal air and Daoist bones"?
Gripping his long halberd, he moved forward, slowing his pace as he gazed in the direction Huan Gui had fled.
"Do you want me to chase her down? Huan Gui is heavily injured. With the Skyveil Hall in my possession and the help of Old Cat, taking her life would not be difficult."
"No need."
Li Yunbing pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
"Aside from those seniors of his and us clan members, this is the first time Tianyi has spent so many years in contact with an outsider.
That kid is usually undisciplined, but he is actually quite a good judge of character. Although Huan Gui's sins are grave, since Tianyi decided to let her go, it means that, at least in his eyes, she is worth sparing. That is enough."
"Mn."
Li Yunlin said no more. He usually focused solely on cultivation and did not possess Yunbing's clarity on such matters. If Yunbing said not to kill, then he would not kill.
...
In the mountain forest.
True to Li Tianyi's advice, Huan Gui had concealed her presence and was traveling on foot. The sight of her carrying Taotie on her back looked truly desolate.
Her hands tightly clutched the "Vitality Life-Sustaining Pill" Li Tianyi had given her, a bitter expression on Huan Gui's face.
She had never expected that, in the end, even her own disciple would turn out to be a spy for outsiders.
After a moment of hesitation, Huan Gui gritted her teeth and stuffed the pill into Taotie's mouth.
Seeing that Taotie's nearly collapsing Divine Soul and Spiritual power had eased slightly, her complexion finally improved a little. "To the North... flee to the North. So be it."
Huan Gui took one heavy step after another. Her hands, supporting Taotie's weight, gripped him tightly, the veins on her hands bulging from the exertion.
The sun was setting in the west, leaving nothing but infinite desolation.
She didn't know who she could trust anymore. She could only walk North, walking toward that unknown land.
Half a day later.
A small town came into view. Ignoring the strange looks from the mortals, Huan Gui thought to herself, "'A great hermit hides in the city'. I will settle down here for the time being."
Entering her vision was an inn. But how many guests could an inn in such a small town possibly have?
She saw an old man in red clothes sitting behind the counter, looking bored out of his mind with his legs propped up on the counter, not even bothering to look at anyone.
In the entire large inn, there was only a single young waiter, who possessed quite a dashing appearance.
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