Emerging from Seclusion, He Encountered an Old Acquaintance-Where Was the Witch Clan Tribe Now?

With his cultivation greatly advanced, Li Wuyang was eager to return. He bade farewell to Green Lotus and the meditation cushion once more, then activated the purple token.

Ripples appeared on the wall again, and he carefully led the group out of the cave dwelling.

Outside was still that region of spatial turbulence, shrouded in mist and fraught with danger. But Li Wuyang had now reached the Earth Immortal realm (Spirit Refinement and Void Return). His divine sense was vastly stronger, and his perception of spatial fluctuations had become far sharper. Coupled with his initial comprehension of the Huang Ting Jing, which was exceptionally effective at concealing his aura, he cautiously avoided several obvious spatial rifts and passed through the turbulent region without mishap.

Seeing daylight again, the sunlight felt somewhat blinding.

Breathing the relatively thin spiritual energy of the outside world, Li Wuyang felt as though a lifetime had passed. He carefully identified his bearings and found that this place did not seem too far from Myriad Spirits Market and the Houtu Tribe.

"Let's return to the Houtu Tribe first. I wonder how Chief Hou Yuan and the others are doing," he decided.

Riding Huaihuai, the group flew in the direction he remembered. Their speed was several times greater than before his seclusion.

The scenery along the way had not changed much. The primordial land was still vast and desolate. Yet Li Wuyang keenly sensed that the baleful energy in the air seemed to have grown denser. From time to time, he saw traces left behind by battles, showing that conflicts between the Witch Clan and the demons had become increasingly frequent.

Several days later, they arrived at the site of the Houtu Tribe's original camp.

Yet the sight before him left Li Wuyang stunned.

The camp... was gone.

The massive stone houses and the remnants of campfires had all vanished without a trace. Only broken foundations and scorch marks remained. The surroundings were silent, without a single person in sight.

"Did they move? Or..." Li Wuyang's heart sank, and a sense of foreboding rose within him.

He spread out his divine sense and carefully searched the surrounding area.

At last, in a valley a hundred li away, he detected faint Witch Clan auras. But they were extremely chaotic, carrying a feeling of... decline and sorrow.

He immediately rushed over.

Witch Clan warriors guarded the entrance to the valley, but there were very few of them. Every one of them was wounded, exhausted, and wary. When they saw Li Wuyang's strange group, they were initially startled. Once they recognized Li Wuyang's face, disbelief appeared on their faces.

"Is... is that Lord Daozi?! You... you're alive?!" A Witch Clan warrior with one broken horn recognized him and shouted excitedly.

Li Wuyang recognized him as well. He had been a young warrior in the tribe back then.

"It's me. Where is Chief Hou Yuan? What happened to the tribe?" Li Wuyang hurriedly asked.

The warrior's expression immediately darkened, and he led Li Wuyang into the valley.

The situation within the valley was even more miserable. The Witch Clan's numbers had sharply dwindled, and most were wounded. Fear filled the faces of the women and children, and the atmosphere was oppressive. Their former prosperity was gone.

Inside the largest stone house, Li Wuyang saw Hou Yuan.

Hou Yuan looked much older. Bandages were wrapped around his body, and his aura was somewhat weak, but his gaze remained sharp. When he saw Li Wuyang, he was first shocked, then his expression turned complicated—there was joy, but also bitterness.

"Lord Daozi... fifty years! We... we all thought you had perished in that spatial turbulence!" Hou Yuan's voice was hoarse.

"Fifty years... just as I thought." Li Wuyang sighed inwardly and asked, "Chief Hou Yuan, what exactly happened? Why did the tribe relocate here, and..."

Hou Yuan let out a long sigh, pain and fury flashing through his eyes. "It was the demons! About thirty years ago, the Demon Heavenly Court expanded its influence greatly, constantly squeezing the Witch Clan's living space. Our tribe was ambushed by a demon army and suffered terrible casualties... We had no choice but to abandon our ancestral land and move to this remote valley to barely survive."

He paused, looked at Li Wuyang, and gave a bitter smile. "Come to think of it, it has something to do with you, Lord Daozi."

"It has something to do with me?" Li Wuyang was taken aback.

"After you disappeared back then, the weapon fragment of Demon Ancestor Luohu vanished as well. The demons somehow received word and suspected that it was connected to our tribe. They came repeatedly to pressure us and demand it... Though the matter was eventually dropped, the enmity had already been forged," Hou Yuan explained.

Li Wuyang fell silent. He had never expected that his experience back then would indirectly bring disaster upon the Houtu Tribe. A trace of guilt rose in his heart.

"Chief Hou Yuan, I'm sorry..."

Hou Yuan waved his hand. "It has nothing to do with you, Daozi. The Witch Clan and the demons have held grudges against each other for a long time. Conflict was bound to happen sooner or later. It's just that now... the Witch Clan's situation is becoming increasingly difficult." His tone was filled with worry.

Li Wuyang sensed the pessimism permeating Hou Yuan and the entire tribe, and something stirred in his heart. His strength had greatly improved now—perhaps he could be of some help?

(End of Chapter 24)