Five days later.
The aura of the Foundation Establishment Realm suddenly filled the cave.
Outside, Li Zhōujūn said in surprise, "This fellow cultivated the Sunflower True Scripture, and he actually broke through to Foundation Establishment so quickly."
"Senior!" Yīn Zhìháng emerged from the cave, his face filled with delight.
"Not bad." Li Zhōujūn nodded with a smile. "Let's go. We can head to Kaishan Sect now."
"Okay!" Upon hearing this, Yīn Zhìháng's heart began to race.
He could take his revenge soon!
Yīn Zhìháng wondered whether it was merely an illusion, but his voice seemed to have grown sharper.
But he no longer cared. As long as he could take revenge, he was willing to pay any price.
At the same time.
Li Zhōujūn swept up Yīn Zhìháng with a wave of his sleeve.
In the next moment, Yīn Zhìháng felt the world around him spin and the stars shift. Then he appeared above Kaishan Sect.
"This is Kaishan Sect, right?"
Li Zhōujūn lowered his head to look at the magnificent buildings below and asked with a smile.
"That's right." Yīn Zhìháng nodded.
At the same time, within Kaishan Sect, an aura shot into the sky and took the form of an old man.
"Duàn Wúyá of Kaishan Sect greets you, fellow Daoist."
The old man who had suddenly appeared cupped his hands toward Li Zhōujūn and spoke respectfully.
"Kaishan Sect's Ancestor, Duàn Wúyá?!"
Yīn Zhìháng's expression changed in shock when he saw the old man.
It was said that this Ancestor had already reached the Nascent Soul Realm. Yet when faced with the powerful cultivator who had helped him, such a mighty figure was actually this courteous.
It was easy to imagine that this powerful cultivator's strength had definitely also reached the Nascent Soul Realm!
"Has fellow Daoist come to my Kaishan Sect for some matter?"
Duàn Wúyá naturally paid no attention to Yīn Zhìháng's shocked expression. Instead, he respectfully questioned the young man who looked no different from an ordinary person yet could cross the void.
In Duàn Wúyá's eyes, this young man looked no different from an ordinary person. There were only two possibilities: either his cultivation was weaker than the young man's, or the young man truly was just an ordinary person.
Yet this young man could cross the void, which clearly meant the former.
Thus, Duàn Wúyá directly ignored Li Zhōujūn's youthful appearance and treated him as a peer.
After all, in the cultivation world, judging people by their appearance was the least reliable method. For mighty cultivators, casually changing their appearance was no difficult matter.
Li Zhōujūn chuckled. "I'm here to seek justice."
"Oh?" Duàn Wúyá was taken aback. "Could one of my sect's disciples have offended you, fellow Daoist?"
"Not so." Li Zhōujūn shook his head and pointed at Yīn Zhìháng standing behind him. "I'm here to seek justice for him."
"I see." Duàn Wúyá glanced at Yīn Zhìháng and suddenly understood. He then said, "The two of you should come inside and take a seat. My Kaishan Sect is an upright and reputable sect. If any disciple under my command has done something disgraceful, this old man will absolutely not shield him."
"Very well," Li Zhōujūn said.
Li Zhōujūn then brought Yīn Zhìháng down with Duàn Wúyá, landing in one of Kaishan Sect's plazas.
"We pay our respects to the Ancestor!"
When Kaishan Sect's disciples and elders saw Duàn Wúyá, they all bowed in greeting.
"No need for formalities." Duàn Wúyá waved his hand, then turned to Li Zhōujūn. "Fellow Daoist, please follow me."
"After you," Li Zhōujūn said.
"Gasp!"
"Who is that young man? The Ancestor is actually treating him with such respect!"
"Indeed. The Ancestor is a mighty cultivator of the Nascent Soul Realm. Since he's treating this young man like that, there's only one explanation: this young man is also a Nascent Soul cultivator!"
"What a young Nascent Soul cultivator—and he's so refined and elegant..."
"Junior Sister, forget it. You're not worthy of him."
"Hmph!"
"By the way, the person following that young cultivator looks a little familiar to me."
"He seems to be Senior Sister Yīn's brother!"
"Huh? Isn't he the one who communicated with the evil sects and caused the Yīn Household to be torn apart? Why is he here?"
"Looks like things aren't simple. I'll sit back and watch the show!"
"Exactly, exactly..."
At that moment, the disciples in the plaza watched the backs of Li Zhōujūn, Yīn Zhìháng, and their own Ancestor gradually disappear into the distance as they discussed among themselves.
Not long after.
Li Zhōujūn followed Duàn Wúyá into a great hall and took a seat.
At first, Yīn Zhìháng still felt ill at ease.
But Duàn Wúyá smiled and said, "Young friend, a guest is always welcome. Sit wherever you like. There's no need to be so formal."
Only then did Yīn Zhìháng find a chair and sit down.
Duàn Wúyá personally poured tea for Li Zhōujūn and said, "Fellow Daoist's arrival was sudden, and this old man made no preparations. I hope you won't disdain this tea."
"You're too polite, fellow Daoist." Li Zhōujūn watched the hot mist rising from the cup and said with a smile, "This tea has excellent color, fragrance, and flavor. It's clearly fine tea at a glance."
"You flatter me, fellow Daoist." Duàn Wúyá smiled. "Could you tell this old man the details?"
Li Zhōujūn took a sip of tea and smiled. "Have Ye Tiānmíng and Yīn Miàomiào brought here. Once the whole story is laid out, the truth will reveal itself."
"Very well." Duàn Wúyá nodded, then called softly, "Lí'er."
"Father has come out of seclusion, yet your son failed to welcome you personally. I hope you won't blame me, Father."
As Duàn Wúyá's voice fell,
a young man dressed in white walked into the great hall.
When he saw Li Zhōujūn, he cupped his hands and said, "Duàn Lí, Sect Master of Kaishan Sect, greets Senior."
"No need for formalities." Li Zhōujūn smiled.
At least for now, he had a favorable impression of this father and son.
Of course, his own strength was also a factor.
Otherwise, if Yīn Zhìháng had come alone, he probably would not even have been able to meet this father and son.
"Go and call Ye Tiānmíng and Yīn Miàomiào here," Duàn Wúyá instructed Duàn Lí.
"Please wait a moment, Father. I'll be back shortly." Duàn Lí bowed and took his leave.
Not long after.
A group of five people stood outside the great hall.
"Sect Master, why did you suddenly summon my disciple to this council hall?" one old man asked Duàn Lí.
"Elder Hé, your disciple is called Ye Tiānmíng, correct?" Duàn Lí asked.
Elder Hé said, "Yes."
Duàn Lí said, "Then that's the one."
"All right." Elder Hé was annoyed. His name was Hé Xīnghuǒ, and he was Ye Tiānmíng's master. He had been teaching his disciple to cultivate when the Sect Master suddenly came and ordered him to bring his disciple to the council hall.
Unwilling to leave his disciple unattended, he had followed them over.
Next, the woman among them frowned and asked, "Then why did you summon my disciple to the council hall as well?"
This woman was Yīn Miàomiào's master, Zhao Hui.
Likewise, she had followed them because she was worried about her disciple.
"Elders, the Ancestor was the one who summoned your beloved disciples. I'm only here to pass on the message." Duàn Lí could not be bothered to say more and simply explained.
Upon hearing this, Hé Xīnghuǒ and Zhao Hui obediently shut their mouths and said no more.
After all, the Sect Master, like them, had Golden Core cultivation, so they could treat him as a peer.
But the Ancestor was a genuine Nascent Soul cultivator. The might of the Nascent Soul Realm was not something they dared challenge.
There were two other people in the group: a young man and a young woman.
Both wore Kaishan Sect's brown-and-white disciple robes.
The young man had ordinary features. He was the type who would vanish into a crowd and become impossible to pick out.
The young woman, however, was exceptionally pretty, though there was a perpetual weariness between her brows.
These two were none other than Ye Tiānmíng and Yīn Miàomiào.
Before you continue