A Person Sits Atop the Peak, Trouble Comes From Outside!

"Finally back."

Looking at the familiar surroundings around him, Li Yang couldn't help but let out a long breath.

A whole year!

It had taken him an entire year just to refine the Void Bubble into a transit node, and then he couldn't wait to return.

He stepped forward to collect his avatar, which had already reached the Ninth Stage of Returning Void, checked the events that had transpired during his absence, sensed the activity around Lesser Qiong Peak and its surroundings, then extended his Immortal Sense out of the Thatched Cottage and sent a voice transmission to Lan Ling'e.

"Ling'e, has Senior Disciple Brother not returned yet?"

Lan Ling'e, who was truly cultivating, sensed the information from the avatar and immediately emerged from seclusion in delight, rushing straight to Li Yang's Thatched Cottage.

When Lan Ling'e saw Li Yang's intact body, tears suddenly poured down like a broken dam, streaming uncontrollably.

"Senior Disciple Brother, you... your injury is healed?"

This scene felt like an illusion—how could a Dao Wound like that be healed so easily?

"Healed my ass, this is your Senior Disciple Brother's avatar."

He had spent the entire year returning through the Void Bubble; where would he find time to heal? So he tapped Lan Ling'e on the forehead and let out a curse.

"You silly girl, after more than a year apart, your brain's gotten much duller—aren't you even looking at this body's cultivation level?"

Lan Ling'e covered her head and immediately relaxed—this wasn't a heart demon, nor an illusion.

But then came disappointment. Nearly two years had passed, and Senior Disciple Brother's injury was probably worse, his lifespan draining more and more, right?

"Then Senior Disciple Brother, your injury..."

"Relax, I got a great opportunity. I won't die."

A great opportunity?

Lan Ling'e blinked, looking at Li Yang with a face full of confusion—what kind of great opportunity could earn such praise from her Senior Disciple Brother?

"Alright, this thing isn't convenient to talk about. Just know that your Senior Disciple Brother is fine."

Some things couldn't be spoken of casually, so Li Yang was deliberately vague, only letting Lan Ling'e rest assured.

"Let's not talk about me first. Let's talk about your cultivation. From the looks of it, you've already reached Return to Dao—what stage?"

Lan Ling'e, after all, had been taught by both him and Senior Disciple Brother, and she could recite the Steady Character Scripture backward. Her ability to conceal herself was naturally strong.

Although this avatar was at the True Immortal stage, he couldn't casually probe her. Observing through other means, he couldn't confirm whether this was Lan Ling'e's True Body.

"Return to Dao Sixth Stage."

Facing Li Yang, Lan Ling'e had no intention of hiding anything. She revealed her True Body and spoke her true cultivation level.

"Not bad!"

Li Yang was very pleased. Return to Dao Sixth Stage—at this pace, she could reach Return to Dao Ninth Stage within thirty years and cross the tribulation to become an immortal.

"But going out with your True Body like this, without any protection—have you forgotten what we taught you?"

At this, Li Yang's face darkened. Even though they were on Lesser Qiong Peak, she shouldn't be so careless.

Faced with her Senior Disciple Brother's scolding, Lan Ling'e wasn't angry at all—in fact, she was delighted.

She stepped forward, hugged Li Yang's arm, and shook it while acting spoiled.

"Senior Disciple Brother... I was just worried about you!"

"Stop, stop, stop, stop," Li Yang said, dizzy from the shaking, repeatedly calling for a halt.

"Let's drop that. How's your practice of the Pot of Heaven Technique? Can you stabilize the space now?"

"I can. I even used the formation you taught me, Senior Disciple Brother, to reinforce the space. It's rock solid now."

"Mm! Then in these two years, Senior Disciple Brother hasn't come back even once?"

"No."

Li Yang fell silent after hearing that. He knew that with such a late return, Senior Disciple Brother had probably, like in the original story, crossed half his tribulation, then gone through another round, with the nine Heavenly Thunders turning into ten.

He could only say: if you don't court death, you won't die.

Ignore the elder's words, and trouble is at your door!!

'Right, Senior Disciple Brother's current cultivation should be at the Celestial Immortal stage, right?'

He remembered that after Senior Disciple Brother crossed the second-ranked thunder tribulation, he absorbed an excessive amount of spiritual energy. Logically, he should have ascended to the Celestial Immortal stage.

But he also knew well how much of an Old Sixth Senior Disciple Brother was—the type who, to solidify his foundation, would temper himself a thousand times at every stage before advancing to the next. So it wasn't impossible that Senior Disciple Brother was forcibly suppressing his cultivation.

He just didn't know if Senior Disciple Brother had now become the Sea God, with a hundred temples, and had also offended the Western Teachings, just like in the original story.

Thinking about it this way, Senior Disciple Brother's excessive pursuit of stability had actually caused a lot of trouble.

"What a sin!"

Li Yang shook his head and sighed, but this left Lan Ling'e confused.

"Senior Disciple Brother, who sinned?"

"Who else? Senior Disciple Brother! Not coming back even now means he's definitely caused some big trouble outside and is hiding. In the end, he's just a stubborn old mule who won't listen to the advice of someone young like me..."

Li Yang rambled on, his tone dripping with disdain, which made Lan Ling'e lower her head without even realizing it.

Here we go again.

The two senior brothers were always like this—whenever the other wasn't around, they'd inevitably badmouth each other in her ear.

If you two look down on each other so much, why are you always worrying about one another??

Could this be what they call bromance between men???

Little Ling'e suddenly blushed bright red, steam practically rising from her head.

???

Li Yang was full of question marks. He knew Lan Ling'e was a famous Steam Princess in the original story, but after years of training from him and Senior Disciple Brother, she shouldn't be like this anymore, right?

Why is she steaming again??

Watching Lan Ling'e's flushed face, it was obvious the little girl had thought of something embarrassing.

Could it be...

Little Blondie???

No, that shouldn't be it.

Li Yang dismissed that thought again. Little Blondie was too absurd—Junior Sister's taste couldn't possibly be that bad! Besides, Junior Sister never even went out, so where would a Little Blondie come from?

So, this girl was definitely thinking about something dangerous.

Knowing Lan Ling'e, Li Yang's face instantly darkened. He was about to scold her when he suddenly sensed someone approaching Lesser Qiong Peak.

His Immortal Sense reached out, and the moment he saw who it was, his face went black.

Three visitors: one was Liu Yan'er, one was Wang Qi, and one was a handsome young man at Return to Void Sixth Stage.

And in that instant, Li Yang recalled the melodramatic story from the original novel where Lan Ling'e was punished by Li Changshou with twenty years of closed-door reflection.

It was roughly around the Northern Juru Continent Expedition. Because of a crisis, Liu Yan'er and Wang Qi had developed feelings and confirmed their relationship. Recently, they were preparing to register as dao companions and cultivate together.

This should have been a good thing.

But the trouble came from one person—Liu Yan'er's own junior brother, the Du Lin Peak Prodigy, Liu Sizhe.

He opposed this marriage.

Because this was a century-long secret crush.

Liu Sizhe had entered the sect as a child, following behind his gentle senior sister of the same surname, calling out "Senior Sister," "Senior Sister";

Gradually, the boy grew troubled, and a lovely girl took root in his heart.

But Liu Sizhe felt his foundation was still shallow, his cultivation inferior to his senior sister's, unable to protect her, so he kept this feeling buried deep, training hard, striving to comprehend the dao, gradually making a name for himself within the sect.

Until Liu Sizhe reached the sixth stage of Return to Void, received a treasured gift from the sect, and gained the true inheritance of the Du Lin Peak Master. When he wanted to express his feelings to his senior sister, he saw...

In short, it was that kind of melodrama. Because of Liu Yan'er's words: "Junior Brother, I've always seen you as my closest junior brother."

Then came the challenge, which even led to the disciples of the two peaks clashing more and more fiercely, drawing reprimands from the sect's elders.

Now the three had come, apparently looking for him or Senior Disciple Brother to bear witness, to explain how "Senior Sister Yan'er" and "Junior Brother Qiqi" had fallen in love at first sight.

"A man sits in his peak, but trouble comes from outside the peak!"