Return, Entrust, Seclusion

Upon entering the territory of Haicheng Prefecture, Xu Yang traveled for another half day before finally arriving outside the sect. At this point, he finally let out a long sigh of relief. However, he did not enter the sect immediately; instead, he turned his body and headed toward the restricted area at the back of the mountain.

Since he could not fly on his sword, it took quite a bit of effort for Xu Yang to reach the cultivation cave dwelling of Qing Yuanzi. He set the little prince down and spoke respectfully, "Disciple Xu Yang pays respects to Master. I humbly request an audience."

No sooner had Xu Yang finished speaking than the cave gate slowly creaked open. Third Senior Sister Li Qingqing walked out slowly from within. Seeing Li Qingqing, Xu Yang felt a bit surprised, and he quickly stepped forward to offer a salute.

After the formalities were complete, Li Qingqing said to Xu Yang, "Foster father is waiting for you inside. I will take you to him now." As she spoke, she turned and walked into the cave. Hearing her words, Xu Yang was immediately struck with realization; so Li Qingqing was the foster daughter of Master Qing Yuanzi. No wonder Liu Yuan and Liu Hao were so wary of her.

Thinking of this, Xu Yang quickly followed her into the cave dwelling. As they walked, he asked Li Qingqing, "Senior Sister, how did you manage to escape the pursuit of the Blood Refining Sect disciples?"

Hearing Xu Yang's inquiry, a look of relief flashed across Li Qingqing's cold, beautiful face. She replied to Xu Yang, "I never expected this mission to be so dangerous, to the point of being hunted by a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. It was thanks to the Earth-Escaping Talisman that foster father gave me that I managed to escape. My luck was good, too; that Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator did not pursue me."

Having said this, Li Qingqing asked Xu Yang curiously, "How did Junior Brother Xu escape the pursuit? Why did you only return to the sect after several days? I have already been back for two or three days!"

Xu Yang said with a bitter smile, "Junior Brother's luck was far worse. I was targeted by that Foundation Establishment Middle Stage demonic cultivator and was chased all the way into the territory of Fengcheng Prefecture. If it weren't for the fact that he was toying with me, I would never have been able to escape into Fengcheng Prefecture."

At this point, Xu Yang pondered for a moment before continuing, "By a stroke of luck, I happened to possess a Demon-Slaying Thunder Pearl. Relying on the power of this bead, I barely managed to escape the pursuit of that demonic cultivator."

Upon hearing the name of the Demon-Slaying Thunder Pearl, Li Qingqing was stunned for a moment. She nodded at Xu Yang and said, "Junior Brother Xu is truly extraordinary to have such a treasure in your possession. No wonder you were able to escape the pursuit of a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator."

Having said this, Li Qingqing shook her head and sighed, "It is truly a cause for celebration that Junior Brother Xu was able to return to the sect. As for Junior Brothers Xu Shaoyang and Liu Hao, they have yet to return; I imagine they have likely perished."

Hearing this, Xu Yang's expression darkened as well. He opened his mouth and said to Li Qingqing, "I caught a glimpse of Senior Brother Liu Hao. The one pursuing him was that peak Qi Refining Level 9 demonic cultivator. Logically speaking, he should have been able to escape. As for Senior Brother Xu..."

Xu Yang paused here before continuing, "He has indeed perished. I saw Senior Brother Xu's head in the hands of that Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator."

Upon hearing Xu Yang's words, the frost-cold face of Li Qingqing also dimmed. She sighed softly, her mood sinking significantly. She stopped speaking to Xu Yang, and the two of them silently quickened their pace as they headed deeper inside.

A moment later, Xu Yang arrived once again at the quiet room from before, where Qing Yuanzi had already been waiting for some time. Upon seeing Qing Yuanzi, Xu Yang immediately set the little prince down and paid his respects.

Qing Yuanzi waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities. Tell me the details of this operation." Xu Yang immediately complied and recounted the process of the mission in detail. Of course, he did not mention that he had already killed Xue Meng.

After listening to Xu Yang's report, Qing Yuanzi wore a gloomy expression and said, "It seems that the fourth and fifth disciples have indeed perished. The Blood Refining Sect has such audacity to interfere in the affairs of Wu Prefecture. Do they wish to incite a war between our two sects?"

At this point, Qing Yuanzi looked up at Xu Yang, his expression softening as he said, "You were very lucky to escape. The failure of this mission is not your fault, so I will not punish you."

Subsequently, Qing Yuanzi looked at the little prince standing to the side. Hearing Qing Yuanzi's words, Xu Yang felt a great weight lift from his heart. Seeing Qing Yuanzi's gaze fall upon the little prince, he quickly bowed and said, "Master, this child is the descendant of the Wu Kingdom's monarch, Wu Ming. On my way back to the sect, I happened to encounter him being hunted and saved him, bringing him here for Master to decide his fate."

"Oh! This child is the descendant of Senior Brother Changfeng? Are you certain?" A sharp glint flashed in Qing Yuanzi's eyes as he asked Xu Yang.

"Reporting to Master, this matter is absolutely certain. I heard it from the subordinates of Wu Ming, and this child is Wu Ming's only heir," Xu Yang replied with a bow.

Qing Yuanzi stood up and walked over to the little prince, examining him carefully before nodding. "He does indeed resemble Senior Brother Changfeng. Since he is the descendant of an old friend, I shall treat him well." As he spoke, Qing Yuanzi looked at Xu Yang and nodded. "Sixth, well done. You have handled this matter very well, and I am very satisfied."

Xu Yang quickly bowed and said, "Sharing Master's burdens is a disciple's duty; I do not deserve such praise." Qing Yuanzi waved his hand. "Merit is merit, and fault is fault. I am clear in my rewards and punishments. I have noted your contribution this time, and there will be benefits for you in the future."

Xu Yang said with excitement, "Disciple thanks Master!" Then, Qing Yuanzi said to Li Qingqing, "Qingqing, this child will be left to you to raise from now on. If he possesses spiritual roots, let him cultivate; if he has none, let him live in the sect as an ordinary person."

Li Qingqing hugged the little prince with a look of pity and said to Qing Yuanzi, "I will take good care of him, please rest assured, foster father."

"Good," Qing Yuanzi said, nodding in satisfaction at Li Qingqing's response. He then flicked his sleeve and said to the two, "You may both leave. I still have to deal with matters regarding the Blood Refining Sect." After hearing this, the two bowed and turned to leave the quiet room.

Outside the cave dwelling, Xu Yang patted the little prince on the head, bid farewell to Li Qingqing, and took off on his sword toward the sect's residential area. Watching Xu Yang fly away, the little prince looked extremely reluctant to part and began to wail.

Li Qingqing picked him up and said gently and tenderly, "Don't cry. I will take you to see him in the future. What is your name?" Hearing Li Qingqing's words, the little prince sobbed and said, "Really? I can still see Uncle Xu? That's great! My name is Wu Yuan, and I am a prince of the Wu Kingdom."

Li Qingqing stroked Wu Yuan's little head and said, "Of course it's true. Is Uncle Xu very good to you? You've only been with him for a few days, and you like him this much?"

"Uncle Xu is very good to me. He tells me stories every day, buys me candied haws to eat, and uses his internal energy to drive away the cold for me at night. He is much better to me than my father's subordinates!" Wu Yuan said, his little face beaming with excitement.

Hearing Wu Yuan's words, Li Qingqing looked up in the direction where Xu Yang had departed. Her impression of Xu Yang changed significantly; it turned out he wasn't just someone who knew how to scheme, but also possessed such a childlike heart.

After bidding farewell to Li Qingqing, Xu Yang flew on his sword while sighing to himself that this operation had been the right move. Not only did it greatly increase the favor Qing Yuanzi and Li Qingqing had for him, but it also found a protector for Wu Yuan. It was truly perfect.

Thinking of Wu Yuan, Xu Yang also felt quite fond of the boy. Not only was he cute, but he was also very clever. If he possessed spiritual roots and could step into the world of cultivation, under Qing Yuanzi's guidance, his future would be limitless. He could consider himself to have done right by Wu Ming.

Reflecting on these things, Xu Yang soon arrived in front of the sect. He did not delay and went straight back to his own pavilion. Looking at the furnishings inside, which had not changed in the slightest, Xu Yang felt a deep sense of emotion.

He had only been out for a short eight or nine days, yet it felt as if a long time had passed. He suddenly felt mentally exhausted. Without sitting down to meditate or refine his Qi, he simply lay down on the floor of the second floor and fell into a deep sleep.

In this sleep, he let go of all his defenses and slept extremely soundly. It was only after a full day and night that Xu Yang woke up feeling refreshed. Once he was fully awake, he felt his entire body was full of energy and his mind was exceptionally clear.

For the next two days, Xu Yang relaxed and adjusted his state. Two days later, he went into seclusion once again to cultivate. He had quite a few medicinal pills on him, including the top-grade Zengyuan Pill he had obtained from Xue Meng, which was enough for him to cultivate for a long time.

Time passed slowly. After Xu Yang went into seclusion, the outside world was in turmoil. The Blood Refining Sect's interference in Wu Prefecture infuriated the higher-ups of the Bailian Pavilion, who immediately dispatched elite disciples to Wu Prefecture. A great battle broke out between the two sides, which was eventually quelled under the intervention of Golden Core elders from both factions.

The Blood Refining Sect had no choice but to withdraw from Wu Prefecture. The rebel Prince Fu was executed by the disciples of the Bailian Pavilion. Because the royal family of the Wu Kingdom had fallen, the higher-ups of the Bailian Pavilion had to select the family of another disciple to become the new royal family of the Wu Kingdom.

The Blood Refining Sect's plan failed, and in their shame and anger, they provoked another major battle on the border between the Wu and Yue Kingdoms. However, the scale of this battle was smaller; most of the participating cultivators were at the Qi Refining Realm, while Foundation Establishment cultivators were stationed in the rear to hold the line, and the Golden Core elders did not enter the fray.

Seeing this, the Bailian Pavilion was happy to see it happen in order to train their disciples. They quickly dispatched inner sect disciples and some elite disciples to support the front lines, and the two sides remained in a stalemate at the border of the two kingdoms.

Three years passed in this manner, and the two major sects fought on and off without ever fully ceasing hostilities. Xu Yang had also been in seclusion for three years. During these three years, he did not blindly focus on increasing his cultivation level.

Because he had advanced too rapidly before—reaching the Qi Refining Level 7 in less than two years—even with the help of the Black Little Sword to refine his energy, it was still too fast, leading to an unstable foundation.

He spent a year and a half stabilizing his cultivation. Only when he felt his foundation was rock-solid did he begin to increase his cultivation level again. With the assistance of high-quality pills, Xu Yang's cultivation level rose rapidly once more.

In just a year and a half, he broke through from the peak of Qi Refining Level 7 to the peak of Qi Refining Level 8. At the same time, his physical cultivation, with the help of the Millennial Ice Soul Pearl, also broke through to a strength equivalent to the middle stage of Qi Refining Level 9, just one step away from bringing the Iron Body Technique to the realm of perfection.