The woman in the fitted red outfit was indeed Li Yan.
Li Yan was now a middle-aged woman nearing fifty. She had devoted her life to the sword Dao and chivalry, traveling far and wide to slay demons and uphold justice. Jianghu Practitioners revered and respected her, bestowing upon her the illustrious title of "Red Dust Sword Hero."
Her senior fellow disciples, such as Severed Karma Hall, had advanced to Earth Rank and won fame and success, then gradually taken over their sect's affairs. Burdened by worldly matters, their cultivation had slowly stagnated. Li Yan, by contrast, had lived freely and unfettered, roaming the mortal world without ever becoming entangled in romantic love. Rather than stagnating, her cultivation and state of mind had continued to advance. She seemed a great vessel that matured late, finally approaching enlightenment in the supreme sword Dao.
Li Yan cultivated a sword Dao mental art called the "Red Dust Sword Canon," which placed utmost importance on harmony between the mind and sword moves. This, too, proved that she had truly found a Dao path uniquely her own and fully come into her own.
Over the years, Li Yan's reputation had grown ever brighter. Through her strength alone and her achievements in slaying demons far and wide, she had gradually become a Renowned Master of the righteous path. Even Yan Zhou and Fang Yicheng of the Profound Yin Sect, far away in the Western Plains, had heard something of her deeds, allowing them to recognize her immediately upon seeing her.
Nevertheless, neither man was particularly afraid of her, because Li Yan's publicly known cultivation and strength were at Earth Rank, seven turns.
Over these years, the demonized warrior path had continued to spread, even threatening to run rampant. Cultivation and state of mind alone could no