"Could this really be so urgent? Didn't you say there was half a month? There were still several days to spare!"
Li Yan was not surprised that Xing Ming had learned of his return.
The sect-protecting grand formation was under the other man's control, and Li Yan had not concealed his aura. If a Golden Core Realm cultivator entered the sect without Xing Ming sensing it, that would have been strange indeed.
Just then, Xing Ming's aged voice came from the valley entrance.
"Junior Brother, the moment you returned, you buried yourself in your cave dwelling. That takes all the life out of things. Why not come out and have a drink?"
Li Yan smiled faintly and swept his wide sleeve outward. The restrictions outside the valley, more than ten miles away, immediately opened.
A short while later, Li Yan, standing at the entrance to his cave dwelling, saw the white-robed old man drifting over. Smiling, Li Yan cupped his hands in greeting.
"It was already deep into the night when I returned to the sect. I was afraid of disturbing Senior Brother's quiet cultivation, so I had intended to visit tomorrow for a chat."
Xing Ming laughed heartily and walked straight toward the maple grove before the cave dwelling. Li Yan followed behind him.
In the middle of a broad clearing within the maple grove stood a massive stone platform, gleaming with blue-white light.
The crisscrossing horizontal and vertical lines upon it resembled a chessboard. At every intersecting point, blue or white specks of light flickered, reflecting the starlight overhead.
The maple trees soaring all around them swayed in the night breeze, rustling softly. The sight was dazzling as a dream.
Xing Ming had already stepped onto the long, thin stone slab in the center of the platform.
With