Chapter 120: The Return

Chapter 120: Return

"This is the place." Within his spiritual sense, Jiang Yan suddenly perceived a cyan-colored egg-like orb emanating a powerful pull, drawing his consciousness toward it.

He silently mused that this cyan orb must be the Tianyue Realm. Sensing the familiar aura radiating from within, he felt a sense of certainty.

The cyan orb was not particularly large compared to the yellow or black ones he had seen before, let alone the two colossal orbs he had encountered at the very beginning. It seemed that the Tianyue Realm was merely a world of the lowest tier in this mysterious expanse of stars, where worlds of all sizes were scattered like chess pieces.

The cyan, egg-shaped world pulsed with a faint, blood-red light, beckoning Jiang Yan’s consciousness to intrude and explore.

Sitting cross-legged, Jiang Yan felt a flash of cyan light from between his brows. The cyan glow on the 'Wood' character in the center of his forehead suddenly intensified. Within his sea of consciousness, a surge of dense cyan radiance rose abruptly, ascending into the void. A moment later, his consciousness flickered and vanished from the sea of consciousness.

In the mysterious starry sky, Jiang Yan’s consciousness trembled, its previously dim state suddenly strengthening. It pierced through the outer shell of the cyan orb and instantly submerged into the Tianyue Realm.

Upon entering, Jiang Yan immediately felt that familiar aura once again. From a sprawling mountain range ahead, that scent grew stronger. The faint red luster was radiating from the far end of those mountains, drawing his consciousness toward the high peaks.

...

A city suddenly appeared within his perception. As his consciousness swept across the Linqing Prefecture, observing the runic lamp posts on the streets, the towering shops, and the renowned Curio Pavilion, Jiang Yan was struck with shock. This was Linqing Prefecture, home to the third-grade sect, the Golden Flame Sect. He immediately withdrew his consciousness in terror; the memory of the middle-aged cultivator who had shattered his spirit with a single blow was still fresh in his mind.

No sooner had he retracted his perception from above the prefecture than he spotted numerous cultivators riding spirit beasts or stepping on high-grade magical artifacts, hovering in mid-air. They stared in the direction of his consciousness, shouting loudly...

Fearing an encounter with a high-grade runemaster, Jiang Yan dared not use his consciousness to discern what they were shouting. He pressed on toward the mountain that he believed to be Mount Hua.

Behind him, the cultivators, sensing the disappearance of his presence, squatted on their spirit beasts or artifacts in frustration, while others relentlessly pursued in his direction.

...

"Mount Hua!"

As his consciousness arrived above Mount Hua, Jiang Yan surveyed everything on the mountain, his tone filled with pleasant surprise. The source of the red luster was indeed Mount Hua. As expected, a spiritual treasure that had absorbed a runemaster's blood possessed an inherent attraction to a runemaster's consciousness, helping him pinpoint the Tianyue Realm within the vast universe.

Hovering above, Jiang Yan looked down upon everything on Mount Hua.

In front of the main sect hall, Yun Ying tilted her delicate, jade-like face, staring at the plaque above the hall's lintel. "Why has this hall changed? If Senior Brother comes back and asks me about it, what should I say?"

On the steps behind her, the two spirit beasts, the Howling Heaven Hound and the Howling Soul Hound, squatted on the ground. Like their young master, they tilted their heads to look at the plaque. Hearing her words, the two beasts let out a pair of barks.

Sun Yang, standing below the steps, found the scene amusing. The young junior aunt truly understood nothing. The change in the sect hall must be the work of a runemaster; in the entire sect, only the Sect Master possessed such abilities. Why would the Sect Master ask her? However, Sun Yang dared not show the slightest sign of mockery on his face; the consequences of offending this little aunt were unimaginable.

Waking up in the middle of the night to find a white dog's head resting on his face; waking up in the morning to find himself standing bare-bottomed at the edge of a cliff, with the black-furred Howling Soul Hound squatting nearby, grinning at him...

In the few days since Jiang Yan had left, the title of "Little Demon" for Yun Ying had spread throughout Mount Hua. Anyone who offended her would have no peace. Not only did they have to guard against her omnipresent sonic attacks, but they also had to be wary of the Howling Soul Hound’s soul-seizing ability. If one were accidentally controlled by the hound, they would simply have to wait to be stripped bare and left in the plaza before the main hall to be humiliated.

Sun Yang remembered clearly how his master, having failed to complete the homework assigned by the Sect Master, had been spanked by the master, only to find that he couldn't find a single piece of clothing to wear the next day.

"Sun Yang, why do you think the hall changed?" Yun Ying pinched her soft, rosy cheek with her delicate fingers, looking at Sun Yang with curiosity.

Sun Yang hurriedly braced himself; this little grandmother was not to be trifled with. He quickly concocted a way to appease her.

"Well, Little Junior Aunt, the change in the hall is primarily under the control of the Sect Master. These are the methods of a runemaster, and I am not entirely sure myself," Sun Yang replied respectfully to Tang Wan.

...

In the training arena, Ning Qian sat cross-legged on the Six-Star Platform, shrouded in white mist. Opposite him was Zisu. Due to the contest for the next Chief Disciple, both were exerting all their strength in their cultivation.

Ding Ning sat in a corner of the arena, purple light flashing across his body. Black sword rain periodically tore through the air, striking the hard ground of the arena with a rhythmic clanging sound as he practiced the attack techniques of the Purple Robe Sect.

Lin Ke, dressed in white with a veil covering her face, was casting a growth spell outside the spirit fields in the back mountain. Old Chen, who tended the fields, watched her with profound reverence.

In the Spirit Beast Garden, there were indeed six additional white Heaven-Walking Cranes. These second-grade beasts paced with elegant grace. Outside the garden, the chubby Mu Yun and the ugly-faced Nan Menluo were arguing.

"The sudden appearance of these six spirit beasts must be related to the Sect Master. As for chasing them away, I believe we should wait for the Sect Master to return before making a decision," Mu Yun said, his chubby face grave.

"I say we drive them out first. They clash with the spirit beast the Sect Master entrusted us to watch over. If we let them stay, that beast—which hasn't awakened yet—might be pecked to death," Nan Menluo said, a hint of ferocity crossing his ugly face. In truth, Nan Menluo had another thought he hadn't voiced: killing these beasts to taste their meat. Who knew where these wild birds had come from? The Third Senior Brother was truly something, attributing the appearance of these wild birds to the Sect Master.

"No, we must wait for the Sect Master's return. I am the senior brother, and my word is final. As for the Moon Sable, just have the Little Junior Sister move it outside the garden," Nan Menluo said, his chubby finger pressing firmly on the spirit identification plate at the gate.

"Then you go tell the Little Junior Sister," Nan Menluo said, turning on his heel to head back to the training room.

Mu Yun's face darkened. The Little Junior Sister! He still had vivid memories of the time he had been forced to run back to his quarters bare-bottomed after squatting in the plaza...

...

Jiang Yan’s consciousness shifted, appearing before the boundary marker outside the training arena on the mountainside.

The marker stood silently. At its peak, the black sword token had manifested, its dark surface flickering with a faint red glow. Encased in red, the black token looked rather eerie.

With a thought, Jiang Yan’s consciousness transformed into white coils, slowly wrapping around the black sword token...

Whether he could return to Linqing Prefecture depended on whether this token could withstand his consciousness and the virtual portal formed through the amplification of the boundary gate.

"Hum..."

The black sword token suddenly erupted with a brilliant cyan radiance. It was exceptionally bright, illuminating half the sky over Mount Hua. Jiang Yan had finally completed the incantation, forming a virtual portal upon the token. The cyan light emanated from the portal engraved within.

Jiang Yan watched with trepidation as the virtual portal slowly solidified. This was his first time attempting such a feat. Despite the amplification from the gate behind him, he remained anxious, hoping to succeed in one go.

"Hum..."

The black sword token suddenly bloomed with a black-purple radiance, equally bright, rivaling the cyan light and lighting up the other half of the Mount Hua sky.

Inside the Yunlan Demon Realm.

On the white boundary gate, the light flickered violently. The beam shooting into the void vanished, and the entire gate was suddenly suffused with cyan light, illuminating the dark sky of the Demon Realm. The previously blank plaque changed color; half was cyan, half was black-purple, and the two regions seemed to be clashing fiercely.

"Senior Brother, look! The gate!" Monk Wuming stared in astonishment. "It's changed color! Is it about to collapse?"

"Layman Jiang has already condensed the virtual portal. It won't be long before we return to Linqing Prefecture," Monk Wukong stood before the gate, looking at Jiang Yan’s physical body sitting cross-legged beneath it.

"Oh," a trace of jealousy appeared on Wuming's face as he looked dejectedly at the changing gate.

The half-naked monk Wude was full of joy. "Great! We can go back to Linqing Prefecture and stop rotting in this dump. Senior Brother, shouldn't we harvest some spirit herbs to take with us? This place is full of them."

Monk Wukong, who had been staring at the gate, turned abruptly at Wude’s words. His gaze shifted toward the distant, ravaged grove of Azure Wood. A sudden look of realization dawned on his calm face.

"I understand. I understand, Junior Nephew. Uncle Kongse said that Layman Jiang would be the biggest beneficiary of this demon-hunting trip. So that’s what it meant..."

Monk Wude was stunned, not understanding what this had to do with his question. "Senior Brother, I asked about harvesting herbs—what does that have to do with Layman Jiang? If anyone is the beneficiary, it's us. Look, we can take as many herbs as we want."

"Hmph!" Monk Wuming let out a cold snort, his face full of envy. "You're so slow, Wude. Since we can take as many herbs as we want now, won't Layman Jiang be able to use that portal to come back whenever he wants to harvest them directly from Mount Hua?"

Wuming added with concern, "He might even leave us all here in this valley. With his Junior Sister's Foundation Establishment strength, killing a few young monks like us would be effortless."

"Silence!" Monk Wukong interrupted, stopping Wuming. "The portal is about to open. We are returning to the temple; no one is to speak a word of this."

"Why so tense, Little Monk Wukong? Am I, the Sect Master, such a petty person who repays kindness with malice?"

Jiang Yan’s voice drifted from beneath the gate. Having connected the demon-hunting portal, his consciousness had returned from Mount Hua to hear Wukong's words.

"Amitabha," Wukong pressed his palms together and bowed to Jiang Yan. "I previously had such concerns, but since Uncle Kongse holds you in such high regard, you must be a person of noble character. It was my own small-mindedness that led me to judge a gentleman by the yardstick of a villain."

Though not one for flattery, Wukong had to swallow his pride for the sake of his brothers' lives.

Jiang Yan laughed aloud. "Enough, Little Monk. I am no saint, but Master Kongse has treated me with great courtesy, so I naturally wouldn't do anything to harm your temple. As for this matter, feel free to report it to Master Kongse."

"Hum..." The gate behind Jiang Yan suddenly vibrated, dipping down sharply...

As the demon-hunting gate shuddered, the ground shook. Wukong’s expression changed, and he called out anxiously, "Layman!"

Jiang Yan’s figure flickered and vanished behind the gate. A moment later, he emerged again. "It’s fine. The gate is open. We can return to Linqing Prefecture."

Above the interface, the plaque that had been clashing with cyan and black-purple colors had turned entirely cyan. In the center of the plaque, two large characters were inscribed... Mount Hua.