Chapter 142: Farewell

The grand killing array was shattered effortlessly, leaving an intensely terrifying demonic aura lingering in the sky. Fortunately, the perpetrator had no intention of harming anyone; otherwise, everyone present, including Liu Xiaoxian who had just forged a purple-gold elixir, would have perished on the spot.

Li Guanxuan looked up to see an elderly man dressed in black, his eyes blazing with a frightening demonic aura. Strangely enough, the elder did not exude a sense of oppressive majesty or haughty detachment; instead, he gave the impression of a kind, benevolent, and deeply affectionate aged grandfather.

The next moment, the elder descended, glanced briefly at Zhao Guiyi, and then turned his gaze to Chen Yinshan, letting out a soft sigh.

"I never imagined that for her sake, you would truly be willing to sacrifice your lifelong cultivation and your natal golden elixir. It seems I misjudged a person for the very first time."

"Senior."

Spotting the elder, Chen Yinshan struggled to adjust his posture and knelt toward him, his voice trembling and faintly choked with tears.

"Please save Guiyi's life! This junior is willing to serve Senior as a loyal hound for the rest of my days."

"She is already alive, so what talk is there of saving her?"

The elder bent down to help Chen Yinshan up, his eyes filled with deep emotion as he spoke softly, "After offering up one's natal golden elixir, it is rare for ordinary people to survive... Fortunately, the heavenly treasures you gathered were of very high grade and possessed abundant, potent medicinal properties, which barely managed to stabilize your spiritual roots. Otherwise, even if I were to intervene, it would have been difficult to preserve your foundation in immortality."

Standing nearby, Li Guanxuan cupped his fists in a salute and could not help asking, "Senior, how many... how many more years can Chen Yinshan live?"

This was what he cared about the most. Right now, Chen Yinshan had visibly aged, exhibiting the frail appearance of someone at death's door, and he worried that after this ordeal, Chen Yinshan would only have twenty or thirty years left to live.

"A little over a hundred years, I suppose."

The elder replied with a smile, "No matter what, he is still at the Foundation Establishment stage now, though he has lost all hope of ever reaching the Golden Elixir stage in this lifetime."

With that, the elder looked toward the soundly sleeping Zhao Guiyi and murmured, "She, on the other hand, will be able to live for several centuries..."

Hearing this, Chen Yinshan felt no regret whatsoever. His face was suffused with radiant joy as he bowed repeatedly in gratitude.

"Thank you, Senior! Thank you, Senior..."

"No need for thanks. This is simply the result of your own hard work."

Wearing a smile, the elder sighed with emotion, "Back then, I gambled that once you achieved the Golden Elixir and tasted its power, you would no longer care whether Zhao Guiyi lived or died, which is why I handed the *Seven Killings Demonic Art* to you. Had you failed to save Zhao Guiyi, I would have personally taken your golden elixir... I never expected that you would have a sworn brother willing to risk his life and limb for you, and who would surrender his golden elixir without a moment's hesitation..."

The elder, whose emotions had remained untroubled by the waves of time for many years, showed a flicker of sentiment. After letting out a long sigh, he said,

"In this regard, I am inferior to you."

Listening from the side, Li Guanxuan roughly understood that this demonic monarch of a senior probably carried his own lingering regrets on the path of romance.

"Guiyi has woken up."

At that moment, Wen Rongxin spoke in a gentle voice.

Chen Yinshan snapped his head upward.

When he saw the woman he loved dearly open her eyes, looking at the sky with a dazed and incredulous expression, those eyes of his—once brimming with murderous intent, eyes that belonged to Chen Yinshan the fiend who had slaughtered his way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood—could no longer hold back the tears streaming down his face. His rugged features shifted constantly, breaking into a smile one second only to be flooded with crushing guilt the next.

If not for his foolish determination to fight against You Shaoneng back then, Zhao Guiyi would never have suffered this fate. Over all these years, he had lived entirely in a state of remorse and self-blame.

"O-Old Chen..."

Zhao Guiyi turned her head with great difficulty, a smile breaking across her face as pale as paper. When she tried to raise her hand to comfort her beloved, her expression shifted slightly, and she said in panic,

"I—my body won't move..."

Chen Yinshan hurried forward to check on her.

The elder standing nearby chuckled and said, "Her body has yet to fully adapt to the power of the golden elixir... It is nothing serious. I can resolve these issues, so there is no need to worry."

With that, the elder flicked his finger, sending a wisp of demonic aura flowing into Zhao Guiyi's body. In an instant, black demonic aura wrapped tightly around her.

About half a quarter of an hour later, the demonic aura was gradually brought under control by Zhao Guiyi and pulled back into her body.

At the same time, Chen Yinshan's aged features reverted to middle-aged, radiating vitality once more.

At that moment, Chen Yinshan pulled Zhao Guiyi tightly into his arms, weeping like a child.

A look of weathered antiquity filled the elder's eyes before he looked up at the sky, his thoughts drifting far away.

"Very well, it is time for me to go."

The elder smiled as he said, "Back then, I lied to you, claiming that you could recultivate after your golden elixir was destroyed. I did so because I believed you would never be willing to sacrifice your elixir. Although your cultivation is now stalled at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, the cultivation world is full of wonders. Go out, travel, and see the world; perhaps you will find a way to step back onto the path of immortality. I wish you good luck."

With those words, the elder dissolved into a puff of black smoke and vanished.

Chen Yinshan and Zhao Guiyi bowed deeply in the direction he had left, full of gratitude and respect.

...

The group soon departed from the perilous Myriad Mountains. After all, this was no place for catching up on old times. Liu Xiaoxian had already departed earlier to attend to some matters.

"Rongxin, you've grown stronger too."

As Zhao Guiyi slowly adapted to the spiritual power of the golden elixir, she turned to look at Wen Rongxin, her eyes filled with gratification and pride.

She had sensed the moment Wen Rongxin blocked a horde of fierce beasts with a single punch, even though she hadn't been able to see it clearly at the time.

"It's all thanks to the teachings of a master like you," Wen Rongxin said with a gentle, smiling reply.

"I didn't even get to teach you for a few years," Zhao Guiyi chuckled, and the two women quickly fell into a warm conversation.

Li Guanxuan looked toward Fang Xingzhi and asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

"What plans could I have? Just wandering around aimlessly, I suppose. Of course, when the time comes to forge my golden elixir, I'll have to come back and find you," Fang Xingzhi said with a laugh.

"No problem at all. A Golden Origin Elixir will be kept ready for you at any time," Li Guanxuan smiled. "If you run into trouble, come find me in Silver Maple City whenever you like."

Fang Xingzhi nodded and turned to Chen Yinshan, asking, "What about the two of you?"

"We'll also just wander around, though we likely won't stay within the cultivation world anymore," Chen Yinshan replied. "I've grown quite tired of this endless cycle of killing and fighting, and Guiyi doesn't really have the heart to roam the cultivation world either. Now that we have one Foundation Establishment and one Golden Elixir, we've reached the peak of our journey in immortality. Instead of striving further, we might as well go out and truly experience ordinary life."

Li Guanxuan said, "That's not a bad choice either... Remember to write when you have time; don't lose touch."

Chen Yinshan nodded with a smile.

"Let's head over to Qing'an City and sit down for a meal," Qin Jiyue suggested.

When the group arrived before the gates of Qing'an City, the outer sect disciples of the Falling Moon Valley were trembling with fear. The news of their sect master's death had already reached this place long ago, and everyone was well aware that the Falling Moon Valley's master had died at the hands of Li Guanxuan and Qin Jiyue. Now that Li Guanxuan and his group had come to Qing'an City, there was no guarantee they weren't here to wipe out the Falling Moon Valley entirely.

At that moment, the various elders of Falling Moon Valley were also standing by in strict readiness.

However, when they heard that Li Guanxuan and his companions had simply found a tavern inside Qing'an City and sat down, everyone was momentarily stunned.

This group wasn't here to destroy Falling Moon Valley after all?

This development caught the elders of Falling Moon Valley quite off guard. No matter how one looked at it, their master had caused Li Guanxuan and his group no end of trouble and had almost trapped Li Guanxuan in a fatal predicament. Given the other party's notorious reputation for holding grudges, why wouldn't they come seeking trouble with Falling Moon Valley?

Yet...

When they learned that Li Guanxuan and his group had spent two days in Qing'an City before simply leaving, the elders of Falling Moon Valley found it even harder to believe.

"What on earth are they trying to do?"

The First Elder of Falling Moon Valley wore a puzzled expression, and soon dispatched people to tail each of them, hoping to figure out what Li Guanxuan and his group were plotting.

...

"Husband, we have tails following us," Qin Jiyue said. "They're people from Falling Moon Valley. It seems they're also tailing Chen Yinshan and his wife, as well as Fang Xingzhi."

"Warn them that our grudge with Falling Moon Valley has been written off. If they want to create a new enmity, we will resolve it right here and now, cutting off Falling Moon Valley's legacy entirely," Li Guanxuan said.

Qin Jiyue nodded slightly.

With their family's current strength, Falling Moon Valley was hardly in a position to resist them. Once upon a time, Falling Moon Valley had loomed like a massive mountain in their eyes, but now, it was nothing more than a tiny hill.

Qin Jiyue swept out from the flying boat, her divine sense scanning the area before she quickly spotted several elders of Falling Moon Valley. She said indifferently:

"Our grievances were written off the moment your sect master died. If you don't want to forge a new enmity, back off immediately. Also, you'd better call back everyone you sent to track Chen Yinshan and his wife, and Fang Xingzhi, right away. Their tempers aren't nearly as easygoing as my husband's."

"Is that true?"

One of the Falling Moon Valley elders found it hard to believe.

Qin Jiyue let out a cold snort, too lazy to bother arguing with him, and turned away the moment she finished speaking. Even a pseudo-elixir master could be killed by her and Li Guanxuan working together; why would she care about a few mid-stage Foundation Establishment elders?

Seeing the flying boat grow increasingly distant, the elders largely concluded that Li Guanxuan would no longer trouble Falling Moon Valley.

"Phew—we've finally lost a formidable enemy."

"Let's go back and report this to the First Elder."

"We also need to call the others back quickly, especially the ones tracking Chen Yinshan and his wife. Zhao Guiyi is a Golden Elixir master now; she could crush them with a flick of her finger."

"Right, right, hurry back and report. Our Falling Moon Valley cannot afford any more deaths..."

"..."

The Falling Moon Valley elders immediately departed.

...

With the Falling Moon Valley matter fully put to rest, Li Guanxuan began plotting for the future. At present, he still had three sets of materials for refining the Golden Origin Elixir. He intended to use these three sets for himself, Qin Jiyue, and Song Zhiqiang, which meant he still needed to acquire two more sets of materials. After all, he had made promises to Tushan Yuqing and Fang Xingzhi.

"The Golden Origin Elixir materials left behind by Big Brother are of high enough quality to refine supreme-grade Golden Origin Elixirs. I'll have to give it a try later..."

Li Guanxuan pondered for a moment before saying, "Let's take a trip to Huajing Immortal City and see if they have any Golden Origin Elixir materials for sale. At the same time, we can ask Master to keep an eye out. Things like the Golden Origin Elixir are always better to have in abundance—they are the key to expanding our network of connections."

Having been through the trials of the Chilian Mountains and the Myriad Mountains, Li Guanxuan understood clearly that even cultivators needed to cultivate good relationships with others. Only by doing so would people be willing to lend a hand when trouble struck.

"I already mentioned it. Master also told you to go find her as soon as you get back to Silver Maple City," Qin Jiyue blinked her seductive eyes, wearing a half-smile.

At these words, Li Guanxuan's gaze immediately fell upon the plump, rounded hips of the White-Haired Demonic Woman. He chuckled softly and said,

"Over the past few years, running around to clean up Old Chen's messes kept me quite busy, and I truly haven't spent enough time nurturing our bonds as husband and wives."

Wen Rongxin's pretty face flushed red, and she murmured, "I'll go steer the helm."

"Then Big Sister Jiyue and I will wear out Husband's stamina first, and when we're nearly done, we'll let Big Sister Rongxin step in to defeat Husband," Song Zhiqiang said with a mischievous giggle.

Wen Rongxin: "R-Remember to set up an isolation array."

She had no desire to listen to those heart-pounding cries.

Song Zhiqiang: "That consumes too much spiritual power..."

Before she could finish her sentence, the little green tea was snatched away directly by the green-robed swordsman. Words became superfluous as the temperature inside the flying boat's cabin slowly began to rise.

Listening to the improper sounds drifting out from the cabin, Wen Rongxin immediately sealed her hearing so that she heard nothing at all. Even so, she could roughly guess that the battle inside was fiercely intense.

After all, her husband had bottled up his energy for several years—he was in peak condition, surpassing even his usual peak condition. The moment he unsheathed his blade, the two younger sisters would likely find it hard to resist even after pulling out all the stops.

Sure enough, about an hour later, Qin Jiyue walked out looking thoroughly satisfied. However, her gait was slightly crooked and her legs trembled faintly, leaving her with no choice but to use her spiritual power to summon a flying sword and sit down upon it, letting out a long breath of relief.

"Where is the younger sister?" Wen Rongxin asked.

"Passed out."

"..."

Wen Rongxin nodded mutely, and the next instant, she felt a powerful suction force pulling her. In a blur, she flew directly into the cabin.

Qin Jiyue glanced back toward the cabin, a lingering trace of fear in her lovely eyes. Her husband was truly growing more ferocious by the day. By her estimation, even if she, her older sister, and her younger sister joined forces, they would likely still struggle to stand against him.

"Could it be that the Velvet Flower Spirit Tree has evolved once more?"

Qin Jiyue pondered privately, feeling somewhat baffled. Either way, her velvet flowers only produced immortal Qi, and while that immortal Qi had many uses, it didn't recover quite as quickly as Song Zhiqiang's wood-attribute immortal Qi.

About half an hour later, Li Guanxuan walked out, though his formidable longsword was still visibly erect.

Qin Jiyue shot him a pretty, sideways glance and reproached softly, "Why hasn't it gone down yet?"

"The humidity must be too heavy; we need to keep exchanging warmth to purge the dampness."

Li Guanxuan laughed heartily, pulled Qin Jiyue in to capture her thin lips in a kiss, and immediately ignited another round of passion. Among the three women, only Qin Jiyue was truly a match for him in a sustained battle. After all, as a demonic cultivator, she recovered much faster.

...

Along the journey, Li Guanxuan's longsword never once stayed away from its scabbard for long. Even when it emerged from the demonic scabbard, it would promptly find its way into the tea scabbard, and once that ended, it would transition into the martial scabbard.

Before long, a magnificent and immense immortal city came into view.

"We've arrived at Huajing Immortal City," Wen Rongxin said hastily.

The delicate and supple Song Zhiqiang was currently hanging off Li Guanxuan. Hearing her sister's words, a look of profound relief washed over her face as she exhaled a long breath. If they hadn't reached Huajing Immortal City soon, she truly wouldn't have been able to hold on much longer.