Chapter 241: Lin Nine Sends a Message

"This... I've been so busy lately that my head is spinning, so I won't disturb you..." Upon hearing Cloud Sovereign's words, Priest Huyan waved his hand repeatedly.

"Head spinning... If you lie for a night on the ten-thousand-year ice bed in my cave dwelling, you'll naturally feel refreshed and clear-headed..." Cloud Sovereign's beautiful eyes shifted as she spoke.

"Ah, look at my memory! When I came, I was refining a furnace of elixir at home, and now it's almost time to open it. Excuse me, excuse me." Priest Huyan's forehead faintly beaded with sweat. Before he finished speaking, a blue light flashed on his body, and with a "bang," he turned into countless specks of light and vanished without a trace.

Seeing this, Yun Ni bit her cherry lips and let out a chuckle, laughing softly as if no one else were present. Her bright eyes sparkled, revealing a myriad of charms.

The black-clad woman and the golden-haired youth paid no heed to the conversation between Priest Huyan and Cloud Sovereign. After Priest Huyan left, they also walked out of the hall without a word.

Seeing this, Xiong Shan also quietly took his leave.

Soon, only Ouyang Kuishan and Yun Ni remained in the hall.

"What do you plan to do with those two?" Yun Ni suddenly stopped laughing and said with a serious expression.

Ouyang Kuishan remained silent, appearing noncommittal.

"Let me say this upfront: this time, thanks to that Li Feiyu, Yuan'er was not taken away. I will not stand by and watch someone twist right and wrong for the sake of balance." Yun Ni said with profound meaning.

"As the head of the sect, I cannot be partial, or it will easily lead to intensified conflict between the two sides and endless trouble. Li Feiyu indeed rendered meritorious service this time, but as a guardian elder, he was also derelict in his duty, so his merits and faults offset each other. As for Su Tongxiao, he cannot escape blame, but since there were reasons for his actions, a slight punishment will suffice. Moreover, since Fellow Daoist Huyan has spoken, you may reward Li Feiyu in your own name." Ouyang Kuishan said slowly.

Yun Ni nodded, turned without a word, transformed into a beam of white light, and flew out of the hall.

Moments later, her figure appeared on another mountain peak.

A white palace stood there, over ten zhang high, crystal clear, appearing to be carved from a single enormous piece of white jade.

This jade, of unknown material, emitted a soft light like moonlight, and the area around the hall was filled with intense yin-cold energy.

As Yun Ni entered the palace, a wave of extreme cold that condensed into white mist rushed toward her, but upon touching her surroundings, it was kept at bay by an invisible force.

In the center of the hall was a pool, seemingly naturally formed, shaped like a crescent moon, dark and bottomless. Above it floated a disk about a zhang in size, crystal clear, its surface inscribed with countless transparent runes that swirled up and down, emitting a milky white light, as if made of ice.

The yin-cold energy here was ten times stronger than outside, and the source was that pool.

A white-clad girl sat cross-legged on the disk above the pool; it was Bai Suyuan.

She was enveloped in a layer of soft white light, continuously absorbing the yin-cold energy from the pool. The aura she emitted was much stronger than during the trial years ago, approaching the late Deity Transformation stage.

Seeing this, Yun Ni nodded.

As if sensing the movement, Bai Suyuan's long eyelashes trembled, and she opened a pair of bright eyes.

"Master, you're here." A smile appeared on her face as she flew off the disk and landed beside Yun Ni.

"My little Yuan'er becomes more beautiful every time I see her. I wonder which lucky lad will end up with her." Yun Ni reached out and gently stroked Bai Suyuan's hair, chuckling.

"Master, what are you saying! If you don't marry, I won't marry either." Hearing this, Bai Suyuan's cheeks flushed slightly, and she stomped her foot in a coquettish protest.

"Yuan'er is getting more and more glib." Yun Ni couldn't help but smile. As one of the thirteen Golden Immortals of Candlestick Dragon Dao, she was highly accomplished in cultivation, but she could never bring herself to be angry with her most beloved disciple.

She took her hand and led her to sit aside, saying, "Yuan'er, diligent cultivation is good, but don't be impatient. The Cold Moon Pool here has deep yin energy. Although you possess the Moonlight Immortal Body and can absorb the cold moon energy here to nourish yourself, this cold moon energy is still harmful to the body. You must pay more attention and proceed step by step; that is the right way."

"Yes." Bai Suyuan agreed.

Yun Ni then pointed out several issues in Bai Suyuan's cultivation. Bai Suyuan, being naturally intelligent, understood immediately after a moment's thought.

Seeing Bai Suyuan comprehend so quickly, Yun Ni's smile grew even brighter.

"By the way, Master, why have you come today?" Bai Suyuan asked.

"What, can't I come to see you?" Yun Ni said with feigned anger.

"Master, that's not what I meant..." Realizing she had misspoken, Bai Suyuan tugged at Yun Ni's arm and shook it.

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Today, I discussed the matters of the trial with those old fellows." Yun Ni said seriously.

Bai Suyuan's expression changed slightly as she let go of Yun Ni's arm, her demeanor becoming grave.

"We discussed it, but unfortunately, we still couldn't identify that person's origin." Yun Ni sighed.

"The Northern Frost Immortal Domain is vast and boundless, with countless talented individuals. Although our Candlestick Dragon Dao is powerful, how can we know everything?" Bai Suyuan's expression dimmed slightly, but she quickly said.

"Since we can't trace that person's origin, Yuan'er, try not to go out in the future. Stay in the sect and cultivate. I will continue to investigate this matter and will surely catch that person." Yun Ni said.

"Yes." Bai Suyuan nodded.

Then, as if thinking of something, she hesitated and asked, "During the trial that day, four disciples had their physical bodies destroyed. When you discussed the trial matters, did you talk about how to deal with Elder Li and the others?"

Hearing this, Yun Ni's face showed a meaningful smile.

"Little Yuan'er seems very concerned about that Li Feiyu. Usually, I've never seen you care so much about any male disciple. Could it be..."

"Master, what are you saying! Elder Li once saved our Bai family, later brought me to Candlestick Dragon Dao, and during this trial, thanks to his help, I wasn't taken away. I have received many favors from him, so I asked." Bai Suyuan quickly defended herself.

"Is that so?" Yun Ni chuckled, a teasing look in her eyes.

"Of course... How could I take a liking to that dark-skinned fellow!" Under her master's gaze, Bai Suyuan inexplicably felt a bit guilty, but then said disdainfully.

Yun Ni said nothing, only chuckling softly.

"Master..." Bai Suyuan's pretty face flushed, and she muttered softly.

...

In a mountain range countless miles away from Candlestick Dragon Dao, the scenery was picturesque, with fairly rich spiritual energy.

A young man dressed as a woodcutter sat cross-legged in a hidden cave. He was enveloped in a layer of dense white light, forming a grand halo that expanded and contracted with his breathing.

After a long while, the woodcutter opened his eyes.

"This body's aptitude is not bad; I've already recovered about ten percent of my cultivation." The woodcutter stood up, stretched, and murmured to himself.

"Li Feiyu, I will eventually make you pay for destroying my physical body!" A look of deep-seated venom appeared in his eyes.

The woodcutter walked out of the cave, transformed into a beam of white light, and flew into the distance.

...

In the blink of an eye, more than ten years had passed.

During these years, Han Li had been diligently carrying out tasks for the Everlasting Covenant.

Because he had to take care of the bean soldiers planted in his medicine garden and various spirit herbs and plants, he only accepted tasks near Guyun Continent.

Due to the concentrated area of task execution and his frequent participation, other Everlasting Covenant members on Guyun Continent gradually learned that a member called Jiao Fifteen was a task fanatic with considerable strength.

Especially in one particular task, Jiao Fifteen killed three mid-stage True Immortal Kui Yin Beasts.

Thus, many believed that this person was a powerful late-stage True Immortal cultivator.

As Jiao Fifteen's reputation grew, many members near Guyun Continent hoped to team up with him during tasks, and some task issuers even contacted him directly to hire him for high-difficulty tasks.

In contrast to his dazzling fame in the Everlasting Covenant, Han Li maintained a low profile within Candlestick Dragon Dao.

After completing three sect tasks, he claimed to be in seclusion for cultivation and basically had little interaction with others.

Although he was suddenly summoned by Sovereign Ouyang and Sovereign Yun during this period—the former inquiring about the Dark Guard incident, and the latter, without a word, rewarding him with a thousand merit points—he was warned not to divulge the matter.

He was not a talkative person by nature; even without being told, he wouldn't have spread the news. Naturally, he was happy to accept the thousand merit points that fell from the sky.

He had little fame in the sect to begin with, and after years of silence, he became even more obscure.

But this was exactly what he wanted.

In the medicine garden of the cave dwelling on Red Cloud Peak.

Han Li stood by the ridge, looking at the vibrant medicinal field, and nodded slightly.

Over the years, he had been tirelessly doing various tasks, accumulating a large amount of spirit stones. Coupled with a batch of fifty-thousand-year-old Candlestick Grass cultivated with green liquid, he could now focus on cultivation for a while.

In the southwest corner of the spiritual field, there was a relatively open area, bare and somewhat out of place compared to the surrounding greenery.

This part of the field was planted with the mother bean.

However, after so many years, despite having watered it with spiritual liquid many times, the mother bean still showed no sign of sprouting.

According to Elder Huyan's planting notes, there were too many factors affecting the germination of bean soldiers; even if they didn't sprout after hundreds of years, it was not unusual and was considered normal.

Just then, Han Li suddenly frowned slightly, turned around, and returned to the secret chamber of the cave dwelling.

Once inside, he flipped his wrist, took out the ox-head mask that was flashing with green light, and put it on.

The runes on the ox-head mask lit up brightly, and a beam of green light shot out, condensing into a green light figure not far in front of Han Li.

The figure was quite tall, wearing a cloak-like robe and a green deer-head mask on his head. He stood with his hands behind his back, exuding an air of extraordinary bearing.

"Fellow Daoist Lin Nine, what brings you to contact me suddenly?" Han Li looked at the figure and asked.

This person was none other than the late-stage True Immortal high-level member he had always suspected to be Xiong Shan.