Mortal: Li Feiyu, who came from the realm of a supreme being

When Li Feiyu returned to the Huadaowu cave, Han Yunshu had just finished a day of cultivation. Her spiritual energy had not yet dissipated, and her eyes still held a glint of brilliance. Upon seeing Li Feiyu's return, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but that joy was quickly masked by a thin layer of worry.

"Brother Li, you're back." She stood up to greet him, her voice soft, yet carrying a clearer concern than before. "This time... I was gone for a long time."

Li Feiyu paused slightly.

From childhood to adulthood, it was not uncommon for him to go out on business alone and leave her somewhere for several months.

As a child, Han Yunshu would only wait silently and never ask many questions.

But now... he keenly sensed that the woman before him was no longer the simple-minded "sister" who had completely depended on him.

Her understanding of her feelings for herself and her identity as "Daoist partners" may have quietly undergone a qualitative change.

This change was subtle yet substantial, causing a slight unease in his heart, but he quickly returned to calm.

This was within his plan, and it was inevitable.

"Yes, I'll take care of some necessary matters." He nodded, making a promise first, "If I need to leave for an extended period in the future, I will inform you of my whereabouts and return date in advance, and I will not disappear for months on end like this again."

Han Yunshu's worry lessened slightly, and she softly hummed in agreement.

Li Feiyu then got down to business, explaining that he needed Han Yunshu's assistance. "I'm going out this time to prepare a set of formations."

"A formation?" Han Yunshu asked, puzzled.

"A... somewhat special array." Li Feiyu considered it briefly before handing her a jade slip containing the array's information. "It's similar to a teleportation array. Take a look."

Han Yunshu probed with her divine sense and couldn't help but frown slightly: "What a strange formation. Doesn't it need to be set to a fixed orbit? And it only has one end?"

In addition to focusing on cultivation for more than a year, he also extensively studied various aspects of cultivation, which broadened his knowledge rapidly, allowing him to spot something amiss at a glance.

"This formation is not a celestial formation, but is driven by martial arts true essence and the primordial energy of heaven and earth. Its principle is completely different from that of celestial formations." Li Feiyu did not explain the origin of this formation in detail, but only said, "I intend to use it in the Crimson Forbidden Land."

Han Yunshu suddenly realized, and her mind raced, her expression changing slightly: "Brother Li, are you planning... not to return with the sect's group?"

Li Feiyu readily admitted, "That's right. Once the forbidden area closes, if I haven't returned with the main force, you will activate the main array core I left in the cave every three hours for seven consecutive days."

"Why didn't you come back with the elders? Wouldn't that be the safest way?" Han Yunshu asked, her eyes filled with even more worry.

"I have my own reasons for staying here alone." Li Feiyu's tone was calm, but his words left no room for argument.

He never concealed things that could be clearly explained; but he did not hide things that were too complicated to explain in a few words.

For example, the deepest part of the forbidden area might be lurking a Nascent Soul level expert like Xiang Zhili.

For example, he had to avoid this person's sharp edge and wait for the right opportunity—he always chose to remain silent.

Although Han Yunshu trusted him wholeheartedly, knowing too much would not benefit her; on the contrary, it might affect her judgment or cultivation due to worry.

Seeing that Li Feiyu was unwilling to elaborate, Han Yunshu pursed her lips, no longer pressing for details, but still couldn't help worrying: "Even so... staying alone in the forbidden area is too risky. It's been closed off for five years, fraught with danger..."

"There are risks involved, which is why I chose this martial arts formation instead of the more common teleportation array," Li Feiyu explained.

This thing comes from a mission world he experienced in his previous life. In that world, resources were extremely scarce, and humans relied on controlling large puppets to fight against monsters.

To overcome the problem of Gundam golems being inconvenient to carry around, the people there developed this special summoning array. It can instantly summon a marked golem to their side from any location, and then return it to its original location after the mission is completed.

Its core is to pre-construct a primitive space, mark the puppets and send them into it, and the operator can summon them at any time through a simple array on their body.

This formation seems to contain special laws, which have an unimaginable effect on the concept of "puppet". It can even summon puppets from that world to the real world, which is simply outrageous.

Unfortunately, Li Feiyu is currently unable to construct the original space, nor can he simplify the formation to a portable level, and he is even unable to summon large puppets.

It can only replicate large-scale formations to summon small puppets, but it cannot send them back.

However, the effect of this incomplete version just perfectly meets his current needs!

After all, he just needed a way to escape from the Bloodstained Forbidden Zone.

As for the problem that the formation can only summon puppets... he has his own solution.

"What if... what if the formation fails to work and you can't get out?" Han Yunshu's voice trembled slightly as she asked the worst-case scenario.

Li Feiyu remained calm, as if discussing a trivial matter: "That's simple. I'll find a safe place within the forbidden area and go into seclusion to attempt Foundation Establishment. If I succeed, I'll gain two hundred years of lifespan, enough to wait until the forbidden area opens again. If I truly fail to return on time, you don't need to wait in vain; you can continue your cultivation and attempt Foundation Establishment on your own."

Han Yunshu's heart tightened upon hearing this.

Only Brother Li could say things like "trapped for five years" and "building a foundation alone" in such a calm tone.

Knowing she couldn't change his decision, she said nothing more, simply nodding silently, burying her worries deep in her heart and turning them into full cooperation. "I understand. Brother Li, please feel free to tell me what you need me to do for setting up the formation."

……

Three days later, at the Huadaowu Martial Arts Arena.

It is unknown whether other sects practice this method, but Huadaowu, a local sect with a strong Jianghu background, does have an internal arena for its disciples to resolve disputes and exchange skills.

When Li Feiyu arrived as promised, a number of Qi Refining disciples who had come after hearing the news had already gathered around the arena.

Han Tianya had already arrived. Under everyone's gaze, his effeminate face revealed a deliberate air of arrogance and coldness.

When the onlookers whispered among themselves that Li Feiyu was actually Elder Chang Hao's newly accepted personal disciple and that his Daoist partner possessed a Heavenly Spiritual Root, Han Tianya's expression changed slightly, and a hint of annoyance and apprehension flashed in his eyes.

Given this background, even if they win, they probably won't be able to do whatever they want; it looks like a troublesome deal no matter how you look at it.

"Please!" Li Feiyu stood with his hands behind his back, his posture elegant.

Without uttering a word, Han Tianya immediately unleashed a flying knife to attack.

Li Feiyu countered with the same hand gesture, conjuring a golden throwing knife.

He did not use his preferred martial arts skills, but only relied on the metal-type spiritual power activated by the Golden Light Blade Technique of the Blade Transformation Pavilion, combined with the low-level flying knife magic weapon that was standard in the sect, to deal with the situation calmly.

Han Tianya is ruthless and cunning. His throwing knives have unpredictable trajectories, and his movements are as slippery as a fish. He also occasionally employs hidden and insidious techniques.

However, Li Feiyu remained calm throughout, and his movements seemed unhurried, yet he always managed to parry attacks in the most concise and effective way at the last second, or preemptively block Han Tianya's change of tactics.

His use of spiritual power was exquisite and his control over the rhythm of battle far surpassed that of his peers. Despite their comparable cultivation levels, he gave people a sense of unfathomable depth and insurmountable suffocation.

After several dozen rounds, Li Feiyu seized upon a minor flaw revealed by Han Tianya's eagerness to achieve victory. A condensed golden light struck first, gently touching the weakest point of Han Tianya's protective aura.

Han Tianya groaned, staggered back several steps, and looked extremely pale.

"You flatter me." Li Feiyu stopped his attack, his tone indifferent.

A murmur of surprise and discussion immediately arose from the audience.

"Senior Brother Li's 'Golden Radiance Blade Technique'... the moves are all basic, but why does it feel completely different?"

"What incredible combat intuition! It seems like Senior Brother Han's underhanded tricks were completely seen through!"

"Is this the power personally passed down from the Core Formation Grandmaster? It doesn't even seem like he's using his full strength..."

"Senior Brother Li doesn't seem to have actually used his magic weapon to attack yet? He won just by defending and countering..."

In the distance, Chang Hao concealed his presence, taking in the entire competition.

As he read to the end, he couldn't help but sigh, his eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions.

He had to admit that his apprentice was indeed stronger than he had expected.

Despite having only studied the "Golden Radiance Blade Technique" for a year, he was able to wield it with such skill and mastery. What was even more terrifying was his formidable ability to discern the battle situation and control the rhythm of the battle.

He didn't even use the exquisite swordsmanship he had displayed that day, which seemed like ordinary martial arts but was completely different from them.

With just the newly learned sect techniques and combat wisdom, he was able to easily suppress Han Tianya, who was considered one of the best among the Qi Refining disciples.

Such a person would have an extremely low chance of making a mistake in an environment like the Bloodstained Forbidden Zone.

"Never mind..." Chang Hao shook his head, the thought of stopping him finally dissipating. "A fledgling eagle must spread its wings and experience the storms on its own. Since he insists on going and has the ability... let him go."

However, he had made up his mind.

Li Feiyu can go, but Han Yunshu is absolutely out of the question.

The significance of the Heavenly Spiritual Root to the Transformation Blade Pavilion goes far beyond simply "guaranteeing the formation of the Core Formation." It represents the fate of the sect for the next few hundred years and is the true hope for breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm.

The sect would never place such an important "seed" in a "gladiator arena" like the Crimson Forbidden Land, where the mortality rate is high and the returns are relatively low.

On the arena, Han Tianya's expression shifted several times before he finally managed a stiff smile, his voice hoarse: "Senior Brother Li, your skills are impressive. I admire you. The spot... is yours."

Li Feiyu nodded, not even glancing at Han Tianya's complex and unspeakable gaze, and turned to leave the stage.

With the spot secured, the next step is to make more thorough preparations for the forbidden area trip.