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

The red-haired elder and the scholar Xuan Ye watched from afar as the two people were having a secret conversation inside the barrier, their hearts filled with unease. The Yan Family Fortress had suffered a calamity, losing more than half of its Foundation Establishment cultivators and simultaneously offending the Seven Sects and the Ghost Spirit Sect; its future was bleak.

"Xuan Ye, what do you think the Ancestor and that masked man were talking about?" The red-haired old man couldn't help but ask again in a low voice, his face, covered in bristling hair and beard, was full of anxiety.

The scholar Xuan Ye looked in the direction of the barrier and shook his head: "Hard to guess. But it must be related to the survival of my Yan Family Fortress."

"Existence? What existence do we have left now!" the red-haired elder roared angrily. "The seven sects see us as traitors, and the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect has died here... Even the relatives and friends of those cultivators from other countries who died here will not let this go! What future do we have left!"

"Is there really no hope left?" Xuan Ye turned his gaze to the beautiful figure not far away—Yan Ruyan was standing quietly at the edge of the ruins, her exquisite face showing a mixture of bewilderment and resigned calm.

"Ruyan? Yes... Ruyan has a Heavenly Spiritual Root!" The red-haired old man's eyes suddenly lit up, then froze abruptly. "Wait! Ruyan and Wang Chan made a life-and-death curse. Wang Chan's soul was scattered, so why is Ruyan... unharmed?"

Upon hearing this, Xuan Ye simply shook his head with a wry smile and remained silent.

There was no ease in that smile, only deep weariness and helplessness.

After going around in circles, it seems we've returned to that suffocating predicament we were in at the beginning.

……

Inside the soundproof enclosure, the atmosphere was stagnant.

"Although Wang Chan appears to have vanished into thin air, I have already extracted his soul and three spirits." Li Feiyu's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable sense of control. "Although this remnant soul cannot bring him back to life, it is... not entirely dead."

The act of extracting the soul served two purposes: firstly, to leave Wang Chan's soul incomplete, allowing him to sink deeper into the illusion woven by the "Dream Weaving Technique"; secondly, to retain this crucial bargaining chip.

The old patriarch of the Yan family had a face so gloomy it could drip water.

The reason he had previously held back against the mad Wang Chan was not only because he was wary of Wang Chan's status as the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect, but the most fundamental reason was the Life and Death Curse!

If Wang Chan dies, Yan Ruyan will surely suffer the consequences.

Yan Ruyan is the true hope for the future of Yan Family Fortress, and that is the reason why he has to "throw a stone at a rat for fear of breaking the vase".

Of course, he also completely underestimated the combat power that Wang Chan could unleash after being manipulated and pushed to the limit of destruction. Even he suffered a great loss from those few domineering sword techniques.

"So," the Yan family patriarch's voice was forced out through clenched teeth, his chest heaving slightly with suppressed rage, "your real target is Yan'er?"

Indeed, even if they offended both the Seven Sects and the Ghost Spirit Sect at the same time, it was not necessarily a fatal situation for Yan Family Fortress.

They could easily cut their losses and save themselves, abandoning most of their assets and clansmen, and concentrate their elite forces to escort Yan Ruyan to another country. With her Heavenly Spiritual Root talent, any sect would open its doors to her.

But the "one soul and three spirits" in Li Feiyu's hands became the iron clamp that extinguished this last hope.

"Your Excellency is wise." Li Feiyu's tone remained calm, even carrying a hint of appropriate appreciation. "Miss Ruyan is naturally beautiful and possesses extraordinary talent. Upon seeing her, I have indeed developed a desire to marry her. I humbly request Your Excellency's permission."

The Yan family patriarch's eyes flickered, and he quickly measured the distance of less than three zhang between the two of them out of the corner of his eye.

He was seriously injured, but if he suddenly launched an attack at such close range, would the opponent, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, have time to activate his defenses?

But the masked boy's calm and composed demeanor seemed completely genuine, which made him wary and he dared not make a move for a moment.

Li Feiyu was definitely not faking it.

At a distance of three zhang, let alone the fact that the Yan family patriarch was already seriously injured, even in his prime, he posed no threat to him.

That is an absolute realm that is faster than thought and leaves no room for reaction.

"You say you can help Yan Family Fortress overcome this calamity," the Yan family patriarch said in a deep voice, suppressing his churning blood, "but if we lose Yan'er, what future does Yan Family Fortress have?"

"Simple," Li Feiyu replied. "The Yan family will immediately break into smaller groups and evacuate Yue Kingdom in batches. As long as someone reaches Huayu Kingdom with my token, they will be met and accommodated."

"Flower Rain Kingdom?" The Yan family patriarch's pupils contracted slightly.

That place is close to the territory of the Righteous Alliance, but it is not directly under their control, and it is more than ten thousand miles away from the Yue Kingdom! It requires crossing several kingdoms, including Yuanwu, Xi, and Shayun, and the journey is long and uncertain.

"Young friend, you're from the Kingdom of Flower Rain?" he asked in surprise. "Why have you traveled so far to the Kingdom of Yue?"

Li Feiyu sighed softly, his tone tinged with a helpless sincerity: "Alas, to be honest, our style of doing things may seem a bit...ruthless to ordinary people. Although we don't care about the opinions of the world, we still need to consider the feelings of our fellow practitioners. Therefore, some things we have to do are done by going a little further."

These words were utterly hypocritical, but to the ears of the Yan family patriarch, they only seemed more believable.

The ability to ambush and kill two Core Formation cultivators is far beyond the capabilities of a Foundation Establishment junior. This group acts mysteriously and ruthlessly, with a style completely different from any local force, clearly indicating they are outsiders.

They must have been lurking in the Yue Kingdom for a long time, and perhaps even had an inside agent in Yan Family Fortress, otherwise how could they have such a precise grasp of the secret of the Life and Death Curse?

All the clues seemed to connect instantly.

It turns out that amidst the open and covert struggles between the Seven Sects and the Six Demonic Paths, a third force was secretly stirring up trouble! Their actions were even more unpredictable and their methods even more unscrupulous than those of the Demonic Path.

Cooperating with such forces is tantamount to asking a tiger for its skin.

But now, Yanjiabao is at its wit's end.

Yan Ruyan, the only hope for a comeback, still has her life in the hands of the other party.

Yanjiabao has run out of bargaining chips.

"Please tell me your secrets, young friend, so that we can... be completely devoted to you." The Yan family patriarch attempted to make a final test.

Li Feiyu shook his head firmly: "Absolutely not. Only after we reach our destination and make contact with our superiors can we reveal the next steps. Before that, there is absolutely no way we can find out anything."

The Yan family patriarch's heart sank.

The more cautious and secretive the other party is, the more it shows that their intentions are not small, and there will probably be even greater turmoil in Vietnam next.

This "persistence" actually makes the whole story seem more authentic.

"I'll ask one last question," the Yan family patriarch said, his gaze sharp as he looked at Li Feiyu, "How... exactly do you intend to treat Yan'er?"

Li Feiyu pondered for a moment, then said frankly, "Since we've come this far, I won't mince words. I need Miss Ruyan's assistance in cultivating a special technique, not dual cultivation, but auxiliary cultivation. At the same time, I will teach her a corresponding high-level technique so that she can also benefit from the assistance process. As long as she is willing to cooperate, I will do my utmost to help her reach the Nascent Soul stage in the future. This is my word."

"Wang Chan proposed marriage, and even signed a life-or-death oath as proof." The Yan family patriarch tried to secure some assurance, "Young friend... don't you need to offer anything in return?"

Upon hearing this, Li Feiyu smiled slightly and asked in return, "Does the Ancestor truly believe that the Life and Death Curse... is a good thing?"

The Yan family patriarch was speechless for a moment.

"Alright, time waits for no one." Li Feiyu said no more, waving his hand to remove the soundproof barrier. "I'll give the Ancestor a quarter of an hour to make arrangements. After a quarter of an hour, I'll take Miss Ruyan away."

After saying this, he left behind a storage bag, turned around and walked to the edge of a cliff not far away, stood with his hands behind his back, leaving the people of Yan Family Fort with an inscrutable back view.

Inside the storage bag were a million spirit stones, used to corroborate the reliability of his words. Even for a Core Formation family like the Yan Family Fortress, a million spirit stones was no small sum; as a settlement fee, it was enough to demonstrate their strength.

As for the Flower Rain Kingdom's support... that's of course completely fictitious.

This was nothing more than a illusory hope woven for the desperate Yanjiabao, a fragile straw that allowed them to struggle to survive.

According to Li Feiyu's views on good and evil, which are heavily influenced by the martial arts world, it is not unjust that Yan Family Fort has fallen into such a predicament.

The root of all this planning actually goes back much further.

In order to cultivate the True Yang Technique and pursue ultimate Yang, Li Feiyu completely abandoned the balance of Yin and Yang, and even deliberately strengthened the Yang attribute.

Such cultivation is difficult to balance on one's own, and external assistance is urgently needed for "tempering Yang". This assistant cannot be Han Yunshu or Xin Ruyin, so as not to delay their own cultivation; the assistant's cultivation level must be able to keep up with his pace in order to cooperate in the long term; it would be best if the assistant could also turn the burden brought by "tempering Yang" into a cultivation aid.

The answer is obvious—only those with true celestial spiritual roots can barely keep up with his cultivation speed.

Yan Ruyan is the owner of this rare talent.

Further analysis suggests that if a high-level cultivation technique called "Yang Yang Generates Yin" were tailored specifically for Yan Ruyan, she would become a perfect assistant cultivator who could improve in sync with him and achieve mutual benefit.

Once the demand is set, the plan will be adjusted accordingly.

This led to a series of schemes targeting Wang Chan, the Li brothers, and even the entire Yan Family Fortress.

While achieving the goal, it is also necessary to leave some room for maneuver—after all, they are partners who have been cultivating together for a long time, so there can be some checks and balances, but they cannot be completely driven into a desperate situation.

Thus, the lie of "Flower Rain Kingdom" was born.

By the time the Yan family finally arrived at that illusory promised land after overcoming numerous hardships, he had already fled far away with Yan Ruyan to the Chaotic Star Sea.

He already had a plan in mind: once Yan Ruyan formed her core, the initiative would no longer be in her hands.

If she is sensible and cooperates, it would not be unreasonable to continue to use her, or even help her achieve the formation of an infant.

As for the aftermath of the Yan Family Fortress incident... Han Yunshu and Xin Ruyin will remain in Tiannan, where it will be safer.

Before he leaves, he will send them to Luoyun Sect, where they will continue to play the role of disciples with Heavenly Spiritual Roots.

The old record of "wood spirit root" in Huadaowu is irrelevant. When the time comes, by changing to the identity of "water spirit root", one can also take the opportunity to learn the "Thousand Waves Technique".

Once Han Yunshu has established himself, he can decide whether to recruit a few of the Yan family members who have been living away from home, depending on Yan Ruyan's performance.

Simply taking in a few disciples with spiritual roots as nominal disciples would be enough to handle any potential "handover" in the future.

When Yan Ruyan finally has the ability and the will to look back and take care of the family, those core members of the Foundation Establishment stage back then, without the support of the family's resources, will probably have already turned to dust.

Sigh, it feels like I'm back in my past life, doing missions where cheating and deception are no big deal...

Not long after, a slender figure slowly approached.

Yan Ruyan stopped a few steps behind Li Feiyu, lowered her head slightly, and said in a soft and respectful voice, "Ruyan... greets Young Master."

Her demeanor was exactly as described in the original work, appearing completely obedient to her elders' arrangements and well-behaved and sensible, without revealing much of her personal emotions.

Li Feiyu did not turn around, but gently tossed a warm jade pendant behind him, which landed accurately in the hands of the Yan family patriarch.

"Within the jade tablet are a route map, coded messages, and a design for a token." His voice carried on the wind, "I hope the Ancestor... will make a decision soon."

The jade tablet felt slightly heavy in his hand. The Yan family patriarch quickly scanned it with his divine sense and found that the information inside was so detailed that it was astonishing, as if it were indeed true.

He looked up at the two figures standing on the edge of the cliff, then at the jade tablet in his hand, and finally let out a heavy sigh.

The setting sun, like blood, illuminated the devastated Yanjiabao, and also a path destined to be fraught with thorns and an uncertain future for those who were about to be separated.