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

[Ruyin failed to form her Golden Core twice. Senior Brother Cheng has already refined a elixir to extend her lifespan by fifty years, but longevity-extending herbs are scarce in Tiannan. Brother Li, do you have any longevity-extending elixirs?]

Upon seeing the message, Li Feiyu felt her breath catch in her throat.

It felt like an invisible hand was gripping his heart, and a nameless panic and fear spread through him. He stared at those words, motionless for a long time.

After a long while, he took a deep breath, erased the old words, and began to reply.

[What is the current situation? I have already formed my Nascent Soul. Twenty years later, a secret realm will open in the Chaotic Star Sea, containing the Longevity Fruit.]

Wanli Fu did not reply immediately.

Li Feiyu put away the talisman and looked up at the bright moon outside the window.

It's been a hundred years.

Ninety-eight years have passed since he left Tiannan. This feeling of fleeting youth is something he has never experienced before.

In my previous life, it only took a few decades from enlightenment to becoming a celestial being. How different it is now, a hundred years have passed like a dream, and time flies by.

The various trials and tribulations of the heart resurfaced before my eyes.

His former teammates angrily called him a coward—he had promised to lead everyone's will to fight against the Six Paths, but in the end he chose to rely on the power from outside the realm and became a deserter.

—But didn't I fight to the death?

Chang Hao, the master of Huadaowu, scolded him for being ungrateful—Huadaowu had given him trust and cultivation, and provided him with cultivation resources, but he abandoned the sect's hopes when the demonic path invaded.

—I left behind 10,000 low-grade spirit stones, which is enough to cover the cost of the pills…

Yan Ruyan, Yuan Yao, and Yan Li scolded him for starting something and then abandoning it—since he couldn't give them a future and a place to belong, why did he provoke them?

Li Feiyu was reluctant to acknowledge this.

He didn't mean any harm; he was simply pursuing the Great Way, and the situation had entangled him, leaving him no time or energy to deal with emotional issues.

Ling Yuling also appeared, crying as she asked him—what am I? A substitute for affection, or a tool for venting desire?

Li Feiyu was speechless.

Xin Ruyin asked him, "Knowing that I only have a hundred years to live, why did you leave me behind to go to a faraway place? If this is our final farewell, will you really not regret it?"

Li Feiyu remained silent.

Only Han Yunshu was different.

She didn't question or blame him, but simply embraced him silently, saying that she understood and sympathized with his struggles and anguish, and that it was her fault for not being there for him more often...

At that moment, Li Feiyu almost fell into it.

After the ordeal of his inner demons, he could no longer suppress his emotions and wanted to confide everything to Han Yunshu.

The next morning, new writing finally appeared on the Wanli Talisman.

[Things have stabilized for now, but the hope of forming a Core is slim. Ru Yin is preparing to integrate modern and ancient martial arts formations, inscribing the formation into her body, and using her pure Yang energy to drive the formation, forcibly breaking through to form a Core and opening a new path. However, this method is difficult, and her lifespan is insufficient. Brother Li must retrieve some Longevity Fruits.]

Li Feiyu's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, relaxed slightly.

As long as Xin Ruyin herself hasn't given up, that's good.

This path is difficult, but the idea should be feasible. However, he was still worried about letting Xin Ruyin venture out on her own, given the nature of this innovative approach.

After his trip to the Void Heaven Palace, he was determined to return to Tiannan.

He actually wanted to go back now, but if he were to be missing for too long, it might affect his trip to the Void Heaven Palace.

Speaking of which, he is from the Star Palace, so how he gets into the Void Heaven Palace is also a problem—where does he get the Void Heaven Remnant Map?

The star palace definitely has it, but it's hard to come up with a reason for him asking for it. It's best to get it from outside.

After thinking it over, the most recent one should be with Sect Leader Sun. Little Han also needs to do a quest to get the Golden Thunder Bamboo Root, so he can go check it out.

Decades ago, Wu Chou was killed on Ji Yin Island, and the old ghost of Ji Yin lost his source. It is unknown whether he will come to plot against his beloved disciple again.

But it's not a big problem. The barrier to entry for this game is low; all you need to do is hide on Scorpion Island.

He had a premonition that the old ghost of extreme yin might personally ambush him this time—after all, he had suffered a great loss last time he was possessed, and Li Feiyu didn't believe that the old man was so stubborn as to dare to play the possession game again.

Bringing himself back to reality, he replied:

"Good. Now that I have reached the Nascent Soul stage, things are much easier for me. I will collect elixirs and miraculous medicines related to longevity as soon as possible."

[That's good... Why did you form your Nascent Soul so quickly?]

[It was the Twin Saints of the Heavenly Stars who bestowed this empowerment upon me after I had rebuilt my cultivation to the Core Formation stage... Details to follow.]

Li Feiyu told Han Yunshu everything that had happened over the past sixty years, including his cultivation with Ling Yuling and their becoming Daoist partners.

After confessing everything, he felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

But then he tensed up again, wondering what Han Yunshu would think. Xin Ruyin had failed to form her core twice in Tiannan, facing life and death, while he was taking in concubines and forming Daoist partners in the Chaotic Star Sea. Just thinking about it made him feel guilty.

A moment later, the characters on the Wanli Talisman appeared.

Sigh, poor Li Ge.

Li Feiyu's heart tightened. Just as she was about to explain, another message appeared on the other end:

Seeing Brother Li troubled by this, I feel both worried and somewhat relieved. It shows you're still the same Brother Li who upholds the "rules of the martial world" and wants to be worthy of everyone, unlike those cultivators who only seek immortality.

Li Feiyu was taken aback.

[If you were truly a cold-hearted and calculating person, you would only feel secretly pleased with these benefits, so why would you feel guilty? The fact that you feel you owe Miss Ling a debt of honesty proves precisely that you are not insincere towards her, nor do you have any intention of stealing or harming Xinggong.]

The writing paused, disappeared, and then reappeared.

As for Sister Xin, Brother Li, there's no need to blame yourself. When you left Tiannan, she only had a hundred years left to live—we both know that. You traveled to the Chaotic Star Sea seeking a breakthrough and an opportunity to extend her life. Now that you've successfully formed your Nascent Soul and found the whereabouts of the Longevity Fruit, you've already done your utmost. If you had stayed then and watched her die, that would have been the real regret.

As Li Feiyu read these words, much of the pent-up frustration in her chest dissipated.

As for Miss Ling… since Brother Li has become her Daoist partner, it must be fate. Although I have never met her, someone valued by Brother Li must be quite remarkable. If we are destined to meet again in the future, I will certainly clarify things with her. However, Brother Li must be honest with her in the future and not keep everything bottled up inside as he is now.

Li Feiyu's lips twitched slightly.

These words sound like a compliment, but also like a subtle jab at him.

He thought for a moment, then erased the writing and replied:

Alas, your generosity only makes me seem even more worthless.

The other side replied quickly:

"Brother Li, there's no need to belittle yourself. I come from the countryside, without any spiritual roots. It was Brother Li who taught me, protected me, and showed me the vastness of the world. The mortal Han Xiaomei is long dead. Han Yunshu's life belongs to Brother Li, and I will live only for you in this life. Wherever Brother Li goes, I will go; whatever Brother Li does, I will support you. As for anything else... Yunshu has no other requests, only wishing to follow you forever on the long path of cultivation."

Li Feiyu looked at these words and remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, he sighed softly and put away the Thousand Mile Talisman.

Looking up, the sky was already turning a pale white.

In the morning light, he suddenly remembered Han Yunshu's embrace during his inner demon tribulation—she didn't ask anything, didn't blame anything, just silently hugged him and said she understood everything.

He almost got caught up in it back then.

Now he knows, it wasn't a demon in his heart, it was real.

There really was someone waiting for him.

There are really people who, no matter what he does, will say, "It must have been tough for Brother Li."

Li Feiyu suddenly smiled.

There are countless paths in this world, and to find even one person like this is enough to make the journey worthwhile.

……

Night fell again in the blink of an eye, and Li Feiyu returned to the sacred mountain.

Ling Yuling was still cultivating when he was about to go to the Star Palace to see Jin Kui, but he happened to encounter someone unexpected.

"Reporting to the Grand Elder, Zhao Zheng should have already revealed his encounter with the Hidden Assassins to them." A somewhat cold voice echoed in the hall.

"In this way, Zhao Zheng has been put to good use."

Upon hearing this, Li Feiyu immediately conjured a black Star Palace Elder's robe and mask and put them on. He walked in as if no one else was there, drawing a sidelong glance from Zi Ling.

He sat down in the elder's chair in the center, seemingly oblivious to everyone around him. He didn't say anything, but simply watched the figure in purple below the steps.

She wore a flowing, deep purple fairy dress that shimmered with light, the thin veil partially concealing her jade-like face, and gold ornaments adorning her wrists. Even in her unconscious state, the beauty of the most beautiful woman in the Chaotic Star Sea could not be concealed.

It's been over seventy years since we last met. The little girl from back then has now become an octogenarian beauty.

Jin Kui couldn't help but glance at her, and Zi Ling followed suit with an inquiring look before gracefully bowing... She vaguely felt that this Star Palace Elder had a strange sense of familiarity.

Li Feiyu did not participate in the subsequent conversation. Zi Ling's search for Jin Kui was about Scorpion Island seducing people from Extreme Yin Island.

Although Wu Chou had been killed by him decades ago, recently, another Core Formation cultivator surnamed Wu has taken over the reins of Jiyin Island.

"Uro? Where did he come from? Does that old ghost of extreme yin have so many grandsons?"

Li Feiyu was somewhat surprised, but it wasn't strange at all. Cultivators have long lifespans, so it's normal for some juniors to appear out of nowhere.

After Xuan Le came to disrupt Xinghai, didn't she also have two sons? Now, more than sixty years later, her descendants have probably spread everywhere.

After Zi Ling took her leave, Jin Kui finally spoke, saying, "These clothes fit me very well."

"Elder, you jest." Li Feiyu put away his clothes and mask. "Was that the girl from the Miaoyin Sect who outwitted the Core Formation cultivator during the Qi Refining stage?"

"Yes." Jin Kui asked with a smile, "What do you think of this girl?"

"He has some cunning and tricks up his sleeve, but his own strength is too weak. There isn't even a reliable Core Formation cultivator in the sect. I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to succeed."

"Heh, that makes sense," Jin Kui said with an air of authority. "In the end, the cultivation world is all about winning with strength."

"Elder, does the Star Palace possess the methods for crafting spear- and halberd-type magical artifacts?"

"You want to forge your own natal magic weapon? There should be one, but I don't recall it. Go look for it in the treasure vault yourself. Take the forging materials as well." Jin Kui finished speaking and tossed out a token.

Li Feiyu bowed and said, "Thank you, Elder."

"You may travel around, but don't forget that you are a member of the Star Palace, and you should act with propriety," Jin Kui reminded him.

"Don't worry, Elder, I know what I'm doing," Li Feiyu said earnestly.

……

The Star Palace's treasure trove was located within the Holy Mountain. After searching for several hours, Li Feiyu actually found a method for crafting a magical artifact called the [Rising Moon Halberd]. Although it wasn't primarily intended for close combat, it was very close to meeting Li Feiyu's needs.

In addition to the materials for crafting his natal magic weapon, he also found three arrows with a special effect.

Refining a natal magic weapon is not something that can be accomplished overnight, so Li Feiyu could only postpone this matter for the time being. He took Ling Yuling away from the Holy Mountain and began to pay attention to the movements of the Miaoyin Sect.

Seeing this, Ling Yuling stated directly: "Unless I can no longer keep up with your pace in cultivation, you will not be allowed to take concubines!"

Her views on relationships were very simple: to follow her parents' example and commit to one person for life. However, because she lived in the world of cultivation, she also acknowledged that strength needed to be equal, since both her parents were at the late Nascent Soul stage.

Li Feiyu's face lit up with surprise: "I'm at the Nascent Soul stage now, and you're at the Core Formation stage. Does that mean I can take concubines?"

"How dare you!" Ling Yuling grabbed Li Feiyu's waist without saying a word, her grip was quite strong, and it hurt Li Feiyu's nine-aperture martial artist body.

"No, no!" Li Feiyu quickly begged for forgiveness.

Ling Yuling put her hands on her hips and said, "You are a Nascent Soul created by your parents, how can you count? At least wait until I become a Nascent Soul before it counts."

"Yes, Senior Sister!"

"Alright, now tell me why you're paying attention to the Myriad Sounds Sect?" Ling Yuling asked curiously.

Li Feiyu had a sudden inspiration and said, "The Miaoyin Sect is looking for trouble with the Yinsha Sect. Why don't you sign up to help them? That way, I can stay in the shadows."

Ling Yuling frowned slightly: "Why are you being so mysterious? What's going on?"

"I'm telling you, you can't tell anyone, including the Twin Saints."

Ling Yuling hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay."

"The Fragment of the Void Heaven Map".

"You want to go to the Void Heaven Palace?" Ling Yuling's expression changed. "The Star Palace cannot participate in the Void Heaven Palace's treasure hunt."

"That's why I'm not in a hurry to become an elder. How could I be content if I didn't participate in such a grand event that only happens once every three hundred years?"

Ling Yuling was also somewhat tempted, but her cultivation was still shallow, and she would definitely be recognized if she went, which would have a bad impact.

In particular, Elder Jin Kui was very strict, so she dared not act recklessly.

However, he was willing to wade into the muddy waters of the Miaoyin Sect, and immediately offered to help them.