I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

"A letter has arrived from the Master."

The Grand Elder's solemn voice echoed in the main hall.

Li Hanshan stood at the lower end, looking at the jade slip in the Grand Elder's hand that emitted a faint spiritual light.

The main sect. The main sect in Central Continent.

The last time I heard news from the main sect was when the sect leader told him about the reception of the holy maidens and holy sons. At that time, the sect leader said that the main sect would send people to the Northern Wilderness in twenty-five years to take away a group of holy maidens and holy sons. Now, less than ten years have passed, why would the main sect suddenly send a letter?

"What did the sect leader say?" The sect leader's voice was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

The Grand Elder unfolded the jade slip and said in a deep voice, "The main sect has sent a message saying that a demonic figure at the Nascent Soul stage has emerged among the remnants of the Yinming Sect in the Central Continent. That demonic figure has been causing trouble in the Central Continent, slaughtering more than a dozen small sects. After being severely injured by the main sect's experts, he fled into the Endless Sea. The main sect is worried that that demonic figure might escape to the Northern Wilderness, and has instructed us to be careful."

A demon lord at the Nascent Soul stage.

Li Hanshan's heart trembled. The Nascent Soul stage was a realm higher than the Core Formation stage. The strongest in the Joyful Union Sect was its sect leader—a peak Core Formation cultivator. Although there was only one step between the peak Core Formation stage and the Nascent Soul stage, that one step was far greater than the difference between refining Qi to the Core Formation stage. If a Nascent Soul stage demon were to truly escape to the Northern Wilderness, the entire cultivation world of the Northern Wilderness would face annihilation.

"A demon at the Nascent Soul stage?" The sect leader's brows furrowed slightly, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes behind the black veil. "Is the sect leader certain that demon escaped into the Endless Sea?"

"Confirmed." The Grand Elder nodded. "The experts from the main sect chased after the demon all the way and witnessed it fall into the Endless Sea. But the Endless Sea is too vast, and there are too many monsters in it. The people from the main sect gave up after chasing for a while. They sent a message to us, telling us to be careful and take precautions, so that we can prepare in advance if the demon really drifts to the Northern Wilderness."

The sect leader was silent for a moment, then asked, "How badly was that demon injured?"

The Grand Elder said, "The sect leader said that the demon was severely injured, and his cultivation level dropped by at least one minor realm. He won't be able to recover in a short time. But even so, a Nascent Soul cultivator is still a Nascent Soul cultivator. Even if he is seriously injured, he is still not someone a Core Formation cultivator can contend with."

A brief silence fell over the hall.

Li Hanshan stood at the lower end, his mind racing. The remnants of the Yinming Sect, the Nascent Soul demon, the Endless Sea—these words, strung together, gave him a vague sense of unease. After a moment's thought, he finally spoke, asking, "Sect Master, there's something I don't understand."

The sect leader looked at him and said, "Speak."

"Wasn't the Yinming Sect destroyed?" Li Hanshan frowned. "Hundreds of years ago, the Hehuan Sect, the Tianmo Sect, and the Xuesha Sect joined forces to uproot the Yinming Sect, even destroying its mountain gate. How come there are still remnants of the Yinming Sect in Central Continent?"

The sect leader glanced at him, his gaze carrying a profound meaning.

"What we destroyed was the Northern Wilderness branch of the Yinming Sect," the sect leader said calmly.

"A branch sect in the Northern Wilderness?"

"Several hundred years ago, we attacked the Yinming Sect because the Yinming Sect in the Central Continent was destroyed." The sect leader's voice was unhurried, as if he were telling a long-forgotten story. "The Yinming Sect in the Central Continent committed many evils and was wiped out by a joint effort of various sects. Even the sect leader was killed. When the news reached the Northern Wilderness, our three sects took advantage of the situation and joined forces to destroy the Yinming Sect branch in the Northern Wilderness as well."

It turned out to be the case.

Li Hanshan suddenly realized. He had found it strange at the time that the Yinming Sect was quite powerful in the Northern Wilderness, so how could it be so easily destroyed by the three sects? It turned out that it was because the main sect in the Central Continent had fallen first, and the branch sect in the Northern Wilderness had lost its backer, which was why it was wiped out by the three sects working together.

"What about the Blood Fiend Sect?" he asked again. "Was our initial attack on the Blood Fiend Sect also because of problems within the Blood Fiend Sect in Central Continent?"

The sect leader shook his head: "The Blood Fiend Sect hasn't been destroyed in the Central Continent yet, but it has already fallen to a third-rate sect. A third-rate sect can't protect its branch in the Northern Wilderness. That's why we dared to take action."

Li Hanshan's heart skipped a beat.

The Blood Fiend Sect is only a third-rate sect in the Central Continent, yet its branch sects are already able to dominate a region in the Northern Wilderness. How powerful must the first-rate sects in the Central Continent be?

The sect leader seemed to see through his thoughts and said calmly, "The cultivation world of the Central Continent is incomparable to that of the Northern Wilderness. In the Northern Wilderness, Nascent Soul cultivators can roam freely. But in the Central Continent, Nascent Soul cultivators are as numerous as hairs on a cow, and even Deity Transformation cultivators are not considered strong."

Li Hanshan clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Disciple understands."

The Grand Elder, listening from the side, showed a hint of impatience on his face and said in a deep voice, "Sect Master, now is not the time to discuss the Central Continent. How should we deal with the message from the main sect? Although that demon is seriously injured, if he really escapes to the Northern Wilderness, we simply cannot stop him with our strength."

The sect leader was silent for a moment, then said, "The sect leader's intention is for us to be cautious and not for us to take the initiative. That demon has escaped into the Endless Sea, and his fate is unknown. The Endless Sea is teeming with monsters, and even a Nascent Soul cultivator might not survive if seriously injured."

The Grand Elder nodded: "That's what the sect leader thinks too. That demon might not come to the Northern Wilderness, but we must be on guard."

"How do we defend against it?" The Second Elder leaned against a pillar and finally spoke, his voice lazy. "Our Hehuan Sect only has three Nascent Soul cultivators: the Sect Master is at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and the First Elder and I are at the mid-Nascent Soul stage. Even if that demon is a heavily injured Deity Transformation cultivator, we can't handle him. Instead of worrying here, we should ask the main sect to send someone."

The First Elder's face darkened: "Second Elder, what are you saying? The main sect is far away in the Central Continent. Even if they send someone, it will take a year or two. By the time they arrive, it will be too late."

The second elder pursed his lips and didn't reply.

The sect leader raised her hand, stopping the argument between the two. She stood up, her black dress fluttering gently in the wind, her gaze sweeping across the hall before finally settling on Li Hanshan.

"Li Hanshan, come with me."

Li Hanshan was taken aback, then clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes."

The sect leader turned and walked deeper into the main hall, with Li Hanshan following closely behind. Behind them, the First Elder watched their retreating figures, a sinister glint in his eyes. The Second Elder, however, remained leaning against a pillar, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

The two passed through the main hall, walked down a long, secluded corridor, and arrived at a side hall. The side hall was small, but it was decorated very elegantly. There was a stone table, two stone chairs, and a pot of spiritual tea on the table, its aroma wafting through the air. The sect leader sat down on the stone chairs and gestured for Li Hanshan to sit as well.

Li Hanshan sat down, feeling somewhat uneasy. The sect leader's private audience with him was definitely not something as simple as just having tea.

"What level has your cultivation reached now?" the sect leader asked bluntly.

Li Hanshan's heart skipped a beat. His true cultivation level was at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage, but he had been concealing it using a concealment technique, only revealing himself as a late-stage Golden Core cultivator. Now that the sect leader had asked this, he didn't know whether to tell the truth or continue to hide it.

After thinking it over, he decided to continue hiding.

"Reporting to Master, this disciple has already reached the late stage of the Golden Core realm," he said, clasping his hands in a respectful tone.

A hint of surprise flashed in the sect leader's eyes, then he nodded: "Late stage of Golden Core, not bad. You've only been in the sect for less than twenty years, yet you've already reached the late stage of Golden Core. This speed is top-notch even in the Northern Wilderness."

She took out a jade bottle from her sleeve, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Li Hanshan. The jade bottle was entirely emerald green, with a faint spiritual light flowing across its surface, clearly indicating that it was of high quality.

"This is a fifth-grade pill called the 'Breakthrough Pill'," the sect leader said calmly. "It's specifically for breaking through bottlenecks in the Golden Core stage. You're stuck in the late Golden Core stage, so you should need this."

Li Hanshan accepted the jade bottle with both hands.

"Thank you, Master," he said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

The sect leader waved his hand, his tone becoming more serious: "But you can't rely solely on pills. In the path of cultivation, a solid foundation is paramount. Pills are merely an aid, not something to be depended on. You must break through to the Nascent Soul stage as soon as possible and become a pillar of the Joyful Union Sect."

Break through to the Nascent Soul stage as soon as possible.

Li Hanshan certainly wanted to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, but the matter of the Divine Infant forced him to slow down. Luo Li had said that a Celestial-grade Golden Core could form a Divine Infant, but it required an extremely powerful divine soul. Although his divine sense had reached the mid-Nascent Soul stage, it was still far from the Deity Transformation stage. He couldn't rashly break through before his divine soul reached the required level.

But he couldn't say this to the sect leader.

"Your disciple will remember your teachings, Master," he said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

The sect leader nodded, picked up his teacup, took a sip, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly asked, "Li Hanshan, what do you think of my feelings for you?"

Li Hanshan's heart skipped a beat. This was a difficult question for him to answer. To say yes would seem hypocritical; to say no would be suicidal.

"Master's kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain." He carefully chose his words and said slowly and deliberately, "Since I joined the sect, if it weren't for Master's protection, I would have died countless times."

The sect leader looked at him, a complex light flashing in his eyes behind the black veil.

"It's good that you know." She put down her teacup, stood up, and said, "Go back. Cultivate diligently and don't let our sect down."

Li Hanshan stood up, clasped his hands in a salute, and turned to walk out of the side hall.

Behind him, the sect leader watched his departing figure, a slight smile playing on his lips behind the black veil, and an indescribable light flashing in his eyes.