Chapter 86 Visiting the Parents

The next day, before dawn, there were already many people in front of the Qingyuan Zongshan gate.

The army heading to the northern border was vast and composed entirely of elite troops. Once the seal was broken, the demon race, trapped for millennia, would undoubtedly be unwilling to accept their fate, making a great war inevitable.

However, these disciples will be led by Wen Xun and a few others to resist the demon race's chaos together with people from other forces. Only Fu Yunshu, Yin Lisheng, and Gu Zhinan will go in to find the Heart-to-Heart Pact.

Fu Yunshu and Yin Lisheng stood side by side at the front, one dressed in white, pure and aloof; the other in black, upright and sturdy. Although they did not deliberately get close, the tacit understanding and intimacy between them were impossible for anyone to ignore.

Gu Zhinan stood a step behind, his expression solemn, his hand unconsciously stroking the tassel of the sword at his waist.

"Master," he said in a low voice, with a hint of earnestness, "before opening the seal, I would like to go somewhere first."

Fu Yunshu looked back at him and instantly understood Yin Lisheng's meaning. He nodded slightly: "Okay."

After giving Wen Xun and the others a brief explanation, the two transformed into two streaks of light and quietly left the mountain gate, heading first to the former territory of the Yin family in the northern border.

They landed in front of the ancestral hall. The morning mist had not yet dissipated, adding to the desolation and chill of the place.

Yin Lisheng stood in front of the tightly closed gate of the ancestral hall, silent for a long time, before reaching out to push the gate open.

Inside the ancestral hall are rows of memorial tablets, with the founding ancestor of the Yin family at the top, and the heads of the family in succession below. The tablets are made of precious wood that nourishes the soul, and even after many years, they still emit a faint fragrance that soothes the spirits.

Yin Lisheng's gaze finally settled on a relatively new memorial tablet on the side of the mourning hall, which belonged to his mother, Yin Lanyuan.

His eyes instantly reddened, and his Adam's apple bobbed violently. After recognizing Ji Yuanbai, Yin Lisheng finally learned about his origins, but he had never had time to pay his respects until now.

Fu Yunshu could feel the pressure from his palm tightening slightly, causing his knuckles to tremble. He didn't make a sound to disturb him, but simply gripped his hand tighter in return.

Facing the cold memorial tablet, Yin Lisheng bent his knees and knelt down without hesitation, kowtowing several times.

"This unworthy descendant, Yin Lisheng, had no choice but to open the Northern Border Seal to save a friend. I hope my ancestor will forgive me."

Then, Yin Lisheng stood up, took Fu Yunshu's hand, and led her to the memorial tablet.

"Ancestors above, parents, uncles, and all elders..." He paused, took a deep breath, and continued, "Today, besides informing you about the sealing, Li Sheng also brought someone to see you."

"His name is Fu Yunshu, and he is my master, the Huaiwei Immortal Venerable of the Qingyuan Sect, who is currently the number one cultivator in the cultivation world."

“Over the years, it was my master who taught me the Dao, gave me a place to live, and guided me to become an adult. Without him, there would be no Yin Lisheng today.”

Yin Lisheng turned her head to look at Fu Yunshu. Morning light filtered through the cracks in the ancestral hall's window, illuminating Fu Yunshu's cool profile. Yin Lisheng's eyes were incredibly soft, brimming with undisguised love and pride.

"At the same time... he is also the one I love, the Daoist partner I want to spend my life with and grow old with."

Fu Yunshu felt her ears burning from his straightforward and solemn introduction, but a warm feeling welled up inside her.

He did not avoid Yin Lisheng's gaze, but instead slightly curved the corners of his lips into a gentle smile. Then, he turned back and solemnly bowed to the ancestral tablets of the Yin family.

"Li Sheng and I are mutually in love."

Seeing his master's reaction, Yin Lisheng felt a deep sense of happiness and peace.

The morning breeze passed through the open door of the ancestral hall, stirring the long-extinguished lamps on the offering table, making a soft sound, as if it were a response from the ancestors of the Yin family in the unseen world, with sighs, relief, and silent blessings.

After a long while, Yin Lisheng finally straightened up. His eyes were still a little red, but his face held a relieved and relaxed smile. He turned his head to look at Fu Yunshu, his eyes sparkling: "Master, we should go."

"Mm." Fu Yunshu nodded and stood up with him.

The two bowed to the memorial tablet once more, then turned and walked out of the ancestral hall hand in hand.

The cultivators also arrived quickly. The sound of air being torn apart rang out one after another, and streaks of light pierced through the mist and landed on the wasteland.

Wen Xun, Ye Xiuzhu, and Du Zhun stood at the front of the Qingyuan Sect's group, their expressions solemn; Ji Yuanbai and Lin Shuyue stood side by side, with elites from both families behind them; Lu Yanci stood in front of the Tianji Pavilion group, waving a feather fan.

There are also places like the Illusionary Sound Palace and the Xie Family.

Yin Lisheng released Fu Yunshu's hand and took a few steps forward to the seal. He raised his right hand, and a drop of blood was flicked from his fingertip towards the invisible barrier.

Like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, ripples spread through the void. As the spiritual energy fluctuations spread, the previously empty air began to distort and vibrate. A seal appeared, and everyone's breath caught in their throats.

Yin Lisheng remained expressionless, reached into his robes with his left hand, and when he took it out, his palm was already holding something.

It was a bronze bell, no bigger than the palm of your hand. The bell was simple and unassuming, with a deep, dark color. It looked unremarkable and even somewhat old.

The moment the bell appeared, a very slight tremor rippled through the surrounding space. In particular, the seal in front of them fluctuated more intensely, subtly resonating with the bell.

The Boundary-Suppressing Bell—a family heirloom passed down through generations of the Yin family, and also the key to the seal of the Northern Border. Only those who possess the direct bloodline of the Yin family and whose cultivation has reached the Tribulation Transcending stage or above can activate this bell and break the seal by using their essence blood as a catalyst.

This was given to Yin Lisheng by Yin Tangyue back then.

Fu Yunshu saw the boundary bell and instantly understood what was going on.

"Twenty years ago, in the cave outside Yuzhou City, you used this to save me. At that time, you didn't have your current cultivation level. It was Duan Yuan who helped you. So what was the price for forcibly activating it?" Fu Yunshu said coldly.

Yin Lisheng froze, not expecting Fu Yunshu to still remember something from so long ago. He chuckled awkwardly, "It's just that my body is a little sore."

Seeing that he refused to tell the truth, Fu Yunshu turned her head away in annoyance and vowed not to speak to Yin Lisheng before entering the demon realm.

Yin Lisheng didn't care about coaxing his master in front of so many people, but his master would definitely be shy. He didn't want everyone to see his master's cute shy appearance, and now was not a good time.

Yin Lisheng took a deep breath and no longer hesitated. He used his finger as a sword to gently draw across the pulse on his left wrist, and a drop of essence blood containing immense spiritual power slowly seeped out, hovering in mid-air.

The moment the essence blood appeared, the bronze bell seemed to be awakened, emitting a soft "hum" and automatically flying up from Yin Lisheng's palm, absorbing the drop of essence blood, and the patterns on the bell lit up one by one.

Yin Lisheng's hands moved swiftly, forming hand seals, and as his ten fingers flew, complex incantations were injected into the bell and his essence blood.

As the incantation was continuously cast, the ringing of the bronze bell became clearer and more rapid, increasingly synchronized with the fluctuations of the sealed runes ahead.

"clang--!!!"

A clear and melodious bell suddenly burst forth from the bronze bell.

At the same time, a sudden change occurred at the core of the seal ahead.

"Boom!" The earth began to tremble violently.

"Open—!" Yin Lisheng let out a low, sharp shout.

"Crack—"

A clear, crisp sound, like glass shattering, reached everyone's ears, and the demon realm appeared.

The desolate mountain ranges stretching endlessly, the sky with its strange colors, and the huge, shadowy figures of various shapes.

"Roar—!" "Awoo—!"

A faint, excited, and violent roar came from the other side, growing clearer as it approached.

The seal on the demon realm has truly been broken, and large numbers of demon creatures are rushing towards the outside world.

"Li Sheng, go!" Fu Yunshu's voice came.

Yin Lisheng took one last look at Wen Xun and the others who were standing guard outside, and nodded.

The moment the three figures disappeared into the demon realm, the roar from the other end suddenly became even more intense, as if it had smelled the scent of fresh flesh and blood, and a huge black shadow began to charge towards the entrance of the passage.

"Form ranks! Prepare for battle!" Wen Xun ordered sternly.

The three of them walked through a passage that led to a completely different world.

The moment you step into the demon realm, a biting chill and a completely different, wild and violent spiritual energy of heaven and earth rush towards you.

"As expected, these are laws completely different from those of the outside world." Gu Zhinan frowned as he sensed his surroundings. The flow of spiritual energy within his body was clearly being suppressed.

Fu Yunshu remained calm. With his cultivation level, the spiritual energy naturally flowing around him was enough to keep out the invading demonic energy. He glanced at Yin Lisheng beside him and saw that his face was slightly pale, obviously due to the considerable loss he had experienced when activating the seal. However, his breathing was still stable, so he was relieved, but he still kept his lips pursed and remained silent.

Yin Lisheng knew his master was still angry about the Zhenjie Bell, and felt both sweet and helpless. He quietly reached out and hooked his fingertips around Fu Yunshu's fingers hanging by his side, transmitting his voice, "Master, I know I was wrong, and I will never hide it again. When we return, I will accept your punishment, okay?"

Fu Yunshu's fingertips trembled slightly as she tried to shake him off, but in the end she didn't move. She only glanced at him coldly and remained silent, but the frost in her eyes clearly melted a little.

He transmitted his voice: "You are forbidden from kissing anyone for three days after you go back."

Yin Lisheng immediately objected, "Master, I can agree to anything else, but not this."

His expression was very solemn, making people think that something serious had happened, which made Gu Zhinan, who was next to him, also become more vigilant.

Fu Yunshu was helpless; this kid wouldn't listen to him at all now.

Yin Lisheng's lips curved slightly, knowing that his master's anger had subsided somewhat, but he was still embarrassed. He didn't say anything more and instead observed his surroundings: "This is just the border. The Heart-to-Heart Pact should be in the royal palace in the heart of the demon realm."

"According to the location and map provided by Yan Nanqiu, the Demon Emperor City is in the northeast, not far away. It is not advisable to stay here for long. The opening of the passage just now made too much noise, and it is likely that some powerful demons have already noticed it."

"Let's go." Fu Yunshu said succinctly, his figure transforming into an elusive streak of light as he sped forward, with Yin Lisheng and Gu Zhinan immediately following.

All three were top-tier experts, and by concealing their presence at all costs, they moved with incredible speed, like three silent breezes weaving through strange rocks and withered trees. Sure enough, various strange beasts began to appear along the way.

These low-level demonic beasts were not very intelligent and mostly acted on instinct. The three of them carefully avoided their range and did not cause too much of a disturbance. However, the deeper they went, the stronger the demonic aura became. Some of them even reached the level of Nascent Soul or Divine Transformation stage humans. They patrolled and wandered in groups of three or five, and their sense of territory became much more acute.

"A powerful demonic aura is gathering ahead, detour." Fu Yunshu's divine sense was the strongest, always able to warn in advance. The three of them constantly adjusted their route, proceeding in a winding path.

After traveling for about two hours, the sky seemed to grow even darker, and the group arrived at the Demon Emperor City.