At the end of the month, in the secret realm beneath the main hall.
From within the coffin, the aged voice of the Supreme Elder echoed, carrying a faint sigh of helplessness: "Sect Master, still no news?"
"...It was tampered with on the very first day it was given to her."
Before the coffin sat Zhan Hongyuan, who was sitting cross-legged. In this secluded place where no one would enter, the middle-aged man in front of him looked much weaker than he did when he was in the sect.
Even in his tied-up black hair, faint traces of white could be seen, and Zhan Hongyuan's entire aura was uncontrollably weak.
It's as if the foundation has been damaged, resulting in a deficiency of qi and blood.
The Supreme Elder remained silent for a moment: "Judging from your health, Sect Master, if there's no other way, I'm afraid you won't be able to hold on much longer."
Upon hearing this, Zhan Hongyuan closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his eyes were filled with resentment and unwillingness: "There was nothing I could do. Lou Yunqi's attack almost cut off all my escape routes, and I could hardly resist it."
"But what about Ruan Qing'an..."
"She will use it."
Zhan Hongyuan interrupted in a deep voice, "I don't believe she will give up pursuing the Great Dao. She doesn't have much time left. It's just that... it takes time to put aside her pride and use unorthodox methods. Besides, she also has some master-disciple feelings for Shen Changlin. Let's give her a little more time."
The Supreme Elder sighed and asked, "Don't you regret it?"
But Zhan Hongyuan's face darkened, his eyes filled with resentment: "Why should I regret it, Supreme Elder? I have given so much for the Myriad Paths Sect."
"Back then, in order to stabilize the sect's situation, I even forced myself to break through to the early stage of the Mahayana realm, completely cutting off my own path to advancement. I even had less than a third of my lifespan left, all for the sake of this vast sect! Now, I am going to die, but I don't want to die, I don't want to!"
"What is Shen Changlin? What is Ruan Qing'an? As long as I, Zhan Hongyuan, am still here, as long as I can live, the Myriad Paths Sect will naturally remain evergreen and stand tall in the cultivation world!"
Looking at the middle-aged man's near-madness, the Supreme Elder inside the coffin sighed, but had nothing to say.
After repaying that favor, he had no way out...
Zhan Hongyuan raised his eyes, his almost reddened gaze fixed on Yan Laifeng in the water mirror: "She doesn't have time either."
“If she can’t break through to the Integration Stage, she will have difficulty reclaiming the nurtured divine soul, and will be stuck in the Refinement Void Stage for the rest of her life. Ruan Qing’an has no other way out except for that method.”
Just as he was observing the situation at Yanlai Peak, Zhan Hongyuan's eyes suddenly widened as he watched the burst of spiritual energy emanating from Yanlai Peak.
The entire secret realm was deathly silent, then—
He exclaimed, "Has she gone mad? She actually tried to force a breakthrough without even using that method! Ruan Qing'an, has she gone insane?!"
Even the Supreme Elder was astonished: "Judging from the fluctuations of spiritual energy, she seems to be truly risking her life. Could it be... could she really succeed in breaking through? Ruan Qing'an has always been exceptionally talented, this..."
"Impossible, she'll never succeed!"
Zhan Hongyuan's face turned ferocious, and then he rushed out of the secret realm. If Shen Changlin was a human pill, then Ruan Qing'an was a medicine!
Only her Void Refinement Realm Qi and Blood power could restore his lost lifespan and Qi and Blood. But if he reached the Integration Realm... even Zhan Hongyuan wouldn't dare to guarantee that he could defeat her!
...
Meanwhile, the entire Wandao Sect was drawn to the sweeping wave of spiritual energy. This time, without the suppression of the secret realm, almost everyone could see the vortex that had gathered on Yanlai Peak.
The immense, ocean-like pressure oppressed everyone, making them fearful and even attacking those who cast their gazes towards it.
At this moment, on Danfeng Peak, Shen Changlin and the elder from Danfeng Peak were looking up at the scene in the distance. Seeing this miraculous scene, the young man couldn't help but clench his hands nervously.
He came to Danfeng on Ruan Qing'an's instructions. Recently, the elders of Danfeng were going to use the Soul Grass to refine pills. Although Shen Changlin didn't know how to refine pills, he came to help out as a way of expressing his gratitude.
Elder Danfeng couldn't help but exclaim, "Elder Ruan, is she...is she about to break through to the Integration Stage? Her aura is so strong!"
"Master is always very capable, she will definitely succeed."
Shen Changlin chuckled lightly, his words calm and composed, yet revealing an undeniable youthful pride. But only he knew that his knuckles were white with tension as he gripped the long sword.
Meanwhile, on Yanlai Peak in the distance, the scene looked like a storm was brewing. Dark clouds covered the entire sky, and within the clouds, flashes of lightning could be seen. When the purple clouds filled the sky, the falling lightning seemed capable of shattering the heavens.
Inside Yanlai Peak, the vast peach grove that once grew there now stretches out its branches wildly, showering down showers of peach blossoms. The fluttering petals, like sharp blades, attract spiritual energy.
Above the sky, a huge phantom of an ancient tree vaguely appeared, but it only lasted for a moment. Only a few elders could barely catch a glimpse of the phantom. Immediately afterwards, large swathes of peach blossoms on Yanlai Peak bloomed, as if they had reached their flowering season, as if they had been offered a sacrifice.
Shen Changlin's heart sank. He had memories of his past life and had also broken through to the Integration Stage, but how could there be such an anomaly!
At this moment, Elder Danfeng beside him could no longer contain himself and exclaimed, "This... isn't this the Floating Tree?!"
"According to legend, the existence of floating trees is extremely rare. They can transform into a certain type of tree and hide, entering a dormant state until the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is abundant, at which point they will awaken and absorb a large amount of spiritual energy."
"The area around the Floating Tree is a treasure trove for the growth of spiritual herbs. I was wondering why there were Soul Grasses on Yanlai Peak. It turns out that a Floating Tree was dormant here. This kind of spiritual tree only existed in large numbers in ancient times when spiritual energy was most abundant. Now it is rarely heard of."
"Only the spiritual energy of heaven and earth triggered during a breakthrough can satisfy their growth needs; the Floating Tree can steal most of that energy!"
The Floating Tree is extremely rare, and only Elder Danfeng, who has studied plants for many years, could barely know anything about it.
Upon hearing Elder Danfeng's words, Shen Changlin's expression changed drastically.
If one's spiritual energy is insufficient during a breakthrough, it will damage the cultivator's own foundation. At best, the cultivator's realm will drop; at worst, the cultivator will perish!
"What happened to Elder Ruan? How could he break through here..."
"Does nobody know about the Floating Tree on Yanlai Peak?!"
Elder Danfeng paused, then said, "Nobody knows. I doubt even the sect leader knows. After all, the spiritual energy is more abundant where the Floating Tree is. He even specially shared some with Elder Ruan. Sigh..."
But upon hearing this, Shen Changlin's expression turned completely ugly.
How could Zhan Hongyuan not know?
Shen Changlin didn't believe a single word of it!
This old fellow is incredibly cunning and shrewd. He was probably already playing dirty tricks when Ruan Qing'an was promoted to elder!
As the spiritual energy vortex condensed, Shen Changlin clenched his fist, and the next moment—he suddenly rushed out, heading straight for Yanlai Peak. Ruan Qing'an's breakthrough had not yet fully begun, and if he could interrupt it now, there should still be a chance to salvage the situation.
Otherwise... Zhan Hongyuan's plot would have succeeded!
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