Ten years late~
Four people were around an old, worn table at the Jade Lotus Inn, discussing their plan. Bai Shuan spoke confidently, "I will capture Zhang Wei's family and demand that he comes to the location we have arranged alone if he wishes to see them again."
Li Yan agreed, "That's a smart move, and once the Monk senses that his disciple is in danger, he will come running."
Mi Ling added, "We will watch from the shadows and strike with full force when the time is right."
Li Yan sighed, "It's unfortunate that Xue Ren won't be joining us."
Chang Jin chuckled, "Everyone has their own Dao Heart. We can't force him to join us."
Bai Shuan nodded in agreement, "Indeed, we'll need to move forward without him."
Li Yan fretted, "But what if something goes wrong?"
Chang Jin reassured her, "We can't worry about what we can't control. Let's focus on executing the plan flawlessly. Plus, we aren't alone in this."
The group fell into a contemplative silence before Bai Shuan stood up, "Alright, let's begin. I'll leave first."
As they made their way out of the inn into the night, an old man emerged right after them. He took out a jade pendant from his pocket, gazed at it for a moment, and then disappeared into the shadows.
***
After the Free Heart Pavilion was destroyed, Han Zhi led a group of cultivators and began a thorough search of every nook and cranny throughout the city in hopes of finding Liang Yifie. However, despite their best efforts, they were unable to locate him and were forced to return empty-handed.
Han Zhi furrowed his brow and asked the black-robed man in front of him, "Are you absolutely certain?"
The man nodded solemnly. "Also, it's been seventy years, but I am as certain as the sun will rise tomorrow. It was revealed by the city lord's wife to her friends while under the influence of alcohol."
Han Zhi gritted his teeth in frustration. "I cannot believe that the City Lord possessed such information and chose not to share it with us."
The black-robed man's expression turned grim. "Even if he had told us, it wouldn't have made a difference. You arrived too late to witness the earthquake and subsequent explosion that shook the city when the Purple Heaven House collapsed. This pagoda has stood for almost twenty thousand years and has withstood countless wars and calamities. The power required to cause this sort of destruction is beyond what a spirit-severing cultivator could conjure."
Han Zhi forced a smile and bowed, "Regardless, thank you for sharing this valuable information with me, Brother Dong. If you ever need any assistance in the future, don't hesitate to contact me."
Brother Dong nodded before turning to leave, disappearing into the crowd. Han Zhi couldn't help but feel a sense of unease settle over him. Their enemy was incredibly powerful and seemed to be one step ahead of them at every turn. He needed to come up with a new strategy and quickly.
As Han Zhi journeyed back to Arcana City, his mind was consumed with curiosity about Liang Yifei. It had been almost seventy years since it was confirmed that he was alive, but where were his whereabouts now? After all, the man had the guts to battle against the formidable Heavenly Mist Palace Lord, and, judging by the absence of any news updates regarding his demise, the odds were in his favor. This left Han Zhi wondering, what was Liang Yifei up to now?
But there was more at play than just his curiosity. With the involvement of The Heavenly Mist Palace, Han Zhi knew he had to inform the Realm Lord. He remembered the warning the Realm Lord had given him about the immense power behind the Palace Lord, and he realized that the jade stone he possessed would offer little assistance against such a formidable force.
****
Meanwhile, back in the cave, it had been almost a decade since Yang Wu's departure, and Liang had finally finished stabilizing his cultivation.
"I can hardly believe that it only took me ten years to stabilize my cultivation. Indeed, my mortal body from back then is incomparable to my current body," Liang thought to himself with amazement.
Without much consideration, he decided to cultivate the third stage of the Void Section, Space Rifts.
After cultivating this stage, he should be able to teleport objects between worlds, and after fully mastering it, he should be able to teleport between them too, and that's exactly why he wasn't worried about traveling to the devil realm.
Liang sat cross-legged on the cold cave floor, his eyes closed in deep concentration. He focused his mind on the void Qi that was being released from the Golden Lotus above his dantian and began to channel it through his body.
As he did so, he felt a surge of energy pulsing through him, and he knew that he was on the right track. Slowly, he began to form a rift in space, using the void Qi to create a portal.
At first, the rift was small, barely noticeable. But as Liang poured more and more of his energy into it, it began to widen and deepen until it was large enough to accommodate even the biggest of objects.
However, just when Liang Yifei thought that he had succeeded, disaster struck. Suddenly, the rift collapsed in on itself, the void Qi dispersing in all directions.
Liang gasped, his body wracked with pain as he felt the energy surging through him. He had failed to open the rift.
He sighed, knowing that he would have to start over and take it more slowly, focusing on building his strength and control over the void Qi. It was a frustrating setback, but he had no other choice but to master the Space Rift's cultivation before attempting to travel to the devil realm.
Although knew that time was of the essence, but he understood the risks that came with rushing his cultivation. If he didn't take his time, he could end up with a serious backlash.