Chapter 647: Old Faces Return

After returning to the Golden Academy, Li Yi had no time to observe its changes; he went straight to his quarters.

This dwelling, forged from the Dao artifact Tianyi Hall, appeared small but contained vast inner space; he did not take it with him during his cross-realm journey, instead leaving it for the Bald Daoist to use.

Just as he was about to enter the dwelling, a sudden voice rang out.

"Li Yi?"

The voice was familiar, yet tinged with disbelief—as if surprised to see him return.

Li Yi halted his steps and turned toward the sound, immediately seeing a tall, muscular man standing before a dwelling, watching him; he recognized the man—it was Hu Fei, the evolver he had met in World Six.

He remembered how he, Hu Fei, Zhao Fangji, and Jiang Mingtian had gone to harvest silver exotic fruits, only to accidentally enter the Wildlands and be defeated by the warriors of Shou Village, becoming captives.

Although Li Yi had broken free by spitting out a drop of his heart's blood, Hu Fei, Zhao Fangji, and Jiang Mingtian were not so fortunate—they were sold into slavery by the people of Shou Village.

Li Yi had tried hard to rescue them, but failed; his strength was too weak to survive in that world, so he was forced to return.

He had assumed he would never see these three again, yet here he was, encountering Hu Fei once more at the Golden Academy.

"I specifically moved my dwelling near yours, hoping one day I'd run into you—and I actually managed to wait you out," Hu Fei said, his gaze complex: gratitude mingled with shame.

"Hu Fei, did you escape from the Wildlands?" Li Yi hurried over and asked at once.

Hu Fei nodded slightly: "I owe it to your help. Didn't you meet a merchant lord named Xiu Xiang in the Wildlands? Thanks to him, he ransomed me from a mountain lord and settled me in Beihuang City. I rested and recovered there for a while, and only recently returned to the Golden Academy."

Though only a few words, they hinted at the immense suffering he had endured.

After all, becoming a slave was no minor fate—it meant enduring endless torment.

Simply surviving was already a miracle.

"You're alive—that's all that matters. Back then, in the Wildlands, I was a stranger in a foreign land with limited strength; I could only entrust your search to Xiu Xiang. He's a man of integrity, and I never imagined he'd actually save you. By the way, what of Zhao Fangji and Jiang Mingtian? Have you heard anything about them?" Li Yi asked again.

Hu Fei shook his head: "I, Zhao Fangji, and Jiang Mingtian were bought by different people. I don't know where they are now—perhaps still in the Wildlands, perhaps already dead. I haven't found them here at the Golden Academy. But Merchant Lord Xiu Xiang promised he'd keep searching, even if it meant confirming their deaths."

"I see," Li Yi fell silent for a moment, then said with shame: "I'm sorry. I could do so little for you back then."

"This isn't your fault. We were all in the same predicament. We simply lacked the strength to seize an escape chance. You did all you could by enlisting Xiu Xiang's aid—it was more than enough. Without your help, I'd be dead in the Wildlands, never having returned to Earth."

Hu Fei did not blame Li Yi; instead, he was deeply grateful.

"By the way, before I returned, Merchant Lord Xiu Xiang asked me to deliver a message to you."

Li Yi asked: "What message?"

He hadn't expected the merchant lord to still remember him after so long.

"He wants you to make time to return to Beihuang City—he wishes to see you again," Hu Fei said.

Li Yi nodded: "When I have time, I'll go to Beihuang City. Not just for him—I owe him a personal thanks."

Though he had left the Wildlands in haste, he could not deny he owed Merchant Lord Xiu Xiang a debt. Now, after several cross-realm journeys, his strength had grown substantially; he felt confident facing the Wildlands' dangers.

"That's good."

Hu Fei said: "Let me know when you're leaving—I'll go with you. I'm familiar with Beihuang City now."

"Alright. Once I'm settled, I'll notify you," Li Yi replied.

"By the way, has anything major happened at the Golden Academy lately? Have the cultivators from Xuanxian Continent kept attacking?"

Hu Fei said: "Though I've been back only a short while, the problem troubling the Golden Academy—not to mention all cultivators on Earth—isn't the Xuanxian Continent. It's the Demon God Realm. Major demons have invaded frequently, and large battles occur often."

"By the way, the city closest to the Demon God Realm's cross-realm point is Tianchang City. Many top cultivators from the Golden Academy have gone there to block the demon invasions."

"Demon God Realm invasions? I see," Li Yi nodded slightly.

He wasn't surprised by this development.

Back then, he and the Golden Academy had joined forces to kill Du Baizhi, who was, in truth, the Moon's Jade Rabbit—the daughter of the Demon King.

The Demon King, enraged, sent major demons to Earth for revenge—it was only natural.

Yet to guard against this, Li Yi had specifically brought Yang Wei to the Golden Academy, even offering him the Technique of Size Alteration as payment.

With Yang Wei stationed here, Earth would at least not be wiped out by the Demon God Realm.

And the outcome proved it: the Golden Academy still stood, Earth had not been fully invaded, and the war between the realms remained contained.

Li Yi didn't believe for a second this outcome would have been possible without Yang Wei's efforts.

"I should go to Tianchang City and check the situation," Li Yi now felt genuine concern for his hometown.

His master, his junior sister, and his junior brother were still there. And since Tianchang City lay close to the cross-realm point, Four Seas and Eight Continents—if a major demon from the Demon God Realm reached them, it would be catastrophic.

Yet to protect Tianchang City's safety, Li Yi had previously assigned two third-flower realm experts to guard it: Liu Guzi and Qian Daoren.

But before they reached Tianchang City, to help Xiang Xiangzi regain her strength, they had severed their top flowers, their realms dropping to Chaoyuan. They were no longer third-flower experts.

He wondered whether, in this time, they had regained their former realms.

Many other worries filled his mind.

Li Yi knew haste was useless—he must proceed slowly.

"Hu Fei, give me your latest contact details. I'll notify you when I head to the Wildlands again."

"I bought an artificial intelligence. I named it Feifei. Feifei, are you there?" Hu Fei said.

!

"Master, I'm here," came the AI's voice beside him.

Li Yi nodded, instructing Lan Ji to link with Feifei and record Hu Fei's information for future contact.

"Hu Fei, I'll rest now. Let me know if anything comes up."

"Alright."

After the brief exchange, Li Yi returned to his dwelling.

As soon as he entered, the surroundings changed drastically—all furnishings vanished, replaced by a magnificent palace with countless rooms, capable of housing thousands.

But the moment Li Yi stepped into Tianyi Hall, a surge of vast cosmic energy rushed toward him, carrying a scorching heat that felt like being roasted by flames.

"That's the energy field emitted by a complete wonder."

Li Yi looked toward the source and saw a feather floating in midair at the hall's center—it was the Luofeng Feather he had once seen at the cross-realm base.

"How did this wonder end up here?"

He was puzzled at first, then realized the reason: Wu Laodao or the Bald Daoist must have brought it. After all, the Golden Academy had promised Wu Laodao a complete wonder.

Placing this wonder inside Tianyi Hall clearly aimed to elevate its cosmic energy levels—beneficial for cultivation.

"So this is the surprise I got upon returning," Li Yi gazed at the feather, recalling his first cross-realm journey.

Back then, he had been weak; even the feather's energy field had forced him to retreat. Now, times had changed—he could stand firm against this overwhelming cosmic force without fear.

After a brief inspection, he did not take the wonder away, leaving it where it floated.

Only a few third-flower cultivators could freely enter this place; no one else could get in, so there was no risk of the Luofeng Feather being stolen.

Yet when he returned to his room, Li Yi noticed a storage artifact placed beside his bed—clearly left deliberately by a senior third-flower cultivator.

Li Yi picked it up and immediately felt stunned.

Inside was a mountain of elixirs.

These elixirs were forged from extraordinary and even mythic creatures, packed with potent blood essence, capable of nourishing the body and accelerating cultivation.

Just as he needed them, they appeared.

During his absence, the third-flower seniors had clearly worked hard to gather resources and nurture him.

In truth, the Bald Daoist, Wu Laodao, and Feiyunzi had jointly hunted many extraordinary creatures and slain mythic beasts. Besides crafting elixirs for Li Yi, they used the rest of the materials to forge Dao artifacts.

When they arrived in this world, they had nothing. Fortunately, Li Yi had left behind the Yin-Yang Creation Cauldron.

With this top-tier Dao artifact, the Bald Daoist and the others quickly regained their former glory.

After all, how could they face external enemies without a few Dao artifacts to rely on?

It was a win-win arrangement.

(End of Chapter)