Chapter 4: One Year Later, Triumphant Return: The Wangchuan Family's Guardian Spirit

One year later.

A waning moon hung in the sky; the night was black as ink.

Huaxia, the Shennongjia Secret Realm, terrifyingly quiet.

Li Qingran slowly opened his eyes.

Behind him, the spirit beast Yin Lingzi coalesced into solid form, and faintly, the illusory shadows of two demon gods also appeared.

"Break to rebuild, break to rebuild! Who would have thought that in just one short year, the Young Master would cultivate from a Five-Star Grand Spirit Master to a One-Star Spirit Venerable……"

One year, crossing five major realms, over forty minor realms.

This talent is a tiny bit stronger than even me, Yin Lingzi.

Moreover, during the year of cultivation in the secret realm, the Young Master also gained the recognition of Brother Wind and Brother Rain!

With my precognition ability, I actually cannot see through the Master's future.

Terrifying, terrifying!

"Spirit Venerable now; the demon beasts inside the Shennongjia Secret Realm have all been cleared out……"

"If he encounters a deity in the future, can he really refine it?"

Li Qingran clenched his fist in mid-air, feeling the surging power within his body.

"The Demon God Refinement Art, tyrannical!"

After a brief moment of thought, Li Qingran decided to leave seclusion first and head to Heihai City.

One year ago, when he first arrived in Qianyan City, E Province, he planned to enter the Shennongjia Secret Realm to cultivate.

But at that time, he was penniless, and having abandoned his original identity, he had no identification documents.

At the entrance to the Shennongjia Secret Realm, because he lacked an entry token, he could not enter the Shennongjia Secret Realm.

Just then, he encountered Xia Weiming and his daughter, who had come from Heihai City seeking medical treatment.

Xia Weiming and his daughter had come to request a Spirit Grandmaster living in seclusion in the Shennongjia Secret Realm to treat his daughter's illness, but they were turned away.

That day, Xia Weiming casually gave Li Qingran a spare entry token he had on him.

Upon contact, Li Qingran saw that Xia Weiming's daughter, Wangchuan Bingbing, was suffering from a malicious spirit's entanglement, her life hanging by a thread.

He intervened to save her, intending to use the Demon God Refinement Art to directly refine the malicious spirit.

Unexpectedly, because the malicious spirit's rank was too high, he could only temporarily seal it.

At parting, Li Qingran promised to go to Heihai City one year later to completely resolve the malicious spirit inside Wangchuan Bingbing.

Now, his strength has reached Spirit Venerable; dealing with a malicious spirit of Spirit King strength is merely a matter of a thought.

More importantly, at that time, Yin Lingzi sensed a faint, elusive fragrance of Manzhushahua on Wangchuan Bingbing.

Manzhushahua is the guiding flower of the Wangchuan's other shore.

In the pill chapter of the Demon God Refinement Art, a heaven-defying Nine-Revolution Return-to-Life Pill is recorded, and its main ingredient is Manzhushahua!

In other words, Manzhushahua is the key to resurrecting his mother!

Recalling the miserable state of his mother's death, a cold glint gradually gathered in Li Qingran's eyes.

One year.

It is time to collect some interest from the Xiao Family.

……

Heihai City, New World Garden Community, at the entrance of a villa.

"Is anyone home? Excuse me, is this Mr. Xia Weiming's house?" Li Qingran knocked on the door.

Following the address Xia Weiming had left for him a year ago, Li Qingran came directly.

"Who is it?"

A woman's voice, mixed with sobs, came through.

The door opened, and a graceful figure appeared before his eyes.

This was a girl of sixteen or seventeen, wearing a one-piece dress.

Despite her young age, her figure was curvaceous with peaks rising prominently; she exuded an aura of youth and cold elegance.

The girl's face bore undried tear tracks, her eyes red and swollen, as she asked, "Who are you?

Xia Weiming is my dad; what business do you have with him?"

Li Qingran's usually unruffled pupils could not help but ripple.

This floral fragrance.

A year ago, Yin Lingzi indeed did not misidentify it.

This is absolutely the scent of Manzhushahua, the guiding flower of Wangchuan's other shore.

Had he not obtained the Jiuli Clan's inheritance before the Jiuli Giant Gate and learned the properties of Manzhushahua, he truly would not have discovered it.

The Higanbana blooms for a thousand years, falls for a thousand years; flower and leaf forever miss each other, never meeting life after life.

Inside this woman's body resides a special guardian spirit that has not yet awakened — a Manzhushahua Flower Demon!

This girl is called Wangchuan Qiqqi; she is Xia Weiming's eldest daughter, which is to say, Wangchuan Bingbing's older sister.

Li Qingran suppressed the restlessness in his heart and replied politely:

"Hello, my name is Li Qingran; I was invited over by Xia Weiming……"

Wangchuan Qiqqi choked out, "Wuwuwu…… Are you from the funeral parlor…… Wait outside for a bit, my little sister is putting on makeup; even in death she must look beautiful!"

Li Qingran was slightly stunned.

No way; with the seal he left a year ago, Wangchuan Bingbing should not be in mortal danger.

Could some change have occurred, causing the malicious spirit to break through the seal?

Just what exactly happened?

"Sorry, I need to go in and take a look." Li Qingran added, "Company policy."

"Then come with me, don't speak nonsense." Wangchuan Qiq was in the depths of grief, didn't think much of it.

A room on the second floor of the villa.

A little girl of about five years old lay on the bed, her face pale, lips without a trace of color, eyes tightly shut.

Upon close observation, one could discover her chest no longer rose and fell.

Using any modern medical instrument to test, all gave the same result: she already had no vital signs, had passed away.

This little girl was Xia Weiming's youngest daughter, Wangchuan Bingbing.

Li Qingran's brows furrowed slightly.

He saw at a glance that Wangchuan Bingbing had fallen into a special state of suspended animation.

This wasn't death at all, she could still be saved.

But if it were a step later, even if revived, she would be another person entirely.

Inside Wangchuan Bingbing's body, a mass of ghostly qi was spreading.

If it completely occupied Wangchuan Bingbing's three souls and seven spirits, her body would thoroughly fall under the evil spirit's control.

Seizing the body, possession!

This evil spirit was playing the cuckoo-in-the-magpie's-nest scheme!

Seeing Li Qingran's expression change, Wangchuan Qiq muttered to herself:

"Despairing, right? My little sister is only five this year, should be a carefree age, yet never expected she'd provoke an evil spirit.

One night a year ago, my little sister suddenly developed a high fever, delirious rambling nonstop.

The best hospitals in Heihai City, the best doctors, couldn't diagnose what illness it was.

In the end it was still my mother who invited a Spirit Master, who diagnosed that my little sister was haunted by an evil spirit.

Unfortunately, regarding this evil spirit, this senior also had no way, saying only the Divine Doctor Hua of Shennongjia making a move would work……"

This was the reason Xia Weiming and his daughter went to the Shennongjia Secret Realm a year ago.

Li Qingran shook his head.

Strong as a Spirit Master Grandmaster, if willing, enough to found a sect; such an existence, how would they easily make a move to save an ordinary person.

"Divine Doctor Hua unwilling to leave seclusion.

Fortunately heaven blessed, my dad met a reclusive expert, helped seal the evil spirit.

My little sister finally temporarily had no life danger.

Until a few days ago, my mother expended great effort, went through hardships to invite the Little Divine Doctor of the Ye Family from the capital.

Originally thought to completely resolve the evil spirit inside my little sister's body.

Unexpectedly, after Divine Doctor Ye diagnosed, he told us my little sister had less than seven days left.

Moreover, he also could not reverse the situation.

Originally, we still held hope, until watching Bingbing grow weaker day by day……

And today, happens to be the seventh day Divine Doctor Ye declared, wuwuwu……"