Chapter 241: Another Variable

The horizon spat out a fish-belly white, gradually brightening.

Above Jinhua City, a breeze blew, brushing past the exhausted members of the Profound Dao, bringing them a trace of coolness.

Led by Lie Dangkong, they had toured the entire Beijun in a single night. Except for those places belonging to the noble families, the many other Space Vibration Points had been temporarily sealed by them.

They were just waiting for Li Heng to return.

"Old Master Lie, is it really unnecessary to resolve the space vibrations on the side of the noble families?" Xuandao asked with some worry.

"No need, those noble families will resolve them themselves. But if that group of noble families doesn't care, then one can only pray for the good luck of the common people living within the noble families' territories," Lie Dangkong said calmly.

It was not that he did not want to resolve them, but once he could not.

Once he entered the cities and regions under the jurisdiction of the noble families.

And was then detected by those old monsters of the noble families.

These old monsters would certainly choose to attack him, and the so-called space vibrations would instead be cast to the back of their minds and ignored, causing even greater losses. Otherwise, he would have long since gone to take a look at the noble families' side.

Xuandao nodded.

Since he had said so, he had no other way.

He noticed Lie Dangkong's gaze cast toward the north and was slightly startled, "Old Master Lie, are you worried about Li Heng?"

"Naturally, I am worried. A night has passed, and there is no news from him at all. With his true strength, this shouldn't be; I cannot even sense the existence of the Tongling Precious Jade."

Lie Dangkong did not hide it and said with worry.

"The reason this situation could occur is that he has stepped into a place isolated from the world; it is not just as simple as a small world, it might be an extremely dangerous forbidden area."

These words made Xuandao also feel a sense of foreboding.

However, Lie Dangkong turned to speak.

"Forget it, he isn't here anyway, so worrying is just worrying in vain. It is better to trust him," Lie Dangkong shook his head.

Xuandao deeply agreed.

He intended to go into seclusion again this time to break through to the Dharma Aspect Realm, so he naturally had to let go of everything around him and keep his thoughts calm; worrying back and forth would instead delay his own breakthrough.

"Xuandao, you kid are about to break through to the Dharma Aspect, right?"

Lie Dangkong spoke up.

Xuandao nodded.

"This kid is indeed planning to go into seclusion to break through to the Dharma Aspect."

"Then I suggest you postpone your seclusion and wait until Li Heng returns," Lie Dangkong said.

Xuandao was astonished upon hearing this, "Why is that?"

"The Old Master is here suppressing Beijun, so it makes no difference whether I am here or not. At such a critical juncture, I presume that group of noble families would not dare to act rashly, so even if Brother Li hasn't returned, I have no need to postpone my seclusion."

"Not for any reason, but for the sake of your safety."

"That so-called World Truth has a problem..."

Lie Dangkong stared at Xuandao.

"Aowen~"

The Sun spilled through the window and landed in front of the bed, dyeing it with wisps of gold. Little Daoist Qingfeng opened his eyes, got up groggily, and stretched.

"Ah, I slept so soundly last night. It seems I must go to Li Jushi today to help him. I didn't expect that exhausting myself would allow me to sleep so soundly."

He yawned and muttered to himself.

It's just... why does he still feel sleepy?

No, no, he cannot sleep. Master said that the plan for the day lies in the morning; if one is awake but still lying down, one will commit an incurable disease called laziness.

He planned to run outside to the courtyard to bask in the Sun.

With a *pop*, he opened the door.

He immediately saw Qingxu standing in front of the door.

He widened his eyes, "Master!"

"You kid, you still have the nerve to sleep? I have been waiting here for you for an hour! Didn't I teach you to go to bed early and get up early before?"

Qingxu said irritably.

It must be that Li Jushi spoils this kid too much, letting him develop the habit of sleeping in; this will not do!

Hmm, no.

He suddenly frowned. Qingfeng has slept for so long, why does he still feel so sleepy? Could it be that this kid is still staying up late?

Immediately, his anger flared, and his gaze was unkind...

Ye Family Ancestral Land.

Ye Family Head Ye Yin stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the various clan elders seated there, and spoke calmly. "News has come that Lie Dangkong has returned, and he has already advanced to the Dharma Aspect."

"He was indeed strong in the past and was also a genius, but now he is old. Even if he has advanced to the Dharma Aspect, he has long since been unable to keep up with his peers from the past. I propose sending someone to suppress him."

A clan elder spoke up.

"That's right, Lie Dangkong has been running around putting out fires for this suddenly appearing space vibration; he must have already exhausted quite a bit of power. This is the perfect time to suppress him!"

"He was actually able to successfully walk the Great Sun Path, unprecedented and likely unrepeatable; he must have encountered a massive opportunity or even some kind of Spirit Treasure. Our clan must get our hands on it!"

Another clan elder spoke up, leading many to nod in agreement.

"Then what about this sudden space vibration? Last night, a space vibration occurred in the center of a city within the radiation range of our clan's influence, and over a hundred thousand living beings all died."

A young man said in a deep voice.

These words could not help but make the other clan elders reveal smiles.

"Hai, you are still young and don't understand. So-called living beings and common people, you cut one crop and another grows; they are not important. Right now, we must still prioritize the interests of our clan and first deal with Lie Dangkong."

A clan elder warned earnestly.

Upon hearing this, Ye Hai's expression stiffened, and he fell into silence.

Ye Yin spoke with his expression remaining calm.

"Since that is the case, then let us begin the vote..."

On the land of Beijun, facing the sudden spatial tremors and knowing that Lie Dangkong had successfully returned, many noble families were likewise holding various meetings and making various decisions...

Xijun, also known as Shanhai County.

The name Shanhai originates from Shanhai Pass; Shanhai Pass stands in the extreme west of Great Li and is a vital border town of Great Li, guarded by the only Great General of Great Li, the Xilie Wangfu.

At this moment, the Xilie Wangfu, clad in heavy armor, stood atop the gate tower, gazing into the distance, seemingly able to cross the vast Uninhabited Forbidden Zone to see the territory of the Great Xuan Kingdom adjacent to Great Li.

A guard walked up to the gate tower, stepped quickly to the side of the Xilie Wangfu, knelt on one knee, and cupped his hands, "My Lord, the Young Master has awakened!"

The Xilie Wangfu's expression was calm.

"Calculating the time, it is indeed time for him to wake up."

In a spacious and simple courtyard on the east side of the Xilie Wangfu, Xiao Hao, the son of the Xilie Wangfu, sat on the edge of the bed, looking at everything around him in a daze, with several bewildered maids by his side.

Could the Young Master have slept himself silly?

These maids thought with worry.

Suddenly, Xiao Hao's expression changed; his dazed eyes suddenly became bright and sharp, then immediately returned to normal, becoming calm and natural. "Very well, you may withdraw; this young master has already awakened."

After the maids withdrew, excitement flowed in Xiao Hao's eyes.

He kept muttering to himself.

"I didn't expect it, I really didn't expect that I actually returned, really returned to before the Great Tribulation. But calculating the time, it won't be long before the Great Tribulation begins, I must make plans early..."

"Calculating the time, the disaster in Beijun should have broken out, right?"

"Beijun suffered a sudden change, spatial tremors; because it came so suddenly, no one paid it any mind. After one night, the range of the tremors expanded again, causing half of the space in Beijun to collapse, and hundreds of millions of commoners perished."

He muttered the information he knew from his past life.

Immediately, he shook his head again, not intending to pay it any mind.

According to what he knew, Beijun was already beyond saving; after the spatial tremors, there was an invasion of Weird, Evil Demons descended into the world, and Great Li was forced to abandon this place. In the end, even the laws of Heaven and Earth were rejecting the Human Bloodline.

Rather than focusing on this, he should still care about his own Xijun.

The Calamity of Xijun was also not far off.

He pondered in his heart what excuse he should use to trick his old man into adjusting his Human Bloodline to gain an advantage in the future Great Tribulation, or even to turn the tide.

The current Human Bloodline was not adapted to the future Heaven and Earth.

At this moment, the scenery in front of him flickered.

A book quietly appeared before him.

The book emitted an aura that was mysterious and profound, incomparably deep and subtle. His expression froze, and upon seeing the handwriting on the book cover, his face immediately revealed wild joy; this was actually...

In the gray, hazy World.

Li Heng observed his surroundings; the scenery was somewhat similar to the Dongtian Fudi he had seen before, only it was more dilapidated than anything he had seen previously, and could even be described as destroyed.

For example, the plaza where he was currently standing.

In the scene he had previously seen with the Monk and Daoist, the ground of the plaza was neat and smooth, as if it had been polished, but now it had become pitted and bumpy, with the vast majority even fractured, appearing with huge holes; looking down, one could see the vast Void.

It was very obvious.

This was the ruin formed by the Cave Heaven of the Tianming Organization.

Li Heng scratched his head.

He had originally thought this would immediately start a boss fight.

Just like in some Ring or some Souls game.

But he came here, stood in place for a long time, and there was no movement at all; everything was so gray and hazy, as if covered by something or having a filter added.

Even that pair of blood-red eyes in the sky.

He had stared at them for a long time, yet there was absolutely no reaction.

Li Heng wondered if he had been tricked by that old man from the Tianming Organization, and if he hadn't actually come to the place where the distorted will was entrenched?

But that made no sense; he had repeatedly confirmed that light screen.

He shook his head, intending to keep moving forward to walk to the Tianming Platform to take a look. Although, given the degree of ruin around here, whether the Tianming Platform still existed was another matter.

It was beyond his expectations.

Even though the surroundings had become ruins—for example, the Nine-Twist Returning Dragon Ridge previously introduced by the Monk and Daoist had now mostly disappeared, leaving only a bit of the mountain's base.

But strangely.

This road leading to the Tianming Platform was not broken.

At most, it just looked a bit tattered.

Li Heng couldn't help but mutter, could it be that this distorted will repaired it, fearing that people wouldn't be able to walk up to the Tianming Platform? He let his thoughts wander here and there, strolling along as if he were window-shopping.

But in the end, he still calmly walked onto the Tianming Platform.

The Tianming Platform was empty.

That's right, it was truly empty.

Because there was no object on the Tianming Platform, but rather a person standing there.

That person seemed to have sensed Li Heng's arrival, slowly turned around, and looked at Li Heng. The gray, hazy World around them also followed this person's turn, revealing wisps of radiance that drove away the gray.

Li Heng saw the person's appearance clearly and was slightly surprised.

"Great Elder of the Tianming Organization?"

"You have finally arrived, Savior."

He spoke.