Chapter 177: Xin Ruyin Returning from the Land of the Extreme West

The headquarters of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, the main council hall, has now changed from the Mingluan Sect to the Sunset Hall of the Yanyue Sect.

And when Yan Taibai returned to the Sunset Hall, he, who considered his speed fast enough, still found that Long Han, Feng Bing, the Great Elder of the Masked Moon Sect who had already successfully come out of seclusion to extend his life, Qiong Laoguai, Nangong Wan, and others had already learned a step ahead of him about what had happened at the Hehuan Sect of the Heavenly Luo Kingdom Six Demon Sects and the Taizhen Sect of the Righteous Alliance of Fengdu Kingdom.

Therefore, when Yan Taibai stepped into the Sunset Hall, the gazes of the many Nascent Soul cultivators in the hall toward Yan Taibai had changed.

Especially Qiong Laoguai; he naturally knew that Yan Taibai's divine abilities and strength far surpassed those of Nascent Soul cultivators of the same rank, and he believed that Yan Taibai's strength was comparable to a Great Cultivator of Nascent Soul Late Stage.

But when he saw the news sent from the Heavenly Luo Kingdom Six Demon Sects and the Righteous Alliance of Fengdu Kingdom, his first feeling was that it was absurd—too absurd!

But this was told to him personally by Long Han and Feng Bing, so even if it were absurd, it was true.

Precisely because of this, he could not help but suspect whether Yan Taibai was truly his disciple, or if he had been possessed by some old monster of the Spirit Severing Stage.

It was truly terrifying to the point of not being human! "Why, it seems you all already know, so there is no need to say more. Just follow the agreement and send the tribute to the Yanyue Sect every year; this shouldn't be a difficult task, right? Fellow Daoist Long Han, Fairy Feng Bing!"

Looking around at the incomparably complex expressions on the faces of everyone in the hall, Yan Taibai let his gaze rest on Long Han and Feng Bing, and asked.

"This is naturally no problem. We originally thought there would be a great battle with the Righteous Alliance and the Heavenly Luo Kingdom Six Demon Sects before we could take back the cultivation worlds of the several countries occupied by the Righteous and Demonic paths. We did not expect that Fellow Daoist Yan would achieve it alone; it truly makes us feel ashamed."

Hearing this, Long Han and Feng Bing looked at each other, and Long Han gave a bitter smile and said.

At the same time, he felt very fortunate in his heart that they had made the right choice; otherwise, the fate of their Mingluan Sect would likely have been the same as that of the Ghost Spirit Sect back then.

Under these circumstances, how could they possibly object?

If the two of them were like this, the Nascent Soul cultivators of the other sects in the hall did not even dare to raise their eyes to look directly at Yan Taibai. They were afraid that if they accidentally angered Yan Taibai, it would lead to an untimely death, or even implicate the sects behind them.

To put it bluntly, Yan Taibai was now a "fierce god" in the Tiannan Cultivation World whom no one could afford to provoke—a living, breathing, malevolent deity.

They could not afford to provoke him, nor did they dare to offend him in the slightest.

Naturally, they did not dare to look directly at Yan Taibai.

Regarding the expressions of the many Nascent Soul cultivators of the Heavenly Dao Alliance in the Sunset Hall and other things, Yan Taibai was in no mood to pay attention, only saying indifferently.

"Hehe! A bunch of trash, that's all. I alone am enough. However, you must also follow the agreement and send the annual tribute to the Yanyue Sect."

"Yes."

"This is only natural!"

"No problem!"

Seeing that Yan Taibai had reiterated it, the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Heavenly Dao Alliance in the hall hurriedly smiled and agreed impatiently.

In any case, ten thousand Spirit Stones per year for a cultivation sect and one thousand Spirit Stones per year for a first-class cultivation family was not much for the first-class cultivation families and sects within the Heavenly Dao Alliance.

For the sake of such a small amount, to offend a "fierce god" like Yan Taibai—how could they be so stupid?

"As long as you understand. In a few days, just have all the families and sects in your countries that originally belonged to the cultivation worlds of other countries return to their respective cultivation worlds."

Seeing such a satisfying scene, Yan Taibai smiled slightly and said again.

"This is natural, this is natural, True Master Taibai can rest assured."

"That's right, that's right, True Master Taibai can rest assured."

Regarding Yan Taibai's words, there was no need for Long Han or Feng Bing to speak; the other Nascent Soul cultivators of the Heavenly Dao Alliance agreed impatiently.

"Alright, you may leave. Fellow Daoists Long Han and Feng Bing, stay behind."

Yan Taibai waved his hand and directly issued an "order to evict guests."

And his words were not an "order to evict guests," but a life-saving imperial decree; the other Nascent Soul cultivators of the Heavenly Dao Alliance in the hall hurriedly bowed and took their leave one after another.

As for Long Han and Feng Bing, although they did not understand Yan Taibai's intention in keeping them, they did not dare to refuse to leave the Sunset Hall.

In just a few breaths, the entire Sunset Hall was left with only the few Nascent Soul cultivators of the Yanyue Sect, Long Han and Feng Bing, and Yan Taibai.

"Yan keeping the two fellow daoists here is mainly because I want the two fellow daoists to do me a favor."

After the other Nascent Soul cultivators of the Heavenly Dao Alliance left, Yan Taibai sat down on the chair next to Qiong Laoguai and spoke to Long Han and Feng Bing.

"True Master Taibai, please speak."

Hearing this, Long Han and Feng Bing looked at each other and hurriedly said.

"Hehe! The two fellow daoists need not be so nervous. This matter is not a difficult task; you only need to help me look for these materials and spiritual herbs in the future. Especially for the spiritual herbs, even seedlings or seeds will do."

Yan Taibai took out a Jade Slip and handed it to Long Han.

Seeing this, Long Han hurriedly took the Jade Slip and agreed.

"True Master Taibai can rest assured, our couple will definitely do our best to find these materials and spiritual herbs for the True Master."

Long Han did not check the contents of the Jade Slip at all to see what kind of spiritual herbs and materials Yan Taibai wanted them to help find.

Because they knew that even if they asked, they could not refuse, so it was better to just agree directly.

If they really couldn't find them, that would be another matter. Moreover, after spending this time together, they could see that Yan Taibai was not the type of overbearing person who was completely unreasonable.

Therefore, it would not be too late to talk about it then.

"Good, then I will trouble the two fellow daoists."

Yan Taibai cupped his hands in thanks.

"True Master Taibai is too polite."

Seeing this, Long Han and Feng Bing hurriedly returned the gesture.

The current Yan Taibai was undoubtedly the number one person in the entire Tiannan Cultivation World; how could they dare to casually accept a bow from Yan Taibai?

"Hmm!"

Seeing this, Yan Taibai could only nod slightly and say nothing more.

Afterward, Long Han and Feng Bing took their leave and departed.

After the two left, Nangong Wan, who was closest to Yan Taibai, could not hide the complex look on her beautiful face, and she parted her lips slightly to ask.

"Junior Brother? Are you truly the number one person in the Tiannan Cultivation World now?"

"Why? Can Senior Sister Wan'er find someone else who surpasses me?"

Hearing this, Yan Taibai smiled and stared at Nangong Wan, asking back in a serious manner.

"Naturally not, it is just that I still find it hard to believe that in a mere hundred years, Junior Brother has already become the number one person in the entire Tiannan Cultivation World."

Nangong Wan was not afraid; instead, she shook her head slightly, her beautiful face still revealing a complex expression.

"So what if you are the number one person in the entire Tiannan Cultivation World? You still cannot live forever or attain the Dao and become an immortal."

Yan Taibai chuckled, appearing not to care much.

"Besides, the Spirit Stones, materials, and other resources I need are simply too vast. Relying on the Tiannan Cultivation World alone is likely insufficient to support me. If there are no accidents, once I have finished refining the cultivation resources I obtained this time, I will leave the Tiannan Cultivation World."

"Junior Brother, when do you plan to leave the Tiannan Cultivation World?"

Hearing Yan Taibai's words, Nangong Wan felt a tightness in her heart and blurted out.

"I am not sure. After all, there are still many good things in Tiannan; I naturally cannot miss them."

Yan Taibai pondered for a moment and spoke.

"Good things? Could it be that you know of some other opportunities in Tiannan?"

Qiong Laoguai immediately asked in pursuit.

After all, every step for a Nascent Soul cultivator is extremely difficult, and he naturally wanted to advance further. After all, he could not lag too far behind his own disciple, could he?

"Naturally, I know. For example, the number one forbidden land in Tiannan, Falling Demon Valley."

Hearing this, Yan Taibai answered truthfully.

"Falling Demon Valley, are you not afraid of death?"

The joy on Qiong Laoguai's face vanished instantly, and he said sternly.

He did not want anything to happen to Yan Taibai; who in the entire Tiannan Cultivation World did not know how dangerous Falling Demon Valley was?

That was the number one forbidden land in the Tiannan Cultivation World, which suited Yan Taibai, the number one person in the Tiannan Cultivation World, quite well.

But no matter how well it suited him, it could not change its level of danger. As Yan Taibai's master, he naturally did not want Yan Taibai to set foot in Falling Demon Valley.

"Taibai, do you mean you want to enter Falling Demon Valley? Do you need the sect's help?"

Compared to Qiong Laoguai, the Great Elder of the Masked Moon Sect asked instead.

"As expected, only Senior Martial Sister understands this disciple. I originally wanted Xin Ruyin to help; with her attainments in arrays, she would surely have been able to successfully repair the Transmission Array outside Falling Demon Valley quickly, but now this matter can only be left to the array masters within the sect."

Yan Taibai nodded and smiled.

"No, I object."

Seeing this, Qiong Laoguai's face sank. Just as he was about to bring out his master's authority, he was glared at by the Great Elder of the Masked Moon Sect, causing him to huff coldly and say nothing more.

"Actually, Xin Ruyin went to Jixi Zhi Di. I just do not know when she will be able to return."

The Great Elder of the Masked Moon Sect remained silent for a long while before revealing Xin Ruyin's whereabouts.

"Jixi Zhi Di? How come I did not know about this?"

Qiong Laoguai asked in surprise.

After all, because of Yan Taibai, he was the most familiar with Xin Ruyin among the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Yanyue Sect and had the best relationship with her.

"I do not know about that. Xin Ruyin learned from an ancient book that there is a type of medicinal pill in Jixi Zhi Di that can resolve the Dragon Chant Constitution, so she asked me to help infuse her body with Yin Qi capable of sustaining her for over a decade, and then she set off for Jixi Zhi Di alone. As for how she is now, I am not clear. After all, the Yin Qi I infused into her body has long since been exhausted. Even though Xin Ruyin is already a Foundation Establishment cultivator, she still finds it difficult to resist the damage the Dragon Chant Constitution inflicts on her physical body, which will cause her meridians to wither and her lifespan to decrease significantly."

The Great Elder of the Masked Moon Sect shook her head slightly and continued.

And her words were almost equivalent to passing a death sentence on Xin Ruyin.

"Jixi Zhi Di, I never imagined that Xin Ruyin would head to Jixi Zhi Di. I hope she is blessed by fate!"

After hearing the words of the Great Elder of the Masked Moon Sect, Yan Taibai could only sigh.

After all, he could not change anything regarding this matter.

Even if he were to head to Jixi Zhi Di to search for Xin Ruyin now, he might not necessarily find her, and it would only waste his cultivation time in vain.

Although his strength and divine abilities were astonishing, he still required sufficient time to cultivate.

The main issue was that he needed too many cultivation resources; even if the White Emperor Golden Emperor Slash was heaven-defying, it still required time to cultivate and refine Spirit Stone veins and material veins. Unless the White Emperor Golden Emperor Slash reached great completion, swallowing and refining an entire Spirit Stone vein or material vein in one go was out of the question.

Of course, there was now an additional Green Emperor Wood Emperor Art.

But that was much easier to handle; with Biling Island supporting it for the time being, the problem was not too significant.

"That is the only way. However, this matter of Falling Demon Valley is not something that can be accomplished in a day. Over these many years, I do not know how many fellow Daoists have tried to set their sights on Falling Demon Valley, but they all failed in the end, and most did not even come out. You had best prepare yourself."

The Great Elder of the Masked Moon Sect nodded slightly and continued to discuss the serious matter of Falling Demon Valley.

"That is only natural; Taibai understands."

Hearing this, Yan Taibai nodded and smiled.

Now that Xin Ruyin was not in the Yanyue Sect and the Ghost Spirit Sect had also disappeared, the only thing he could rely on was the Yanyue Sect.

As for the Heavenly Dao Alliance, forget it! It would be good enough if they did not cause trouble.

For the entire Heavenly Dao Alliance now, the most urgent matter was to retake their original national cultivation worlds and have sects like the Tianxing Sect and Wanmiao Temple all return.

In this way, they could also reduce the pressure within their own countries.

After all, so many issues in the Tiannan Cultivation World were due to resource problems, and this problem was clearly unsolvable.

Because Yan Taibai himself also needed vast resources for his cultivation.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible to do so many things.

And although he had now achieved his wish, he did not know how long these forcibly seized Spirit Stone veins, material veins, and other resources would last.

In any case, if they were used up, he would head to the Dajin Cultivation World, the sacred land for cultivation in this Human World.

He believed there would be more cultivation resources there.

"It is good that you understand. You had best go into seclusion first! Whether it is matters of the sect or the Heavenly Dao Alliance, do not interfere or ask too much."

The Great Elder of the Masked Moon Sect advised again.

"Understood, Taibai will obey."

Yan Taibai bowed with cupped hands.

"Mm!"

Seeing this, the Great Elder of the Masked Moon Sect finally breathed a sigh of relief and nodded slightly.

Afterwards, the few of them chatted for a few more moments, then Yan Taibai left the Sunset Hall and returned to the cave abode he shared with Yan Ruyan.

"Ruyin, she went to the Extreme West?"

Upon hearing the news about Xin Ruyin from Yan Taibai, Yan Ruyan also felt surprised.

"That is correct, that is what Martial Uncle said, it should not be false. In any case, we can only pray that Ruyin is blessed with good fortune."

Yan Taibai nodded and sighed, saying.

"Then Brother Taibai, what are your plans for the future?"

Yan Ruyan asked.

"What plans could I have? Naturally, it is to follow what Martial Uncle said and go into secluded cultivation. What other plans could there be? Nowadays, there are no major events in Tiannan."

Yan Taibai spoke up.

Seeing this, a look of resentment welled up on Yan Ruyan's cheeks; she stared at Yan Taibai, her beautiful eyes not blinking once, which made Yan Taibai feel terrified and his spine grow cold, so he hurriedly said.

"Yan'er, if you have something to say, just say it directly?"

"As long as it is something I can do, I will absolutely not refuse!"

"Brother Taibai, do you still remember how many years it has been since we held our dual cultivation ceremony?"

Seeing this, Yan Ruyan's delicate face finally revealed a look of satisfaction, and she smiled charmingly as she pressed for an answer.

"This?"

Regarding this death-trap question, Yan Taibai dared not be careless or negligent, and he quickly thought and calculated.

Just as he was about to speak, a streak of firelight rushed into the cave abode, and from within the firelight, the voice of Qiong Laoguai rang out,

"Taibai, the girl Ruyin has returned."

(End of this chapter)