Chapter 695 - 87: Outsiders

The words of True Sky Wolf reminded Li Ji’an of the casual chat he had with Duanmu Xiao in Yellow Heaven Domain earlier.

He once said that Duanmu Qin was overly ambitious because of the influence of a patriarch from the Duanmu Family.

That patriarch was a True Pill Elder of the Biyun Sect before.

Elder Duanmu was a taboo in Biyun Sect because he and another elder discovered ruins and ancient relics in the mountain range of the Eighteen Spirit Strongholds but instead of contributing them to the sect, he kept them secretly, leading to a fierce conflict and ultimately leaving Biyun Sect.

Li Ji’an later learned from Duanmu Qin that what he obtained back then was a Message Token and an Array-breaking Jade Pendant.

However, Duanmu Qin only mentioned the content of the Message Token to Li Ji’an, saying that it advised the younger generation to undergo Golden Core formation before heading to the front lines to confront the Human-Demons.

But there was no information about the front line battlefield.

And that was still in the Ancient Times.

Yet, after seeing that Abyss Large-scale Transmission Array, Duanmu Qin insisted and told Li Ji’an, the Great Marsh Cultivation Realm is a cage. To pursue the Dao, one must escape this cage to reach the external world.

Li Ji’an had always wondered how Duanmu Qin knew there was an external world?

After all these years, he had specially searched for information about the external world, but to no avail.

The entire Great Marsh Cultivation Realm was like the only world in existence.

And during his conversation with Duanmu Xiao in the Yellow Heaven Domain, he sensed a hint of clues.

Duanmu Xiao vaguely mentioned that the patriarch of the Duanmu Family had deep ties with an unusual female cultivator.

However, that ancestor later perished in a magical combat, leaving no trace behind.

"Could it be this Wutong Fairy?" Considering the recent hint from the female cultivator on the seventh floor, Li Ji’an couldn’t help but have such a speculation.

At that moment, the elegant room door opposite the hall opened.

Two maids gracefully emerged.

"Greetings to the three seniors, my mistress is ready, whom would like to go first?"

Tu Yifei and True Sky Wolf rose simultaneously, then looked at each other, uncompromisingly challenging each other.

However, after three breaths, they both snorted coldly and then looked at Li Ji’an.

In unison, they said, "Fellow Daoist Chang’an is new here, why don’t you try first?"

"Hmph!" They snorted at each other again.

Li Ji’an smiled slightly, "Then I must thank both Daoists."

However, he didn’t care much, as Wutong Fairy’s way of selecting guests was unrelated to order.

Then, Li Ji’an followed the two maids into the elegant room, leaving Ning Sujin waiting outside.

As soon as he entered the elegant room, Li Ji’an raised his eyebrows slightly, finding the layout and style behind the screen to be drastically different from outside.

Having lived in the Great Marsh Cultivation Realm for three hundred years, he was familiar with the local customs and architectural style here.

The layout and style of Wutong Fairy’s elegant room had obvious fundamental differences.

"Please sit, my mistress will play a simple melody, indifferent to the rhythm; if you have any realizations, feel free to express them." While in a daze, the maid led Li Ji’an to sit high outside a curtain.

Li Ji’an slowly released his divine sense, attempting to see through the curtain to observe Wutong Fairy.

"Oh?" Surprisingly, with his divine sense now comparable to a Core Formation Ascendant, he couldn’t penetrate this layer of curtain at all.

"Please, Daoist." At this time, Wutong Fairy’s voice came from inside the curtain.

Li Ji’an raised his eyebrows again at the sound, noting that although her pronunciation was very standard, it carried a heavy accent.

This instantly heightened Li Ji’an’s sense of anticipation.

In the next moment, the sound of the zither began, initially melodious and meandering.

Yet soon, the tone shifted rapidly, becoming chaotic, and then again distant and ethereal...

It was remarkably reminiscent of the melody Duanmu Qin once played.

Li Ji’an didn’t hesitate for a moment and immediately replicated the sound of the Xiao from Yellow Heaven Domain using his magical power.

This was the tune Duanmu Xiao played voluntarily to prove his connection with Duanmu Qin to Li Ji’an.

"Dang~ dang~" As soon as the Xiao sound started, the zither sound inside the curtain became chaotic at once.

Subsequently, the zither sound completely stopped, the curtain opened, and a veiled female cultivator came into view.

Although her veil covered her features, it left exposed a head of gold-colored long hair.

"Where does Daoist come from?" Wutong Fairy’s accent remained rather distinct.

"Wutong Fairy, I’ve long admired you. I hail from Celestial Cyan Domain, Biyun Sect," Li Ji’an replied frankly, cupping his hands.

"Biyun Sect..." Wutong Fairy’s eyes slightly narrowed, then she smiled brightly.

"I wonder if Fairy is an old acquaintance of our sect’s Elder Duanmu Ye?" Li Ji’an asked straightforwardly.

Upon hearing this, Wutong Fairy’s eyes took on a nostalgic look, and then she gazed into Li Ji’an’s eyes: "How remarkable that a Daoist so youthful knows such old matters?"

Li Ji’an waved dismissively, "To be honest, it’s merely a speculation I had just now."

Li Ji’an then divulged the relationship with Duanmu Qin and Duanmu Xiao, though he talked about Duanmu Qin in the capacity of a master.

But he concealed the matter of the relics.

"I see." Wutong Fairy, led into memories, lowered her eyes.

"Fairy searching for a kindred spirit, are you perhaps seeking Duanmu’s descendants?" Li Ji’an probed further.

Wutong Fairy regained her senses, shook her head with a gentle smile, "The young master has long turned into dust; what’s the point in searching further? It’s just that with little lifespan left, some memories arise, some fleeting thoughts nothing more."

After pondering for a moment, she sighed softly, "Never thought I’d truly meet a Daoist, recalling the past yet feeling so calm and unruffled inside, it’s rather dull."

Li Ji’an paused, looked at Wutong Fairy for a moment, then understood.

This must be the state of having little lifespan left, no hope, no desire, no attachments, emptiness and loneliness, when life no longer holds anything of interest.

"Does Fairy have any unfulfilled wishes?" Understanding her mindset, Li Ji’an attempted to probe her secrets.

If not for her mindset like this, regarding a possible secret, Li Ji’an would have been much more cautious.

Wutong Fairy smiled faintly, shook her head, "I’ve lived for five hundred and thirty-seven years, experienced what I should and shouldn’t, cultivation has stopped progressing past Core Formation Middle Stage long ago; the regrets I once had cannot be remedied, I’ve come to terms with them, so there are no more desires."

"Fairy doesn’t seem to belong to this realm." Li Ji’an pondered for a moment, then went straight to the point.

Hearing this, Wutong Fairy paused slightly, and then looked rather curiously at Li Ji’an, "Daoist knows about the external world?"

"I humbly ask Fairy to inform me." Seeing that the other party showed no unusual hues, even showing interest, Li Ji’an earnestly cupped his hands.

Wutong Fairy calmly gazed at Li Ji’an, smiling and shaking her head, "Haha, Daoist truly gave me a surprise; this matter has been sealed for almost four hundred years; had Daoist not mentioned it today, I nearly forgot."

After a pause, she gently waved her hand, fully opening the curtain.

The veil then gracefully fell off, revealing her true appearance.

With the gold hair left outside paired with her blue-green eyes beneath the veil, and her delicate features, Li Ji’an’s pupils suddenly dilated.

"How did Daoist know of the existence of the external world? I have explored much in these nearly four hundred years, yet couldn’t find any hint of the external world in this realm."

"How did Fairy come here?" Li Ji’an did not answer but asked.

Wutong Fairy paused, then smiled faintly, being close to death, she didn’t mind these things, and said calmly, "In my hundredth year, I formed a Magic Pill, accidentally, I was chased and inadvertently entered the Ancient Battlefield Forbidden Area Teleportation Array, entering here. It was Young Master Duanmu who saved me..."

"Transmission Array? What was the condition of Fairy’s domain? Was the cultivation environment very favorable? Was anyone able to break the shackles of Divinity Transformation?" Li Ji’an asked, slightly excited.