The sword spirit did not answer Pengluo's question, merely nodding in silence.
She only needed to know whether Pengluo could construct such a space.
However... it seemed only the sword coffin would be capable of serving as a vessel for such a realm.
Modifying it on the foundation of the original altar would be far less difficult.
In truth, Li Guanqi had already possessed an array formation for time dilation on him.
Yet the time left for him to focus purely on cultivation had been far too scarce; he had always been rushing from one crisis to the next.
An invisible hand had been constantly shoving him forward, not allowing him a single moment's rest.
Back then, the three-plus years he spent in the God Burial Valley had ironically become the longest period he ever had to cultivate in peace.
Soon, the group returned to the Seventh Domain. The moment they stepped into the domain realm, Li Guanqi was enveloped by the rushing celestial spiritual qi.
It felt as if all the exhaustion from the previous battles was swept away in an instant.
Many cultivators of the Immortal Burial Realm were also returning at this time.
There was no dejection on their faces over the turmoil in the Six Domains; on the contrary, quite a few wore faint smiles.
For they had received a long-awaited opportunity to travel outside and visit their families.
Even if they had no living kin left, simply visiting their clan's younger generations brought them immense joy.
And if they had no one left in this world at all, they would simply walk the mortal realm.
Watching the people strive to rebuild their homes after the catastrophe made them feel that everything they did was worthwhile.
This inexplicable sense of fulfillment had become the driving force that sustained them to keep persevering.
Watching these people while suspended midair, Li Guanqi suddenly felt a peculiar epiphany.
It seemed that all the peace and beauty of the mortal world today had been quietly shouldered by these nameless cultivators of the mortal realm.
Walking in darkness, battling year in and year out with no one to ever know of their deeds.
Worse still, the cultivators of the outside world forced all manner of resentment and discontent onto them!
Little did those outsiders know that to keep the Human Spirit Realm from being slaughtered at will by descending immortals, every single one of these people was fighting with all their might to hold the line.
And this defense... had lasted ten thousand years!
Qin Xiao, Ye Xuan, and the others halted their steps and turned to address the group.
"Brother Meng, Ye Xuan and I plan to head to the Immortal Burial Pavilion to see what we can exchange our merit points for now."
Meng Jiangchu nodded slightly and replied, "All right. I'll be heading over in a bit as well. Go ahead first."
Li Guilan looked around at the radiant, unfathomable space, feeling rather uneasy and constrained.
Noticing the woman's nervousness, Li Guanqi reached out with a warm, steady hand to hold hers, speaking softly.
"Aunt Li, don't be nervous."
"Just treat this place like Fulong Village back in the day."
"Though there are many powerful cultivators here, they have families living in the town as well. It's really not much different from our old village."
Only then did Li Guilan's anxiety ease slightly. Pinching the corner of her clothes, she asked in a low voice, "Then... do the people here raise chickens and ducks and such?"
"The cultivators here are all so formidable. With my cultivation, won't I just embarrass Old Meng?"
No sooner had her words fallen than a gentle woman's voice chimed in with amused warmth.
"Mother, that worry of yours is completely unnecessary."
Hearing this, Li Guanqi could not help but smile, while Ye Feng and the others beside him burst into hearty laughter.
With Li Guanqi's status, Li Guilan truly had no need to worry about anyone looking down on her cultivation realm.
Her identity as Li Guanqi's mother-in-law alone was more than enough to make anyone scramble to curry favor with her.
The moment Li Guilan saw Meng Wanshu, her face lit up with joy.
"You wretched girl, it's been so long and you never even thought of coming back to visit me!"
Li Guilan pulled Meng Wanshu close, looking her up and down. She found that Meng Wanshu's disposition had grown even more ethereal and transcendent.
Her features were radiant and striking, her posture graceful, and her beautiful eyes no longer held that chilly glint that used to flicker occasionally.
"You look good now. Much better than that sullen, deadpan face you used to pull."
The others could only chuckle awkwardly at her words. Truly, only Li Guilan would dare say such things.
No one else would ever have the nerve to speak to Meng Wanshu like that.
Li Guilan seemed to remember something.
"Oh, right, girl, what did you mean when you said my worry was unnecessary?"
"Is your father's shoddy Domain Master title even worth anything in a place crawling with Mahayana realm cultivators?!"
Meng Wanshu lifted her eyes to glance at Meng Jiangchu, who stood nearby looking utterly disinclined to speak, and covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.
Like a thief sharing a secret, Li Guilan leaned close to Meng Wanshu's ear and whispered,
"Your father told me himself that this place is crawling with Mahayana realm cultivators everywhere."
"So I figured in a place like this, his shoddy Domain Master title wouldn't carry any weight. Everyone's in the Mahayana realm—who would care about him?"
"I was even thinking maybe our whole family shouldn't have come here at all. Wouldn't it be better to just go back to our Meng family where our word is law?"
Hearing this, the onlookers wanted to laugh, but none dared let out a sound.
Having cultivated diligently with the Meng family's abundant resources, Li Guilan had already broken through to the mid Soul Formation Realm.
When she broke through to the Soul Formation Realm, Meng Jiangchu had personally protected her Dao, proceeding with such utmost caution out of terror that something might go wrong.
In the end, Li Guilan had nearly fallen asleep sheltered inside the eighteen array formation discs Meng Jiangchu had forged, and the heavenly tribulation failed to shatter even the first disc...
Yet a voice transmission from a Soul Formation cultivator was something everyone present could not help but overhear, even if they tried not to.
Meng Jiangchu covered his face, refusing to say a word.
Li Guilan continued, "Sigh, there must be a whole bunch of high officials here. I kept saying I didn't want to come, but he just had to make me come."
Meng Wanshu really could not hold it in any longer. Taking Li Guilan's hand, she chuckled,
"Don't worry, Mother..."
"In this place, I doubt anyone would dare bully you."
Li Guilan's eyes brightened. Turning to look at Li Guanqi, she said with pleasant surprise,
"Is it because Guanqi is doing really well here?"
Li Guanqi suddenly looked up into the distance. Without speaking right away, he merely curled the corners of his lips and said softly,
"Aunt Li, someone's coming to scrounge a free meal."
*Buzz—!*
Resplendent clouds of light instantly filled the sky across the entire celestial spiritual realm of the First Domain!
An elderly man stepped slowly out from a portal of light.
In an instant, every cultivator across the entire first tier dropped to one knee!
A resounding roar nearly overturned the firmament!
"Greetings, Realm Master!"
Even Li Guanqi and the others bowed in salute, and Meng Jiangchu bent low as well.
Watching the smiling little old man in the distance, Li Guilan, with her slightly plump figure, hopped up and down in excitement.
"Aiya! Aiya-ya-ya!"
"Old Man Su! Hahahahaha, Old Su!"
"Aiyowei..."
Seeing Su Xuan again, Li Guilan was excited beyond measure.
This was the first time in so many years that she had laid eyes on this little old man.
Yet those couple of careless remarks from the woman broke out a cold sweat on every Mahayana cultivator in the Seventh Domain.
"Who is that woman... Calling the Realm Master 'Old Man Su'?!"
"*Hiss!* Her guts are way too big."
"Yet the Realm Master doesn't seem angry in the slightest. Could she be an old acquaintance? Then that Soul Formation Realm cultivation is definitely a disguise!"
"What a formidable technique of concealment! I am already at half-step Tribulation Transcendence, yet I couldn't detect the slightest trace of a disguise! Brilliant!"
Su Xuan smiled warmly upon seeing Li Guilan.
"Guilan, long time no see."
Without a second thought, Li Guilan flew over to the old man's side, grabbing his hand with reddened eyes.
"You can say that again! How many years has it been?"
"Look at you, not a single word in all these years."
"Even after Guanqi and Wanshu got together, I never heard Guanqi mention you."
"I thought you'd passed away... For the past few years, there were so many times I wanted to ask, but I was afraid of hurting the boy's feelings, so I didn't dare say a peep."
Su Xuan's eyelids twitched.
*Great... We just met, and she's already saying I'm dead.*
Su Xuan glanced at Meng Jiangchu, who was shaking his head with a wry smile, and sent a teasing transmission:
"I really don't know what you saw in Guilan back then. You old rascal, don't tell me you're a masochist?"
Meng Jiangchu's face shifted, but before he could explain, he heard the old man laugh and say,
"Stop putting a curse on me. Won't you show off your cooking skills tonight?"
The moment Li Guilan heard about cooking, her enthusiasm was instantly kindled, but in the next breath her face fell into a grimace.
"You bet I can!"
"Only... doesn't seem like there's much to cook with around here. I didn't bring any of the chickens or ducks I was raising on the Meng family's back mountain."
Su Xuan smiled faintly. "A minor matter."
"Besides, I've arranged a small courtyard for you in town. When the time comes, you folks can just stay there."
Li Guilan nodded with a grin. Only then did she properly register her surroundings, turning her head to look at the powerful cultivators kneeling all over the ground.
"Old Man Su, you... you're really something!"
Indeed, Li Guilan simply thought the old man was doing quite well for himself...
Chapter 1220