Demon Suppression Stone Pillar!

Four full days had passed since Ye Feng and the others had departed. Over those four days, Lu Kangnian went to check on the cave abode where Li Guanqi was secluding himself several times each day. Suddenly! At the summit of Tianjian Peak, a pitch-black rift in space abruptly tore open! The moment Lu Kangnian sensed it, he teleported over. Rays of spiritual light formed a formation array in an instant, and amid the flashing radiance, a tall, upright figure slowly stepped out. When Lu Kangnian saw that Ye Feng had returned alone, his brow furrowed immediately. Not only that, but he also noticed that Ye Feng's expression looked grim, which deepened his frown. "Ye Feng, what happened? Why are you back alone? Did something happen on Xiao Chen's end?" Ye Feng nodded. A surge of spatial energy enveloped them both, and the two arrived in Lu Kangnian's study. Sitting across from each other, Ye Feng recounted everything that had recently taken place. After hearing it all, Lu Kangnian froze in his seat for a long time. In the end, he pressed Ye Feng for more details regarding the Abyss Demons. Hearing what had befallen the Xiao clan, he could not help but sigh. "You did the right thing. At a time like this, don't worry about whether it's another family's private business. If you hadn't stood by his side, he would have felt completely alone in the world..." "Alas... To think they would suffer such a catastrophe. It truly was a disaster out of nowhere." At this thought, Lu Kangnian could not help recalling the two days Xiao Chen had spent conscientiously preaching the Dao and lecturing to the disciples in the sect. "When you get the chance, let Xiao Chen know that if he needs any help at all, he can come to me. We can even lend a hand with rebuilding their home." Ye Feng also felt a pang of sorrow. Looking up at the sect master, he said, "It's enough that we have the intention. Cross-domain teleportation consumes far too many resources; we simply can't afford the toll. Sect Master, how has the boss been doing in seclusion recently? And... how is Cao Yan?" Lu Kangnian let out a sigh. "On Guanqi's side, the barrier is still intact, but not a shred of aura can be sensed within. It feels... it feels... How should I put it? It's as if the cave abode inside the peak was suddenly hollowed out into empty air—nothing can be perceived at all. Cao Yan is also in seclusion right now, and there is no telling when he will make a breakthrough." Hearing this, Ye Feng frowned and pondered for a long moment before saying, "I don't think we need to worry about the boss. If his aura can't be detected, then so be it. I believe he knows what he's doing. As for Cao Yan, there's no need to fret either. At the earliest, it'll take ten days to half a month; at the latest, three to five years. Either way, he is bound to break through into Void Returning." Lu Kangnian suddenly muttered with an air of mystery, "Tell me... do you think I could keep Cao Yan in the sect to serve as the Disciplinary Law Enforcer?" Ye Feng was slightly taken aback, then curled his lip as he looked at Lu Kangnian. "Sect Master, the beads from your abacus are practically bouncing off my face." Lu Kangnian chuckled somewhat awkwardly, raising his hand to take a sip of tea. "Ahem, aren't we all on the same side here? What do you think?" Ye Feng said frankly, "Cao Yan is upright and steady. He would make a good Disciplinary Law Enforcer." Hearing this, Lu Kangnian beamed with a smile, convinced he would surely be able to convince Cao Yan to stay. Yet Ye Feng immediately poured cold water on the idea. "However, I don't think Old Three will stay in the sect for long." "Why?" Lu Kangnian was puzzled. "No particular reason. Don't let his frail scholar appearance fool you; in his bones, he's just as combative and ambitious. With the boss around, the pressure on both him and me regarding cultivation becomes immense. So... in all likelihood, we will still choose to leave in the future to temper ourselves in the Six Domains," Ye Feng said honestly. Lu Kangnian sighed, but he did not force them to stay behind for the sect's sake. "A true man aspires to roam far and wide. You are not wrong. You should take to the winds and soar across tens of thousands of li, travel through the world's mountains and rivers, and experience the full spectrum of mortal passions and desires." Ye Feng smiled, and after chatting for a few more moments, he took his leave of the study. Once Ye Feng was gone, Lu Kangnian sat in his chair, his eyes gleaming sharply as his fingers gently tapped the desktop. In his heart, he murmured, *Demons!* Lu Kangnian stood up abruptly! After finding Ling Daoyan, he called Qin Xian over as well! He relayed everything they had discussed to the two of them. Ling Daoyan's gaze turned piercing as he looked at Lu Kangnian and asked in a heavy voice, "Is all of this true?" Lu Kangnian shook his head, then said solemnly, "Ye Feng wouldn't lie. Besides, an incident of this magnitude would be easy enough to verify." Qin Xian's brow was tightly knit, an inexplicable dread creeping across his weathered face. Ling Daoyan deliberated for a long while before making an immediate decision. "No, we must go inspect the Demon Suppression Stone Pillar!" Thereupon, each of the three men retrieved a fragment of a black jade pendant from inside his robes. When the three fragments merged into one, a ripple of spatial fluctuation spread out, and their figures vanished from the study in an instant. *** In the cave abode on the back mountain. The spiritual radiance before Li Guanqi gradually drew to completion before dissipating into thin air. Inside the cave abode, he had simulated the Void Returning process over a thousand times. And for Li Guanqi, nearly a full month had already elapsed. He had no idea of anything that was happening in the outside world. Nor did he believe anything could possibly go wrong. At present, within the territory of the Great Xia Sword Sect alone, there were three mighty cultivators at the Void Refining Realm: Meng Wanshu, Ye Feng, and Xiao Chen, along with Cao Yan, who was at half-step Void Refinement. He did not believe anyone in the entire Qingyun Continent would be so blind as to provoke the current Great Xia Sword Sect. Throughout these days, he had been simulating every single step of Void Returning with an utterly undisturbed mind. The spirit stones inside the cave abode, along with those he had prepared himself, were more than enough for his breakthrough. Even with the sword spirit setting up the entire time-dilation array, the resources were ample. Li Guanqi had simulated it over a thousand times, and the sword spirit had watched alongside him over a thousand times. Every time there was even the slightest error, the sword spirit would point it out to him at the end. Throughout this process, Li Guanqi's temperament was polished until it grew far more refined and steady. After all, repeatedly performing the exact same tedious task would inevitably breed restlessness in anyone. Only when he achieved hundreds of consecutive runs without the slightest mistake did the sword spirit finally nod in satisfaction. When Li Guanqi slowly opened his eyes, the sword spirit stood up and said, "The rest is up to you." Li Guanqi smiled faintly and nodded with resolute eyes. Circulating his cultivation technique, he began to inhale and exhale spiritual energy, filling his dantian and the Heavenly Thunder Bead with primal energy. Three more days passed before Li Guanqi brought his condition to its absolute peak. He swallowed the Heart-Calming Pill Meng Wanshu had prepared for him, along with an incomparably precious Tier-7 Void Returning Pill! As the pills dissolved within his body into pure energy coursing through his limbs and bones, dark clouds suddenly gathered over the territory of the Great Xia Sword Sect. Yet these dark clouds circled aimlessly like headless flies, scattering into drifting patches that wandered across the sky. With a calm expression, Li Guanqi guided the energy within him through his meridians. He had gone through this scene thousands of times; there was not the slightest obstruction or hesitation. Immediately afterward, his origin spirit trembled. Under Li Guanqi's control, a tiny black speck suddenly surfaced upon it. A searing pain of soul-rending agony abruptly swept through his mind! Cold sweat soaked through his robes in an instant! After simulating it so many times, he had actually overlooked the agony of tearing his origin spirit! This pain was nothing less than the raw, agonizing tearing of his three souls, seven spirits, and his entire sea of consciousness! Though his whole body trembled violently, Li Guanqi did not halt his movements. He had to complete this before the medicinal power of the Void Returning Pill dissipated! His face deathly pale and his lips quivering, Li Guanqi's shoulders hitched involuntarily. Enduring inhuman torment, his actions did not pause for even half a breath.