Chapter 158: CH. 158 | Qingxue’s New Light
One week had passed since Lin Tian and Cao Ying arrived at the Yunlan Sect.
The protective qi dome still surrounded the sect’s main hall; no one had been able to break through it.
Grand Elder Han Xin had just returned after visiting several sects, he was shocked by what had happened.
The sect elders gathered inside the guest house, along with Cao Ying, who had been staying there while waiting for Lin Tian to finish taking care of Li Qingxue’s situation.
"It’s been more than seven nights already. I’m worried something may have happened to them," said one of the younger elders, a woman from the Pill Refinement Hall.
"We should try to find a way to get inside the dome and check on them," another elder suggested.
"That won’t be easy. The protective rune dome was activated by a half-step Soul Formation cultivator. We don’t have the strength to break through it," another elder replied as the discussion continued.
Grand Elder Han Xin remained silent for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh. He could still feel the restriction inside his body was active, a simple sign that Lin Tian was still alive.
He turned around and looked toward the cultivation altar inside the guest house, where Cao Ying sat cross-legged in meditation, completely undisturbed by the elders’ heated discussion.
He walked over to Cao Ying, drawing the attention of the other elders.
"What advice can you give us, Master Ying?"
"None," Cao Ying answered, "We only need to wait and have faith."
"But will they really be alright? They’ve been in there for seven days already, and there isn’t any sign they’ll be coming out."
Cao Ying slowly opened her eyes and stared straight ahead.
"Have you forgotten who fought against twelve Perfect Nascent Soul cultivators in the Battle of the Impossible?"
The room instantly fell silent. The memory of that great battle outside the Yunlan Sect a year ago was still fresh in everyone’s mind.
Not a single member of the Yunlan Sect had forgotten that day. Even now, some of the sect’s disciples still talked about it.
To them, it had been a suicidal battle. No one believed a Perfect Nascent Soul cultivator could fight evenly, let alone gain the upper hand, against twelve opponents at the same level.
An impossible battle that had led to an unimaginable outcome.
Simply remembering that event gradually calmed everyone’s hearts, because they believed Lin Tian would be alright.
If he had survived and lived through last year’s battle, then he could certainly survive the situation he was facing now.
"We only need to wait. Something may have happened there, but Lin Tian isn’t a foolish cultivator."
"He knows what he needs to do," Cao Ying added.
Grand Elder Han Xin shifted his gaze toward the other elders.
They looked at one another and nodded in agreement, deciding to wait for Lin Tian.
From outside the guest house, Cao Ying sensed an unfamiliar qi aura arriving in the front courtyard. Han Xin sensed it as well.
"Greetings, Elders."
"Something has happened at the sect’s main hall," a Yunlan Sect inner disciple reported.
After hearing the report, the elders immediately rushed out. Han Xin and Cao Ying followed behind them.
In a flash of red light, Cao Ying appeared in the sky, her eyes fixed ahead. The disciple had been telling the truth.
A thick white mist, almost like fog, had filled the entire protective qi dome.
The source of the dense white mist was completely mysterious. No one knew what had caused it or where it had come from.
The strange phenomenon immediately reignited the elders’ worries.
They felt that something was wrong inside the sect’s main hall. Even their spiritual senses couldn’t penetrate the dome’s barrier, leaving them trapped with nothing but speculation.
Cao Ying flew closer until she stopped directly in front of the white rune dome that continued to imprison Lin Tian and Li Qingxue inside.
She raised her hand and gently reached toward the barrier.
The elders saw what she was doing and immediately tried to stop her.
"No... don’t touch the dome, Master Ying!"
The moment her palm touched the white rune barrier, her eyes suddenly widened, and her heart began pounding.
The white rune dome trembled once, releasing a powerful wave of qi along with a violent gust of wind.
The elders immediately became alert, jumping backward while activating their spiritual qi.
This... wasn’t the formation’s defensive mechanism.
Starting from the top, the dome slowly faded into countless glowing qi particles that drifted into the sky.
The thick white mist that had been trapped inside the dome began spreading in every direction, shocking everyone present.
"The dome is opening... did something happen to them?"
"That white mist is rather strange. We’d better not get any closer yet," Grand Elder Han Xin said.
Cao Ying retreated a short distance and prepared her spiritual qi.
The dome completely disappeared, while the white mist continued spreading throughout the area.
Even so, she didn’t sense any danger from it. Using her Aura Qi Eyes, she couldn’t detect any spiritual qi within the mysterious white mist.
In other words, the white mist posed no threat to them.
Since it wasn’t dangerous, Cao Ying shifted her attention toward the sect’s main hall.
With her Aura Qi Eyes, she finally detected the spiritual qi belonging to Lin Tian and Li Qingxue.
They succeeded!
The doors of the sect’s main hall slowly opened. A streak of brilliant blue light shot out from inside the building.
When it reached the sky outside, it stopped and released an overwhelming burst of qi in every direction.
The powerful shockwave and fierce wind scattered the mysterious white mist, revealing a graceful and beautiful woman dressed in a long blue dress.
Her face looked brighter than before, glowing beneath the afternoon sunlight, while a wide smile spread across her lips.
Everyone smiled as they looked up into the sky, admiring the breathtaking beauty of their Sect Master.
"Greetings, Sect Master Li Qingxue."
The disciples saluted in unison, cupping their fists and bowing respectfully. The elders did the same.
"Congratulations on your success, Sect Master Li Qingxue."
Cao Ying observed the qi aura radiating from Li Qingxue’s body; It was far more stable and powerful than before.
She was certain that whatever had happened between Li Qingxue and Lin Tian had greatly increased Li Qingxue’s strength.
Then she turned and saw Lin Tian walking out of the sect’s main hall alone.
His steps were slow, but steady. However, the qi aura coming from his body was far less stable than Li Qingxue’s.
"Lin Tian?" Cao Ying called.
She immediately flew down and landed in front of the entrance to the main hall, stopping directly in front of him.
Lin Tian smiled, though exhaustion was written all over his face.
"Are you alright?" Cao Ying asked.
"I’m just tired and low on spiritual energy. Other than that, I’m fine."
Cao Ying smiled softly.
Relief filled her face after seeing that Lin Tian had not suffered anything serious during the seven days he had spent inside the sect’s main hall helping Li Qingxue.
"I need to leave for a while and recover my strength," Lin Tian said.
"Do you need my help?" Cao Ying asked.
Lin Tian shook his head. He walked past Cao Ying while looking up toward the sky at Li Qingxue.
"I need to recover my strength, Sect Master Li."
"Would you mind if I used one of the guest houses?"
Li Qingxue turned around when she heard him call her. In an instant, she appeared directly in front of him.
"Let me help you recover, Lin Tian," Li Qingxue offered.
"No need," Lin Tian replied, "I can do it myself."
The woman in the blue gown fell silent for a moment before smiling and nodding.
She allowed Lin Tian to use one of the Yunlan Sect’s guest houses for cultivation.
Lin Tian cupped his fists in thanks before leaving the sect’s main hall with Cao Ying accompanying him.
Li Qingxue’s eyes continued following him as he walked away. Curious, she decided to follow them.
The two of them arrived at one of the guest houses.
However, Lin Tian asked Cao Ying to wait outside in the front courtyard, saying he didn’t want anyone disturbing his cultivation.
Cao Ying understood and obediently remained outside as she watched Lin Tian enter the guest house alone.
Not long afterward, Li Qingxue arrived to check on Lin Tian’s condition.
She stopped beside Cao Ying, who was still waiting outside. She found it rather strange.
"Why aren’t you..."
"Shhh!" Cao Ying whispered, cutting Li Qingxue off.
Li Qingxue blinked in surprise, confused by Cao Ying’s reaction.
Cao Ying simply motioned for her to look inside the guest house using her Aura Qi Eyes.
Without hesitation, Li Qingxue did exactly that. Her face instantly turned pale with eyes widened in shock.
Her heart began pounding as she saw what was happening to Lin Tian.
"What... happened?" Li Qingxue whispered in shock.
Through their Aura Qi Eyes, Li Qingxue and Cao Ying saw Lin Tian cultivating while countless spirit stones floated throughout the room.
That wasn’t what shocked them.
What truly shocked them was watching Lin Tian cough up blood every time he tried to absorb spiritual energy.
"The qi aura inside his body is unstable. It looks like both his body and soul are suffering from violent qi turbulence."
Li Qingxue’s eyes widened even further as she looked toward Cao Ying, "C-Could it be because he...?"
"What is it, Qingxue?"