Chapter 993 - 439: Dao Sect Gathering

"Supreme, it truly is you, it really is you..."

Upon entering the secret temple of the City Lord's Mansion and activating the array to prevent others from detecting them, Li Nianxue could finally no longer suppress the excitement and emotion in her heart, suddenly kneeling down, "Greetings, Supreme!"

Her face was filled with excitement, sentimentality, and an indescribable emotion, which eventually turned into a teary smile.

Li An removed the bamboo hat from his head, his appearance reverting back to how it looked on Evergreen Peak of the Dao Sect in those days, looking still in his prime, but now carrying a sense of the vicissitudes of life.

"Quickly rise, no need for such formality."

Li An helped Li Nianxue to her feet, and upon seeing an old friend again, Li An was also filled with mixed emotions.

"Are you and everyone else well?"

"To report to the Supreme, everything is well!"

Li Nianxue, with tears brimming in her eyes, said, "Currently, the news about you is only known by me, Senior Brother An Li, and Supreme Shangguan. If everyone knows you are still here, that you are still alive, they will certainly be overjoyed..."

"Where are they now?" Li An asked, smiling:

"With the Longevity Tribulation approaching, a great calamity is imminent. Before then, I wish to see some old friends."

Li Nianxue sensed something unusual in his words, was Li An implying that the great Longevity Tribulation was unstoppable?

Li An had always been the last hope of a comeback for An Li, Shangguan Xiaoxiao, and others. If he thought so, then truly darkness would pervade.

However, this thought only flashed through her mind; she didn't feel much sorrow or disappointment. Perhaps in her heart, waiting for Li An's return was the most important thing. As for whether this great calamity could be stopped... it no longer mattered.

"In the last battle, we acted according to your plan, letting Yunluo Immortal Venerable suffer a severe loss. After learning the truth about the residual spirits of the Longevity Seekers, he was furious... Senior Brother An Li worried that after killing Qin Zhong, his wrath would have yet to subside, and might seek revenge on the Celestial Court. Thus, everyone dispersed and went into hiding everywhere to avoid being caught in one sweep."

"Supreme, should I call them together now?"

Li Nianxue asked.

"No need to alarm too many, just want to see familiar faces, and go to where it's hidden."

Li An spoke.

In fact, if what he had done for the Dao Sect upon returning were made public, it would certainly bring him eminence far beyond Purple Fairy and Shangguan Xiaoxiao, as he was actually the orchestrator behind the reform of the Celestial Court and other key battles like the Tenth Heavenly Domain War. But Li An had always been indifferent to such fame, preferring to keep a low profile.

He didn't mind whether Yunluo Immortal Venerable found him or not; now he had completed the same transformation as Evergreen Immortal Venerable. He had hidden all of his Dao Fruit into a kind of mysterious substance that had emerged, infusing it into the body of Gu Xuening. Even if someone killed him thoroughly, it was no big deal.

As long as there were sacrifices to the world, it would trigger the rebirth of Evergreen Immortal Venerable, and when Evergreen Immortal Venerable rebirthed, he too would be reborn within, plucking the fruit Evergreen Immortal Venerable desired to pluck.

Because of this, Li An's current cultivation was left with almost nothing; purely in terms of mana and divine power, it was merely at the level of an Immortal.

"Alright!"

Li Nianxue then led Li An out of the city, preparing to escape using the void, and Li An subconsciously said, "Take me with you."

He reached out, with a wry smile: "Such little power is left within me."

Even though he was left with just this bit of cultivation, his methods and foundation were naturally still abundant. However, before returning this time, he had already decided that the version of himself he would show the Dao Sect was a broken one.

He had an idea in his heart... before making a certain decision, he wanted to test some things again.

Starting now.

Li Nianxue was suddenly somewhat stunned, having thought just now that Li An was merely hiding his prowess. After all, Li An had always loved hiding in the shadows. But facing her now, there was no need to hide, so it seemed...

Li An indeed only had the cultivation of an Immortal left?

But, how could this be...

Li An had led the upheaval of the Celestial Court, ensnaring seventeen Daluo Golden Immortals. His previous strength was undoubtedly one of the best among the Daluo.

And now...

She vaguely had a speculation; after having ensnared seventeen Daluo Golden Immortals, Li An the Supreme must have made some unknown efforts, but he failed, his cultivation severely damaged, and he was powerless to stop Yunluo Immortal Venerable...

In her heart, she felt both pained and revered. Li An had protected all beings silently, and held everything up alone in places unnoticed for a very long time...

But he never mentioned it, when he was obviously the one who gave the most to all living beings!

Thinking of this, she reached out, holding tightly onto Li An's hand, and said, "Unless I die, you will not be hurt again."

Li An was somewhat bewildered, wasn't it just an escape through the void? Why say such words, and she was holding on a bit too firmly.

But Li An said nothing more, following her as they escaped far away.

...

Not long after.

In one of the many lower realms, the Spirit Realm.

Back then, the Spirit Realm was occupied by various major forces from the Eleven Heavens of Purple Cloud Province, with many creatures being raised like pigs, but in the Saint Realm, Li An led many talents in raiding Purple Cloud Mountain. In that battle, the Yi Clan, Gong Clan, and other forces that once participated in the Spirit Realm war were all wiped out.

The Spirit Realm was then reclaimed, and as the Dao Sect developed within the thirty-three heavens, the former site of the Dao Sect in the Spirit Realm was also restored, becoming an ancestral land where entry-level disciples of the Dao Sect must first come to train for a period of time.