Chapter 697 - Departure

In less than a day, Bi Gongyu had successfully refined fifteen pills, more than enough for the Heavenly Dao Society’s higher hierarchies.

Liu Wuxie gathered everyone in the region designated for true disciples and used the cultivation chambers there to help them make a breakthrough in their current cultivation. The chambers were of a higher level, and a single day spent outside was equivalent to one year spent inside.

The consumption points might be terrifying, but it was nothing to Liu Wuxie. Not to mention, the rewards from the sect would soon arrive, and he deserved them as he had helped the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion reclaim its top position among the ten major sects.

Before Liu Wuxie could leave, Elder Tian Xing arrived with a massive interspatial ring. When he scanned it with his divine sense, a satisfied smile rose on his lips.

“Are you satisfied now?” Elder Tian Xing patted Liu Wuxie’s shoulder. They hadn’t had the chance to talk when Liu Wuxie killed Grandmaster Hai as there were too many people present. He knew Liu Wuxie was busy, so he had waited until now to visit Liu Wuxie.

“Please thank the sect master on my behalf,” Liu Wuxie said. He was satisfied with the rewards. Aside from high-grade spirit stones, he had various manuals to pick, including raw materials for blacksmithing, which he lacked the most now.

As for the reward points, he couldn’t even be bothered to count them as he had enough for years to spend. However, that was necessary for the Heavenly Dao Society’s development.

Though the Heavenly Dao Society amassed countless spiritual stones daily, many materials couldn’t simply be purchased with wealth—they required access to exclusive and often elusive channels. Within the interspatial ring were numerous rare materials that were scarcely available in the market.

Over a dozen people made their way to the true disciple’s region. No one dared to obstruct them, fearing they might incur Liu Wuxie’s wrath.

“Greetings, Elder Liu!”

“Greetings, Senior Brother Liu!” True disciples greeted with awe wherever they went. Some disciples even volunteered to bring Liu Wuxie’s group to the cultivation chamber, as it was Liu Wuxie’s first time in the area.

As everyone began to enter, Liu Wuxie found a few cultivation chambers. Each person received two pills and ten high-grade spirit stones, enough to help them reach the Astral River Realm.

Not everyone possessed a desolate world like Liu Wuxie. He personally guided each of them in their cultivation, using cultivation techniques tailored to them.

After he was done arranging everything, Liu Wuxie went to the other peak.

Murong Yi was given the status of an elder after reaching the Nascent Transformation Realm, but she had refused. She knew she would leave the sect sooner or later, and she did not need to form deep ties.

When Liu Wuxie landed on the peak, Murong Yi gazed into the distant sea of clouds.

“You’ve been in the limelight these days,” Murong Yi said without turning toward him. She had already sensed him by his aura.

The news of Liu Wuxie slaying an elder in the Nascent Transformation Realm had spread like wildfire, shaking the entire Southern Province. The Heavenly Origin Sect was initially planning to send an expert in the low levels of the Nascent Transformation Realm to assassinate Liu Wuxie. But they immediately called off their plan upon hearing the news.

"I have to leave for a while again, but once I return, I'll accompany you to the Western Barren," Liu Wuxie said, his tone resolute. Once his affairs in the mundane world were resolved, he would have no lingering concerns and could leave the Southern Province freely.

“I understand,” Murong Yi replied. She had already anticipated it, but her face was a little pale when she replied.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Liu Wuxie asked, stepping forward with concern, but Murong Yi subtly stepped back, keeping her distance.

“It’s nothing. I’ll be fine after a few days of rest,” Murong Yi said. She wanted some time alone.

"Alright. I’ll look for you when I return," Liu Wuxie nodded, his voice tinged with understanding. He knew Murong Yi was still upset with him. Their relationship had remained undefined since the events of the Ten Grand Ceremony. His failure to clarify matters with Xu Lingxue had only deepened the strain between them.

Instead of heading back to the area for true disciples, Liu Wuxie made his way to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion’s main hall, where Mu Tianli had been waiting for him.

“Greetings, Sect Master!” Liu Wuxie bowed.

“There’re no outsiders here, and there’s no need for such formality,” Mu Tianli said. He didn’t look like a sect master as he sat down with Liu Wuxie, treating him as an equal.

“I must thank you for letting me handle this incident on my terms,” Liu Wuxie said earnestly. He knew Mu Tianli had faced immense pressure when he had killed Grandmaster Hai and crippled Qing Mu.

Over the past day, more than a dozen elders approached Mu Tianli, demanding an explanation for recent events. Some even called for Liu Wuxie to be impeached for killing an elder. However, Mu Tianli dismissed all such requests without hesitation, warning that anyone who pressed further would face the stripping of their status as an elder.

Mu Tianli’s decisive stance left no room for debate. After all, his authority was solidified by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's reclamation of its position as the first among the ten major sects.

“In truth, I owe you an apology. But I promise nothing like this will happen again,” Mu Tianli said with guilt. If Liu Wuxie hadn’t gone to the Heavenly Nether Battlefield on his behalf, such troubles wouldn’t have arisen. This was why he believed he had to apologize to Liu Wuxie.

“Sect Master, Qing Mu has no more than a year to live, and you only have to stall Yu Bu during that time. Even if he’s someone in the True Profound Realm, I will have the means to deal with him,” Liu Wuxie replied with a sharp gaze.

Liu Wuxie gave himself a year to reach the Nascent Transformation Realm as he knew that Yu Bu wouldn’t let the matter rest once Qing Mu died and would cause trouble.

“No wonder Qing Mu looked so ill when he returned—it was your doing!” Mu Tianli chuckled. He had already guessed it, but he had no concrete proof.

Yu Bu was inspecting Qing Mu’s condition in his quarters, but he couldn’t find any clues.

“He deserved it!” Liu Wuxie sneered. He hoped Yu Bu would be intimidated after Qing Mu’s death.

Their conversation flowed smoothly, and they discussed some knowledge about cultivation. Mu Tianli shared his insights about the Nascent Transformation Realm and the profundity of reaching the True Profound Realm. He could tell the Southern Province couldn’t keep Liu Wuxie, and the latter would leave sooner or later.

However, it was enough as long as Liu Wuxie’s roots were in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

“Sect Master, I plan on leaving for some time after dealing with the affairs in the mundane world. It may take somewhere from a year to three,” Liu Wuxie said candidly. He already had enough strength to venture beyond the Southern Province and planned to explore the outside world.

“I know. There are only two years left until the Ten Grand Assembly, and I hope you can return by then,” Mu Tianli said. He wasn’t surprised when Liu Wuxie said he planned on leaving to explore the outside world.

“I’ll do my best,” Liu Wuxie replied. After all, who could predict what the future held?

“I believe the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion’s resources no longer interest you. I have given you everything I can, and you can also have this Celestial Descent Bead that I won from Feng Gaoqiu,” Mu Tianli said honestly. He had already given everything he could to Liu Wuxie, and he knew ordinary treasures wouldn’t help much.

He had even gifted a tenth-grade pill, the Revitalizing Pill, to Liu Wuxie. There was nothing else he wouldn't be willing to part with after that.

“The Celestial Descent Bead!” Liu Wuxie exclaimed. He couldn’t believe the sect master would give him such a treasure. With the help of this bead, it would accelerate his comprehension of laws. He urgently needed such a treasure that could help him comprehend the Poison Art from She Bishi.

This could allow him to reach a new level in the Poison Art and ice dao technique. Not to mention, he also had to comprehend a blade technique as a dao technique.

“It’s yours now,” Mu Tianli said as he sent the Celestial Descent Bead to Liu Wuxie.

“Thank you, Sect Master!” Liu Wuxie rejoiced, holding onto the Celestial Descent Bead.

“It was yours, to begin with. I used it for some time to reach the fourth level of the True Profound Realm, but let it remain a secret,” Mu Tianli revealed in a hushed tone.

When Liu Wuxie was in the Heavenly Nether Battlefield, Mu Tianli had used the Celestial Descent Bead to comprehend and smoothly advance to the fourth level.

The first to third levels were considered the initial phase, the fourth to sixth as the intermediate phase, and the seventh to ninth as a late phase. From the third to the fourth level, there was a significant threshold, similar to the leap between the sixth and seventh.

At present, Mu Tianli was the only person who had reached the fourth level of the True Profound Realm in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. This was why Mu Tianli dared to have such a strong stance.

If Yu Bu dared to cause any trouble, he wouldn’t hesitate to make his move.

“Congratulations, Sect Master!” Liu Wuxie said as he stored the Celestial Descent Bead.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Liu Wuxie left the main hall. He planned on using a cultivation chamber to consolidate his cultivation as he hadn’t had that chance since he made a breakthrough in the Heavenly Nether Battlefield with the Revitalizing Pill.

Holding the Celestial Descent Bead in his right hand, Liu Wuxie's divine sense entered a wondrous realm. His consciousness sharpened, and everything seemed clearer and more vivid than ever. This was the profound benefit of the Celestial Descent Bead—enhancing his ability to comprehend dao techniques.

Liu Wuxie began to sort out all his martial and dao techniques—the Annihilation First, the Heavenly Dao Book, the True Strike, the Soul Forge Art, the Poison Art, and the Ice Dao Technique!

All his techniques progressed at an astonishing pace. In the cultivation world, a day outside was equivalent to a year, and Liu Wuxie had spent an entire year inside.

Though his cultivation didn’t significantly increase that year, his comprehension had far surpassed the gains of the past two years combined.

The other members of the Astral River Realm were also making swift progress in their cultivation. Song Ling was already in the Astral River Realm, and he advanced to the fourth level with the help of the pills.

That was the same for the others as they had all reached the Astral River Realm subsequently. This brought the Heavenly Dao Society’s strength to a new height, and even the Lesser Blade Association was inferior in comparison when it was in its prime.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and Liu Wuxie quietly left the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion with Fan Zhen and Song Ling. He didn’t even notify Chen Ruoyan, who had been clamoring that she also wanted to accompany them.

Liu Wuxie took out a warship as the trio boarded it. The warship was a reward from the sect for using it as his method of transport, capable of traveling over ten thousand miles in a day.

Under normal circumstances, returning to the mundane world would take four to five days. But with the help of the warship, it would only take them three days to return.

“Wuxie, I can’t shake this uneasy feeling. It has been over a year, and we can’t find any trace of Prince Yong Xian anywhere. I suspect he’s hiding in the mundane world,” Fan Zhen said with a frown.

The Heavenly Dao Society had nurtured an intelligence network but couldn’t find Prince Yong Xian’s whereabouts. The latter was like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to strike them at any moment.

They weren’t afraid of Prince Yong Xian, but they were afraid he might do something to their kin in the mundane world.

Prince Yong Xian’s image surfaced in Liu Wuxie’s mind at the mention of his name—a man renowned for his patience and cunning, who had vanished without a trace over the past two years.

Meanwhile, another warship was traveling with over a hundred people in the void.

“Chen Ran, you said Liu Wuxie’s family is in the mundane world?” An elder in the Nascent Transformation Realm looked at a middle-aged man before him.