Li Daoyi’s gaze shifted slightly as he glanced at Zhou Bufan and the others. "Let's talk inside.”

Zhou Bufan and his entourage tossed their heads back, continuing their tea discussions.

Fang Zhixue suppressed her excitement and tried to stay calm as she led her junior brothers and sisters into the Three Thousand Dao Sect with Li Daoye.

The juniors were all astonished. They hadn't expected their senior sister to know such important figures within the Three Thousand Dao Sect.

Li Daoye remained quiet as they walked, so Fang Zhixue gathered her courage and probed, "Big Brother Li, my brother is still alive, right?"

"Yes, I told you before, your brother isn’t dead. Even if he were, he would crawl out from the Underworld." Li Daoye smiled and nodded. "But by the time he crawls out, you will likely no longer be in the Grand Xia Empire."

Fang Zhixue smiled bitterly. "If I had known, I would have stayed home all those years ago."

"The Grand Xia Empire is so far away. How did you manage to get here? And how did you find the Three Thousand Dao Sect?" Li Daoye asked, deeply curious.

"That’s a long story... But where is my brother? I really miss him.”

Li Daoye sighed. "Unfortunately, your brother is away on business. From the looks of it, he won’t be back for another 3 to 5 years."

At this point, his expression shifted slightly, and he whispered to Fang Zhixue, "Over the years, your brother has made many enemies in the Central Continent. You must not let anyone know about your relationship with him. I’ll arrange for you to enter the Three Thousand Dao Sect and train here. After a few years, your brother will be back."

Fang Zhixue felt a pang of sadness upon hearing that her brother wasn’t around, but knowing he was still alive filled her with even more joy.

"Big Brother Li, can you make that decision? My junior brothers and sisters and I are now homeless. Could they also join the Three Thousand Dao Sect?" Fang Zhixue asked in a low voice.

Li Daoye laughed heartily. "This is something I can certainly handle. Leave it to me."

At that moment, a group of Dao cultivators walked toward them. It was Guan’e, Qin Feng and his sister, along with some newly recognized Foundation Building Realm disciples.

The number of Foundation Building Realm cultivators in the Three Thousand Dao Sect had significantly increased, far surpassing what it used to be, and even more than one Golden Core Realm cultivator was now present, not just Pei Qingfeng.

The group approached with respect and greeted, "Greetings, Sect Master.”

"Sect Master?" Fang Zhixue was stunned upon hearing the title the cultivators gave Li Daoye. The members behind her were equally surprised. The cultivator, who seemed so familiar with their senior sister, was the leader of the Three Thousand Dao Sect!?

Her senior sister had such strong connections?!

They immediately felt deep respect in their hearts.

After the greetings, Guan'e curiously looked at Fang Zhixue and the others and asked, "Sect Master, who are these people?"

"Oh, they are old acquaintances of mine, and now they wish to join the Three Thousand Dao Sect to cultivate. I’ve decided to accept them," Li Daoye smiled, adding, "All of them."

The others nodded, showing no objections. Although the Three Thousand Dao Sect was currently under the authority of Fang Chen, when he wasn't around, the decision was in the hands of Li Daoye, and even Pei Qingfeng acknowledged that Li Daoye had more say in this matter.

"Qin Xuan, you're just in time. Help me settle them down," Li Daoye instructed, leaving Qin Xuan to take charge of arranging Fang Zhixue and those with her.

Fang Zhixue had a strange expression. She quietly transmitted her voice to Li Daoye and asked, "Big Brother Li, you're the patriarch here? Then my brother..."

"Your brother is the ancestor of the Three Thousand Dao Sect. If we're going by the current seniority, I'd have to call him my Martial Uncle and you, my Martial Aunt. You're at the same seniority level as him, but let's keep our roles clear," Li Daoye replied through voice transmission. "There are some things that should wait until your brother comes back to tell you personally. I see you’ve traveled a long way, and some of your people are even injured. What happened?"

"My master offended a powerful enemy, and they’ve been chasing us all the way here," Fang Zhixue explained.

Li Daoye immediately looked at Qin Xuan. "Someone is chasing them. Go and notify Zhou Bufan and the others at the gate. If there are any ill-intentioned people who arrive, have them deal with it. Remind them to show some restraint. We need to show our benevolence."

"Understood," Qin Xuan nodded immediately.

Fang Zhixue and her fellow disciples were excited upon hearing this. It seemed that the Three Thousand Dao Sect not only accepted them but would also help deal with their troubles!

…

Meanwhile, a sword light was rapidly moving across the sky above the Immortal Demonic Sea. Before leaving the sea, Fang Chen had secretly inquired about the Pitu Ruins. Unfortunately, only the Immortal Seedlings had some knowledge about the immortal ruins, and ordinary cultivators were completely unaware.

After some effort, Fang Chen had finally found someone who knew a little, but they could only point him in a rough direction.

With a general direction in mind, finding the Pitu Ruins would no longer be too difficult. He could simply ask along the way, and someone would surely know. This way, he would save the 1000 mid-grade spirit stones that would have been spent on asking for directions.

"Sword technique? Do you really think that just being a sword cultivator allows you to move freely in the Immortal Demonic Sea? Today, I’ll have a taste of what it's like to face a sword cultivator!" A surge of water elemental energy suddenly stirred around, and beneath the surface of the Immortal Demonic Sea, massive waves rose, forming into a giant hand that reached toward Fang Chen.

"Little Black, Little White." Fang Chen’s eyes hardened.

In an instant, two figures dove into the sea. Within a few breaths, the overwhelming energy dissipated.

Soon, a giant green-headed sea turtle, about the size of a small mountain, was dragged out of the water by the black and white paper figures and shoved before Fang Chen.

The green-headed sea turtle was terrified. It was a demon cultivator in the Enlightenment Realm, which was why it had dared to make a move against Fang Chen.

Fang Chen could have concealed his aura so that ordinary cultivators wouldn’t notice his true strength, but doing so might not resolve the situation. In fact, it could draw the attention of passing cultivators in the Upper Three Realms.

Thus, he revealed his true cultivation level. With just a Golden Core Realm cultivation, even if a stronger individual passed by, they wouldn’t pay him any mind.

"Do you want to eat me?" Fang Chen asked coldly.

"No, no, I made a mistake, please forgive me, Great One," the green-headed sea turtle hurriedly shook its head, its voice filled with fear.

"Give me one good reason not to kill you," Fang Chen said, his tone as calm as ever.

The green-headed sea turtle was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "I am a subordinate of the Falling Whale King. If I die, the Falling Whale King will never let it go."

"That's a threat, not a reason."Fang Chen shook his head lightly. "Little Black, kill it."

The green-headed sea turtle's soul nearly left its body as it realized it had said the wrong thing. It quickly added, "I can serve as a mount for you, Great One. If you wish to cross the Immortal Demonic Sea, having me as a guide can avoid quite a lot of trouble!"

"Young Master, it's an Enlightenment Realm demonic cultivator, and has been cultivating in the Immortal Demonic Sea for years. It could indeed help you avoid many difficulties," the white paper figure glanced at the turtle and then lightly smiled at Fang Chen.

"But being a mount is still not enough. I wonder if you've heard of the Pitu Ruins." Fang Chen smiled calmly as he asked.

He had ordered Little Black to kill the green-headed sea turtle simply as a show of force. Now that a local guide had presented itself, how could he kill it so easily?

"Pitu Ruins? So, you're an Immortal Seedling, I was disrespectful, please forgive me, Great One. I won't hide anything from you, no one knows the ruins in the Immortal Demonic Sea better than I do. I’m not bragging..."

"I only asked about the Pitu Ruins," Fang Chen interrupted, pressing his sword against the turtle’s forehead.

"I know! I know!" The green-headed sea turtle immediately stopped talking nonsense and quickly promised.