Chapter 324: Living in Seclusion

Wang Lin frowned, and with a point of his right hand into the mass of flesh and blood, a flame immediately rose and landed upon it. After a sizzling sound, the maggots quickly shriveled up and finally turned into ashes.

On the ground, only a Storage Pouch remained. Wang Lin's eyes flashed, and the Storage Pouch landed in his hand. His Divine Sense swept over it, and his expression immediately turned strange—inside the Storage Pouch, there was nothing else, only dense swarms of insects.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he placed a Seal on the Storage Pouch, put it away, turned, and vanished from the spot.

When he reappeared, Wang Lin was standing above the Cloud Heaven Sect, slowly descending.

Li Muwan stared blankly at Wang Lin, tears of surprise welling up in her eyes. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly began coughing violently, her face pale, and her body slumped sideways.

Wang Lin moved instantly, arriving beside Li Muwan, embracing her body. His expression changed, and he immediately tapped several points on her body with his hands. Then, his face darkened, and he looked up and said, “Liu Fei, Song Qing, Seal the mountain. No one is allowed to leave until I come out!” After speaking, Wang Lin carried Li Muwan and immediately flew toward the East Head Pavilion.

Liu Fei and Song Qing quickly acknowledged the order and immediately went down to handle the arrangements.

A massive Light Barrier slowly appeared, enveloping the entire Cloud Heaven Sect, and gradually, the scene within was concealed.

The surviving Disciples all received the order not to go out during this period, and everyone willingly complied with this command.

They discussed amongst themselves, and almost all their topics revolved around the name Ceng Niu.

After Liu Fei and Song Qing finished their tasks, they looked at each other, both seeing excitement and fear coexisting in the other's eyes.

The excitement was because the Cloud Heaven Sect's disaster had been resolved, and they hadn't expected Wang Lin to be Ceng Niu, whose reputation was currently soaring.

The fear, on the other hand, was due to Wang Lin's return, as they still could not forget the bloody scene from back then.

At this moment, the two of them arrived outside the East Head Pavilion, not daring to approach, but sitting cross-legged far away. Inside the Cloud Heaven Sect, two Grand Elders of the Nascent Soul Late Stage, whose status was much higher than theirs, had arrived early, sitting cross-legged cultivating, waiting for Wang Lin.

Inside the Pavilion, Wang Lin sat cross-legged in front of Li Muwan. At this moment, Li Muwan's face was pale and bloodless, her body extremely weak, and dense Death Qi permeated her.

Wang Lin stared blankly at Li Muwan. After a long time, he gritted his teeth, took Top-Grade Spirit Stones out of his Storage Pouch, placed them around Li Muwan, and then channeled streams of Spiritual Power into her body.

Time flew by. Three days later, Wang Lin was still frowning. For three consecutive days, he had poured Spiritual Power into her day and night. If Wang Lin had not reached Soul Transformation before, even if he could have done this, his Spiritual Power loss would have been severe. However, for a Soul Transformation Cultivator, there were no such concerns.

Li Muwan’s body slowly regained some color.

On the night of the third day, she opened her eyes. The moment she opened them, she saw Wang Lin opposite her and showed a happy smile.

“Big Brother Wang…” Li Muwan whispered.

Wang Lin sighed inwardly and smiled, saying, “It’s nothing serious. I will regulate your body daily. Once you are better, I can certainly help you Form Nascent Soul!”

Li Muwan smiled brightly, extremely happy, and shook her head, asking, “Are you still leaving?”

“Not for now.” Wang Lin said seriously.

Li Muwan’s eyes brightened, and she whispered, “Really?”

“Really! Wan-er, you just got better, rest for a bit.” Wang Lin nodded and said.

Li Muwan gradually fell asleep. She leaned on Wang Lin’s shoulder, and even in her dreams, a happy smile remained on the corner of her mouth. This kind of smile had never appeared on her face throughout the past hundred years.

After a long while, Wang Lin gently picked up Li Muwan, placed her on the bed beside him, covered her with a blanket, and then stood up and walked out of the Pavilion.

The moment he stepped out of the Pavilion, his expression immediately turned grim.

Outside the Pavilion, seven people were sitting cross-legged. Among these seven, besides the two Nascent Soul Late Stage Grand Elders, Song Qing, and Liu Fei, there were also Ouyang Zi and two other Elders who had recently advanced to the Nascent Soul Early Stage within the last century.

The moment Wang Lin walked out, the seven people immediately opened their eyes and stood up, involuntarily holding their breath. Wang Lin’s lingering prestige remained, and a new awe had emerged. In their eyes, Wang Lin was a terrifying name.

“Why is Wan-er’s body like this? When I left a hundred years ago, she was still well!” Wang Lin’s voice was calm, but to the seven people, it sounded like rolling thunder. The two newly promoted Nascent Soul Early Stage Elders were actually forced back several steps, and when they stopped, their faces were filled with dread.

Even Liu Fei and the others were greatly shaken, their Nascent Souls unstable. Only the two Nascent Soul Late Stage Grand Elders were able to remain calm under Wang Lin's voice.

One of the Grand Elders sighed softly and said, “Sect Master, over the past century, Miss Wan-er failed three attempts to Form Nascent Soul. Her body can no longer bear it, especially the attempt thirty years ago, which nearly killed her…” This person was the one who had stood in front of Li Muwan when Zhan Bai arrived.

Wang Lin glanced at this person and said, “I remember, your surname is Lu?”

Joy rose in his heart, and he immediately said respectfully, “Sect Master still remembers me. I am Lu Fei.” After realizing Wang Lin was Ceng Niu, this Lu Fei immediately decided to follow Wang Lin, solely for the possibility of achieving Soul Transformation in the future.

A Cultivator like him, who had remained stuck at the Nascent Soul Late Stage for a long time, was extremely pragmatic; he could abandon everything for the chance of Soul Transformation.

Wang Lin was silent for a moment, then said, “Are Medicinal Pills also useless…”

Lu Fei sighed inwardly. Song Qing, who was beside him, spoke up, “Sect Master, Miss Wan-er has already consumed many Medicinal Pills, but…”

Wang Lin looked up at the sky, already having a guess in his heart, a trace of confusion appearing in his eyes. He whispered, “Continue.”

Song Qing gritted his teeth and continued, “It’s just that Miss Wan-er’s Lifespan has already been greatly exceeded. An ordinary Core Formation Cultivator absolutely could not live until now. Even with Heaven-Defying methods, escaping Reincarnation is difficult… unless Miss Wan-er can successfully Form Nascent Soul.”

Wang Lin fell silent. When he had regulated Li Muwan’s body earlier, he had already discovered that her body was filled with Death Qi; her physical state had reached the point of the oil running out and the lamp extinguishing.

This was not something human power could change, but rather the manifestation of an exhausted Lifespan.

“You may withdraw…” Wang Lin sighed softly, turned, and returned to the Pavilion. Before entering, he paused and added, “The name Ceng Niu is strictly forbidden from being spread. As for those Disciples, you figure out how to handle them.”

Everyone quickly acknowledged the order. After Wang Lin entered the Pavilion, Lu Fei, one of the Grand Elders, flashed his gaze, stared at the crowd, and said sinisterly, “Everyone, if the Sect Master’s identity is exposed, Hong Die of the Vermilion Bird Country will certainly come looking for him. We cannot treat this matter lightly.”

The other Grand Elder, Tie Yan, had flickering eyes and gave a fierce laugh. He saw through Lu Fei's intentions instantly. His inner thoughts were the same as Lu Fei's, and he immediately said, “That’s right. You must personally cast spells on those low-level Disciples and erase their memories! Furthermore, if any of you leak this matter, do not forget that your Foundations are right here in Chu Country. At that time, do not blame this old man for being ruthless!”

Liu Fei and Song Qing naturally wouldn't spread the news. Their gazes immediately fixed on the two Elders who had newly advanced to Nascent Soul within the last hundred years, their eyes unfriendly.

As for Ouyang Zi, no one worried about him spreading the news. This person was dedicated solely to Alchemy and could be said to have long severed his mortal thoughts.

The two newly advanced Nascent Soul Elders immediately turned pale. One of them immediately swore a Poisonous Oath, taking the Heavenly Dao as witness. The other also reacted and quickly swore an oath.

Lu Fei subtly revealed a trace of killing Intent in his eyes. He glanced at Tie Yan, who nodded imperceptibly.

Lu Fei laughed heartily, nodded, and said, “That is excellent. The two of you, follow me. I have some insights regarding the Nascent Soul Stage here that I hope will be helpful to you.”

The two were immediately delighted and quickly followed, though one of them slowed his steps slightly, a trace of worry in his eyes.

At this moment, Liu Fei and the others smiled faintly and stepped forward two paces. The person showing worry gritted his teeth and followed Lu Fei to the West Courtyard… These two newly advanced Elders never appeared again after that. However, two Puppets completely shrouded in black mist appeared beside Lu Fei… Wang Lin entered the Pavilion, sat by Li Muwan's bed, and quietly gazed at her sleeping face. After a long while, Wang Lin whispered, “As long as she Forms Nascent Soul, her Lifespan will increase. This matter is not difficult!”

In the blink of an eye, a month passed.

During this month, all the low-level Disciples of the Cloud Heaven Sect had forgotten the events of a month prior, only wondering why the Sect Master had announced seclusion.

Liu Fei and Song Qing once again took charge of the Cloud Heaven Sect. As time passed, the Cloud Heaven Sect’s former prosperity gradually returned.

Furthermore, because several Schools in Chu Country were destroyed, the Cloud Heaven Sect seized the opportunity to act. Not only did it once again become the number one School in Chu Country, but its influence expanded several times over.

As for Wang Lin, on the second day after Li Muwan awoke, he took her away from the Cloud Heaven Sect. Lu Fei and Tie Yan accompanied them, having resolutely given up their positions as Cloud Heaven Sect Grand Elders, deciding to follow Wang Lin solely for the possibility of Soul Transformation.

Wang Lin took Li Muwan, and the two walked across more than half of Chu Country, chatting and laughing. Li Muwan had never been happier. She was very content during this period, constantly beaming with smiles, and accompanying Wang Lin like a little wife.

Finally, they stopped in a deep mountain area in Chu Country, near the Land of the Ancient God.

The vicinity was desolate and uninhabited. The nearest village was tens of thousands of miles away.

Inside a valley, Wang Lin patted his Storage Pouch, and a Pagoda flew out, landing inside the valley.

This location was a Cold and Yin Area within Chu Country. Wang Lin remembered Zhou Yi once saying that the Pagoda could only be released in Cold and Yin Areas.

The Pagoda, condensed from Immortal Jade, immediately expanded upon its appearance, eventually forming a massive tower about a hundred zhang high. With a rumbling sound, it settled in the valley, and instantly, a circular ripple suddenly spread out.

A trace of Zhou Yi's Soul Transformation stage cultivation Intent enveloped the surrounding hundred miles.