Chapter 105: Family

In Wang Li’s memory, aside from the Sutra Library of the Pure Yang Sect, the world existed only as vague fragments.

In his recollections, the world was gray; born with a deficiency in his spirit, his parents had placed a protective barrier array upon him to shield him from harmful external influences. This caused him to perceive the world only through the gray light of the array.

It was only after arriving at the Pure Yang Sect that he first realized sunlight was bright and without hue, that leaves were not merely green but also red, yellow, white, and many other colors. People’s clothing was not just gray, but displayed a far richer palette than even the trees and flowers themselves.

This world... was colorful, splendid, and... unrestrained!

Before he could fully enjoy the freedom he had glimpsed through the protective array for so many years, Sheng Ye appeared, and Wang Li was swept into the Chosen.

The Chosen Ruins was merely a small world, its environment starkly simple, nowhere near as diverse as the Heavenly Profound World.

Wang Li stood upon his flying sword, refraining from releasing his protective qi to block the fierce wind rushing toward him, allowing the swift gusts to lash against his face.

The faint sting of burning was oddly novel.

He had never flown so fast before.

Is this what freedom in flight feels like?

Is this the heat generated by friction?

Everything he saw in the air was so new and wondrous.

Behind him, Jiang Yue and Yun Jingzi were puzzled. Didn’t Wang Li fear his clothes would be ruined?

Cultivators at the Divine Transformation stage possessed strong bodies that could endure the impact of high-speed flight, but their garments could not, and flying with a protective shield reduced resistance.

Moreover, which cultivator would willingly let the wind mess up their appearance?

“Is Wang Li crazy?” Jiang Yue scoffed.

Yun Jingzi shook her head. “I don’t know if he’s crazy, but you definitely are, using the Chosen Ruins’ hologram as a threat?”

“I wouldn’t fall for it, so why would Wang Li agree to your strange demands?”

“At his level, there aren’t many things that can threaten him. I advise you to give up and not provoke him lightly. Look at the attitudes of the senior brothers and the leaders of other sects—they treat him as an equal. Someone like him isn’t someone you can afford to offend.”

Jiang Yue curled her lips. “That’s because you can’t afford to offend him. Wang Li isn’t as petty as you think.”

Yun Jingzi blinked and squinted. “You two have spent years alone together... when I reached the destination, were you...?”

“No, no, don’t say that!” Jiang Yue shook her head firmly three times, though her heart pounded wildly.

“You big liar, always thinking the worst of people. I’m ignoring you now...”

“Oh, shy now? The little girl’s growing up!”

Their secret transmissions were discreet, but to Wang Li, it was as if they were speaking right by his ear.

Transmission concealment is a basic technique, largely ineffective against cultivators of sufficiently high level.

Wang Li was far above Jiang Yue, so eavesdropping on her transmissions was easy. Although he couldn’t catch Yun Jingzi’s words clearly, he could intercept some of the information using spatial laws, which left him somewhat speechless.

What was there to say about a young woman’s feelings?

Women only slow down the speed at which I draw my sword!

Still, Yun Jingzi’s words reminded him.

The big shots seemed to accept his presence, but that was only superficial. The special status of Zhenxian City was no secret; even if he was confident of escaping pursuit, he had to be cautious.

At the very least, he couldn’t let Zhenxian City find any handle to use against him.

Wang Li now somewhat understood why Sheng Ye had initially played the trump card of the holographic recorder.

By striking directly at the vulnerabilities in the cultivation methods of the major sects, linking himself to their vested interests, as long as he did not threaten the stability of the cultivation world, Zhenxian City would have no reason to risk alienating his peers by making things difficult for him.

With this realization, much of Wang Li’s joy in admiring the scenery and feeling freedom returned.

“After seeing my parents and family, I should leave the Pure Yang Sect,” he thought.

He wanted to ask about his next destination, but Sheng Ye did not respond. He had no choice but to halt his planning for now and, under Jiang Yue’s guidance, hasten toward the Pure Yang Secret Realm.

The Pure Yang Secret Realm was not located in the Pure Yang Mountains but lay beneath a large lake tens of thousands of miles east of the sect.

This lake was vast, situated on the border between the Great Wei Dynasty and the Great Xuan Dynasty. Three thousand miles southeast lay the Ten Thousand Mountains, where the Beast Taming Sect’s mountain gate stood—essentially placing their gate right under the nose of the Pure Yang Sect.

Of course, it could also be said that the Pure Yang Sect had its sword pointed at the Beast Taming Sect’s very tip.

Yet the two super sects had never erupted into major conflict, which was why the cultivation world considered the Pure Yang Sect and the Beast Taming Sect to be neighbors living in harmony for hundreds of thousands of years.

About to meet his family, Wang Li had no mind for the tangled “grudges and affections” between the two sects; his heart was filled with excitement.

Since entering the Pure Yang Sect, he had not seen his father Wang Duo or his siblings, only his mother Liu, who traveled thousands of miles each year to celebrate his birthday. Yet, in the more than eight years since entering the Chosen, he had not seen his mother even once.

The prolonged separation made his heart both anxious to see his parents and siblings and uneasy.

He was no longer Wang Li, but the “enemy” who had taken over another’s body.

Taking someone else’s child’s flesh and blood—

To appear before the parents of the original body was truly heartless!

How was he to face his family?

This was a serious and realistic question.

Could he straightforwardly say he hadn’t been possessed?

Would his family believe him?

When Wang Li met the Pure Yang disciple sent to escort him, he hesitated.

“Steward Wang, the sect leader has sent word: Mr. and Mrs. Wang and their son and daughter are waiting inside for Steward Wang. Please follow me,” the disciple said politely, though unfamiliar with Wang Li, showing no disrespect.

After a moment’s thought, Wang Li followed.

No matter what, he must see his parents and family.

He had already decided to leave the Pure Yang Sect after handling his current affairs. He did not know when he would see his family again; if not now, perhaps never.

Though both Mr. and Mrs. Wang were cultivators, their cultivation was not high—Wang Duo was at the Nascent Soul stage, Liu was only just entering the Golden Core stage, and their son and daughter were merely at Foundation Establishment.

It was said that cultivation transcended the passage of time, but Wang Li truly feared that if he went into seclusion for thousands of years, his family might not live that long.

With a complex heart, Wang Li entered the secret realm.

The Pure Yang Secret Realm was a small world similar to the Chosen Ruins—large in area, its environment not much different from the outside world, but incomplete.

Wang Li could clearly sense the secret realm’s spatial framework lacked solid law chains; it appeared to be a private space forged by some powerful figure based on a large spatial fragment.

Dear reader, this chapter ends here. May you enjoy your reading! ^0^