Chapter 1811: Stopped!

On their way out towards the sky, the three Sun-Illuminated from the eastern part of Fangcun Mountain met up. They exchanged glances, each discerning the thoughts of the others. A moment later, the three soared out of Fangcun Mountain and into the starry sky.

Turning to look back, Wu Qimo's pupils constricted, and he exclaimed, "It stopped!" Su Yuqing frowned, and Chen Xuanhai's expression was grave. The three of them had just noticed a slight anomaly in their section of Fangcun Mountain. They initially guessed it was triggered by some change at the core, which filled them with anticipation. However, upon emerging, they realized things weren't as they expected.

"What does this mean?" Wu Qimo was utterly perplexed. What he saw was quite different from what he had anticipated.

Ever since the Blood Ancestor broke open Fangcun Mountain, causing its three parts to separate and the core to be lost, the three sections of Fangcun Mountain had been drifting and moving, seemingly without pattern but actually following a hidden design, using the core's location as a reference point. It was precisely for this reason that the Sun-Illuminated of the Little Human Clan in Fangcun Mountain could deduce the core's hidden location. For many years, they had been striving to find the core, even sending many carefully cultivated foreign Moon-Illuminated cultivators to that miraculous place. In the Sun-Illuminated's vision, if someone were able to retrieve the core from that miraculous place, the three fragmented parts of Fangcun Mountain would immediately begin to move towards the core's location and eventually merge into one.

After all these years, Fangcun Mountain suddenly showed unusual activity, leading them to believe their efforts had succeeded. But what they saw before them suggested otherwise. Because if someone truly had retrieved the core from the miraculous place, their section of Fangcun Mountain would certainly not have suddenly stopped in place. Instead, it should have changed direction and flown towards the core's location. This was precisely what Wu Qimo found incomprehensible.

Immediately, a chilling thought occurred to him: "Sirs, the core... surely it hasn't been destroyed, has it?" Fangcun Mountain could be manually stopped if desired. Previously, the western part of Fangcun Mountain had stayed on the Myriad Elephant Sea for two months, but such a stop wouldn't last too long, as it would otherwise affect Fangcun Mountain's subsequent movement trajectory. Currently, none of the three Sun-Illuminated had manually stopped their section of Fangcun Mountain. Its sudden halt here led to many conjectures about what it implied. One possibility was that the core had been destroyed, causing the eastern part to stop.

Chen Xuanhai shook his head, saying, "Although Fangcun Mountain is split, if the core were destroyed, all three parts would surely be unstable. Since the eastern part is currently peaceful, the core should be fine." Su Yuqing nodded, clearly agreeing with Chen Xuanhai's view.

"Then what on earth is going on?" Wu Qimo scratched his head; he had never encountered such a strange phenomenon in his life. Su Yuqing's eyes flickered, and she said, "There's another possibility!" Chen Xuanhai turned to look at her. "According to our analysis, the reason the three parts of Fangcun Mountain couldn't merge with the core was due to an isolating force within that miraculous place, hindering their fusion. If that isolating force suddenly grew much stronger, completely severing the connection between the core and our section..."

"...then the current situation could arise. Since their section used the core's location as a reference point, if the core was completely isolated and that reference was lost, then their section of Fangcun Mountain would stop moving."

"The miraculous place has changed!" Chen Xuanhai's brow furrowed even deeper. If this were true, it would not be good for the Little Human Clan. After all, the core was within that miraculous place, and who knew whether this change was good or bad for the core?

"It's been over three years since Lu Yiye went there, hasn't it?" Wu Qimo suddenly looked at Su Yuqing. "Do you think this change has anything to do with him?" Nobody knew the answer to that question, because the Little Human Clan currently had no way to contact Lu Ye. Back then, Zhang Kun from the western part had left after delivering Lu Ye near the miraculous place. As it was uncertain whether Lu Ye would gain anything from his trip, and even more uncertain how many years he would remain in the miraculous place, Zhang Kun couldn't possibly wait for him indefinitely.

Su Yuqing was silent for a moment, then suddenly turned to Chen Xuanhai: "Senior Brother Chen, I want to go and see." She was still somewhat uneasy. In fact, she regretted telling Lu Ye about the core back then, mainly because she hadn't expected him to be so impulsive; he immediately went to look for it after she mentioned it.

Chen Xuanhai seemed to understand Su Yuqing's feelings. Instead of dissuading her, he said, "If you truly wish to go, there's no immediate hurry. No one knows the cause of this change, nor can we guess what subsequent changes might occur. It might be wise to wait a bit longer and observe the situation; perhaps we'll discover something new... If there's no change, it won't be too late to go then." His words made sense. Su Yuqing suppressed her unease and slowly nodded. Chen Xuanhai raised a hand and said, "Let's go back first. We've experienced a change here, and the other two parts likely have as well. Let's discuss it with those old fellows before deciding anything."

The three Sun-Illuminated returned to their realm.

After another half-day, in an illusory hall, illusory figures appeared. These were all spiritual projections of the Sun-Illuminated cultivators from Fangcun Mountain. Although the three parts were separated, they still maintained an extremely close connection. At some cost, they could even facilitate travel between the different parts. Projecting their spiritual consciousness to a single location like this to discuss important tribal matters was naturally not difficult. Compared to their true bodies meeting, the cost incurred by doing so was much lower.

The Sun-Illuminated from all three parts gathered, and just as Chen Xuanhai had predicted, not only had the eastern Fangcun Mountain stopped moving at that moment, but the southern and western parts had experienced the same phenomenon. However, no one knew the specific reason. In the end, they could only conclude one thing: the core had been completely isolated, which was why the three parts of Fangcun Mountain had undergone this anomaly!

While the three Sun-Illuminated were gathered for their discussion, in the Soul Clan Ancestral Land, Lu Ye, controlling the core, arrived on a five-colored lotus land. From a distance, he saw figures moving about on the lotus land, many of whom looked familiar. These figures were none other than the Immortal Yuan Guards from Immortal Yuan City, back in the day. Lu Ye also saw a large white tiger, sprawled and sleeping soundly in a certain spot on the lotus land. Several figures were gathered around it, their expressions devout and solemn, seemingly practicing some secret technique. Faintly resonating soul power undulated from the large tiger and those figures.

The deeply sleeping tiger subtly sensed something, suddenly opened its amber eyes, and looked towards Lu Ye. Immediately, it scrambled to its feet and bounded playfully towards Lu Ye, leaping high into the air and transforming into the size of a cat mid-air. Lu Ye smiled, scooped it up, and stroked it. Amber purred contentedly, its eyes squinted. After playing with it for a moment, Lu Ye finally asked, "Where's Yiyi?"

No sooner had he asked than a portal appeared in a certain part of the lotus land, and Yiyi's small head peeked out, clearly having sensed his presence. "Lu Ye!" Yiyi exclaimed with joy. Just like Amber, she threw herself at Lu Ye, crashing into him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and burying her head in his chest. Lu Ye, one hand holding Amber and the other embracing her waist, spun around several times before slowly coming to a halt. Yiyi clung to him for a long time, reluctant to let go, until Lishang's voice sounded: "Fellow Daoist Lu!" Lu Ye smiled in response: "Fellow Daoist Lishang, long time no see!"

A moment later, in Yiyi's residence, Lu Ye surveyed his surroundings with his hands behind his back. The lotus land was a very peculiar place; externally, it appeared as a giant blooming lotus, serving as the dwelling place for the Soul Clan. The lotus lands in the Soul Clan Ancestral Land were tiered, with different tiers indicated by different colors. Sun-Illuminated cultivators resided on seven-colored lotus lands, while Moon-Illuminated cultivators primarily stayed on five-colored ones. Although Lishang was only a Star Constellation back then, she was eligible to choose a five-colored lotus land because she had rendered great service to the Soul Clan by bringing back the Sacred Beast. The surface of the lotus land had no habitable areas, but since the Soul Clan had no physical form, they only needed to excavate the environment they desired within the lotus land itself. Yiyi's current dwelling was undoubtedly one she had created herself, and its interior furnishings were no different from the layout within the Bamboo House on Verdant Bamboo Peak of the Jadeblood Sect.

Yiyi sat nearby, holding cat-sized Amber, tilting her head to look at him, her small legs swinging, her eyes full of happiness. Lu Ye walked over and sat beside her, gently stroking her head: "Is your cultivation arduous?" Yiyi shook her head: "Not arduous at all, Amber keeps me company." Lu Ye glanced at Amber: "All it knows is sleeping. How can that keep you company?" Amber immediately let out a whimper, indicating that its sleeping *was* cultivation, and that it was much stronger now than before! "Alright, alright, I know you've gotten stronger!" Lu Ye tapped Amber's little head.

It must be said that in the few years they had been with the Soul Clan, Amber and Yiyi had grown immensely. From Lu Ye's perception, both the spirit and the beast were not far from reaching the Moon-Illuminated stage. This was undoubtedly related to the unique cultivation environment of the Soul Clan Ancestral Land. In such a place, Soul Clan members had a unique advantage in cultivation; even if they didn't exert themselves too much, their cultivation could still slowly increase.

"I just saw several Soul Clan cultivators gathered around Amber. What were they doing?" Lu Ye asked. Yiyi immediately explained: "Amber has gained several new attendants! Those Soul Clan cultivators you saw were carefully selected by the Soul Clan; they have the most outstanding aptitude. They've formed a symbiotic relationship with Amber, allowing them to cultivate and grow together, just like me." Only then did Lu Ye understand. Recalling the resonating fluctuations he had just felt from those Soul Clan cultivators and Amber, he knew Yiyi was right.

"Was Amber willing, or was it a request from the Soul Clan?" Lu Ye asked. Yiyi replied: "The clan leader personally spoke about it. It wasn't a demand; Amber agreed because the more attendants it has, the faster its strength grows, and correspondingly, my strength can grow along with it." Lu Ye nodded. Yiyi perceived his concern and smiled: "Don't worry, the Soul Clan values Amber greatly and would never force it to do anything it dislikes."

"That's good. But remember one thing: if you're ever unhappy staying here, tell me anytime, and I'll take you away," Lu Ye earnestly instructed. Back then, when Yiyi wanted to follow Lishang to the Soul Clan Ancestral Land for cultivation, Lu Ye was actually a bit reluctant. However, children grow up and having their own ideas isn't a bad thing. Most importantly, Lu Ye knew he wouldn't have much time to accompany Yiyi.

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Still one update today. Yesterday, I was groggy all day. I ate some porridge in the evening, and today I have no strength at all. Sitting here typing, I'm breaking out in cold sweats. I also need to go to the hospital for an IV drip. This illness came on very aggressively; I haven't felt such a strong onset in many years. Previously, illnesses always had a gradual process, but this time it's different...