Inside Dongyang Palace on Dongyang Peak, Daoist Yuhong’s expression darkened the moment he saw Li Xue and her son depart. He performed a series of hand seals, casting a sound-insulating barrier around the immediate area. Seeing Yuhong’s solemnity, Daoist Yuqing’s heart sank as well.
"Junior Brother, what is it?" Daoist Yuqing asked in a low voice.
Yuhong nodded slightly. Li Ran’s identity token appeared in his palm, and he spat a mouthful of essence blood onto it. The token immediately erupted with a brilliant red light. Daoist Yuqing’s expression turned grave. These special tokens held a secret: they could store a strand of divine sense that could only be activated by the essence blood of a direct blood relative. This was a measure designed specifically to protect the clan’s descendants.
Within the sphere of red light, ripples shimmered, and Li Ran’s image appeared. Overcome with emotion, Daoist Yuhong called out, "Ran’er!"
Li Ran’s image paused for a moment before he spoke with joy, "Master, Senior Uncle! It is wonderful; I have finally lived to see this day!"
Then, Li Ran’s expression turned solemn. "Master, Senior Uncle, what I am about to say is of grave importance, and my time is limited. Please listen carefully.
"Two years ago, I went out for experiential training. During those two years, I never revealed my identity as a disciple of the Yunjin Sect." At this point, he looked at Yuqing and Yuhong with a hint of embarrassment. The two Daoists exchanged strange looks but said nothing.
"Fortunately, I never used my sect identity; otherwise, I might have brought disaster upon the sect," Li Ran said with a touch of relief. The two Daoists’ faces immediately grew grim.
"In the second year, a rogue cultivator friend and I went to Dongyun Mountain for training. There, we discovered an ancient cultivator’s cave dwelling and found a map inside. It clearly depicted the legendary Hongmeng Star Domain. Only then did I realize it was a fabled star domain map. Unfortunately, opening the map triggered a restriction upon it, which subsequently brought a fatal pursuit upon us." Li Ran grew agitated as he spoke. Yuqing and Yuhong were too stunned for words. A star domain map? Did the legendary star domain maps truly exist? Li Ran’s subsequent words, however, filled them with grief and indignation.
"I suspect it was an organized group. Among those hunting us, the lowest cultivation level was late Foundation Establishment, and there were even two mid Core Formation cultivators. My friend was quickly killed, and I only narrowly escaped by using a secret technique at the cost of my cultivation level." Li Ran spoke with sorrow.
"The most baffling part was that they used some unknown secret technique to seal off the cultivation world around the Mangyun Mountain area. Even Ten-Thousand-Mile Sound-Transmission Talismans were useless. Even my secret technique for contacting my life lamp through essence blood had no effect. Alas, my cultivation was too low; I couldn't use higher-level secret techniques to contact the sect. Having used secret techniques repeatedly, my spiritual power was severely depleted, leading me to fall unconscious after fleeing into the mortal world, until I was saved by a young woman. That woman is my current wife!" A flash of tenderness and guilt crossed Li Ran’s eyes. Yuqing and Yuhong were clearly shocked by his words, their hearts filled with consternation.
Li Ran continued, "I hid myself in the mortal world, but I knew that with their methods, they would find me sooner or later. Finally, I thought of a way: I would leave behind descendants and have them return to the Yunjin Sect under the name of blood relatives of a core disciple. This would allow them to bring my token back to the sect, where I knew Master would surely discover the secret within. At that time, the Tianyuan Secret Realm on the outskirts of Mangyun Mountain was about to open. I decided that rather than letting those people find me and my family, I would go to the Tianyuan Secret Realm to lure them away. Master, Senior Uncle, after this departure, we may never meet again. I know Master will not mistreat my wife and child, so I truly have no lingering concerns. My only regret is failing to repay Master’s hundred years of guidance!"
With a face full of sorrow, Li Ran gazed intently at Daoist Yuhong, as if trying to engrave his image into his heart. As his projection began to blur, he said one last thing: "I have also stored that star map within the token. Only you, Master, can open it..." His voice quickly faded, and Li Ran’s image vanished along with the sphere of light.
"Ran’er!" Daoist Yuhong cried out in grief, his hands trembling as if trying to grasp at something. In several hundred years, he had never felt such devastating sorrow and rage. Li Ran was his blood relative, raised by his own hand since the age of five. A century of teaching had made the boy the treasure of his heart. He never imagined that a simple journey for training would lead to such a catastrophe. How could they? How could they!
"Junior Brother!" Daoist Yuqing shouted sharply. "Is Ran’er’s life lamp not still burning?!"
Daoist Yuhong snapped back to his senses, having nearly fallen into a qi deviation. "Thank you, Senior Brother! Ran’er’s life-soul lamp is still there, though it is very weak. I suspect his physical body must have been destroyed long ago!" For eight years, Daoist Yuhong had persisted in searching for Li Ran’s whereabouts to no avail. To think he had gone to the Tianyuan Secret Realm. Though he hadn't perished, his life-soul lamp had remained incredibly weak, in constant danger of being extinguished. This had been a source of perpetual worry for Yuhong, yet he had been powerless to act.
"Junior Brother, the information Ran’er provided is of the utmost importance. Come with me to see the Ancestor!" Daoist Yuqing’s expression flickered with uncertainty.
"Yes, Senior Brother!" Knowing the gravity of the situation, Daoist Yuhong composed himself. He retrieved the token and followed Yuqing out of Dongyang Palace.
