Within a few days, the news that the transmission channel had been repaired spread throughout the entire cultivation world.
Upon learning that Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong had not been in seclusion for the past few decades, but had instead used some unknown special means to ascend, everyone’s teeth itched with envy. However, it was one thing for them to have ascended; now they had returned and informed everyone that they had repaired the ascension path. The entire cultivation world felt a mix of profound gratitude and a lingering sense of inferiority. Had any of them been lucky enough to ascend by chance, it was doubtful whether they would have had the ability to repair the channel, let alone whether they would have bothered to spend the time and effort to do so.
Once the shock wore off, the threshold of Yunqing Pavilion was nearly trampled flat. This time, it was no longer errand-running cultivators looking for information; the Soul Transformation ancestors of various sects, accompanied by Nascent Soul cultivators, visited in person. This gave the young disciples who had recently joined Yunqing Pavilion quite a fright.
What everyone cared about most was how to use the ascension channel and what the situation was like in the Upper Realm, hoping to make ample preparations before ascending.
Nie Shiyun told them the truth. In the future, when Nascent Soul cultivators advanced to the Soul Transformation stage, they should be able to open a temporary ascension channel through the spiritual energy fluctuations of the lightning tribulation, just as it was in ancient times. However, those who had already advanced to the Soul Transformation stage were unfortunately out of luck; having missed that opportunity, they would have to spend a large amount of "wrongful money" to use the teleportation array.
The teleportation array was located in the back mountains of Pinyin Pavilion. As for how the various cultivators would negotiate with Pinyin Pavilion, that was none of his business.
Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong had later wondered why the teleportation array was located there. They discovered that during the ancient period, that barren mountain was not yet the territory of Pinyin Pavilion but was a public area for many surrounding small sects. Later, as Pinyin Pavilion grew stronger, it was incorporated into their back mountains.
It was just that since ancient times, people from the Upper Realm rarely descended, and the cultivators here did not need to take that path to ascend. Many knew of the array's existence, but no one knew its actual purpose.
Many high-level array masters had come to study it, considering it a precious teleportation array passed down from ancient times, but no one knew where it led. For two thousand years, no one could find any damage to the array, yet no matter what they tried, they could not use it. Gradually, everyone forgot about it.
Nie Shiyun thought to himself that this was natural, as the array itself was indeed intact. The problem had been on the other side of the transmission.
Pinyin Pavilion, having received this news, was now facing a bit of a headache. Having such an important thing established within their own sect was like holding a hot potato. Having Soul Transformation cultivators constantly coming and going through their territory would always be unsettling. Thus, Jiang Baixiang made a prompt decision to cede that portion of the back mountain, returning it to the public domain.
Bidding farewell to Yunqing Pavilion once more, Nie Shiyun, Zhai Bairong, and Nie Li headed toward the location of the teleportation array.
They had expected to see both Qi Miaohan and Jiang Baixiang at the foot of Pinyin Pavilion, but looking from afar, the three of them only saw Qi Miaohan’s figure.
"Is Sect Master Jiang not coming?" Nie Li asked in surprise.
Jiang Baixiang was older than both him and Nie Mingde. He didn't know her exact age, but it was certain that she had been in the Soul Transformation stage for a long time. Nie Mingde had a son and a daughter-in-law to stay for, but it was well known that Jiang Baixiang had always been a solitary soul. They all thought she would definitely leave. Nie Shiyun had even reached out, expressing his willingness to give her a ride.
Qi Miaohan’s face was full of loneliness, but she forced herself to cheer up and managed a smile. "She... she still can't let go. My senior sisters all tried to persuade her to leave with me, but after thinking it over for a few days, she decided to stay a while longer."
Pinyin Pavilion had been very stable in recent years. However, just as Zhai Bairong had predicted, the Moon-Reflecting Sect had undergone a total upheaval within just a few days of receiving his message. Those with Soul Transformation cultivation were anxious to leave. The disciples who had previously relied on these masters were either panicking, feeling their backing was about to vanish, or were preparing to establish their own factions, eyeing various positions within the sect.
The situation in other sects was likely similar. The cultivation world, which had been stable for so long, seemed destined for a cataclysmic shift due to this change in personnel.
With someone like Nie Shiyun emerging, Yunqing Pavilion was undoubtedly the biggest winner this time.
Zhai Bairong knew that Jiang Baixiang was like a mother to Qi Miaohan, so he spoke words of comfort. "She has a plan in her heart and is a clever person; you needn't worry too much. Once the situation in the cultivation world stabilizes in a few years, she will come looking for you. From today onward, work hard so that when the time comes, you can repay her for her years of cultivation."
Although Qi Miaohan had decided to leave, she still felt a bit of guilt now that the moment had arrived. She knew that because of her outstanding talent, she had been cherished by the entire sect since childhood, yet she naturally disliked presiding over a sect and always wanted to go out and make her own way. Occasionally, she wondered if she was being too selfish.
Hearing Nie Shiyun’s words of comfort, she regained some of her usual vitality.
"...You're right. By the time Master arrives, I will surely have made a name for myself. Then I can welcome her with pride and glory."
"Exactly. Besides, it's not like you can't come back. Don't be so hard on yourself." Nie Shiyun breathed a sigh of relief seeing her return to normal. A sorrowful Qi Miaohan didn't look like herself at all! This high-spirited appearance suited her much better.
Qi Miaohan gave a soft huff. "I heard that activating the teleportation array requires a lot of Immortal Crystals. I don't want to owe you two that much money."
Nie Shiyun smiled and didn't press further. Although they were old acquaintances, Qi Miaohan was a person with strong self-esteem; taking advantage of them would only make her feel uncomfortable.
When they had left the Upper Realm, there were two of them. When they returned less than a month later, Nie Shiyun’s group had grown to four.
Furthermore, he knew that soon, the Soul Transformation cultivators of the cultivation world would ascend one after another. The Nascent Soul cultivators who had been slack in their training now had this goal and would surely practice more diligently than before.
However, aside from their own family, the New Yunqing Pavilion did not intend to extend an olive branch to any ascending cultivators for the time being. In the eyes of those Soul Transformation cultivators who had been put on pedestals for a thousand years, he was, after all, a former "junior." If he were to become their sect master now, they would certainly feel extremely unbalanced.
Once they realized that Soul Transformation cultivation meant nothing in the Upper Realm and experienced the coldness of the world, if they could still swallow their pride and come knocking, it wouldn't be too late to welcome them.
Qi Miaohan and Nie Li, experiencing teleportation for the first time, were put through the wringer. Their first reaction upon arriving in the Upper Realm was a nausea so intense they wanted to vomit.
Nie Shiyun, already familiar with the process, calmly handed them new clothes and Heart-Calming Pills before carefully observing the surroundings.
"There's no one nearby now, but someone has been here," Zhai Bairong said in a low voice.
Nie Shiyun nodded; he also sensed traces of other cultivators having visited the vicinity. It seemed the commotion of repairing the ascension channel had been a bit too large; it couldn't be hidden for long.
However, since they had returned successfully, it meant those cultivators had come to investigate but at least hadn't attempted to damage the array again.
"Should we find someone to guard this place?" Zhai Bairong asked.
Nie Shiyun shook his head slightly. "This was originally damaged by accident during the chaos of the Four Clans' conflict. It's not something just anyone can easily accomplish. If someone of the Phoenix Emperor's level really came along, finding people to stop them wouldn't work anyway."
Zhai Bairong hummed in agreement. Nie Shiyun was the expert in arrays; if he said so, then it was fine.
"But you reminded me. We can indeed find someone to act as a messenger," Nie Shiyun said, clapping his hands as he remembered something.
He had heard that in ancient times, it was common for Soul Transformation cultivators who ascended to the Upper Realm to be intercepted by locals and forced into labor. Perhaps this tradition would gradually revive in the future.
He had left many tokens representing Yunqing Pavilion with Nie Mingde, but he was in the Upper Layer, too far from this place. If such a thing happened, tokens might not necessarily be useful.
"Perfect. Although our sect's reach hasn't extended to the Lower Layer yet, we have acquaintances here."
Hearing Nie Shiyun say this, Zhai Bairong also remembered.
Thus, before returning to the Upper Layer, Nie Shiyun’s group made a trip to the Tiger Clan.
After many years, the Tiger Clan was overjoyed to see Nie Shiyun. They lived a relatively secluded life and had only known this one human for decades.
"Senior Nie, you and your companion are both at the Great Enlightenment stage now. Truly incredible!"
"Senior Nie's artifact refining must be at a price we can no longer afford, right? Hey, does that mean this early work of yours in my hand can be treated as a family heirloom now?"
"Senior Nie! I heard you have a partnership with the White Tiger Clan—that's a legendary demon race! I heard that even in our main branch in the Middle Layer, few seniors have had the honor of seeing them. What do they look like?"
Nie Shiyun stood in the middle of the enthusiastic crowd of Tiger Clan members with a forced smile, nearly unable to handle the attention.
He suddenly froze at the last sentence. "Where did you hear about me and the White Tiger Clan?"
Everyone looked at each other as if to say, "Hasn't this already spread?" They told Nie Shiyun that it was now known everywhere that he had cooperated with the Four Clans to repair the ascension channel.
Nie Shiyun let out an "Eh?" This was something he hadn't expected. His mind raced, weighing whether this was a good or bad thing.
"This is a great thing! And everyone used to say that the relationship between the demon and human races was poor. Now many humans are saying they want to thank the Four Clans for their help!"
Nie Shiyun thought to himself that whether the humans were happy or worried about this was one thing, but the fact that the Four Clans' involvement in repairing the channel had been publicized acted as a natural insurance policy. Even if there were sects that wanted to exclude the Lower Realm, they would have to think twice now. Otherwise, wouldn't they be intentionally sabotaging the hard-earned results of the Four Clans and going against them?
"It is indeed a good thing," Nie Shiyun said. The surrounding Tiger Clan members were simple-minded, each wearing a very honest and pure smile.
The Tiger Clan was not far from the teleportation array. Nie Shiyun asked them to keep an eye on it for him in the coming period and to contact him immediately if anyone from Yunqing Pavilion appeared. He estimated that as more people arrived, the network between the Upper, Middle, and Lower Layers of the New Yunqing Pavilion would naturally be established.
With everything settled, the group embarked on their journey to the Upper Layer.
Nie Shiyun had originally thought that since his father and Qi Miaohan were newcomers, they shouldn't rush their journey but instead travel around a bit. However, once these two saw the average cultivation level of the practitioners in the Upper Realm, they immediately felt a sense of crisis. Both expressed a desire to settle down quickly and work hard on their cultivation. Nie Shiyun helplessly abandoned his travel plans, and the group set off immediately without a moment's delay.
"Nie Shiyun and the others are back."
At this time, in the Upper Layer, Xuan Yang received the message from Nie Shiyun, and the heavy stone in his heart finally dropped.
If the teleportation array had broken again, he, who knew absolutely nothing about arrays, would have had to try and fix it with his own head.
"It's good they're back," Shen Yan said calmly from the side.
Xuan Yang leaned in with a face full of smiles, grabbing him and saying, "I was worried to death! Not long after Nie Shiyun and the others left, someone discovered the teleportation array. I heard that many humans don't like the Lower Realm and think they're coming to snatch their resources..."
"Fortunately, just as you said, once the Four Clans were brought up, none of them dared to move. Is it really that effective? The names of the Four Clans are truly useful. Although I'm one of the Four Clans myself, I can't help but feel a bit complicated..."
"Oh, right! I heard that to suck up to them, someone even specifically sent gifts to the Dragon Clan! They said they wanted to thank them for their selfless help in repairing the channel for the humans. I heard Ao Fan was so frustrated his face turned red. I wonder if that counts as flattery backfiring..."
Shen Yan flipped through his book, feeling his head buzzing from Xuan Yang’s chatter.
"Did you build this small library specifically for me just so you could prevent me from enjoying a single moment of peace?"
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yang was overjoyed and immediately shut his mouth obediently.
Just as he had secretly planned before, he had personally built a cave dwelling with a courtyard in the back mountain. From the entrance to the items in the rooms, he had picked the very best.
He was full of confidence in the surprise he had prepared for years. Shen Yan had probably fully understood his plan within the first month of his preparations. After all, Xuan Yang’s skill at lying was too low; the more he tried to keep a secret, the more full of holes his words became. Fortunately, Shen Yan rarely called him out, always pretending he knew nothing.
On the day of completion, although Shen Yan had known everything for a long time, he was still moved by this sincerity and gave Xuan Yang quite a few "sweet treats."
To this day, Xuan Yang didn't know that his surprise was as transparent as streaking; he was quite happy with himself.
Now the two were taking a moment of leisure together in the library. The golden rays of the setting sun leaked through the window and scattered across the floor. In a little while, the sky would be completely dark. Shen Yan felt a bit dazed; Xuan Yang’s mouth hadn't stopped for more than a few seconds since noon. It was a miracle he could still read anything in this environment—habit was truly a terrifying thing.
"I hope Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong come back sooner. Being an acting sect master is so tiring. I want to go out and travel the world with you," Xuan Yang muttered softly. At this moment, he finally understood the mindset Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong had when they used to disappear from time to time.
"They might beat you to it. Then your short-term acting position will become a long-term one," Shen Yan said.
Xuan Yang looked horrified. "Absolutely not. But fortunately, Nie Shiyun brought his father. He’s always managed affairs at Yunqing Pavilion, so he’ll surely be a natural at this. With him here, we can run away with a clear conscience."
Nie Li, who was still on the road, had no idea that before he even reached home, he had already been targeted by Xuan Yang as a substitute.
The entire New Yunqing Pavilion was very happy to welcome Nie Shiyun and the others back. Xuan Yang and Shen Yan felt they could finally lay down their burdens, while the disciples were eager for Zhai Bairong’s return, all lining up to ask him questions about alchemy.
Most of them were seeing Nie Shiyun for the first time after several years in the sect. Along with their respect, they couldn't help but steal glances at him. They had all assumed that Nie Shiyun, who was rarely seen, would be a more aloof cultivator than Zhai Bairong. To their surprise, he was very approachable, chatting and laughing with them as juniors. There were also many who thought he had heard the things they said about him in private from Zhai Bairong and was now "hiding a dagger behind a smile," leaving them terrified.
After giving them a "sweet date," Nie Shiyun casually revealed that now that the ascension channel was repaired and he had plenty of time, he would also begin recruiting disciples for artifact refining and arrays. He hoped everyone, as seniors of the sect, would get along well with their future fellow disciples.
Realizing that there would be more and more people competing in this empty Yunqing Pavilion, the disciples immediately felt a sense of urgency.
One had to know that neither Nie Shiyun nor Zhai Bairong had taken any personal disciples yet.
"Father, you two stay for a few days to adjust, then go into seclusion to cultivate when you have time. Just tell me if you need anything," Nie Shiyun said to the two. While they were still on the road, Xuan Yang and Shen Yan had already made arrangements for Nie Li and Qi Miaohan. The feeling of not having to worry about every little detail was quite nice. Nie Shiyun thought that once his father’s cultivation improved, he could comfortably go out and travel with Zhai Bairong.
The deeply moved Nie Li had no idea that he had just arrived at the sect, and his proud, precious son was already plotting to use him.
By this time, Qi Miaohan had completely adapted to the atmosphere of the Upper Realm and was full of drive. "Put your heart at ease! Looking at how empty your sect is, it’s pitifully shabby. Once I’ve succeeded in my cultivation and take a walk outside, I guarantee a hundred excellent male cultivators will be kneeling at my pomegranate skirt."
Nie Shiyun didn't count on her bringing anyone back at all. "I won't trouble you. I'll be thanking the heavens if you don't go out and cause trouble."
Qi Miaohan huffed, her tongue as sharp as ever as she bickered with Nie Shiyun for a few more rounds. However, she knew very well in her heart that there were many beautiful and strong women in the Upper Realm. The urgent task was to improve her cultivation so she could integrate into the new environment.
Everyone in the sect now had their own tasks to do. After a brief period of clamor, things soon returned to tranquility.
A few months later, news of cultivators ascending began to arrive from the Lower Layer one after another. Finally, the thousands of years of isolation between the two realms officially came to an end.
The Tiger Clan in the Lower Layer was very diligent in their reports to Nie Shiyun, allowing him to know who had arrived in the Upper Realm even while staying in the sect. As he and Zhai Bairong had expected, those who came were mostly "old men." Among them was an elder from the Moon-Reflecting Sect, but it was not Zhai Bairong’s former master, Qu Zhanmeng. It was likely that Qu Zhanmeng would find it difficult to advance to the Soul Transformation stage again in this lifetime.
Since he was so obsessed with sect power, he could spend the rest of his life watching his juniors ascend one by one while he remained in the Moon-Reflecting Sect as its master forever.
Zhai Bairong and Nie Shiyun, having retrieved the soul lamp, placed it within the New Yunqing Pavilion and shared a smile.
"Once Father comes out of seclusion, let's go for a walk," Nie Shiyun said with a mischievous glint. "I bet Xuan Yang is also planning to slip away early. If we beat him to it, he’ll definitely be fuming."
Zhai Bairong wanted to say there was no need to compete with Xuan Yang over such meaningless things, but seeing his partner’s high spirits, he suppressed a laugh and nodded. "I'll listen to you."
"Oh, right. Madam Shang wrote a few days ago, saying she was immensely grateful to hear about the channel being repaired. Soon, she will go to the Lower Realm accompanied by her family to remember her daughter one last time."
Zhai Bairong was somewhat surprised. "Her family... does that mean her husband and son from the main branch in the Upper Layer? Haven't they been living apart for a long time?"
Nie Shiyun felt a bit sentimental. "Yes. She said that since I brought back her daughter’s relics, she has gradually moved on. This will be the last time. She met with her husband and told him her plans, and her husband decided to go with her. After they return, they will live together at the main branch in the Upper Layer."
Zhai Bairong listened quietly, then nodded. "That’s for the best. I heard her husband had no intention of divorcing despite their years of separation. People always have to move forward."
"That's true. People and things alike must move forward."
Nie Shiyun echoed his sentiment, taking Zhai Bairong’s hand. The two left the room where the soul lamp was kept, slowly closing the door.
When he first arrived at Yunqing Pavilion, Nie Shiyun had felt strange and tense toward everything in this world.
Since then, he had gained a second father, a partner, friends, and many fellow disciples and juniors.
Now he was in the New Yunqing Pavilion. Old acquaintances might one day reunite here, or they might stay in the Lower Realm to live out their days in peace. New disciples would join the New Yunqing Pavilion, and one day, he might even take an apprentice...
"What are you thinking about?" Zhai Bairong asked, seeing Nie Shiyun staring blankly at the closed door.
"Nothing. I just suddenly thought of the past, and then of the future. I felt a bit dazed," Nie Shiyun said, coming back to his senses.
Zhai Bairong tightened his grip on their joined hands and smiled. "You've been busy for decades and suddenly achieved your goal; you're just not used to it. Come, let's go back to the cave dwelling and have a good rest."
Nie Shiyun smiled silently, looking at their tightly clasped hands. It felt as if time had barely passed between them, no different from a hundred years ago.
"Yeah, let's go."
People come and go, but at least we have always walked side by side. That is enough.
***
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Transmigrated into a Total Shou Novel as a Cannon Fodder, but Ended Up 1v1-ing the Male Lead | Chapter 216 | A Path Restored | Novela.app | Novela.app
