Volume 1, Chapter 301 – Unexpected Change

Shi Lan did not feel much attachment to this world.

After giving that county town one last glance over her shoulder, Shi Lan had the system open a spatial passage and stepped into it without the slightest pause.

Once a spatial passage was successfully constructed, so long as no external force disturbed it, it could endure for ages.

When Shi Lan came here, she had arrived through the All-Heavens Samsara System. Only her soul had crossed the void, so she had not felt much.

Now that she was returning, however, she was doing so in her complete physical body, and the feeling was entirely different.

This was a heavenly road strewn with brilliant starlight. Beyond a transparent film lay chaotic globes of light of all sizes.

Some were dim as candle flames, some blazed like the scorching sun. They looked close enough to touch, yet in truth they were separated by endless space-time.

Before Shi Lan could look more closely, she had already stepped onto solid ground in the next instant and returned to Lingyang.

All around her was the familiar secret chamber, and the pool not far away still retained some warmth.

Although she had spent more than half a year in that small world, not even two full days had passed in Lingyang Realm.

Vast spiritual qi came surging in and nourished Shi Lan’s body. In that small world, spiritual qi had simply been unable to nourish her Innate Spiritual Body. If she had been even slightly careless, she could have drained the entire world dry.

At the same time, an invisible restraint suppressed her power. That feeling of being able to tear open the heavens with a raise of her hand vanished without a trace, and the enormous disparity left Shi Lan feeling somewhat uncomfortable for a moment.

After adjusting for a while, Shi Lan slowly raised a hand and lightly touched the void before her.

The void rippled like the surface of water.

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Through the Secret Canon of Spirit Refinement, her soul had been nourished and strengthened greatly within that small world, and it was already close to forming divine sense.

Of the thirty-six acupoints of the Heavenly Astral Realm, more than half had already been opened through the tempering of the True Martial Undying Body. Only the nine apertures of the head remained unopened.

Judging by cultivation alone, Shi Lan was now already a late-stage martial expert of the Heavenly Astral Realm. Before the demon calamity broke out, that level of cultivation was enough to range freely for ten thousand miles and support a fifth-grade force on one’s own shoulders.

Counting it all together, only a few short years had passed since she began cultivating. A speed like that was already terrifying.

But Shi Lan did not feel the slightest satisfaction in her heart.

She was still far too weak…

After collecting herself, Shi Lan left the secret chamber.

Night had just fallen. Moonlight streamed down, and thread after thread of lunar essence nourished all things upon the earth.

Shi Lan left the courtyard and strolled through the residence. As she passed the main courtyard, she happened to run into Shi Tianlu.

Shi Tianlu was seated in the courtyard, drinking alone beneath the moon. No one knew what he was thinking about, but there was a hint of desolation in his expression. Even though Shi Lan had not concealed her footsteps, he still did not notice her arrival.

“Father.”

Shi Lan took the initiative and greeted him.

Shi Tianlu came back to himself. Looking at that shockingly silver strand of hair beneath the moonlight, his chest tightened, and he beckoned Shi Lan over.

Shi Lan sat down by the table, filled Shi Tianlu’s cup, and then poured herself one as well.

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As a father, Shi Tianlu felt that he had been somewhat neglectful. After all, in the ten-odd years before this, he had not openly shown Shi Lan much affection.

His original plan had been to let Shi Lan live out her life safely and happily beneath his wings, because Shi Lan’s temperament had once been far too gentle and kind, and not suited for contention on the martial path.

But the changes had come too quickly. In only a few short years, with more time apart than together, Shi Lan had already changed to the point where he could no longer quite see through her.

Strong, decisive, enduring, she had already begun to display her edge upon the martial path.

While that made him feel gratified, he could not help but feel somewhat forlorn as well, because he could no longer protect Shi Lan.

“Lan, what are your plans from here on?”

Shi Tianlu drained the wine from his cup in one gulp, let out a breath, and then continued,

“As for extending your lifespan, you do not need to be anxious. I am preparing to go to the Central Heaven Domain. That is the center of the Vast Land of Shenzhou, so there should be no lack of things that can prolong life.”

“Don’t worry, Father. I’m confident.”

Warmth stirred in Shi Lan’s heart, and she shook her head slightly.

Ordinary longevity treasures were already of no use to her. Her lifespan had run dry because she had burned her life-origin. Without a transformation in the level of her existence, there was simply no way to continue it.

“In as little as half a year, or at most a year, I will definitely step into the Myriad Phenomena Realm. When that happens, the problem will resolve itself naturally.”

Shi Tianlu fell silent for a moment. He wanted to gently pat Shi Lan on the head, but after raising his hand halfway, he slowly lowered it again.

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“Will you come with me to the Central Heaven Domain?”

Shi Lan thought for a moment, then shook her head. Looking up at the Illusory Star Domain in the sky, she said,

“I have somewhere else to go.”

Shi Lan did not tell her family that the Demon-Suppressing Army had awarded her a star. Things in the Illusory Star Domain were not peaceful right now, and there was no need to make them worry.

“Take good care of yourself.”

Shi Tianlu did not press her. He knew that the current Shi Lan had her own road to walk.

Looking at Shi Lan’s slightly cool profile, Shi Tianlu began to feel a trace of worry.

“If you ever meet someone you care for, you can bring them back and let your father have a look.”

The martial road was long, and climbing it alone in search of the peak was bound to be lonely. If there were someone by her side, perhaps it might be a little better. He hoped Shi Lan could be a little happier.

A faint smile hung at the corners of Shi Lan’s lips, but she neither agreed nor disagreed. As for so-called love, she had long since stopped harboring any expectations.

Even if all the world entered the river of love, she would still stand upon the shore and smile as she watched the boundless mortal world.

Father and daughter drank together beneath the moon, savoring that rare, fleeting peace.

…

Shi Lan stayed in the residence for a few days. After giving Shi Qinghu some pointers in his cultivation, she prepared to set out.

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Su Lanyue wanted to persuade her to stay, but after struggling with herself for a long time, she could only helplessly see Shi Lan off at the door.

After leaving the Shi Residence, Shi Lan soon heard quite a bit of news in Xianwu City.

First, the Supreme Headmaster of the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect had defeated the invading Demon Emperor and returned from beyond the domain.

General Yun Chen personally went to the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect to discuss matters with that headmaster, and afterward, Xianwu City once again returned to the hands of the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect.

The transmission formation to the Central Heaven Domain had already been opened, and a great number of reinforcements had arrived in the city. There was more than one Human Emperor among them.

Among them, the Bai clan of the Human Emperor clans had almost arrived in its entirety to search for the whereabouts of the Human Emperor bloodline descendant.

More than half of the Demon-Suppressing Army in the city had already been deployed and sent to the frontier, killing the scattered demon survivors left along the way while also helping the common people rebuild their cities. Disciples of the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect were traveling with them as well.

The Demon-Suppressing Army was going to reestablish more than ten fortress passes and block the demon race beyond the border.

And from the Imperial Palace in the Central Heaven Domain, another imperial decree had once again been issued, ordering a large-scale migration of population from the other eight great Domains to help Chengtian Domain recuperate and recover.

So many major developments had taken place in such a short time, yet Shi Lan had not received any news of them. Clearly, someone had intentionally kept her uninformed.

Now she was alone. Though she was a third-rank Demon-Suppressing General of the Demon-Suppressing Army, she held no military authority and had become a special existence almost drifting outside the army altogether.

Shi Lan soon left Xianwu City. She did not go to the Illusory Star Domain, but instead headed straight for the frontier.

She also wanted to try to learn something of Bai Weiyang’s whereabouts. During that battle, Bai Weiyang had been taken away by that Heaven Demon, and she had yet to return. As for how things stood now, it was truly hard to say.