211: The shocked Li family

He suddenly looked up again, his Divine Sense spreading like a tide, carefully searching for another familiar Aura.

However, within a radius of dozens of miles, apart from the agitation of Yao Beasts and the aftershocks of Nether Qi, there was no trace of Li Xingyan.

"Xingyan..."

Li Xiangyun clenched his ring, his eyes instantly darkening.

Fire Old's Aura was cut off, Li Xingyan's Aura had vanished, coupled with the lingering traces of the abyss and the underworld, the answer was already obvious.

The Spiritual Qi around him suddenly became violent, the Sky Crystal Ice Dust Sword hummed, and the Yin-Yang Life-Death Sword Intent on its blade grew even more piercing, freezing even the surrounding mist into frost.

"Nine Nether... Abyss..." He softly murmured these two names, his voice cold as if tempered with ice, "If you dare to harm them in the slightest, I will surely overturn your lairs!"

As his voice fell, he soared into the sky, transforming into an even faster sword light, streaking away.

The sword light pierced through the clouds, below was an island embraced by a turquoise sea.

Unlike the island surrounded by purple clouds in his memory, here Spiritual Qi was abundant, the beaches around the island shimmered with fine golden light, and large swathes of spiritual wood swayed in the wind.

Buildings and pavilions were faintly visible scattered among them, which was the Li family's current new location—Qiming Island.

Li Xiangyun hovered in mid-air, looking at the familiar island-protecting formation, recognizing it as Deng Qi's Ten Thousand Blades Returning to Ruins Formation.

This made him breathe a sigh of relief; after all, if Deng Qi had arrived at the Li family as promised, then the Li family's situation couldn't be too bad.

"Is that... Seventh Uncle's Aura?"

A surprised voice came from within the formation, and then the formation's light gradually receded, and a slightly aged figure walked out quickly, it was Li Zhongwen.

He looked at the figure in the sky, both familiar and seemingly separated by the dust of years, his cloudy eyes suddenly widened, and he staggered forward a few steps, his voice trembling with excitement: "Seventh, Seventh Uncle? Is it really you who has returned?"

Deng Qi and Mo Lingfeng, who were Cultivating in the secret chamber, also flashed their figures and arrived in the Void Realm after sensing Li Xiangyun's Aura.

"Brother Li, you've finally returned." Mo Lingfeng looked at Li Xiangyun, who was as graceful as ever, feeling a little excited.

But as soon as his voice fell, the excitement on his face froze, his brows furrowed sharply, and he looked at Li Xiangyun with surprise and uncertainty: "Brother Li... your Realm..."

Not only him, but Deng Qi beside him also had his pupils contract sharply.

With his current Middle Stage Nascent Soul Cultivation, he couldn't see through Li Xiangyun's depth at all.

The other party stood there, his Aura seemingly peaceful, but when he focused his Divine Sense to probe, it was like facing an boundless sea of stars, unfathomably deep, and also like a magnificent mountain pressing on their hearts, making their breathing slightly halt.

Although he had expected it, seeing Li Xiangyun now, Deng Qi still said with some relief, "Boss, I have not failed my mission!"

"Hmm, you've worked hard!" Li Xiangyun patted Deng Qi's shoulder, then slowly landed.

As his feet touched this new yet familiar land, the heavy feeling of wandering for ten years quietly dissipated from his heart.

He looked at the clansmen who had gathered around, the Grand Elder's temples had a few more white hairs, and several children who were still toddling ten years ago had grown into tall teenagers, and there were more unfamiliar faces, but all carried the same sense of kinship by Bloodline.

"I'm back."

He spoke, his voice not loud, but it clearly spread throughout the entire island.

There was no earth-shattering Aura, only a tranquility that comes from enduring vicissitudes, but it instantly made all the clansmen's eyes red, and many old people even sobbed uncontrollably.

In the great battle ten years ago, Li Xiangyun disappeared, and the Li family faced the risk of extermination several times.

For ten years, they struggled to take root in this new land, supported by the belief that "Old Ancestor will eventually return."

Just then, a slender figure rushed over with a choked sob, throwing herself into his arms.

"Revered Master!"

The familiar voice, carrying ten years of suppressed grievances and longing, turned into hot tears that soaked his clothes.

It was Li Xiner, the girl who used to follow him around asking questions, now crying like a child, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

Li Xiangyun's heart softened, he raised his hand and gently patted her back, his voice softening a few shades: "Your Revered Master is back, don't cry anymore."

Feeling the trembling of the body in his arms gradually calm down a bit, he then supported her shoulders and said gently: "You've worked hard all these years."

Li Xiner sniffled, looking at him with tear-filled eyes, and spoke intermittently, recounting the twists and turns of the past ten years:

"Revered Master, not long after you left, Senior Sister Hentian... she left." Her voice choked, "She said she wanted to avenge you, left a letter, and then departed. There has been no news for ten years. We sent many people to search, but there's been no news..."

Li Xiangyun's brows furrowed slightly; Li Hentian's stubborn nature, that was something she would do.

Thinking of Li Hentian's Cultivation when he disappeared ten years ago, and then thinking of the scene where he saw Li Hentian not long ago, it was hard to imagine what Li Hentian had experienced all these years.

This made Li Xiangyun feel that he owed these few Disciples a lot, having failed to fulfill a Revered Master's responsibility.

"Also, ten years ago, the Great Zhou Dynasty suddenly attacked, saying they wanted to..." Li Xiner wiped her tears, a hint of lingering fear in her tone, "At that time, the other side sent three Nascent Soul Cultivators. No one in the clan could resist them. It looked like we wouldn't be able to hold on, it was Fire Old..."

After listening to Li Xiner's words, Li Xiangyun's heart sank. He finally understood why Fire Old had suddenly encountered trouble; it was, after all, because of their Li family.

Thinking of this, a sense of urgency rose in Li Xiangyun's heart; he had to rescue Fire Old as soon as possible.

After slightly organizing his words, Li Xiangyun comforted her, "Hentian is fine for now. As for Li Xingyan, he should be fine with Fire Old there."

Li Xiangyun did not tell Li Xiner the truth, but chose to conceal it. After all, he had to resolve this matter; telling Li Xiner would only add another person to worry, with no other effect.

"Mm." Li Xiner remembered Fire Old's power and nodded.

Then, Li Xiangyun looked around at everyone and said, "I'm back. Everything the Great Zhou Dynasty did to our Li family ten years ago, will be repaid in blood!"

Before his voice fell, a majestic Aura suddenly spread from his body!

That was the pressure of a Late Stage Nascent Soul, sweeping across the entire Qiming Island like a tsunami.

The spiritual wood swayed without wind, emitting rustling sounds; the turquoise sea surrounding the island surged, the sound of waves crashing against the shore was incessant; the formation patterns of the island-protecting great formation instantly lit up, complementing this Aura, yet showing no sign of resistance, but rather seeming to submit.

On the ground, the originally excited and noisy clansmen instantly fell silent, each with a look of horror.

Disciples with lower Cultivation even had their legs weaken, and if not for their strong reverence for the Old Ancestor, they would have probably already knelt on the ground.

Mo Lingfeng opened his mouth, his eyes filled with disbelief—ten years, from Late-stage Golden Core to Late Stage Nascent Soul, such speed was simply unheard of!

Deng Qi's heart also trembled violently, and the Spiritual Qi in his body almost went out of control.

He could clearly feel the terrifying power contained in that Aura, stronger than any Late Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator he had ever seen, subtly hinting at touching the threshold of Soul Transformation.

Li Xiangyun slowly reined in his Aura, and the wind and waves on the island gradually subsided, leaving only the gasps of the clansmen echoing one after another. He looked at his two "old friends," a warmth appearing in his eyes: "Ten years unseen, you two have also made considerable progress. Let's go, we can talk in detail in the main hall."

With that, he took the lead, his figure strolling leisurely towards the main hall in the depths of the island.

The sunlight sprinkled on him, as if plating him with a golden edge; that silhouette was even taller than ten years ago, and even more reassuring—it was the backbone strong enough to support the entire Li family.