Lin Yuan turned around and looked at the mountain cave. After pondering for a moment, he said to Little Fairy Doctor,
"Although we don't know who the senior was who left these treasures behind, since this cave has already fulfilled its purpose of bestowing its inheritance upon those fated to receive it, and since we have benefited from it, we should let its owner rest in peace."
"Mm, I was thinking the same," Little Fairy Doctor nodded. In her view, she had gained the most from this trip, so it was only right to offer some gesture of goodwill. "What do you plan to do?"
"It's very simple. We'll block off the passage so no one can enter and disturb the senior's rest. Little Fairy Doctor, you should first ride Xiao Lan and leave the cave," Lin Yuan said.
Nodding, Little Fairy Doctor deftly leapt onto Xiao Lan's back. Xiao Lan carried her out of the cave, after which Lin Yuan rose into the air. With a surge of Dou Qi, he directly blasted the stone walls of the cave, causing them to collapse and completely seal the entrance. Then, with a light sweep of his sleeve, he drew in surrounding dust and fallen leaves, covering up all traces of the area. The cave's presence vanished without a trace.
"Let's go, Little Fairy Doctor. I'll escort you back. Having Xiao Lan fly you back to Qing Shan Town would be far too conspicuous," Lin Yuan said as he landed on Xiao Lan's back.
"Mm, thank you," Little Fairy Doctor thought for a moment and did not refuse his kindness. This trip had yielded far too much—wealth beyond anything she had ever possessed. With so much now in her hands, she felt uneasy, and caution was warranted.
After giving Xiao Lan a brief instruction, Lin Yuan wrapped an arm around Little Fairy Doctor and carried her toward Qing Shan Town. Xiao Lan, meanwhile, flew freely through the skies above the Magical Beast Mountain Range, savoring its comprehensively enhanced strength and body.
Lin Yuan was extremely fast. Before long, he had delivered Little Fairy Doctor back to her residence. The two exchanged a glance, both understanding that it was time to part.
"Then, goodbye, Little Fairy Doctor."
"Goodbye, Lin Yuan."
After Lin Yuan left, Little Fairy Doctor lay on her bed, tossing and turning. The events of the night replayed endlessly in her mind, waves of chaotic thoughts surging up.
What had happened this night far exceeded anything in her past years of life. She had obtained wealth sufficient to support a lifetime of ordinary living, learned of the Woeful Poison Body she carried, gained a talented young man as a friend, and seen Xiao Lan advance to a second-rank magical beast. Despite such immense gains, she felt an inexplicable emptiness in her heart.
She got out of bed, draped a thin outer robe over herself, lit an oil lamp, and sat down at her desk. Taking out the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture, she flipped to the final volume and stared at it blankly.
After an unknown amount of time, a low sigh echoed through the room.
"Woeful Poison Body…"
After parting ways with Little Fairy Doctor, Lin Yuan flew back to the residence he shared with Qing Lin.
When he arrived outside Qing Lin's room, he discovered that the little girl had not gone to sleep despite the late hour. Instead, she was cultivating, with Hong Yu standing guard outside.
Upon seeing Lin Yuan, Hong Yu immediately sent a message to Qing Lin. Qing Lin, who had been cultivating with her eyes closed, promptly withdrew her hand seals, opened her eyes, and hurriedly got up to open the door.
She ran up to Lin Yuan, looking at him as a broad smile spread across her face.
"Young Master, welcome home!"
Hearing Qing Lin say the word "home," Lin Yuan suddenly felt as though ages had passed. How many years had it been? Ever since his parents passed away, how long had it been since he last heard those words? In that instant, his heart seemed to soften, and his tone unconsciously grew gentler.
"Mm, I'm back."
Hm? Lin Yuan quickly noticed that fleeting, uncontrollable softness in his heart. He became alert. He actually possessed such a weakness? To waver even for a moment because of this long-lost sense of home—if he were to encounter a powerful illusion in the future, could this become a flaw? Preparations would need to be made in advance.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Yuan recalled that this was a good time to settle his somewhat restless mind, agitated by the intense battles and slaughter in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
"It seems I can take this time to conduct some research on the soul, as well as studies on dealing with illusions and illusion techniques."
Having set a goal, Lin Yuan looked at Qing Lin and noticed that her mental state was clearly off—signs of excessive mental exhaustion were evident. His gaze turned serious.
"Qing'er, although I told you to cultivate diligently at home, I also said that cultivation requires a balance between work and rest. Judging by your condition, you probably haven't slept at all since I left, have you? This approach is excessive. You must not do this again. Cultivation at the Dou Qi stage emphasizes steady, gradual progress—you must not rush for quick results."
"But I want to become stronger sooner, so I can help Young Master sooner," Qing Lin said softly.
Lin Yuan gently touched Qing Lin's forehead and comforted her in a low voice, "I understand your thoughts, and I'm very glad to hear them. But don't be anxious. I've already planned out your cultivation path. In the future, you will definitely be able to help me, so there's no need to rush. Don't lose the big picture for the sake of small gains."
"Mm, Qing'er understands," Qing Lin nodded obediently.
"Alright then, hurry up and go get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow I'll take you out for a walk," Lin Yuan said.
After Qing Lin went to sleep, Lin Yuan lit a burner of calming incense by her bedside to help her recover the mental energy she had consumed from over-cultivating these past two days.
Afterward, Lin Yuan returned to his own room and took out an extremely ancient-looking scroll from his storage ring. When he spread it open, a slightly yellowed map appeared before his eyes. The map was filled with patterns that seemed completely irregular, and in one corner there was a blurry black lotus motif. A thin layer of black flames seemed to cling to the lotus, and upon closer inspection, an eerie, demonic feeling arose—it was unmistakably a fragment of the Purifying Lotus Demonic Flame map.
Lin Yuan released his soul power and probed the Demonic Flame fragment, carefully sensing the patterns on the map. After studying it for a long time, he put the map down, unable to help but sigh in admiration.
"As expected of something left behind by a peak Nine-Star Dou Saint. It's far beyond what my current self can comprehend."
During his probing, Lin Yuan discovered that an extremely concealed yet immensely powerful soul force was hidden within the map. This soul force would not directly harm anyone. However, if someone attempted to trace the origin of the map or copy it, this soul force would imperceptibly erode their consciousness, making it impossible for them to obtain any effective information. Even consciously resisting the erosion would be completely futile.
Although Lin Yuan's soul perception was outstanding, in the face of the methods left behind by a peak-level figure of the continent, he was no different from an ordinary person, even though that figure had fallen thousands of years ago. This was the first time Lin Yuan had truly felt the gap between himself and the pinnacle, a gap so vast that he could not even clearly define its extent.
"The pinnacle of the Dou Qi Continent truly is unfathomable. But one day, I will stand there as well," Lin Yuan muttered. The enormous disparity did not discourage him in the slightest; instead, it filled him with a sense of excitement.
"Speaking of which, the Purifying Lotus Demon Saint's unique secret technique, Nightmare Heavenly Fog, creates a mist capable of trapping people in illusions. Legend has it that he once used this move to make an entire city experience hundreds of years of life, only for the people to realize, after the fog dispersed, that those centuries had been nothing but a dream. Such a miraculous technique—his attainments in illusion arts can truly be said to have reached the peak. If I could squeeze a bit of benefit out of this map, that would be great."
"Perfect timing. I was already planning to conduct some research related to illusion techniques. I'll use these two map fragments and the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils as my research subjects!"
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