The green shade was like a tapestry. Li Yan walked on the quiet little stone path, the fresh air filled with the unique scent of green grass and trees filling his nostrils.
The crisp chirping of birds alternated between near and far, echoing in the secluded valley. For a moment, Li Yan felt refreshed and invigorated.
After walking for about ten li, Li Yan came to the entrance of a cave residence built against a mountain. In front of the cave residence was also a dense maple forest, and in the forest was a large open space.
In this open space, Li Yan was surprised to find a wide, square platform that was knee-high. The platform was very strange, with horizontal and vertical lines crisscrossing it.
In the middle of the stone platform was a long, thin slab of stone resembling a couch, large enough for seven or eight people to lie on together.
After looking at it for a while, Li Yan still couldn't figure out what this large stone platform in the maple forest was for. It wasn't until a certain night after he came out of seclusion that he finally understood its purpose.
At that time, a large, sparkling, pale blue platform appeared before his eyes. After repeatedly observing and confirming that there was no danger, he stepped onto it. For a moment, it was as if he were in a dream.
The dense branches and leaves that shot up into the sky all around swayed in the night sky with the wind, and a large expanse of starlight fell from the sky.
He didn't know what kind of formation this square platform used, but at every node of the crisscrossing horizontal and vertical lines, it also lit up, like countless stars. Under the reflection of the starlight in the sky, it was as beautiful as a dream.
Li Yan finally knew the origin of the name of this place, "Myriad Stars Cavern." And the long, thin slab of stone in the middle of the square platform was for people to recline on while drinking wine and admiring the stars. It was truly a place of elegance.
If one were to invite two or three fellow Daoists to sit in a sea of blue like the stars, it would truly be like being in a fairyland.
But at this time, Li Yan was in no mood to study what this square platform was for. The aura in his body was still in a state of turmoil, and he needed to consolidate his cultivation as soon as possible.
After stepping into the cave residence, Li Yan found that it was just as Xing Ming had said. It was often cleaned. Although the furnishings were simple, it was very clean and tidy.
The cave residence was quite spacious, with a resting room, a cultivation room, an alchemy room, and a beast-rearing room, all complete. As Li Yan walked around, he also found a rather large spirit plant garden behind the cave residence.
But because no one lived there, only some low-grade spirit plants that were easy to grow were planted in the garden, as a kind of decoration.
After a tour, Li Yan also set up the "Great Dragon-Elephant Formation." After thinking for a moment, he went directly into the cultivation room. With a wave of his large sleeve, he closed the doors of the cave residence and the cultivation room.
Both the Snow Mosquitoes on his body and the mysterious Flying Sickle Blood Mantis from the Blood River had very strict environmental requirements. The idea of releasing them and placing them in the beast-rearing room was also dismissed by Li Yan.
In that case, he would have to put the Blood River and the huge ice chair that hid the "Rongsun" there at the same time. With these things far away from him, Li Yan would immediately feel a sense of unease.
The cultivation room was more than twice as large as the room in Li Yan's previous courtyard. The Spirit Qi in the room rushed towards him, exceptionally pure. Without Li Yan actively breathing it in, it had already drilled into his body like lively sprites.
Li Yan felt it for a moment. The concentration of Spirit Qi here was almost the same as the Spirit Qi outside the Little Bamboo Peak. For a second-rate sect, this was definitely extremely luxurious.
"It seems they have really shown their sincerity this time."
After looking around, Li Yan shook the hem of his black long robe and sat down cross-legged on the spot.
But he did not immediately enter into cultivation. He was surprised before that twenty years had passed. He still had some things to sort out and deal with.
Although cultivation was important, he could not cultivate with peace of mind with these things on his mind.
This time, he finally agreed to the other party's request and stayed to become an elder of Falling Star Valley. It was one of Tianxingzi's sentences that moved Li Yan.
Li Yan had falsely claimed that he would have to look for his "master" in the future, but Tianxingzi said he could use the power of the sect, which immediately made Li Yan change his mind.
If he could use the power of a sect to gather information, it would definitely be countless times better than looking for people himself.
It was just that that person was naturally not his illusory master, but Zhao Min.
The ability of one person could not be compared to that of a sect, especially a local sect like Falling Star Valley. It would be relatively easier for them to gather information.
In addition, Li Yan also had to find out a way to leave the Forsaken Continent. Some information was not something that ordinary cultivators could know. He couldn't just go around looking for mid- to high-level cultivators.
After thinking about it, staying in Falling Star Valley was of course more beneficial than detrimental, so the choice was very easy.
Now that he had the power to protect himself, he was not afraid of Falling Star Valley being against him.
After sitting cross-legged, with a thought, an illusory figure formed by his Divine Sense had already appeared in the "Earthen Patch."
This seclusion had lasted for about twenty years. He had to find out the current situation of the Lesser Purple Divine Dragon-Elephant as soon as possible.
In the "Earthen Patch," the mountain peaks, rivers, and dense earth-attribute Spirit Qi, everything was as before, as if it were yesterday.
Looking at the small river flowing quietly at the foot of the mountain, the river reflecting his figure and appearance, Li Yan was in a daze for a moment. For a time, he felt a trace of sadness.
His appearance had not changed from twenty years ago. He was still a young man with extremely ordinary looks. Time had not left any traces on his face.
As his magical power grew stronger, he had instead gained a touch of otherworldly meaning.
"Cultivation, a dream of ten years. Time is but a fleeting moment for a cultivator!"
For a moment, he thought of that distant continent, of his relatives in a remote mountain village. Counting now, his several sisters and third brother had already entered middle age, or even old age.
And his parents? They had already reached a ripe old age. Although he had left behind many spirit pills back then, a mortal's body ultimately had a limit.
Looking at himself in the river, Li Yan was somewhat lost in thought.
"Father, Mother, are you well? Your son has been away for decades and has not been able to fulfill his filial duties by your bedside. I am ashamed to be a son..."
Li Yan muttered to himself, his mood extremely low for a moment. He wished he could immediately fly back to the Great Green Mountains, fly back to the small mountain village, fly back to the place he yearned for in his dreams.
But all of this was a fantasy. Just like that, Li Yan stood by the river in a daze for a long time before his expression gradually returned to one of no joy or sorrow. With a step, he had disappeared from the green riverbank.
The next moment, he had already arrived at the far west of the "Earthen Patch." The five-colored halo in the sky was still there. The power of the five elements was tirelessly generating layer by layer. In the center, streams of heat waves spread out, roasting everything here.
Li Yan stood in the air, staring at a crystal-clear purple giant egg in the center of the desert below.
The purple giant egg had now grown to the size of four or five adults. Purple light flowed on it, and streams of heat waves were emanating from it, like a purple sun half-buried in the desert.
"Twenty years have passed, and it still hasn't finished forging its body!"
Hearing the strong and powerful heartbeat coming from the purple giant egg below, although Li Yan didn't know the specific situation of the Lesser Purple Divine Dragon-Elephant, he could feel the rich life force coming from the purple giant egg.
"I wonder what stage its 'Burning the Soul to Refine the Fire' has reached, and when it will end?"
Li Yan just quietly watched below, standing in the air for a long while before his figure flickered and disappeared without a trace.
He only knew now that the Lesser Purple Divine Dragon-Elephant was still alive, but he had no way of knowing its specific situation, so he was helpless. All he could do was continue to wait.
The Lesser Purple Divine Dragon-Elephant had subjected its three huns and seven pos to "Burning the Soul to Refine the Fire." Who knew if an accident would occur during this process, such as losing a hun or injuring a po.
These were things that could not be sensed from its aura, just like the foolish and idiotic babies born among mortals.
Some of them had an unusually strong life aura, but who could judge from this that there was a problem with their divine soul or spiritual intelligence?
In a cave at the top of the mountain, the cold air was biting. A huge ice throne carved with an ice phoenix about to take flight stood there.
The Snow Mosquito King, its body at least four times larger, was lying on the ice throne that hid the "Rongsun." At this moment, its body was alternating between black and transparent states.
As it breathed, its crystal-clear body would turn pitch black in the next moment.
And a moment later, its ink-black body would instantly turn crystal-clear again with its gentle exhale, pure and flawless, which was quite strange.
The Snow Mosquito King's eyes were slightly closed, immersed in some kind of wonderful state.
For the past few decades, its strength had been constantly growing. There were several times when he wanted to go out and show off to Li Yan, but no matter how he called, the other party seemed to turn a deaf ear, completely ignoring him.
If it weren't for the fact that he himself had not died, the Snow Mosquito King would even think that Li Yan had already perished.
When he was bored, he had also gone to the far west of the "Earthen Patch" alone, but each time he could only look at the purple giant egg through the restriction.
He simply couldn't break the restriction set up by Li Yan.
Just like that, day after day, year after year, the Snow Mosquito King gradually began to feel a trace of despair. This place seemed to have been forgotten by Li Yan.
That baleful star had not summoned it once in decades. He had also suspected that the other party had entered into arduous cultivation in seclusion.
But with the blood contract between them, the other party should have sensed his calls no matter what. He just didn't know that after Li Yan's Primordial Spirit left his body, he had entered an inexplicable state.
So the Snow Mosquito King finally made up his mind. He had to cultivate well. He suspected that the blood contract between him and Li Yan might have disappeared.
So if that were the case, and Li Yan died without any warning, wouldn't he be trapped here for the rest of his life?
Thus, he changed from decadent to active and began to cultivate diligently. He wanted to rely on his own ability to leave this place with his clan one day.
Li Yan's phantom quietly watched the Snow Mosquito King who was cultivating, a strange light flickering in his eyes.
"It's actually on the verge of breaking through to the third rank. Although this should also be due to the help of 'Rongsun' and the changes brought to it by those potent poisons, it's really surprising!"
Li Yan was a little surprised. The current Snow Mosquito King's strength was almost the same as his own back on Windy Cool Mountain, and its poison skills were also exceptionally pure.
Although Li Yan had only tempered it with two kinds of potent poisons, from the aura exhaled by the Snow Mosquito King, Li Yan could feel the power of the potent poison. A single drop should be enough to kill a Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"Although there hasn't been time to help it find the 'Howling Cold Stone,' after twenty years, it has still made a great breakthrough on its own. Now, even if it hasn't entered the third rank, with the addition of its poison skills, an ordinary Golden Core cultivator might not be its match."
Li Yan was a little happy in his heart. The increase in the Snow Mosquito King's strength was of course more helpful to him.
He still remembered the promise he had made to the Snow Mosquito King to help it find auxiliary cultivation items. It was just that the things he had encountered, one after another, had left him with no time to attend to other matters.
Immediately, Li Yan's Divine Sense swept gently, and more smiles appeared on his face. The upper half of the entire mountain peak was almost as dense as a honeycomb.
"This number is at least one or two million, right? It's really good at reproducing!"
The current number of Snow Mosquitoes surprised and delighted Li Yan, and he couldn't help but marvel at the reproductive ability of mosquito-type creatures.
"If these were to be released all at once, plus with the auxiliary support of a Snow Mosquito King of this strength, even a Mid-stage Golden Core cultivator could probably be worn down to death."