Chapter 171: Return
Li Yao landed outside the hall of the Lotus Jade Palace, the five elemental spirits following closely behind her. She had already reverted from her spirit form, preferring the familiar sensation of her usual body. Around her, disciples and elders hurried about, tending to the injured and clearing debris from the fierce battle that had ravaged the sect grounds.
When Xuelian and Tiangang spotted her arrival, they immediately paused their duties and rushed forward, bowing respectfully before her.
"We greet the Sect Master," they said in unison, their postures formal despite their exhaustion.
"Thank you, Sect Master, for saving our sect..." Xuelian began, gratitude evident in her voice.
Li Yao waved her hand dismissively. "Just a small thing, no need to mention it," she replied with casual indifference.
Inwardly, however, she minded quite a bit. This rescue mission had delayed her reunion with her senior brother by several hours. She silently hoped these people wouldn’t forget her sacrifice.
Xuelian observed Li Yao’s nonchalance with awe. As expected of the Sect Master – dealing with a Nascent Soul cultivator was apparently nothing more than a minor inconvenience to her. A thought struck Xuelian: did this mean the Azure Cloud Sect now qualified as a rank six sect? She shook her head slightly, unable to fully comprehend this mysterious young woman. For all she knew, Li Yao might even be at the Soul Formation realm, and Xuelian wouldn’t be surprised.
"Deal with this place, then gather everyone and move to the Azure Cloud Sect," Li Yao commanded. "The sooner the better."
She turned her attention to Tiangang, who stood awkwardly to one side. "You too," she added pointedly.
"Sect Master, did something happen?" Xuelian ventured, concern furrowing her brow.
"I guess it’s okay to tell you," Li Yao replied before explaining everything that had transpired after she’d left to chase after the Nascent Soul realm expert.
"...he will probably attack soon. We need to strategize. If you’re far away, I might not be able to protect you."
Tiangang and Xuelian’s expressions morphed into looks of horror as they absorbed this information.
Noticing their fear, Li Yao smiled reassuringly. "Don’t be afraid. As long as I’m here, they won’t be able to harm you."
Her words did nothing to ease their expressions. They discreetly studied her, thinking to themselves that they were more terrified of her than any external threat – this young woman who casually tortured the soul clone of the region’s strongest expert and acted as if it was a normal thing to do.
Their gazes shifted to the five elemental spirits standing behind her. Even from a distance, they could sense these beings’ tremendous power, each one stronger than the Nascent Soul cultivator who had attacked them. Yet these people seemed to follow Li Yao’s commands. It seemed everything she had claimed was true.
They could only sigh inwardly at finding themselves associated with such a frightening person.
"We’ll do as the Sect Master says," they said with another respectful bow.
"Good," Li Yao nodded with satisfaction. She turned to the spirits and gestured for them to follow before launching herself skyward.
Xuelian watched them disappear into the clouds, reflecting that the Sect Master was truly unlike anyone she had ever encountered. Though undeniably strange, Li Yao inspired an unmistakable feeling of reliability.
Xuelian glanced sideways at Tiangang. Their eyes met briefly before both blushed and quickly looked away. She cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Ahem, everyone, prepare to leave..." she announced, turning to address the gathered disciples.
...
Li Yao’s face glowed with excitement as she sliced through the air at tremendous speed. Her thoughts raced even faster than her body, filled with anticipation of seeing her senior brother again. She hoped he hadn’t missed her too much, though she wouldn’t mind if he... They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, so if he suddenly attacked her...
[That’s not what that means,] the Empress interjected, cutting through Li Yao’s wandering thoughts.
"What do you mean? That’s literally what it means," Li Yao argued aloud.
[Nevermind. I came to warn you,] the Empress redirected.
"Warn me about what?" Li Yao asked, but her question was immediately answered when she let out a high-pitched squeal as her head smacked directly into an invisible barrier.
[About that,] the Empress remarked dryly.
Li Yao rubbed her forehead, which had already reddened from the impact. "What is this?" she questioned, placing her hand against the formation. Though nearly invisible to the eye, she could feel its solid presence beneath her fingertips.
[It’s a defensive formation. And quite a high-level one at that,] the Empress explained. [You should probably stop touching it. There’s also an attacking formation nested within.]
"Is this their plan? Are they trying to prevent me from seeing senior brother?" Li Yao’s voice rose with indignation as she began charging an attack, lightning crackling around her fingers.
[Can’t you see that this is for protecting the sect? Also, who’s ’they’?] the Empress asked, exasperation evident in her tone.
"Oh, that’s right," Li Yao said, immediately dispersing the gathered energy with a sheepish expression. "So, how do I get in?" she asked, hovering awkwardly before the invisible barrier.
[Just wait for someone to come let you in. They probably already detected you by now,] the Empress advised.
As if summoned by these words, an opening appeared in the barrier, rippling like water as Elder Huang stepped through the gap. Her eyes widened upon seeing Li Yao.
"Sect Master, you’re back!" she called out, rushing toward Li Yao with visible relief. "Did you succeed?" she asked before finally noticing the five imposing figures hovering silently behind Li Yao. "Who are these people? They seem strong," she whispered, leaning closer to Li Yao with undisguised curiosity.
Li Yao smiled proudly. "These are my friends. They said they’ll help us fight the Wuming Cult," she explained with casual confidence. "Don’t let their appearance deceive you—they’re all Nascent Soul cultivators."
Elder Huang’s eyebrows shot up at the casual mention of multiple Nascent Soul cultivators, but she quickly composed herself. Smiling warmly at the spirits, she gestured toward the opening in the barrier. "Follow me. I’ll show you a place to stay," she offered.
Privately, Elder Huang marveled at the similarities between Li Yao and Xiang Yu. Like husband like wife, she thought. Xiang Yu could create formations capable of fighting Nascent Soul cultivators, while Li Yao could simply recruit them. She guessed that Li Yao must have already reached that legendary realm herself; otherwise, how could she possibly command the respect of such powerful beings?
Though Elder Huang’s knowledge of high-level cultivators was limited, her judgment of character had always been accurate. From the spirits’ stiff expressions, she could tell they weren’t helping out of genuine enthusiasm—their assistance seemed less about wanting to help and more about not having a choice. But she didn’t dwell on this observation as she guided the peculiar group through the formation’s opening and into the sect grounds.