Yun Yichen sat within Kongyuan Hall. The current Sect Leader of the Kongshan Sect simply watched as Chen Yan stepped into the hall.
"What is the matter?"
Yun Yichen asked.
"Grand Master, this disciple has recently been contemplating some flaws in the Purple Mansion Kongshan Art. There are some points I truly do not understand and hope Grand Master can resolve my confusion."
Chen Yan had just casually found an excuse.
"Speak your mind."
Yun Yichen continued.
"Alright. This disciple believes that in certain passages, the Purple Mansion Kongshan Art and the Kongshan Art..."
Suddenly, an extremely jarring and dissonant feeling washed over him.
It was as if everything around him had changed.
"Time's up."
Qi Yi's voice reached Chen Yan's ears.
In an instant.
Just a single instant, the scene before his eyes rapidly shifted from Kongyuan Hall to a place both familiar and strange to him.
The Outer Court, Training Grounds.
Chen Yan's heart was utterly calm, without a ripple.
He had long known he could not escape this destined cycle.
But, how was this done?
Just like that, making him vanish into thin air right before Yun Yichen's eyes?
So blatantly?
A man wearing pure white Daoist robes, with no mountain or branch insignia on them, looking about thirty years old, stood right in the middle of the training grounds.
On the training grounds, many outer sect disciples were sparring with each other or practicing basic techniques like the Kongshan Finger.
However, they completely ignored Qi Yi and Chen Yan standing in the middle of the field.
"They cannot see us."
Qi Yi placed his hands behind his back, began pacing, and said with a smile:
"So, how was it? Did you enjoy life properly during those fifty-eight days you wasted?"
"It was fine."
Chen Yan merely replied thus.
"You're quite composed."
Qi Yi said:
"Any last words?"
Chen Yan fell silent briefly, then asked:
"I want to die with clarity."
"Is that so?"
Qi Yi shook his head:
"I don't have the habit of wasting too many words on someone about to die."
"So why kill me?"
Chen Yan asked.
"Because of that list?"
Hearing this, Qi Yi fell silent for a moment, then shook his head as if somewhat helpless:
"I originally thought you were a smart man, Chen Yan."
"Then, is it because of the Black Flood Dragon Remnant Soul within my body?"
Chen Yan's gaze fixed tightly on Qi Yi's face, trying to detect something from this Unity Realm powerhouse. But when he heard the words "Black Flood Dragon Remnant Soul," his expression still showed no change.
This indicated two possibilities.
One was that this Grand Elder's experience and depth of character far exceeded Chen Yan's imagination;
no news could cause any ripple in his expression.
The other possibility was that this Grand Elder already knew the Black Flood Dragon Remnant Soul was within him.
Because of the Hidden Immortal Art's existence, it was impossible for someone to see through the Black Flood Dragon Remnant Soul within Chen Yan.
Then, it could only be...
Qi Yi stopped pacing, and the entire training grounds seemed to suddenly freeze. He raised his hand. On his slender right index finger was a ring.
Chen Yan recognized this ring.
The faces of Ye Xiu and Mo Zheng surfaced in his mind.
"Time's up."
Qi Yi said with a regretful smile:
"See you in hell another day."
Then, Qi Yi snapped his fingers with his right hand.
Instantly, Chen Yan dissipated between heaven and earth.
[Reincarnation Ended.]
[This Reincarnation Rating: A (Feels like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse, so consider yourself lucky)]
[Accumulated Cultivation: Martial Spring Realm Peak]
[Reincarnation Reward: Cultivation Realm advances by one major realm]
[Reincarnation settlement complete. Host will return to the previous reincarnation save point, inherit the accumulated cultivation from this reincarnation, and restart life]
...
"In recent days, low-level demonic beasts have frequently appeared in the direction of Xinglin Valley. Fellow Daoists from some small sects around our sect have reported no less than fifty sightings..."
At Kongyuan Mountain, the voice of the Merit Hall manager disciple slowly reached Chen Yan's ears as his consciousness returned.
The reincarnation save point this time has changed to this moment?
Fifty-three days remain until the Outer Court Cataclysm.
"Tch!"
Chen Yan clicked his tongue in considerable displeasure, because from that last reincarnation, he hadn't managed to pry any information from Qi Yi's mouth.
This Grand Elder's lips were truly tight!
However, Chen Yan hadn't gained nothing.
His Martial Spring was now completely submerged within the Qi Sea. Chen Yan felt the true qi within him was immensely powerful, far beyond what he possessed at the peak of the Martial Spring Realm!
Qi Sea Realm Peak!
Not only that, the Clear Rainbow derived from the mastered Hidden Immortal Art was also much thicker than before, and its quantity had increased from a single wisp to several dozen wisps.
This was an absolute increase in power!
Chen Yan felt the vast true qi flowing through his meridians with disbelief. Just one reincarnation had elevated his cultivation level from Martial Spring Realm Peak to Qi Sea Realm Peak?
Why?
After much thought, Chen Yan realized the reason this reincarnation's rating was so high could only be due to his performance at Heavenly Summit Mountain.
After all, he had slapped He Furen to death.
Never mind whether it was the Black Flood Dragon Remnant Soul or himself who did it.
The reincarnation reward was ultimately credited to Chen Yan himself.
If he achieved another B-grade reincarnation rating, would his cultivation realm break through to the Spirit Connection Realm?
Progressing from the Qi Sea Realm to the Spirit Connection Realm represents a qualitative transformation in a cultivator's spiritual sense.
Cultivators below the Spirit Connection Realm can be killed by a mere thought from a Divine Ability Realm powerhouse.
The fundamental reason is that the spiritual sense of cultivators below the Spirit Connection Realm is too weak.
Soon, Chen Yan calmed down from the joy of having his cultivation elevated by an entire major realm.
Under normal circumstances, his delight at such a cultivation breakthrough might have lasted longer.
But clearly, he didn't have that luxury now.
Whether at Martial Spring Realm Peak or Qi Sea Realm Peak, what difference did it make to a Grand Elder from the Upper Three Realms?
It was merely the difference between a slightly smaller ant and a slightly larger ant.
Both could be crushed underfoot.
Chen Yan began to think about what he should do next.
Continuing to slack off on Kongyuan Mountain was meaningless. Even seeking Yun Yichen's protection would result in him being instantly dragged by Qi Yi's strange methods to the Outer Court Training Grounds of the Kongshan Sect.
That was precisely the location where the Black Flood Dragon Remnant Soul had been released during the initial twenty reincarnations.
"...Damn it."
Chen Yan couldn't help but curse.
If the previous Outer Court Cataclysm was an inescapable fate,
then now, that fate seemed to have fallen entirely upon his own shoulders.
The Outer Court Cataclysm would inevitably occur.
This meant Chen Yan must die.