This is the martial arts world, what are you cultivators interfering in?

Chapter 262 Turning the Tide into Clouds

To be, or not to be?

Li Lan's words rang out calmly in the sky, entering the hearts of everyone, yet they seemed to become a decree of immense weight, leaving no room for any thought of resistance!

Now, in everyone's eyes, Li Lan is like an unparalleled god or Buddha.

The demise of the Celestial Mystery Elder established Li Lan's supreme position.

"Even the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets is dead, but he... may still have the ability to reclaim the cycle of reincarnation."

"Conquering the Realm of Truth might lead to death, but it's better than dying now..."

The crowd murmured.

"Tian Changqing...is willing to serve you as my master, and from now on, I will serve you faithfully and risk my life for you!"

The first one to speak was actually Tian Changqing, who had crawled out of the huge pit!

He knelt on the ground, his whole body trembling.

When he was defeated by Li Lan, his Dao heart was completely shattered.

When he saw that the old man of the Heavenly Secrets was dead, he could no longer muster any hope.

The crowd's expressions were incredibly complex. Tian Changqing was the Right Envoy of the World Alliance, a man of high status, and had once supported Lin Ruoxue, the leader of the World Alliance... Now he had so decisively turned against them...

"Qin Juan of the Wind and Thunder Alliance is willing to follow the Lord of Reincarnation and fight again in the Realm of Truth!"

Qin Juan stepped forward and said loudly, "Our alliance has been lying low for many days, waiting for this day. Now, after much anticipation, you have finally returned!"

"We, the Extreme Yin Alliance, swear to follow the Lord of Reincarnation to the death!"

"The Creation Alliance has never truly submitted; their previous actions were merely a temporary expedient. Now that the true Lord of Reincarnation has returned, we will naturally follow!"

Everyone started to speak.

The reason why the major alliances were forced to join the World Alliance and become its subordinates was simply because they feared Yang Yi in the Realm of Truth under the prevailing circumstances.

For them, it doesn't matter who they side with. They followed Li Lan to the Realm of Truth for profit, and were later forced to join the World Alliance to survive. Now that Li Lan is powerful enough, it's just a matter of going with the flow to side with him again.

"Pass on my order: three days from now, attack and kill the World Alliance, and annihilate Lin Ruoxue and Yang Yi!"

Li Lan said calmly, "Those who abandon darkness and embrace light within three days will be spared!"

He was well-versed in the art of struggle and the art of power. Now that he had just returned and his power was not yet consolidated, if he rashly launched an attack, he would not only be facing Lin Ruoxue and Yang Yi, but also all the major alliances that had joined the World Alliance. They would all be forced to serve Lin Ruoxue to the death because of Li Lan, this external threat.

Instead, it helped Lin Ruoxue unite her team.

Therefore, we must strike a balance. Today we kill the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets, take in Tian Changqing and the others, and give them three more days. In this way, those who submit to Lin Ruoxue will inevitably become disloyal, and the Alliance of the World will be more likely to fall apart, with much less resistance.

"As ordered!"

Qin Juan, Tian Changqing, and others hurriedly spoke up.

Immediately, the battle report of the Battle of Hengdao Mountain and Li Lan's decree were quickly spread to all sides of the world!

……

"The Lord of Reincarnation, Li Lan, has made a powerful return, killing the Heavenly Mystery Elder. In three days, he will launch a campaign against the World Alliance!"

"What? Really? Wasn't he dead? How could he come back to life?"

"It's true, he came back from the dead! It's absolutely true. My elder brother personally witnessed the battle at Hengdao Mountain. Li Lan is now invincible in this world. Even Tian Changqing, the Right Envoy of the World Alliance, defected and surrendered!"

The news spread throughout the world, and the entire Origin Realm was shocked.

"Most of the Longevity Alliance left without saying goodbye, departing from the World Alliance and heading to the Eternal Immortal City to surrender to Li Lan!"

"The Immortal Alliance has also made a move. Tian Changqing personally gave the order, and most of their forces have left."

"A small number of members from the Wind and Thunder Alliance have also left!"

Within the alliance, turmoil was brewing.

In just three days, Eternal Immortal City began to siphon off the forces of the World Alliance.

To the world's surprise, the Tianxia Alliance remained remarkably silent in the face of Hengdao Mountain's defeat and the immense upheaval caused by Li Lan's return.

They made no effective counterattack or response, remaining silent as if nothing had happened.

……

And this moment.

A realm of ultimate truth, nestled within a small mountain village.

"He's still alive..."

In the small courtyard, Lin Ruoxue looked at the secret report delivered from outside, her face flashing with disbelief.

She witnessed the battle firsthand that day. After Li Lan was exposed to the light containing yang energy, his soul and spirit were destroyed, and his physical body was only barely kept alive by her protection.

Later, she obtained everything from her younger sister Lin Ruobing, and even personally took the reincarnation authority from Li Lan.

She couldn't understand how a dead person could be reborn and possess such terrifying combat power, even managing to kill the Heavenly Mystery Elder...

"It's time to take your medicine."

Beneath the peach tree, a flash of light appeared, and Yang Yi appeared. With a wave of his hand, a blue and white porcelain bowl appeared on the stone table in front of Lin Ruoxue, filled with a yellowish-turbid liquid.

Yang Yi smiled as he looked at Lin Ruoxue, his eyes filled with appreciation and anticipation, as if he were admiring a work of art he had created himself.

Another dose of medicine... A hint of fear flashed in Lin Ruoxue's eyes, but she dared not show it at all, and a look of hesitation crossed her mind.

Since the battle at the Realm of Truth, after gaining Yang Yi's approval, she received everything Lin Ruobing had with his help. Moreover, Yang Yi taught her many profound Taoist techniques... It can be said that he had given her a second life.

But Yang Yi would make her drink a bowl of so-called "yellow medicine" every few days.

What exactly was this medicine? She didn't know, but she could sense that Yang Yi's gaze was growing increasingly intense and expectant, with an occasional flash of greed, like a thirsty beast patiently waiting for its prey to be cooked...

"Master, news has come from outside that Li Lan is not dead. He has been resurrected, and his strength has become extremely powerful. He even killed the Heavenly Mystery Elder... Should I go out and deal with this matter first?"

Lin Ruoxue spoke as soon as a thought crossed her mind.

Since she took control of the reincarnation authority and became the leader of the World Alliance, she has never stepped out of the small mountain village.

Every time she wanted to go out, Yang Yi would use the excuse that her cultivation was flawed to stop her. Therefore, even when she took control of the World Alliance, it was through secret communications.

The fact that such a major event has occurred now provides the perfect reason...

"Is that so?"

Yang Yi, however, seemed not to care at all, and urged, "It's not important. The affairs of the Origin Realm are all fleeting. Quickly drink the medicine."

Lin Ruoxue's heart grew heavier. Yang Yi didn't even care about Li Lan's resurrection... It seemed that her taking the medicine was extremely important to Yang Yi, more important than anything else.

But, given the short time we've spent together, would he really be so eager to value this little bit of teacher-student relationship?

impossible……

It can only be for his own sake!

"Master, I feel much better now. This medicine is precious..."

She mustered her courage and politely declined.

"What do you know?"

Yang Yi said, "Now that the Reincarnation Underworld is complete, the cause and effect and opportunity for you to wield power all come from your sister. Your foundation is unstable. This medicine is very important and can help you resolve the hidden dangers. You must drink it."

He looked displeased and said, "Do you really think your master would harm you?!"

Lin Ruoxue's expression changed slightly. Not daring to refuse, she immediately picked up the blue and white porcelain bowl, drank the yellow medicine in the bowl in one gulp, and then bowed and said, "Thank you, Master."

"Yes, circulate the cultivation technique I taught you to absorb the medicinal effects."

Yang nodded, but still looked at her.

Lin Ruoxue lowered her head and sat cross-legged, then began to circulate the cultivation technique that Yang Yi had given her.

After she started practicing her technique, a strange gray mist began to emanate from her hair and snow-white skin, drifting and dissipating.

--Although Lin Ruoxue has been in the Origin Realm for many years, like Li Lan and others, she has always maintained a physical body and cannot be considered a true strange being.

But now, her seven orifices are filled with gray mist, and even the spiritual light in her forehead is undergoing some kind of qualitative change...

After a long, long time, she opened her eyes, and her pupils had turned gray!

"Excellent! This skill requires diligent practice; do not slack off—"

Yang Yi gave one more instruction, and then his figure disappeared.

As soon as he left, Lin Ruoxue immediately tried to circulate her internal energy to expel the medicine, but to no avail. After the yellow medicine entered her body and was absorbed through her internal energy, it disappeared completely and could not be expelled.

"What exactly happened...?"

Her mind was in turmoil. She looked inward and found that her dantian was filled with gray mist, and the eerie aura was growing stronger.

"Is this going to turn me into a monster?"

A thought flashed through her mind, and she couldn't help but tremble slightly.

Born in the Abyss Realm and possessing a flesh and blood body from a young age, she was unwilling to transform into a bizarre creature.

What worries her even more is the way Yang Yi has been looking at her lately. It makes her feel that Yang Yi doesn't treat her as a person at all, but rather as a medicine or food, something to be nurtured...

This made her feel a pang of regret!

Therefore, after hearing about the major changes in the World Alliance and Li Lan's return, she unusually refrained from issuing any orders, leaving the World Alliance leaderless...

She was very rational and clear-headed. As long as she was alive and strong enough, it didn't matter whether the World Alliance disintegrated or not; she could rebuild it at any time!

According to the secret report, Li Lan will launch an attack in three days, once again targeting those at the True Realm...

Thinking of this, she suddenly got up and walked towards a room. She pushed open the door and saw a girl sitting casually on the floor.

Her eyes were lifeless, empty, and numb; her face was deathly pale; her lips were cracked and bluish-purple; her hair was frizzy and disheveled; and a shackle was fastened around her neck with an iron chain.

"Ruobing, you have to eat something, or you'll die, won't you?"

Lin Ruoxue spoke calmly.

In front of Lin Ruobing, a bowl was filled with various rare and precious medicines.

But there was no sign of it being disturbed at all. In fact, Lin Ruobing seemed not to have heard her words and remained sitting there blankly.

Why would you do this?

Lin Ruoxue sighed, picked up the bowl on the ground, grabbed the precious herbs inside, and with her other hand, pinched Lin Ruobing's chin, forcibly opened her mouth, and stuffed the precious herbs one by one into Lin Ruobing's mouth.

Lin Ruobing was like a soulless walking corpse, completely at her mercy.

Forcing Lin Ruobing to swallow the precious medicine, Lin Ruoxue carefully wiped the corner of her mouth and said, "Ruobing, I am your sister. In this world, you are my only family."

She murmured, as if talking to herself, "So, I won't let you die, your sister will always be with you..."

After she finished speaking, she remained silent for a long time before looking at Lin Ruobing and saying, "You hate me only because of Li Lan, right?"

"Now I'm telling you, he didn't die, he came back to life, do you believe me?"

She held Lin Ruobing's hand and clearly felt a strong pulse beat in Lin Ruobing's wrist, something that hadn't happened in months.

But then the silence quickly subsided, clearly indicating that Lin Ruobing didn't believe it.

"This is the secret report I received today. He has been resurrected at Hengdao Mountain and even killed the Heavenly Mystery Elder. He has now entered the ranks of the strongest beings in the Origin Realm..."

A complex and indescribable look flashed in Lin Ruoxue's eyes. It wasn't a pretense; she genuinely felt a pang of sorrow in her heart!

She sacrificed so much, almost severing her sisterly bond in her pursuit of strength, disregarding everything...

But even with Yang Yi's help and guidance, she was only just approaching a state of confusion, while Li Lan had already embarked on his path and become the strongest person in the world...

Why is it that despite all my hard work and dedication, I can never catch up with him?

Why is God so cruel to me?

A variety of thoughts flashed through her mind, but she stopped thinking about it and looked at Lin Ruobing with a hint of pity, saying, "Sister, you will see him soon. You are so devoted to him, he will definitely repay you in every way... You are willing to die for him, but is he willing to die for you?"

She got up and left.

……

Eternal Immortal City.

"Where exactly did you go? How did you manage to fool Yang Yi..."

Inside a secret hall, the big black dog looked at Li Lan with a hostile expression and said, "Did you and Sister Cat conspire on something? Woof, you actually kept it from me!"

It was angry, feeling excluded from the scheme...

"That's not important,"

But Li Lan said, "I need to find someone for you. This person may affect the rise and fall of the entire underworld!"

The big black dog asked, "Who?"

Li Lan said, word by word, "The last member of the Heaven-Mending Clan, Sun Wukong—"

……