Chapter 914: The Seven Years Painted Is an Instant

Not long after Zuo Wuji and Jin Jia departed Kuinan with Li Feng, a black-haired middle-aged man arrived to visit Zhuyan at his mansion, only to be told that Zhuyan was not at home.

"Your King isn't here? Where did he go? Did he leave any messages?"

The man's face was calm, but he was worried. He had been sent on a mission and had already been informed of some unsettling suspicions. As expected, his trip to the Southern Wilderness Mountains had yielded nothing.

The demon gatekeeper merely shook his head.

"The King left no message. His whereabouts are not for us to guess. If you have something urgent, I can relay it when he returns, or you can wait here."

The middle-aged man considered for a moment before speaking.

"Then may I enter the mansion and wait for your King?"

The demon gatekeeper thought for a moment and replied.

"You may, but only in the front courtyard. The back courtyard is off-limits without the King's permission. If you trespass, and the King finds out, you will surely die without a burial place."

"Understood, of course!"

The man nodded, agreeing to all conditions. He then followed the demon into the mansion. After being led to a reception room, the man shed his skin, leaving behind a realistic false body, while he himself transformed into a wisp of green smoke and entered the demon's back courtyard.

Although there were restrictions everywhere, they could not hinder the man at all. This wisp of green smoke roamed throughout the demon mansion, going directly to the depths of the back courtyard, and transforming back into the man in a garden.

If Zhuyan had been there, he would surely have captured him. While there were indeed some powerful demons present, they were not astute enough to discern the man's true presence. It now seemed that Zhuyan was truly not in the mansion.

The man looked down at the chessboard and two chess boxes on the garden table, noting that Zhuyan's departure did not seem to have been hasty.

'Did he intentionally avoid showing himself?'

As one who played a role in grand schemes, it was difficult to truly predict an opponent's movements, but the man's premonition was not good.

At that moment, the man's heart stirred. He extended his right hand, and a bright, moon-like white mirror appeared. A light emanated from it, subtly revealing a blurred human silhouette within.

The figure in the mirror looked towards him, and the man quickly aimed the mirror at the stone table and chessboard, then spoke.

"I have searched Zhuyan's mansion thoroughly, and there's no trace of him. He must have left at least three months ago and hasn't returned since. While you, Honored Lord, sensed something amiss about a month ago, everything here is in order; the chessboard is tidy, indicating Zhuyan's departure wasn't rushed. My guess is he left due to something that piqued his interest, or perhaps he was summoned by an acquaintance."

Light and shadows flowed across the mirror, showing no discernible reaction, yet the man holding the mirror seemed to have grasped its divine meaning. After nodding, he quickly departed.

Zhuyan was no insignificant being, nor a mere Southern Wilderness Demon King. He had secretly controlled a considerable portion of the Southern Wilderness Mountains' forces. Moreover, despite any past grievances with others, Zhuyan likely held the qualifications of a "chess player," maintaining at least a superficial policy of seeking common ground while reserving differences with other ancient mighty beings.

For a period after Zhuyan was dragged into the Xiezhi scroll, some entities closely associated with him – demon kings and forces relying on his influence, as well as those constantly monitoring him – vaguely sensed something amiss. Subsequently, they all discovered they had lost contact with Zhuyan.

Before this, Zhuyan had shown no unusual signs.

Zhuyan, based in the Southern Wilderness Mountains, commanded considerable power through his current avatar. Given his abilities, it was possible that his disappearance was merely a personal act of his true body. However, severing all contact so completely was highly abnormal, especially when someone happened to try contacting him and suddenly found him missing.

This naturally caused considerable shock and concern, and it also instilled a certain deterrence in some entities, making them slightly paranoid. Even some original plans were temporarily put on hold. At least, it was impossible to act freely at such a critical juncture. They had waited for so many years; waiting a little longer wouldn't hurt.

Perhaps Zhuyan would reappear after some time? After all, a fierce beast like Zhuyan was inherently difficult to control; if not for a shared grand scheme, he was generally the type that everyone disliked.

However, as time passed, the likelihood that Zhuyan had merely left on his own became increasingly low.

Zhuyan might disappear for half a year or a year due to temporary interest or a private matter, but he wouldn't vanish for three or five years, especially without any explanation to those within or outside his circle before his disappearance.

And now, seven full years had passed since Zhuyan's disappearance, and almost no one held any hope for his well-being anymore.

It was also after seven years that some individuals closely connected to Zhuyan, and who were themselves manifestations of ancient true spirits, sensed an unwilling roar from the desolate domain.

The awakening and agitation of Zhuyan's true form and spirit indicated that the Zhuyan in the current normal world had died.

This was already a desperate struggle, and such a loss meant that the true Zhuyan would now struggle alone in the terrifying desolate domain. It would be difficult for him to seal his true essence and endure, and even harder to manifest his true essence in the present world. There, days felt like years, and he harbored resentment while awaiting a fate controlled by others.

Unless Zhuyan could abandon everything and directly incarnate into the world. While some had indeed done so, and Zhuyan possessed such ability, he could not bring himself to abandon the body of an ancient fierce beast and, more importantly, the portion of the ancient Heaven and Earth Dao he had seized.

"Xiezhi—"

The moment Zhuyan awakened, a furious roar erupted from his mouth. Its overwhelming malevolence shook a corner of the desolate domain, causing widespread, dark red dust storms and thin spiritual energy to dissipate. This briefly revealed the dim sun in the perpetually dark, bleak desolate domain.

Yet, the sunlight brought no warmth to this place banished by heaven and earth. Even the great sun in the sky seemed to mock the giant ape roaring at the sky within the desolate domain.

This malevolent roar quickly faded into the desolate domain, but the words "Xiezhi" were vaguely perceived by some beings who were half-awake, half-dreaming. They could also sense Zhuyan's malevolent unwillingness and resentment.

For Zhuyan's faction, these seven years bred suspicion and unease among many, suppressed impulses in others, and led some to proceed as usual, seemingly unconcerned but secretly wary, all keeping extra vigilance.

However, for many righteous individuals, especially those closely associated with Ji Yuan, these seven years were equally unsettling. Zhuyan had been gone for seven years, but so had Master Ji.

By the same token, it was not impossible for cultivators to enter seclusion for ten, twenty, or even fifty years. However, Ji Yuan rarely disappeared for long without cause, and certainly not without anyone being able to contact him, especially in this era of great change.

For Ji Yuan's close friends like the old dragon, it went without saying that when Ji Yuan neither appeared nor sent any news during the first year of the Dragon Girl's opening of the Desolate Sea, the Tongtian River faction was already deeply concerned. Seven consecutive years of this naturally caused immense anxiety.

The cultivators of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, on the other hand, were almost driven mad. For seven straight years, all methods of communication and spiritual transmission aimed at Ji Yuan yielded no direction and could not be sent, practically driving the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion members bald with worry. In the current age, if a figure like Master Ji were to perish silently, it was hard to imagine what terrifying events might await the world.

Fortunately, the Heavenly Secrets Wheel had its own means of divination, which at least allowed the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion to understand that Master Ji's life was not in danger; he was simply neither "within" nor "without."

It was the second day of the fourth month. In a back room of Li Ping's official residence in Xia Yong capital, which had been empty for seven years, Ji Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

At this moment, the slightly dim room seemed to brighten, and the faint smell of decay vanished, leaving the interior fresh and natural.

On the small table in front of the meditation cushion, the Xiezhi scroll remained unfurled. It was no longer completely black but depicted a vivid, lifelike image of the ancient divine beast.

The meditation cushion, the table, the scroll, Ji Yuan—it was as if nothing had changed. As if Ji Yuan had sat on that cushion from the beginning and never moved. As if everything had only happened the night before, and these seven years were but a fleeting moment.

Looking at the spotless room, Ji Yuan calculated with his fingers for a long time before letting out a long sigh of relief. A full seven and a half years had passed, and fortunately, no irreversible changes had occurred during that time.

Then again, if there had been any horrifying upheaval, Ji Yuan would have been roused immediately. This only suggested that while seven years was a long time for ordinary people, it was not so long for beings who measure existence in centuries or millennia.

Ji Yuan reached out and picked up the Xiezhi scroll. The Xiezhi on it showed no reaction, but the scroll felt significantly heavier.

Standing up, Ji Yuan looked upwards, his gaze seemingly penetrating the roof and piercing through the sky. There was a light in Ji Yuan's eyes, different from the various qi phenomena seen by his previous Dharma Eye. Three special, incomparably brilliant "Hua" lights were visible but untouchable. Each had its own radiance, yet Ji Yuan's perception of the Three Flowers seemed different from what ordinary immortal cultivators spoke of. He chuckled, "No wonder my Three Flowers are difficult to gather. They aren't 'essence, qi, spirit' but 'heaven, earth, man.' Heh, should I cry or laugh? When my Three Flowers converge, will I still be myself?"

However, Ji Yuan at least understood that his injuries were now healed, his vitality was abundant, and his cultivation had advanced significantly. More importantly, the sword formation blueprint had been completed.

Muttering to himself, Ji Yuan walked to the door. He gently pulled but couldn't open it. He shook his head and chuckled again; the people of the Li residence had actually locked this room.

Ji Yuan pulled again, and the copper lock outside the door sprang open and fell to the ground with a "thud." The long-sealed folding door slowly opened.

In the courtyard outside, servants resting were playing chess at a stone table. Hearing the door open, everyone turned to look towards Ji Yuan, only to see the locked door had opened by itself.

At that moment, their vision was somewhat blurred, unsure if the outside light had entered the room or if the room itself had become brighter. But this momentary illusion quickly faded in their daze. The next moment, they saw a gentleman in a green robe standing in the doorway.