Chapter 61: Suspended Emptiness!

"How is it outside? It has been so long since I last stepped out," Jian Xuan said, raising his goblet and slowly tilting his head back as he spoke.

"Still the same," Yu Fan replied, his tone sinking into a heavy gloom.

"What is your cultivation realm now?" Jian Xuan asked, turning his head toward Yu Fan.

"Third-layer Foundation Establishment..." Yu Fan answered.

"Not bad, not bad at all. To have reached the third layer of Foundation Establishment at such a young age!" Jian Xuan patted Yu Fan gently on the shoulder.

"There are so many scrolls here, and I cannot understand most of them. Why are there so many high-tier ancient books?" Yu Fan asked, seeking guidance from the figure beside him.

"Ah, the origin of these ancient books..." Jian Xuan chuckled. "Many years ago, I led a host of cultivators wielding our swords to resist that group of immortal cultivators who were plundering spiritual energy in the mortal realm to boost their own strength. They even seized the opportunity to establish sects and factions here, driving away the practitioners who had cultivated in this place ages ago."

"Leave this place now, I wish to be alone." With a gentle wave of Jian Xuan's hand, nothing remained before Yu Fan except pitch-black darkness and a broken sword.

Jian Xuan gently picked up the shattered blade, and a soft breeze swept across the surrounding darkness.

Yu Fan descended the ladder and left the place, casting frequent, lingering glances back at the broken sword.

As soon as Yu Fan emerged, the stone wall behind him snapped shut.

The few old scrolls before his eyes instantly turned to ashes, leaving only the newly bound volumes behind.

The doors of the Scroll Archive slowly swung open.

Xingchenzi was already so engrossed in a scroll that he was utterly unable to pull himself away.

Fang Yu sat nearby as well, flipping through the pages of a scroll.

***

Yu Fan stepped out, slowly raised his head, and looked at the two of them, his heart brimming with hope.

"Senior Sister, Xingchenzi, shall we go? It is getting late."

"Xingchenzi, let's go," Fang Yu said, waking Xingchenzi from his trance.

Xingchenzi picked up the unfinished scroll, and the three of them departed the Pavilion of Spells.

They headed straight away from the location to search for Jian Yichen.

After a short while...

"You have arrived. Everyone, how was the experience?" Wei Yu asked.

The grand hall was packed with various disciples. Yu Fan slipped in quietly, tapped Jian Yichen on the shoulder—it seemed some sort of meeting was currently underway—while Fang Yu and Xingchenzi waited for Yu Fan outside.

"Let us leave this place first," Yu Fan said quietly.

"Very well, very well," Jian Yichen replied.

Yu Fan slowly walked back out, looked at the other two, and said, "Let us go!"

The three of them made their way along a small path, chatting and laughing as they passed through the center of the Talisman Sect.

Not far ahead, a plume of thick smoke was drifting into the air. Yu Fan hurried forward and discovered that Jian Yichen’s thatched cottage had been burned down, along with their own shared dwelling.

Xingchenzi and Fang Yu stood frozen in shock as they stared at the rising smoke.

"Damn it, which bastard did this?!" Yu Fan cursed.

***

A short while later... Northern Pavilion Peak.

"Hahaha, does this make you happy, Jian Yichen?" a dark figure standing by a window murmured with delight.

"That is your punishment for failing my sister," the figure said happily.

Yu Fan said, "Senior Sister, let us find a place to eat, and then find somewhere to settle down and cultivate."

Fang Yu replied gently, "I will listen to you."

Yu Fan turned to Xingchenzi, who was still clutching a scroll, and said warmly, "Let's go, Xingchenzi."

Muttering to himself, Yu Fan added, "Dammit, don't let me catch you. The moment I get my hands on you, I'll slaughter you."

Back at the sect meeting, Jian Yichen was standing and practically nodding off to sleep. He forced himself to stay awake, but the lecture delivered by the talisman master up front was dry and baffling.

Jian Yichen's senior sister kept nudging him, but she could not shake him awake.

"Who—who is sleeping over there? Have you grown tired of living?!" the talisman master scolded angrily.

He walked down, peered at the culprit, and barked, "Jian Yichen! Why is it you again? You truly disappoint this master beyond all hope!"

"You haven't grasped even the basics of talismans, have you, Jian Yichen?" the old man rebuked.

"Master, I know, I can do it! How could mere talismans give me trouble?" Jian Yichen mumbled in a daze.