Seeing Ling Luoyi's expression grow increasingly solemn, Wen Zonglin was also somewhat startled. He had never seen such a significant change in her expression before. No matter what danger she faced, she had always remained composed, but this time her demeanor had shifted, suggesting genuine peril.
With this thought, Wen Zonglin asked sternly, "Girl, what exactly happened here? Why is your expression so grave?"
Ling Luoyi withdrew her Spiritual Eye, steadied her mind, and said, "Master, we can discuss this later. I will restore this place to its original state first."
Restore it to its original state?
Wen Zonglin was a bit bewildered. He couldn't discern anything that needed restoring, other than the rather active spiritual energy here.
Ling Luoyi paid no mind to Wen Zonglin's presence. She directly channeled her spiritual energy, formed hand seals, and slowly smoothed the nearly opened passage, while also pacifying the somewhat agitated spiritual energy.
As Ling Luoyi performed these actions, Wen Zonglin stood by, observing the torrent of spiritual energy flowing from her hands. He felt the distinct nature of this energy and involuntarily entered a state of cultivation, with previously vague notions slowly becoming clear.
Half an hour later, Ling Luoyi withdrew her spiritual energy, a slight sigh of relief escaping her as she gazed at the now calm spiritual energy. At least, this place was temporarily safe.
Almost simultaneously as Ling Luoyi withdrew her spiritual energy, Wen Zonglin also awoke. Feeling his spiritual energy as if it had been cleansed, Wen Zonglin became even more curious about the years Ling Luoyi had been away.
"Master, let's go back."
"Mm." Wen Zonglin produced another teleportation talisman, transporting them both back to Qingyin Pavilion in the Ling Residence.
"Girl, what exactly is going on?" As soon as they stabilized themselves, Wen Zonglin eagerly asked.
Ling Luoyi casually cast another barrier before saying, "Master, before I explain, there are some things I must tell you."
Hearing Ling Luoyi's words and seeing her unprecedentedly serious expression, Wen Zonglin instinctively sat up straighter. He had a premonition that what Ling Luoyi was about to say would exceed his understanding.
"Master, this world is divided into six realms. You know this, don't you?"
Wen Zonglin nodded. Even a three-year-old knew this, so of course he did. He replied, "They are the Human Realm, Immortal Realm, Divine Realm, Demon Realm, Devil Realm, and Underworld Realm."
"That's correct," Ling Luoyi nodded. "And each of these realms has a highest plane, known as a 'Domain.' The Demon Domain of the Demon Realm, the Immortal Domain of the Immortal Realm, the Divine Domain of the Divine Realm, the Devil Domain of the Devil Realm, the Ghost Domain of the Underworld Realm, and the Sacred Domain of the Human Realm."
Wen Zonglin continued to nod. These concepts were easy to accept.
"These six domains are connected in a circular fashion. The entrances between two domains have barrier restrictions, and one cannot pass without the Domain Lord's permission. In the central area of this circle lies a gray zone that does not belong to any single world. This area is called the Outer Domain. The Heavenly Dao power in the Outer Domain is thin, so objects that grow there are less constrained by the Heavenly Dao."
Ling Luoyi paused, giving Wen Zonglin time to process.
Wen Zonglin, being of advanced age, had a high capacity for acceptance. He had largely assimilated the information within a breath after Ling Luoyi finished speaking. Seeing her silence, Wen Zonglin asked, "Girl, are you telling me this because the matter at Shuiyun Stream in Bailan Country is related to the Outer Domain?"
"Yes." Ling Luoyi had intended to tell him anyway, so she didn't hide anything. She stated directly, "In the Outer Domain, there is a most powerful race. They frequently launch wars against the Six Realms and are enemies of the Six Realms. We call them 'Outer Domain Heavenly Demons'!"
Wen Zonglin understood and said, "So the incident at Shuiyun Stream was caused by the Outer Domain Heavenly Demons you mentioned?"
"Yes. In the Outer Domain, there are six battlefields, corresponding to the Six Realms. The incident at Shuiyun Stream was the work of Outer Domain Heavenly Demons on the battlefield responsible for the Human Race."
Wen Zonglin was somewhat astonished. He had never heard or read about this. He was initially skeptical, but seeing Ling Luoyi's solemn face, he knew she wasn't one to joke. However...
"Girl, what happened at Shuiyun Stream? And what caused those flashes of lightning?"
"The Outer Domain Heavenly Demons attempted to break into the Sacred Domain but were blocked at the Outer Domain by numerous powerful figures of the Sacred Domain. Therefore, they decided to first seize lower-level continents and then break through other continents of the Human Realm one by one. Their target was the Ancient Spirit Continent, and Shuiyun Stream in Bailan Country was one of the locations where they attempted to open a passage. Those flashes of lightning were caused by the spatial spiritual energy surge generated by the forceful opening of the spatial passage."
Wen Zonglin took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart. At the same time, he harbored doubt and asked, "Girl, where did you learn all this?"
Ling Luoyi knew he didn't believe her. After all, she herself had found it unbelievable when she first heard it, but...
"Master, what if I told you I saw it with my own eyes?"
"What?!" Recalling what Ling Luoyi had just said, Wen Zonglin exclaimed, "You've been to the battlefield?!"
Under Wen Zonglin's disbelieving gaze, Ling Luoyi nodded and said, "Master, I didn't believe it at first either, but when I saw it with my own eyes, I couldn't convince myself not to believe it."
However, due to her insufficient cultivation at the time, Ling Luoyi couldn't engage in combat. She could only watch the fiery battlefield under the protection of the Second Elder, with various colored spiritual energies intertwining, painting a brilliant picture, beneath which lay a strange land watered by blood.
Wen Zonglin was reluctant to believe this matter, but he knew how many tragic consequences throughout history had arisen from disbelief, especially since Ling Luoyi was telling him this.
Wen Zonglin took a moment to compose himself before asking, "Girl, are the Outer Domain Heavenly Demons truly not bound by the Heavenly Dao?"
"Mm." Ling Luoyi didn't want to admit it, but it was the truth.
"Then if they have truly entered, aren't we trapped like fish in a barrel?" If they weren't bound by the Heavenly Dao, wouldn't only extremely powerful beings come? With their current strength, how could they possibly deal with them?
"It's not quite that dire. In the many years of fighting the Outer Domain Heavenly Demons, some Human Race powerhouses have placed curses upon them, which can significantly weaken their strength. The Divine Race also issued a decree: they can descend to lower-level continents, but there is a cultivation limit. The limit for this continent is the first level of Spirit King. Combined with the decree's restriction, the highest cultivation level they can reach here is the first level of Spirit Emperor, just one realm higher."
Upon hearing this, Wen Zonglin's mouth twitched, and he looked at Ling Luoyi speechlessly. Did she know how vast the difference was between one realm?!
However, thinking about how Ling Luoyi had revealed her identity as a top-tier alchemist upon her return for revenge, this was clearly not just to relay information to him. Combining this with what she had said, Wen Zonglin had a good guess. He stated with certainty, "Girl, you exposed your alchemist identity for another purpose, didn't you? Is it to have the people of the entire continent come to you for elixirs, thereby enhancing the overall strength of the continent?"
Seeing that her guess was correct, Ling Luoyi did not deny it. "Yes. I want to enhance the overall strength of this continent before they arrive. This continent is too vast, and it would take me a lot of time to find them, but if they come to me, it will save a lot of time."
"But girl, have you considered that no matter how much you improve this continent's strength, its restriction will still be the first level of Spirit King! Once they reach the first level of Spirit King, willingly or not, they will be taken to the upper realm. In other words, the strongest person on this continent can only be a ninth-level Grand Spirit Master. But you just said that the Outer Domain Heavenly Demons can reach the first level of Spirit Emperor. A difference of ten ranks cannot be overcome by numbers alone. Not to mention, it's impossible for there to be only one Outer Domain Heavenly Demon!"