Chapter Sixty-Six: The Sealed City

“Who exactly are you, sir? After the Jade Iron Sect, which sect stands behind you? Or do you not know?”
Ye Yibai fixed his gaze on the old man, his expression shifting repeatedly.
The sect behind the Jade Iron Sect was the Pu Yun Sect, one of the few top sects dominating the world of immortals, well-known among cultivators. Although he did not say everything outright, the threat in his words was clear.
“You may leave.”
The old man with the broad eyebrows did not look at Ye Yibai, just as Ye Yibai did not look at Li Mu.
Li Mu gave a slight bow, holding Li Ying in his arms, and quickly ran toward the outskirts of the city.
“So powerful! This is the first time I’ve seen Lord Ye like this...”
“Indeed, the forbidden formation of Deyang City is one of the most formidable in the Yunshan Realm, yet he dispelled it with a mere wave of his hand...”
Several bold cultivators watched from a distance at the city gate, scarcely uttering a few words before feeling an overwhelming pressure descend upon them, making them shiver and immediately change their tone.
“Oh, that Li Mu wasn’t even in the top hundred of the Jade Iron Association, and the final round is almost upon us—why would the Jade Iron Sect suddenly hunt him down?”
“Who knows? I suppose the Jade Iron Sect just added him in, and then he...”
They didn’t know what had happened, but the thrill of gossip was irresistible.
Elder Wang watched coldly, not intending to act. If Ye Yibai, with the support of the forbidden formation, was no match for the old man, then she had even less chance. Seeing Li Mu flee, she felt a vague sense of relief mingled with worry. “Now that he’s gone, what then? With his level of cultivation, how far can he get? Isn’t there nowhere he can hide from the Jade Iron Sect?”
But her worries were quickly dispelled.
The old man watched as Li Mu left, gave a slight nod, and rose into the air effortlessly, moving so quickly it was indescribable.
In the eyes of most cultivators, the old man simply vanished, leaving not even a shadow behind. Only those at Ye Yibai’s and Elder Wang’s level, with refined meridians, could barely make out a faint trace heading toward the sky above Deyang City.
“Go after the girl.”
Seeing that the old man seemed about to leave, Ye Yibai immediately gave the order.
Yu Dashu, who had hurried over, nodded and flew his sword straight out of the city.
But as soon as he reached the outskirts, it was as if he hit an invisible wall, finding his way blocked and falling from the sky.
Yu Dashu turned his sword around, his face visibly troubled. “Lord Ye, there’s an invisible barrier outside the city—a forbidden formation, and a fierce one. I can hardly get through.”
“What?” Ye Yibai couldn’t help but be shocked.

How could this be? Who could lay a forbidden formation outside his own Deyang City without his knowledge? It was simply impossible.
Could it be the old man’s doing?
Looking into the sky, his spiritual sense probed, and in an instant, his expression shifted.
The old man stood above, his robes billowing, his calm features exuding a faint arrogance, like a deity.
Beneath him, a circular halo of light expanded outward with him at its center.
That halo was no ordinary shield—within moments, it had covered the entirety of Deyang City.
“This isn’t a forbidden formation, but a defensive barrier...” Ye Yibai murmured to himself, lowering his head.
Indeed, the shield was not the usual kind that a Foundation Establishment cultivator could easily conjure. The old man’s barrier extended over tens of millions of feet. To achieve such a feat, the spiritual power required was beyond the realm of mere meridian-refining cultivators.
Ye Yibai was well acquainted with those sent from Pu Yun Sect to the Yunshan Realm, and knew even his own master could not produce such a vast barrier.
Realizing this, Ye Yibai abandoned any thought of resistance. It was simply beyond him. With Deyang City sealed off, even the Jade Iron Sect’s leader, a newly advanced Core Formation king, would have no chance of victory.
But with a genius like Li Ying, Ye Yibai could not give up, and neither could the Jade Iron Sect.
“What exactly do you intend to do?”
Ye Yibai rose a little higher, all arrogance gone from his face as he spoke in a subdued tone.
The old man looked down, surveying Deyang City from atop the barrier. “For about a month, no one is to enter or leave Deyang City.”
With that, he sat cross-legged in the air and slowly closed his eyes, ignoring the clamor below as if none of it concerned him.
“Sir, by doing this, you not only offend the Jade Iron Sect, but all for the sake of a single girl?”
To save Li Ying and seal the city for a month, though it was not outright enmity, it was still a grave offense. Ye Yibai couldn’t understand. The old man could have simply killed Li Mu to seize Li Ying, but surely not just for her sake would he court disaster from such colossal sects as the Jade Iron Sect or even Pu Yun Sect. If the old man had abducted Li Ying, it would have made more sense, but so far, he had gained nothing.
The old man said nothing, remaining in silent meditation.
Skilled in divination, his actions were always dictated by the results of his auguries.
At that very moment, scenes of Li Ying shattering forbidden formations flashed before his mind’s eye. Amidst these thoughts, nostalgia filled his aged face, and he could not help but wonder—where might such a girl’s path lead?
One thing was certain: with such talent, she would one day astonish the world. Even if she now appeared only a young girl, or remained so in the future, her fate was to move through the world unopposed. Such a destiny could not be thwarted.
Even without him, Li Ying would find her way out; even if he harbored ill intent, she would still escape.
Heaven’s will cannot be contravened.

He understood this truth well. If not, he would not have come to this newly opened small realm merely to avoid disaster.
“Short-sighted and mediocre,” he thought, but did not say it aloud.
Li Mu departed from Deyang City, changed to the Traveling Cloud, and hurried toward Hualin Sect.
Li Ying sat cross-legged on the cloud. Watching Deyang City recede in the distance, she absentmindedly stroked her chin and asked, “Big Brother, do you think we’ll ever come back? Will Fourth Brother be there?”
Fourth Brother referred to Li Mie. Li Mu had searched for Li Mie before leaving, but Li Mie had already been sent to Jade Iron Mountain by Yu Dashu, so Li Mu had left only a message on a jade slip before departing.
“We’ll return for sure, don’t worry,” Li Mu replied with a gentle smile.
Li Ying nodded, grinning. “Oh, oh. When I become a cultivator, I’ll be able to compete with Fourth Brother and see who’s better!”
Li Mu laughed at his little sister, though a trace of concern crossed his mind. “Ying’er, aren’t you uncomfortable flying through the air like this?”
“It’s fine, really. I feel just a little odd, but it’s nothing.”
Li Ying peered out from the cloud, looking down. “It’s not that high, big brother. Look, it’s beautiful down there.”
Li Mu made a noncommittal sound, saying nothing, feeling a little strange.
Thinking back to when Li Mie had first flown, he himself had felt dizzy for quite a while, yet for Li Ying, her first flight seemed perfectly smooth. This was a very good sign. In the world of immortals, flight was of utmost importance—whether traveling or fighting, one could not do without it. The quicker the adaptation, the better.
Watching Li Ying, Li Mu’s thoughts drifted. Over the past year or so, he had noticed many remarkable things about his little sister.
Her talent for alchemy, her comprehension of formation-breaking, the unprecedented five-ringed aptitude—all extraordinary and mysterious.
“My little sister is by no means an ordinary person,” Li Mu thought with a slight smile, pinching her cheek.
Li Ying frowned and muttered, “I want to enjoy the view, don’t tease me.”