255 - Elasia Saga

Fu Yan gazed at the puppet before her, seemingly absorbed in something, yet remained silent for quite some time. Next to her, Shui Liu Qing felt a bit uneasy. Given the rush, the puppet she crafted for Fu Yan wasn't exactly perfect, though it had no major flaws. The puppet’s full-force strike reached only the strength of an early-stage transformation expert. Although Fu Yan had initially expressed indifference toward this, Shui Liu Qing couldn’t help but worry since such a puppet's strength might not offer much assistance to Fu Yan. As these thoughts crossed her mind, Shui Liu Qing glanced at Fu Yan again, but her expression remained calm, revealing no other emotion. The puppet was about the same height as the two, dressed in plain rough fabric. Except for its vacant, lifeless eyes, it looked remarkably human-like. After a careful evaluation, Fu Yan finally withdrew her gaze and slowly nodded, saying to Shui Liu Qing, "Very good." Upon hearing that, Shui Liu Qing let out an involuntary sigh of relief. She was indeed worried that her puppet-crafting technique might not measure up. Shui Liu Qing had no idea what purpose Fu Yan had for the puppet; Fu Yan hadn't elaborated. After handing over some resources to Shui Liu Qing as a reward, Fu Yan let her leave. Soon, Fu Yan was the only one left on the vast Xingyue Peak. In the quiet night, the candle flames flickered, and her silhouette gradually came to a halt in front of the puppet. In the next moment, she raised her hand, gently touching the puppet’s forehead with her index and middle fingers. Then she suddenly closed her eyes, an invisible wave quickly surged from her fingertips into the puppet's brow. "Whoosh..." In an instant, a wave of spiritual energy swept through the entire room. It was unclear how much time passed before Fu Yan's aura finally returned to serenity. When she reopened her eyes, a subtle light flickered briefly before calming. When she lowered her hand, the puppet's body suddenly emitted a sense of vitality, and the eyes that had been empty now shone briefly before settling again. The puppet instinctively closed its eyes, and in a mere moment, reopened them. Seeing this, Fu Yan couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction. Usually, activating a puppet required vast amounts of spirit stones. However, just now, Fu Yan split a part of her consciousness and embedded it into the puppet, thus achieving complete control. In other words, the puppet before her could be considered an extension of Fu Yan — though not independent, as their thoughts were fully connected. Since Fu Yan was preparing to enter a secluded cultivation, it was impossible for her to ignore all outside matters entirely. Being the master of a palace, she had responsibilities that couldn't simply be abandoned. Thus, even during her seclusion, she needed to maintain a presence in the world. This part of her consciousness, residing within the puppet, meant her original strength would naturally be affected. Therefore, she couldn't afford to split half of her consciousness; otherwise, the benefits of her secluded cultivation might be negligible. Currently, the puppet's strength was indeed only at the level of an early transformation stage, but it sufficed. As long as she didn’t engage in combat, outsiders wouldn’t be able to discern the puppet’s true power. Due to this, even if the puppet was forcibly destroyed, the backlash Fu Yan would suffer wouldn’t be significant. After completing everything, Fu Yan discreetly vanished into the darkness. ... Lu Xiao Wen planned to remain in seclusion for a year, yet only around ten months had passed when his powers were already fully under his control, so he emerged early. During this time, Shuanghua Palace was thriving. Besides the inaugural batch of disciples who were still children, they had recruited many ordinary disciples, some brimming with talent and strength. News of Lu Xiao Wen’s seclusion didn't spread, so no one noticed when he emerged. To many, immortals are elusive figures, appearing in an unpredictable manner, and this was perfectly normal. At present, Shuanghua Palace faced a challenge — a shortage of qualified elders to guide numerous disciples. After all, Shui Liu Qing specialized in puppet arts, and Yuan He belonged to the demon clan. The only powerful master at the transformation stage, Ji Xian, turned out to be a mole planted by the corpse ghosts. With no other choice, Fu Yan personally conducted some classes. Yi Tu and Liu Bei also took shifts. One day, after leaving the classroom, Fu Yan returned directly to Xingyue Peak. She hadn't rested before noticing that the restrictions around Wenzi Peak had been partially removed. Seeing this, Fu Yan’s mind wavered. It seemed Lu Xiao Wen had indeed finished his seclusion. Considering this, Fu Yan wasted no time, promptly flying over to Wenzi Peak. Upon landing in the courtyard of the immortal residence, she found Lu Xiao Wen leisurely brewing tea. The two were quite familiar with one another, so Fu Yan casually took a seat opposite him at the stone table. “How does it feel to be immortal again?” Fu Yan asked him. Lu Xiao Wen quietly poured a cup of tea for her, only raising his eyes after setting the teapot down, answering in a rather composed manner, “Not bad.” For Lu Xiao Wen, it wasn’t the same as the exhilaration and excitement he experienced in his previous life. Fu Yan chuckled, dropping the topic. She leisurely picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then returned her gaze to him, saying, “The Grand Ceremony of the Central Continent's Immortal Sect is about to begin.” Lu Xiao Wen appeared to understand, sipping his tea and waiting for Fu Yan's follow-up. “I’m planning to have Shuanghua Palace participate,” Fu Yan straightforwardly stated after setting down her cup. Lu Xiao Wen raised his eyes and asked, “What are the requirements?” “It requires a top-tier presence on the continent, ideally with three immortals in attendance,” Fu Yan explained. Lu Xiao Wen paused, holding his teacup, and hesitantly asked, “Are you planning to ascend?” It wasn’t that Lu Xiao Wen lacked faith in Fu Yan; even despite her extraordinary talent, he doubted she could break through and ascend smoothly with only two decades left. Of course, two decades might not suffice, but with Xu You's Jade Token in her possession, Fu Yan had sixty to seventy years instead. “I have a plan,” Fu Yan replied. Lu Xiao Wen didn’t probe further, merely looking at her seriously, nodding lightly. “Very well, if the goal is to revive Shuanghua Palace, then let’s aim to achieve the best.” Fu Yan had the same thought; once committed, she intended to give it her all. Without lingering too long at Wenzi Peak, after making up her mind, Fu Yan contacted Bai Yue Li, who was far away in the demon realm, that very night. “Is everything settled at Shuanghua Palace?” Bai Yue Li inquired. Fu Yan candidly responded, “We’re flourishing now. With Lu Xiao Wen watching over, I'd say his immortal authority might even exceed that of my status as Palace Master.” Thus, the following day, without bidding farewell to anyone, Fu Yan left Shuanghua Palace alone, accompanying Bai Yue Li back to the main hall of the Demon Palace. Bai Yue Li said, “There’s still a tricky issue in the demon realm to settle.” Fu Yan wasn't in a hurry; while Bai Yue Li busied herself, she turned to visit Fu Juan’s room to check on the now chubbier Little Medicinal Ball. “Choo choo…” Little Bai Yao was as usual, playfully demanding food and happily frolicking with Fu Yan. Its tiny wings fluttered merrily, the downy white fur especially fluffy. After eating, the Little Medicinal Ball would lie on Fu Juan’s head to sleep, living a life so comfortable that Fu Yan couldn’t help but feel a tinge of envy. One day, after glancing at the sleeping Little Medicinal Ball, Fu Yan finally redirected her gaze to Fu Juan beneath it. “Do you know anything about the Phoenix clan?” Fu Yan asked her bluntly. In truth, the continent no longer harbored any trace of phoenixes. Many ancient mythical creatures had become nearly impossible to track down over the eons, leaving Fu Yan without any clues about the Little Medicinal Ball’s origins. After contemplating for a while, Fu Juan truthfully admitted, “When I first broke out of the egg, my mind was still a blank slate. I didn’t inherit any memories.” The Black Dragon clan, too, had long faded into history. Fu Juan had yet to uncover her own origins, so how could she possibly know anything about the Little Medicinal Ball's lineage? Unsurprised by Fu Juan's response, Fu Yan merely nodded and refrained from further questioning. In the blink of an eye, another half a year slipped by. As Demon Lord, Bai Yue Li finally completed all necessary duties. Remaining tasks were left to the Ghost Elder Trio. With no further delays, they entered Xu You's Jade Token together, readying for secluded cultivation. “Is this… a spirit pool?” Bai Yue Li queried, stunned after being led to a floating platform with spirited waters by Fu Yan. Upon discovering it last year, Fu Yan had been equally astonished. She never expected a small spiritual pool would form there, but it was fortuitous. “Senior sister, let's go in,” Fu Yan suggested, taking Bai Yue Li’s hand and stepping into the pool. Before Bai Yue Li could respond, her body instinctively followed Fu Yan, and once aware, they were both submerged in the pool, its waters reaching above their waists. The spiritual pool was akin to a hot spring, with white mist slowly rising. Perhaps due to the steam, when Bai Yue Li lifted her eyes, a faint blush had spread across her face. Like a flower on the verge of blooming, it invited an irresistible urge to reach out and pluck it. Amidst the hazy steam, as the light veil slipped away and her raven-black hair cascaded over her shoulders, Fu Yan instinctively leaned closer, gracefully wrapping her right arm around the waist submerged in the water. Gentle kisses fell like raindrops, starting at the tip of her nose and slowly trailing down, claiming each blushing inch of skin, before gently enveloping her blood-red lips. Using her teeth, she tenderly parted Bai Yue Li's lips, savoring every breath, their tongues teasing and relentless. Bai Yue Li slowly closed her eyes, surrendering herself entirely to Fu Yan. "…Fu Yan…" Bai Yue Li struggled to open her eyes, which had long been cloaked in a layer of mist. The flow in the spiritual pool grew increasingly vigorous, overwhelming her. Even her voice carried a slight tremor. Yet she seemed unaware of how this hushed struggle appeared to Fu Yan, causing her to unintentionally pull them even closer. She did not relent. Lowering her gaze to meet Bai Yue Li’s eyes, Fu Yan murmured, “Senior sister, open your sea of consciousness.”