Although the Evil Land Profound Heart should not have formed yet, it was sufficient.

It's likely that the men in red armor had found some opportunities here before.

When An Li successfully seized another's body and was adapting to it, he arrived at a cliff. Gazing at the thin mist, he closed his eyes slightly... After spending four hundred years of life span, the "Inferior Ghost Profound Root" emerged next to the "Lower Grade Earth Profound Root," transforming into a peculiar Double Profound Root.

In the past, it took only forty years on South Bamboo Peak, but now it required four hundred. Clearly... the convergence of the Double Profound Root surpassed the independent formation of the Ghost Profound Root.

...

...

A year passed in the blink of an eye.

Two figures stood on a flower-covered hill in the Moon Sea Kingdom.

"Senior Brother, I have decided. I want to focus on refining elixirs, and then... I can help you, help everyone," An Li said. "Resolving the Erysipelas from the Crimson Palace Pill has always been a shared goal between us. Now that this body of mine possesses the Wood Profound Root, I should be able to make significant progress."

Song Yan gently nodded.

The two bid farewell.

An Li controlled her sword and flew away, returning to Gusha Mountain.

On Gusha Mountain there is a Library Pavilion, which holds numerous pill recipes, including those related to curing Erysipelas. These are part of the Formless Ancient Race's heritage.

The three main peaks of the Divine Mountain on Gusha Mountain, with their core Five Elements Region, contain a wealth of rare spirit grasses and flowers, making it a top paradise for her cultivation and alchemy.

The solitary sword flew far, vanishing into the clear sky.

Song Yan slowly retracted his gaze.

An Li had left.

The most touching moment was actually just the first encounter upon reunion.

At that moment, he entrusted all his emotions and goodwill to An Li.

But just like the tides, they rise and cover all, revealing the truth only when they fall.

What he truly cherished... was that memory.

The rest was merely fondness by association, reaching its peak when the tides rose.

After years of companionship, before and after the possession, both he and An Li understood that... they were not truly suited for each other. Yet, the feelings arose unknown, growing profound, and persisted, even unto obsession.

An Li's true love is alchemy. Alchemy has become a part of her life. If Senior Brother Bai gave up everything just to practice alchemy with her, days might be like the past, only with a bit more seriousness and heaviness, lacking the initial innocence.

Song Yan certainly did not love alchemy. What he loved was power. Only power would give him a sense of security and allow him to survive. What he was desperately seeking was merely an opportunity to break through to the Middle Stage of the Purple Mansion.

Their reunion was tumultuous, but after traversing through the years, experiencing joys and sorrows, the parting became plain.

Isn't this the fate of every relationship?

Isn't a passionate and eternal romance something that only exists in fairy tales?

Song Yan couldn't help but think mockingly.

Yet, he did not come away empty-handed.

He had indeed found the opportunity for the Middle Stage of the Purple Mansion.

Now, he needed to find a way to complete this opportunity, to sense the existence of goodness, so that his journey of cultivating the Purple Mansion would be unobstructed.

"Thank you."

He softly said this to the distant departing figure, but instead of flying far with sword control, he took a walk in the Moon Sea Kingdom.

He felt as if he had become a solitary person once more.

However, due to certain forces in his heart, he no longer felt alone.

As he walked, he saw a shepherd and bought a horse from him.

He rode the horse freely, and after a day and a night, he arrived at a tribe.

After resting briefly in the tribe, he continued to let the horse roam freely.

Large clouds drifted overhead...

At times, there were sudden rains and strong winds; at other times, it was sunny with scorching heat.

He encountered a caravan and excitedly bought fine wine from them, then got drunk in the wilderness for three days, and upon waking up... the horse was gone.

He continued to walk, taking one step at a time forward.

He traveled through green mountains, deserts, along inland seas, through towns of varied styles, seeing people with different faces...

He thought of those days struggling by the Puppet Sect, the Misty Sea, the Soul Threshold of the King of Specters, and the edge of the Sea of Suffering, remembered the despair in those obsessions, remembered the pain of personally killing Pei Xuehan that day, yet everything seemed to have found a balance point.

Because in that instant, using An Li as a catalyst, he found kindness and gentleness.

Finally, on the other side of the murderous desire appeared goodwill, no longer barren and desolate.

These complex and mixed forces pushed him to keep moving forward.

Nobody knows how long he traveled, but he reached a remote town.

A town seemingly between the Moon Sea Kingdom and Shiyuan Country.

Suddenly, he saw a sign.

The sign read: Cold Smoke Meat Shop, Thriving Shop for Sale.

He looked at the meat shop, slowly approached, and then pushed open the door.

...

...

The town's name was Cold Smoke.

The meat shop's business wasn't good because, being close to the grasslands, every household raised plenty of cattle and sheep, and every household was a butcher's shop. This so-called thriving shop for sale was merely giving up a room, a residence.

The original owner of the place got into a caravan and traveled far before leaving. Before leaving, they put up a "Thriving Shop for Sale" sign, not really intending to sell it, but surprisingly, someone actually bought it.

Song Yan settled in Cold Smoke Town.

With the pseudonym Li Han.

This time, he did not take concubines as in Chao Li Town, but instead raised cattle and sheep, then slaughtered them daily, making skin to prolong life. Relying on his exceptional knife skills, the meat shop's business unexpectedly improved. Many people came not just for beef and mutton, but for a taste of this butcher Li's craftsmanship.

Although Cold Smoke Town had a cold name, it was actually not cold at all.

Even though it's on the border, it's an important transportation and resting point. Many merchants and people seeking seclusion, even those from the Jianghu, came running here.

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