Time flies like a shuttle.

In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.

Under the moonlight, the north wind howled, and the wind-blown sand battered the ruined walls and debris of Celestial Yang City, which had long turned into a wasteland full of wild grass.

Some mice, wild rabbits, and the like scurried freely and lively under the moonlight, unnoticed by anyone.

Somewhere beneath the almost-dried-up mudflats of a water channel, it seemed as if something was slowly wriggling, wriggling…

Eventually, a mud shrimp forcefully emerged from the ground, lay on the other side, flipped over its belly, and spread open its pincers, as if resting under the moonlight.

In the tiny tunnel created by the mud shrimp's efforts, a slow and gentle wind seemed to be blowing in, reaching deep into the mud…

A position ten meters to the sides beneath the mud.

Li An finally breathed the first breath of air after half a year!

This air carried a strong earthy smell, a musty stench accumulated over the years in the mud.

But to Li An, it was enough to excite him, allowing him to truly feel the joy of life.

In fact, three months after hiding in the mud, he had already awakened from his deep slumber. Under the slow nourishment of the Life Nourishing Immortal Skill, three months had made him regain some primordial qi.

Then, he began to control the mud shrimp to excavate a channel for breathing!

After all, even at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, one couldn't hold their breath forever.

Half a year was the limit!

Luckily, there were plenty of mud shrimp in this stinky water channel.

One died and was replaced by another.

One died and was replaced by another.

With the spirit of the Foolish Old Man Moving Mountains, indefinitely passing on from generation to generation, the mud shrimp family worked tirelessly for three months to dig out a ten-meter-long breathing channel for him.

If he had prepared a reed tube before entering the water, perhaps the mud shrimp would not have needed to make such a selfless contribution.

But there weren't so many "ifs".

After merely taking a few small breaths, Li An paused again.

He did not use his Divine Sense to probe outside, but instead relied on his hearing to listen to everything outside.

Using Divine Sense might be discovered, as it is an active search, but listening with his hearing is a passive reception that requires no action, thus very safe.

But there was no sound at all.

"Aren't you going to escape? It's been half a year; it's already safe."

In his Spirit Platform, Xiao Xiao's voice drifted over.

She had been kept within the Spirit Platform by Li An for this half year and was shocked watching Li An's maneuvers...

Could anyone really endure to this level?

In the stinky mud of the water channel, he remained motionless.

During this period, a lot of stinky eels and bugs crawled over Li An's body, back and forth.

He remained motionless, as if turned to stone.

Furthermore, he actually had such patience to use mud shrimp to dig a breathing channel...

She suddenly realized why she hadn't noticed anything unusual about Li An back at White Tiger Mountain despite meeting him many times...

It's not that she wasn't clever enough.

Some people are just too good at hiding!

From her perspective, it already seemed completely safe.

But Li An still remained motionless, directly shutting down the Spirit Platform again, preventing her from speaking.

...

In the blink of an eye, another two years passed.

Li An still remained utterly motionless!

"It's been two and a half years, and you still won't escape?!"

In Li An's Spirit Platform, the Demon Sect girl was directly on edge.

"This is getting a bit extreme… it actually isn't necessary to be so cautious. If my sister had any suspicions, she surely would have dug three feet deep."

She suppressed her inner restlessness, attempting to persuade Li An.

But Li An remained unwavering, completely ignoring her.

This left her feeling utterly helpless.

Another three years passed!

Li An had now been in this stinky water channel for over five years, surviving on Grain Avoidance Pills and the mud shrimp passage, concealing himself meticulously using the Life Nourishing Immortal Skill.

"Are you crazy… is this necessary??"

The Demon Sect girl became increasingly irritable, "You're just wasting time like this! You've really lost it…"

Initially, when she discovered that Li An's actions had allowed him to escape her sister's investigation, she was shocked; Li An could be said to be the calmest, most decisive person she had ever met!

As half a year went by and she saw Li An remaining as solid as stone, she thought Li An was simply cautious and careful.

But now, five years had gone by…

She vaguely felt Li An might be sick!

Five years gone, who would still care about a stinky water channel?

Yet, a month after all her complaints about Li An…

A formidable Divine Thought appeared from an unknown direction, sweeping meticulously over the ruins of Celestial Yang City!

This Divine Thought probed with extreme care!

Li An, hidden beneath the stinky water channel for five years, had long merged with it, indistinguishable. As such, even though this Divine Thought made him shiver with anxiety, it discovered nothing.

The probing lasted for several hours before finally dissipating.

"Did you… already know someone would come to investigate again?"

In Li An's Spirit Platform, that girl appeared somewhat shocked as well.

Five years passed, and someone would still come?

In this moment, her impression of Li An seemed to change once more…

Li An's actions were not unfounded or meaningless.

"But there truly was no need, even if you escaped a month ago, what would another probe now matter?"

Yet she still felt… it was unnecessary.

Li An thought otherwise.

The reason for his actions was simple.

The opponent was simply too strong!

For such a higher-up in the Demon Sect, who knows if they might have left any arrays or monitoring magical artifacts near Celestial Yang City?

He dared not use his Divine Sense and had no clue what the state outside Celestial Yang City was.

He could only wait, only endure.

Endure until the opponent lost patience, interest, even eventually forgetting.

Only then would it be time to come out.

Against someone of such a level, being not absolutely safe meant being absolutely unsafe.

Thus, he would rather wait, as long as it takes.

After all, he still had time to spend.

"Now's the chance, she's surely gone after finishing her probe, escape now—"

She coaxed Li An once more.

But Li An's response was still to close the Spirit Platform.

...

At this moment.

In the void a hundred miles outside Celestial Yang City ruins.

"No changes, no traces, never returned?"

A "sickly girl" stood with her hands behind her back, muttering softly before turning to leave.

...

Then, another two years…

Another three years…

In a blink, Li An had hidden in this place for thirteen years directly!

For thirteen years, he hadn't moved at all, as if he had become a fossil.

"Who on earth am I following??"

The Demon Sect girl in his Spirit Platform felt utterly dumbstruck!!!

She even began to feel a little desperate.

Could it be Li An got mentally affected and was planning to die of old age here?

Thirteen years already.

Still not leaving!

Still not leaving!!

She was about to be driven insane by Li An; she felt Li An had surpassed the range of caution and might be plain foolish…

Ultimately, she simply stopped asking.

Staying till she became withdrawn, staying till she became depressed.

"Bro, I call you bro, if you won't leave, let me leave, okay? Please let me leave?"

By the seventeenth year, she was truly on the verge of collapsing, even doubting whether Li An was still alive!

Now, Li An himself was somewhat hesitant.

Seventeen years had passed, during which he had merely waited, aside from sensing the Divine Thought investigation in the fifth year, there had been no further activities.

He was utterly clueless about the outside situation now.

For seventeen years, he had never once used his Divine Sense to probe outside.

Only relying on his hearing.

Appearing to have heard the howling of wild wolves, the scurry of some small animals along the banks of the water channel…

Perhaps it's safe?

Can he leave now…

Thinking back and forth… finally deciding!

Better wait five more years!!!

If still no sound, then it'll be time to leave!

And the Demon Sect girl Xiao Xiao: "..."

...

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