Now that he understood its implications, Yi Tianyun was no longer so averse to the main quest. It was difficult, but he could tackle it one step at a time. He had no bottlenecks to speak of; as long as he focused on Engraving Divine Patterns, becoming a Divine Rune Master wouldn’t be a problem.

After a few days of preparation, Yi Tianyun had more or less finished everything on his plate. He had refined plenty of Soul Artifacts and Elixir Pills, putting that work on hold for now. He now needed to head to the Celestial Realm Continent to find materials and improve his Divine Rune Mastery. Otherwise, he really wouldn’t be able to complete the quest.

If he could rely on others for help, hiring a Fifth-Grade Divine Rune Master was still possible. But a full-fledged Divine Rune Master was on another level of difficulty, and the required compensation was astronomical. Elder Xuan had even said that a regular Divine Rune Master wouldn’t be enough—he needed a truly powerful one!

The distinction was significant. The gap was like the difference between the first level of the Core Formation Stage and the peak of the Core Formation Stage...

’Looks like I’ll have to do it myself. I can visit the Celestial Extreme Mansion while I’m at it.’ Having made up his mind, Yi Tianyun walked out of his room. He hadn’t taken more than a few steps before someone called out to him.

"Elder Yi..." The one who had called out to him was none other than Zhu Yuwei.

"Made up your mind? You want to come with me?" Yi Tianyun asked, turning to look at her.

"Yes, I want to go with you... With the Cyan Profound Mansion gone, I doubt they’ll give me any trouble. And I... I really miss my family..." Zhu Yuwei’s eyes filled with longing. Having been a fugitive for so long, she undoubtedly missed her sister.

"Alright, then. Go get ready. We’ll leave shortly," Yi Tianyun said.

"Okay, please wait for me," Zhu Yuwei said with a firm nod, then immediately ran off to prepare.

Yi Tianyun found Shi Xueyun and explained the situation to her.

"Aunt, I’m heading to the Celestial Realm Continent. I’m taking Elder Zhu to see her family, and I’m also going to find the people from the Celestial Extreme Mansion and see how they are. Since the Celestial Sinking Ruins were left by their ancestors, I want to open a dialogue with them. If things go well, it would be for the best if they could join us and we could merge," Yi Tianyun suggested.

"That’s an excellent proposal. The Celestial Extreme Mansion’s heritage is substantial; if they were to truly join us, nothing could be better," Shi Xueyun said gently. "You must be careful out there. I will always be here waiting for your return, and I will manage the Merak Sect well. I believe... you are the true master here."

"The true master?" Yi Tianyun mused. "To be honest, if you didn’t care so much about the Merak Sect, Aunt, I really wouldn’t pay it any mind." A large part of why he was so willing to put in the effort was for Shi Xueyun; she was the reason he protected the Merak Sect so fiercely.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have given the Merak Sect a second thought, as he had no real emotional attachment to it. Of course, things were different now. Much had changed, and with the main quest, he felt a newfound sense of responsibility.

"Actually, a large part of why I’m willing to guard this place is to protect you, and to lay a foundation for your future..." Shi Xueyun said with a faint smile. "Back then, I thought that regardless of whether you grew up to be a genius or a good-for-nothing, this place would be a great help to you. If you became a genius, it would provide a foundation to support you. If you were a failure, then I would build it into an impenetrable fortress to protect you."

Yi Tianyun gazed at Shi Xueyun for a long time. After their eyes met and held, he pulled her into an embrace and sighed. "Aunt, thank you for always protecting me. I understand everything..."

He had been reborn into this world long ago and had spent a great deal of time with Shi Xueyun. Their bond was naturally profound, and he knew all that Shi Xueyun had done for him.

"Alright, it’s getting late. It’s not good to keep Elder Zhu waiting," Shi Xueyun said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Okay. Wait for me," Yi Tianyun said with a small smile, then headed outside.

When he went outside, Zhu Yuwei was already waiting. They nodded to each other, left, and boarded the Black Dragon, flying off in the direction of the Star Pavilion.

As they departed, Shi Xueyun reappeared outside the gate, her eyes shimmering. ’Tianyun, you’re already so much stronger than me... I can’t fall behind, or I won’t be able to help you in the future.’

She cast one last glance in the direction they had flown, then turned and returned to the Celestial Sinking Ruins.

...

Aboard the Black Dragon, they soon reached the outskirts of Celestial Heart City and descended.

"Celestial Heart City..." Zhu Yuwei murmured, gazing at the city as a wave of emotions washed over her. After so many years, she was finally home. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

She had originally planned to return only after she had built up her own power base. Yet here she was, not in control of her own faction, but relying on Yi Tianyun to come back. She had just joined the Merak Sect, and she already needed his help. It made her feel ashamed.

She hadn’t helped him with anything of significance, yet here he was, helping her. It was only natural that she felt deeply ashamed.

"Come on, let’s go inside."

Yi Tianyun led Zhu Yuwei into the city, and they headed straight for the Star Pavilion. They had barely set foot inside the city gates when nearby lookouts spotted Zhu Yuwei. The lookouts’ expressions changed instantly, and they scrambled back to the Star Pavilion to report.

The Star Pavilion had lookouts all over Celestial Heart City, so they knew of Zhu Yuwei’s return the moment it happened.

Moments later, before they had even reached the Star Pavilion, a group of people emerged from within. The person in the lead was none other than Zhu Yuxuan!

"Sister!" Zhu Yuxuan cried, staring at her in disbelief. She couldn’t believe that her sister, who she hadn’t seen for so many years, was truly back!

"Sister!" Zhu Yuwei’s eyes immediately reddened the moment she saw her.

They said nothing more, simply falling into an embrace. As sisters who had been close and separated for many years, the longing they felt was immense. But no matter how much they missed each other, no matter the thousand words they wished to say, none came to their lips. It all melted into a single hug that said everything.

"Aren’t you an elder from the Merak Sect?" Steward Huang asked with a small smile, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

He had, in fact, searched the area with a portrait of Zhu Yuwei before. He had found a lead on her almost immediately, but she wasn’t going by Zhu Yuwei. She was Zi Yuwei, the Pavilion Master of Celestial Phoenix Tower! After she went to aid the Merak Sect, all traces of her had vanished.

This information should have been easy to uncover, yet the investigation had yielded nothing for years. The reason was simple: Zhu Yuxuan had been blocking it. But he hadn’t blamed Zhu Yuxuan, nor had he tried to forcibly bring Zhu Yuwei back. Instead, he had chosen to withdraw.

The reason was simple: a faction that could annihilate the Cyan Profound Mansion was a faction worth befriending. It was as simple as that.

"That’s right. I’ve brought our Elder Zhu back home. She is an elder in the Merak Sect now and has returned for a visit," Yi Tianyun stated plainly. He knew Zhu Yuwei’s background would be investigated sooner or later.

Unlike him, Zhu Yuwei couldn’t change her face, so it would be easy for someone to identify her by showing her portrait around.

His reason for saying this was simple: he was making it clear that Zhu Yuwei was under the Merak Sect’s protection. Anyone who wanted to make a move on her would have to answer to the Merak Sect. Or more accurately, they would have to answer to *him*, as he was the one who had single-handedly annihilated the Cyan Profound Mansion.