While Qin Yun remained in seclusion, countless fiendish worlds in the twenty-six dominions were being recaptured. After a campaign that spanned two years and three months, all these fiendish worlds were recaptured, including the Small Worlds which had extremely thin Heaven Earth Essence Qi that only allowed one to cultivate to the Connate realm. The Heavenly Courts, Daoists, and Buddhists spared no effort in recapturing them as the Heavenly Dao of the Three Realms permeated them again.

This was a matter of great merit. Every faction naturally put a great deal of effort in this.

Merit continuously descended onto Qin Yun"s body for the entirety of the two years and three months.

"What"s happening?"

In the main hall of the Tenebrous Fiend Abyss"s Bojia Palace, Patriarch Bojia sat high on his throne as he muttered to himself, frowning, "I"ve investigated the karma, and the karma lines lead directly to the Great Chang world. Why is Qin Yun still inside the Great Chang world?"

"He remains in a Small World and hasn"t made a breakthrough in his Essence Soul?"

"That could be explained as him being afraid that we fiends would defend the countless fiendish worlds in the twenty-six dominions. Therefore, by not making a breakthrough, he can reinforce any Small World at any time and serve as a deterrent against us fiends. But now, all the fiendish worlds in the twenty-six dominions have been recaptured by the Daoists and Buddhists. Why isn"t he making a breakthrough yet? How strange!"

"If he doesn"t make a breakthrough, I have no way of attacking the Great Chang world." Bojia frowned.

"The thousand-foot-long Stellar Stone…"

Bojia"s four faces were filled with desire. There was a burning glow in all of his eyes.

Everything he had acc.u.mulated for years paled in comparison.

"As long as I obtain the thousand-foot-long Stellar Stone, I can exchange it for several treasures that suit me. My strength will increase sharply," muttered Bojia. "This Qin Yun became an Itinerant Immortal and is destined to live for another ten thousand plus years. By making a breakthrough with his Essence Soul, his cultivation speed would be faster. Yet, he"s deliberately not breaking through and staying in the Small World?

"Could it be that he"s afraid I might attack the Great Chang world again?" Bojia suddenly made a guess and shook his head with a scoff. "He can"t be that stupid. How long can he defend it? Once his ten thousand plus years are up, he will be reduced to dust under the Itinerant Immortal tribulations. Ten thousand plus years is nothing worth mentioning to me."

"If he"s not doing it to protect the Great Chang world, then what?" pondered Bojia.

"Forget it. There"s no need to fret over him.

"All I need to do is wait patiently.

"The thousand-foot-long Stellar Stone is tiny when compared to the ma.s.s of a planet. It"s impossible for them to discover it!" thought Bojia. "It will ultimately be mine as long as no one discovers it."

******

Bojia kept waiting.

Many mighty figures in the Three Realms would also occasionally check in on the dazzling Itinerant Immortal.

"Strange. Why is he still in a Small World? Isn"t it imperative for him to make a breakthrough with his Essence Soul and speed up his cultivation so as to deal with the Itinerant Immortal tribulations?"

"Yes, it"s very odd. Now, every year, or even every single day is extremely precious to him. Yet he isn"t making a breakthrough and remains in a Small World? How odd. I can"t figure it out."

There were many mighty figures discussing the matter.

"Has Qin Yun resigned himself to despair after becoming an Itinerant Immortal?"

"That"s unlikely. His Essence Soul cultivated for only a few millennia before he gained insights into a pinnacle Great Dao! If his Essence Soul is raised to the pinnacle Golden Immortal level, another ten thousand plus years of cultivation should give him hope of attaining a perfected Great Dao."

"Hope? I think it"s more like slim hope! Ever since Daoist Wen broke through and gained a perfected Great Dao, establis.h.i.+ng the spirit-devouring lineage, there has not been a new perfected Great Dao in all the Three Realms. Even the living ones are mostly Chaos G.o.dfiends who were born before the Chaos developed. Even the Dao Ancestor, G.o.ddess Nüwa, and the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Unity and Salvation were born from the Chaos. For a mortal to attain a perfect Great Dao? Hmph."

"There are always exceptions."

…

Many mighty figures discussed the reason for Qin Yun"s staying in a Small World because he had stayed there for too long!

In a blink of an eye, two centuries had pa.s.sed, all with him staying in the Small World.

Qin Yiyi cooked a meal herself while Han Lin helped out to the side.

"This bullfrog has to be whole. You can"t cut it. Go away," said Qin Yiyi immediately. "Double Wood, the Hot Oil Noodles are ready! Quickly mix it and send it to the dining hall. Hot Oil Noodles are my father"s favorite."

"Okay." Han Lin went to the side and mixed the noodles, letting the oil seep deep in.

While mixing the noodles, Han Lin said, "Sis Yiyi, you said that we can get married once Uncle breaks through. However, Uncle hasn"t broken through all this while and remains in this Small World. It"s been two centuries…"

"What"s the rush? How can my father"s matters be less important than marriage?" Qin Yiyi looked at him.

Han Lin muttered, "But I"ve waited for two centuries."

"My mom has been worrying all this while. She wishes for him to break his Essence Soul through as soon as possible. My dad is also focused on cultivation. How do you expect me to raise the subject?" said Qin Yiyi. "Besides, is there a difference having our marriage a few centuries earlier or later? It"s only a formality."

"Alright." Han Lin nodded.

"Alright, stop mixing. Quickly send it to the dining hall," said Qin Yiyi. "Once you do so, quickly return and continue helping me."

Han Lin hurriedly carried it to the dining hall.

…

Dining hall.

Qin Yun and Yi Xiao sat there as Meng Huan helped pour the wine.

"Yiyi still isn"t back?" asked Qin Yun.

"She"s cooking for you," said Yi Xiao with a smile.

"I was chased out when I tried to help. Instead, she got Han Lin to help her." Meng Huan sat down after pouring the wine. He mused, "Looks like she was afraid she would trouble an elder brother like me."

"Women tend to align with their partners," said Qin Yun with a smile as he ate and drank. "Yiyi"s culinary skills are really improving."

"Here it comes!" Han Lin carried a wooden tray that had a few bowls of Hot Oil Noodles on it.

Qin Yun took a big bowl of Hot Oil Noodles and took a few big mouthfuls before downing a cup of wine. Immediately, he felt great as he leisurely continued eating. Meng Huan busied himself with the pouring of wine.

"Han Lin, tell Yiyi to stop cooking. There are already so many dishes," said Qin Yun.

"They will all be done soon. There"s only a few dishes left." Han Lin smiled before running back.

Cultivators had good control of fire, so the dishes were quick to prepare.

Moments later.

Qin Yiyi and Han Lin joined the table as the family ate and chatted. It was a very delightful conversation.

When they were almost done, Meng Huan asked, "Dad, how was your seclusion this time?" Qin Yiyi, Han Lin, and Yi Xiao immediately paid attention. They were very concerned about Qin Yun every time he came out of seclusion. However, it did not feel right to hound him with questions; therefore, they took turns asking! It could be Yi Xiao the first time, the daughter next, and then the son.

"It was quite okay." Qin Yun did not elaborate.

No one probed further.

Qin Yun sighed emotively in secret.

In fact, his family always wished he would quickly have his Essence Soul break through. Even his son and daughter understood that, as an Itinerant Immortal, the stronger his Essence Soul was, the faster he cultivated.

However, to flow against the river of time to probe the past of billions of lifeforms in such a ma.s.sive world, where there were huge number of beings coming into existence and dying at every moment, the burden of probing them simultaneously was just too great. The realm required was extremely high. Although Qin Yun was talented in the Heavenly Cycle Great Dao, it was still very different from his Sword Dao. Qin Yun"s Heavenly Cycle Great Dao had long reached the pinnacle Skyimmortal level, but to make another breakthrough? That would be difficult.

"Besides, there"s the disturbance from karma." Qin Yun frowned. "I owed some karma from the Lightning Beast Manor. Once I reach the pinnacle Golden Immortal level, I have to avenge the Lightning Beast and kill the Ancestral Fiend from the Mental Demon lineage.

"Mental Demon Ancestral Fiends have unfathomable means. To hunt down a Mental Demon Ancestral Fiend in a fiendish dominion before my Essence Soul breaks through? The fiends hate me to the bone. Heading there would be nothing different from seeking death.

"And if I fail to kill the Ancestral Fiend, I am affected by karma.

"Thankfully, I have great merit on me with the light from providence s.h.i.+ning brightly on me! The karma interference is relatively weaker… but its continuous interference does hinder my cultivation." Qin Yun understood this point. "However, in the past two hundred years, as I cultivated in the Rosa Multiflora Sword Chart, I have attempted to probe the past of the billions of lifeforms. I"m improving with each attempt. All I need to do is improve a little more before I can gain success."

Qin Yun could sense that he was just short by a little.

However, he also knew that at his stage, every tiny progression was very difficult.

…

After finis.h.i.+ng dinner with his family, Qin Yun and his wife strolled along the mirror lake"s banks. Over the past two centuries, although he was almost always in seclusion, he would occasionally come out to relax himself. There were even mighty figures who would occasionally seek Qin Yun"s help to kill a particular fiend in another Small World! After all, Qin Yun was absolutely invincible in Small Worlds! Now, all the infamous fiends in the Three Realms" countless Small Worlds began keeping a low profile and hid.

"Oh?" While strolling with his wife, Qin Yun suddenly saw a black-haired elder standing by the lake in front of him.

"Master." Qin Yun was taken aback as he immediately bowed.

"Dao Ancestor." Yi Xiao immediately bowed before taking her leave.

The black-haired elder was looking at the lake instead of Qin Yun.

"It"s been two hundred years. How much longer are you going to remain stuck here?" The black-haired elder looked at Qin Yun.