Chapter 1884 — 1884: After the Rescue

After rescuing Kulas, Tian Yang and Ren Xia left the Endless Highlands and disappeared from the world.

Soon, news of the events at the Immortal Confinement Dungeon reached the ears of the Nine Immortal Clans, quickly plunging them into a state of panic. After all, not only did Kulas escape, but the Immortal Confinement Dungeon's location was also leaked to their enemy.

Although the Nine Immortal Clans wanted to investigate the situation further, they had to prioritize changing the Immortal Confinement Dungeon's location.

Once the Immortal Confinement Dungeon had been swiftly relocated to a new, undisclosed location, the Nine Immortal Clans wasted no time launching a full-scale investigation into the incident. Every detail surrounding the incident was scrutinized, and every potential lead was pursued.

It didn't take long before all evidence converged on a single source—the Immortal Sword Clan.

When questioned, the Immortal Sword Clan denied having any involvement at first, but when they learned of Ren Xia's actions and realized she had betrayed her own family, the Immortal Sword Clan had no choice but to tell the truth.

They revealed that Tian Yang had kidnapped Ren Xia and demanded the Immortal Confinement Dungeon's location in exchange for her life.

"I swear we didn't know she was working with that bastard! That bitch had deceived her own family!" Patriarch Ren trembled with rage, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Ren Xia—his own flesh and blood—had betrayed them.

At first, the Immortal Sword Clan had assumed the worst—that Tian Yang had killed her when she failed to return after the incident at the Immortal Confinement Dungeon. But alas, the truth was far worse than they thought.

"That unfilial wretch acted on her own! I am willing to swear on my soul!" Matriarch Ren added.

In the end, the Immortal Sword Clan faced no consequences for Ren Xia's actions. However, Ren Xia herself was declared a traitor, exiled from the family, and branded a criminal alongside Tian Yang.

As for Kulas, the Nine Immortal Clans scoured the Divine Heavens in search of him. Given his colossal size, they assumed tracking him down would be effortless. Yet, to their astonishment, not a single trace of him could be found even after months of relentless pursuit. It was as if he had vanished from the world.

Tian Yang and Ren Xia would continue targeting the Nine Immortal Clans, slaughtering their members one by one, forcing the Nine Immortal Clans to place a bounty on their heads, and spreading their names throughout the Divine Heavens.

Eventually, their bounty reached the Immortal Monastery.

"S-Sister Sun! Big news! I have urgent news for you!" Elder Jing burst into the room, her breath uneven, eyes alight with urgency.

Elder Sun turned, her gaze calm. "What is it?"

"T-That disciple you've never stopped thinking about… He's alive! Tian Yang is alive!" Elder Jing exclaimed, her voice trembling with emotion.

Elder Sun's breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening in sheer disbelief. "What?! Is that true?! Did he return to the sect?! Where is he?!"

In that instant, the years of sorrow that had weighed upon her lifted as if they had never existed, vanishing so swiftly that the transformation was almost tangible.

However, Elder Sun's excitement quickly vanished after seeing Elder Jing's hesitant expression.

"Hurry up and spill it!" Elder Sun urged.

"A-About that… Although Tian Yang is alive, he hasn't returned to the sect. In fact, it might be better if he never returns…"

"Why would you say something like that?!" Elder Sun raised her voice in anger.

"Because there's a bounty on his head—placed by none other than the Nine Immortal Clans!" Elder Jing revealed with a serious expression.

Elder Sun's breath hitched, her mind racing. "What…? Why would they—"

"Do you remember me telling you about that madman slaughtering their members?" Elder Jing continued. "That madman… was Tian Yang all along!"

Silence fell between them. Elder Sun stood frozen, her mind struggling to grasp the weight of those words.

"Tian Yang…? But why would he go after the Nine Immortal Clans?" Elder Sun mumbled as she began pondering.

But her thoughts were quickly interrupted by Elder Jing, "Who cares about that?! We have a bigger issue at hand! If they learn that Tian Yang is a disciple of our sect, they might come after the Immortal Monastery!"

Until the moment Tian Yang rescued Kulas, the Nine Immortal Clans had only known him as Xiao Yang. However, in the chaos of Kulas's rescue, Tian Yang revealed his true name, which was heard by the guard there.

Naturally, when the guard reported everything he had witnessed during the incident, he did not fail to mention the name he had overheard—Tian Yang. However, even with this crucial piece of information, it didn't mean the Nine Immortal Clans would immediately know everything about him, as his name wasn't unique to him, with many other people bearing the same name in the Divine Heavens.

"The Nine Immortal Clans wouldn't come after the Immortal Monastery just because of a single disciple," Elder Sun shook her head. "Even if they try to blame us, we can just claim he went rogue and hasn't been part of the sect for a long time… which is true."

"If you say it like that, I guess… But what about you? What are you going to do now?" Elder Jing then asked.

"And what do you expect me to do in this situation? Beg the Nine Immortal Clans to spare Tian Yang—a man who no longer has any connection to me?" Elder Sun scoffed, her voice cold and indifferent. "Hmph. Don't be ridiculous."

Yet, Elder Jing wasn't convinced by her act, as her earlier reaction spoke louder than any words Elder Sun could utter.

"You can leave now. I'm going to cultivate," Elder Sun said a moment later.

"Okay…"

Knowing Elder Sun needed time to digest the news, Elder Jing didn't linger and left shortly after.

"Tian Yang…" Elder Sun mumbled, her voice barely audible as she gazed out the window, her eyes distant and unfocused.

The light from outside cast soft shadows across her beautiful face, yet her expression remained unreadable.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Yuan slowly opened his eyes, and his vision blurred as if emerging from a dream that had stretched beyond time itself.

"How long have I been asleep…?" he muttered, his voice hoarse, each word feeling foreign on his tongue.