After Song Changsheng and Qian Dahai woke up, the group stayed there for several more days.
The main reason was that their injuries were too severe. Although they had been controlled before, it was only a forced suppression.
However, with Ji Yuan now present, there was no need to worry too much about these injuries. After taking a few bottles of spirit pills, although they wouldn't heal immediately, they were no longer a major concern.
Even with the assistance of the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Pagoda, the turbid qi within the three individuals was completely devoured, and even their mixed spiritual power was refined.
"Elder Ji Yuan is truly blessed with exceptional talent!"
One morning, Song Changsheng couldn't help but exclaim.
Beside him, Qian Dahai nodded in agreement.
They had heard about Ji Yuan when they were in the inner sect, but at the time, they didn't pay much attention, as they had never interacted.
Moreover, at that time, the former was still only at the early stage of the Dian Ling realm.
But who would have thought that after a few years, he would have broken through a major realm, becoming a strong cultivator in the early stage of the Ming Dao realm, and even gaining the status of an inner sect elder.
A few nights ago, if it weren't for his timely arrival, they would likely have perished at the hands of the tiger demon.
"The affairs of the world are wondrous and unpredictable."
Zhao Yuansong also sighed, his feelings being the deepest among the group.
When they first met, Ji Yuan was merely a cultivator in the middle stage of the Qi Meng realm, just beginning his cultivation path.
But within a few short months, he had entered the Dian Ling realm.
Now, after several years apart, he had become a Ming Dao realm elder.
However, he felt no sense of imbalance in his heart, and even a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
With the opportunities he had gained over the years, upon returning to the Nine Xuan Sect, he would only need to go into seclusion for two to three years to digest everything he had gained. He should then be able to achieve a breakthrough and enter one of the three realms.
While Zhao Yuansong and the other two were chatting casually in the small courtyard,
Ji Yuan activated the formations and restrictions, then sat cross-legged in a wooden house, with a nine-story small pagoda floating before him.
As his gaze fell, it seemed to penetrate the pagoda's body, revealing the hundreds of residual souls contained within.
These residual souls were obtained a few days prior when he rescued Zhao Yuansong and the others, and he had retrieved a black flag artifact.
At that time, if he hadn't collected them into the pagoda, these hundreds of residual souls would have caused chaos, and countless citizens in Willow City would have suffered disaster for no reason.
After a few days, he finally had the time to deal with these souls of ordinary people, which had been refined into the artifact by the demon.
After observing for a moment, Ji Yuan suddenly formed a hand seal and began chanting.
What he was reciting at this moment was a scripture for deliverance from the Daoist tradition. It possessed no inherent power and could not be used for combat or self-protection.
However, it was of unparalleled efficacy in delivering departed souls, far beyond ordinary techniques.
While reciting the deliverance scripture, Ji Yuan enveloped the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Pagoda with his spiritual sense. All the residual souls and vengeful spirits were pacified, while inevitably enduring the impact of his resentment.
Fortunately, his spiritual sense was incredibly powerful, being only a step away from the middle stage of the Ming Dao realm, allowing him to withstand it with ease.
It took him a full two to three days to deliver all hundreds of residual souls, purify them of demonic energy and resentment, and send them one by one into reincarnation.
Once the grand task was completed, a force of merit descended from the void, an acknowledgment and reward from heaven and earth for his actions.
Suddenly, Ji Yuan's expression shifted. Instead of accepting the descending merit, he summoned the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Pagoda and suspended it above his head, allowing it to bear the merit on his behalf.
In the span of a finger snap, the nine-story pagoda was enveloped in a golden light. As a large amount of merit flowed in, its aura gradually began to change.
Once all the merit was absorbed, the golden light on the pagoda gradually receded.
However, several golden patterns appeared on the body of the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Pagoda, and it exuded a mysterious aura.
Ji Yuan's eyes flashed, and he immediately sensed the changes in the magical artifact. Although its inherent power remained unchanged after bearing the merit, it had acquired an indescribable transformation.
It felt somewhat like being impervious to all methods, and also like being able to evade karma.
"It seems that the so-called treasure of merit is not merely a legend."
He muttered to himself, a thoughtful expression appearing in his eyes.
As he cultivated to the present, Ji Yuan had heard the term "treasure of merit" more than once.
However, after scouring various texts, he found that such an item only existed in legends, with no concrete proof of its existence in the world.
At that moment, it was an impulse, and he instinctively used the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Pagoda to carry the merit that descended from the void.
Now, it appeared that the artifact, after bearing the merit, had indeed undergone some changes.
However, perhaps due to the insufficient amount of merit, the change was not very pronounced, and no extraordinary effects had manifested yet.
Nevertheless, one thing was certain: treasures of merit did exist, and were not just an ephemeral legend.
"But why is it that even the ancient texts collected by the Nine Xuan Sect contain no information about treasures of merit?"
Ji Yuan frowned, sensing something unusual.
Given the Nine Xuan Sect's formidable power, its library should have contained relevant texts. Instead, all he could find were fragmented legends.
The only logical explanation was that treasures of merit involved a higher level, far beyond what cultivators below the Golden Core stage could comprehend.
This, in turn, made him even more interested.
A short while later, Ji Yuan put away his scattered thoughts, calculated the time, and then got up and walked out of the wooden house.
As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Zhao Yuansong and the others chatting in the courtyard, their hearty laughter occasionally echoing.
He smiled slightly and immediately walked over.
"Pack up, we need to go and rendezvous with the others."
Ji Yuan said to the group before him.
Several days prior, he had already sent messages to the others, arranging to meet at a remote town in Fengming Commandery.
Now that their injuries were no longer a major concern and their spiritual power had mostly recovered, it was indeed time to leave.
Upon hearing this, the three of Zhao Yuansong's faces brightened, and they solemnly nodded.
The next morning, the four, having made all preparations, quietly departed.
As for Cao Yan, he had brought his family and settled down in that location. Protected by two layers of formations and several restrictions, as long as they didn't encounter cultivators above the second realm, there would be no danger.
Along the way, Ji Yuan took out Elder Hong Tian's flying artifact. It was temporarily lent to him by the elder when they parted ways, with the intention that he could use it to return as quickly as possible after finding disciples like Zhao Yuansong.