With the domain lord's agreement, the Grand Elder had no further objections. Seeing the domain lord remain seated, he also stayed put.
The domain lord noticed Ling Luoyi seemed to want to say more. He picked up the tea by his hand, took a sip, and then spoke, "Si Zhan, if you have something to say, speak your mind. Hesitation is not your usual character."
Ling Luoyi took a deep breath and said, "Domain Lord, I may need to go into seclusion for a period of time."
"What?! Your Highness, you just emerged from seclusion, why would you need to go into it again?!" Before the domain lord could respond, the Grand Elder exclaimed anxiously. He pleaded earnestly, "Your Highness, ever since you left the ancient battlefield, you've been in seclusion whenever possible. Frequent seclusion is detrimental to your foundation!"
For the past two years, Ling Luoyi had grown accustomed to the Grand Elder's normally calm demeanor turning flushed and his neck reddening whenever she was involved. She felt helpless about it and preferred the Grand Elder who kept his emotions hidden.
In truth, the Grand Elder felt wronged. He could previously conceal his emotions because there was nothing or no one that could stir his feelings. But now, ever since he met Ling Luoyi, he found it impossible to remain calm in the face of her talent, which could only be described as a gift from the gods. Moreover, Ling Luoyi not only possessed such talent but also worked incredibly hard.
Having witnessed it so often, the Grand Elder truly couldn't remain composed when facing Ling Luoyi. Who knew if she would suddenly do something astonishing again! Hadn't she done enough in the past two years?!
Seeing Ling Luoyi's troubled expression, the domain lord couldn't help but laugh heartily.
As the Grand Elder was speaking passionately, he suddenly heard the domain lord's laughter, which was filled with the amusement of watching a good show. The Grand Elder looked at the domain lord in confusion, thinking perhaps the domain lord had lost his senses from anger at Ling Luoyi.
Ling Luoyi naturally heard the laugh as well. She rubbed her forehead speechlessly and said irritably, "Have you laughed enough?"
Ling Luoyi swore that if she were stronger than the domain lord, she would have slapped him a couple of times! Ling Luoyi possessed the power of a Saintess, but this power had no effect on the domain lord. Without this power, Ling Luoyi couldn't even defeat the Grand Elder, let alone the Lord of the Holy Domain. The gap between them wasn't a ditch; it was an ocean! It was the difference between earth and sky!
Seeing that Ling Luoyi was genuinely angry, the domain lord finally stopped laughing. He looked at her and asked seriously, "Si Zhan, is this seclusion to resolve the issue of being stimulated by blood?"
Most people who had interacted with Ling Luoyi knew about this problem, so she wasn't surprised that the domain lord was aware of it. She nodded in affirmation.
Seeing this, the domain lord sighed and said, "This issue of yours does need to be resolved as soon as possible, but can't it be done in the Holy Domain? The Holy Domain is more suitable for your current situation than other continents in the human realm. Secluding yourself here might be better than in other continents."
Ling Luoyi remained silent, but the determination in her eyes conveyed her decision.
The domain lord knew that Ling Luoyi's decisions were not easily changed, so he agreed and said, "Si Zhan, this period of seclusion will also count towards the previous two years. Regardless of whether the problem is resolved, you must return when the two years are up."
"Yes." Ling Luoyi had no objections to this.
Seeing that both of them had reached an agreement, the Grand Elder decided not to say anything further. He knew that if Ling Luoyi's issue couldn't be resolved, the uncontrollable factor would be too great, preventing her from going to the battlefield.
As all matters were settled, the domain lord stood up and said, "Si Zhan, many people's shackles were loosened today because of your breakthrough. Therefore, your breakthrough cannot be concealed. I will inform everyone that you have broken through, but you still need to remain in seclusion to stabilize your cultivation."
Ling Luoyi also stood up and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Domain Lord."
"Mm." The domain lord recalled something else and stated with certainty, "Si Zhan, after these two years pass, given your advancement speed, you should be ready to go to the battlefield. At that time, you will accompany me."
"Yes."
Seeing Ling Luoyi agree, the domain lord left with the Grand Elder, both satisfied.
After they departed, Ling Luoyi returned to her cultivation chamber. While she was speaking with the domain lord and the Grand Elder, Mu Anning had already instructed people to replenish a large number of spirit stones in Ling Luoyi's seclusion chamber, piling them into a mountain.
Ling Luoyi closed the stone door of the cultivation chamber and inscribed her divine sense imprint on it. Only then did she step onto the teleportation array that had brought her there. In the next instant, Ling Luoyi found herself back at the main entrance of the Ling Manor.
Ling Luoyi didn't know how many days she had been gone, but when she left, there were still countless corpses piled outside the Ling Manor's main gate, and large areas of blood flowed on the ground. Now, there was no trace of the massacre that had occurred.
For some reason, the Ling Manor's main gate was tightly shut, and no servants were guarding it.
Ling Luoyi walked forward and pushed the door open, stepping inside.
Ling Luoyi extended her divine sense, covering the entire Ling Manor. The servants were all busy with their respective duties, but apart from the three madams, no other members of the Ling family were present. Ling Luoyi was a bit bewildered. What had happened? She had only been gone for a short time; where had everyone gone?
Before Ling Luoyi could remain bewildered for too long, Qiu Yuanxi arrived at the front hall. Seeing Ling Luoyi standing confused in the courtyard, he rushed forward and hugged her, saying joyfully, "Little Luo'er, you're back! Let me see."
Qiu Yuanxi took Ling Luoyi's hands, looking at them left and right, then circled around her. He asked with confusion, "Little Luo'er, judging by your aura, you must have broken through. But why is this breakthrough different from your previous ones? You're not exactly radiant, but you also don't look so listless as you do now. Did something happen?"
"It's nothing. Isn't this how I usually am?" Ling Luoyi didn't say anything else. She retracted her divine sense and asked, "A'Yuan, how many days have I been gone?"
"Only five days." Knowing what she wanted to ask, Qiu Yuanxi answered directly before she could, "Little Luo'er, don't worry. Not long after you left, your grandfather had people surround the other families, but they didn't exterminate them."
Upon hearing this, Ling Luoyi was not surprised. She had seen the character of the Ling family members during these past few days. Although they hated those who had trespassed into the Ling family back then, they were ultimately kind-hearted and would not harm innocent people.
"Also, although your grandfather and the others didn't kill them, they were hesitant to let them go. Since you said you would handle it, they had everyone locked up and provided with food daily, treating them nothing like prisoners."
"They aren't prisoners, and they're just unsure whether to let them go. But there must be many people locked up. Where did Grandpa and the others put them?"
"Of course, they're locked up in their own residences, where else would they be?" Qiu Yuanxi looked at Ling Luoyi, who suddenly seemed stunned, and said, "Doesn't your grandfather have the barrier spheres you gave him? Your grandfather used those to confine them within their residences, sending people to deliver food regularly to ensure they wouldn't starve. Their freedom is restricted, but otherwise, everything is fine."
"Alright, I'll deal with them later. What about my grandfather and the others? I just scanned the manor, and it seems only the three madams are here."
"That's right. On the third day after you left, your grandfather and the others suddenly experienced unstable auras and were about to break through. They immediately returned to the small world, and for some reason, they still haven't emerged. " Speaking of this, Qiu Yuanxi was also quite curious and asked, "Little Luo'er, they seem to have been influenced by you. However, logically speaking, your breakthrough to the Immortal realm should have brought them even greater fortune, making them stronger than they are now. But they don't seem to have. What happened at that time?"