Li Yundong returned to the small building, only to find that the cultivators from various sects had already scattered. Groups like the Qingcheng Sect, the Qingwei Sect, and the Jinshan Sect, especially those from smaller cultivation lineages, had mostly departed. Only a few members from major denominations like the Zhengyi Sect, the Quanzhen Longmen Sect, and the Gezao Sect still remained.

Ziyuan and the others had just recovered from the shock of the First-Rank Immortal Fall. Seeing Li Yundong return, Su Chan, Ziyuan, Zhou Qin, along with Cao Yi who was tending to Liu Yuehong, and the little foxes, immediately stood up and rushed to greet him.

Su Chan and the little foxes widened their eyes, staring at Li Yundong, and asked with concern, "Did you catch her?"

Li Yundong shook his head. A wave of sighs swept through the little foxes. Cao Yi clenched her jaw and growled, "She actually managed to slip away again!"

Ziyuan looked troubled. "Second Martial Uncle’s temperament is extreme and stubborn, and she’s incredibly patient. Once she runs, who knows when she will appear again."

Li Yundong also sighed, saying, "In the final moment, Yan Fang would rather cripple half of her cultivation base and escape decisively, a stroke of desperate bravery. Though she is an enemy, I deeply admire that spirit..."

Liu Yuehong, severely wounded, couldn't help but show relief upon hearing that Yan Fang had severely damaged her own power. "Sect Leader, since Yan Fang is so heavily injured, she surely won't trouble us again for some time, right?" Her urgency caused her injuries to flare up, and she began coughing violently again.

Cao Yi, standing nearby, couldn't help but scold her, "Senior Sister, there’s no such thing as an endless spell of thieving; you need to focus on healing!"

Liu Yuehong forced a smile. "Junior Sister Cao Yi, I was hoping that during this respite, we could search everywhere for Yan Fang’s whereabouts, to achieve permanent peace!"

Noticing that Liu Yuehong called Cao Yi 'Junior Sister,' Li Yundong couldn't help but inquire, "Martial Aunt Liu Yuehong, Martial Aunt Cao Yi is only ranked sixth; she isn't the youngest in seniority. Ye Yu and Ao Wushuang are junior to her. By rights, Ao Wushuang should be called Junior Sister. Why do you call Martial Aunt Cao Yi 'Junior Sister'?"

Liu Yuehong sighed, her tone bitter. "Sect Leader, Ye Yu is already dead, and Ao Wushuang is likely lost. Among us at the Fox Zen Sect now, Cao Yi is the youngest in lineage. If I don't call her Junior Sister, who should I call Junior Sister?"

Li Yundong smiled faintly and said to Cao Yi, "Martial Aunt Cao Yi, I'm afraid your title of 'Junior Sister' might be retired."

His statement stunned everyone in the Fox Zen Sect. Su Chan, being the quickest-witted, suddenly displayed an expression of ecstatic joy. She gripped Li Yundong’s hands tightly and exclaimed, "Yundong, did you save my Master?"

Li Yundong chuckled, patted her soft hand, and nodded. "Indeed!"

The entire Fox Zen Sect erupted in overwhelming delight and loud cheers.

Liu Yuehong was beside herself with joy. "Junior Sister has been rescued? Where is she? Where is she?"

Cao Yi also looked utterly relieved and couldn't help but chant a Buddhist phrase, "Amitabha, thank the heavens! Junior Sister has finally been saved? Our Fox Zen Sect will no longer have to rely solely on the Sect Leader’s arduous efforts. This is truly great news!"

The little foxes’ eyes darted around, looking Li Yundong up and down, as if expecting Ao Wushuang to materialize from thin air at any second.

Li Yundong flipped his wrist and took out the fist-sized Litian Panhuang Bell from his robes. "Ao Wushuang is inside this. We can save her as soon as we return."

The crowd gazed at the bell. It was entirely purple, with a hint of gold suffusing the color, intricately inscribed with various runes and patterns depicting figures.

Su Chan, sharp-eyed, spotted an image whose features closely resembled Ao Wushuang. She pointed to the carving and declared, "That’s my Master!"

Li Yundong glanced at it and smiled. "Most likely. Don’t rush; you will see your Master when we get back."

Su Chan looked up at Li Yundong, her eyes filled with admiration and wonder. This young man had promised her he would rescue her Master, and now he had delivered!

Cao Yi couldn't help but urge him, "Sect Leader, shouldn’t we return quickly then?"

Li Yundong waved his hand. "No hurry. Let me say a few words to the cultivators from the other sects."

With that, he walked over to Du Fei of the Quanzhen Longmen Sect, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Immortal Du, I never expected the Lotus Picking Assembly to turn out this way. Thank you for your righteous words during the assembly. If you ever need help in the future, please do not hesitate to ask."

Du Fei also clasped his hands and smiled. "Immortal Li, although this Lotus Picking Assembly devolved into a farce, and Zheng Yu ultimately benefited by seizing the Immortal Brush, your display of divine power, defeating experts from every sect and then turning the tide by driving out the masters from Likaoya, has established a fame that will echo through the ages—a magnificent tale for future generations!"

Li Yundong offered a noncommittal, slight smile. "Just empty fame, not worth mentioning. Immortal Du..." He then looked toward Yue Sheng and Wei Qing, cupped his hands again, and said, "Immortal Yue, Immortal Wei, farewell!"

Yue Sheng had entirely shed his previous antagonism toward Li Yundong. He bowed respectfully, conceding, "After this engagement, there is no longer any dispute regarding your title as the foremost genius of the younger generation, Li Zhenren. I, Yue Sheng, am thoroughly convinced!"

But Yue Sheng quickly shifted his tone. "However, Immortal Li, there are countless masters of cultivation in the world, and every sect harbors hidden, senior experts. To claim the true title of 'Number One Under Heaven' might still prove difficult!"

Li Yundong chuckled heartily. "I only ask that others leave me alone; whether I am number one or not, I do not care."

Yue Sheng grew even more respectful. "Immortal Li is truly humble and magnanimous. I admire you greatly!"

Wei Qing’s eyes were wide open. She swiftly pulled a notebook and a pen from her robes and eagerly presented them to Li Yundong. "Li Wudi, sign it for me?"

Li Yundong raised an eyebrow curiously. "What did you call me?"

Wei Qing, always one to stir up trouble, spoke with shocking candor. She giggled. "I called you Li Wudi! I was going to say Li Zhenren, following the tradition of Venerable Zhang five hundred years ago, and Immortal Li five hundred years later! Back then, 'Zhenren' was a title granted by the Emperor, but now there is no Emperor, so everyone calls themselves Zhenren—it’s not impactful enough! So, I decided to call you Li Wudi! After all, Zhang Sanfeng was also known as Invincible five hundred years ago—Zhang Wudi back then, Li Wudi now!"

Wei Qing spoke with vibrant enthusiasm, clearly pleased with herself. "Haha, if anyone asks in the future who bestowed the title Li Wudi, my name, Wei Qing, will surely be mentioned! Li Wudi, hurry up and sign! Hee hee!"

Li Yundong was caught between laughter and tears. Du Fei nearby struggled to suppress a laugh and glared at her. "Nonsense! Don’t you know about pengsha (overpraising to cause ruin)?"

Wei Qing stuck out her tongue at him. "What pengsha? No one at the Lotus Picking Assembly could defeat that Juzhizi, yet Li Yundong scared her into tears with a single palm strike—if that isn’t invincible, then what is?"

Yue Sheng spoke with forced seriousness. "Invincible Under Heaven is debatable. At least Master might not be weaker than Immortal Li."

Wei Qing rolled her eyes at him. "How old is Master compared to how old Immortal Li is? Give Li Yundong a few more years to cultivate, and if he’s not the unrivaled master, you can dig my eyes out!"

Yue Sheng considered this and nodded. "That is true."

Wei Qing giggled again, thrusting the autograph book and pen forward once more. "Li Wudi, sign quickly, sign quickly!"

Li Yundong accepted the book with a helpless smile. Opening it, he saw his signature from the previous time clearly visible. He laughed. "Didn't I sign this last time? Why sign again?"

Wei Qing chirped, "Last time was last time; this time is this time!"

Li Yundong sighed good-naturedly as he signed. "Why did you bring this to the Lotus Picking Assembly?"

Yue Sheng, barely containing his laughter, interjected, "She said she wants to collect signatures from famous cultivators across the world to sell later for money."

Wei Qing immediately stomped on his foot and glared fiercely. "You talk too much!" Then, she turned back to Li Yundong with a smile. "Li Wudi, you wouldn't deny me, would you? Senior Brother is incredibly stingy; even though he has money, he won't share it with me, so I have to generate my own income!"

Li Yundong burst into laughter. "Martial Aunt Gossip Wei has a great idea—very creative!"

Wei Qing asked curiously, "What's Martial Aunt Gossip?"

Li Yundong pretended to look puzzled. "Isn't your surname Wei?"

Wei Qing quickly caught on and playfully scolded him. "You're the gossiper!"

Li Yundong, Du Fei, and Yue Sheng all burst into laughter simultaneously.

Not far away, Zhang Ling and Zou Ping of the Zhengyi Sect saw Li Yundong chatting amiably with Du Fei and others from the Quanzhen Longmen Sect. Zou Ping couldn't help but sneer, "Hmph, they really are colluding! This Quanzhen Sect is dead set on opposing us! I bet they don't even want to lead the Six Sect Alliance anymore! And Li Wudi? Pfft! That flattery makes me sick!"

Saying this, Zou Ping couldn't help but take a step forward, intending to shout a harsh taunt.

But Zhang Ling immediately grabbed her arm, shaking her head, and whispering, "Li Yundong is riding a high tide of popularity right now. We shouldn't clash with him yet. Moreover, after he single-handedly drove away the masters from Likaoya, every sect owes him a massive debt of gratitude."

Zou Ping argued anxiously, "But didn't Yan Fang say he harbors a grand conspiracy to resurrect the Heavenly Mystery Dark Fox?"

Zhang Ling’s face darkened as she looked at Li Yundong. "Everything Yan Fang said was unsubstantiated hearsay. Now that Li Yundong is back and Yan Fang is nowhere to be found, it’s highly likely she is hiding or has been captured."

Zou Ping insisted, "That's perfect! Yan Fang was nominally one of ours from the Zhengyi Sect. We can use this opportunity to demand her return and deflate his arrogance!"

Zhang Ling glared at Zou Ping and sneered coldly, "Demand her? What if he flatly denies having her? Will you force the issue? Can you beat him? Hmph! This Li Yundong has become so powerful that neither you nor I can handle him now. Confronting him now would only lead to humiliation!"

Zou Ping gnashed her teeth. "Then what do we do? Just watch this young upstart trample over our Zhengyi Sect? Hmph, he’s being called Li Wudi at such a young age. Give him two more years to cultivate, and our own Sect Leader might have to salute him! Pfft, I will never admit he is Li Wudi!"

Zhang Ling gave a cold laugh. "Hmph, Wudi, Wudi... what a Li Wudi! Zou Ping, you are mistaken. We absolutely must acknowledge that he is Li Wudi! Not only acknowledge it, but we must widely publicize it, so the entire world knows the mighty name of Li Yundong, Li Wudi!"

Zou Ping was startled. "Why, Master? Isn't that boosting others' morale while crushing our own prestige?"

Zhang Ling scoffed. "There are numerous cultivation sects in this world; none of them will be happy to see Li Yundong dominate them! Furthermore, although Yan Fang's claims were baseless, the most terrifying things in the world often have a seed of truth! Believe me, it won't be long before the Fox Zen Sect becomes the target of universal suspicion, and Li Yundong will surely become the most scrutinized person. This title of 'Li Wudi'... ha ha ha, it will only intensify the wariness of cultivators from every single sect!"

Zou Ping's eyes lit up. She said to Zhang Ling, "Master, you are indeed formidable. What a strategy!"

Zhang Ling flicked her sleeve and hissed softly, "This Li Yundong is indeed a rare talent, not inferior to Wang Yuanshan in his prime. It’s a pity he is constantly at odds with our Zhengyi Sect! Quickly take Zhang Tianhe and Wang Lingfei and leave. Don't linger here any longer."

Zou Ping bowed in assent, picked up the still-unconscious Zhang Tianhe, and signaled to the junior sister nearby to carry up Wang Lingfei.

Zhang Ling smiled warmly at Li Yundong. "Li Wudi, we take our leave. We, the Zhengyi Sect, will always remember your assistance during this Lotus Picking Assembly!"

With that, she led her disciples in the Zhengyi Sect, who swiftly transformed into a streak of green light and departed rapidly.

The members of the Fox Zen Sect immediately laughed, congratulating Li Yundong. "Congratulations, Sect Leader! Congratulations, Sect Leader! Even the Zhengyi Sect acknowledges the name of Invincible! This is truly a grand occasion for our Fox Zen Sect!"

Li Yundong remained impassive, showing neither surprise nor elation. He watched the direction where Zhang Ling and her group had vanished, his gaze flickering. After a long moment, he said, "Let's go. We should return now and rescue Ao Wushuang, who has been confined for too long."

========================================= Supplementing yesterday's second update; today’s two updates will proceed as scheduled... E