Chapter 1350: Assisting in Soul Separation

Listening to the conditions they offered, Li Yan knew that this was the Broken Army Sect’s utmost sincerity. He didn’t hesitate and agreed. He definitely couldn’t leave this place in the short term. Now that his injuries had somewhat recovered, he needed to personally go out and gather various kinds of information, not just rely on jade slips, texts, and the accounts of others to understand things. For all this, he couldn’t just run around randomly. He naturally needed a stable place to stay and gradually familiarize himself with the situation.

However, Li Yan did put forward his own request. He didn’t want any grand inauguration ceremony. It would be enough for the two of them to just announce it to the outside world. Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu tried to persuade him further, but Li Yan still refused with a smile. Seeing this, the two could only give up. But they still requested that Li Yan show his face at an internal sect ceremony, so that at least the sect disciples would know what he looked like. To this, Li Yan could only agree.

Having cultivated to their realm, Shangguan Tianque had seen many people with even stranger personalities. The two of them concluded that Li Yan was just that kind of ascetic cultivator. But thinking about it, if he didn’t focus all his efforts on cultivation, how could he kill across realms as easily as eating and drinking?

The three of them talked for a full three hours before Shangguan Tianque and his junior sister took their leave. Not long after they left, the Broken Army Sect sent out a message: a third elder had appeared in the sect. However, the external message did not mention Li Yan’s origins, nor did it mention his slaying of Mang Yan. This was at Li Yan’s request; he did not want to be marked by others.

Within the sect, however, the disciples learned more details. This Elder Li had likely been invited back by Yu Banjiang. He was the expert who, a few years ago, had left the two Supreme Elders of the Dragon-Catching Sect one dead and one injured. This undoubtedly made the disciples of the Broken Army Sect extremely excited. The Broken Army Sect had not been able to hire a guest elder for many years, which had made them feel the invisible pressure from their surroundings. Although the sect was guarded by Shangguan Tianque and his junior sister, other fourth-rate sects basically had four or more Nascent Soul cultivators. But with the addition of a Nascent Soul cultivator with such formidable combat power, the Broken Army Sect would surely be able to defend its territory, and the dangers from the surrounding areas would be greatly reduced.

Afterward, Shangguan Tianque requested that all disciples who were outside must return to the sect within a month. A month later, the sect would hold an inauguration ceremony for Elder Li.

A few days later, in a cultivation chamber, Shangguan Tianque, his junior sister, Li Yan, and Yu Banjiang were all present.

“Elder Li, we will follow all your arrangements. How do you think we should begin? If you need us to act, just give the word.” Shangguan Tianque glanced at Yu Banjiang. His spiritual state was quite good. It seemed he had been diligently recovering these past few days.

To the side, Ren Yanyu had a look of curiosity on her face. They rarely saw soul cultivators. Although Li Yan had repeatedly said he didn’t know soul cultivation arts, just being able to see the methods of a soul cultivator was an eye-opening experience. She had been able to come this time because she had sent a voice transmission to Li Yan in advance.

Li Yan ultimately felt that one more person didn’t matter. When he cast his spell, he had to conceal it anyway. Even if Ren Yanyu didn’t come, she would probably ask Shangguan Tianque about it afterward, so it wouldn’t be good for him to refuse her. However, Ren Yanyu had been very polite in her voice transmission, stating that she didn’t want to wait outside and wanted to personally witness the process and result of the spell being cast on Yu Banjiang. Even if it failed in the end, she wanted to see the state of this disciple with her own eyes, which gave one a sense of a hidden martial world chivalry.

“Then Fellow Daoist Yu can now calm his mind and stabilize his state. When you enter samadhi, we can begin. However, it’s best if you seal your other five senses, apart from your ‘consciousness.’ That will also reduce the pain when your soul is separated,” Li Yan reminded him. Yu Banjiang nodded. He didn’t want to let out a blood-curdling scream if he couldn’t bear it at the time. As long as he retained his “consciousness,” he could urge his soul to return to his body at the most opportune moment.

“At that time, if Fellow Daoist Yu’s soul is unable to return to its body in time, I’ll have to ask Fellow Daoist Shangguan to help him!” Li Yan glanced at Shangguan Tianque. Although he could also act, he only wanted to help the other’s soul leave his body. As for what came after, it was best to touch the other’s soul as little as possible.

“Thank you for your trouble, Elder Li!” Shangguan Tianque nodded and said politely to Li Yan again.

After a hundred breaths, looking at Yu Banjiang who had already entered a meditative state, Li Yan, with a hand hidden in his wide sleeve, suddenly produced a brush. He abruptly pointed it at a “Black Water Talisman” that he had already condensed. But at this moment, the Black Water Talisman looked different from its actual appearance. It had a mottled, ancient feel to it, something Li Yan had deliberately created as a disguise. Although his movements in his sleeve caused a slight fluctuation of magical power, Shangguan Tianque and his junior sister were of course not foolish enough to actually use their Divine Sense to probe. They would only assume that Li Yan was making preparations and had already secretly held the talisman, waiting for the right moment to strike.

“Go!”

The moment the tip of the brush touched the “Black Water Talisman,” Li Yan also let out a soft cry. At the same time, he thrust a wide sleeve forward, and a black talisman with a greyish, decayed color flew out. In an instant, it flickered and appeared, sticking to Yu Banjiang’s forehead.

The moment the talisman flew out, Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu immediately exchanged a glance. They both felt an aura from the greyish talisman that made their souls uneasy.

‘It really is a talisman refined by a soul cultivator!’ Ren Yanyu’s voice echoed in Shangguan Tianque’s mind. A talisman that could make even them feel their souls uneasy was most likely not something an ordinary talisman grandmaster could refine. The feeling this talisman gave was too special. Only a talisman grandmaster who specialized in this art could refine it after inscribing a special formation.

At this moment, they were actually wondering if Li Yan himself was a soul cultivator, but then they thought it was unlikely. The biggest and most obvious difference between soul cultivators and other types of cultivators was that their spiritual power and soul were extremely powerful, but their physical bodies were too fragile. The physical body of a Nascent Soul-level soul cultivator might not be much different from that of an early-stage Golden Core cultivator. Because they had to spend almost every moment in meditation, they simply had no time to cultivate their physical bodies. Although soul cultivators were rare, various texts all recorded them as such; they were powerful spiritual power cultivators.

And Li Yan’s physical body, which was comparable to that of an ancient ferocious beast, made it impossible for anyone to think he was a soul cultivator. A soul cultivator wouldn’t have time to refine such a monstrous body. At the same time, what Li Yan had produced was indeed a talisman. This thought just flashed through their minds. Then, the moment the talisman touched Yu Banjiang’s forehead, it immediately disintegrated.

Then, they saw Yu Banjiang’s eyes fly wide open. In just a brief moment, a large amount of sweat appeared on his forehead. At the same time, his mouth was wide open, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace, yet he let out a silent scream.

The instant the talisman disintegrated, the long brush in Li Yan’s sleeve, which he had withdrawn, was suddenly pressed down and then hooked upwards. On Yu Banjiang’s forehead, blue veins immediately bulged high, as if, with this stroke of Li Yan’s brush, his very meridians were about to burst out of his body.

Although Shangguan Tianque and his junior sister’s expressions were calm, their Divine Senses were firmly locked on Yu Banjiang. In that instant, they both felt Yu Banjiang’s divine soul fluctuate violently. Almost before they could react, Yu Banjiang’s cultivation abruptly dropped to the early-stage Foundation Establishment, and was even on the verge of falling to the Qi Condensation stage. But the two of them still stood motionless. If Li Yan didn’t tell them to act, they would just nail themselves to the spot. For such a matter, they didn’t even dare to disturb him by speaking.

And in the next moment, some dark shadows faintly appeared above Yu Banjiang’s head. These shadows were extremely blurry. Even in their Divine Senses, they couldn’t see them too clearly. But on the faces of each shadow, they could see Yu Banjiang’s somewhat indistinct face. Some were sorrowful, some joyful, some kind, some ferocious… And among them, the bodies of two of the dark shadows were partially intertwined. But after ascending into the air, they also began to slowly separate…

Seeing this scene, Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu exchanged a glance. They both saw the “as expected” expression in each other’s eyes, which then turned to joy.

Half an hour later, outside Yu Banjiang’s cave residence, Shangguan Tianque, Ren Yanyu, and Li Yan had just walked out. Shangguan Tianque waved a hand, activating the cave’s restrictions. Then, after confirming the surroundings with his Divine Sense, he finally looked at Li Yan.

“Banjiang’s two souls were indeed intertwined, not just injured. Although he wasted so many years without the right treatment, his suffering has finally come to an end. On behalf of this disciple, I must thank Elder Li for your help!”

“I’ve already said there’s no need to mention this again. He saved me first. The Buddhists speak of karma. This is it!” Li Yan waved his hand, signaling the other not to bring it up again. The three of them exchanged a few more simple words and then went their separate ways.

In the time that followed, Li Yan would often leave the sect. His main purpose was to familiarize himself with the surrounding environment and gather various kinds of news. But when the one-month mark approached, he returned to the sect. At the ceremony, he made a brief appearance, accepted the respects of the many disciples, and then disappeared again.

Several months passed in a flash. On this day, after going out to investigate some matters, Li Yan once again returned to the sect.

‘I’ve basically figured out the situation within a fifty-thousand-li radius. I’ve reached the vicinity of the Heavenly Demon Prairie, which is still basically the overlapping territory of the Broken Army Sect and two other fourth-rate sects. In the time to come, I’ll see if I can fully recover my cultivation. Will I need to check out the Heavenly Demon Prairie? It’s the only way to the nearest cross-domain teleportation array. I need to scout out the danger level first!’ Li Yan thought as he flew.

He had initially found a detailed map of the vicinity from the Broken Army Sect. Later, from two other markets outside, he had bought many other map jade slips. After several comparisons, the map he held in his hand became more and more detailed as he constantly revised it. This was a slow process, and the map he currently had was still not enough to meet his needs.

The Broken Army Sect was in the southwestern part of the Northern Pastoral Realm, but it was not at the edge of the realm, but rather slightly closer to the south. The cross-domain teleportation arrays were distributed at the central edges of the four directions of the Northern Pastoral Realm: east, south, west, and north. The closest cross-domain array to here was a place called “Xuan Gu Mountain” at the edge of the southern domain. It was said that a super-sect existed there, but after checking, Li Yan found that the names for it varied, and were even completely different. And some records described two super-sects governing that area, but the existence of “Xuan Gu Mountain” should be certain.

This showed that the area where the Broken Army Sect was located was still relatively remote. To reach the southern cross-domain teleportation array, one had to cut diagonally across the vast and boundless Heavenly Demon Prairie. Li Yan had not found a specific distance for how large the Heavenly Demon Prairie was in the materials he checked. But some descriptions made his heart pound: even a Void Refining cultivator might have to fly for over four hundred years just by flying. And that was only the time it would take if there were no accidents.

The Heavenly Demon Prairie had countless species of demonic beasts. It was not surprising for Body Integration-level demonic beasts to appear there. So, if you wanted to cross it, the first thing to consider was not how much time it would take, but how far you could go, and how many days you could survive!

After reading this, Li Yan checked another location, a cross-domain teleportation array in the far west that was relatively close to him. But that place was not only more distant, but also required crossing an endless desert, which also contained ferocious beasts of unknown levels. Because the journey was longer, the danger was even greater than crossing the Heavenly Demon Prairie. For a Nascent Soul cultivator, crossing in either direction would be a journey of certain death.

All of this was Li Yan preparing for the future. With his current cultivation, he could only do preliminary scouting and get a general understanding. In addition, after investigating news about the mortal realm, the results he obtained were basically the same as what Yu Banjiang had said. It seemed that the way to the lower realm was not a great secret in the upper realm. Furthermore, many high-level cultivators in the lower realm guessed that the force behind “Gui Qu Lai Xi” was from the Immortal Spirit Realm. But for several months, in the two markets Li Yan could reach, there were no “Gui Qu Lai Xi” shops at all. Even after asking around, no one knew of them. This left Li Yan’s greatest initial hope in vain.

‘Could it be that all the lower-realm cultivators guessed wrong? Or did ‘Gui Qu Lai Xi’ change its name in the upper realm? Or there’s another possibility, that they’re not from the Northern Pastoral Realm…’

As Li Yan was gathering the information he had obtained this time in his mind, he had already flown into the sect. A light flashed from the token at his waist, and the sect-protecting formation felt like a sheet of soft water brushing against his cheek. Li Yan passed through it in an instant. But even so, because he was not taking the normal path through the mountain gate, a light still flashed from the formation.

Within the sect, some cultivators not far away saw the abnormality of the flashing light, and then they saw Li Yan’s figure. Upon seeing Li Yan’s face, the nearby cultivators immediately stopped in mid-air and bowed deeply to Li Yan.

“Greetings, Elder Li!”

“We pay our respects to Elder Li…”

Li Yan just waved his hand lightly, signaling them to go about their business, and then, with a calm expression, descended towards his cave residence. Among these cultivators, many were old disciples of the sect. They had all witnessed the battle back then with their own eyes. It was this plain-looking young man before them who, in a single ascent and descent, had instantly killed the powerful and seemingly invincible Mang Yan. At that time, they had already resigned themselves to the despair of their sect being destroyed and their own deaths, but because of this person, the situation had turned around. They were, of course, extremely respectful towards Li Yan.

Moreover, they were now able to obtain more cultivation resources, many of which had been snatched from the Dragon-Catching Sect. All of this was inseparable from the person before them. Even some of the exceptionally beautiful female cultivators, as they watched Li Yan’s retreating back, had flushed faces and coy eyes, hoping that Li Yan would notice them. In the cultivation world, many female cultivators were willing to serve the strong. In the eyes of many, this was not something shameful, but rather a sign of ability.