Chapter 1351: A Long Journey

However, this Elder Li rarely showed his face. Even when he occasionally encountered sect disciples, he never said much to anyone, giving off the impression of being very taciturn. Usually, he would just nod with a smile and then quickly go on his way, not giving the disciples a chance to say more. But Li Yan was not the kind of arrogant existence who was so high and mighty that others couldn’t even look up to him. The sect disciples who had met him knew that his words were kind, and he didn’t have the cold indifference that kept people a thousand li away. This couldn’t help but make many of the female disciples’ minds wander. But Li Yan never got close to any female disciple; he treated both male and female disciples in the sect with the same impartiality.

Li Yan quickly landed in front of his cave residence. Just as he was about to open the gate, Shangguan Tianque’s voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

“Elder Li, would it be possible to disturb you for some time? There are some matters I need to discuss with you.”

The time it takes to drink half a cup of tea later, inside Li Yan’s cave residence.

Shangguan Tianque’s figure had already appeared here. This time, Ren Yanyu had not come with him.

After the two were seated, Li Yan got straight to the point. “I’ve been away on business recently, and have made the Sect Master wait. Is there something you need? Please speak directly.”

Shangguan Tianque smiled faintly. “Hahaha… it’s nothing major. I plan to make a trip to the ‘Endless Market’ in three months. However, this trip may involve certain risks, so at least two people need to go together. But if that’s the case, one person must be left behind to guard the sect. So, I will either have to trouble Elder Li to go with me, or ask Elder Li to go through the trouble of guarding the sect’s safety for a period of time. About a month should be enough.”

This time, Shangguan Tianque didn’t beat around the bush and directly stated his purpose.

“Oh? A trip to the Endless Market? Is that the market located three hundred and forty thousand li to the northeast of here?”

Li Yan had seen this market on a map before. But because his recent explorations had been in the southeast and northwest directions, and the journey was indeed not short, he had not been there.

“That’s the one. It seems Elder Li has also started to familiarize himself with the surrounding environment recently. This is of great benefit to us cultivators, hahaha…” Shangguan Tianque nodded with a smile. He also knew the purpose of Li Yan’s recent frequent outings. It was to familiarize himself with the environment. At the very least, if a fight were to break out in this area, it would be more advantageous for escaping.

After hearing this, Li Yan pondered for a moment before speaking again. “I’d better accompany you, Fellow Daoist. I’m not familiar with the sect’s affairs. If something were to happen, I’m afraid I would be negligent in handling it, and that wouldn’t be good.”

“Oh? Elder Li is willing to make this trip? This trip carries a considerable risk.”

Hearing Li Yan’s words, although Shangguan Tianque’s face showed surprise, a hint of admiration flashed in the depths of his eyes. This Li Yan was truly meticulous. Although he had seemingly given two choices, he had actually hoped he would choose the first one.

First of all, they had not yet handed over control of the sect-protecting grand formation to him. This was the most normal practice in any sect. The sect-protecting grand formation was a sect’s final line of defense. Generally, control was only in the hands of the Supreme Grand Elder or the Sect Master to reduce the risk of unforeseen crises arising from the shadows. Therefore, if Li Yan were left alone to guard the sect without control of the grand formation, and a strong enemy were to come knocking, if he were to be defeated, he would be unable to unleash the true power of the sect’s grand formation, and the sect’s foundation would be in danger.

Secondly, leaving Li Yan in the sect, although his previous performance had been excellent and he seemed completely harmless to the Broken Army Sect, at the end of the day, Shangguan Tianque and his junior sister still didn’t quite dare to. If Li Yan chose to stay, Shangguan Tianque would have found other excuses later on and still insisted that Li Yan go with him. For example, after a few days, he could send another voice transmission to Li Yan, finding a reason to say that Ren Yanyu was suddenly caught up in urgent matters and couldn’t leave the sect, and so on. What could Li Yan say?

Li Yan was extremely clever. The moment he heard it, he immediately knew what his choice was. And the reason he gave seemed perfectly reasonable to outsiders. But his words about handling sect affairs were actually meant for Shangguan Tianque’s ears, to let him understand that he, Li Yan, held no other intentions towards the Broken Army Sect. More than ninety percent of the daily affairs of the sect would not disturb a Nascent Soul-level elder; they were handled by the Golden Core cultivators below. Once a Nascent Soul-level elder was disturbed, it meant it was a major event of utmost importance, even a matter of the sect’s life and death. For Li Yan to say this, Shangguan Tianque also knew that he understood his intentions. They were both intelligent people; a hint was all it took.

“But I wonder what kind of risk it is? Or rather, is it possible for me to know the purpose of this trip?” Li Yan asked faintly, pursuing the matter. If the other said there was danger, he wanted to know the reason.

This time, Shangguan Tianque didn’t answer immediately but fell into thought, as if weighing whether to say it right away. Li Yan wasn’t in a hurry either. His face was as calm as an ancient well. He was actually already guessing in his mind, but for the moment, he had no clue.

However, after only about ten breaths, Shangguan Tianque finally spoke. “It’s not that I’m being overly cautious, but this matter is of great importance. Actually, the purpose of this trip is to bid for two four-thousand-year-old twin-stalked ‘Void Silver Grass’ at an auction. I only learned of this news through a secret letter from a good friend. Of course, whether we can successfully bid for it is in itself an unknown. But what I’m worried about is that if the auction is successful, we might be ambushed on the way back, so we must be extremely careful.”

“Four-thousand-year-old twin-stalked ‘Void Silver Grass’?” Li Yan pondered after hearing his explanation.

Back in the Malevolent Spirit Sect, in order to study the Fragmented Poison Body, he had read through almost all the books on medicinal herbs. Although he was not skilled in alchemy, he still considered himself knowledgeable about the vast majority of medicinal herbs in the lower realm, even some spirit grasses that were already extinct. At the very least, he had heard their names. But the name of this herb that Shangguan Tianque mentioned, he had never even heard of, let alone knew its use. However, as Li Yan’s thoughts raced, he faintly guessed the use of this herb. So he glanced at Shangguan Tianque and nodded.

Shangguan Tianque, seeing Li Yan’s thoughtful look, knew that he had probably already guessed something. Since he had explained, it was to show his trust in him. Besides, it wouldn’t be easy to hide this matter. Once Li Yan knew the name of the herb, he could easily find out its use with a little investigation, and he would also know his intentions. If he didn’t say anything, at most he could only ensure that Li Yan remained in the dark for these few months and on the way there. Once they reached the auction house in the market, he would definitely find out. But that might make Li Yan dissatisfied, so he gave an explanation.

But in his heart, he still didn’t want to let Li Yan know in advance. After all, revealing his purpose beforehand would add another layer of risk, and it might even affect the auction’s outcome. If Li Yan hadn’t asked, he wouldn’t have explained it to him now.

“The reason I didn’t tell you directly before, Elder Li, is that this matter concerns whether the sect can continue in the future, so I still have some reservations in my heart. Please forgive me, Elder Li. My lifespan is already less than a thousand years, so I need to advance to Spirit Transformation as soon as possible. Therefore, I have been preparing to refine a medicinal pill to help me break through. And this twin-stalked ‘Void Silver Grass’ is one of the main ingredients I need. If news of this were to fall into the ears of some of my enemies, I’m sure you can guess the consequences, Elder Li.” Shangguan Tianque said with an apologetic look on his face. But in fact, he was still hiding something. That is, his lifespan was only about three hundred years. But he had only said “less than a thousand years,” which was not wrong. He was afraid that from the time he mentioned, Li Yan would also be able to deduce Ren Yanyu’s approximate lifespan. After all, the age difference between the two of them was not that great, and this was not a secret.

At the same time, he had hidden another matter. He needed to refine a pill to aid his advancement, that much was true. But it was not just one pill, but at least two. The other was for Ren Yanyu. She was also preparing to break through to the Spirit Transformation realm. It wasn’t that he was guarding against Li Yan, but that this matter concerned the future development of the Broken Army Sect, and even its final outcome. He had to be cautious.

“Oh, it was I who was a bit rash. Please forgive me, Fellow Daoist Shangguan!” Li Yan immediately cupped his hands in apology. He had actually had such a guess in his heart.

Then, Li Yan spoke again. “In that case, I also need to prepare. I won’t go out for the remaining three months. I need to enter seclusion to recover from the exhaustion of my recent trip. At that time, just let me know before you set out, Fellow Daoist Shangguan.”

Hearing Li Yan say this, Shangguan Tianque’s heart stirred. ‘This Li Yan is so meticulous in his conduct. Although he knew it was not good to ask about the purpose of the trip to the market before, he still asked. That shows he is particularly concerned about his own safety. And now he says such words. This is clearly telling me that since he knows the purpose of this trip, he will only stay in his cave residence during this time. If any other problems arise, it will have nothing to do with him.’

With just a few short sentences, Li Yan had raised Shangguan Tianque’s opinion of him considerably. Li Yan’s thoughtfulness was something that even he had only just realized.

“Elder Li, the sect will not let you act for nothing. Here are thirty thousand high-grade Spirit Stones. Please accept them. Because the item I need to purchase this time may require a large amount of the sect’s resources, and since the Dragon-Catching Sect has only recently been incorporated into the sect, this is all the remuneration we can offer at the moment. I’m truly sorry! But please rest assured, Elder Li, the income from the Dragon-Catching Sect’s side is getting better and better. The sect will definitely not be stingy with you in the future.”

As Shangguan Tianque spoke, he had already taken out a storage ring and then showed Li Yan an apologetic smile. In the cultivation world, even among cultivators of the same sect, matters still had to be clearly defined.

Hearing this, Li Yan was stunned. He knew Shangguan Tianque wouldn’t let him suffer a loss, but to take out thirty thousand high-grade Spirit Stones at once was truly a shock to him. In the lower realm, thirty thousand high-grade Spirit Stones was a sum that even the Malevolent Spirit Sect couldn’t easily produce. It would have likely caused them significant financial strain, a painful loss. But in the next moment, Li Yan accepted it without a change in expression. He wasn’t a fool to refuse a benefit. Moreover, if he were to politely refuse at a time when he knew the Broken Army Sect needed Spirit Stones, Shangguan Tianque might actually become worried. A cultivator who wasn’t greedy for Spirit Stones didn’t exist in the cultivation world.

At the same time, from the way Shangguan Tianque immediately took out the storage ring, it was clear he had long been prepared for Li Yan to go with him.

“Thank you, Sect Master. Then I will be so bold as to accept!” Li Yan casually put away the storage ring. Seeing this, a smile appeared on Shangguan Tianque’s face, and his heart also relaxed slightly.

Next, the two chatted for a few more sentences before Shangguan Tianque took his leave. The moment he flew away, Li Yan immediately closed the cave gate and activated the formation restrictions. This also brought a smile to the face of Shangguan Tianque, who had just flown into the air. Talking to smart people was just so much easier.

After entering the cultivation chamber, Li Yan quickly sat down cross-legged and began to meditate. His Nascent Soul had still not fully recovered. But because he had been here for decades, he couldn’t calm down to cultivate in these few months. He was still anxious to learn about the outside world and how to contact the lower realm. Therefore, during this period, he hadn’t cultivated properly. Now that this matter had come up, Li Yan immediately entered a state of cultivation, fully circulating the True Scripture of Gui Water. A Nascent Soul realm cultivation was really nothing in the Immortal Spirit Realm. Li Yan didn’t even dare to easily enter the Heavenly Demon Prairie! …

Three months later, high in the void, a ten-zhang-long Green Cloud Sparrow was streaking across the sky. On its back stood two people: Shangguan Tianque and Li Yan. Li Yan was examining the Green Cloud Sparrow beneath his feet. This was a puppet-type flying magical treasure. In terms of both appearance and rank, from Li Yan’s perspective, it was already very high. This was a puppet magical treasure specifically for flight. Its speed was so fast that even Li Yan, standing on it, was astonished, feeling it was several times faster than the Cloud-Piercing Willow.

The current flight speed of the Cloud-Piercing Willow could no longer match Li Yan’s own strength. Even if he were to fully activate it with his current cultivation, at most it would be comparable to the flight speed of a peak early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. This meant that if Li Yan was in a hurry, he could only rely on his own flight to travel. If he were to forcibly push the Cloud-Piercing Willow, it could barely maintain the flight speed of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator for a period of time, but if it went on for too long, the magical treasure would definitely disintegrate.

But the Green Cloud Sparrow beneath his feet, Li Yan felt, was almost as fast as his own normal flight speed, which surprised him quite a bit. And as he chatted idly with Shangguan Tianque, he was surprised to find that the Green Cloud Sparrow’s speed could be increased even further. Li Yan guessed that this was not only because the Green Cloud Sparrow puppet itself was of an extremely high rank, but also because it was currently embedded with mid-grade Spirit Stones. This was another point where the Cloud-Piercing Willow couldn’t compare. That magical treasure had been found by Shuang Qingqing on her travels. She hadn’t modified its core formation, so it had no enhancements.

As Li Yan stared at the Green Cloud Sparrow, he was already guessing in his mind that the speed of this flying magical treasure was already astonishing. He wondered if its internal formation could support the activation of high-grade Spirit Stones.

‘I wonder how much such a flying magical treasure would sell for?’ Li Yan thought to himself.