Chapter 1361: A Guest Brushes Aside the White Clouds
Conversely, any other cultivators they encountered along the way would sense the auras of the three and steer clear from a great distance, fearful of inviting trouble.
Of course, Li Yan and his companions had not detected the presence of any cultivators at the Spirit Transformation Realm or above; otherwise, they too would have immediately chosen to flee at top speed.
High-level cultivators, unless faced with a special circumstance, would never deign to trouble their juniors. Such an act would be born of extreme boredom.
Li Yan’s group was no different. They flew past countless Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators on their journey, but they simply soared by, and those cultivators remained completely unaware that Nascent Soul experts had just passed overhead.
Li Yan spread his Divine Sense, gazing down at the blurred landscape and the rapidly receding earth below. A trace of wistfulness appeared in his eyes.
It was high noon. Clusters of white clouds rushed toward them before being pierced directly by the White Jade Skiff.
In the next moment, the skiff would pass straight through, trailing a thin white line in its wake, connecting the scattered clouds, near and far, into a rather beautiful string of pearls.
The noonday sun was dazzling in the sky. Standing at the prow, Li Yan watched the patches of blue sky that occasionally appeared between the oncoming clouds, and for a time, his mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts.
‘Min’er, A Ying, are you two well? I… I’m still alive…’
Li Yan was unaware that he had a daughter, Li Zhaoyan. Given Zhao Min’s reserved personality, she certainly wouldn’t have gone out of her way to send a message to the Wind God Continent just for this. She was simply waiting patiently for Li Yan’s return.
Had Li Yan known of Li Zhaoyan’s existence, his emotions would have been even more complex. He had never experienced the feeling of being a father for the first time. It would surely have been a mix of a hundred different emotions, his longing growing ever deeper.
As for what had happened on the Forsaken Continent, Li Yan had long since deliberately forced it from his mind, allowing the memory to blur. He was even less aware of the existence of someone named Mu Sha.
Just as these thoughts stirred in Li Yan’s heart, his expression suddenly changed. Standing at the front of the White Jade Skiff, he abruptly stomped his foot on the prow.
The skiff, which had been flying at extreme speed, immediately plummeted toward the ground like a meteorite. The descent was so rapid that the bodies of the three on board felt a sense of weightless buoyancy.
Almost simultaneously, Shangguan Tianque and Donglin Tingyue’s eyes snapped open. A cold, clipped voice from Li Yan had just echoed in their minds.
“Enemy attack!”
“Swish, swish, swish…”
Several piercing sounds shot through the space where the White Jade Skiff had been just a moment before. Then, trailing long streamers of light, they sped off toward the distant horizons in all directions.
These attacks came from every direction. Even as Li Yan controlled the White Jade Skiff’s descent, he still narrowly scraped by the edges of more than a dozen beams of light.
The power of those attacks was astonishing. The strong air currents they generated were enough to make the White Jade Skiff shudder violently, as if it might be torn apart by the force at any moment.
“Hah, a rather quick reaction!”
As the White Jade Skiff fell, a clear voice rang out from the air below and to the side, tinged with a hint of surprise.
By now, the White Jade Skiff had halted a thousand feet from the ground. With his powerful Divine Sense, Li Yan had detected the attacks the very instant they were launched.
Li Yan swiftly maneuvered the White Jade Skiff, weaving and dodging through the gaps between the multicolored lights. After a few sharp turns, he flew out of the attack range.
The three stood inside the skiff, their Divine Senses already spread out in all directions.
Figures had now materialized all around them. With a quick sweep of his Divine Sense, Li Yan was shocked to discover there were six of them.
The pressure emanating from their bodies indicated that they were all Nascent Soul cultivators. Three of them were Late-stage Great Cultivators, while the other three were Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.
The one who had spoken was one of the Late-stage Great Cultivators—a scrawny youth with a sharp chin and monkey-like features.
He was currently glaring at the three of them, his eyes filled with killing intent. A flicker of surprise mixed with suspicion crossed his gaze as he swept it over them.
The other two Late-stage Great Cultivators were clad in red robes, their faces hidden behind ferocious, blood-red demonic ghost masks.
Although the two had different builds, their attire was identical, down to the patterns and embroidery on their robes. It was impossible to tell if they were men or women.
As for the remaining three Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, they consisted of one old man and two middle-aged men.
Every one of them stared at Li Yan’s group with hostile eyes, making no effort to conceal the killing aura radiating from their bodies.
When the scrawny youth who had spoken saw three people appear, a flash of surprise flickered in the depths of his eyes, but it was immediately replaced by a cold glint.
If he hadn’t, by some chance, once seen Shangguan Tianque use this very White Jade Skiff, he wouldn’t have attacked just now from below.
The White Jade Skiff was moving too fast. From the moment he saw it, he had less than a single breath of time to decide whether to attack.
Consequently, he hadn’t had a chance to clearly see how many people were on board. Then again, even if he had used his Divine Sense, it likely would have only triggered the external restrictions on the skiff, alerting them to his presence.
That would have defeated the purpose of a surprise attack.
After searching for so long, this was the only White Jade Skiff that most closely resembled the one Shangguan Tianque had used. Thus, he made the split-second decision to strike.
‘Could I have the wrong people? No, that can’t be right. I chose this location because it’s the only direct path to the Broken Army Sect, unless they’re willing to take a month-long detour. Shangguan Tianque should have gotten what he wanted at the auction and would surely want to return as quickly as possible. He would choose the fastest, most direct route…’
The scrawny youth’s mind raced. He felt he probably hadn’t misidentified the White Jade Skiff. While it was true that many people used this type of flying magical treasure, the fact that they appeared here, at this exact time—after calculating Shangguan Tianque’s likely departure from the market—gave him at least a fifty percent certainty that they were his target.
Besides, even if he killed the wrong people, he couldn’t afford to miss a potential opportunity.
“Who are you? Why did you ambush us?”
The portly monk, Shangguan Tianque’s disguise, boomed with a thunderous, angry voice. The aura around him surged, making his fury palpable.
At the same time, he was observing the six people around them, but he didn’t recognize a single one.
However, Shangguan Tianque already had a suspicion. It was highly probable that, just like his own group, his attackers had altered their appearances. Since their cultivation levels were not far apart, it was impossible to see through each other’s illusion arts.
What no one noticed was that the jade-like youth, Donglin Tingyue’s disguise, saw the ambushers clearly, and her pupils constricted sharply, especially when her gaze fell upon the two Late-stage Great Cultivators in red robes.
A fierce light flashed deep in her eyes.
But just then, as Shangguan Tianque was loudly questioning their opponents, he also sent her a voice transmission.
“Fairy Tingyue, do you recognize any of these people?”
Knowing Li Yan’s origins, Shangguan Tianque didn’t bother sending him a message; it would have been pointless. Donglin Tingyue, however, might recognize their assailants.
“I don’t. They’ve likely all disguised their appearances. Just look at those two in the red robes and masks; they clearly don’t want their identities known. However, I have a guess. They’re probably here for you…” Donglin Tingyue replied quickly.
The enemy had three Late-stage Great Cultivators. She was already contemplating how to escape. On their side, only Shangguan Tianque was a Late-stage Great Cultivator; that Li Yan was on the same level as her.
Although it was said that he had killed Mang Yan, the reports also indicated that Mang Yan had been completely unaware of his opponent’s existence.
The Donglin Family had analyzed the situation. To kill a Nascent Soul cultivator of the same rank, especially a wily old fox like Mang Yan who had weathered a lifetime of storms, was no small feat.
It was highly likely that Shangguan Tianque had set a trap, leveraging various conditions to achieve his goal.
Therefore, whether Li Yan had truly killed Mang Yan himself was perhaps just a narrative Shangguan Tianque wanted the outside world to see. The Donglin Family was well aware of how cunning Shangguan Tianque could be.
Perhaps only the single Nascent Soul cultivator who had escaped knew the truth, but that person had long since vanished, leaving the matter impossible to verify.
Moreover, with six Nascent Soul cultivators present, their group of three was completely outmatched. Donglin Tingyue immediately judged the battle to be hopeless.
She had previously considered helping Shangguan Tianque, but the moment she saw the six of them, that thought began to evaporate, especially after seeing the two identically dressed, masked figures in red.
‘No, I have to get out of here. Even if it’s just to deliver this information, I must escape!’
At this moment, Donglin Tingyue’s heart was pounding.
Escaping from the encirclement of so many experts was a pipe dream. She had already decided to abandon Li Yan. She had no choice; her own safety was at risk, and she certainly couldn’t afford to help him.
But for now, she couldn’t move. The slightest action would draw all their attention to her, and she would instantly become the target of a concerted attack.
So, she had to remain calm and wait for an opportunity to flee. Sometimes, the opinions and scorn of others were nothing but a joke.
Besides, she still held onto the hope that the six of them had simply targeted the wrong people.
But in the next instant, Donglin Tingyue’s hopes were completely dashed.
“Kill them, quickly!”
The scrawny youth wasn’t sure if he had the right people or not, but since he had already made his move, he didn’t want to hesitate any longer and risk attracting more trouble.
He had chosen this place for two reasons: first, it was a path his target had to take; second, it was a remote area in the southwest, far from the Heavenly Demon Prairie and the major sects.
It was also a considerable distance from the Blood Lantern Sect, making it difficult for his target to call for reinforcements.
Besides, once a fight broke out, he might be able to see through their disguises. Wasting words was the most foolish course of action.
As the scrawny youth’s words fell, the six of them, including himself, immediately closed in on the center, their killing intent decisive and swift.
“Split up and break through! Don’t let them surround us!”
Donglin Tingyue’s heart sank. She hadn’t expected them to be so decisive, so unwilling to waste time on words. This was a favored tactic of many experienced cultivators.
Too much talk could not only expose more of one’s intentions but, more importantly, give the enemy time to prepare, leading to an unexpected defeat.
She immediately sent a voice transmission to the other two.
At the same time, she thought to herself that their target was likely Shangguan Tianque. If she separated from him, the enemy might choose to ignore her.
If her judgment was correct, then at the very least, the forces sent to pursue her would not be the enemy’s top combatants.
“Alright! Elder Li, what do you think?” Shangguan Tianque immediately responded.
The situation was critical. If the enemy’s strength was comparable to their own, they might have stood a chance. Under these circumstances, their only option was to force a breakout.
But he also knew of Li Yan’s strength. However, the time he killed Mang Yan, there was indeed an element of surprise involved.
Therefore, he wanted to see what Li Yan planned to do. Would they fight here, or was there another plan? If they were to break out separately, they would have to rely on their own skills and luck.
“Let’s split up for now and see how they deploy!” Li Yan’s eyes flickered as he answered quickly.
Upon receiving Li Yan’s reply, Shangguan Tianque, an old demon with over a thousand years of experience, immediately understood his intent.
Li Yan had said, “split up for now,” not just “split up!”
He instantly realized that with so many people gathered, and considering Li Yan’s origins in a lower realm and his past actions, he likely had some trump card he didn’t want them to see. Li Yan wanted to divide and conquer, to prevent the enemy from joining forces.
Moreover, with the enemy’s superior numbers here, their combined strength would be far greater than that of his own group of three.
In that moment, Shangguan Tianque’s decisiveness and courage were on full display. He chose to trust his ally without reservation, immediately sending a new transmission to both of them.
“Very well. If we manage to escape, we’ll rendezvous at Mingxi Mountain, a hundred thousand li from here! Elder Li, what do you say?”
At the end, he deliberately addressed Li Yan.
“Split up for now!”
The voice transmission Li Yan sent back was the same sentence. This was undoubtedly a signal to Shangguan Tianque, letting him know he understood.
The so-called rendezvous was just for Donglin Tingyue’s benefit. At a time like this, Shangguan Tianque trusted only Li Yan.
As the three exchanged rapid voice transmissions, they shot away from the White Jade Skiff in an instant. The skiff itself transformed into a streak of white light and flew into the portly monk’s voluminous sleeve.
Then, the three of them transformed into three streaks of rainbow light and shot skyward. Surrounded by the six enemies, their only option was to ascend and then break off in three different directions.
This way, the enemy couldn’t directly block their path and could only give chase from behind.
“Trying to run? Not a chance!” the scrawny youth bellowed, simultaneously sending a quick voice transmission to the others.
“The priority is Shangguan Tianque! Fellow Daoist Hu, assist me! Fellow Daoist Ni, you and the others quickly eliminate the other two!”
He immediately targeted the portly monk who was ascending and fleeing toward the northwest, and with a tap of his foot in the void, he gave chase.
“Thoom!”
The force of his step created an explosion in the air, and he shot diagonally after his target.
At the same time, a yellow light flashed from his hand and vanished into the void. In the next moment, that yellow light appeared right behind the fleeing monk.
He had seen the portly monk store the White Jade Skiff, which instantly confirmed his suspicion that this was his target.
Simultaneously, one of the masked, red-robed Nascent Soul cultivators flickered and also appeared a short distance behind Shangguan Tianque. All three were Late-stage cultivators, their speeds nearly identical.
The masked cultivator in red suddenly had a long red whip in his hand. It was like a venomous snake, snapping taut and seeming to cross thousands of mountains and rivers in an instant to reach Shangguan Tianque’s back.
Shangguan Tianque’s heart went cold. The enemy had indeed seen through his concealed cultivation and had instantly deployed two Late-stage Great Cultivators to deal with him.
Not far from Li Yan’s flight path was a Mid-stage Nascent Soul elder. Seeing Li Yan fly toward him, he let out a string of cackles, and with a flicker of his body, he shot up toward Li Yan.
Meanwhile, another red-robed Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, who was further from Li Yan, seemed displeased after hearing the scrawny youth’s transmission.
Their objective on this trip was Shangguan Tianque. Now that the target was almost locked down, he was being told to deal with a Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Dissatisfaction immediately arose in his heart.
He was not the other’s subordinate. They were only cooperating because they shared a common goal. Moreover, between him and the other masked cultivator, whoever killed Shangguan Tianque would receive a different reward upon returning to the sect.
Earlier, when the three from the White Jade Skiff had revealed themselves and spoken, he and the other masked cultivator had begun to quickly probe them, subsequently confirming their findings with each other.
Although the portly monk’s cultivation was concealed, he was undoubtedly at the Late-stage Nascent Soul Realm and could very well be Shangguan Tianque.
This wasn’t the first time they had undertaken such a mission. To deal with their targets, they carried magical treasures that could detect cultivation levels, precisely because some old monsters were malicious and liked to keep tricks up their sleeves.
The test confirmed that the remaining two were both Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. One was possibly Li Yan, but the other’s identity was unknown.