Chapter 1402: A Sword Laid Ready

“The Donglin Family has always had a good relationship with the Broken Army Sect. This time, I, a humble girl, also owe my life to Fellow Daoist Li. When we survive this, Fellow Daoist Li will also be… will also be a dear friend of my Donglin Family,” Donglin Tingyue said softly, biting her lip.

When she spoke of her gratitude, her voice faltered for a moment, and a faint blush rose on her cheeks. It was unclear what thoughts had crossed her mind in that instant.

But at this moment, the other two were not paying much attention to such details.

Both had expressed their gratitude, and both had highlighted one crucial point: the gratitude their respective sects or families felt was directed at Li Yan personally.

Li Yan nodded. He didn’t dwell on their words of thanks, but instead directly stated his own intentions.

“Fellow Daoist Jia’s suggestion is viable; in fact, it’s the best method we have right now. I think this plan will work. Let’s find a place to hide well first. I don’t think we can go into the rooms; those are often the primary targets of any search. It might be better to find a place to hide near the stern of the boat. Most importantly, from there, it will be easier to survey the situation outside the boat. The moment we detect the ‘Great Nothingness Tree’ area, we can immediately fly out and escape!” Li Yan suggested.

After a moment of thought, the other two agreed that Li Yan’s reasoning was sound.

“Then let’s go now!”

Without further hesitation, Jia Fugui immediately started walking towards the stern, the “Illusion Tail Feather” above his head floating along with him.

At this point, although the “Illusion Tail Feather” still had its concealing effect, it would leak some of their presence. Therefore, under normal circumstances, it was best not to move it if possible.

Donglin Tingyue followed, keeping herself under the shroud of white light. But after taking only a few steps, both of them stopped and turned around.

With the movement of the “Illusion Tail Feather,” its defensive restriction had dissipated, leaving only the concealing white light.

And Li Yan had stepped out from under the “Illusion Tail Feather’s” white light, his figure reappearing.

Li Yan hadn’t followed them. He remained where he was, a sharp glint flickering in his eyes as he looked toward the bow of the boat.

From within the empty space, from the vacant deck, came Jia Fugui’s somewhat startled voice.

“Fellow Daoist Li, what are you…”

Although Li Yan couldn’t see them, he knew they were both staring at him, their faces filled with confusion.

He spoke slowly towards that empty space.

“You two go on ahead. I want to go up to the second floor for a look. I have a defensive magical treasure that can get me through that poison zone alone, but I can’t take anyone with me. I was just thinking about this. Of course, I’d like for both of you to accompany me, but it’s clear that even getting through that poison is a problem. We have no idea what the situation is like up there. Are the two Spirit Transformation cultivators from the Blood Lantern Sect and the Seven Tigers Alliance truly traitors? Or have they been killed? We don’t know. I still want to investigate. Otherwise, even if we escape into the Secret Realm where the ‘Great Nothingness Tree’ is, even if we ultimately escape with our lives, our sects will be marked for death by the Pure Yang Hall. From then on, the moment we show our faces, we’ll be captured. Returning would be walking into a trap. I must get to the bottom of this. You two hide here for now. If I manage to return, even if I come looking for you myself, you must confirm my identity. Be careful of anyone taking on my appearance to lure you out. This jade slip contains my Divine Sense Imprint. If I perish, the imprint will collapse.”

After finishing his words, without giving the two a chance to reply, his body flickered. A layer of blue light appeared on his skin, and in the next moment, he had vanished around the corner of the staircase.

Simultaneously, a jade slip shot out towards the spot where Jia Fugui and Donglin Tingyue’s voices had come from.

“Fellow Daoist Li…”

Upon hearing this, Donglin Tingyue’s heart clenched in panic. She couldn’t believe that even now, Li Yan was still going to the second floor.

Her heart trembled. She was astonished by Li Yan’s boldness, but also anxious.

The Nascent Soul cultivators who had passed through that poison zone had died instantly. Li Yan himself had said there was no antidote.

And what kind of place was the floor above? It was undoubtedly a dragon’s den and a tiger’s lair, with at least two Spirit Transformation cultivators present. Li Yan was being far too reckless.

By staying below, considering the current situation, they could at least gamble on a chance of survival. But going up was like actively seeking death.

As for what Li Yan had said, how could she not understand? If the Blood Lantern Sect had truly betrayed them, the Donglin Family would surely be implicated.

But the Pure Yang Hall could perform soul-searching. Her family knew nothing of the Blood Lantern Sect’s affairs. Although being soul-searched was a humiliation, their family was too weak to resist. In the end, as long as their innocence was proven, they would survive.

But before she could even finish her sentence, Li Yan had already vanished.

“Let’s go have a look!”

Jia Fugui was also stunned by Li Yan’s actions. He had never expected Li Yan to choose to investigate the second floor.

But then, his heart pounded with a mix of awe and fear at Li Yan’s sheer audacity. Even without the poison zone, if Li Yan had taken them up, his legs would have been trembling.

Moreover, Li Yan’s words implied that if he were to be captured, he might be soul-searched, which was why he was warning them to be careful.

The two flickered and arrived at the bow, carefully avoiding the area near the turn in the staircase.

Li Yan had already retrieved the illusion formation, so they didn’t need to dispel any illusions to see the scene on the stairs.

But there was no trace of Li Yan anywhere; he was completely gone. …

On the second floor, in the room that once belonged to Chongyangzi, within the “dense forest,” a graceful figure sat cross-legged beneath a thick vine.

A few strands of dark hair lay scattered across a forehead as translucent as jade. Beneath a semi-transparent black veil, her gentle breathing caused a landscape of snowy white skin to appear and disappear, stirring a man’s deepest desires.

The beauty’s eyes were slightly closed, her hands, as white as lotus roots, rested on her knees. On one slender finger, a ring was faintly shimmering with a soft blue light.

At this moment, she was fully focused on piloting the giant boat through the desert. Several hundred breaths had passed, but she had not checked on the first floor again.

The situation on the boat was already clear. The number of Spirit Transformation cultivators and the teams of Nascent Soul cultivators was fixed.

Everything was settled. It was normal that the old woman surnamed He hadn’t come to find her. She had long seen the dissatisfaction in the other’s eyes regarding her orders. After the old woman returned, she might not necessarily report to her.

The two of them were taking orders from Heart-Refining Valley. The other woman would probably finish dealing with the cultivators below, then go to her own room and wait until they reached the “Great Nothingness Tree” area, or until she asked her to take over piloting the boat.

The Yuan-surnamed female cultivator flew the giant boat, mostly focusing on increasing its speed without any extraneous actions.

Due to the bizarre and domineering nature of the “Bone-Melting Wind,” even she wouldn’t extend her Divine Sense too far. She mostly kept it focused ahead to confirm their location, and even then, she only occasionally sent it out to check.

Her Divine Sense couldn’t withstand the erosion of the “Bone-Melting Wind” either. She would usually release it and retract it in an instant, and the range was barely beyond the hull of the boat.

Earlier, she had sensed cultivators flying out of the giant boat. But because the boat was moving so fast, she had only just sensed someone leaving before they were thrown far behind, leaving no trace.

She couldn’t even sense who they were. This was precisely what Li Yan had been gambling on. The giant boat’s speed was so incredible that even a Spirit Transformation cultivator’s Divine Sense couldn’t keep up with the passing scenery.

Furthermore, under the “Bone-Melting Wind,” Divine Sense couldn’t linger, let alone be extended.

Li Yan’s own Divine Sense was already at the level of a Spirit Transformation cultivator, so he had personally tested it, which was how he had finalized his plan for the sneak attack.

The Yuan-surnamed female cultivator certainly didn’t think anything could go wrong with the old woman surnamed He here. This was a completely sealed space; what kind of accident could possibly happen?

And just as she was fully focused on piloting the giant boat, a hidden figure had already crept up from the staircase at the bow.

After entering the staircase, Li Yan hadn’t immediately stepped onto the second floor. He had stopped on the stairs and quietly released his Divine Sense.

The old woman surnamed He hadn’t completely removed the restriction here before. Li Yan took out the “Heaven-Stealing Kerchief” and covered the area with it.

Perhaps it was because of the “Heaven-Stealing Kerchief’s” extraordinary nature, or perhaps the old woman had thought she would be back soon and had only left a restriction to block Divine Sense probes.

After forty to fifty breaths, certain that his entry into the staircase hadn’t alerted anyone above, Li Yan floated up like a ghost walking in another dimension and stepped onto the second floor.

“Stealthy Night Art” and “Tidefall” were already circulating at their absolute limits. He didn’t dare to be careless. There were at least two Spirit Transformation experts above. If he was discovered, his chances of escape were slim.

His most likely option would be to find an opportunity to hide the “Earthen Patch” and then quickly duck inside.

But if the enemy had already discovered his presence, Li Yan felt the outcome would be a repeat of what had happened at the Sacred Demon Palace.

They would know he had hidden inside a magical treasure, and once the “Earthen Patch” was found, it would be difficult for him to get out again.

But Li Yan was never one to sit and wait for death. If the old woman surnamed He didn’t return to the second floor, the Spirit Transformation cultivators above would eventually realize something was wrong and come down to investigate themselves.

Li Yan was unwilling to wait on the first floor for them to come looking for him. By then, they would be on high alert, and he and his allies would be completely on the defensive.

Before they had a chance to react, Li Yan would, of course, seek a sliver of life amidst certain death.

Although Donglin Tingyue and the other could provide him with assistance, it wasn’t much, especially for this kind of stealthy investigation. Li Yan felt it was better to work alone; he didn’t want them to expose him.

Jia Fugui’s concealment magical treasure was decent, but in Li Yan’s view, it was far from enough.

After reaching the second floor, the concealed Li Yan looked around. The deck was empty.

Looking up, he could see the swirling yellow sand outside the pale blue defensive shield, being parted like a curtain, then sliding smoothly backward in a torrent.

“There are five rooms, and there were five of them. If we consider seniority, then Chongyangzi should be in the first, third, or fifth room…” Li Yan thought quickly.

As the owner of the flying boat, Chongyangzi would either choose the rooms at the bow or stern, or the one in the middle. This immediately eliminated two rooms.

According to the old woman surnamed He, Chongyangzi was injured. So, if Li Yan could see Chongyangzi’s condition, he could first judge whether Chongyangzi himself had been ambushed.

If that was the case, it meant there was a traitor among the five of them, and the remaining people were indeed on Chongyangzi’s side…

Li Yan’s thoughts raced as he analyzed the situation.

Then, like a specter, he floated towards the first room at the bow.

The restrictions on all five rooms were active. Although these were temporary residences assigned to each person, cultivators were in the habit of sealing their living quarters after entering or leaving. …

At the first room at the bow, to the side of a window, the invisible Li Yan was holding an object against the wall. The window was about thirty zhang from the door and was quite wide.

Li Yan continuously poured his Magical Power into the “Heaven-Stealing Kerchief.” He wasn’t trying to enter the room, but to silently open a small hole in the other party’s formation restriction.

Then, his Divine Sense could instantly enter for a quick check. Therefore, there was no need to choose the most sensitive area, the door, which was often the place the cultivator inside paid the most attention to.

Li Yan was already a master of this way of stealth and assassination, having reached the grandmaster level.

Once he decided on such a course of action, he didn’t need to think about the subsequent movements; they came to him naturally.

Time ticked by. Li Yan stood there, motionless. The restriction formation here was quite difficult to break.

In Li Yan’s senses, the “Heaven-Stealing Kerchief” was like a drop of ink seeping into the cracks of a stone; it was penetrating bit by bit, a process much slower than before.

But fortunately, the warning sound from the restriction that Li Yan had been worried about did not occur. This meant that the formation restriction here was very powerful, so much so that even the previously invincible “Heaven-Stealing Kerchief” was having a hard time breaking through.

This was a world of difference from the feeling of instantly passing through heaven and earth with the kerchief in hand.

In fact, Li Yan should have been very satisfied with this. This was the Immortal Spirit Realm, and this giant boat was a magical treasure that only Void Refining Realm cultivators could refine. The formations inscribed within it were, of course, extremely powerful.

Conversely, if the people from the Pure Yang Hall knew that Li Yan, someone who didn’t understand formations well, could slowly dissolve their restriction just by relying on a magical treasure, they would absolutely do whatever it took to get their hands on the “Heaven-Stealing Kerchief.”

About seventy-something breaths later, Li Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly. His long-condensed Divine Sense quickly probed the area where the “Heaven-Stealing Kerchief” was.

In just an instant, Li Yan’s Divine Sense and his hand had already retracted simultaneously.

‘No one!’