Chapter 1468: The Soughing Wind Fills the Tower
Zhang Henian already knew that Li Yan was one of Grandmaster Lan’s people. Now, after hearing Li Yan’s explanation, he felt even more that Li Yan’s status with Grandmaster Lan seemed to be very high. Who was Grandmaster Lan? The only ones who could usually assist her were her few direct disciples. But what about this Li Yan? Grandmaster Lan had not announced that she had taken any new disciples… It was clear that this person was definitely not her disciple, but he held a status equivalent to that of Grandmaster Lan’s disciples.
“Senior Zhang, what matter do you have for this junior?”
“Oh, I have a private matter to discuss. Won’t Daoist Friend Li invite me in for a seat?”
…
Inside the reception hall, Li Yan served tea and then sat down himself.
Zhang Henian glanced around but didn’t see anyone else, nor did he see the other person he was looking for. He was here to discuss something with him, but he couldn’t just release his soul power to scan the area. So he said to Li Yan, “Daoist Friend Li, I’ll be direct. Do you have a female Demonic Clan Soul Slave named Mu Guyue in your possession?”
Upon hearing this, a look of surprise flashed in Li Yan’s eyes, but he immediately nodded. This was something that couldn’t be hidden. However, the moment the other party mentioned Mu Guyue, Li Yan’s heart immediately became vigilant.
Seeing Li Yan nod in acknowledgment, Zhang Henian immediately smiled.
“Hehehe… then I’ve come to the right person, Daoist Friend Li. I have brought a fortunate matter for you!”
“Senior, what fortunate matter could a mere Soul Slave bring?” Li Yan asked with a calm expression.
“Daoist Friend Li, are you aware that the female Demonic Clan Soul Slave in your hands was the subject of a deal between our hall’s Void Refining Elder Xiong and Grandmaster Lan? However, for some reason, before the deal was completed, Grandmaster Lan bestowed this Soul Slave upon you. This Soul Slave is of considerable use to Elder Xiong. Therefore, Elder Xiong is willing to offer a high-grade Spirit Transformation magical treasure and one hundred five-hundred-year-old Soul Sprout Crystals in exchange. If Daoist Friend Li finds these terms unsuitable, you can also name your own price. I can report your terms back to Elder Xiong, and we can negotiate further. There should be no problem…”
This time, Li Yan did not wait for Zhang Henian to finish. A difficult expression appeared on his face, and he quickly interrupted.
“Senior Zhang, it seems this deal cannot be completed. Due to a cultivation method this junior is practicing, I require a person with a strong physical body. That is why Grandmaster Lan bestowed that female Demonic Clan Soul Slave upon me. After I obtained this Soul Slave three years ago, I have already refined her into a puppet. Moreover, I am currently in the process of cultivating this method. Even if I wanted to give it up now… it’s impossible. Doing so would only cause me severe injury. And I was truly unaware of any deal. If Daoist Zhang had proposed this when I first obtained the Soul Slave, it should have been fine, but now…”
Being interrupted by Li Yan and hearing him say the deal was off, Zhang Henian began to feel displeased. He hadn’t even finished speaking, and the other party was already rushing to refuse. It seemed he also cared a great deal about that female Soul Slave. But when he heard Li Yan finish speaking and saw the difficult look on his face, Zhang Henian also fell silent for a moment.
Li Yan had actually refined her into a puppet. This was a common practice among Soul Cultivators. For example, a cultivation method Li Yan had once read involved separating one’s soul into a corpse, creating something like a clone. If the connection between the two were to be forcibly severed, the cultivator, as the main soul, would definitely suffer a severe backlash, even a drop in cultivation. In such a situation, no matter what the terms of the deal, the other party would not agree. It concerned their immortal path, after all.
“There are plenty of Soul Slaves in the sect. Elder Xiong has many to choose from. It doesn’t have to be this junior’s Soul Slave, does it?” Li Yan asked, a puzzled look on his face…
…
A moment later, Li Yan escorted Zhang Henian out of the courtyard, his face full of apology and his attitude extremely sincere.
Zhang Henian didn’t say much more and flew away directly. He did not ask to see the female Soul Slave. In his heart, of course, he suspected that Li Yan might not be telling the truth. He even suspected that Li Yan, like Elder Xiong, was driven by lust and wanted to possess this top-quality female cultivator entirely. But since he had come, he had naturally inquired about Li Yan, so he felt that what Li Yan said might be true. This person was likely a diligent cultivator. In the sect, he had never had any dealings with other female cultivators and had gone into seclusion as soon as he joined.
Moreover, his status was not simple. Although he was under Elder Xiong’s orders, Li Yan also had a backer, so it was not good to use force. And even if he were to see the female Soul Slave, what could he do? Even if she hadn’t been refined, under the control of the soul seal, the female Soul Slave’s every move would be at Li Yan’s command, making her appear to be a puppet. He would only be able to confirm it if he made the female Soul Slave use her cultivation method. If it were another cultivator, he might have been able to take a tougher stance and insist on seeing.
But in the end, it all came down to his fear of Grandmaster Lan. So, Li Yan knowing this was enough.
Watching the other party leave with a dark expression, Li Yan turned back into the courtyard and immediately activated the formation restrictions. Then he walked all the way back to the cultivation chamber.
After activating the formation inside the room, Li Yan’s expression suddenly turned gloomy.
“Xiong Tianba!”
He muttered to himself. Although he didn’t know the man, Mu Guyue had said this name when she first woke up. The next day, Li Yan had indeed inquired about him and learned that he was a Void Refining elder of the Arc and Arrow Hall. But because he was about to assist Grandmaster Lan, and inquiring about a Void Refining elder could only be done indirectly, Li Yan hadn’t found out much in one day.
The answer Zhang Henian had given him earlier was that Xiong Tianba also needed a Soul Slave with a strong physical body for his cultivation method. But there was a slight hesitation in his speech, and Li Yan immediately guessed the reason. With Mu Guyue’s looks, it would be strange if someone who saw her didn’t covet her.
Fortunately, Li Yan had always been quick-witted. From the very beginning, the moment the other party mentioned the word “Soul Slave,” Li Yan immediately became alert. Then, in just a few breaths, he had reacted quickly, not giving the other party a chance to continue speaking, and directly shut him down.
And at that moment, Li Yan also remembered the strange words Grandmaster Lan had said when she handed Mu Guyue over to him that day.
“If anyone asks you for this Soul Slave, just say that I bestowed her upon you!”
So someone had really come to ask for her. Grandmaster Lan had predicted that day that Xiong Tianba would not let it go.
‘Sending a Spirit Transformation realm cultivator, and his attitude wasn’t even hostile. He even proposed a trade! It seems Grandmaster Lan did let some wind out. Otherwise, the situation I’d be facing would be quite different…’
Li Yan thought to himself. Although he had given a reason to refuse, he had a faint feeling that Xiong Tianba would not let the matter rest. Ten to one, he wouldn’t believe his reason. That alone was enough for him to be marked by the other party. Although he had sent him away this time, he had to be wary of that Xiong Tianba. A moment of carelessness, and he could be plotted against.
“A Void Refining realm cultivator…”
Li Yan sighed helplessly. The people he provoked were getting stronger and stronger. After thinking for a while, Li Yan finally focused his attention on cultivation.
After sitting cross-legged, the magical power in his body began to circulate slowly. This time, he was cultivating the True Scripture of Gui Water. After more than three years of tempering the “Saintly Soul Transformation,” Li Yan had been taking the opportunity to improve it. And with Grandmaster Lan by his side, Li Yan did not dare to easily cultivate other methods. But now that he was alone, he also wanted to have a change of pace.
…
Four days later, just after night had fallen, the cultivation chamber where Li Yan was located suddenly began to shake violently. The light from the formation restrictions in the room flickered rapidly, accompanied by a continuous “cracking” sound.
Li Yan, who was cultivating, suddenly opened his eyes.
‘What’s happening?’
The next moment, Li Yan vanished from his spot and appeared directly in the courtyard. At this time, the formation restrictions outside the courtyard erupted in a vast expanse of dazzling white light.
“Bang, bang, bang…”
Many parts of the formation restrictions had already begun to collapse, and Li Yan’s face was filled with horror. Someone was attacking his residence! This was absolutely forbidden within the sect. His first thought was whether that Xiong Tianba had come.
But the next moment, Li Yan realized something was wrong. Fierce explosions also came from the sky above, and the entire earth rumbled loudly. The large trees, stone tables, and stone benches in the courtyard were either shaking violently or bouncing on the ground. Then, flashes of various colors appeared all over the sky, like a meteor shower. Having lost his divine sense, Li Yan’s reaction was much slower.
As the earth shook violently, Li Yan’s figure had already soared into the air, instantly rushing towards the sky. The moment he was in the air, he was horrified to find that as far as the eye could see, flashes of various colors were flickering violently, accompanied by the explosive sounds of various arts and magical treasures, like a violent storm.
After rushing into the sky, free from the isolation of the formation restrictions, an even louder roar rushed into Li Yan’s mind and ears. Figures also appeared in the nearby sky. Li Yan was a little dazed; he didn’t know what had happened.
Just then, a voice that pierced through the heavens and the earth rang out.
“I am Xue Tieyi. The Arc and Arrow Hall is in rebellion! Except for the various elders and the Aegis Guard, all disciples are not to move and are to remain where they are. The Aegis Guard is to completely purge the Arc and Arrow Hall. If there is any resistance, kill on sight!”
This voice, amidst the various earth-shattering roars, was not affected in the slightest and resounded clearly throughout the heavens and the earth.
Li Yan, who had just flown up, was already filled with horror upon hearing this voice. He knew who this Xue Tieyi was. Although he had never seen him, any disciple of the Soul Suppression Palace would know. It was the elusive Soul Suppression Palace Sect Master—Xue Tieyi, a peak Late-stage Void Refining expert. And the direction of this voice was from the solitary peak to the north. At the same time, the command he gave made Li Yan almost stand rooted to the spot. The Arc and Arrow Hall was in rebellion?
This was something Li Yan would never have dreamed of. Everything had been fine. How could such an incredible thing happen so suddenly?
“Hmph, Xue Tieyi, you’re full of it! The Soul Suppression Palace has gone against the righteous path…”
Just as Xue Tieyi’s voice fell, another old voice, covering all the loud noises, rolled in like a great thunderclap. But before the other party could finish speaking, a vast expanse of white light that was impossible to look at directly erupted in the sky above the Arc and Arrow Hall, instantly illuminating the night sky for tens of thousands of miles as if it were daytime.
“Rumble…”
Then, that old voice was drowned out by the deafening roar, making it impossible to hear clearly anymore…
Although Li Yan was at a loss, the extreme danger he felt made him not dare to stay in the air any longer. With a flash, he immediately fell back into his own courtyard.
At this time, the shouts of battle were already shaking the heavens, and the most intense place was the eastern part of the sect, the farthest from him, where the Arc and Arrow Hall was located!
Li Yan, in the courtyard, activated the strongest defense of all his formations. But even within the formation, he could sense a terrifying power surging madly in the ninth heaven above. He looked up, and occasionally, in the depths of the sky, there would be flashes of faint lightning, like lightning striking behind heavy dark clouds before a downpour, flashing and disappearing in an instant. Li Yan felt that if he wasn’t mistaken, it was highly likely that Void Refining experts were fighting there.
He stood there in the courtyard, his entire body’s magical power circulating non-stop, vigilant of all movements around him.
Amidst the increasingly violent explosions, the ground beneath Li Yan’s feet was rising and falling like waves. The houses were creaking continuously, as if they were about to collapse at any moment. If not for the protection of the formation restrictions, the courtyards here would have been shaken apart in an instant, and cracks would have appeared all over the ground.
As Li Yan stood guard like this, several hundred breaths of time passed. The shaking of the earth finally began to subside slowly at this time. But Li Yan suddenly turned to the side and stared firmly into the night!