Chapter 1481: A Snake's Warmth Devours the Heart

The Golden Core cultivators of the Aegis Guard could only watch as the others cleaned the battlefield, not daring to move rashly. They were terrified by the previous scene, not knowing the temperament of the black-robed, short-haired youth. Fortunately, while the twenty-odd people were scavenging, none of them touched the belongings of the deceased Aegis Guard members, which prevented them from voicing their anger.

They had basically figured out the origins of the other party; these people were from the clean-up teams in the rear. Before this, they had not envied these people, because they were the ones fighting on the front lines, getting the lion’s share of the benefits. Only the leftover scraps were for these people.

Now, they didn’t dare to move because their last remaining Nascent Soul Squad Leader was not far away, swallowing pills and sitting cross-legged, doing his best to recover.

After Li Yan and Mu Guyue’s successful sneak attack, Mu Guyue went back and brought the dozens of Golden Core cultivators over. Li Yan, on the other hand, had a brief, low-voiced exchange with Jin Xueyu, who then eagerly went to recover from his injuries. As for Mu Guyue’s side, it was only a few dozen miles. It was almost as if Mu Guyue’s figure disappeared and reappeared, and dozens of figures had appeared here.

Then, the Golden Core cultivators under Li Yan also saw the scene in the mountain valley. Li Yan just said to them lightly, “Clean the battlefield!”

These people first glanced at the Aegis Guard. Seeing that they didn’t come forward to stop them, they all beamed with joy and immediately rushed forward.

And the items that had fallen from the three enemy Nascent Soul cultivators after their bodies exploded had long been unceremoniously collected by Li Yan. As for the other deceased Nascent Soul cultivators in the mountain valley, their belongings were actually on these three Nascent Souls. After they killed someone, they would definitely have collected them. So, what Li Yan actually got was not a small amount. It was just that Li Yan didn’t know that if he were to search in one direction at this time, he might still be able to find a seriously injured enemy Nascent Soul cultivator.

After these cultivators were seriously injured in battle, they would naturally not be willing to stay here, but would immediately find a place to heal. A seriously injured cultivator not only had to hide from the enemy, but most were also not too trustful of their own companions. They were an alliance of nine forces. It was highly possible for others to take advantage of their weakness, kill them, and take their treasures. After all, death in a great battle was all too normal.

Mu Guyue still stood not far from Li Yan, habitually observing the surrounding environment, thinking about how she would use it if she were to attack or defend here.

Li Yan had not given her a single Void Shadow. This was because Mu Guyue couldn’t take things out of the Void Shadow. In any case, when he had time, he would just give her Spirit Stones and other things. However, Mu Guyue had no feelings about this. She was a person with extremely strong self-esteem. Although Li Yan had saved her, and it was for that matter, it could still be considered as him having a conscience, but she would not take the initiative to show goodwill to Li Yan.

‘Hmm, since she can’t use storage spaces, maybe I can choose a Soul Cultivator technique for her to practice? I’ll ask her if she’s willing when I have time.’

Looking at the slender figure in the dark night, Li Yan thought to himself, unconsciously stroking his chin.

After a quarter of an hour, Jin Xueyu immediately stopped cultivating. Because before, when he was taking pills to recover, that black-robed, short-haired youth had said to him, “This is not a place to stay for long. I’ll give you a quarter of an hour to recover a little. We have to leave then.”

Jin Xueyu was extremely exhausted at that time, feeling as if he was about to collapse on the ground. So, after a brief exchange with Li Yan, he had hurriedly sat down cross-legged, without even having time to learn Li Yan’s name and origin. However, he had already seen that Li Yan’s team of cultivators was from the rear clean-up team. Even if he was wrong, how bad could things get?

After Jin Xueyu stopped breathing exercises, when he opened his eyes, he saw more than a dozen Aegis Guard members standing around him. And in the entire mountain valley, the corpses of cultivators from both sides were still lying scattered about. He couldn’t help but frown.

“What are you still standing here for? Quickly clean the battlefield and then collect the bodies of our brothers!”

Upon hearing this, the Aegis Guard members first glanced at Li Yan. Seeing that the other party had no intention of stopping them, they then hurriedly flew forward. It was just that when their eyes swept over the twenty-odd Golden Core cultivators who had already returned to Li Yan’s side, they couldn’t help but grumble to themselves.

‘Collecting the bodies of our own brothers is no problem, but as for cleaning the battlefield, there’s not much need for that!’

Jin Xueyu also saw this scene. Seeing that after his order, his subordinates had only dared to go over after looking at that black-robed, short-haired youth, his heart also stirred.

‘Could it be that he stopped our Aegis Guard from cleaning the battlefield before?’

He had been fully focused on recovering just now and hadn’t noticed what had happened later. They were the Aegis Guard. They had always been the ones to eat the meat, while others drank the soup. However, he still stood up and walked towards Li Yan. No matter what, the other party had saved him and his men. The armor they wore identified them as Aegis Guard, so he probably didn’t need to introduce himself. When he walked to within a few feet of Li Yan, he cupped his hands in a salute.

“I am Jin Xueyu, a Squad Leader of this team. Many thanks to you two Daoist friends for your help. May I know your esteemed names?”

“Li Yan of the Strange Sparrow Hall. This is my Soul Slave. Those are my subordinates, responsible for cleaning up the remnants of the nine major forces!”

Li Yan was also brief and to the point. He just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. Since he had saved the other party, Li Yan couldn’t just kill the enemy and leave. He didn’t want to fly at high altitude, and he certainly couldn’t roll this person up or carry him on his back to leave this place.

“Oh? So it is Daoist Friend Li of the Strange Sparrow Hall!”

After Jin Xueyu said this, his words stopped. A pair of sharp eyes began to look Li Yan and Mu Guyue up and down. He remembered that the two of them had been quite sharp in their attacks before. He had thought they were cultivators from the Arc and Arrow Hall, but he had not expected them to be disciples of the Strange Sparrow Hall, the weakest of the three halls. So upon hearing the other party’s identity, a hint of contempt arose in his heart.

The Strange Sparrow Hall was not only the weakest of the three halls, but the vast majority of its cultivators were not direct disciples of the sect. Most of them had joined the sect later with their own skills and were not very loyal to the sect.

‘His Soul Slave is truly stunningly beautiful. A top-quality cauldron indeed!’ Jin Xueyu thought to himself as he sized them up.

After learning the other party’s identity, when he looked at the two of them again, he felt that the deaths of the three enemy Nascent Soul cultivators were not that surprising after all. His own men had been fighting the opponent for a long time. If he were to fight one-on-one, or even one-on-two, he might not necessarily lose. And Li Yan and his Soul Slave had used a sneak attack to kill the opponent so quickly, which was also reasonable. After all, his own men had fought desperately against each other, consuming at least half of the enemy’s magical power, and these two had suddenly appeared as fresh forces.

“Daoist Friend Jin, where have you come from?”

Seeing that the other party had stopped speaking after a few words and was constantly sizing them up, this unabashed and repeated scrutiny immediately displeased Li Yan. But he did not show it on his face. He still had to confirm some things first to see if he could get any new information, and then make his next plan based on the new situation.

“We were attacking the rebel’s defensive line in the front when we were ambushed by the enemy. We then broke through and retreated, fighting all the way here. Have you, Daoist Friend Li, encountered any situations? Could you tell me about them?”

Jin Xueyu only said a simple sentence and then didn’t want to say more. Instead, he immediately asked Li Yan in return.

Upon hearing this, a cold light flashed in the depths of Li Yan’s eyes. He could already sense the arrogance in the other party’s words.

‘This Jin Xueyu didn’t answer my question, but asked me instead. I just saved them. Are all the Aegis Guard this arrogant and domineering, or is it just this person’s temperament?’

However, Li Yan still wanted to get some information from the other party. So after thinking for a moment, he recounted the ambush he had encountered and other matters. After he finished speaking, Li Yan, without waiting for the other party to react, immediately asked about Jin Xueyu’s situation again.

Jin Xueyu, upon hearing Li Yan’s information, was about to ask further questions, but seeing that the other party had asked again without waiting for him to speak, he also became displeased. But this time, he did tell him about his own side’s situation.

After hearing about Jin Xueyu’s and the others’ encounter, Li Yan’s heart skipped a beat. His worst guess had indeed come true! Enemy cultivators had suddenly appeared from the rear, which the Aegis Guard had already attacked, and had launched a pincer attack. And just this one team had left behind two Spirit Transformation cultivators. It was likely they were more dead than alive.

“Not good, we have to leave this place as soon as possible. The enemy’s Spirit Transformation experts might come after them at any time!”

Seeing that the other party was so bold as to be recovering here, knowing that the enemy’s Spirit Transformation cultivators had the upper hand, Li Yan broke out in a cold sweat.

And while they were talking, more than a dozen Golden Core realm Aegis Guard had flown back and were standing behind Jin Xueyu.

Li Yan quickly sensed his surroundings. It was now the darkest time before dawn. He then quickly said to Jin Xueyu, “Daoist Friend Jin, are you going back to the sect with us to report this news quickly, or do you have other missions to carry out? I, for one, am leaving now!”

“Oh? You are returning to the sect so soon? Our captain’s life is still unknown. I want to gather some more information, so as to provide more feasible intelligence for the attack in this direction.”

“Alright then, Daoist Friend Jin, we will part ways here!”

Upon hearing the other party say this, Li Yan also admired Jin Xueyu. In this situation, the other party was still thinking about gathering military intelligence. He immediately cupped his hands in a salute to the other party. However, in his heart, he felt that Jin Xueyu was still being reckless.

The other party was still staying in this area to gather information. Looking at the situation, he might even go back some distance. That would be too dangerous. Once they encountered a Spirit Transformation cultivator, with just the people before them, they might not even have a chance to escape.

Previously, he and Mu Guyue had seen Jin Xueyu in action. They had already roughly seen his strength. He was considered very strong among the Nascent Soul realm, but he was no match for a Spirit Transformation realm cultivator.

However, they were the Aegis Guard and had their own duties. How could Li Yan interfere? But he and his men could not accompany them. They had to leave quickly.

And just as Li Yan finished speaking and was about to turn and lead his men away, a sharp light flashed in Jin Xueyu’s eyes, and he spoke again.

“Daoist Friend Li, please wait!”

Li Yan paused and then looked at him.

“Does Daoist Friend Jin have other matters?”

A smile actually appeared on Jin Xueyu’s face at this time.

“Daoist Friend Li, my team is now short of manpower, and I haven’t fully recovered. Therefore, I hope that Daoist Friend Li can lend a helping hand and lead your men to assist me!”

And as soon as he said this, before Li Yan could reply, the faces of the twenty-odd Golden Core cultivators behind him all changed. This Aegis Guard Squad Leader actually wanted their team to cooperate with them to gather military intelligence. They had been in constant danger along the way. Even with repeated caution, they had still suffered more than half casualties. The situation here was definitely not a place to stay for long. They had to rush back to the sect to gather their forces as soon as possible.

If they were to travel with the Aegis Guard, if they encountered a situation, they would definitely be sent to the front line. How many of them would be able to survive then? Maybe not even one.

The twenty-odd Golden Core cultivators’ hearts were instantly filled with anxiety, and they all looked at Li Yan.

Upon hearing this, Li Yan looked deeply at Jin Xueyu, a sharp light flashing in his eyes! Then, he calmly shook his head.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible. We have our own mission. I’m not clear about the situation in other areas now, but what happened on my side must be reported as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the enemy appears in the middle of our attack, then for us, that would be…”

However, before Li Yan could finish, Jin Xueyu immediately waved his hand and interrupted him.

“Daoist Friend Li, this is not a negotiation, this is a conscription. The Aegis Guard has the right to mobilize all cultivators outside!”

As he said this, the smile on his face suddenly disappeared, and he stared at Li Yan with burning eyes.

Being interrupted, Li Yan’s face suddenly turned gloomy. He had just saved the other party. How Jin Xueyu decided to proceed afterwards, he would not ask. That was their Aegis Guard’s business. But for the other party to suddenly order his own side to do things, this was something he could not accept.

Instantly, when Li Yan looked at the other party again, his eyes had already narrowed.

“The order I received was to clean up the remnants in the rear. And as for the Aegis Guard’s right to conscript all cultivators outside, as you said, when was this said? How come I have never heard of it?”

If the other party were a Void Refining cultivator, Li Yan would certainly not have said a word and would not have dared to refuse. But just a Nascent Soul cultivator, Li Yan had always put his life first. At this time, even if the other party were a Spirit Transformation cultivator and wanted to conscript him and his men, Li Yan might not necessarily agree.

The Aegis Guard were the guardians of the solitary peak of the Soul Suppression Palace, but their status was on par with the three halls. It was just that because they were the confidants of the Sect Master, in a certain sense, their power was stronger. But it was very clear that in terms of rank, the Aegis Guard could not command the three halls. On the day of the nine major forces’ rebellion, when those Aegis Guard went to inspect Li Yan and the others, it was also under the order of the Sect Master.

Li Yan had encountered danger several times this day. He already felt the danger here, and it would only become more and more intense in a very short time. He didn’t know how many people the other party had teleported over. He had to leave this place at the first opportunity before he was completely surrounded.

Moreover, for this so-called conscription, Li Yan had experienced it before. He knew the ins and outs of it all too well. When the Demonic Clan invaded the Desolate Moon Continent back then, the four great sects had used this trick to conscript all cultivators at the Foundation Establishment and above. And once those non-four-great-sect cultivators were conscripted, in most cases, they were treated as usable pawns, and pawns that could be discarded at will. At that time, even someone with a background like Li Yan, because his cultivation was not high, was sent to Nameless Mountain to carry out a dangerous mission facing a Nascent Soul level opponent. At that time, he was a pawn that could be discarded.

Unexpectedly, after saving someone here today, the other party actually wanted to conscript him!

Upon hearing this, a cold light flashed in Jin Xueyu’s eyes, and they also narrowed. This Li Yan actually dared to refuse.

The Strange Sparrow Hall, he had never paid much attention to this hall to begin with. He had never even heard of Li Yan’s name, so he didn’t take him very seriously. The other party had refused very bluntly and had even asked him to produce an order from above. What order did he have? It was just that his long-held position had made him say so casually. The Soul Suppression Palace would not let any one force become too powerful, not even the Aegis Guard.

“So, Daoist Friend Li is unwilling to assist the Aegis Guard?”

“Do you think there’s any point in winning this verbal argument? I have my mission. We’re leaving!”

Li Yan slanted a glance at him, his voice becoming exceptionally cold!