Chapter 1490: Deliberation (Part Two)

If someone really had to go out and scout deep into enemy territory, they couldn’t let Grandmaster Lan go. Grandmaster Lan’s overall cultivation was not as good as the clear-featured, white-haired old man’s. More importantly, Grandmaster Lan was shouldering a more critical task. If she were to perish outside, it would be a true disaster.

Tang Feng suppressed the emotions in his heart and began to recount his experience. Of course, he only picked the most important parts to tell. Soon, he had finished his story. After he was done, Xue Tieyi and the other two, after considering it separately, asked Tang Feng a few more questions, which Tang Feng answered in detail one by one.

A quarter of an hour later, Xue Tieyi spoke again.

“You ran into trouble at the ‘Hall of Ten Kings.’ This sect is among those in this rebellion. This now confirms that they were able to act ahead of schedule because you and Elder Ling were discovered. And since even a Void Refining cultivator like Elder Ling went to verify it personally, coupled with our previous investigations into other forces, they had all, to a greater or lesser extent, become alert. This is what suddenly triggered this rebellion, a full several hundred years earlier than I had anticipated. There’s nothing to be done about it. We can’t just not investigate and wait indefinitely.

“Let’s arrange it this way: Elder Zhou, you will sneak into the ‘Hall of Ten Kings’ area and step up the search for Elder Ling’s whereabouts. With the great battle now underway, the sect has sent out three Void Refining cultivators at once. This is the most we can dispatch at present.”

Xue Tieyi first spoke to Tang Feng, then looked at the clear-featured, white-haired old man.

“No problem, I will go and investigate Old Ling’s matter. If I can meet Elders Ming and Wan, I will have them return as soon as possible. I will stay behind to search. The sect is really under a lot of pressure right now. The Sect Master fought a great battle with three of the other side’s masters the day before yesterday. The rest of you cannot go out again for this one matter. Time is of the essence, so I will set out now!”

Elder Zhou’s face became solemn, and he stood up. With his departure, the manpower on the sect’s side would be even tighter. If not for Xue Tieyi’s cultivation being so powerful, already infinitely close to the Body Integration realm, allowing him to suppress three of the other side’s Void Refining cultivators by himself, even if Tang Feng’s identity was special, Elders Ming and Wan could not have both gone out to search for him.

Although Tang Feng was not yet clear on the current battle situation, he had been investigating these matters for many years and was naturally very clear about the high-end combat power of both sides. Hearing the Sect Master’s arrangement, he knew that this was the greatest effort the sect could make at present. To send out three Void Refining cultivators at once to search, Xue Tieyi himself must be under a great deal of pressure.

As Elder Zhou spoke, he had already floated out of the main hall. Once a matter was decided, there was no more room for hesitation. Perhaps if he arrived an hour earlier, Elder Ling would be in an hour less danger. Why waste time here?

Seeing Elder Zhou leave, the three people in the main hall withdrew their gazes.

“You said you were able to escape this time because you met Li Yan, and they were the ones who saved you? And they even killed three of the pursuing Spirit Transformation enemies? I remember I had someone arrange for Li Yan to be responsible for the clean-up mission in the rear. He should only be leading a few dozen Golden Core cultivators. Under normal circumstances, there shouldn’t be any other Nascent Soul or Spirit Transformation cultivators in their team? Was Li Yan assigned to the main attack team?”

At this time, Grandmaster Lan brought the topic back. In Tang Feng’s narration of the whole event, he had been detailed in some places and brief in others. Because Tang Feng was worried about Elder Ling, he had focused on the detailed matters of him and Elder Ling at the “Hall of Ten Kings,” and had only mentioned his own matters in passing. Therefore, Xue Tieyi and Elder Zhou had not paid too much attention, thinking that Tang Feng, under the life-sacrificing protection of Elder Ling, had met his own side’s cultivators after escaping, and had then been saved.

In their own side’s front-line teams, there were also a large number of Spirit Transformation and Nascent Soul cultivators. As long as he escaped back and met them, he would naturally be able to survive.

But Grandmaster Lan had thought of something else. Tang Feng had said that in his pursuit, he had met Li Yan’s group again. She was naturally clear about Li Yan’s mission this time. It was she who had sent someone to inform the deacon hall of the Strange Sparrow Hall. This made Grandmaster Lan wonder if her arrangements had been ignored by the Strange Sparrow Hall.

To her, Li Yan was also quite important. Although she would not interfere in the affairs of the Strange Sparrow Hall, since the other party had agreed, they shouldn’t have been so perfunctory with her.

Upon hearing what Grandmaster Lan said, a sharp light flashed in Xue Tieyi’s eyes. He had not expected that after arranging the search for Elder Ling, and now that Tang Feng had returned, he was just about to briefly tell Tang Feng about the current situation, but Grandmaster Lan had suddenly changed the subject and mentioned a name that had only just appeared.

From what he had heard from Tang Feng, Tang Feng had encountered a sect team during his escape, and it just so happened that there was someone he knew in it. In any case, he had been saved, and that was enough. But hearing Grandmaster Lan’s tone, she had even specially arranged a light mission for that Li Yan.

In his memory, there had always been very few cultivators in the sect whom Grandmaster Lan would personally inquire about. Her few direct disciples, that goes without saying, he also knew them. Could it be that this Li Yan was some grand-disciple of Grandmaster Lan?

And when Grandmaster Lan said this, her expression was clearly already somewhat displeased. Although she had not arranged it personally, she had sent someone to pass on the message. The people of the Strange Sparrow Hall, were they just perfunctorily dealing with her like this? Although it was unknown when the Void-Breaking Formation could be researched, in these few years, it was indeed with Li Yan’s help that there had been constant breakthroughs.

She had also considered it before and had specially arranged Li Yan’s matter, so that while trying not to attract gossip, she could let Li Yan stay in a relatively safe area. Now, it was good that Li Yan had returned to the sect. If he had really died outside for other reasons, then she would have to settle the score with the people of the Strange Sparrow Hall.

After hearing what Grandmaster Lan asked, Tang Feng also temporarily suppressed his worry for Elder Ling and quickly said, “Not at all. I met Li Yan and his Soul Slave, as well as more than twenty Golden Core cultivators. They were indeed on a clean-up mission in the rear. They were also ambushed by the enemy using a ‘Five-Ghost Revolving Locust’ while cleaning up. After killing one of the other side’s Spirit Transformation and one Nascent Soul, as well as dozens of Golden Core cultivators, they finally broke out. Later, Li Yan decided to lead his team back to the sect to report this matter, and that’s when we met by chance.

“At that time, I was actually on the verge of death. All the defensive magical treasures and talismans on my body had been used up. It was at that time that he led that group of subordinates and secretly set up a trap. We then joined forces in a siege and killed three Spirit Transformation cultivators…”

This time, Tang Feng recounted in detail how he had escaped the enemy’s pursuit. As he spoke, a look of emotion also appeared on his face. Tang Feng had never expected that a person he had casually made friends with would actually save his life.

After he finished speaking, a look of interest immediately appeared on Xue Tieyi’s face.

“Oh? Who is this Li Yan? Which hall’s Late-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator is he? Even Elder Lan has to look at him in a different light. How come I have never heard you mention this person?”

As the master of a sect, he had countless matters to deal with. Although he knew what Grandmaster Lan was doing, it was impossible for him to inquire about every detail. If that were the case, he might as well do it himself. So, as for this Li Yan, he had never heard of him before.

“What Late-stage Spirit Transformation? He hasn’t even reached Spirit Transformation. He’s just a small Nascent Soul level cultivator. But this person’s soul is innately powerful. When he entered the sect, when he was breaking through the trial with that formation of mine…”

Grandmaster Lan did not hesitate and quickly gave Xue Tieyi a brief account of Li Yan’s general situation.

Xue Tieyi listened and nodded. Although he didn’t say anything, there were some changes in his eyes. And after Grandmaster Lan briefly finished, without waiting for Xue Tieyi to ask, she immediately returned to the topic she hadn’t finished before.

“…That’s roughly the situation with this Li Yan. Tang Feng, are you sure about what you said? If you say he used a scheme to help you escape, I think that might be possible. This boy’s mind is very sharp. Under certain conditions, it’s certainly possible for him to do that. But just with you people, you, a Mid-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator, and still seriously injured, could kill three Spirit Transformation cultivators? Although you are indeed sitting here now, this is somewhat hard to believe. Did some special accident happen?”

As Grandmaster Lan spoke, her usually cold face also showed deep doubt, and then she looked at Tang Feng with a look of shock and suspicion.

She was very clear about that Li Yan’s strength. To say that he could deal with an Initial-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator, Grandmaster Lan felt that Li Yan, if he fought with his life, should be able to handle it. So, upon hearing that Tang Feng said Li Yan’s group had been ambushed in a manor by someone using the “Five-Ghost Revolving Locust” formation, and that only one Spirit Transformation cultivator had been teleported over, although Tang Feng did not specify the enemy’s specific realm, with her attainments in formations, she knew the operating principle of the “Five-Ghost Revolving Locust” formation.

It was a process from weak to strong. Therefore, the other party had teleported Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Spirit Transformation cultivators respectively. From this, it could be deduced that that person was only at the Initial-stage Spirit Transformation. Therefore, in a critical situation, Li Yan would definitely fight with all his might. From Li Yan’s performance in the underground long alley, it was also possible that he could lead his men to break out of the encirclement in the end.

It was just that later, the enemies who were chasing Tang Feng, Tang Feng himself had said they were all at the Late-stage Spirit Transformation. This made it impossible for Grandmaster Lan to understand how they could have killed their opponents.