Chapter 1496: Entering the Camp (Part One)
Li Yan didn’t ask any more questions, merely bowing respectfully to her before finding a random seat below and sitting down.
Until now, he still didn’t know what mission he was about to undertake, but Tang Feng had said there was no danger, which made Li Yan both curious and worried.
On the way here, he had thought it over and over, and could only think that he might still be of some use in relation to that formation. He really couldn’t think of anything else he could help with.
However, Li Yan felt he had probably guessed wrong. He had been cooperating with Grandmaster Lan in testing that formation all along; there was no need for Tang Feng to be so formal about it.
And the stronger aspects he had shown during this trip were his body cultivation and the “Netherworld Demon Vine.” He wasn’t even allowed to bring the “Netherworld Demon Vine” with him, so that could naturally be ruled out. But what did body refining have to do with the secrets Tang Feng had mentioned? They weren’t going to make him forcibly break into some perilous land with his physical body, were they? That was simply impossible. No matter how strong his physical defense was, it couldn’t be stronger than the defenses set up by a Void Refining cultivator.
As Li Yan’s thoughts ran wild, Tang Feng also sat down quietly not far from him. Then, both of their gazes turned to Grandmaster Lan at the head of the hall.
“Tang Feng has probably told you some of the sect’s secrets. And letting you know these things was a decision made by me and the Sect Master. This is the first step in making you a core disciple of the sect. Of course, just a normal core disciple. To become a core disciple within the Soul Palace’s Rear Hall, your current qualifications are still not enough.”
Li Yan nodded.
In truth, he didn’t care about the status of a core disciple or a disciple of the Soul Palace’s Rear Hall. What he needed was a way to leave this place, or a way to increase his cultivation as quickly as possible. But for now, he was under someone else’s roof. Whatever they said, went. Li Yan just wanted to get what he wanted.
It was just that up to this point, he was still in a fog as to what they actually wanted him to do. The other party was only suspicious of his identity. Before he knew what they wanted him to do, it was best for him to say nothing, lest he say too much and make a mistake.
And Grandmaster Lan did not make Li Yan wait for long before she continued.
“Li Yan, attack me once with a full-powered art. Remember to use the ‘Saintly Soul Transformation’ technique you are cultivating. You must use your full strength, without any reservation or concealment, understand?”
Just a moment ago, Grandmaster Lan’s face had shown a hint of softness. But as she spoke, her voice had begun to turn cold, and by the end, her tone had become severe.
Li Yan was still thinking about the reason in his heart, but he saw that the other party’s face changed as quickly as flipping a book, changing just like that. And the content of Grandmaster Lan’s words made it so that Li Yan didn’t even react.
“You want… you want this junior to attack you?” Li Yan asked with a look of confusion, somewhat uncertain.
“Full power!”
Grandmaster Lan only spat out two cold words.
‘She wants me to use the ‘Saintly Soul Transformation’ technique, and at full power. Is there a problem with this technique I’m cultivating? Has it exposed my other techniques along with it?’
Although Li Yan’s face remained calm, his mind was already racing. He now faintly guessed that it seemed there was some problem with the “Saintly Soul Transformation” technique he was cultivating, and they were after this technique.
But on second thought, apart from concealing the power he displayed in his cultivation of this technique, there was no way this technique could carry any trace of the True Scripture of Gui Water. And he had obtained this technique from the Technique Transmission Pavilion. It was provided by the sect itself. Even if there was a problem with the technique, he could deny everything and wash his hands of it.
His thoughts raced, and for a moment, he couldn’t figure out a reason. But his hands did not move slowly.
With a pinch of a hand seal, a blue chain suddenly appeared behind Grandmaster Lan’s head. It coiled slightly and then smashed down towards the back of her head.
Tang Feng, sitting to the side, his pupils shrank upon seeing this scene.
‘This Li Yan, his attack speed is so fast. At his full strength, he is actually no less than a Spirit Transformation realm cultivator. It seems that even in the dense forest, he was still holding back his strength!’
Grandmaster Lan was still looking at Li Yan, as if she was completely unaware of the attack that had appeared behind her head.
The blue chain, like a spirit snake, the moment it appeared, it swiftly drilled towards the back of Grandmaster Lan’s head. “Soul-Extracting Chain,” the most basic offensive art in soul arts.
“Ding!”
But when this chain struck out like lightning, the moment it came into contact with the back of Grandmaster Lan’s head, it collapsed on its own, instantly scattering into a sky full of starlight.
And Grandmaster Lan, who was sitting there, did not even turn her head, but nodded at Li Yan.
“The star power you have accumulated has indeed reached ninety percent. It seems you were hiding quite a lot when you were testing the formation!”
Looking at Grandmaster Lan sitting there, completely motionless against his full-powered attack, Li Yan had not yet had time to marvel at the power of a Void Refining expert. When he heard what the other party said, his heart also skipped a beat.
‘She was testing my star power. Why?’
But Li Yan didn’t have time to think about the reason in detail. He immediately bowed slightly to Grandmaster Lan.
“This junior’s strength has been able to grow thanks to the elder’s gift. Without these few years of trial testing, my star power would not have improved so quickly.”
With these words, he both admitted that his soul power had grown, but also explained that his soul power’s growth was due to that formation, and not that he had deliberately concealed it.
Grandmaster Lan seemed not to have heard Li Yan’s words. At this time, she leaned back, putting herself in a more comfortable position. But what she said next was no longer on this topic.
“Now that we have confirmed the realm you have cultivated the ‘Saintly Soul Transformation’ to, we can now talk about other things.”
In fact, the order of summoning Li Yan over should have been to first test his “Saintly Soul Transformation” realm, and then to tell him some things. It was just that Xue Tieyi and Grandmaster Lan would not doubt what Tang Feng had said. And even if Li Yan had not cultivated this technique to the realm Tang Feng had described, Grandmaster Lan and the others had still planned to pull Li Yan into their camp.
Even if they were to have Li Yan cooperate in researching the formation again, because the time available was already very short, they felt that by revealing some information to Li Yan, it would also give him a greater sense of urgency. So sooner or later, they had to tell Li Yan some things.
‘What Tang Feng said is really related to this ‘Saintly Soul Transformation’ technique!’
Li Yan instantly understood that the meaning expressed by Grandmaster Lan was already very clear.
“Now that the nine major forces have betrayed us, it has brought a lot of trouble to the sect. If this had happened in the past, it would not have been a big deal for us. It could even be said that perhaps this kind of thing would not have happened at all. The reason is very simple. It is because we have absolute suppressive power. We scare them so much that they don’t dare. If they dare to move, we will annihilate their entire families.
“But now that the nine major forces have united with internal traitors to rebel, it is because they have received a piece of news, which is that the two Supreme Grand Elders of the sect have encountered some problems. That is why they had the courage to rebel. I imagine that whether you were a rogue cultivator before, or after you entered the sect, you have heard some rumors about the two Supreme Grand Elders to a greater or lesser extent!”
As Grandmaster Lan said this, her pair of purple eyes swept a glance at Li Yan.
Li Yan quickly nodded. He would not deny knowing some information. Seeing Li Yan’s reaction, Grandmaster Lan also slowly nodded.
“In fact, these pieces of news are basically not wrong. No matter what the reason is, whether it’s said that the two Supreme Grand Elders had a problem with their cultivation, or that they entered some perilous land and were never able to come out again. Or even that they, in order to break the shackles of heaven and earth here, wanted to join forces to break through to the Tribulation Transcendence realm, and were severely injured due to failure.
“In fact, any reason has long since become irrelevant. Because the rebellion has really already happened, and the two Supreme Grand Elders have indeed had an accident. This result is the truth. We are temporarily unable to have the two Supreme Grand Elders take action, so the battle with the nine major forces cannot be ended very quickly.”
As Grandmaster Lan said this, she let out a soft sigh.
“Then that is to say, what the Sect Master said that day, that he could awaken the two Supreme Grand Elders to come out of seclusion, is actually not necessarily achievable?”
Li Yan only felt his heart sink. The thing he was most unwilling to see had happened. He had finally found a big tree to lean on. And the two Supreme Grand Elders had indeed had an accident. Although Grandmaster Lan had not yet said the reason, the situation of the Soul Suppression Palace was really not optimistic.
Could it be that the sect’s situation had already reached a precarious state, and they still wanted to pull him onto this boat?
But as Li Yan’s thoughts raced, after connecting the two things Grandmaster Lan had said before and after, he faintly had another guess in his heart.
After hearing Li Yan’s pressing question, Grandmaster Lan nodded.
“Yes, but it’s just that it’s ‘not necessarily’ possible to ‘awaken’ the two Supreme Grand Elders to ‘come out of seclusion’! But there is still a certain hope. And this hope, you might be able to help with!”
Upon hearing this, Li Yan’s expression did not change much. He gave a wry smile.
“Grandmaster Lan, could it be that the ‘Saintly Soul Transformation’ technique I am cultivating, as well as the formation I was testing, are both related to this matter? But in the sect, there are also many people who cultivate this technique. And this technique is just a damaged version. This junior feels that being able to cultivate to the current level is already the limit for now.
“If my current cultivation could be of help, then perhaps after confirming my realm just now, you would have already let me know what to do next. It is clear that my cultivation still does not meet the requirements for assistance, which is why senior said ‘there is still a certain hope’! But if this technique is to break through again, who knows when that will be. This junior has no premonition of this at all.”
After hearing Li Yan’s analysis, Grandmaster Lan and Tang Feng exchanged a look. This Li Yan was indeed extremely sharp-witted. Although he had guessed in the wrong direction, he had already guessed that his cultivation method was insufficient.