Chapter 1516: A Gift
“The war is about to end. The sect’s two Supreme Elders have come out of seclusion today.”
Li Yan looked at Mu Guyue, his calm voice betraying no emotion.
Upon hearing this, Mu Guyue was first taken aback, then simply nodded.
Although she found the news from Li Yan a bit sudden, it held no real meaning for her.
Whether the Soul-Suppression Palace won or lost, the only difference was whether she would stay here or have to consider how to escape the pursuit of the nine major powers with Li Yan. In the end, they would still be in the Earth-True Domain.
Therefore, this news only meant that they no longer had to flee, and she could continue to cultivate in peace.
“In a few days, we will move from here into the Soul-Suppression Palace’s lone peak. You will have better cultivation resources there, and the spiritual energy is much denser than here,” Li Yan continued.
Mu Guyue’s expression finally changed slightly. She needed to become stronger quickly, so this was excellent news for her.
Then, she spoke with some hesitation.
“Is it… because of that Tang Feng?”
Mu Guyue could tell that Tang Feng was hiding some kind of identity; she just hadn’t said anything at the time. After Li Yan had been gone for several years, his sudden announcement that they were moving into the sect’s core area made her think of this possibility.
“You could say that. But that’s not the main reason I came. This is a soul cultivation method from the Soul-Slaying Sect. If you are willing to cultivate it, I can give it to you now. It will make it more convenient for you to use soul power in your future affairs here.”
As he spoke, a light flashed in Li Yan’s hand, and a jade slip appeared. He then looked at Mu Guyue.
This time, the expression of the cross-legged Mu Guyue changed dramatically. A momentary daze appeared on her devastatingly beautiful face.
Then, as if she hadn’t heard clearly, she tilted her beautiful head, her body leaning forward slightly, and looked at the jade slip with uncertainty.
“You… you’re giving me a soul cultivation method?”
“To be precise, it includes both a cultivation method and spiritual arts.”
At this, Mu Guyue finally confirmed that she had not misheard. She did not answer immediately. Instead, her pair of phoenix eyes shifted from the jade slip in Li Yan’s hand to his face.
After confirming that Li Yan’s expression was serious, she slowly stood up from the ground. Then, looking at Li Yan, she also said with a serious face, “I need this.”
A faint smile appeared on Li Yan’s face. He pushed the jade slip across the air towards her. Then, he turned and walked out without another word.
Watching the figure wreathed in a halo of light disappear through the doorway, Mu Guyue reached out and grasped the jade slip floating in the air.
As her hand closed around it, she could still feel the warmth of Li Yan’s palm lingering on its surface. Her expression grew even more complex.
She knew that to inscribe this jade slip, Li Yan must have nearly exhausted his divine sense. If it wasn’t specifically for her, no one in the Earth-True Domain would be willing to consume their divine sense.
While divine sense was said to be of limited use here, it was still exceptionally useful in many situations, such as pulling someone into a Spirit-Storing Ring to save their life, or inspecting one’s own internal condition.
Most importantly, when a cultivator’s divine sense was completely depleted, they would feel extremely uncomfortable, and their strength would be affected.
‘You… why are you doing this? We were supposed to be mortal enemies…’ Mu Guyue thought to herself.
Li Yan paid no mind to these things. After he left, he went to the reception hall and didn’t return to the cultivation chamber. He still had many things to sort out.
The thought of letting Mu Guyue practice a soul cultivation method had occurred to him several years ago. It was just that at that time, Mu Guyue’s injuries had not fully recovered.
Furthermore, with the great war raging outside, they didn’t know when they might be called to battle at any moment, so there was no time for Mu Guyue to start cultivating a new art from scratch.
Now that the chaos had subsided, Li Yan took out the cultivation method and some basic soul arts from the Soul-Slaying Sect and gave them to Mu Guyue.
He did not give her the “Saintly Soul Transformation Art.” A single misstep with that could bring him considerable trouble. If the Soul-Suppression Palace found out, how would he explain the origin of this completed art?
Moreover, the Soul-Suppression Palace itself did not permit this art to be casually passed on to outsiders.
Mu Guyue’s status was only that of a soul slave. It was no problem to get her an external cultivation method, but it was best not to touch any of the sect’s own arts.
There was another reason why Li Yan was unwilling to casually display this art. In his view, he was ninety percent certain that the “Saintly Soul Transformation Art” was related to the Immortal-Seeking Lineage.
After arriving at the reception hall, Li Yan sat down in a chair and was soon lost in thought…
…
After the two Supreme Elders emerged, they immediately recognized the retreating Li Yan as the one who had guided them out. They both sensed the Power of the Cold Moon from him.
Then, they also saw the overjoyed Great Master Lan and Tang Feng, but they didn’t recognize either of them.
So, after the three paid their respects, the elders simply asked about their identities. Li Yan, in particular, was viewed with deep gratitude by the two Supreme Elders.
Without having gone through what they had, no one could understand what it felt like to be trapped in one place for endless years.
The saying “no door to heaven, no seam in the earth” was a true depiction of their situation.
In recent years, they had even thought of following the same path as the old Sect Master. But just before taking that step, they had, by a stroke of great fortune, returned to the sect.
Otherwise, if they had followed the same path as the old Sect Master, they themselves did not know what the outcome would have been.
When the two Supreme Elders learned of Li Yan’s identity, even Elder Tang’s attitude towards Li Yan became much better than his attitude towards his own descendant, Tang Feng.
This left Tang Feng, who had been hoping to see a look of praise for this junior in his ancestor’s eyes, disappointed.
This made Tang Feng quite frustrated, but he was also a broad-minded person. He just stood to the side, constantly rolling his eyes at Li Yan.
Elder Tang even asked Li Yan about the “Saintly Soul Transformation Art.” It was not until Li Yan said that this method was not his own idea, but the result of deductions by the Sect Master, Great Master Lan, and Tang Feng, that he was brought into the plan. He had only learned of the plan after his cultivation of this art had shown some minor success. He was merely fulfilling his duty as a disciple of the sect.
Only then did the Supreme Elder, Tang Three, nod at Tang Feng in approval. This made Tang Feng secretly give Li Yan a thumbs-up, his face blooming into a smile like a chrysanthemum.
But soon, Great Master Lan, after apologizing, interrupted the two elders’ questioning and immediately spoke of the crisis the sect was now facing.
The two Supreme Elders, who had just been smiling, saw their faces turn grim in an instant. They only said two words.
“Return to the sect!”
Before the words had even faded, Li Yan felt a blur before his eyes. Then, to his horror, he found that he had already appeared in that side hall. He hadn’t even seen which Supreme Elder had acted.
The speed was so incredible that Li Yan couldn’t believe it. He had thought that no matter how fast they were, he would at least be able to sense some of the teleportation imagery or the switch in magical power when they reached the end of the red desert and entered the teleportation formation.
But there was nothing. Everything flowed so smoothly that it was as if Li Yan had only blinked once…
…
Afterward, they quickly entered the main hall in front. This time, Great Master Lan did not ask Li Yan to leave, but let him and Tang Feng wait at the lower seats.
She then began to send out messages. In just a moment, a series of swift, piercing sounds came from the entire grand hall, all rushing over.
Li Yan watched as the figures revealed themselves, each with a look of excitement. Among them were even a few who were clearly depleted of qi and blood and heavily injured.
But they had all rushed here. And the moment they saw the two people sitting in the center of the main seats, all their previous high and mighty airs vanished. They all prostrated themselves in greeting.
And the last to arrive was Xue Tieyi. He had even more matters to attend to. The moment he saw the two in the main seats, his lips trembled slightly.
First, he paid his respects to the two Supreme Elders with a grand salute, then stood respectfully to the side. Only then did he notice the only two Spirit Transformation cultivators in the hall.
This time, Great Master Lan had not notified the other core disciples to come. She knew that the two Supreme Elders were not really here to discuss matters. There was nothing to discuss.
They would soon sweep away the so-called nine major powers with overwhelming force.
So, she only needed to notify all the Void Refining elders to come and let them know that the two Supreme Elders had come out of seclusion. The rest would be arranged by the two Supreme Elders.
Li Yan and Tang Feng were also allowed to stay here because they had come out together, and both had special reasons.
Especially since she could see that the two Supreme Elders had taken a great liking to Li Yan.
When Xue Tieyi saw the two at the lower seats, he actually nodded at Li Yan, a clear sign of his approval.
What happened next was just as Great Master Lan had guessed. The two Supreme Elders only asked a few simple questions before they both stood up.
“Regardless of age or cultivation, just kill them all!”
“Tieyi and Lan Feng will stay and guard the sect. Those few injured ones don’t need to go either. Go back and cultivate properly. To be beaten into such a sorry state, and you still have the face to come see us!”
As Elder Hao spoke, he glared fiercely at the few injured elders.
“Just a few small fry, and you really lost face!” Elder Tang also said with dissatisfaction.
This made the few Void Refining elders below, especially someone like Elder Ling who had been injured while fighting two of his peers, smile wryly.
But after being scolded by the two Supreme Elders, their eyes also showed a smile. Now, they could finally go into seclusion to recover from their injuries in peace.
Before, they had truly been afraid that one day, while they were in seclusion, the sect would be breached, and they would be trapped like turtles in an urn without even knowing it.
As the two Supreme Elders finished speaking, they had already taken the lead and flown out of the grand hall, rising directly into the high sky…
…
Inside the grand hall, the injured Void Refining elders, also feeling relieved, flew away one by one with smiles on their faces.
However, before these people left, they all, without exception, nodded and smiled at Li Yan.
Some of them still recognized Tang Feng. But just now, amidst everyone’s questioning gazes, that Elder Tang had simply said one sentence.
“This time, our smooth return was thanks to Lan Feng and Li Yan. After we return, everything will be rewarded according to merit…”
Thus, all the Void Refining elders now knew Li Yan’s name.
Although they didn’t know what role Li Yan had played, for the name of a Spirit Transformation cultivator to be spoken from the mouth of a Supreme Elder was enough.
After the others had flown away in an instant, Xue Tieyi also looked at Li Yan.
“Li Yan, the merit you have established this time is the greatest. From now on, you will officially become a disciple of the Soul Palace’s Rear Hall!”
“Tang Feng, you will arrange a place for Li Yan to live later. Choose a superior location!”
“I will not promise any other rewards. After the two Supreme Elders return, they will make their own arrangements. At that time, Li Yan will officially enter here.”
“With the reward from the two Supreme Elders, no one will dare to raise any objections!” Xue Tieyi immediately arranged.
Li Yan would certainly not refuse such a reward. What he needed to do now was to get as close to the sect’s core as possible.