Chapter 1526: A Frontier Ballad on Fifty Strings

After the two demons returned to the Desolate Moon Continent, they laid an ambush in the far north of the Sea of the Northern Abyss.

From the cultivators they had encountered in the chaotic flow space, it was clear that those individuals were heading towards the far north of the Desolate Moon Continent. This suggested that some foreign cultivators might have already entered the continent from this location.

After all, this was a weak point in the Desolate Moon Continent’s barrier.

However, once those people entered the Desolate Moon Continent, it would be harder than finding a needle in a haystack for the two demons to locate them.

Therefore, the two demons decided it was better to set up an ambush here and wait.

If those people entered from here, they would likely have to leave from here as well!

Moreover, it was even possible that more people would continue to enter from this location.

Thus, as soon as the two demons returned to the far north, Qian Ji immediately dispatched all of his clansmen, sending them to every place they could reach.

The Snow Mosquito Clan now numbered over a million. If they were to hide amidst the ice and snow, even if a Nascent Soul cultivator discovered these low-level little demons after they had scattered, they would not be bothered to deal with them.

It was like a person going out on a summer evening and seeing many mosquitoes flying in the air; unless they came to bother you, who would be willing to go around swatting them?

In this way, they cast inescapable nets at this barrier connecting the Desolate Moon Continent to the outside world. As long as someone entered or exited, they could not escape the dense web of spies Qian Ji had laid out.

Qian Ji and Zi Kun lay in ambush here, waiting year after year. Although cultivators did pass through, the two demons only acted occasionally.

Their primary targets were still those foreign cultivators, but to their disappointment, they did not obtain any useful information.

During this period, they killed some innocent cultivators, but the two demons felt no guilt whatsoever. They were ferocious beasts to begin with and had no concept of good and evil; they simply acted according to their instincts.

In the midst of their ambush, they later discovered Gong Chenying attempting to leave from here. Gong Chenying was, in fact, also looking for the two demons.

She knew Qian Ji was here, and when Zi Kun left Little Bamboo Peak, he had told both her and Zhao Min that he was coming here.

After the one person and two demons met, the demons told Gong Chenying about their findings, which left her rather stunned.

After some thought, she began to wonder if these people were truly searching for her Little Junior Brother.

But then she felt it was unlikely. Even she and the others couldn’t find Li Yan, and with the Sword-Washing Sect already destroyed, what other enemies could her Little Junior Brother have? Especially cultivators from a foreign domain.

However, Li Yan’s Miscellaneous Spirit Root aptitude was a clear identifying mark. The fact that the other party was expending so much effort searching everywhere for Miscellaneous Spirit Root cultivators made Gong Chenying faintly feel that her own speculation was wrong.

In the end, she concluded that the two demons were right to stand guard here. She asked them to find out the true purpose of these people as soon as possible and also told the two demons to find a time to inform Zhao Min of this matter quickly.

Afterward, Gong Chenying also waited here for a considerable time but failed to obtain any valuable clues. After giving the two demons some instructions, she departed for the Wind God Continent.

In Gong Chenying’s view, in some respects, if someone could truly find Li Yan, it might actually be a good thing for them…

And today, as the two demons were conversing in an underground ice cave, a member of the Snow Mosquito Clan reported that they had discovered cultivators flying towards them from the direction of the Sea of the Northern Abyss.

Moreover, they had actually heard the name “Li Yan.” Upon hearing this, the two demons were instantly galvanized. This was the news they most wanted to hear.

But it was also what they feared most, as it meant that someone had indeed found information about Li Yan.

The two demons immediately rushed over and found that the opposing party consisted of two Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators and one Initial-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

Under these circumstances, the two demons felt they could make a move. Later, under the cover of their ambush, after paying a considerable price, they finally managed to slay the three individuals.

Qian Ji glanced at the corpses of his clansmen on the ground. His and Zi Kun’s combat strength was considerably higher than that of others at the same rank, but their ultimate goal was to capture at least one of them alive for a soul search.

You could defeat a Nascent Soul cultivator, but to kill or capture one required various conditions that went beyond just having slightly superior combat strength.

Either you had to be much stronger, or you needed to set traps and use clever tactics to capture them.

In a two-on-three situation, with one fourth-rank mid-stage and one fourth-rank initial-stage demon, they should have had no problem defeating these three. The question was how to capture one.

In order to hold back two of them, the final result was that Zi Kun was heavily injured, and the Snow Mosquito Clan suffered severe casualties.

But Qian Ji only glanced at the scene before turning to question Zi Kun. Although his heart ached, he felt it was worth it.

“What news did you get?”

“These people are not specifically targeting Master. It’s similar to what those people we met in the chaotic flow space said.”

“They are just investigating Miscellaneous Spirit Root cultivators, with no specific target. These three have been in the Desolate Moon Continent for many years already; they are likely the ones we heard about before.”

“And in the course of their investigation over these years, they found some Miscellaneous Spirit Root cultivators, and Master was also listed as a suspected Miscellaneous Spirit Root individual.”

“Because Master is the one with the highest cultivation among all the people they investigated, and since Master is also a powerhouse of the Malevolent Spirit Sect, they would often bring him up in their discussions…”

The next morning, Li Yan first went to Mu Guyue’s door. Shortly after he touched the formation restriction, the door opened.

With a calm expression, Li Yan slowly walked in.

Seeing the tall figure enter, Mu Guyue also stood up. For Li Yan to come over so suddenly, it must be for something important; he wouldn’t come looking for her for a casual chat.

“You’ve cultivated to the Initial-stage Nascent Soul as well?”

Li Yan sensed the location where Mu Guyue was. There was an abnormal fluctuation of heaven and earth that other Dharma cultivators could not perceive.

It was a different kind of ripple, caused by the resonance between one’s own soul power and the heavens and earth.

“Yes!”

Mu Guyue naturally knew what he was asking and answered with a single word.

“That’s good. This is a Void Shadow Ring. You can move the things from your Storage Ring into here. It will prevent you from being unable to access your storage space once your Divine Sense is depleted.”

As Li Yan spoke, he raised his hand and with a gentle flick, levitated a Void Shadow Ring and pushed it through the air towards her.

Mu Guyue caught it, glanced at it, and without any further ceremony, slipped it onto her long middle finger.

But the next moment, she remembered something. As her phoenix eyes looked at her finger again, she felt her face and ears grow hot, and she lowered her head, looking a little unnatural.

Li Yan, after tossing out the Void Shadow Ring, saw Mu Guyue lower her head as if staring at the ring in a daze, and couldn’t help but smile to himself.

‘This is her first time using a soul cultivator’s magical treasure; it’s natural for her to be a bit curious. It’s a completely different feeling from communicating with space through Divine Sense.’

He wasn’t surprised that Mu Guyue had cultivated the soul cultivation method to the Nascent Soul realm in just a few decades.

Mu Guyue’s aptitude was not bad at all. It was just that the foundation of her soul was not as profound as his own; she hadn’t undergone the kind of specialized tempering aimed at soul cultivation that he had.

Therefore, her achievements in a few decades certainly couldn’t be compared to his own progress in soul cultivation.

“I came for another matter. You all need to enter the Spirit-Storing Space again. The reason is… I may have to participate in a sect mission next.”

“After I go, I don’t know how long it will take for me to return. And the content of this mission is also related to the outside world!” Li Yan said without beating around the bush.

He had always been unsure how to handle his relationship with Mu Guyue. They were not related by blood or marriage, but he couldn’t act as if that incident had never happened.

Therefore, as long as there was nothing important, he would absolutely not seek her out.

If there was something that required him to find her, it was best to get it done as quickly as possible, and then he would leave as soon as he could.

“The outside world? You… you mean the Heavenly Demon Prairie?”

Mu Guyue, who had been looking down, suddenly raised her head after hearing Li Yan’s words. Her beautiful eyes were filled with a look of shock and uncertainty.

Her expression clearly implored Li Yan to confirm whether her guess was correct.

Because the words “outside world” could have two interpretations for her at the moment.

It could mean leaving the rear hall of the Soul Palace, because ever since they entered this mountain peak, they had been staying here, not leaving for decades.

But in Mu Guyue’s eyes, Li Yan’s words clearly hinted at something else. And though that result was what she felt was most likely, she still couldn’t believe it.

They had been trapped in this godforsaken place for far, far too long. Every waking moment felt endlessly long.

Whether it was back when they were searching everywhere for an exit from the Earth-True Domain, or the news they later got from the soul cultivators…

All of it had slowly made despair grow in Mu Guyue’s heart. This was a place of no return.

“Yes, but I’m not sure if we can find it. So I can’t know how much time it will take, nor do I know what might happen at any moment. That’s why I need to take you with me!”

Li Yan was also longing for that day, but his mood at this moment was just as turbulent and uneasy, not as calm as he appeared on the surface.

Looking at Mu Guyue’s slightly trembling delicate body, he gave her a clear answer.

After he finished speaking, a silence fell between the two of them for a moment.

Mu Guyue was of a similar height to Li Yan. She looked directly into his eyes. Li Yan was telling her that if there was a chance, he would take her out as well.

And this time, if Li Yan could complete the mission, it was possible that he could truly leave this godforsaken place.

Although this was still a matter of hope, Mu Guyue was reminded of a past scene. The last time she saw Li Yan, he had told her.

He had promised that if there was any hope of getting out, he would take her with him.

‘He really came to fulfill his promise!’

Mu Guyue’s emotions could no longer remain calm.

“Ahem… let’s leave it at that. Go find Ting Lan now, but do not mention this to her under any circumstances. Just say that we are going out on a mission together. I’m going to find Feng Hongyue.”

Seeing Mu Guyue staring at him without blinking after hearing his words, and not speaking further, Li Yan felt a bit awkward. He gave a dry cough, quickly found an excuse, and turned to leave.

But Mu Guyue’s mind was still echoing with Li Yan’s words. He had told her not to tell Ting Lan, yet he had directly told her such important news…

After about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Li Yan looked around and saw that the three people had disappeared. He then let out a long sigh of relief. Wherever Mu Guyue appeared, there was a strange atmosphere that made him feel like he was on pins and needles.

Ting Lan’s expression when she looked at him was still one of extreme caution, as if she didn’t dare to get close. As for Feng Hongyue, after hearing that they were going on another mission, he didn’t show much reaction, simply obeying orders.

So Li Yan quickly swept the three of them into two Spirit-Storing Void Shadows, putting Mu Guyue and Ting Lan together.

The internal space of these Spirit-Storing Void Shadow Rings was, to be honest, not very large; each could only accommodate a few people. These treasures were obtained by Li Yan from the Spirit Transformation cultivators he had slain.

Standing in his Cave Residence, Li Yan’s Divine Sense erupted in the next moment. The two Spirit-Storing Void Shadow Rings immediately vanished from his hand, placed by him into the Earthen Patch.

This was what Li Yan had planned. In the end, he had to hide all three of them in the Earthen Patch, lest the sect forbid him from bringing others on this mission after he informed them that his accumulation of the Power of the Cold Moon was complete.

If there was a chance to leave while exploring the passage to the outside world, he would leave without hesitation. The so-called “opportunity must not be missed” often meant that there was only one chance.

If he wanted to take the three of them with him then, wouldn’t he have no chance at all? To prevent the Body Integration old monsters from finding out, the safest way was to put the three of them into the Earthen Patch.

He could, of course, also put the three of them directly into the Earthen Patch. He would only need to isolate them and then create an illusion of the environment there, and he could also prevent them from knowing where they were.

It was just that using Divine Sense here was too troublesome, so Li Yan used the simplest method, which saved everyone the effort.

After doing all this, Li Yan quickly walked around the Cave Residence once more, collecting some things he thought he should carry with him, such as the formations he had set up himself, and put them all into a Void Shadow Ring.

Then, he took out the purple token and whispered a few words into it. After that, he sat quietly in the reception hall, waiting with his eyes closed…

In just the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Tang Feng appeared in Li Yan’s Cave Residence, looking extremely anxious.

As soon as he received Li Yan’s message, he had flown over immediately. However, he did not inform the Sect Master and the others of this news; he had to confirm it with Li Yan first.

“Brother Li, have you really cultivated the Power of the Cold Moon to fifty percent?”

As soon as Tang Feng stepped into the hall, he was already asking urgently while still walking.

“I suppose I have not failed my mission. To be precise, it should be a little over fifty percent of the Power of the Cold Moon!”

“Brother Li, it has been less than a hundred years. The news you’ve given is too surprising. I came over specially to confirm with you first. You must tell me the truth.”

“I can only sense the amount of the Power of Stars. Although I can also sense the Power of the Cold Moon, I cannot measure its degree of accumulation.”

“Once this matter is reported to the Supreme Elder, it will be a major event. There is absolutely no room for carelessness!”

Seeing Tang Feng’s serious and solemn expression, Li Yan also felt a sense of relief.

Tang Feng was a person worth befriending. He was still considering things for his sake and had not reported it directly.

This was also why, after some thought earlier, he had decided to send the message to Tang Feng.

He had also been in seclusion for so many years and wanted to see from Tang Feng if there had been any changes to the plan.

“If the plan hasn’t changed, you can inform your great-grandfather. He can certainly test it out!” Li Yan said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Tang Feng’s face immediately broke into a joyful smile!