Chapter 1539: Clearing Suspicions

Hearing Elder Hao’s pressing question, Li Yan’s heart stirred.

In order to figure out the origin of the Soul-Suppression Palace, he had thought over all his experiences in the Hellsoul Clan and what Su Hong had once said to him countless times.

With a cultivator’s memory, as long as one wanted to recall something, one could remember it clearly. He had pondered over a certain passage that Su Hong had said for a long time.

At that time, after he and Zhao Min had gone over, when Su Hong was talking about the Immortal-Seeking Lineage, she had said that Gui Qu Lai Xi had also obtained many things in the underground secret grotto of the Hellsoul Clan, among which was a Jade Slip.

The origin of that Jade Slip was unknown, but there was such a passage recorded in it.

“My life, in the end, cannot overcome the difficulties and dangers of the Heavenly Dao. I have wandered in space for more than four hundred years, returning with serious injuries, and my time is near!

“In my whole life, from the desolate moon and poor martial arts to seeking immortality, I lost eight or nine out of ten of my friends along the way. Finally, I obtained an immortal manual here, and the three of us founded the Hellsoul Clan.

“With chivalry as the only principle, we widely accepted those of the Immortal-Seeking Lineage who entered the Dao through martial arts, killing demons when we encountered them, and eliminating evil when we encountered it. The rest of my life is about to end, but it is only reincarnation. In the next life, I will definitely step on the immortal path again and charge into the Immortal Spirit Realm!”

Some of the content in this passage undoubtedly explained the origin of the Hellsoul Clan. It was founded by three people from the Immortal-Seeking Lineage.

But Elder Hao asked if he was a descendant of the First Great Ancestor or some Second Great Ancestor.

‘The Jade Slip said that the Hellsoul Clan was founded by three people. But the origin of the Jade Slip itself, Su Hong could not be sure if it was real or fake.’

‘Elder Hao mentioned two people at this time. I can understand it as him letting me choose one of two, or it can be understood that there might be three…’

For a moment, thoughts flashed rapidly through Li Yan’s mind, but he could not be sure of the true meaning of the other’s words. Of course, he could not answer.

“Seniors, this junior has been sincere enough. On the contrary, what is the origin of the Soul-Suppression Palace? Seniors have not explained it to me.”

After Li Yan finished speaking, Elder Hao and Great Master Lan looked at each other. After a moment of contemplation, Elder Hao also nodded.

“How about this, this is not a place to talk. Looking at the situation, we are about to break through here. Why don’t we break through the mountain cave first?”

“We know that you are using this as leverage to make us give a promise. In fact, for you to be able to threaten us with this place at this time…”

“And then say these things, you probably already had some guesses and thought of some relationship between us.”

“Otherwise, with your little cultivation, even if you have more means, for you, you might be able to escape for a while, but regardless of whether you can get out in the end…”

“The best result you can get is probably mutually assured destruction, because you can’t escape the pursuit of the Soul-Suppression Palace.”

“So, I can tell you that your guess is correct. We are from the same clan, and we have been looking for our clansmen all along.”

“However, let’s leave these words for later. It’s not a good time to be in a stalemate and negotiate here.”

“I, this old man, hereby swear by a soul incantation that I will not attack you again. And if you, Li Yan, die at the hands of the Soul-Suppression Palace, let me, this old man, and the Soul-Suppression Palace fall into a state of eternal damnation!”

As soon as Elder Hao’s words fell, he had already formed a hand seal.

Then, a stream of black qi flew out from the crown of his head and then merged into the void.

…

And as this stream of black qi disappeared, in the unseen world, Li Yan’s soul suddenly trembled slightly, and he had a certain feeling.

Li Yan couldn’t explain what this feeling was, but he sensed that he seemed to be connected to something unknown.

He knew that the other party had cast a soul incantation on him. This was even more malicious than making an inner demon oath.

And because this soul incantation was directed at him, only Li Yan and the Second Elder soon sensed the descent of the rule.

The other party’s soul incantation also included the entire Soul-Suppression Palace sect. He was the Second Elder, the person with the highest status in the Soul-Suppression Palace. Elder Tang San’s status was also lower than his.

Therefore, this soul incantation could affect the fate of the entire sect. This was something profound and mysterious in the rules of the immortal way.

After Great Master Lan heard this, her expression did not change much.

If she were the only one here, she would also cast a soul incantation, but that could only be directed at herself. She could not represent the Soul-Suppression Palace.

But all of this was worth it. Although the current situation seemed to be forced by Li Yan…

…but those outside the core of the Soul-Suppression Palace could not know what kind of mood she and Elder Hao were in after seeing the complete “Saintly Soul Transformation Art” cultivation method.

Elder Hao’s excitement was not faked. They could basically confirm Li Yan’s identity, so they would not violate the soul incantation.

On the contrary, the Soul-Suppression Palace still had to get more and more useful information from Li Yan’s side. That information was not just important to the Soul-Suppression Palace.

It was a mission that they had been searching hard for but had never been able to complete!

At the same time, the matter of breaking through the mountain cave at hand was the most urgent major event that needed to be resolved.

Li Yan himself was indeed as he had said; he just wanted to get out. He himself had not done anything improper to the Soul-Suppression Palace.

So they could take a step back and no longer pursue the matter of Li Yan hiding his identity.

“Thank you, Elder Hao. Then let’s break through here first!”

This time, Li Yan did not hesitate any longer.

He did not want to be in a stalemate here either. And the other party had even cast a soul incantation, which surprised Li Yan even more.

He had never thought that after the other party had identified him as a fellow clansman, the result would be so decisive.

‘What kind of clan is the Hellsoul Clan? To cast a soul incantation for a fake clansman like me… if my true identity…’

Seeing that the result he had gotten was far beyond his expectations, at this time, Li Yan’s heart was also pounding a little.

He must not reveal his true colors later. Otherwise, if the other party knew that he was deceiving them, they might risk their own lives to kill him!

People who were ruthless to themselves would not have any pity for others.

The three of them then said no more and returned to their previous state, beginning to work together to eliminate the chaotic power in front of them.

And the result of their subsequent advance made the three of them more and more happy.

Those chaotic powers indeed decreased continuously as they advanced, and that chaotic state had begun to become orderly.

It was like a tangled mess of hemp that had begun to have clear veins…

Two days later, when Li Yan controlled the two brushes and fused a mass of power in front, almost at the instant he finished, Elder Hao pulled that piece of pure power away.

…

And at the instant that stream of pure power was pulled away, a patch of bright light suddenly appeared in front of them.

And streams of fresh air blew in at this moment. The entire mountain cave suddenly had a feeling of stuffiness constantly dissipating.

And in that instant, Li Yan’s expression also froze. He felt that the inner and outer five-element cycle had suddenly become smooth.

The feeling of being out of place with the five elements of heaven and earth in the Earth-True Domain had actually begun to disappear at this moment…

Moreover, at this moment, although his Divine Sense was still trapped, it actually had a feeling of loosening.

But all these feelings were still a kind of vague existence, because the chaotic power in front still existed!

“It seems we’ve reached the end!” Elder Hao exclaimed in surprise. He and Great Master Lan’s magical power and Divine Sense also had a different feeling.

“We… we’re almost there!”

Great Master Lan, who had always been calm, had a tremor in her voice. Li Yan was also jolted.

“The five-element rules coming from the front have begun to become somewhat normal! And my Divine Sense, it seems like it can escape its confinement. It’s like we can really get out…”

Li Yan forcefully suppressed the excitement in his heart, his lips tightly shut. As his magical power surged, he began to cast spells rapidly.

Half a quarter of an hour later, looking at the clear mountain cave ahead, the three of them advanced cautiously.

Li Yan once again felt the familiar outer five elements of heaven and earth, and the barrier had lessened a lot. But his Divine Sense was still suppressed in his body.

It was just that as they advanced towards the cave entrance, that feeling of being on the verge of erupting became stronger and stronger.

After clearing the last of the chaotic power, they found that these chaotic powers did not condense in front of the mountain cave like on the island, but were inside the mountain cave.

The mountain cave ahead had already become clear. There was only about a li left, and they could already see the existence of the cave entrance, but the three of them became more and more cautious.

They didn’t know what would appear in front of them. After all, this was a Perilous Land in the Earth-True Domain.

Elder Hao walked at the very front, protecting Li Yan and Great Master Lan behind him. This one-li distance, they walked for a full tea’s time, almost probing the surroundings bit by bit.

Li Yan fully agreed with Elder Hao’s caution. Only such a person could live longer and not capsize in a ditch.

Too many people, when doing things, were clearly on the verge of victory, but often died in the darkness before dawn. The three of them were not among them…

About a tea’s time later, looking at the mountain cave that was close at hand, the light from outside the cave entrance had also become exceptionally bright.

The three looked at each other. Although no one spoke, Great Master Lan and Li Yan both quietly took a step back, and a protective light shield appeared on their bodies.

Seeing that the two were ready, Elder Hao then secretly took a deep breath and stepped out of the mountain cave…

Behind him, Li Yan and Great Master Lan’s eyes were fixed on Elder Hao. They saw that after he stepped out of the mountain cave, his body was stuck there, motionless.

On the protective light shield on Elder Hao’s body, his majestic magical power flowed erratically. His entire body was tense, like a lion that would pounce at any moment!

The light outside the cave entrance had already turned a silver-white, but the sky above was somewhat dark red. In front of the cave entrance was a silver desert.

…

The ground was covered with silver sand. Those silver sand particles were constantly glowing, casting a large patch of silver light from the ground towards the sky above.

This was the patch of bright light they had seen in the mountain cave!

Elder Hao reached out a hand, and some of the silver sand on the ground flew into his hand. And his palm was already covered with magical power.

After the silver sand was in his hand, Elder Hao first sensed it with his soul power and did not find anything unusual.

Then he clenched his hand, and the silver sand turned into a handful of silver powder, which trickled down through his fingers…

This silver sand did not seem to have anything unusual. Then, without turning his head, he spoke.

“You guys stay in the mountain cave. Don’t come out under any circumstances. I’ll go take a look!”

As he spoke, his entire person had already shot out like lightning, flying directly into the silver desert. After flying for a distance, he was already flying higher and higher, straight into the sky.

Without being able to use Divine Sense, one could only see far by standing high. But he himself had also become a target for others…

Inside the mountain cave, Great Master Lan and Li Yan stood there as instructed. They did not dare to go out easily. The notorious reputation of the Perilous Land made even someone as strong as Great Master Lan feel a deep sense of dread.

If something went wrong, she would definitely perish inexplicably inside, and she might not even know the reason until she died.

Only someone like Elder Hao would dare to explore like this.

The two of them were silent, their eyes fixed on the cave entrance. The aura on their bodies was also slightly fluctuating.

After all their hard work, they had finally arrived here. If this was not the exit, or if something happened to Elder Hao, then the blow they would suffer would likely be fatal.

It might also cause a person’s confidence to be completely lost, and they would be completely disheartened about their future cultivation, or about continuing to search for an exit to the outside world.

This was the place that several Body Integration Realm elders of the Soul-Suppression Palace, after exploring all the Perilous Lands in the Earth-True Domain, felt was the most likely place to get out.

Besides this, where else could there be such a possibility? It was really confusing.

More than three hundred breaths of time passed. The two felt as if a thousand years had passed. Because this end of the cave entrance was only three to four zhang in size, and with the unknown situation outside the cave, the feeling of oppression was extremely strong.

After Elder Hao flew up and away, he disappeared without a trace. In the eyes of Li Yan and the other, there was only a flash of silver light at the cave entrance.

In every breath of waiting, they hoped to see Elder Hao’s figure. That kind of waiting was almost an endless torment.

At a certain time, without any warning, a blur suddenly appeared before the eyes of the two, and a figure landed directly in front of the mountain cave.

The two were startled and hurriedly looked at the newcomer, who looked like Elder Hao.

And as soon as that person appeared, he plunged headfirst into the mountain cave. The protective light shield on his body was coated with a layer of silver light, which was constantly flashing.

He only circulated his magical power, and the silver light melted like ice and snow, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Then, the solemn-faced Elder Hao was revealed.

After seeing Elder Hao’s face clearly, the two of them finally breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts. Just now, they had only felt that the body shape was similar.

…

“There are no other living beings here, and there are no attacks. However, all this that seems ordinary is actually extremely dangerous.”

“Outside the cave entrance is a silver desert. The light emitted by those silver sand particles, once it shines on one’s body, will cause the Nascent Soul to quickly silverize.”

“Even if I stay in the desert, if I only rely on my protective light shield for defense, I can’t exceed a hundred breaths at most. Otherwise, my Nascent Soul will turn into a silver block, without a trace of life.”

After Elder Hao withdrew his spirit power protective shield, he did not wait for the two to ask, but spoke directly.

As he spoke, an exquisite jade bottle had already appeared in his hand. After pouring out a medicinal pill, he directly swallowed it.

Then, with the aura on his body constantly fluctuating, he quickly circulated the magical power in his body to refine the medicinal pill.

When Great Master Lan and Li Yan heard this, their faces changed. The area outside the cave entrance was indeed a Perilous Land, and even a Body Integration Realm cultivator could not resist it with their own cultivation alone.

Fortunately, they had not poked their heads out of the cave entrance. But they did not immediately press on with questions, knowing that Elder Hao would continue to explain the other findings.

After a dozen or so breaths, the aura on Elder Hao’s body had returned to calm.

“However, there is some good news. As long as we can cross this silver desert within a hundred breaths, it should be fine.”

“I flew for a period of time deep into the silver desert and saw the end of the desert in one direction from a high altitude.”

“I also crossed over just now. That place is indeed like this mountain cave; the silver sand is no longer dangerous. But there, there are continuous mountain ranges and canyons, sealing off the way forward.”

“And in the canyons, the chaotic power has appeared again. And the chaotic power there is stronger than the chaotic power we have encountered before. I sensed it, and it is at least twice as strong.”

“This means that we still have to break through there!”

As Elder Hao spoke to this point, his expression had become one of surprise and uncertainty.

“A canyon and twice the chaotic power appeared again? A place filled with such powerful chaotic power, where does this lead?”

“Why do I feel that the further we break through, the more difficult it becomes? I don’t know what’s behind the canyon. If an even stronger chaotic power appears, it will be almost impossible for us to break through again!”

Upon hearing this, Great Master Lan’s heart, which had been full of anticipation, sank.

And after Li Yan heard this, his heart skipped a beat. He felt that the three of them might have mistakenly entered an even more perilous, dead-end land!