Chapter 1542: Immortal-Seeking

Under such circumstances, the direction facing the great mouth was the most likely way out.

If they had pushed forward to the sides, even if they had broken through a gorge, they might have found, after expending tremendous effort, that they had only reached the cheek area, which would be a dead end.

However, they couldn’t rule out the possibility that after failing to break through here, the old Sect Master and his party got trapped elsewhere while searching for another exit.

So, in the time to come, the Soul-Suppression Palace would have many things to do. They might have to traverse every gorge here, both to search for the old Sect Master and to confirm other exits.

Now that they had broken through, they were also worried that there might be other exits from the silver desert. In that case, they would have to establish grand formations to seal them up later, ensuring the Earth-True Domain remained protected within a perilous land.

However, regarding the search for the old Sect Master, after personally experiencing this journey, Li Yan believed that even a sliver of hope was now incredibly slim.

The cave at the other end of the silver desert, the throat area, was ninety-nine-point-nine percent impassable for Body Integration Realm cultivators. This meant that the old Sect Master and his group had perished in that cave before even reaching the silver desert.

“Lan Feng’s suggestion is very good, but before that, there is one more thing we have yet to do, which is the matter Li Yan is concerned about. It needs to be clarified. I have already made a soul incantation; any outcome unfavorable to Li Yan can no longer be changed! Li Yan, the fact that you could produce that cultivation method and know of the Immortal-Seeking Lineage has already convinced both me and Lan Feng. We will naturally not act against you again. Now, we have some other issues to resolve. Since you are from the Hellsoul Clan, I wonder if you can now tell us the answers to the questions I asked that day? Do you belong to the First Ancestor’s lineage or the Second Ancestor’s lineage? Where are the other clan members now? Are they also in the Immortal Spirit Realm? And what is the current situation of the clan? I hope you can explain all of this clearly. I will state once more, we are of the same sect and origin. You need not have any reservations. There are many more matters that we can only decide upon after you have clarified everything!”

As Elder Hao spoke, he flicked his sleeve, and a restrictive light shield instantly appeared, enveloping the three of them.

Their figures immediately vanished from the forest in front of the gorge. The forest returned to its previous state, with only the sound of the wind rustling through the trees…

Listening to Elder Hao’s series of questions and seeing the restriction that enveloped him, Li Yan knew that the other party was not trying to trap him.

In front of a Body Integration Realm cultivator, he wouldn’t have the slightest chance to struggle. The other party simply didn’t want them to be discovered, and the words they were about to speak were very important.

It was finally time to resolve this matter. In truth, if Li Yan had the ability to escape from a Body Integration Realm cultivator, he would have chosen the latter—his own precarious life—over information about the Hellsoul Clan and fled.

But the moment his main body appeared, it would be locked onto without a doubt!

“Seniors, as I’ve said before, I have actually revealed quite a bit already. Could you two also tell me about the Soul-Suppression Palace, preferably in some detail? Otherwise, how can this junior be certain of what you call being of the same sect and origin?”

Over the past few months, Li Yan had long thought of a counter-strategy. When he had acted on his speculation and produced the corresponding evidence, he was already taking a gamble. Fortunately, the gamble paid off.

For what came next, Li Yan had no confidence. He naturally needed to know more about the other party before he could respond appropriately.

Seeing that Li Yan was unwilling to answer and was instead asking about the Soul-Suppression Palace, Elder Hao pondered for a moment before nodding his head.

What Li Yan said made sense. He couldn’t just be the one asking questions while leaving the other party in doubt. This would create an imbalance in their communication.

Since he already considered Li Yan to be of the same sect and origin, he would certainly not use soul-searching.

Moreover, with the soul incantation in place, he couldn’t act against Li Yan anyway, making soul-searching impossible.

As for Great Master Lan, despite being a Void Refining cultivator, she had never cultivated the Soul-Searching Art. A single misstep could turn a person into an idiot, and she would gain no information in the process.

Of course, all of this was only considering extreme measures they might have used if they suspected Li Yan’s identity. Now, that was naturally out of the question.

“You have a point. Very well… As for where the Soul-Suppression Palace comes from, you have long guessed it. We are, of course, from the Lower Realm. But the Soul-Suppression Palace belongs to the Third Ancestor’s lineage…”

Li Yan’s heart stirred.

‘Third Ancestor? Does this mean that the information on the jade slip Gui Qu Lai Xi obtained, about the Hellsoul Clan being founded by three people, is true?’

Although he thought this, he wouldn’t interrupt. For all he knew, the other party might suddenly mention a Fourth or Fifth Ancestor, and he would expose himself.

And what Elder Hao said next sent even greater shockwaves through Li Yan’s heart.

However, it wasn’t just Elder Hao’s words that surprised him. It was also how he connected certain things, based on what he heard between the lines, with his past experiences and the information he had on the Hellsoul Clan, leading to further speculation.

Even so, Li Yan was slowly lifting the mysterious veil that shrouded the origins of the Hellsoul Clan…

The Hellsoul Clan was established by three individuals, all of whom were court officials of an ancient dynasty on the Desolate Moon Continent. Li Yan didn’t get a specific time period for this ancient dynasty.

From Elder Hao’s perspective, this wasn’t a key point of the narrative, so he only gave a brief overview to assure Li Yan that they weren’t lying.

But from Elder Hao’s simple description, Li Yan felt that this ancient dynasty might have appeared even earlier than the establishment of the Four Great Sects.

These three individuals were renowned in that ancient dynasty, for they were the white jade pillars that held up the sky and the purple-gold beams that spanned the seas for this kingdom.

Not only did they serve in the same court, but they were also sworn brothers. The eldest and second eldest were two martial generals, twin brothers whose martial arts were masterful, making them top experts of their time.

The eldest was the grand marshal who commanded the dynasty’s three armies, his combat prowess unmatched in the world. The second eldest was the vice marshal, skilled in military strategy, formations, and ambushes.

The third was a civil official, though his rank was not very high at the beginning. He was originally just one of many strategists under their command.

But because this person was skilled in strategy and meticulous in his calculations, he quickly distinguished himself from the other strategists. In one campaign after another against neighboring kingdoms, this strategist’s brilliant plans, combined with the two brothers’ seamless cooperation, grew ever more potent.

Their army swept away all enemies, achieving one miraculous victory after another, becoming a fearsome force of tigers and wolves.

And the three of them, having gone through countless life-and-death situations and bloody battles, became as close as family, eventually becoming sworn brothers.

The third brother also obtained a martial arts manual, which slowly transformed him into a prodigy of both civil and martial arts.

Ultimately, through their continuous conquests, the three of them established a magnificent era of peace for the ancient dynasty, with envoys from all directions coming to pay tribute. It was a time of unprecedented prosperity.

After they laid down their arms and returned to a peaceful life, they enjoyed the hard-won tranquility of the countryside, drinking wine and practicing martial arts, living a happy life.

But as time flew by, a mere two decades later, they all entered their twilight years. Although their internal energy became more profound, they could not resist the erosion of time, and their former vigor was gone.

When one has experienced the peak, looking back on the past inevitably brings a sense of a hero’s twilight. No matter what skills you possess, in the end, you are but a handful of yellow earth.

From then on, the three gradually developed a fondness for alchemy and qi refining. Later, they became firm believers in the existence of immortals and began to travel together to treacherous mountains and dangerous waters in search of immortal mountains and spirit realms.

In the process, they unexpectedly joined a special group—the “Immortal-Seeking Lineage,” a motley crew of people from all walks of life.

The three of them journeyed with these people. During this time, many left and never returned. Some were devoured by ferocious beasts or fell into bottomless abysses right before their eyes.

But the three of them, relying on their profound martial arts, supported each other selflessly whenever they encountered danger. They escaped death time and time again, yet remained steadfast in their quest.

After enduring countless hardships, they, along with several others, finally found a piece of an immortal manual. At that moment, they were ecstatic, weeping with joy.

Afterward, they shared the immortal manual with the few others from the Immortal-Seeking Lineage. The three then bid farewell to the others, each embarking on their own unknown path of immortal cultivation.

Later, by cultivating this immortal manual, the three of them truly stepped onto the coveted path of immortality, becoming the lowest-level cultivators.

When they successively cultivated Spiritual Energy, the three of them were so overjoyed that they spent the few Spirit Stones they had on a grand celebration.

It was only then that they truly understood how fortunate they were. All three of them possessed Spirit Roots. The eldest even had an Earth Spirit Root, while the other two both had Profound Spirit Roots.

The odds of this were slimmer than a pie falling from the sky. If even one of them had lacked a Spirit Root and been unable to cultivate, the other two might not have wanted to continue and would have chosen to enter reincarnation together.

But the path of immortality was even more perilous than the mortal world. While they were still in the Qi Condensation stage, they got into a conflict with someone and were captured by an evil cultivator, becoming subjects for his soul refining.

The three of them suffered a miserable fate, living a life worse than death. Yet, the other party wouldn’t let them die, having placed restrictions on their bodies.

Every time he refined them, the torture was countless times more painful than being boiled in a cauldron of oil.

But the three of them were not fated to die. That evil cultivator was also arrogant and conceited, and he eventually offended someone he shouldn’t have, dying a miserable death outside.

The three of them waited in his Cave Residence for a long time, only to slowly realize that the evil cultivator who could make them tremble with a single glance had never returned.

After discussing it, the three began to constantly channel their energy to try and break the restrictions on their bodies. One day, the eldest was the first to break free. With his help, the other two also gradually broke the restrictions on their bodies.