Chapter 1547: The Ancestor's Successor (Part Three)
Seeing their expressions, Li Yan immediately determined that he wasn’t the only one who had a strange reaction after seeing the vast army; the two opposite him had as well.
‘What kind of manual is this? It can activate this item in such a way…’
As Li Yan was thinking, upon seeing the change in the earthen jar, a stream of Divine Sense had already entered its interior. To his surprise, there was nothing inside.
‘This manual’s activation is different from the martial general statue. There’s no change inside the jar, but the three patterns on the surface have changed. But what does this mean? It gives off a very sinister feeling. Just a single glance filled my heart with killing intent!’
Li Yan’s thoughts raced.
At this moment, Elder Hao’s Divine Sense also carefully circled the inside and outside of the earthen jar several times, recalling all the information he had about this item…
After a few breaths, the manual seal in his hands dissipated.
Immediately, the image of the vast army vanished from the earthen jar in an instant, returning to the three patterns.
The dense killing intent that filled the air also returned to silence.
“It is indeed the First Ancestor’s token. You can put it away now!”
After retracting the manual seal, Elder Hao immediately said to Li Yan.
As he said this, even the expression on Great Master Lan’s face finally softened completely.
Hearing this, Li Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. They had truly acknowledged his identity.
With a wave of his hand, he put away the broken earthen jar, but his heart was still full of questions about what had just happened.
Just as he was about to ask, Elder Hao waved his hand at him, as if he knew what he wanted to ask.
“You can ask your questions later. Right now, I want to know, you said you’ve also been to the Hellsoul Clan where the Second Ancestor was. Why was it abandoned? Did you ever find out the reason? Were there not even a single clan member left? What about the Second Ancestor’s statue? Can you also take it out for us to see?”
Seeing the other party continue to press, Li Yan’s mind flashed with countless thoughts in an instant.
Some of these ideas he had already thought of long ago. Since he was going to impersonate a member of the Hellsoul Clan, he had nearly thought his head off, afraid of making a mistake in some minor detail.
In front of Void Refining and Body Integration Realm cultivators, he had no second chances. Not even one.
The question Elder Hao asked was something he was eager to know. He himself actually already believed Li Yan, but for Li Yan, there was still a hidden trap.
Of course, this trap was not intentionally set by Elder Hao. The Second Ancestor’s statue was related to the cultivation method, but there was a time discrepancy here.
Li Yan said he received a legacy. What is a legacy? Naturally, it means obtaining the other party’s cultivation method, including any unique methods of that sect!
But Li Yan knew nothing about the Hellsoul Clan’s other cultivation methods. The only one he knew was the “Saintly Soul Transformation Art.”
And the problem lay here. Before entering the Soul-Suppression Palace, Li Yan had no idea this cultivation method existed.
So, strictly speaking, he knew nothing about the Hellsoul Clan’s secrets before. It was only after tricking the other party into telling him some truths that he learned of the existence of the so-called First Ancestor.
On this point alone, Li Yan was not the successor the First Ancestor had intended.
Therefore, what Li Yan had to show was that he had obtained the cultivation method first and knew of the Hellsoul Clan’s existence. Only then could he gain their recognition.
The hidden trap here was the order in which he obtained the cultivation method. This would feel completely different in the minds of Elder Hao and Great Master Lan.
All these problems revolved around the earthen jar and the statues. Just from how Elder Hao had manipulated the broken earthen jar before, Li Yan was certain that he knew its secrets.
Since the other two statues were also in the hands of the Soul-Suppression Palace, Elder Hao could be very sure that only after seeing the Second Ancestor’s statue could one obtain the true legacy.
Therefore, Li Yan couldn’t say he hadn’t seen the martial general statue. But if he had seen it, and he knew the secrets of the Hellsoul Clan, then Li Yan would surely have brought the statue with him…
Li Yan sorted through his thoughts for a moment.
“The Hellsoul Clan is no longer a secret on the Verdant Continent. Countless people have explored it, but no one knows why they disappeared! In my opinion, some kind of accident probably occurred, because too many things from the clan were taken away from inside. If it were a normal migration, they would never have left treasures and clues for others. There are no Hellsoul Clan members there anymore. Or perhaps, even if there were, something went wrong with the entire clan, and they may have long since hidden their identities. I did not take the Second Ancestor’s statue; it is still there. The reason is simple: when I activated the earthen… the wine urn, I was teleported away directly. It was at that moment that I received the cultivation method. And the place I was teleported to is one Great Master Lan is very familiar with—it was the very same long alley formation you refined. Later, I cultivated there. It is for these reasons that when I saw the formation Great Master Lan refined, and then saw the remaining parts of the ‘Saintly Soul Transformation Art’ in the sect, I slowly began to confirm that the Soul-Suppression Palace must be related to the Hellsoul Clan.”
Li Yan said slowly.
“You’re saying you were teleported by the wine urn? And you’ve really seen that long alley formation?”
This time, before Elder Hao could continue questioning, a strange light flickered in Great Master Lan’s purple eyes, and she blurted out.
She had suspected before that Li Yan might have seen that long alley formation, but after Li Yan discovered his own slip-up and promptly corrected it, Great Master Lan couldn’t find any more evidence.
At that time, Great Master Lan felt that perhaps she was being overly anxious, too eager to find the two Supreme Elders and open a passage to the outside world, which made her overly suspicious.
And today, Li Yan had finally admitted it himself.
“Yes. The Voice Gui Jade Slip left by the First Ancestor at that time also mentioned the statue, but before he could explain clearly, the Divine Sense dissipated. So, when I saw the statue, I didn’t know how to activate it to receive the legacy. I took out the few items from the storage pouch and tested them one by one. I especially focused on testing the broken wine urn because it had Soul Power fluctuations. The moment the wine urn and the statue connected, I had just barely made out some of the characters inside when I was teleported away. After that, I entered the long alley formation. As for whether that formation is real or fake, I don’t think my past performance needs much explanation. Great Master Lan saw it with her own eyes. It’s just that at the time, I wasn’t sure how the Soul-Suppression Palace would treat an outside cultivator. Even as a Soul Cultivator, my fate might not have been good. That’s why I tried my best to conceal the matter. And my soul wasn’t naturally strong; it was forged through cultivation in that formation!”
After hearing this, Great Master Lan glanced at Elder Hao, who shook his head. Only then did Great Master Lan speak.
“As for the wine urn being able to teleport someone, we really didn’t know this item had such a function. The Third Ancestor didn’t leave any records about this. Regarding the strength of your soul, I always thought you were a heaven-defying genius among Soul Cultivators with a special constitution. It turns out that wasn’t the case; you truly forged it through cultivation. Only the formation established by the Second Ancestor could temper a cultivator to forge such a powerful soul. Then tell me, did you make it all the way to the end? Logically, this kind of formation in the Lower Realm wouldn’t be too powerful. The rank of the soul spirits one could obtain wouldn’t be too high. At most, one or two Nascent Soul Realm soul spirits might appear, and that would be considered good. It’s even possible that soul spirits of that rank wouldn’t exist!”
Great Master Lan immediately continued her questioning. And her words clearly told Li Yan not to say how difficult that formation in the Lower Realm was to pass.
She had been studying this formation all along. Even though she had never left the “Earth-True Domain,” she had read some records about the Lower Realm.
Things like the limitations of the Rules of Heaven and Earth in the Lower Realm, and the limits of a cultivator’s strongest realm, were mentioned in many ancient texts.
“This junior made it to the bottom. I am extremely familiar with this formation!”
“Oh? Then what did you see at the end of this formation?”
“A small gate of light for exiting, the same as the exit of the formation you refined, Great Master Lan. But as I was observing, I unintentionally triggered an unbelievable teleportation formation and was sent away directly. That teleportation formation was for ultra-long distances. It sent me far away from the Verdant Continent. It’s for this reason that I couldn’t take the Second Ancestor’s statue with me. My cultivation was too low at the time, and I had inexplicably left the Verdant Continent. Naturally, I didn’t dare to try and teleport back with my Golden Core cultivation. Later, when I successfully formed my Nascent Soul and was thinking of returning to the Verdant Continent, an accident happened. I was swept into a spatial fragment in a region of chaotic flow. An ascension node happened to appear there, and so I arrived in the Immortal Spirit Realm.”
In his words, Li Yan was still being vague about certain times and concepts.
However, in this answer, he revealed a great secret that had been in his heart all along, a secret known only to him, Zhao Min, and the two demons.
He had to say it. Otherwise, his previous explanations would have contradicted each other.
If he didn’t say he was teleported a long distance away, then he could have waited until he reached the end of the long alley formation and left through the small gate of light.
And as the one who received the legacy, since he knew the use of the statue, he should have taken it with him instead of leaving it behind.
Otherwise, Li Yan couldn’t explain why he didn’t have the statue.
Therefore, these answers from Li Yan had to be interlinked. He had to consider all the causes and effects, and even create a timeline for himself. Otherwise, he would expose himself.
As for his claim of ascending to the Immortal Spirit Realm later, that was him completely cutting off any chance of seeing the Second Ancestor’s statue a second time.
The only loophole here was that if the other party were to investigate, they might find out that after Li Yan was teleported from the long alley formation, he later successfully formed his Nascent Soul but went to the Wind God Continent.
However, for that to happen, the other party would have to be able to go to the Lower Realm. And even then, he could explain that he wanted to deal with matters in his Dao companion’s clan first before going to the Verdant Continent.
And he had just said an accident happened; he didn’t say it happened on the way to the Verdant Continent.
Facing these old monsters, Li Yan had practically wracked his brain. There was no other way; his strength was too weak!
However, what surprised Li Yan next was that not only did Great Master Lan not have the slightest suspicion, but after hearing his words, a look of joy immediately appeared on her face.
“Teleported away from a continent… Indeed… indeed… so the Second Ancestor, his esteemed self, did refine a set of void-breaking formations. And it directly leaves a continent… that is a void-breaking formation…”
For a moment, Great Master Lan’s face was filled with inexplicable joy.
She was a great formation master. In fact, among all the things discussed today, what she cared about most was that formation.
Although she didn’t know where the Verdant Continent was, she had read the sect’s records. The foundation of the Hellsoul Clan was on that continent, and she also roughly knew the names of the several continents in the Lower Realm.
After getting Li Yan’s answer, Great Master Lan no longer doubted his origin. Many elders in the Soul-Suppression Palace knew about that long alley formation.
But as for the void-breaking formation, absolutely only a handful of people knew about it. Because that ancient text was obscure and difficult to understand, only the old Sect Master had managed to decipher a part of it at the beginning. The rest was all deciphered by her.
But the matter of the void-breaking formation was actually more of a speculation. And since it concerned the two Supreme Elders, only a very few people knew about it.
At the time, given Li Yan’s status, Great Master Lan had only asked him to help test the long alley formation. She hadn’t even told him the purpose of that formation.
Because of this, her trust in Li Yan grew even stronger.
“Then when were you drawn into the ‘Earth-True Domain’?”
Great Master Lan looked at Li Yan, but at this moment, she suddenly changed the subject.
“It was about ten years before I joined the Soul-Suppression Palace. At that time, I had only been in the Immortal Spirit Realm for a few dozen years…”
Afterward, Elder Hao asked a few more questions, then let out a long sigh.
“Your immortal fortune is your karmic connection with our Hellsoul Clan. Otherwise, if you wanted to obtain the legacy, you would have had to cross continents. Not only did you cross two continents with a Golden Core Realm cultivation, but you also actually found the Hellsoul Clan. When the Soul-Suppression Sect was in the Lower Realm, they were never able to find the clan members again. What’s most commendable is that you were able to find the Second Ancestor’s statue, obtain the legacy, and enter the formation he established to temper your soul. That is a great fortune for a Soul Cultivator! Later, after your ascension, in the vast Immortal Spirit Realm, you just happened to come to the Northern Pastoral Realm, and you were even able to enter the Soul-Suppression Palace. And… and our final escape was also because of you! All of this might be the karma of the First and Third Ancestors, which led to such a miraculous cycle of events.”
Karma itself was a rule of the Great Dao. This was acknowledged among mid-to-high-level cultivators and was considered the supreme existence of the laws of life.
Elder Hao and his people were Soul Cultivators. Their understanding of karma and reincarnation was clearer than that of other types of cultivators. To put it bluntly, they believed in it deeply, with a kind of stubborn faith.
Connecting all of Li Yan’s words, Elder Hao and Great Master Lan looked at their surroundings, and a thought of a karmic cycle arose in both their hearts.
It was as if the ancestors, in the unseen world, did not want the Hellsoul Clan to be annihilated!
An accident had befallen the Hellsoul Clan in the Lower Realm, and the Soul-Suppression Palace was also struggling on the North Ice Continent. Under such circumstances, the old Sect Master had finally established a foothold in the Upper Realm with great difficulty.
But the sect’s base, which was initially thought to be a blessed land, was trapped in the “Earth-True Domain.”
Even with the old Sect Master’s heaven-defying divine abilities, he was unable to break the shackles of heaven and earth there, and his own fate was unknown. And in the end, someone like Li Yan appeared.
What was most incomprehensible was that not only did Li Yan appear, but he also obtained the First Ancestor’s legacy and saved the Soul-Suppression Palace.
“Your ability to merge those chaotic forces, did you truly comprehend it yourself?”
At this time, Great Master Lan remembered another matter.
“Yes, it was a power of yin and yang that I comprehended from the Yin Huns and Yang Pos when I broke through to the Spirit Transformation Realm!”
Li Yan answered without hesitation. He didn’t even have to think about this question. He would definitely not reveal anything about the Five Immortal Sects.
Great Master Lan nodded at Li Yan’s answer.
At this point, she was really just confirming this old question. She mainly wanted to know if the complete “Saintly Soul Transformation Art” was truly that powerful.
However, comprehension was not something that could be forced. Even if Great Master Lan also cultivated the “Saintly Soul Transformation Art,” what she might comprehend could be completely different. She could only envy Li Yan for being able to see through the Dao of yin and yang.
“Seniors, I wonder if this junior could know about the patterns on the wine urn, and the scene of the vast army?”
At this moment, Li Yan finally had time to ask his own questions.
“You want to know why a wine urn is the First Ancestor’s token, right? Now that your identity has been clarified, and overall, you truly belong to the First Ancestor’s lineage. Although the legacy you obtained was not formal, you have this token in your hand, you have genuinely obtained the cultivation method, and you have solved the greatest problem of our lineage. All of this is already enough…”
Elder Hao was old and shrewd. Just by hearing Li Yan seemingly asking about the patterns on the wine urn, he already understood that Li Yan wanted to ask about the wine urn’s origin and secrets.