Chapter 1549: To Stay or to Go (Part One)

This was another reason why, when the two ancestors were trapped by the Demon Clan, the Third Ancestor was able to lead his men to break through the trap and fight his way out.

But unfortunately, after the Third Ancestor left the Hellsoul Clan, no one had ever seen this token again. Otherwise, the Soul-Suppression Palace would have had an even stronger trump card.

During Elder Hao’s narration, when he mentioned the Second Ancestor re-refining the two tokens, Li Yan’s heart stirred.

‘So this token was re-refined by the Second Ancestor. That would explain why a wine urn could teleport someone to the long alley! That long alley formation was probably also refined by the Second Ancestor. It’s possible that when he refined it, he deliberately left a backdoor within this token. And when this token is combined with his own statue, and a connecting formation is laid out, one can enter…’

At this moment, Li Yan figured out another problem that had been troubling him.

Because Great Master Lan and the others had said before that they didn’t know the wine urn could teleport, it was clear that all of this was the work of the Second Ancestor.

The reason it was called a backdoor was that this was a token. It was normally kept by the First Ancestor and would not be easily taken out.

And entering the long alley formation for training should have been a relatively frequent event for the core disciples of the Hellsoul Clan.

It was impossible for every disciple who wanted to enter the long alley for cultivation to have to go to the First Ancestor himself. That was simply not reasonable.

In that case, there must have been a normal passage for entry. This was a hidden move deliberately made by the Second Ancestor, connecting it to his own statue.

His purpose was unknown. Perhaps it was just for backup, but it was more likely a whim. Li Yan thought it was probably the latter.

Otherwise, this wine urn should have directly teleported people to the bottom of the long alley, directly opening the cross-realm grand formation. That was the biggest secret hidden in the long alley.

At the same time, Li Yan thought of the Iron Scroll Cinnabar Book in the Third Ancestor’s hands. He didn’t know if that token could also enter the long alley, or if there were other secrets between it and the three statues.

After all, at that time, the Second Ancestor hadn’t fallen out with the Third Ancestor yet. This Second Ancestor had a somewhat eccentric personality. From what he could see so far, he didn’t like to show off what he did.

So there was a great possibility that he would have made other hidden arrangements on the Iron Scroll Cinnabar Book. It was just that these secrets were now unknown to anyone.

After Elder Hao finished speaking, he looked at Li Yan.

“…And that’s the story. Since these matters have been explained, Li Yan, now that the ‘Earth-True Domain’ and the outside world have been connected, what are your plans for the future?”

As he said this, he quietly stared into Li Yan’s eyes.

Li Yan first calmed the emotions in his heart, temporarily suppressing the various thoughts that arose after receiving this information. Only then did he speak.

“After I ascended to the Immortal Spirit Realm, I didn’t find the sect I joined in the Lower Realm. To obtain cultivation resources, I first joined a sect at their Upper Realm location. This time, after coming out of the ‘Earth-True Domain,’ I will naturally return to that sect first!”

“Oh? You’ve never thought about truly staying in the Soul-Suppression Palace? After all, this is the world of us Soul Cultivators! Although you didn’t come from a traditional Soul Cultivator background, you did receive the First Ancestor’s legacy and solved our biggest problem. There’s another reason, the last wish of the Third Ancestor that I mentioned before. We must fulfill his esteemed self’s wish. We must bring the reincarnated First Ancestor or his token back to the Hellsoul Clan as proof, to resolve the Third Ancestor’s karma and allow our lineage to return to our roots. Therefore, you should stay in the sect.”

After hearing these words, Li Yan saw that although Elder Hao’s face was calm, he didn’t seem to be joking.

He could also feel that the other party wasn’t deliberately trying to find fault or force him to stay.

“Does Senior want this token?”

Li Yan’s expression also showed no change.

However, this wine urn was of great use to him, and he didn’t want to hand it over. So his thoughts spun rapidly.

All the previous matters, through his painstaking efforts, should be considered resolved. But now, a new problem had arisen.

But for a moment, as various thoughts came to him, Li Yan helplessly discovered that he seemed to have no solution.

He wasn’t a real immortal. His actions had always relied on caution and meticulous deduction.

In order to get out of the “Earth-True Domain,” some secrets had now been exposed, but with his current ability, he had no way to protect them.

“You misunderstand. You obtained this token. This is all your opportunity, and also your karma with us. I said I would not harm you, especially now that it has been confirmed that you are the successor of the First Ancestor’s lineage. On this point alone, you are the orthodox one, and we are just cultivators of a sect called the Soul-Suppression Palace. Therefore, we hope to borrow your strength to fulfill the Third Ancestor’s last wish, to resolve a piece of his karma, to allow the Soul-Suppression Palace to return to orthodoxy, and to allow his esteemed self to finally find peace in reincarnation. That is why I hope you can stay in the Soul-Suppression Palace. When the opportunity arises, can you accompany us to the Hellsoul Clan’s ancestral land, or search for the Second Ancestor and the others together? If you are unwilling to stay in the Soul-Suppression Palace, then I hope that in the future, when we need it, you can accompany us with the token and help us once.”

Elder Hao first shook his head at Li Yan, then stated his thoughts.

“The Hellsoul Clan on the Verdant Continent has already disappeared. What can we find if we go back? And how can one travel from the Upper Realm to the Lower Realm? Does Elder Hao know of such a path?”

Li Yan thought for a moment but still did not agree. But then a thought stirred in his heart, and he immediately asked.

“Returning to the Hellsoul Clan is our ancestor’s wish. Whether we succeed or not, at least we will have gone with you, the successor and token-bearer of the First Ancestor. As the saying goes, do one’s best and leave the rest to fate. As long as this is done, even if we cannot find any clues about the Second Ancestor and the others, we will have fulfilled the Third Ancestor’s lingering obsession. From then on, we will no longer be the Soul-Suppression Palace, but will once again become the Hellsoul Clan! As for the path to the Lower Realm you mentioned, we certainly don’t have one now. But now that the ‘Earth-True Domain’ and the outside world are connected, our disciples can be sent out to move about in secret. Just give them about a sixty-year cycle, and I believe they will become familiar with the outside world and can then begin to inquire about paths to the Lower Realm. In the past, people from the Upper Realm have been able to go to the Lower Realm. It’s just that the Soul-Suppression Palace’s foundation in the Upper Realm is still shallow, so we don’t know about it. But with the power of an entire sect, we will surely find this path!”

As Elder Hao spoke his final words, his voice was filled with a firm resolve. As a Supreme Elder of a sect, he naturally held the deepest feelings for the Soul-Suppression Palace.

Although the Third Ancestor had long since passed away, for people like them, they would have no problem dying for the sake of the sect’s inheritance and development.

In the hearts of some people, there is always an obsession they guard!

Hearing this, Li Yan couldn’t help but think of the mysterious Chimei Emissaries in the Malevolent Spirit Sect, as well as Mo Qing, Dacen, and the others. They would not care about their own life and death for the sake of their sect.

This was the main reason why a sect could continue to exist—because there were people constantly giving and protecting it.

But the outcome of Elder Hao’s words also disappointed Li Yan somewhat. The other party also had no path to the Lower Realm.

However, Elder Hao’s words also made Li Yan’s mind start to work.

‘That’s right. If I rely solely on the Broken Army Sect and myself to find a path, who knows how long it will take to find a way to the Lower Realm. In a small sect like the Broken Army Sect, which only has Spirit Transformation cultivators, it’s extremely difficult to even obtain supreme-grade Spirit Stones for cross-realm travel. But the Soul-Suppression Palace is already powerful, with two Body Integration Realm old monsters. Once they act, even a behemoth like the Pure Yang Hall would be no match for them…’

Li Yan thought quickly. At the same time, he knew this matter could not be rushed.

Elder Hao himself understood that they had been away from the Immortal Spirit Realm for too long and had become very unfamiliar with the outside world.

And a large number of disciples would need a process to familiarize themselves with the outside world. Otherwise, when they moved about outside, their strength would surely be greatly diminished.