Chapter 1668: Unknown Enemies

Within the sweeping folds of Gu Jiuqi’s banner, Li Yan stood with a Nascent Soul clutched in each hand. A short distance away, the two Spirit Transformation masters stood frozen. However, two identical, bloody holes had appeared in their abdomens.

Because Li Yan was too fast, his figure had already solidified before the blood and organs could even spill out. In his rage, he hadn’t wanted to give them a single chance to use their Spirit Transformation divine abilities. These were three masters. If they grew desperate, the laws of the world would react to their full power. Not only would it squeeze them out of the Barren Moon Continent, but the surrounding cultivators might be swept away by that force as well.

Thus, Li Yan had used soul arts, the Sunflower Water Divergence Stings, and Phoenix Soaring the Heavens. He had also used the Qiongqi Purgatory Technique and his Limb-Severing Poison. His body was comparable to the Void Refining stage; even with his cultivation suppressed, tearing through cultivators with pierced souls was no challenge. Even Zhao Min or Gong Chenying could have broken their defenses in that state. Li Yan’s palms were coated with several types of Limb-Severing Poison. These toxins were the result of his long research—combinations that could multiply the explosive power of the poison. Against Spirit Transformation cultivators, it was an instant death upon contact.

The two Nascent Souls were a strange rose-red color, looking incredibly eerie. Li Yan looked at Gu Jiuqi with a dazed expression, while Gu Jiuqi stared at the two souls, which no longer possessed a shred of life.

“You… you don’t know where these people came from?” Li Yan asked, sounding uncertain.

In his mind, since they had attacked the sect and fought such a brutal battle, there must be some irreconcilable grudge with the Ghost-Severing Sect. He hadn’t considered any other reason. He had killed them quickly to prevent them from using their full power and becoming a nuisance. Naturally, the faster and cleaner the kill, the better.

Gu Jiuqi watched as the strangely colored Nascent Souls disintegrated into a cloud of red dust. He gave a helpless, heavy nod.

“No. I. Don’t.”

Now that he saw Li Yan’s face clearly, he remembered who he was. Li Yan from Little Bamboo Peak, the one with the unique Limb-Severing Poison body, the one who had reached the Nascent Soul stage hundreds of years ago.

At that moment, the giant banner fell away, revealing the two corpses. The people outside hadn’t seen the details of the fight within.

“This…” Li Yan’s expression went blank. He hadn’t expected this situation.

“Li Yan!”

“Little Junior Brother!”

“Junior Brother Li!”

Voices began to ring out, filled with various emotions, but all sharing a sense of shock. These were the voices of Wei Zhongran, Li Wuyi, Baili Yuan, and the others. The Spirit Transformation auras had previously kept them at a distance. Now that the shockwaves were fading, they flew in from different directions, seeing Li Yan’s face.

Among them, Gong Chenying and Zhao Min said nothing, their eyes reddening. From the moment Li Yan appeared, their eyes had fixed on him, ignoring everything else. Even as they flew toward him, they saw only that one figure. They didn’t speak; they just wanted to confirm with their own eyes that the man before them was truly the one they had missed for so long…

At the mountain gate below, the battle came to a sudden halt. The thunderous sounds vanished quickly. Everyone stared blankly at the sky. The sudden turn of events left them all at a loss. Because their cultivation was too low, the disciples hadn’t seen exactly how it had happened. In their eyes, a powerful helper had suddenly joined their side, and the Chimera Emissary’s banner had swept out, ending it in a flash…

“Who… who is that?”

“It’s Senior Uncle Li Yan!”

“That’s Old Ancestor Li from Little Bamboo Peak?”

Some recognized him but couldn’t see through his cultivation. In their memory, he was still the Li Yan who had reached the Nascent Soul stage centuries ago. Many didn’t know him at all, such as Li Zhaoyan, who was holding the white-robed Bai Rou and weeping uncontrollably.

As everyone looked up at the dramatic shift in the sky, no one was left to restrain her. Li Zhaoyan immediately flew to the side of the ancient ape puppet. She pulled the unconscious Bai Rou out, sobbing until her voice cracked. But by then, she had heard the voices around her. she lifted her tear-stained face to the sky.

“Dad… Dad?”

In the sky, Gu Jiuqi was the first to reach Li Yan. “These are all the enemies for now. Let’s check the casualties first and talk later!” He ordered Li Yan and the arriving cultivators. Then, without waiting for an answer, he was the first to descend toward the mountain gate…

It wasn’t until half an hour later that Gu Jiuqi, Li Yan, and all the mobile Nascent Soul cultivators of the Ghost-Severing Sect appeared on the main peak of Old Monarch Peak. During that time, Gu Jiuqi had disappeared for a while. Spirit Transformation cultivators from elsewhere on the Barren Moon Continent had arrived after sensing the disturbance. Gu Jiuqi went to speak with them briefly, settling them nearby before rushing back. Those masters were shocked to hear of so many mysterious Spirit Transformation enemies. They knew Gu Jiuqi had affairs to settle and kept their distance, waiting elsewhere while the sect was sealed.

When Li Yan sensed them coming, he and Gu Jiuqi quickly agreed to keep his Spirit Transformation status secret. Both were crafty men. They decided that since the enemies’ origins were unknown, it was best for Li Yan to remain hidden. When the other protectors came, Gu Jiuqi would gauge their reactions before deciding what to do. Li Yan would be their trump card. Because Li Yan had moved too fast and Gu Jiuqi had been attacking at the same time, no one had seen exactly how he killed the enemies. If Li Yan were at the late-stage of the Nascent Soul realm and used his poison to sneak attack, it could be explained away. Wei Zhongran and the others might suspect something, but Li Yan would decide whether to tell them later.

Inside the main hall of Old Monarch Peak, Li Yan’s expression was grim. After a brief talk with Gu Jiuqi, they had each gone to check on the sect’s situation. He hadn’t even had time to speak more than a few words to Zhao Min and Gong Chenying. After seeing the injuries of Bai Rou and Wei Chituo, he immediately gave them pills. It was confirmed that Qianji had perished, and several others were on the brink of death…

They stabilized the wounded before gathering for this meeting. Everyone was concerned about this mysterious disaster. Li Yan’s return was set aside for now; there was no joy of reunion. The Chimera Emissary also sat with the Nascent Soul cultivators for the first time. They exchanged information quickly. Li Yan had learned some things, but after Gu Jiuqi’s confirmation, he realized the disaster had come without warning. Seven people had come, including a terrifying Spirit Transformation master who had quietly sealed the entire sect.

Everyone knew Gu Jiuqi’s true body was in the Immortal Spirit Realm. Li Yan knew exactly how strong he was. Without using his full divine abilities, a local late-stage Spirit Transformation master shouldn’t be his match. But this didn’t mean Li Yan was stronger than him; Li Yan was here in his true body, while the other was just a clone. Li Yan didn’t know the details of the clone’s cultivation or techniques.

But after facing the clone earlier, Li Yan had seen him fight. He could sense that the other’s spells drew upon the power of the world, and assuming he didn’t exceed the late-stage Nascent Soul, he could hide over fifty percent of his Heavenly Rule fluctuations. The master Li Yan had killed could only hide about thirty percent. With other masters assisting, Gu Jiuqi had been hesitant to push his spells to the limit of the world’s laws. Otherwise, he might have been squeezed out of the realm before he could finish the fight, leaving threats behind.

There was also the unknown factor of the mysterious person who had scared off the enemy leader. Gu Jiuqi was worried about whether that person was a match for the enemy. If he were forced out of the realm, the sect would be finished. Thus, since Wei Zhongran and the others were willing to fight, he had no choice but to use their power. He was stalling for time, waiting for other local protectors to arrive. His duty was to protect the sect, not any specific disciple.

He hadn’t expected Li Yan to arrive first, but it proved his approach was correct. After hearing the account, Li Yan confirmed these masters weren’t from the Barren Moon Continent. They were outsiders, but why they came to destroy the sect, even Gu Jiuqi didn’t know.

Li Yan felt a surge of regret. He hadn’t expected his swift arrival to leave the sect in such a mysterious crisis. Without knowing the cause, the Ghost-Severing Sect would remain in danger. Gu Jiuqi mentioned his brief meeting with the other local protectors. There was no one suspicious among them; he couldn’t tell if someone had colluded with outsiders.

Then they spoke of the two vanished Spirit Transformation masters. Gu Jiuqi and Li Yan spoke privately. After learning Li Yan hadn’t reached Spirit Transformation in the lower realm but had come from the Immortal Spirit Realm, he felt relieved. He had been shocked by Li Yan’s power! He felt he was no match for Li Yan. He had considered the possibility that Li Yan had actually gone to the upper realm. After all, as the Chimera Emissary, he knew about Li Yan’s disappearance, and he had even heard rumors of him being in the Northern Pastoral Realm. He was the strongest guardian, and nothing happened in the sect without his knowledge.

He told Li Yan that the arrays at the weak spatial points hadn’t given any warning. If they had forced their way in, there would have been a disturbance. This meant they had powerful methods to shield their arrival. He guessed the hidden person who sealed the sect was from the Immortal Spirit Realm. These things were only for Spirit Transformation cultivators; Nascent Soul cultivators had no power to handle them.

Li Yan wondered if the Ghost-Severing Sect had powerful enemies in the upper realm who wanted to destroy their mortal foundation. ‘Could the person who helped us be from the Ghost-Severing Sect in the upper realm?’ Li Yan asked.

“It doesn’t seem like it. Though it’s hard to contact my true body, I do receive messages occasionally. In my memories, that hidden helper’s voice was entirely strange…” Gu Jiuqi replied.

But after seeing Li Yan’s strength, he felt a weight lift from his heart. Even if that mysterious enemy returned, the two of them could handle it together.