Chapter 1768: Peering into Origins

The grey-robed elder did not answer Ming Qi’s question. While staring at Ming Qi, he suddenly said such a sentence. As soon as his words were spoken, Ming Yu’s face changed. But before she could do anything, she had already heard her sister’s transmission.

“Do not act rashly!”

The two of them shared one mind. Ming Qi could sense the change in Ming Yu’s mood without even turning her head. At the same time, Ming Qi appeared relatively calm. She still looked at the grey-robed elder indifferently.

“Senior, where do these words come from? Is it just because you can see that we are body cultivators?”

“The yellow dresses on your bodies are not just a defensive treasure. If I am not mistaken, they can also mask the aura and traces of your true bodies. Therefore, to others, you seem more like normal body cultivators, specifically two body cultivators who are proficient in alchemy. In your last strike just now, the yellow and white light that flashed… to be precise… you relied on this artifact to mask the silver radiance that typically appears when an Undead Nether Phoenix uses its power. It’s just that when you attacked just now, you used too much of the Undead Nether Phoenix’s power, and even under the masking, white still appeared. Moreover, the fact that you could instantly avoid that person’s sneak attack and the subsequent extremely fast counterattack, almost trapping the opponent, was all due to the Phoenix Soaring innate ability!”

The grey-robed elder said calmly.

Actually, at this moment, he was also somewhat surprised. Finally, after seeing these two people strike again today, he had the answer. The grey-robed elder was Li Yan, who had tracked Yan Qingchen all the way. The behavior of Yan Qingchen’s group was too strange, so Li Yan naturally wanted to know what the other party was doing. Especially after hearing the conversation of Yan Qingchen and the others, Li Yan knew that the opponent actually knew of a place that outsiders did not know.

His initial purpose was just to see if he could find any clues about the Lóngyuè qīng xiāncǎo in an unknown land. However, as he tracked them all the way into the abyss and saw the series of events that followed, his heart was filled with surges of waves. Li Yan had unexpectedly seen an unbelievable scene. The control artifact technique Yan Qingchen used to break the Hidden Reef Array was actually a Yin-Yang art!

This point might not be of much concern to others, but current Li Yan was quite sensitive to it. Whenever he saw a Yin-Yang technique, he would become alert at the first moment. Especially based on what Yan Qingchen said, it could be known that the opponent had a so-called former master from Huangqi Valley on the outside. But the technique he performed contained Yin-Yang laws that were so pure, which were definitely not the cultivation techniques of Huangqi Valley.

This made Li Yan wonder if, after arriving in the Immortal Spirit World, he had truly encountered someone from his mortal enemy, the Yin-Yang Chaos Sect, for the first time in the Cangxuan Realm. If Yan Qingchen was truly a cultivator of the Yin-Yang Chaos Sect, what was he doing infiltrating Huangqi Valley?

Although Li Yan could not figure out this question, after he felt that this Yan Qingchen might be a cultivator of the Yin-Yang Chaos Sect, his original purpose and thoughts changed. Moreover, this Yan Qingchen was very insidious. Even if he was sure he could control the other four people, he said he was using five-element artifacts. The Five Immortals Sect rarely made appearances now, so even disciples of Huangqi Valley probably did not know much about it, but Yan Qingchen still did so.

If his guess was not wrong, then this Yan Qingchen was not only ruthless but also meticulous, never forgetting to set traps for the Five Immortals Sect at any time. In that case, he naturally would not let the other party go. This sect had not only almost captured his relatives but also caused trouble for Senior Sister Bai.

‘If you really are, then I can just take a little revenge for Senior Sister Bai first!’ This was Li Yan’s thought at the time.

Li Yan wanted to capture the opponent and perform a soul search, or directly kill him. Even if his guess was wrong and he killed this person by mistake, he would not feel any regret. However, Yan Qingchen’s strength was also quite formidable, and Li Yan was not sure he could strike him down in one hit. Even if he used soul techniques, Li Yan was not sure what defensive artifacts the opponent had on him. This person had infiltrated Huangqi Valley, so he must have many life-saving things on him.

Moreover, the opponent was also good at hiding techniques. Li Yan had failed to discover his existence in the early stages of tracking. Li Yan was also brave and talented. When Yan Qingchen entered that Hidden Reef Array, he still turned into a wisp of light breeze and took the risk to follow him in. This was also because Li Yan had already sensed that Yan Qingchen’s divine sense power was likely not as good as his own.

However, his entry into the Hidden Reef Array was also extremely risky. If Yan Qingchen had already discovered him and was just intentionally pretending not to know to lure him into a trap, then Li Yan would be in trouble. Li Yan ultimately still trusted his judgment. He acted carefully and cautiously, but he also had a certain amount of confidence in his instincts.

Afterwards, he tracked them all the way to a secret realm, only to find that there was only a colorful and magnificent river here. But after a period of time, Li Yan was quite surprised. Although it was magnificent here, everywhere was filled with weirdness, giving the feeling of a dead zone instead… He had been following Yan Qingchen. After a few days, he had not found a single living creature. Even in the river, not a single mayfly appeared.

Afterwards, through continuous searching and constant comparison with a jade slip, Yan Qingchen found the current location on the riverbed. Li Yan had been hiding in the dark, personally watching the opponent set up arrays one by one. But he had not struck yet, constantly confirming Yan Qingchen’s methods in his heart. That was because he was not sure he could capture the opponent alive. Li Yan felt that once he struck, he must go all out.

However, Yan Qingchen clearly had an important purpose for coming here, so he wanted to use the opponent’s hand to see what exactly was at the bottom of the river. Something that was worth a cultivator who was likely from the Yin-Yang Chaos Sect spending so much effort to infiltrate Huangqi Valley to find must be of great value. But to Li Yan’s utter surprise, accidents happened one after another. While he was waiting, he welcomed two approaching auras in hiding.

Immediately, the two people who were sneaking over triggered Yan Qingchen’s arrays, and a great battle soon broke out. When Li Yan saw clearly that it was the Ming sisters, the expression on his face was quite spectacular. The opponent was someone he was familiar with, which already surprised him. He had seen what kind of means Yan Qingchen had used to finally get here with great difficulty. And for the Ming sisters to also be able to get here, their means could also be imagined…

However, as soon as Li Yan thought about how Ming Qi had strangely broken out of the array during that mission to escort pills, he recalled some of his previous guesses. It was when he was being assessed for entry into the inner valley and saw the scene of the two sisters striking. He felt at the time that the opponent’s speed was extremely fast. That kind of movement technique for approaching an enemy instantly was not something a normal Spirit Transformation cultivator should possess, even if it was not as good as his own.

Then that Ming Yu struck out, and with just one palm, she cut off an arm of a golden-robed cultivator. The two sides were a small realm apart. For Ming Yu to break the opponent’s defense with one strike was already surprising, yet the remaining force could still easily cut the body of a Spirit Transformation cultivator. At that time, Li Yan was certain that these sisters were a pair of body cultivators!

Some of the opponent’s performances in that battle gave Li Yan a familiar feeling, but after thinking about it carefully later, he was still unable to solve the puzzle. In the end, he felt it was because he was also good at body cultivation attacks, so he had a familiar feeling toward the same attacking methods. He did not realize that the reason he did not see the characteristics of the Undead Nether Phoenix using its power was precisely because the opponent most wanted to hide it.

Later, he saw Ming Qi appearing outside Xianhe Manor and confirmed that the opponent had indeed broken out of the array, which triggered his previous doubts again. He carefully combined all the events and slowly combed through them. Li Yan unexpectedly discovered a piece of news that was somewhat shocking to him. For that Ming Qi to be able to break out of the array so quickly, she might understand spatial laws. But the opponent’s previous status was that of a rogue cultivator.

First of all, what kind of great fortune or opportunity would allow her to obtain the cultivation method for spatial laws? Such a chance was not non-existent, but it was just too rare. Moreover, for a cultivator to practice spatial laws without guidance and achieve success was extremely difficult. She might have been stuck at the Nascent Soul realm without further progress. That was the initial stage of sensing laws. Of course, if the opponent was a heaven-sent talent, it was also possible to succeed.

However, if all the conditions of the Ming sisters were added together, the chance of successfully practicing spatial laws appearing in a rogue cultivator was just too small. At the same time, Li Yan was also not sure if Ming Yu knew spatial laws as well. And if one wanted to explain all of this, there was an even easier explanation, which was an innate ability…

When he thought of this, Li Yan immediately thought that the opponent might be a demonic beast in human form, using some method to hide their aura, making it very hard for others to see through. Although spatial laws were one of the three supreme laws, there were still many demonic beasts in the world that had this kind of innate ability. Races like Dragons, Phoenixes, and Huangs had this kind of top-tier bloodline, and the bodies of these demonic beasts were naturally strong. They could easily achieve what Ming Yu did with that palm strike.

When the Phoenix and Huang races appeared in Li Yan’s mind, the first one he thought of was the Undead Nether Phoenix. This was a race he was both familiar and unfamiliar with, which had accompanied him through almost all of his cultivation journey. However, the Undead Nether Phoenix race was not as proficient in spatial power as other Phoenix races. But in their bloodline inheritance, they still had the innate ability for spatial laws, although it was a bit lower than other Phoenix races, but this was only relatively speaking. If used to break through some arrays, the chance of success was absolutely stronger than the majority of cultivators relying on techniques and artifacts.

Li Yan’s ultimate guess still leaned toward this point. This pair of sisters might be transformed demonic beasts, but he could not be sure what their true form was. He had only seen the two women strike that once, and their speed performance was somewhat similar, but when they performed their power, they did not have the characteristics of the Undead Nether Phoenix at all.

However, the matter was later dropped. Like himself, the opponent guessed that each other was hiding their methods, and finally, they both intentionally stayed away from each other. Li Yan’s purpose for entering Huangqi Valley was clear. Naturally, he still had to focus his mind on finding the Lóngyuè qīng xiāncǎo, and in the end, he didn’t pay any special attention to them.

But today, here, Li Yan saw these two sisters in a great battle with Yan Qingchen again. The two sides had just gone through one trial, and afterwards, they likely didn’t have much left in reserve. At least this was Li Yan’s judgment. The first one he was certain of was Yan Qingchen. The possibility that this person was from the Yin-Yang Chaos Sect rose sharply to a fifty percent chance.

The opponent’s pair of Dharmic Wheel artifacts were also too powerful, almost on par with the Dark Golden Alms Bowl. Li Yan reckoned that if he were in a situation where he didn’t know the truth, he might not be able to handle it. Instead, he might suffer a big loss. And the opponent only used artifacts twice, and each one was so weird. Who knew what other powerful treasures he had on him?

However, he also saw Yan Qingchen’s weakness. The opponent was a pure dharma cultivator, so his physical body was not strong. In addition, Yan Qingchen’s realm was indeed the late stage of Spirit Transformation, but he also possessed the powerful ability to fight above his level. Li Yan estimated that Yan Qingchen’s strength should be at the peak of the initial stage of Void Refining, or even higher. Only by going all out would he have a certain chance of winning.

However, Yan Qingchen’s techniques were too weird. That kind of seamless switching of power without a trace made Li Yan constantly speculate in his heart. He felt that dealing with it head-on would be quite difficult, unless he ambushed him in secret, used poison, or used soul techniques to directly damage the opponent’s combat power first.

After judging Yan Qingchen’s combat power and possible origin, Li Yan planned to strike. This Yan Qingchen was hard to deal with, and Li Yan’s timing for striking certainly couldn’t wait until the great battle between the two sides ended. Yan Qingchen seemed to have plenty of strength left after controlling the Ming sisters. The ultimate result could only be that the Ming sisters would lose, and there would not be any kind of result where both sides were wounded.

Based on his observation of this Yan Qingchen over these days, this person’s carefulness was not inferior to his own, and it was also carved into his bones. The Ming sisters had unexpectedly appeared here, which was completely different from what Yan Qingchen had imagined, thinking that there were no other living creatures besides himself. He would become even more careful because of this, and it would be hard to ambush him again. Li Yan then made a prompt decision and chose to strike during the opponent’s fight.

He naturally didn’t strike to save the Ming sisters. His purpose was very simple, which was to kill an important enemy who might be from the Yin-Yang Chaos Sect. Once this Yan Qingchen grew up, he would definitely be a great enemy of the Five Immortals Sect. When Li Yan struck, he had to make a choice between soul techniques and poison techniques. Finally, he decided to use poison techniques.

Because the matter happened suddenly, he had not yet decided how to ultimately deal with the Ming sisters. He also saw some things from the movement techniques of these two sisters in dodging and attacking. Using soul techniques was not truly invisible and traceless. It was still possible for people nearby to sense his soul palpitations. Therefore, as long as Li Yan used soul techniques, he had to completely kill all enemies and passers-by, and the Ming sisters seemed to be of use.

But what Li Yan never expected was that although Yan Qingchen’s divine sense was not as good as his own, and Li Yan was also sure his hiding technique had not been discovered by the opponent, an accident occurred while he was approaching. Before he reached the most suitable attacking position, Yan Qingchen had a reaction. Yan Qingchen’s intuition for life and death had already exceeded the limit of his cultivation. Under those circumstances, Li Yan did not hesitate to choose to strike early!

But in the end, what Li Yan found regrettable was that Yan Qingchen’s sudden dodge also gave him a start, so his strike was naturally not full power. He just broke through the opponent’s defense and was blocked by the artifacts. This caused Li Yan’s first strike to not touch the opponent’s body at all. Yan Qingchen actually escaped from the pincer attack of himself and Ming Qi.

For Li Yan, this was a rare failure. The reason was that at the last moment, Li Yan still gave up on using the techniques and soul techniques of the Five Immortals Sect. The reason lay with the Ming sisters. The two of them were striking without sparing any effort, although the two sides only exchanged a few moves. Li Yan confirmed through the trajectories of the opponent’s movement techniques and the penetrating power through space that it was the Phoenix Soaring.

Right after confirming the Phoenix Soaring, Li Yan saw Ming Qi’s full-power palm strike. When she threw that palm strike, Ming Qi herself was already injured, so she could not control her power as she pleased. It was just a desperate strike. When the yellow and white light appeared at the edge of Ming Qi’s palm, Li Yan also felt some familiar aura from that white light. It was just that because it was masked by the yellow light, it was still very blurred. But with these confirmations, it was already enough.

During the process of tracking Yan Qingchen, Li Yan had already changed his appearance. He was still careful and used a Face-Altering Pill to hide himself to the greatest extent possible. After the Ming sisters heard Li Yan’s answer, although they had expected it, they were still slightly startled in their hearts. The opponent had actually seen through the Phoenix Soaring movement technique.

“Senior, do you know us?”

Ming Qi still did not admit it, but she also did not express denial in her words. Instead, she continued to ask a question. Was this grey-robed elder a person from this secret realm, or did someone else disguise their appearance? In her heart, she had the same doubt as Yan Qingchen!