Chapter 1778: The Lonely One (I)

Despite their confusion, they would certainly try the answer. Having been trapped in this magical treasure for just a few days, they were already nearing despair. That question was like a cursed mantra, constantly troubling their minds. They weren’t worried about the answer itself; they were certain the elder couldn’t control the treasure yet. The worst-case scenario was fleeing back to the front courtyard. However, the answer Li Yan gave seemed to point toward a certain possibility.

“Sister, why is he helping us like this?” Ming Yu sent a secret transmission.

“I’m not sure. Perhaps… perhaps because he has Undead Nether Phoenix essence blood, he identifies with our existence to some degree!” Ming Qi replied, somewhat uncertainly.

She couldn’t quite convince herself. If the elder obtained the inheritance alone, it would be much better for him, making him even more powerful. That was the greatest interest for any cultivator; everything else paled in comparison. But bloodline could be an explanation. Though he was human, his body had truly merged with the essence of the Undead Nether Phoenix.

True Undead Nether Phoenixes were likely extinct in this world, or nearly so. Their clan’s history of searching was proof of that. If someone was influenced by that essence blood, they might develop an affinity for the clan. Ming Qi understood this loneliness. One had to hide their identity as an Undead Nether Phoenix from the world, yet they yearned to find someone like themselves.

For someone like the elder, who had obtained the clan’s innate divine abilities alone, he had to keep that secret buried. If outsiders found out, even with his cultivation, he would be hunted down and refined. This reason wasn’t perfect, but it was an explanation.

However, the sisters never dreamed that Li Yan was weaving a web for his own sect’s sake. For any opportunity that benefited him, Li Yan was willing to sacrifice some immediate gain for greater future advantages. Specifically, encountering a cultivator from the Yin-Yang Primordial Chaos Sect in Huangqi Valley was something he hadn’t anticipated.

Li Yan always acted after careful planning. Letting the sisters stay trapped might yield more immediate benefits, but saving them brought unpredictable risks. If the Undead Nether Phoenix here hadn’t perished but was merely in a deep slumber like Ping Tu or in secluded meditation, a sudden awakening would reveal his and the sisters’ identities, putting him in grave danger.

But Li Yan felt the chance of that, given Huangqi Valley’s presence, was less than twenty percent. To gain benefits, one had to take risks. In terms of cunning, the Ming sisters were bright, but they were far inferior to Li Yan.

After the transmission, Li Yan stepped back several paces. He wasn’t sure if the answer could be used again after one person used it. This was why he didn’t re-enter the courtyard—that would be tempting fate.

He watched as Ming Qi and Ming Yu, after hearing his transmission, didn’t immediately move toward the gate. Their eyes flickered as they likely discussed it secretly. Li Yan didn’t try to persuade them; that would only have the opposite effect. He knew they would try. He had personally experienced the torture of being in that magical treasure.

The sisters were simply convincing themselves. The elder’s willingness to bring them out was unconventional, and his refusal to explain was actually better—it left them to their own guesses.

Sure enough, after just seven or eight breaths, Ming Yu shook her head firmly and walked toward the gate. She clearly intended to try first. Seeing this, Ming Qi’s expression flickered, but she stood behind her sister, her magical power surging, ready to provide backup. Aside from knowing about the scarecrows, they didn’t know if this answer would cause other anomalies.

But at this point, did they have a choice?

The moment Ming Yu stepped onto the edge of the gate, she froze. Outside, Li Yan’s eyes were fixed on the moon gate. He noticed that the moment she stopped, the gate he could see suddenly vanished. Ming Yu and Ming Qi were obscured by a dense black shadow. Even with his Divine Sense, he couldn’t see them.

‘I can’t see the scarecrows or the area within several dozen feet of the gate. That dense black shadow must be some kind of defense. It prevents someone outside from coordinating an attack with someone inside against the scarecrows…’

As Li Yan’s thoughts spun, his vision blurred again. A figure appeared abruptly before him, and the gate reappeared. Ming Yu stood outside, looking dazed, while Ming Qi stood inside with her mouth agape. Both were clearly in disbelief.

“I… I truly came out…” Ming Yu murmured, looking around in astonishment. Her gaze quickly focused as she looked back into the courtyard. “Sister!”

The light in Ming Qi’s eyes was now brilliant. As Ming Yu looked at her, she was already walking toward the gate…

Looking at the surroundings that were now somewhat familiar, Ming Qi and Ming Yu instinctively took a deep breath. Without a word, they bowed deeply to Li Yan.

“Thank you, Senior!”

Li Yan nodded, not wanting to dwell on it. “Let’s check the surroundings before deciding our next move!”

With that, he rose into the air. Seeing this, the sisters followed suit, surveying the area. These were spirit fields, but aside from weeds, they hadn’t found any treasures, and the scarecrows were nowhere to be seen.

In the air, the three continuously scanned the area with their Divine Sense. Though Li Yan had searched before, he had only quickly gathered the herbs and hadn’t done a thorough search.

“Senior, might we know how you thought of that answer? If it is inconvenient for Senior to answer, then consider it my mindless babble,” Ming Qi asked after a moment of thought.

In truth, the answer Li Yan provided revealed the intention of the trap’s creator to the sisters, but they had thought of so many answers without ever considering something so simple. During that time, the elder had failed repeatedly as well. He had been investigating the southern wall before suddenly leaving through the gate. Had he found a clue on that wall? They had searched it thoroughly themselves and found nothing. They were both intensely curious.

“It was just a sudden flash of inspiration. I wasn’t certain it was the answer either. While searching for clues at the wall, I suddenly felt the environment was far too quiet—there wasn’t even the sound of an insect in the bamboo. Furthermore, I never saw a single bird in the sky. Such silence is normal for a secret realm; you could even view it as a dead zone. But the longer one stays in the bamboo forest, the more one feels that the vitality of the bamboo clashes with the absolute silence of the courtyard…”

Li Yan didn’t hide the truth and offered a quick explanation. After spending time in the forest, he had felt an uncomfortable atmosphere due to a specific vibe. Li Yan had spent a long time at Bamboo Peak; his understanding of bamboo forests was far beyond theirs.

Once he realized it, he noted the bamboo in the courtyard was too elegantly quiet—a quiet that felt meticulously constructed rather than natural. Because there were no insects or birds, Li Yan had immediately checked the ground. In the courtyard, he couldn’t find even a single ant.

Ming Qi and her sister had likely noticed this as well, but as Li Yan said, if you view it as a dead zone, it doesn’t seem strange. Most secret realm spaces feel alien or eerie because they differ from the space one normally inhabits.

Li Yan had noted no birds flew across the sky—details they had ignored before. It was as if someone had deliberately kept this place in absolute quietude. Then, he thought of the scarecrow’s role. Having grown up in a mountain village, he had made many scarecrows to place in fields. The purpose was simple: to scare away birds from eating the grain.

Combining this with the unnatural quiet of the courtyard, Li Yan guessed the answer to the scarecrow’s question: it was there to drive away outsiders who disturbed the peace. To be safe, he had added the mention of birds. The phrase he gave the scarecrow was very short.

“To drive away all birds and those who disturb the quiet dreams!”