Chapter 1789: The Possibility of Advancement

Although surrounded by stone walls, the space above was a stretch of blue sky and white clouds. It wasn’t an illusion; it was a projection of the actual sky outside, mapped by the formation. The sound of rushing water reached his ears. Another long river appeared here, but it was no longer the brilliant, colorful river from before.

This river was the center of the space, occupying most of the cavern. Only a small amount of ground remained on either side, covered in various sizes of stones. The water was crystal clear, washing the stones on the banks until they were exceptionally clean.

“Is… is this a small spiritual vein?”

A voice came from Li Yan’s side. It was Ming Qi. She and Ming Yu had transformed back into graceful women. However, their faces were as white as paper, devoid of any color. After being wounded previously and then using such a taxing secret art, they wouldn’t even be standing if not for their resilient bodies and internal organs.

Sensing the dense spiritual energy bubbling up from the river like an underground spring, Li Yan’s eyes flashed. “The grade of the spiritual vein at the bottom of the river… is very high!” he added. Thoughts raced through his mind.

“It’s a pity. If we tried to take this vein, we’d likely be discovered the moment we left the secret realm!” Ming Yu stared at the river, her eyes flickering with greed, but her face soon turned to one of regret.

With their strength, they could move mountains and fill seas. Taking a spiritual vein wasn’t a problem. But a spiritual vein had to be merged into a space that possessed true heavenly laws as soon as possible. A space like a spirit-storage ring could only hold it temporarily; the laws inside were incomplete, and it would be hard to contain the aura of such a dense vein. Within hours, spiritual energy would leak out and eventually burst the storage space.

They weren’t in the outside world, and they couldn’t take it back to their clan directly. From the inheritance palace, they had to spend many days on that painted boat. There was no way to hide it. In the end, it would be a wasted effort that would only benefit Huangqi Valley.

“It is indeed a pity,” Ming Qi said, her eyes fixed on the water, seemingly dazed. Such a high-grade vein would surely elevate her clan’s cultivation to the next level, but she was powerless.

“There are still no signs of life here. You two should recover first,” Li Yan said.

He found it increasingly strange that such a perfect cultivation environment was devoid of living beings. His voice remained indifferent and cold. As he spoke, he landed on one side of the riverbank. Ming Qi watched his back. He hadn’t abandoned them to scout ahead, which meant he was still honoring their agreement.

‘If he really is from this inheritance land, he wouldn’t let this vein go. He’ll definitely try to take it,’ Ming Qi thought. Even a top power like Huangqi Valley wouldn’t ignore such a vein. How could he?

But seeing that the elder made no move, she wondered if she had guessed wrong. ‘Could he really be a disciple of Huangqi Valley, and this appearance is just an illusion? He also can’t take the vein back…’

The thought resurfaced. Where did the elder come from? Where did he get their clan’s essence blood? Ming Qi was convinced that while the Great Elder’s divination pointed to an ancestor here, that ancestor could be anywhere in the inheritance land, not necessarily here. This might be a decoy grotto-heaven. Perhaps the elder had already obtained the blood elsewhere, and this was just a place he happened to find. If that were the case, it was the outcome Ming Qi feared most—a wasted journey.

If that was true, should they design a way to kill him when they returned to the brilliant river, once the Blood Covenant expired? Various thoughts surfaced, giving Ming Qi a headache. The elder was too mysterious. She couldn’t fathom his motives. At least he hadn’t kicked them while they were down, which left her feeling conflicted.

‘As long as he shows any killing intent, then…’ she thought. She was wary of Li Yan’s strength; he was indeed hard to deal with. Although they called him “Senior” and his cultivation seemed to be at least at the Void Refining stage, they could also exert Void Refining power. With careful planning, they might be able to kill him. After all, what was their purpose here? It concerned the future of their entire race. If she had the chance, Ming Qi would likely choose to strike. She would always prioritize her clan.

Li Yan stood by the river, looking into the distance as he listened to the water. He had already made a decision.

‘This spiritual vein is of excellent grade. I must take it later. It will be of great use for the Earth Mottle’s advancement. The Earth Mottle must grow as quickly as possible…’

He felt the Earth Mottle was becoming increasingly vital. Since his weaker days, this treasure had protected his secrets and safety. The growth of such an artifact was an incredibly slow process. But with external factors, the process could be greatly accelerated. The vein before him was a golden opportunity.

When should he take it? Crucially, he couldn’t alert the two women. Revealing the Earth Mottle now wasn’t wise. It was better to wait until they were about to leave. He could use the excuse that he was from this inheritance land—a perfect cover. Besides, they couldn’t take it anyway, so they would likely just be helpless and not fight him for it.

‘Ever since the brilliant river, my decisions have been correct… If I had left them in that courtyard, the Concealing Heaven Scarf might not have broken that special restriction…’

Li Yan continued to think. He had saved them initially to deal with Yan Qingchen, a temporary cooperation. He hadn’t killed them later because he had other plans after guessing their identities. In the courtyard trap, he couldn’t let his plan fail halfway, so he saved them again. Finally, they had proven their worth beyond his expectations.

It wasn’t that Li Yan didn’t want to kill them; he was simply weighing their value in his plans. If the treasures here were too important, he would change his plan. Silencing them would be the best solution, and he would abandon his original goal. He also knew they wanted to kill him. Both sides appeared to cooperate, but an invisible line sat in their hearts. Once the profit outweighed the current benefits, they would kill each other without hesitation.

An hour later, the three figures flew slowly along the riverbank. They spread their Divine Sense, but besides the spirit-rich river, they found nothing noteworthy. They were looking for treasure and an exit. The membrane they had passed through was still there, and the Ming sisters could potentially break back out, but what then? That courtyard was likely a one-way teleportation trap—both a gate and a cage.

“There!”

Li Yan suddenly spoke, pointing to a bend in the river where a crack appeared in the mountain wall. Though it was a cavern, the sunlight from above made it look like a canyon. They felt like they were flying over a canyon, with a breeze blowing. Li Yan’s Divine Sense was much stronger than the sisters’, and he no longer needed to hide it. He spoke the moment he noticed the anomaly.

“What did you find, Senior?”

“There is another light screen in that crack. I can’t see what’s behind it. Perhaps another formation or restriction,” Li Yan said with some exasperation. There were too many restrictions. They had broken several and found nothing but more restrictions.

They soon reached the wall. There was indeed a crack an adult could slide through. Deep inside was a gray light screen. Under the bright sunlight, it blended in perfectly; it would have been missed without careful inspection.