Chapter 1799: Enemy of the Same Rank

Soon after, Li Yan, still in the guise of the gray-robed elder, stood at a certain spot along the Brilliant River. This was only dozens of miles from where he had entered the third layer from the riverbed.

Upon exiting, he immediately sensed his avatar’s presence and felt a sense of relief. The disaster he had feared had not occurred. However, he didn’t know the final outcome of the traps he had laid.

After sensing the Ming sisters were far away, he had moved quickly and stealthily to return here. Not long after his main body arrived, another gray-robed elder appeared before him—someone who looked very similar to his current form. The reason they were only ‘similar’ was that this second figure was half-transparent and half-solid, his appearance blurry.

The second elder didn’t speak. He took a step forward and walked directly into Li Yan’s main body. Their forms overlapped instantly. After a brief distortion, only one gray-robed elder remained. He quickly closed his eyes.

Ten breaths later, Li Yan snapped his eyes open. A brilliant light erupted from his eyes, like two bolts of lightning.

“He actually escaped? That man’s methods are truly impressive. Even with my avatar and the formation, I couldn’t keep him here. And had I not laid out the plan early, and if my avatar hadn’t used the illusion array to keep him distracted, he might have nearly destroyed this avatar…”

As Li Yan’s strength grew, a single avatar he manifested now possessed the power of the mid-stage Spirit Transformation, making it quite formidable. Once the avatar merged back into his main body, all its memories flooded into Li Yan’s Sea of Consciousness.

Yan Qingchen had indeed come looking for him and had stepped into the illusion trap. Li Yan’s avatar had found the perfect moment and launched a signature sneak attack. Although the avatar was powerful, its repertoire of techniques was limited. It possessed only basic techniques and some from the Guisui Five Immortals Sect. It lacked soul arts, poison arts, and body-refining techniques.

However, the aid of a powerful illusion array had made its attacks even more elusive and spectral. Yet, even so, it had failed to kill Yan Qingchen. After a fierce battle, the avatar was heavily drained and nearly destroyed. Fortunately, it had retreated into the ‘Life Gate’ of the formation in time to preserve itself.

Yan Qingchen was incredibly strong. Despite being locked within the grand formation, he had managed to break through. The avatar had seen him use a magical treasure of incredible power to force his way out, though he appeared to struggle. He had suffered a massive backlash, and his injuries were even worse than the first time.

By then, the avatar was in even worse shape, unable to give chase. When Li Yan’s main body arrived, the avatar had been in the process of refining pills to recover. Throughout the battle, the avatar had not revealed its core cultivation style, deliberately using only two attributes of techniques.

Beyond very specific techniques like the Five Elements Chaotic Cape, most Five Immortals Sect attacks wouldn’t be immediately recognized by someone who wasn’t familiar with them. They could use any of the five elements at will, making their techniques hard to distinguish. This time, the avatar had only used ‘Night Concealment’ and ‘Five Elements Returning to the Primordial’ to enhance its attacks. Thus, after the clash, Yan Qingchen only knew his opponent was familiar with two attributes and didn’t suspect a master of the five elements.

Li Yan stood by the river, thinking. After Yan Qingchen had broken out of the array, he hadn’t reappeared.

‘Having survived such a calamity, he likely won’t return. It’s a pity indeed!’

Yan Qingchen had never been able to gauge his true background or methods. After being thwarted repeatedly, he likely wouldn’t come back. Although he might suspect the gray-robed elder was a disciple of Huangqi Valley in disguise, he couldn’t rule out the possibility of a hidden powerhouse living here. Yan Qingchen certainly feared he had allies, and he didn’t know where the Ming sisters had gone.

Having revealed his intentions, any person who wasn’t a fool could guess that Yan Qingchen’s heart was set on breaking the restriction on the purple shell. Knowing this, someone could easily lay another trap. After the clash with the avatar, any subsequent traps would be even more lethal. A person who ‘walked into the tiger’s den’ would be someone who had considered every factor, not someone who simply rushed forward blindly.

‘If my main body had been here, controlling the illusion array personally, I might have killed him…’

Li Yan thought with regret after receiving the avatar’s memories. However, he didn’t think his decision had been wrong. Had his main body stayed here, he would have had a better chance of killing Yan Qingchen, but he might not have obtained the Moon-Gazing Pure Immortal Grass. His avatar’s performance had been limited to the Spirit Transformation realm, and while the Ming sisters had signed a Blood Covenant, that was only because he was stronger than them. Had they discovered any weakness, they might have tried to kill him.

Their cooperation had seemed harmonious, but it was merely a balance he had carefully maintained. Li Yan stood for a while, and instead of taking down the array, his figure flickered and vanished. There was still a lot of time before they had to leave the Inheritance Palace. He would wait here. Everything was just his speculation, after all.

Someone like Yan Qingchen couldn’t be judged by normal logic. Perhaps he would return unexpectedly? Thus, Li Yan decided to wait here. At the first sign of opportunity, he would strike to kill. He didn’t go looking for the man, as that might cause him to miss his chance. Yan Qingchen would either find a way to leave or return here. Li Yan was certain of this now that he knew the purpose of the secret realm.

Days passed as Li Yan sat in the ‘Life Gate’ of the array, waiting quietly for his prey… Until one day, Li Yan slowly opened his eyes.

‘There are only a few days left before we are taken back. I cannot wait any longer. Yan Qingchen has never appeared. He might have already left, or he is still looking for an exit, but he never dared to come here…’

As he thought, he stood up and quickly dismantled the array before flying toward a certain destination. Since he couldn’t stay here, he hoped that Yan Qingchen was in the second category—that the man was still here and would be trapped forever once the palace closed.

During his wait, Li Yan hadn’t just sat idly. He had laid down layer upon layer of restrictions. Given Yan Qingchen’s methods, they wouldn’t be easy to break. But those were just the outer shell; the ‘pulp’ inside was the gift Li Yan wanted to leave him. If he touched them, even a Void Refining cultivator might perish. And if he struggled through those, the trap courtyard would be waiting for him…

By the time Li Yan returned to the Inheritance Palace, there was only half a day left before the white-clothed woman’s deadline. He hadn’t stopped to look for any treasures on the way, so his speed was very fast.

However, as he entered the palace and walked behind the massive statue, his pupils contracted. Many cultivators had already gathered in the main hall. Some were sitting cross-legged in various spots, meditating. Others were still staring at the statue of the Grand Pure Great Daoist Lord, their eyes vacant as if they were lost in contemplation.

Restrictions glowed on all the side rooms, meaning there were still cultivators inside. These people were seizing every last second to gain insights; since this was the point of departure, they didn’t fear being late. Some were gathered in groups, whispering to one another.

Near a massive pillar, Li Yan saw someone he didn’t want to see—Yan Qingchen, along with Liu Siyu. Currently, Yan Qingchen appeared composed, and his skin even had a healthy glow. However, the aura emanating from him was slightly unstable. Li Yan saw through it instantly; the man had used some pill to forcibly suppress his injuries.

‘He actually escaped the second layer and made the decisive choice to return here. This man is decisive, knowing when to give up and when to take. If the Ming sisters were in his position, they likely would have risked staying behind to find the inheritance once the palace closed. Yan Qingchen obtained nothing, yet even though his mission was vital, he chose to abandon it. This shows how deep his scheming is. He would rather face his sect’s punishment and wait for a future opportunity than risk everything. He is a very difficult opponent…’

Li Yan’s thoughts spun, but his expression remained unchanged as he walked forward. However, in his heart, he marked Yan Qingchen as an extremely dangerous enemy of the same rank. Once such a person grew, he would be a great threat to the Five Immortals Sect. Therefore, Li Yan kept calculating how he could quietly kill this deep-scheming enemy before he fully matured.