Zhuo Lingfeng's sudden question made Li Yan suspicious. 'Could Fellow Daoist Zhuo know my Senior Brother? You...' Before he could finish, he suddenly remembered that Huchen Wuding had briefly mentioned Zhuo Lingfeng's origins. In his youth, Zhuo Lingfeng was a peerless talent who had fought with people from the four major sects and had been a renowned figure. At the time, Huchen Wuding had mentioned it lightly, and Li Yan hadn't paid much attention. Only now did he suddenly remember.
"Heh heh, Fellow Daoist Li is indeed that kid Li Wuyi's junior brother. When I first reached Foundation Establishment, I also represented my sect in some competitions among peers organized by the four major sects. I have fought with Li Wuyi. He is one of the few people I admire. Oh, and Baili Yuan, Wang Tian. I've also had contact with others from the three major sects, like Quan Jiuxing and Wang Lang. Oh, has Li Wuyi already formed his Golden Core?" Zhuo Lingfeng stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the dark forest and swamp in the distance. The aura around him surged unstably. He seemed to be recalling the past, and his stooped figure straightened a little.
Li Yan looked at Zhuo Lingfeng in astonishment. Although he had some suspicions, only now did he realize the pride of the man before him. It seemed that among his peers back then, not many had caught his eye. The four major sects governed the entire Desolate Moon Continent, and in every era, there were as many young cultivators as stars in the sky, with talented individuals emerging constantly. But not everyone could compete on the same stage as the outstanding disciples of the four major sects. And Zhuo Lingfeng, who was only a disciple of an unranked, second-rate small sect back then, was able to step onto that stage and compete with Li Wuyi and the others. This small glimpse was enough to see that his talent was by no means as ordinary as his appearance suggested.
But what Li Yan didn't know was that Zhuo Lingfeng had once rejected the Malevolent Spirit Sect's recruitment. During that period, due to a great change in his temperament, he had also become bloodthirsty and cruel. The fearsome name of "Demondog Moonshadow" was even more terrifying.
"So Fellow Daoist Zhuo was a peerless talent of the same generation as my Senior Brother. I joined the sect later and did not get to witness your glory back then. It is my oversight. Senior Brother formed his Golden Core nearly two years ago. As for Senior Brother Baili and the others, they were already in seclusion when I left the sect. I don't know their current situation." Li Yan's words were also vague. He didn't say that he had been away from the sect for a while, but made it sound like Baili Yuan and the others had just entered seclusion. He was just being careful in everything, so as not to reveal in his words that he might not be on a sect mission.
"Oh, so Li Wuyi was indeed the first among those few in the Malevolent Spirit Sect to successfully form a core. Heh heh, if fate allows us to meet again, I will have to address him as 'Senior Li'." Zhuo Lingfeng, whose aura had been surging, showed a hint of loneliness on his figure under the moonlight on the hillside after hearing the result, even though he had already guessed it.
Seeing this, Li Yan naturally saw the loneliness of this once peerless talent and smiled faintly. "If Senior Brother knew of your experiences over these years, Fellow Daoist Zhuo, he would surely admire you greatly. Most of your cultivation resources were given to Huchen Wuding, yet you still reached the Pseudo-Core Realm. This kind of aptitude would make countless people envious. With just one more stroke of fortune, forming a core is not impossible." Li Yan's words came from the bottom of his heart, without a single word of flattery. Just imagine, with the aptitude of Li Wuyi and Baili Yuan, plus the massive cultivation resources of the sect, they had only recently succeeded in forming a core or were still at the Pseudo-Core Realm. In contrast, Zhuo Lingfeng had been hiding and in a sorry state, yet he still managed to cultivate to the Pseudo-Core Realm. This man's aptitude was heaven-defying. In Li Yan's mind, Zhuo Lingfeng was very likely to have a Three-lineage Earth Spirit Root, or even a Two-lineage Heaven Spirit Root, and his Foundation Establishment was most likely seventh-rank or above.
Hearing this, Zhuo Lingfeng shook his head and smiled bitterly. How could opportunities be so easy to find? And he had less than sixty years left. Originally, based on his age, he was only eighty-four. Although his appearance was old now, it was only due to the great changes he had experienced. According to the lifespan of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he should have had over a hundred years to form a Golden Core. But once, in order to obtain one of the main materials for refining the Jade Purification Vase for Huchen Wuding, he had traveled far to a forbidden land of the Jingtu Sect. That time, he had almost lost his life. In the end, although he obtained the required refining material, he had paid for it with decades of his lifespan. Otherwise, not only would he not have been able to escape that forbidden land, but he would have perished inside long ago.
After he came out, he had no extra spirit stones to buy a large number of pills to recover. To this day, he still had hidden injuries that had not healed. But he never spoke of this to outsiders. Even when he told Huchen Wuding earlier that he would form a Golden Core in his remaining years, he still hadn't mentioned that he only had less than sixty years of his lifespan left.
"Fellow Daoist Li, are you leaving now to carry out your sect mission? If there's anything I can help with, feel free to ask. I can accompany you for a while," Zhuo Lingfeng said, directly changing the subject.
Hearing this, Li Yan smiled and shook his head. He could hear the sincerity in Zhuo Lingfeng's words; it was by no means a polite offer. This was naturally Zhuo Lingfeng's gratitude for saving his life and for his help to Huchen Wuding.
"The matter I am attending to is rather secretive. Although I would also appreciate help, it is not possible. Thank you for your kind offer, Fellow Daoist Zhuo." This time, Li Yan did not mention the four words "sect mission." But his search for the "Infinite Wanderer" tree did indeed involve the secrets of the Gui Water Immortal Sect, so he was not lying.
Hearing this, Zhuo Lingfeng pondered for a moment and did not continue to press the matter. "Fellow Daoist Li, I may have to go to a place first, so I need to find the nearest teleportation formation now. What about you?"
"Oh, that's the same as you, Fellow Daoist Zhuo. The place I am going to is quite far away, and I have already been delayed here for a few days. I also need to find a teleportation formation. In that case, I can travel with you for a while." Li Yan had already planned his itinerary. But his final offer to travel with Zhuo Lingfeng had a hint of looking out for him. They were still within the Huchen family's control. Awed by Li Yan's earlier bluff, the Huchen Ancestor would not dare to act recklessly. But it was a different story for Zhuo Lingfeng. Within a range of several thousand li, the Huchen Ancestor might not mind casually killing him. If Zhuo Lingfeng were to truly get far away from the Huchen family, Li Yan guessed that the Huchen Ancestor would definitely not hunt him down all over the world just for this matter. That was not something a Nascent Soul cultivator would do.
Zhuo Lingfeng looked at Li Yan deeply, his eyes filled with a smile. He lightly cupped his hands, then looked at the dark night in the distance. "Then, Fellow Daoist Li, please!" As he spoke, he flicked his large sleeve, and with a low growl, a Black-Armor Demondog was already stepping through the air.
Two days later, in a market town, looking at the bustling crowd, Zhuo Lingfeng and Li Yan stood on the street. Zhuo Lingfeng looked up at a shop in front of them. A banner on its eaves fluttered gently, with the words "Gentle Wind Pavilion" written on it. It turned out to be a shop specializing in teleportation.
"Fellow Daoist Li, because this market is close to the Huchen family, most of the trade here is in medicinal pills. There may not be what you need, but you might find something unexpected if you look around. Since that's the case, I will take my leave first."
At this moment, although Zhuo Lingfeng's appearance was still old, the somber air about him was gone, replaced by a carefree spirit. His figure was no longer stooped. His appearance had aged due to a great change of heart, but his stoop was mostly a deliberate act to match his appearance, to make himself seem more ordinary, all for the sake of better protecting Huchen Wuding.
In the past two days, while traveling with Li Yan, he had recovered from his past thoughts. This made Li Yan marvel at Zhuo Lingfeng's carefree and unrestrained nature. Perhaps only such a person would abandon everything to protect an initial love for so many years.
"Feel free, Fellow Daoist Zhuo. Since I'm here, I'll take a look around. I wish you success in forming your core soon," Li Yan also cupped his hands.
Zhuo Lingfeng said no more. The hand hidden in his sleeve couldn't help but tighten. At this moment, his right hand was holding a jadeite comb. It was something he had seen on the dressing table in Yue Xiangyun's room. When he left Huchen Wuding's small courtyard, he had only taken this one jadeite comb. He thought silently in his heart, 'Xiangyun, after I visit you, I will travel the world. I think one day I will go to the Huchen family. There are still many things to settle. Although I can't kill Huchen Wandong, I must at least teach him a lesson.'
The east wind knows my journey,
Mulberry and elm are lush with shade,
Becoming the glistening silk of a spring silkworm.
The west wind knows my departure,
Withered mulberry leaves fall,
On sunset branches the wind blows cold.
I see no snow on the branches,
Only the parting pavilion of yesteryear...
An image of a graceful young woman appeared in Zhuo Lingfeng's mind. The young woman was holding a mulberry leaf, smiling at him with her head tilted.
Zhuo Lingfeng left. Li Yan saw that the moment he turned, his steps seemed much lighter. But as Zhuo Lingfeng left, his voice echoed in Li Yan's mind. "Fellow Daoist Li, be careful!"
Li Yan stood on the street, his eyes narrowed. Then, with a normal expression, he walked towards a shop.
During their two days of travel, he and Zhuo Lingfeng had felt as if someone was secretly watching them. It was Zhuo Lingfeng who had discovered it and told Li Yan. Zhuo Lingfeng had experienced more life-and-death situations than Li Yan, and his cultivation and senses were much more sensitive. The two of them had remained calm, but after spreading their Divine Sense to scan their surroundings, they had found nothing.
The two had discussed it via voice transmission before, judging that it was probably the Huchen Ancestor watching them with his Divine Sense. A Nascent Soul cultivator's Divine Sense could cover a range of ten thousand li. Within this range, if he wanted to kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it would only take a thought. So after arriving at the market, Zhuo Lingfeng had hurriedly teleported away. Being constantly watched by a Nascent Soul Old Monster made Li Yan uneasy as well. But how could he miss a market? He could only force himself to stay for a while. Besides, he had made this decision after careful consideration. He felt that the Huchen Ancestor would not make a move against him. If he stayed, he might be able to find the refining materials he needed, which would be worth it.
Half an hour later, just as Zhuo Lingfeng had said, after Browse through most of the market, Li Yan lost interest. Most of the shops here sold medicinal pills. There were some shops for spirit artifacts and spirit treasures. As for shops for refining raw materials, Li Yan only saw one, and the things sold inside were all common items. The cultivators who came here clearly had a specific purpose. They basically went in and out of the pill shops, and seemed to have made a good haul.
Since there was nothing for him, Li Yan also returned to the "Gentle Wind Pavilion" and teleported directly north. He still had an important matter to attend to as soon as possible. Two days ago, Li Yan had absorbed various poison spiritual energies from the Huchen Ancestor's magical treasure, which he had been suppressing in his body. His cultivation was now at the peak of the initial stage of Foundation Establishment. According to his normal advancement speed, it would take at least two to three years of hard cultivation to break through to the mid-stage. But this time, he had devoured rare poisonous spirit plants in the Huchen family, and even the toxic blood and fluids of three rare demonic beasts. He could already feel the bottleneck at the peak of the initial stage of Foundation Establishment loosening. Therefore, Li Yan urgently needed to find a deserted place to first refine these poison spiritual energies and toxic essence blood. But a Nascent Soul Old Monster was too terrifying. Li Yan didn't dare to find a place within the range of the Huchen Ancestor's Divine Sense to refine them. If he did, the Huchen Ancestor might discover the reason for the great reduction in his magical treasure's power. Then he would have a reason to take his life. Even more terrifying was the greatest flaw of Poison Cultivators: they might directly dissect him for research, which was also highly possible.
This time, Li Yan's teleportation covered fifty thousand li. Thus, he was not far from the territory governed by the Jingtu Sect, and at the same time, he was far away from the Huchen Ancestor's control.
When Li Yan came out of the "Gentle Wind Pavilion's" other outpost, his brows couldn't help but furrow.