The Huchen Ancestor looked coldly at Li Yan and Zhuo Lingfeng behind him. Huchen Wuding and Zhuo Lingfeng had not yet recovered from their initial shock when they heard the Huchen Ancestor's words, which sounded as if they came from the nine hells. It was clear that in order to keep Huchen Wuding, the Huchen Ancestor had still decided to kill Li Yan and the other man.
Huchen Wuding was aghast. He hadn't expected Li Yan's trump card to be his identity as a Malevolent Spirit Sect disciple. A glimmer of hope had just been born, but the Huchen Ancestor's words plunged him into an icy abyss. He couldn't help but say urgently, "Ancestor, if you do this, I will kill myself on the spot. Even if you can restrain me and keep me from dying, I will give up all cultivation."
As soon as Huchen Wuding said this, the Huchen Ancestor's already cold gaze became even more frigid. Huchen Wuding's words, far from making him wary, instead made him feel that a once-in-a-millennium family genius was going against the interests of the entire family for outsiders. He was already burning with rage. With just a light snort, Huchen Wuding suddenly found that he couldn't move at all, while Li Yan and Zhuo Lingfeng's bodies floated rapidly to a spot right in front of the Huchen Ancestor.
Huchen Wuding's eyes were crimson, but no matter how he struggled, he couldn't make another sound. Zhuo Lingfeng looked at Li Yan with sorrow. In front of a Nascent Soul cultivator, even the will to resist had long since vanished. With just a glance from the man, they had lost all ability to defend themselves. In the next moment, with just a thought from the Huchen Ancestor, they would perish. But when he saw Li Yan, who was also floating in the air, what he saw was a calm face, which made his heart stir.
"Oh, it seems you're not afraid of death? As I said, the Malevolent Spirit Sect will not investigate for a single Foundation Establishment cultivator. Don't plenty of your Malevolent Spirit Sect disciples perish outside every year?" the Huchen Ancestor said slowly, looking at the unusually calm Li Yan.
"Since Senior was somewhat wary of even a Ten-Pace Courtyard disciple's identity, could it be that Senior doesn't want to know my identity within the Malevolent Spirit Sect? Perhaps the Malevolent Spirit Sect really would investigate for a Foundation Establishment disciple like me. That's not impossible. Heh heh, and they would be able to trace it here very quickly." Although Li Yan's body couldn't move, the Huchen Ancestor hadn't restricted his six senses.
Ever since the Huchen Ancestor hadn't immediately killed him in the peach blossom forest, Li Yan knew his gamble was right. The Huchen Ancestor had his reservations, especially since outsiders had seen him appear in the Huchen family. As for what the Huchen Ancestor had just said about still wanting to kill him and Zhuo Lingfeng, it was probably true, but he likely wanted to confirm some information before making a move.
Hearing Li Yan's words, the Huchen Ancestor indeed did not act immediately, but looked at him with a sneer.
"All cultivators at Foundation Establishment and above in the Malevolent Spirit Sect have a Soul Lamp left in the sect. I don't know about the Soul Lamps of the other three major sects, but the Malevolent Spirit Sect's Soul Lamps are kept in a formation set up by a Spirit Transformation Almighty of the sect. That formation not only protects the Soul Lamps, but also has the great divine ability to track the Divine Sense Imprint of disciples who are outside. If a disciple perishes, as long as a Nascent Soul Ancestor or above takes action, they can use this formation and their essence blood to trace the place where the perished disciple's Divine Sense last dissipated. Do you think the Malevolent Spirit Sect, being one of the four major sects, would just let its disciples perish without a second thought?" Li Yan said slowly, his face calm.
Hearing Li Yan's words, the Huchen Ancestor's expression changed several times. The reason he hadn't acted before was because the four major sects not only had Nascent Soul experts, but also possessed the top-tier cultivators of this world—Spirit Transformation Almighties. Let alone Spirit Transformation Almighties, even the divine abilities of a late-stage Nascent Soul expert were by no means comparable to those of a mid-stage one. The gap between Nascent Soul stages was not like that of Golden Core or Foundation Establishment. While a late-stage cultivator could crush a mid-stage one, there was a limit. For example, if a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator wanted to flee, there was a high probability that a late-stage Golden Core cultivator couldn't kill them completely. But it was different for late-stage Nascent Soul. If they wanted to kill a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, it was very easy and casual. It was said that late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators had touched upon a sliver of the shackles of heaven and earth's rules and had already transcended the normal range of cultivators. Not to mention, the Huchen Ancestor was only a cultivator who had just entered the mid-stage of Nascent Soul. He could kill an ordinary cultivator from the Ten-Pace Courtyard; as long as it wasn't an important figure, the Ten-Pace Courtyard wouldn't make a fuss. But to kill a disciple of the highest sect that governed him, he was still somewhat hesitant.
The Huchen Ancestor didn't know what earth-shattering methods late-stage Nascent Soul and Spirit Transformation Almighties possessed, but he knew some secrets from the records. To say that a Spirit Transformation Almighty was a land-walking immortal was no exaggeration. Besides summoning wind and rain, they had unpredictable abilities in divining the heavens and earth, and calculating fortunes.
The Huchen Ancestor's expression changed, but the fierce light in his eyes did not diminish, only flickered uncertainly. Judging from Li Yan's previous performance, he should be an outstanding figure among the younger generation of the Malevolent Spirit Sect. Although the Huchen Ancestor had said that many disciples perished outside every year and wouldn't be investigated, it was also a probe. He was, in fact, apprehensive. Otherwise, he could just perform a Soul-Search and know everything. But then, Li Yan would become an idiot, which was no different from killing him directly.
Li Yan knew his words had made the other party wary, but he still needed one last push. "Senior is likely afraid of a misunderstanding. Because my destination on this trip is the Jingtu Sect to handle a sect mission. The 'Netherworld Order' is just a private matter for this junior, something to be done along the way. I believe with Senior's status, you must have long known that the Malevolent Spirit Sect issued an order for all disciples to return to the sect and await orders. For this junior to still be outside at this time, does Senior really think I intend to betray the sect?"
Li Yan's words were a mix of truth and lies, reality and illusion. He didn't mention the Huchen Ancestor's intention to kill at all, only framing it as a misunderstanding.
In truth, what Li Yan said about the Soul Lamps being stored in a formation set up by a Spirit Transformation Almighty, and that late-stage Nascent Soul experts or Spirit Transformation cultivators could trace the location of a perished disciple using the Soul Lamp, was pure nonsense. He had no idea what the sect's Soul Lamps could actually do. He only knew that when a disciple perished, their Soul Lamp would be extinguished. But the wisp of soul he had left in the sect was a fake one; even if he perished, it would never be extinguished.
However, what he said about being able to find some information about a deceased person's last moments based on their soul was by no means fabricated. Many cultivators knew this. But the ones who could do this were definitely not ordinary cultivators; it required someone with great magical power and divine abilities. Generally speaking, only Old Monsters at the Nascent Soul stage and above might be able to do it. In order to protect their closest relatives, they would leave a wisp of their relatives' soul and perform a spell to refine it. But such immortal arts were so rare that they were only heard of. Even though the Huchen Ancestor had already advanced to the mid-stage of Nascent Soul, he still didn't have this divine ability. It was said that only the four major sects and a few hidden sects might still possess this kind of immortal art.
Based on this piece of information, Li Yan had fabricated a pile of specious words. To make it more realistic, he even specified that even if the sect wanted to investigate the whereabouts of a perished disciple, it would require a cultivator at late-stage Nascent Soul or above to use their essence blood to cast the spell. This explained why, when ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators or above perished, no one tracked them down. Because it was only worth it for a late-stage Nascent Soul Old Monster to expend their essence blood to investigate when an important figure perished.
Then, Li Yan pointed out that this was a special period, and he was out alone on a sect mission. This corresponded with the real order issued by the Malevolent Spirit Sect for disciples to return to the sect, which made the Huchen Ancestor start to believe him. The most crucial point was here. It implicitly indicated that although he was just a small Foundation Establishment cultivator, and his death wouldn't be worth a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator expending a large amount of essence blood to use a divine ability, the fact that Li Yan was out on a mission during this special time suggested that the matter was not small.
Normally, if Li Yan had said this, the Huchen Ancestor would have sneered and not believed it at all. But now, the Malevolent Spirit Sect's order for disciples to return to the sect was a real thing. Unless Li Yan wanted to betray the sect, he wouldn't ignore the secret order and stay outside. In that case, if Li Yan were to perish, the Huchen Ancestor deduced that being out on a law-enforcement mission at this time must be an extremely important one. It might very well attract the high attention of the Malevolent Spirit Sect. And he couldn't be sure if what Li Yan said about the Soul Lamp was true. For a moment, he really didn't dare to gamble.
Although Li Yan appeared calm on the surface, he was extremely nervous inside, fearing that this person would kill him regardless. His participation in the assessment today and these final words were all forced upon him. Who was to blame for him getting caught up in this storm? But whether the Ancestor believed him or not was all in a single thought.
The Huchen Ancestor's eyes narrowed in thought. He suddenly raised his head, and with a beckoning motion, the token that was originally clutched in Li Yan's hand flew directly to him.
The Huchen Ancestor carefully examined the token again. After a long while, he finally looked up. "Heh heh, is this token, like that sword from the Ten-Pace Courtyard, something you snatched from someone else?" he said with a chuckle.
"Senior jests. The Malevolent Spirit Sect's token is no ordinary spirit artifact or magical treasure. It has a self-destruct formation inside and requires the owner to claim it with a drop of blood to be used. Even if someone else gets it, they can't control it," Li Yan said respectfully. In fact, he knew very well that a Nascent Soul cultivator would surely know such a small matter.
"Oh, you try," the Huchen Ancestor flicked his finger, and the token flew directly towards Li Yan. At the same time, Li Yan's body relaxed, and he felt the control over his spiritual energy return to him.
Looking at the approaching token, Li Yan gathered his spiritual energy and gently pointed a finger in the air. The token stopped in front of him, suspended in mid-air, and began to emit a dark green halo. Above the halo, a golden bamboo branch slowly emerged.
"Little Bamboo Peak? You are a disciple of Da Cen?" The Huchen Ancestor's calm face showed a trace of emotion for the first time as he looked at the golden bamboo branch.
As the Huchen Ancestor said this, Zhuo Lingfeng's body trembled slightly in the distance. Even Huchen Wuding, who was supporting him, didn't notice this change. But the Huchen Ancestor caught it with a casual glance from the corner of his eye.
"Replying to Senior, my master is Wei Zhongran. I am the grand-disciple of Ancestor Da Cen," Li Yan said respectfully, having already put away the token. He had been in the sect for several years and had long known about the few Nascent Soul ancestors. He also knew who Wei Zhongran's master was from when Gong Chenying had once spoken of Zhao Min's background.
The Huchen Ancestor nodded lightly, a deep sense of apprehension showing in his eyes. Among the five peaks of the Malevolent Spirit Sect, if one were to say who was the most protective, it would be Da Cen. The Huchen Ancestor knew that Little Bamboo Peak had few disciples, and Da Cen valued his direct disciples fiercely. If he was hesitant before about whether the Malevolent Spirit Sect would make a big fuss and have a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator expend a large amount of essence blood to track down the murderer based on the soul lamp formation after killing Li Yan, now he wouldn't gamble. That Da Cen was a madman, and the disciples he taught were also madmen. He knew of Wei Zhongran. When he was at the initial stage of Nascent Soul, he had been stationed at the Devil's Cliff Crevice on a rotation, and had witnessed Wei Zhongran's frenzied state, which was almost identical to Da Cen's.
Thinking of this, when the Huchen Ancestor looked at Li Yan again, he thought of how Li Yan, facing his intention to kill, had still gone through with the assessment. This person must be quite mad himself.
"Oh, it seems it was Wuding's good fortune to meet you and Fellow Daoist Zhuo." The Huchen Ancestor waved his hand, and the restraints on Zhuo Lingfeng and Huchen Wuding instantly disappeared. The two of them were freed, stunned.
From beginning to end, Li Yan never mentioned the Huchen Ancestor's intention to kill, as if it had never happened. The Huchen Ancestor also took the opportunity to step down. Although he felt aggrieved that he, a mid-stage Nascent Soul expert, was unable to deal with two Foundation Establishment cultivators for a moment, he was after all a formidable figure of his generation. How could someone who had cultivated to the Nascent Soul stage be an ordinary person? In fact, what he was most apprehensive about was his family. He didn't dare to gamble with the entire Huchen family. To risk the entire future of the Huchen family for two lives—anyone could calculate the gains and losses.