Li Yan was initially shocked, but he immediately realized he might have made a rudimentary mistake. From the other party's words, Li Yan had already guessed that this phenomenon of immortals and mortals coexisting in one city seemed to be quite normal within the jurisdiction of the Jingtu Sect. However, his face remained impassive as he silently gazed at the burly man.
Seeing Li Yan's indifferent reaction to his own surprise, the burly man hesitated. He felt that Li Yan was not as ignorant as he had guessed. But this matter was clearly the most common of things. However, as someone who had traveled the martial world, he also knew that the questions some people asked were not their real questions. It might just be a lead-in, and the real question would be asked inadvertently later. Such people often did not want others to know what they were really after, using indirect methods to obtain or deduce the answers they wanted.
Just as the burly man was about to answer, he suddenly looked back. Before he did, Li Yan had already raised his head to look in a certain direction. Only the two young men behind the burly man were still staring at Li Yan with wariness.
By the time the burly man turned his head, Li Yan had already retracted his gaze. The burly man couldn't help but be even more surprised, because his Divine Sense had only just detected someone flying in their direction from afar, yet this young cultivator before him had noticed even earlier. But what the burly man didn't know was that Li Yan had actually discovered them long ago, right before he intercepted the burly man. He just didn't want others to know how powerful his Divine Sense was, so he only glanced over just before he sensed the burly man was about to turn his head.
"Fellow Daoist, let's talk as we fly. It's too conspicuous to stand here." The burly man's attitude became more respectful. Li Yan's strength was definitely above his. Although he had seen that Li Yan was extraordinary before, he was confident in his own life-saving methods and might not necessarily be afraid of a direct confrontation. But seeing that the other person's strength was much greater than his own, he naturally did not want to anger Li Yan.
While the depth of a cultivator's Spirit Power was crucial in battle, it was not absolute. Take the burly man for example; among fellow initial-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, his Spirit Power could be stronger or weaker than others. For example, if he encountered a wind-attribute cultivator with a Variant Spirit Root, their Spirit Power cultivation might not be very profound, but they were top-notch when it came to escaping. If one chased them thinking their own Spirit Power was deeper, it would often be difficult to succeed. To fly the same distance, you might need to expend twenty percent of your Spirit Power, while a wind-spirit-root cultivator might not even need ten percent. However, the strength of one's Divine Sense was a universally recognized measure among cultivators. Divine Sense was very difficult to cultivate, and methods for cultivating it alone were extremely rare. It basically strengthened along with one's realm and power, but even so, increasing one's Divine Sense by even a sliver was as difficult as ascending to heaven, requiring countless years of effort. With a powerful Divine Sense, one could execute many advanced Immortal Arts. Even if one's cultivation and Spirit Power were insufficient, one could still drive techniques within the range controlled by their Divine Sense, just not at full power.
Hearing the burly man's words, Li Yan nodded. He didn't want to just stand in the air either. He urged his Spirit Power with his feet, and the Cloud-Piercing Willow slowly flew forward. The burly man stared at the flying magical treasure under Li Yan's feet, a strange glint passing through his eyes. Just now, he had clearly accelerated to go around this person, but with just a flicker, this person had appeared in front of him. The rank of this person's flying magical treasure was definitely above mid-grade.
The four of them flew slowly towards the city ahead. Li Yan did not rashly step onto the other party's flying magical treasure. This was a major taboo for both sides.
"Fellow Daoist, this is the case in several of the larger cities of my Jingtu Sect. However, the mortals in the city don't know much about this..." the burly man finally began to speak, slowly telling Li Yan about some matters of the Jingtu Sect. These were not secrets, but since immortals and mortals walked different paths, they were not recorded in the texts. Anyone who had been to the Jingtu Sect once would know this clearly. While he was speaking, the two young men behind him still stole glances at Li Yan from time to time with strange looks, and the burly man was also observing the reaction on Li Yan's face.
But they were destined to be disappointed. Li Yan, who was flying in sync with them, besides wearing a full smile and nodding from time to time, showed no expression of surprise or doubt. Li Yan's expression further convinced the burly man that he was just trying to ask about something through indirect means. So, he became even more vigilant, afraid that Li Yan would suddenly interrupt with a question and he would inadvertently say something he shouldn't, which might bring trouble upon himself.
But in reality, the burly man's words were already causing continuous surprise in Li Yan's heart. Li Yan never imagined that the Jingtu Sect would build their cities this way. The matter was originally simple, and the burly man finished explaining in a moment. During this time, Li Yan also interjected with some questions, but the burly man was very cautious, either giving a vague answer or saying he didn't know much himself.
Li Yan naturally knew what the burly man was worried about. If it were him, facing a strange cultivator with a higher cultivation who suddenly blocked his way, he would also want to leave as soon as possible. As for answering questions, he would just say what he could.
Seeing that he had answered the questions, the burly man was about to bid farewell to Li Yan. "Fellow Daoist, these matters are all commonplace. Even if you ask some respected mortals in the city, you might get the answers you want. It's by no means a secret, but rather extremely ordinary. This humble one and my two disciples have urgent matters to attend to, so if..."
Li Yan had been watching the three of them all along. Before the burly man could finish, he raised his hand to stop him. Seeing this, the burly man couldn't help but feel annoyed. As they flew, the city ahead was already not far. He reckoned that Li Yan wouldn't dare to make a move in a place guarded by a Buddha, so he was about to flick his sleeve and leave.
But at this moment, Li Yan spoke faintly, "To be honest, Fellow Daoist, I knew some of what you said, but there are indeed things I did not know. This is actually my first time in the jurisdiction of the Jingtu Sect. I am an Alchemy Cultivator, sent here on a mission by my family. Unfortunately, I have never been here before, and the person familiar with this place is in seclusion, so... I must still trouble you to be more detailed, Fellow Daoist. I would be immensely grateful!"
Except for the part about it being his first time in the Jingtu Sect's territory, none of Li Yan's words were true, but he had laid a trap within his words.
As expected, the burly man had originally intended to leave with his disciples regardless of what Li Yan said. Their sect paid tribute to the Jingtu Sect every year. Although this young cultivator's cultivation was stronger than his, and he couldn't be sure of his identity, he believed that Li Yan wouldn't dare to make a move here. But when he heard the latter half of Li Yan's words, the displeasure that had been gradually appearing on his face quickly vanished. The respectful expression from before reappeared on his face, only this time, the respect was mixed with a hint of excitement.
"Oh? So Fellow Daoist is an alchemist! It seems I was blind. If I was impolite in my words just now, I hope you won't take it to heart."
Seeing the other party's attitude change so drastically, Li Yan smiled inwardly. 'It's true then. In this cultivation world, alchemists and artifact refiners are truly respected.'
As long as one was a cultivator, one could not do without medicinal pills and spirit artifacts or magical treasures. They would deal with alchemists and artifact refiners their entire lives. An alchemist or artifact refiner with some fame never lacked followers. If they ran into trouble, a single call to arms would have many people fighting to do their bidding. The purpose, of course, was to gain the favor of an alchemist or artifact refiner. If the other party truly accepted the favor, they would have some guarantee of medicinal pills and magical treasures in the future.
So, Li Yan's words had indeed caused the burly man's attitude to change dramatically.
"Oh, so you're from an alchemy family? I wonder..." the burly man continued, not one to believe someone with just a single sentence. So he asked again, feigning hesitation.
"Oh, this humble one is from the Huchen Family. I wonder if you have heard of it?" Li Yan said with a smile. He already knew that the Huchen Family had business dealings with the Jingtu Sect. Otherwise, where would the "Netherworld Order" have come from? So he used the Huchen name without hesitation. Anyway, he didn't like the Huchen Ancestor either. If he caused some trouble because of this, he wouldn't mind giving the Huchen Ancestor a headache.
"Ah... You are from the Huchen Family, a poison... alchemy... cultivator. I am Ouyang Jinfei, an elder of 'Thousand Peaks Mountain.' It is an honor to meet Fellow Daoist Huchen... Huchen..."
The burly man who called himself Ouyang Jinfei was first surprised, then a look of joy appeared on his face as he cupped his hands towards Li Yan. But he didn't know Li Yan's name, so he paused in the middle.
"Hehe, I am Huchen Jianghai. I wonder about the division of areas for mortals and immortals that you just mentioned, Fellow Daoist Ouyang. I'd like to avoid going to the wrong place later," Li Yan said, unhesitatingly giving Huchen Jianghai's name. He wouldn't make a name for himself outside anyway, but it was possible he might accidentally cause some trouble, so he might as well pin it on Huchen Jianghai. He had almost been killed by people sent by Ye Luoyan. If the Ye Family was also an alchemy family, he would have just said he was from the Ye Family.
"Oh, oh, oh, Fellow Daoist Jianghai, I see that you are not very old, yet your cultivation is astonishingly high. It is truly admirable. Hmm, since this is your first time here, your family should have had someone familiar with this place accompany you or inform you in advance. To come like this is indeed a bit hasty." Ouyang Jinfei still didn't answer Li Yan's question but instead showed great familiarity and concern for him.
Li Yan shook his head inwardly. 'It seems no one you meet out here is easy to deal with. This man is clearly someone who has seen the world.'
Li Yan looked at the city, which was now only a few li away, and gave a bitter smile. "Family matters, alas, it's hard to say..."
Li Yan's words were nonsensical, but to Ouyang Jinfei's ears, a look of relief appeared on his face. A cultivation family was also like a sect. The competition for cultivation resources among the disciples was no less intense than in a sect. It was not uncommon for blood brothers to kill each other.
'It seems this person is from a branch that has been ostracized. But what has that got to do with me? As long as I can buy some medicinal pills from him, that's all that matters.' Ouyang Jinfei not only knew of the Huchen Family, but he had also made detailed inquiries about them before. It was a family of Poison Cultivators. The antidote pills they sold were extremely sought after, and their Poison Pills were even rarer. To protect the Huchen Family's status, the number of pills they released each time was pitifully small. Ouyang Jinfei had tried to buy Huchen Family pills many times, but he was just an elder of a third-rate sect. Such a thing was not for him to even consider. As soon as the pills were released, they would be bought up by the Jingtu Sect. Although not all were bought, the rest were divided up by other major powers.
Ouyang Jinfei tactfully did not pick up on Li Yan's line of conversation. He then began to explain in detail, "Actually, this is the case in several cities of the Jingtu Sect. In the center of the city, there is always a grand temple. Outside the temple is where the mortals live. Of course, the mortals actually only live in a small half of this city. The larger part is shrouded by a formation, and mortals have no way of knowing that this city is actually very large. They only live in a very small area.
"The area where we cultivators are active is entered through the temple. That is our area of activity. The reason the city is constructed this way is to facilitate the spread of Buddhist teachings and to save all living beings, allowing mortals to have the opportunity to worship the gods at all times and experience the supreme authority of the immortals."