When Li Yan's Divine Sense swept over, the manor appeared unchanged on the surface. However, Li Yan sensed more than a dozen hidden auras within the manor, all of whom seemed to be deliberately concealing themselves.
Among these auras, he did not recognize any of the familiar ones from Ding Yushan's group. With a brief thought, Li Yan figured it out. Ding Yushan's small team had suffered heavy casualties. Even if they were replenished, it was unlikely they would be sent back here.
Among these dozen or so auras, Li Yan discovered an extremely strong Golden Core aura in a building in the northwest corner of the manor. This aura should be at the mid-stage Golden Core level. The rest were all Foundation Establishment stage disciples. It was easy to deduce that this person was the leader.
Li Yan had long since activated the "Stealthy Night Art." He didn't want any trouble. Unless the "Grey Copper Coin" of the Jingtu Sect in his hand lost its effect when he went to find the teleportation formation later, then the disciples there would probably send a voice transmission to this person.
What Li Yan didn't know was that times had changed. When he had come here before, whenever he encountered a patrol team, he only needed to take out the "Grey Copper Coin." After they verified its authenticity, they would let him pass directly. But now, the situation in the cultivation world had already changed dramatically.
Just as Li Yan flew away from Griefspirit Manor, in the building in the northwest corner of the manor, a middle-aged cultivator in a soap-colored robe suddenly opened his eyes from his meditation.
"Hmm? It seems someone was peeking here just now. If I weren't cultivating the Divination Art, with my Divine Soul having reached a state of self-forgetfulness, I wouldn't have sensed it at all.
"To be able to evade my Divine Sense, this person's cultivation must be at least at the same level as mine.
"However, he just swept by in a hurry and left quietly. I didn't sense any impending doom from the trigrams. Could this person have just been passing by unintentionally?
"No, now, let alone Golden Core cultivators, even Foundation Establishment cultivators have received the summons. How could there still be a cultivator appearing here?"
The soap-robed cultivator thought for a moment, then shook his head. "There is another possibility. This Golden Core cultivator is carrying out some kind of mission under orders..."
For a moment, this middle-aged cultivator dismissed the thought of giving chase. He had only been ordered to take over the post of the previous Golden Core cultivator stationed here a year ago.
He only needed to stand guard for another six months before he could go back and complete his mission. This was also one of the three major sects' "stakeout" tactics for demon strongholds.
The soap-robed cultivator was very confident in his Divination Art. In his divination just now, he had indeed sensed a human aura, and the other party's cultivation was similar to his own. If it were truly a demon, his combat power would likely be no match for it...
Thinking of this, the soap-robed cultivator completely abandoned the thought of pursuit. Not all human cultivators had a kill-on-sight mentality towards demon cultivators.
Just like this soap-robed cultivator, he was already resentful for being sent here. Although his cultivation was not low, he was not skilled in combat. He was more of the type who cultivated his temperament, a person who pursued the great Dao of longevity, the weakest type of combatant among Golden Core cultivators.
Ordinarily, dealing with Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment cultivators was no problem, but if he encountered a cultivator of the same rank, he would usually run as far as he could.
The soap-robed cultivator also knew that it was because his predecessor had been stationed here for over a year without discovering anything unusual, and now the front lines were tight and needed capable Golden Core cultivators, that he had been sent as a substitute. Otherwise, he would be better off refining pills and planting herbs, fulfilling his duty of supplying medicinal pills.
After flying past Griefspirit Manor, Li Yan did not fly directly to the teleportation formation. Instead, he took a very large detour, only revealing himself after flying more than two thousand li away. He once again suppressed his cultivation to the mid-stage Foundation Establishment level before flying towards the teleportation formation.
The teleportation formation was only about five hundred li from Griefspirit Manor. This range was definitely within the Divine Sense control of the Golden Core cultivator in the manor.
The reason he didn't mind the trouble of first going to investigate the situation inside Griefspirit Manor from a close distance was that he was worried it might have fallen into the hands of the Demon Clan again.
Although the probability of this happening was minuscule, Li Yan was not one to shy away from trouble. He just followed his own plan, proceeding step by step in an orderly manner.
The result was just as Li Yan had expected. So now, he could think of a way to borrow the teleportation formation.
As soon as he flew near the teleportation formation, the Divine Sense of the soap-robed Golden Core cultivator had already locked onto him, scanning him from head to toe several times.
Finally confirming that Li Yan was a human cultivator, but seeing the direction Li Yan was flying, the soap-robed Golden Core cultivator immediately became vigilant.
"Just a Foundation Establishment brat, but judging by his appearance, he's heading for the teleportation formation. It seems he knows there's a teleportation formation there. Could he be a human cultivator controlled by the Demon Clan?"
The soap-robed Golden Core cultivator began to hesitate. His Divine Sense swept over Li Yan's body several more times. When he sensed that this cultivator was completely unaware of being locked on by his Divine Sense, it sparked some other thoughts in him.
If Li Yan had shown signs of detecting that he was being watched, the soap-robed cultivator would have hesitated about whether to intervene. In the soap-robed cultivator's mind, doing so might put his own life in danger.
After confirming that Li Yan's cultivation was inferior to his own, and that the direction he was heading was one of the two places he needed to monitor, the soap-robed cultivator felt a little pleased.
If he could really discover a demon spy, or a remnant of the Demon Clan, and capture them in one fell swoop, then he would have made a great contribution this time. The rewards from above would surely be his.
Thus, the soap-robed cultivator's figure flickered, and he disappeared from the buildings of Griefspirit Manor without a trace.
As he flew, Li Yan's brow suddenly twitched, but his expression remained unchanged. He continued to fly towards the teleportation formation as usual.
'That Golden Core cultivator has indeed come out. He's become suspicious of me.'
Li Yan was not surprised by this. When Ding Yushan had taken him to see the location of the teleportation formation, he had said that even if this teleportation formation was not destroyed, the Jingtu Sect would send cultivators to guard it. For him to fly over so brazenly, it would be strange if he didn't attract attention.
After another quarter of an hour, when Li Yan was still a hundred zhang away from the teleportation formation, a gentle breeze suddenly blew in front of him. Then, a soap-robed cultivator and two young cultivators appeared.
This change made Li Yan stop abruptly. A look of surprise appropriately appeared on his face, and he quickly retreated more than a hundred feet. He had already placed one hand protectively in front of his chest, staring intently at the three people who had suddenly appeared, a picture of extreme vigilance.
In fact, within his Divine Sense, there were five more Foundation Establishment cultivators hiding in ambush near the teleportation formation, watching him closely.
Adding the two young cultivators behind the soap-robed cultivator, there were actually four Pseudo-Core cultivators here. From this, one could guess that the Jingtu Sect still placed great importance on this location.
Seeing Li Yan's nervous reaction, the soap-robed cultivator was extremely satisfied. Everything was under his control. Furthermore, his divination today had shown no calamity of bloodshed, so he was even more confident.
But his face was as cold as ice as he sternly shouted, "Who are you? Why are you here?"
Then, the soap-robed cultivator stared intently into Li Yan's eyes with a gaze that he believed could see through everything, while a surge of his Golden Core aura pulsed from his body.
Next, Li Yan's reaction made the soap-robed cultivator even more pleased.
As if unable to withstand the soap-robed cultivator's pressure, Li Yan's face immediately turned pale, and his body retreated several more steps. Only then did he say in a trembling voice.
"Senior, this... this junior is Jiang... Jianghai. I... I... I was just passing by this place. Oh... no, I... was hoping to use a teleportation formation here..."
Before Li Yan could finish speaking, not only was the soap-robed Golden Core cultivator stunned, but the two behind him and the few hiding in ambush were also taken aback.
'Has the Demon Clan become so rampant now? Are they using a Foundation Establishment cultivator as bait to scout for information?'
But this thought only flashed through everyone's minds before they felt it was too absurdly ridiculous. There must be another hidden reason.
The soap-robed Golden Core cultivator only had a flawed personality. To be able to form a Golden Core and reach this stage, how could he be a fool? His face just stiffened for a moment before he asked in a deep voice.
"Oh? Have you used this formation before?"
His question was also clever. He didn't ask how Li Yan knew there was a teleportation formation here, but directly assumed that Li Yan had used the teleportation formation here before.
If Li Yan answered "yes," he would fall into his trap. Then he would press his advantage, getting to the bottom of it, and Li Yan would have no chance to deny it.
If Li Yan answered "no," then how did he know there was a teleportation formation here?
Hearing this, Li Yan laughed inwardly. He naturally had a plan already. But when he saw the soap-robed cultivator's grim gaze, he first shrank his neck, then swallowed hard, and said in a somewhat hoarse voice.
"I... I haven't used it, but... I know about it."
His answer left the soap-robed cultivator confused for a moment. He didn't want to waste time on a cultivator who was too scared to even speak clearly. At this moment, he was already beginning to consider "Soul-Searching."
The "Soul-Searching" art was a mid-level immortal art that only cultivators at the Golden Core stage and above could cultivate. It was the most direct and reliable way to find information.
But for the person being soul-searched, it was like having their memories forcibly peeled open, an utterly tragic experience. In the end, over ninety-nine percent of them would die. There was less than a one percent chance of survival, and even then, they would definitely become an idiot.
"What nonsense are you spouting? I'll give you one last chance, or else..." The soap-robed cultivator, after all, was not one of those Golden Core cultivators who had lived through years of bloody battles. He still managed to hold back his anger.
"Yes, yes, Sen... ior. It's like this. My... my master traveled near here two years ago, killed an enemy in a manor, and ended up saving a patrol team sent by the Jingtu Sect.
"Because my master and I are from a small, minor sect, and we live in this remote area, it's sometimes quite inconvenient to go out. So my master noted down this teleportation formation.
"My master also made an agreement with that team. If the teleportation formation is still here in the future and we need to borrow it, they would accommodate us as repayment for saving their lives."
As if frightened by the other party's harsh words, Li Yan's speech became more and more fluent.
Everyone was surprised by Li Yan's answer. For a moment, it became quiet.
"Your master? Two years ago, was it?" After a moment, the soap-robed cultivator finally asked with a frown.
"Yes, Senior! I shouldn't have been wrong about the location my master described to me." Li Yan's pale face regained some color as the other party's expression softened.