The grey-robed elder's facial muscles twitched a few times like that, as if he were smiling, but it looked more like he was just pulling at the corners of his mouth. Even so, in the eyes of the group of cultivators on duty, this was a rare sight.
At least in the two years they had been on duty with this "Martial Uncle Li," they had never seen him show such an expression.
Li Yan, of course, knew what was said in the Jade Slip. He had already read it in the teleportation formation. It was nothing more than a clear explanation of his origins.
"Hehehe, little friend, may I know your esteemed master's name?" The grey-robed elder was more worldly-wise than Dong Qijie. Dong Qijie's skin was still a bit thin; he felt it was a bit abrupt to directly ask for the name of that powerful and mysterious cultivator and had wanted to approach it slowly.
But this grey-robed elder was much more direct. He came right out and asked Li Yan. At their realm, it was not easy to meet a cultivator whose cultivation was higher than their own. And since the other party had saved Ding Yushan and the others, at the very least, his character was still decent.
The grey-robed elder had also previously asked Ding Yushan and the others in detail about what had happened here. When he learned that the black-robed youth who had saved them had killed two demon lords in one go, his heart could only be described as shocked.
Even an early-stage demon lord was very difficult for an ordinary mid-stage Golden Core cultivator to kill. Therefore, the grey-robed elder guessed that the black-robed youth's cultivation was at least at the late-stage Golden Core.
Late-stage Golden Core and mid-stage Golden Core, though it seemed like just one step away, the gap between the two was like a natural chasm. A late-stage Golden Core had faintly touched upon a sliver of the Law of the Nascent Soul.
Law was a supreme immortal art of heaven and earth that only cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage and above could comprehend. It was the true beginning of touching upon the ethereal realm of "immortality."
Therefore, many Golden Core cultivators hoped to have the fortune to befriend a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, preferably one at the Pseudo-Nascent Soul realm. They might have already had a "touch" of the "Law."
If the other party could give them a little guidance, it might benefit them endlessly, saving them tens or even hundreds of years of detours, and allowing them to reach the late-stage Golden Core realm ahead of time.
After reading the Jade Slip, the grey-robed elder naturally guessed Dong Qijie's intentions. So, letting Li Yan use the teleportation formation was all within reason.
He even thought that Dong Qijie had already gotten the detailed information of that mysterious black-robed youth. So he quickly put on what he considered to be a very "amiable" smile, not knowing how stiff his smile was, like a cracked, withered tree trunk.
"Reporting to Senior, my master calls himself 'Wuyouzi.' As for his name..."
Since Li Yan had fabricated that the one who had acted was his master, he had naturally thought through all the causes and consequences, or rather, he had made them all up. He said it without hesitation, but his words trailed off at the end, his face showing difficulty.
"Oh, so your master is Fellow Daoist 'Wuyouzi.' I have indeed admired you for a long time, hehehe..."
Hearing Li Yan report the name, the grey-robed elder searched his mind, but couldn't find anyone who matched this person.
'Wu... you... zi. Wuyouzi. Just from the name, you can tell it's the kind of name that a powerful, idle cultivator who doesn't meddle in worldly affairs would take.'
He recited it a few times in his heart. As for Li Yan not revealing the name, it was not unexpected.
The reasons why cultivators embarked on this path were many and varied. Some might be due to a temporary setback, others might have seen through the mortal world due to a lost love, and then by chance encountered immortal fortune, and so on. All these reasons could lead them to inadvertently walk the path of immortality.
Afterward, people of these two types would randomly give themselves a name or a title, abandoning their former mortal names, and even being unwilling to have them mentioned by others again.
The intention was to cut off the past and focus on seeking the Dao and asking for immortality.
Hearing the grey-robed elder's polite words, Li Yan couldn't help but find it amusing. He wondered where the other party's long-held admiration came from, unless this person had truly heard of someone called "Wuyouzi."
But from the frozen expression on the other party's face, it was clear that he hadn't. Otherwise, he wouldn't have just given such a dry speech. But Li Yan still maintained a respectful expression and continued to listen.
"May I know little friend's surname? Are you heading to Daning City?" Li Yan couldn't help but roll his eyes in his heart. 'It was already stated very clearly in the Jade Slip, yet he still has to ask again.'
"Oh, this junior's name is Jianghai. I am indeed going to Daning City to retrieve some artifact refining materials for my master. These materials are very important to my master.
"It's just that my master is busy in secluded cultivation. Otherwise, for such an important matter and such a long journey, a cultivator of my level would not have been sent.
"The time my master agreed upon with the shop is fast approaching. Out of desperation, this was the only way."
The grey-robed elder nodded. This was his first time meeting Li Yan, and he had only intended to form a good relationship today to achieve his goal. He had no intention of rashly visiting the "master" Li Yan spoke of.
He was no different from Dong Qijie. Even if he wanted to go and talk with Li Yan's supposed master now, he couldn't spare the time. He didn't dare to abandon his post.
"Little friend Jiang, I'm afraid your trip to Daning City will not be easy. The cultivation world is now in a state of high alert, not as peaceful as before. If you go over so brazenly, you might be conscripted before you get very far."
The grey-robed elder felt it was better to give a reminder. Li Yan, of course, wouldn't really turn back because of this. Just as he was about to speak, his heart suddenly tightened, but his face remained respectful.
"Senior..." Just as Li Yan was about to speak, this "Martial Uncle Li" suddenly turned his head to look in a certain direction.
And at this moment, a powerful voice came from the horizon, "Senior Brother Li is right. All cultivators at the Foundation Establishment level and above on the Desolate Moon Continent have the duty to eliminate demons and defend the Dao. Why is this cultivator still loitering here at his leisure?"
"So it's you, Hua Siwang of the 'Duanyue Gate'?" At this moment, "Martial Uncle Li" had already clearly seen the person who had arrived with his Divine Sense. A look of gravity appeared on his face, and he blurted out in shock.
"Senior Brother Li, after years of separation, your skills have improved even more than before, and your style is even more remarkable. Is Senior Brother Li just passing by here by chance?"
That voice had been somewhat ethereal before, but in the exchange between the two, it had become clearer and clearer. Obviously, the distance between them was rapidly closing.
Li Yan, like the others, had a look of confusion on his face. But Li Yan had discovered a step ahead of the grey-robed elder that a group of nine people was flying rapidly towards them from the northeast.
The leader was a burly man, as stout as a bear, over a zhang tall, with long, purple, curly hair casually draped over his shoulders. His face was like a lion's, with a wide mouth and a broad nose, and his eyes were like lightning. His mid-stage Golden Core cultivation was unabashedly and wantonly displayed.
He stood on a giant saber, which was two zhang wide and six zhang long. Behind him, eight others also stood on horizontally placed giant blades. They were all Foundation Establishment cultivators, ranging from early-stage to Pseudo-Core.
These eight Foundation Establishment cultivators were dressed uniformly in pale yellow, as if from the same sect, but their attire was different from the burly man's. And the eyes of these eight people either revealed worry or a heavy heart.
The giant saber came with great speed, capable of crossing several hundred zhang in an instant. The whistling sound shook the surroundings, adding to the burly man's imposing presence.
"Little friend Jiang, this is trouble. This person should be the one in charge of conscripting cultivators. He is bold and reckless, and rarely gives face to anyone except his closest relatives, friends, and elders.
"I'll try to talk to him in a moment, but I don't have much hope. Alas, unless your master can be here, perhaps that would make him hesitate. Alas!
"If, and I say if, you can escape this calamity, teleport back immediately. You've seen it; this is not a time for you to be wandering around freely."
After the grey-robed elder saw who had arrived, his Divine Sense paused on Hua Siwang's waist. After a moment's thought, the gravity on his face deepened, and he suddenly sent a voice transmission to Li Yan.
At the same time, the grey-robed elder also sighed in his heart. He hadn't expected it to be Hua Siwang. Why had he come to such a desolate and remote place? But he had already clearly seen the object hanging from the other party's waist and knew his identity.
He had had a few encounters with Hua Siwang and knew that this person's cultivation was no weaker than his own, and he was always extremely difficult to talk to. If he had encountered another cultivator at this moment, if he said a few words for this kid, the other party might give him some face. Then the grey-robed elder could take the opportunity to form a good relationship with Jianghai's master.
Li Yan had naturally heard the conversation between the grey-robed elder and the person named Hua Siwang. While he was thinking, he heard the grey-robed elder's voice transmission and his heart also tightened.
'Is my luck really this bad? I just teleported here and I've already been conscripted.'
But he still quickly sent a voice transmission back to the grey-robed elder, "Then thank you very much, Senior. To think I'd run into this kind of thing so soon after coming out."
The grey-robed elder didn't ramble on with Li Yan either.
"How can my cultivation compare to Junior Brother Hua's? After a hundred years, there has been no progress at all. Where has Junior Brother Hua come from?
"This little friend by my side is just a disciple of a friend of mine, not an outsider."
The grey-robed elder really did what he said he would do, immediately speaking in a deep voice. But as he spoke, a white dot, like a grain of rice, had already appeared on the originally empty horizon. In a few breaths, it had turned into a dazzling white light.
The few disciples behind the grey-robed elder all remained silent, not whispering a word. They just looked at Li Yan with helpless expressions. They also came from some small sects; hadn't they all been conscripted as well?
They were just a few of the luckier cultivators, who hadn't yet been sent to the legendary "front lines." But this Fellow Daoist Jiang, instead of hiding at home, had dared to show his face at this time.
Moreover, his luck was as bad as it gets. He had just arrived and was discovered by a Golden Core senior.
Li Yan could only show a miserable expression, looking towards the horizon as if he had lost his composure due to the sudden turn of events.
After the grey-robed elder said this, only a single "Oh" came from the horizon, and then there was no other sound.
The white light quickly turned into a ball of light, which then rapidly grew larger in everyone's eyes. After more than ten breaths, a sharp sound of breaking air shattered the tranquility here.
Then, a huge ball of light arrived like lightning, circled once, and stopped in front of everyone. The sharp whistling sound ceased, and it hung quietly in mid-air.
When the light dissipated, it revealed nine figures and a huge, wide saber.
The burly man in the lead had his hands behind his back. He took one step off the giant saber and then walked towards Li Yan and the others, step by step, treading on the void.
The eight people behind him now looked at the people below with different expressions. The worry in the eyes of some of them as they looked at Li Yan was already gone, replaced by a hint of schadenfreude.
The burly man soon walked to a short distance in front of the grey-robed elder. He cupped his fists from afar, his voice like a great bell, "Hua pays his respects to Senior Brother Li again. I wonder if Senior Brother Li is also carrying out a mission here?" This was the second time he had asked.