Without showing any dissatisfaction, Li Yan did as he was told, raising his hand and sending a stream of Spirit Power into the token. The token responded immediately, emitting a soft buzzing sound.
Simultaneously, the sect token in "Senior Brother Xia's" other hand, under his deliberate control, also began to vibrate faintly. The tension on his face eased a little.
Sensing the reaction from his own sect token, he was finally certain that the token Li Yan presented was real and not a forgery. Furthermore, the Spirit Power Li Yan had used was very pure. This brought some relief to "Senior Brother Xia's" heart.
Still, he thought to himself that he had been too careless this time, so easily trusting someone's words and coming to this secluded place alone with him. He silently admonished himself to be a thousand times more careful in the future.
He had participated in many missions to suppress the Demon Clan and had personally witnessed their formidable strength. He had no confidence at all that he could face a Demonic Soldier alone and retreat unscathed.
Although "Senior Brother Xia" had confirmed the token was authentic, he had not let go of his wariness toward Li Yan. In his view, anything was possible.
This Junior Brother Li had been away from the sect for over two years. Who knew what kind of mission he had been on? Perhaps he had been subjected to Body Seizure by a demon during his mission or had been placed under a restriction and forced to surrender. In that case, it was entirely possible for all his belongings to have fallen into the hands of the Demon Clan.
With his cultivation, "Senior Brother Xia" was unable to determine if the Li Yan before him was truly a human cultivator. After a moment of contemplation, he stared at Li Yan and said, one word at a time.
"I apologize, but I cannot answer the questions Junior Brother Li just asked. Since you are looking for Martial Uncle Wei, you can come with me to see Elder Hua . You will have your answers then."
After speaking, he stared into Li Yan's eyes, as if trying to discern something from them.
The other party still didn't trust him and needed a Golden Core cultivator to decide his fate. Li Yan knew that even if he wanted to leave now, the other man would not let him go.
However, Li Yan had no objections. His very purpose in coming here was to ask about the situation on Little Bamboo Peak.
Li Yan's expression remained calm. He cupped his fist towards "Senior Brother Xia" and said, "Then I will have to trouble Senior Brother."
Seeing that Li Yan showed no unusual reaction, "Senior Brother Xia" nodded. He then moved his lips slightly, as if sending a voice transmission to someone.
With the strength of his Divine Sense , Li Yan could have easily eavesdropped on the message, but he had no interest in doing so. He himself knew best whether he was real or fake.
Soon, Zhu Gaotai hurried over, his face etched with confusion. His gaze towards Li Yan now carried a hint of scrutiny.
Seeing Zhu Gaotai arrive, "Senior Brother Xia" said to Li Yan, "Let's go, Junior Brother Li. Elder Hua is on the mountain. We'll head over now."
With that, he and Zhu Gaotai seemed to intentionally or unintentionally flank Li Yan, then gestured for him to walk up the mountain path.
The moment he saw Zhu Gaotai, Li Yan understood everything. He couldn't help but feel that this "Senior Brother Xia" was meticulous and extremely cautious.
He was not confident he could control Li Yan on his own—or more accurately, he was afraid he couldn't handle a demon. Of course, if Li Yan were a Demon Lord , it would be useless even if all ten of them came.
However, the Demon Clan wasn't that foolish. It would be an idiotic plan to use a Demon Lord just to kill a few Foundation Establishment cultivators, only to get trapped in a sword formation and await death.
Therefore, "Senior Brother Xia" had considered this point and was already eighty percent sure that this Junior Brother Li was not a problem. Still, it was always best to proceed with caution.
The fact that "Senior Brother Xia" had specifically summoned Zhu Gaotai demonstrated his thoroughness. Among the ten, Zhu Gaotai was the most familiar with Li Yan and had even witnessed him use the Fragmented Poison Body, so he knew the most.
He could even spot suspicious points in Li Yan's behavior through his mannerisms and conversation along the way.
As Li Yan had expected, the two escorted him up the mountain. Whenever they saw other conscripted cultivators also heading up the mountain, they would proactively greet them.
All of this seemed perfectly normal to others, but from Li Yan's perspective, it had a different meaning.
This was undoubtedly a warning, a threat to Li Yan that this was their territory. With just a word, they could summon countless cultivators to surround him, warning him not to have any strange ideas.
Zhu Gaotai would chat with Li Yan from time to time, talking about things that had happened in the Secret Realm. If Li Yan had been possessed, although the possessor could acquire the victim's memories, they were often fragmented and disjointed, requiring the possessor to sort them out.
Furthermore, if a memory wasn't significant, even the person themselves might forget it, requiring a specific stimulus to reawaken it—let alone a memory obtained through possession.
Thus, as the three of them made their way up the mountain, the tension in Zhu Gaotai's voice began to relax noticeably. He would occasionally signal to "Senior Brother Xia" with his eyes, indicating that the Li Yan before them was likely fine.
Some of the things Zhu Gaotai mentioned were words Li Yan had spoken when saving him. While it wasn't a life-altering event for Li Yan, it was deeply etched in the memory of Zhu Gaotai, the one who was saved. Yet, Li Yan would often continue the conversation after only a brief moment of thought, without trying to change the subject.
In this manner, the three of them ascended the mountain. Although they were not flying, with their speed, it only took about a quarter of an hour to reach the summit.
As soon as he stepped onto the final stair, the full view of the summit appeared before Li Yan.
The first thing that caught his eye was a wide, open platform. The platform was surrounded by buildings on three sides, with only one exit directly facing Li Yan.
Though the buildings were not elaborately carved and painted, they gave off a sense of sturdiness and durability.
At this time, many cultivators were coming and going on the summit, all appearing to be in a hurry. The number of cultivators wearing Malevolent Spirit Sect attire was much greater than what he had seen on the path. Li Yan even saw some familiar faces. When these people saw the trio, they merely gave a slight nod. Seeing their hurried pace, they did not approach to ask questions.
"Senior Brother Xia" and Zhu Gaotai quickly led Li Yan around some of the buildings in front. After a series of twists and turns, they followed a small path towards the back of the summit. Gradually, the surroundings became quiet again, with only the mountain wind blowing past, creating a sense of deep and distant serenity.
After walking for about five li, the three finally stopped in front of a courtyard. The area was surrounded by dense, green trees, far from the cluster of buildings.
Just as they stopped, a cold female voice suddenly came from thin air. "Xia Mingran, Zhu Gaotai, what are you doing bringing this person here? Eh...?"
The indifferent voice initially held no trace of emotion, but towards the end, it carried a soft sound of surprise, as if something had been discovered, but she did not continue speaking.
Upon hearing the voice, all three people outside the courtyard, including Li Yan, bowed respectfully. "Disciple greets Martial Uncle Hua!"
Zhu Gaotai and Li Yan then fell silent. "Senior Brother Xia," whose name was revealed to be Xia Mingran, glanced at Li Yan beside him and continued, "Reporting to Martial Uncle Hua, this junior brother suddenly arrived here with a Jingtu Sect conscription team today. He claims to be Li Yan from Little Bamboo Peak . He says that two years ago, he was sent out on a mission by Martial Uncle Wei. He was conscripted by the Jingtu Sect on his way back and took the opportunity to return with them. He also wishes to inquire about Martial Uncle Wei's current whereabouts, so..."
At this point, Xia Mingran's meaning was clear. He couldn't directly say that Li Yan might be a demon in disguise or possessed, so he trailed off.
The courtyard was quiet for a moment before the voice spoke again. "Alright, I understand. You two may leave. Li Yan, you come in!"
The cold voice sounded once more. Seeing Elder Hua make a decision so quickly, Xia Mingran and Zhu Gaotai felt their hearts relax completely. The fact that Elder Hua didn't immediately kill Li Yan said it all.
They were just puzzled as to how Elder Hua could be so familiar with a mere disciple. Zhu Gaotai, in particular, believed that given Elder Hua's status, she had surely not had as much contact with Li Yan as he had. Yet, her tone suggested she had long known him.
However, neither dared to show any doubt on their faces. They quickly bowed again. "Disciple obeys!"
Then, they each took two steps back, turned, and cupped their fists towards Li Yan with apologetic expressions.
"Junior Brother Li, our apologies for our earlier offense!"
"Junior Brother, these are different times. Please don't take our offense to heart!"
Li Yan had been thinking to himself the whole time. He was also pondering why this Martial Uncle Hua from Never-Parting Peak was so familiar with him, confirming his identity immediately upon seeing him.
Seeing the apologetic looks on Xia Mingran and Zhu Gaotai's faces, Li Yan returned the gesture with a smile.
"Of course. I should be thanking you both for bringing me here!"
Xia Mingran and Zhu Gaotai then turned and left. At that moment, the courtyard gate opened silently, revealing a small stone path leading inside. Li Yan turned and stepped in without the slightest hesitation.
Beneath a tree in the courtyard stood a middle-aged woman. She stood with her hands behind her back, gazing at the drooping green leaves and slanted branches. She did not turn around, even when Li Yan had walked up behind her.
Li Yan stopped about thirty feet behind the middle-aged woman and bowed again. "Disciple Li Yan pays his respects to Martial Uncle Hua!"
"Li Yan. Fragmented Poison Body. I wonder, to what stage have you cultivated the Fragmented Poison Body now?"
Only after hearing Li Yan's words did the woman slowly turn her head, revealing a plain face. Her skin, however, was delicate, fair, and smooth. Her voice carried a sense of detachment that kept people thousands of miles away.
Li Yan hadn't expected her first words to be this. He was stunned for a moment, but his mind quickly understood why this Martial Uncle Hua was able to recognize him so quickly.
He remembered his seventh senior brother, Lin Daqiao , had once mentioned something. When Li Yan first joined the Malevolent Spirit Sect, because he possessed the Fragmented Poison Body but also had Miscellaneous Spirit Roots , some elders in the sect believed that nurturing him was a waste of cultivation resources. They thought it would be better to study how his Fragmented Poison Body was formed, which would be a much greater use for it.
In the end, it was only because of his master's strenuous efforts that Li Yan was allowed to join the Malevolent Spirit Sect, thus avoiding the fate of becoming a humanoid demonic beast.
Although Lin Daqiao had put it delicately, Li Yan understood the underlying meaning perfectly—they had wanted to dissect him for research like a demonic beast.
Lin Daqiao hadn't specified which elders it was, but Li Yan remembered the incident clearly and had been terrified at the time.
Afterward, when Li Wuyi found out, he not only punished Lin Daqiao severely but also came to comfort Li Yan. The matter was only dropped after he saw that Li Yan had gradually calmed down.
Today, Elder Hua's first words upon meeting him were "Fragmented Poison Body." Li Yan immediately connected it to that incident. He had only ever seen Elder Hua from a distance during the Secret Realm arena competition and when Li Wuyi was undergoing his Core Formation .
How else could he explain how an elder he had barely ever met could remember him so clearly?
It was because high-level cultivators no longer relied solely on appearance to remember people; they remembered their aura. If she hadn't paid special attention to him back then, why would she have deliberately memorized the aura of a Qi Condensation cultivator?