Just as Li Yan was about to change the subject, Wei Zhongran seemed to see through his thoughts and smiled faintly.
"Do you think the Devil's Cliff Crevice is safer than here now? Let me tell you the truth, not only have your five senior brothers and sisters gone over, but your Martial Mother, Min'er, and even Li Changting have all gone there.
The level of danger at the Devil's Cliff Crevice now is much higher than here.
Because after the unstable South Sea passage between the two realms collapsed, the Demon Realm side should have long had a planned agreement with the invading demon cultivators here. The goal is to completely break through the Devil's Cliff Crevice passage and achieve a pincer attack.
Therefore, the demons coming from the south are trying every means possible to break into the Devil's Cliff Crevice.
At the same time, four months ago, the Demon Realm on the other side of the Devil's Cliff Crevice did not hesitate to use another large-scale destructive magical treasure similar to the 'Realm-Breaking Pearl,' blasting the gap that was previously enlarged by the 'Realm-Breaking Pearl' much wider.
The damage to the seal of the Devil's Cliff Crevice has now expanded. Even the Spirit Transformation ancestors cannot repair these damaged seals in a short time.
I heard that just preparing the materials needed to repair these seals would take three months, even with the means of a Spirit Transformation ancestor, but it's clear the other side won't give us that much time.
Now, the struggle for the cracks in many places of the Devil's Cliff Crevice is extremely fierce. Demon Lords and Demonic Soldiers can already pass through these cracks.
So, the Devil's Cliff Crevice is now in a state of intense fighting every day, and the ferocity of it far exceeds what we have here."
Listening to Wei Zhongran's usually gentle voice, Li Yan's heart grew cold, and waves began to stir in his usually calm mind.
Not only had Gong Chenying gone over, but even Zhao Min had gone. He couldn't help but ask urgently, "Master, the demons are attacking so aggressively. Will they use that kind of high-powered magical treasure or the 'Realm-Breaking Pearl' again to bombard the seal from the other side?"
Li Yan's worry was of course justified. Just these two bombardments from both ends had left even the Spirit Transformation ancestors helpless for a short time. If the crack were blasted even wider, the ones coming through might be Demonic General level demon cultivators.
At that time, even Li Wuyi , the one with the highest cultivation among them, would face certain death if he encountered one.
Wei Zhongran shook his head. "That should be impossible. Although the destructive magical treasure activated from the Demon Realm side this time was not as heaven-defying as the 'Realm-Breaking Pearl,' it is definitely not something that can be easily refined. If the Demon Realm had two, they would have used them at once. Why do something so meaningless?"
Hearing this, Li Yan couldn't help but curse himself for being foolish. His concern had clouded his judgment. The power of using two magical treasures at the same time was completely different from using them one by one. The other side wouldn't be ignorant of this.
But he immediately became suspicious. "Master, then you..."
He stopped after just a few words, but his meaning was perfectly clear. With Li Yan's way of thinking, it was of course best to stay as far away from such danger as possible. Yet, knowing this, his master had still sent several of his disciples over.
He felt he still didn't fully understand his master's character, so the words that reached his lips were held back.
Wei Zhongran was not dissatisfied with Li Yan's attitude. He just smiled faintly. "The Devil's Cliff Crevice is of the utmost importance now. Not just anyone can go there.
We will only station our core disciples there. This way, before we defeat the demons from the south, we can ensure the safety of the Desolate Moon Continent as much as possible.
They have your Martial Mother to look after them, so they will be fine. Hmm, you won't be able to return to the sect for the time being either. Just stay at Windy Cool Mountain and stand guard here with me."
Wei Zhongran's words were very plain. There was no great righteousness in them, nor any grand speech about saving the common people, but Li Yan heard the rolling bloodlust hidden in his tone.
Leaving him here meant that he was not yet a core disciple of the sect, or perhaps his master had seen through his self-preserving thoughts.
Regarding the great changes that were happening now, Li Yan really wanted to get as far away as possible. He didn't have the ability to slaughter all the demons.
In this great war, he was at best a single raindrop that couldn't make a single ripple. So, if conditions allowed, Li Yan even wanted to take his relatives and leave the Desolate Moon Continent. But he was not a Nascent Soul cultivator and simply didn't have that ability.
For everything, Li Yan could only take one step at a time, carefully concealing himself and taking each step well.
Hearing Wei Zhongran have him stay at Windy Cool Mountain, Li Yan weighed his options and steeled his heart. He felt it was better to see Gong Chenying and the others, so he said, "Master, can I also set off for the Devil's Cliff Crevice?"
Wei Zhongran's heart finally rejoiced. Although he had always given people a gentle impression, his feelings for the Malevolent Spirit Sect were something others could not understand.
He understood Li Yan's character. He didn't like to get involved in things, but that wasn't to say he was timid or afraid. He was just very aloof, and his feelings towards the outside world always gave him a sense of indifference.
Although Li Yan never got angry when interacting with people and always appeared polite, a sense of keeping people at a distance emanated from his very bones. He never acted on impulse.
So, when Li Yan asked that question, Wei Zhongran had sensed some of Li Yan's evasiveness. But then he thought of Li Yan's origins and forgave him, not blaming him.
Now seeing Li Yan take the initiative, he thought Li Yan was finally thinking of his sect, which naturally made him happy. But if he agreed to Li Yan's request right away, it would make his earlier actions seem too deliberate.
"Given the current situation, there will be a fierce battle here soon. After the last battle, we are short on manpower here. Although we have conscripted cultivators to supplement our forces, there are many things that must be done by us personally, or supervised by us. At this critical time for manpower, you will stay here and assist me for a while.
How about this? I probably won't be stationed here for too long either. After a period of time, someone else will come to replace me. At that time, you can go with me to the Devil's Cliff Crevice," Wei Zhongran replied with a smile.
Since Wei Zhongran had said so, what other opinions could Li Yan have?
"I will follow Master's arrangements."
Although Li Yan was anxious, he didn't want to go against Wei Zhongran's wishes.
In fact, he didn't know that Wei Zhongran's reluctance to let him go to the Devil's Cliff Crevice right away was out of good intentions.
Although Wei Zhongran felt Li Yan's cultivation was strange, he hadn't seen Li Yan's true combat experience after his Foundation Establishment. In addition, when Li Yan had described his trip to the Jingtu Sect, he had simplified his own affairs as much as possible.
For the things he had to talk about, he only described how lucky he was at the time, but rarely talked about his fights with others.
The few times he had to mention a fight, Li Yan had covered it up with his Fragmented Poison Body.
How could Wei Zhongran dare to send Li Yan directly to a dangerous place like the Devil's Cliff Crevice? With one misstep, he might go in the morning and be gone by the afternoon. He still wanted to get a real understanding of Li Yan's actual situation before making a decision.
Wei Zhongran was of course very clear about the dangers of the Devil's Cliff Crevice. How many cultivators with higher realms than him had fallen there? What mattered more there was combat experience and mental acuity, not just reckless bravery.
"Hmm, then take this Jade Slip later and go to the Ninth Squad of the 'Heavy Peak Battalion.' You will be on duty there.
If there's nothing else, you may leave first. I have important matters to discuss with your several Martial Uncles and Aunts from Four Symbols Peak later, so I won't have time to take you there. A general map of Windy Cool Mountain is engraved in another Jade Slip."
After some thought, Wei Zhongran made arrangements for Li Yan. He then took out a Jade Slip, whispered a few words into it, and then handed it to Li Yan along with another Jade Slip.
After coming out of Wei Zhongran's Cave Residence, Li Yan first stood in front of the cave and looked around before pressing the Jade Slip with the map of Windy Cool Mountain to his forehead.
A short while later, the moment Li Yan opened his eyes, the Jade Slip on his forehead had turned into specks of crystal light and disintegrated.
This kind of Jade Slip was for one-time use, to prevent information leaks if it was accidentally lost. Of course, Wei Zhongran's action was not directed at Li Yan.
After identifying the direction, Li Yan's figure rose into the air and flew towards a mountain peak in the southeast.
In the cave, Wei Zhongran thought about how Li Yan had managed to find his way here and shook his head gently.
"This kid actually managed to use a Golden Core cultivator, playing along with him the whole way without letting him see any flaws. Just with this kind of temperament, maybe he really has the ability to go to the Devil's Cliff Crevice. Was I being too careful?"
Then his figure also disappeared from the cave. As for people like Hua Siwang, Wei Zhongran really didn't pay them any mind. He might even forget the name after a few days.
Li Yan learned from the Jade Slip that besides the main peak where Wei Zhongran was, which was like the central command tent, there were many other military camps on the surrounding smaller peaks of Windy Cool Mountain.
This was similar to the military camp where Li Yan had stayed at Green Mountain Pass . Logistics, supplies, barracks, and so on were all in place. It seemed that whether it was cultivators or mortals, the basic model for this kind of large-scale battle was the same.
The barracks of Windy Cool Mountain were divided into several locations, stationed on different mountain peaks. The one Li Yan was going to was the peak named "Heavy Peak Battalion."
At the same time, Li Yan also learned from the Jade Slip about other battalions, such as the "Green Bat Battalion," "Earth Battalion," and "Heavenly Craft Battalion." Thinking that most of the people here were from Four Symbols Peak, except for the name "Green Bat Battalion," which didn't seem to have much connection, the other battalions did have some relation to the Four Symbols Peak, which was skilled in formations and earth-attribute Spirit Power.
Along the way, Li Yan encountered many groups of cultivators flying past. Many of these cultivators were dressed in the ink-green robes of the Malevolent Spirit Sect, interspersed with even more male and female cultivators in different attire or dress, old and young alike.
They only glanced at a lone cultivator like Li Yan and no one came forward to question him. It was just that when some Malevolent Spirit Sect cultivators' eyes swept over the golden bamboo on Li Yan's sleeve, a look of surprise would appear in their eyes, and they would look at him a few more times.
When the cultivators in other attire saw Li Yan, some of the young female cultivators in the group would cover their mouths and giggle, filling the world with the light of spring.
Then, some female voices would whisper into Li Yan's ear.
"I wonder which battalion this person is from..."
"These senior brothers from the Malevolent Spirit Sect have very high standards now..."
Often at this time, the few Malevolent Spirit Sect cultivators leading the team in front would shout in a low voice, "Shut up! That person is not someone you can get close to. Strange, didn't all the people from Little Bamboo Peak leave on other missions..."
The last part was whispered, almost inaudible. The Malevolent Spirit Sect cultivators all saw a trace of surprise in each other's eyes.
Li Yan naturally heard all of this. His face remained as usual, and he soon arrived at the top of a mountain peak in the southeast.
At the top of the peak was a magnificent palace. After Li Yan landed on the summit, he walked in. Inside the palace, huge green pillars supported the dome-like roof, making Li Yan, standing in the palace, as small as an ant.