Li Yan rubbed his nose, then nodded with a smile. "What Senior Brother says is indeed very possible. Afterwards, once that senior killed the two demonic cultivators, I was about to ask him to come over and help again.
"But the senior said that things were already taken care of on your side and that I should just come back on my own. He said he had other matters to attend to and left.
"According to what Senior Brother Yan said, it seems that senior was indeed keeping an eye on the situation here. However, we can't let our guard down because of this.
"Even if the sect can send people to help us in secret, they probably have to be wary of a Golden Core cultivator's appearance drawing the enemy's attention to this mission. Otherwise, they wouldn't have arranged for cultivators of our level to fish in troubled waters.
"For all our actions hereafter, we must still give our full effort, lest our efforts backfire."
Li Yan felt that the reason Yan Feijun provided was perfectly plausible. However, he was afraid that the others might truly believe they had a Golden Core cultivator secretly assisting them and lose their vigilance. That would be counterproductive.
Therefore, Li Yan changed the subject with a word of caution.
After hearing Li Yan's words, although the others weren't completely convinced, they thought it over and concluded that Li Yan certainly didn't have the ability to kill two Pseudo-Core Realm demonic cultivators in such a short time.
If he truly did, wouldn't that mean this Junior Brother Li possessed the strength to instantly crush cultivators of the same rank? That was too absurd.
Bai Rou also nodded in a daze, but in her heart, she truly believed the story about Martial Uncle Wei sending people to protect them in secret.
It was just that at the very beginning, she had thought Li Yan was so confident in luring away the demonic cultivators because he must have some incredibly powerful magical treasure from Martial Uncle Wei for protection.
So when she first saw Li Yan return, she had thought he had truly killed the two demons with the help of a magical treasure. This was just like how she herself had a small section of a Jade Ruler given to her by Elder Chigong.
In a life-threatening crisis, she only needed to summon it. That small section of the Jade Ruler contained a strike with seventy percent of Elder Chigong's Mid-stage Golden Core power, an attack so mighty it could shatter mountains as easily as melting snow.
"Oh, Senior Brother Yan, your injury seems quite severe?"
Li Yan didn't want to dwell on this topic. He quickly looked at Yan Feijun, whose face was pale and aura was somewhat weak, and spoke.
"Sigh, that Pseudo-Core Realm cultivator from the other side not only had incredibly powerful Immortal Arts, but he also had three strange, fat, earthy-yellow worms.
"Although they were only first-rank demonic beasts, their bodies were incomparably tough. Even our magical treasures couldn't harm them in the slightest. Junior Brother Yan was careless and fell for the opponent's trick."
Seeing Li Yan mention his injury, a flash of unwillingness appeared in Yan Feijun's eyes. Knowing that this had touched a sore spot, Hu Xiaowang quickly spoke up to explain, though what he said was, by and large, the truth.
However, in his heart, he also felt fortunate that they had set up the formations in advance and ultimately won by ambushing the enemy.
Thinking back now, Hu Xiaowang realized that even if Wang Changkun hadn't summoned the three Meteorite Sand Beasts, it would have been very difficult for him and Bai Rou to kill him in a short time.
He had no idea where these cultivators came from. The same simple arts, in their hands, became several times more powerful.
Earlier, after seeing the cultivators in the formation reduced to nothing, not even bones remaining, Hu Xiaowang and Yan Feijun both regretted being too heavy-handed. Otherwise, if they had obtained the contents of the enemy's storage pouches, they might have found some cultivation method jade slips and learned their techniques.
Although their Ninth Squad had encountered a few foreign cultivators before, none of them had a cultivation level like Wang Changkun's. Most were at the Initial-stage Foundation Establishment, and they had even encountered some at the Qi Condensation stage.
Furthermore, the jade slips found on them recorded the cultivation methods and Immortal Arts of some sect from the South Sea, which were of little use to disciples of the Malevolent Spirit Sect.
So, these jade slips were eventually exchanged for spirit stones with the conscripted cultivators. This time, venturing deep toward the border of the demonic cultivator army, they had encountered a master like Wang Changkun along the way. The power of his cultivation methods made Hu Xiaowang and Yan Feijun's eyes burn with envy.
They felt that in the storage pouches that had been corroded, someone of Wang Changkun's cultivation level must have had cultivation method jade slips. But because they were anxious about Li Yan's situation, they had been reckless with the poison.
After this incident, Hu Xiaowang and Yan Feijun had secretly agreed that the next time they encountered foreign cultivators, they must try their best to keep their storage pouches intact.
But as it turned out, their efforts later on were almost in vain, though they did manage to get a lot of spirit stones.
The reason was actually very simple. Wang Changkun's people had lived on the giant meteorite for generations. Where would they unearth jade slips in the Chaotic Flow Space?
They did have about a thousand jade slips, but they were all in the hands of a few people at the highest level. After generations of use, they were almost depleted.
Although the three ancestors did their best to avoid using jade slips, by the time they opened the passage to the South Sea, there were no more than four blank jade slips left on the entire meteorite.
Therefore, on the meteorite, only those who reached the Nascent Soul stage might have a chance to use a jade slip. Even Wang Changkun's father, an Initial-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, had never seen a jade slip in his life.
Their cultivation methods were mostly passed down orally or carved onto fragments of meteorites. This led to the gradual loss of many ancient cultivation methods in their heritage.
The cultivation methods of low-level cultivators like Wang Changkun were recorded in their own seas of consciousness. They could only be retrieved through a soul-searching art.
Even after the foreign cultivators invaded the South Sea along with the demonic cultivators, they still hadn't gotten used to using jade slips. At most, they would snatch the jade slips from the South Sea cultivators for reference.
To their disappointment, the cultivation methods and Immortal Arts of the South Sea cultivators were more like castrated versions of ancient Immortal Arts. The manuals of many sects were even ambiguous and self-contradictory.
Wang Changkun and his people were puzzled as to how these sects even managed to achieve Foundation Establishment. It would be considered good if they could absorb enough spiritual energy during the Qi Condensation stage.
So, most of these foreign cultivators ended up throwing away these jade slips, only keeping some with more unique cultivation methods.
Compared to jade slips, the foreign cultivators were more enthusiastic about the storage pouches and spirit stones in the hands of the South Sea cultivators. To them, these two items were a godsend.
They had only heard of these two things before but never dared to hope they could own them. After obtaining them, they truly felt their uses were endless.
They no longer had to worry about storing things. The old ways of tying things to their bodies or hiding them in their clothes were truly primitive. Especially after obtaining spirit stones, even a single low-grade spirit stone made them exceptionally excited. They no longer had to worry about being unable to quickly replenish their spirit power after it was consumed.
Thus, cultivators like Wang Changkun almost all carried a dozen or so storage pouches, mostly filled with spirit stones. It was the same logic as a poor man who fears starvation.
"Three first-rank demonic beasts?"
Li Yan's eyes showed doubt. At this point, Sun Guoshu stepped forward and explained a few things in a low voice. Only then did Li Yan understand the terrifying toughness of the Meteorite Sand Beast's body.
Li Yan couldn't help but wonder if he could have killed such a strange demonic beast directly if he had been the one to act.
In truth, Li Yan had rushed back quickly after killing U Yuan. However, by the time he returned to the forest, Bai Rou and the others' initial battle was already over. It was precisely when Wang Changkun and his four companions had just been trapped in the four Child Killing Formations.
Seeing this, Li Yan, who had been quietly approaching, ready to launch a sneak attack on Wang Changkun, decided not to reveal himself.
Li Yan used the Stealthy Night Art and remained hidden nearby. If Wang Changkun and his group had any means to escape the formation, Li Yan would have immediately launched a sneak attack.
As for whether a sneak attack was an honorable act, such a concept had never existed in Li Yan's mind. To kill an enemy, he didn't care what means he used.
The simplest, most effective, and least strenuous attack was always Li Yan's first choice.
He waited until he saw Wang Changkun and all five of his companions die within the formation. After thinking for a moment, Li Yan still didn't reveal himself immediately.
He felt that if he appeared so suddenly after killing two demonic cultivators, it would inevitably lead to many unnecessary explanations. So, he quietly flew back some distance before revealing himself and heading toward Bai Rou and the others.
"I have never heard of this demonic beast either. It must be a species unique to these foreign continents. We must report this information to Windy Cool Mountain when we have time, to prevent other squads from suffering a great loss if they encounter them."
Li Yan pondered for a moment, then glanced at the sky. From the time they had fled until now, it was already dawn.
With a wave of his sleeve, the Cloud-Piercing Willow appeared beneath his feet. "Let's leave quickly. It will be the third day soon!"
For the next two days, Li Yan and his group were even more cautious. Sun Guoshu continued to scout ahead from time to time. It was hard to say whether it was luck or the result of their caution.
Aside from their speed being much slower, they finally arrived at a mountainside three miles north of Zhouyang Town at the Hour of the Rooster (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.) on the fifth day. From there, they could overlook the entire town.
After sneaking to this spot, they laid low, completely concealing their auras. Additionally, Yan Feijun set up a small concealment illusion formation around them.
Unless a Golden Core cultivator deliberately searched inch by inch with their divine sense, it should be impossible to discover the five of them.
By now, the wound on Yan Feijun's severed left wrist had scabbed over. He would only be able to regenerate the limb after he reached the Core Formation realm in the future, or he could spend a fortune on spirit stones to buy a limb-reattaching immortal pill upon his return.
However, Yan Feijun's aura had already recovered. On their way here, whenever they could use the Cloud-Piercing Willow, they would sit cross-legged on it to meditate and recover.
Feeling the red rock, still warm from the setting sun, Li Yan withdrew his gaze from Zhouyang Town and squinted, his mind constantly turning over their plan.
From a distance of three miles, and looking down from above, the town was almost as clear to a cultivator as if it were right in front of them.
Once they arrived, Li Yan and his group had no intention of using their divine sense to probe Zhouyang Town, because they could feel several hidden strands of divine sense sweeping through the air from time to time.
If they were to release their own divine sense, it would be an action that could easily expose them. Thus, the best method was, of course, to use their eyes. They would rather take the risk of sneaking closer than to constantly use their divine sense, which was far more conspicuous.
After a short while, the other four also withdrew their gazes from below.
"There are no mortals in this small town. Perhaps they were killed, or perhaps it was a small town built by cultivators from the start.
"But there are nearly a hundred courtyards here, and the people coming and going are all demonic cultivators and the squads they lead.
"Although it seems only half of the courtyards are occupied, that's still a lot of people. It won't be easy to find our target.
"And most importantly, now that we're here, Junior Brother Li, you must tell us how to contact the two inside agents. We can't just search blindly without any leads, can we? Or is it that only you and Junior Sister Bai will confirm the target's location, and we are only responsible for taking action?"
Hu Xiaowang's tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction. Aside from a brief mention of the mission's content a few days ago, Li Yan had offered no further explanation. They naturally didn't believe the mission given by the sect was so vaguely prompted.