Suddenly subjected to a Divine Sense invasion, the Spirit Power within Li Yan's body involuntarily surged towards the "Execute" character. The next moment, Li Yan snapped awake, breaking out in a cold sweat. He hastily suppressed the restless tide of Spirit Power, and at almost the same time, the blood-red "Execute" character vanished without a trace.
Li Yan's heart was now pounding erratically. Under the invasion of another's Divine Sense technique, he had subconsciously initiated a counter-attack. Although he had managed to control the surge of Spirit Power in time, he didn't know if the other party had sensed it. Standing in the crowd, Li Yan felt his mouth go dry and his body drenched in sweat. Fortunately, everyone else was in a similar state after the sudden shock, so Li Yan didn't stand out too much.
Li Yan's thoughts raced, and for a moment, he had the urge to escape. But suddenly, Li Yan's body trembled slightly. He felt as if he were being stared at by two venomous snakes. This was a sensation he was all too familiar with; it appeared every time he faced a life-or-death crisis. This was a benefit of his experiences, but it was precisely because of this that Li Yan was now crying bitterly in his heart. He had been careful, so very careful. For the sake of artifact refining, he didn't even dare to approach the periphery of a first-rate sect. He had thought that in a second-rate sect, with enough caution, he could muddle through.
Normally, as long as he kept a low profile like a pebble on the roadside, he wouldn't attract anyone's attention. When the time was right, as soon as he had refined his Natal Magical Treasure, he would quietly leave. But who would have thought that the other party would discover his anomaly so casually? Li Yan didn't move. A voice had already sounded in his mind.
"Kid, you've hidden yourself quite deeply. If not for this sudden turn of events that required this old man to personally act to intimidate some cowards, I really wouldn't have discovered you. Hehehe, your mental fortitude is not bad. You didn't immediately try to flee. Otherwise, you'd be a pile of minced meat by now."
Li Yan forced down the fear in his heart, his mind racing.
'The fact that he didn't capture me immediately means that, at the very least, he doesn't intend to kill me right away. So I still have a chance to explain.'
Li Yan immediately looked up, his gaze meeting the red-robed youth's in the sky, who seemed to be casually glancing in his direction. The youth's eyes were filled with a hint of mockery, as if laughing at Li Yan's petty tricks. Just as Li Yan was about to send a voice transmission to explain, the red-robed youth's voice echoed in his mind again.
"I was originally thinking of making an example of you. This would have been the perfect time for it. Finding a spy before a battle not only deters the cowardly but also boosts morale, wouldn't you agree? But I hope you can provide the enemy information I want. So, don't disappoint me later and make me waste this opportunity to raise morale!"
The voice transmission ended there. The red-robed youth didn't say where Li Yan should go to find him, or how. By now, Li Yan had slowly calmed down. As long as he wasn't killed instantly, he would use every means possible to convince the other party and prove his origins. And he truly harbored no ill will towards Falling Star Valley, so he wasn't afraid of being investigated.
At this time, Lin Xinghe, high above, had already begun to arrange various matters, but Li Yan had no mind to listen to what he was saying. Before this, he had even been contemplating whether to sneak into the underground "Shattered Star Chamber" during the great battle to take a look. If the Earth Fire Spirit Vein here was not sufficient for him to refine his magical treasure, he would find an opportunity to leave and make further plans. But in less than a dozen breaths of time, he had been discovered. And he had been targeted by an expert who could take his life at any moment. Everything had changed too quickly. Li Yan could only feel a bitter taste in his mouth.
From below, Foundation Establishment cultivators flew up into the sky from time to time, selecting some Qi Condensation cultivators to follow them. At the same time, Li Yan saw Feng Tao and a group of others being led away by a Foundation Establishment cultivator, their faces filled with apprehension.
The number of disciples left in the square before the Technique Transmission Pavilion dwindled, and their cultivation levels were getting lower and lower. Looking at the remaining three hundred or so people, most of whom were below the fifth level of Qi Condensation, Lin Xinghe couldn't help but sigh. These people didn't even qualify to be sent to their deaths; they were only qualified to wait for it.
He waved his hand. "The rest of you, return for now!"
Then, he suddenly pointed at Li Yan. "You, come with me!"
Li Yan was not surprised by this. He bowed respectfully and was then swept up by Lin Xinghe's wide sleeve, disappearing from the spot under the astonished gazes of the other disciples.
This flight took them nearly a thousand li. Li Yan knew they were now deep within Falling Star Valley. When Lin Xinghe landed in a courtyard, Li Yan saw the red-robed youth drinking tea in the yard.
"Martial Uncle, I have brought him!"
After saying this, Lin Xinghe looked at Li Yan strangely. He had no impression of this disciple, and he had no idea why his Martial Uncle had asked him to bring this person here. The red-robed youth gently placed the teacup on the stone table. He didn't acknowledge Li Yan, but first looked at Lin Xinghe.
"Are all matters arranged?"
"Yes, Martial Uncle. Manpower has been dispersed along several key routes. Also, some... some disciples have been put in place."
He first answered quickly, then added a sentence that Li Yan didn't quite understand. But Li Yan's mind was not on other things at the moment. He just stood there quietly, unmoving, with his hands at his sides.
The red-robed youth nodded after listening, and then his lips moved slightly. Lin Xinghe nodded continuously in response. However, a wave of sorrow rose in his heart at the same time. Hearing that the elite disciples had been arranged for, his Martial Uncle was planning to make a move immediately. He intended to use the Sect-Protecting Grand Formation to kill Lie Changfeng and Sang Dongxing before the enemy gathered. If he succeeded, then perhaps there was still hope for Falling Star Valley. If not, at least it could cover Xing Ming's escape with the others.
But to kill two cultivators of the same rank, even with Lin Xinghe personally controlling the grand formation to coordinate, the red-robed youth would likely have to pay an extremely heavy price. So Lin Xinghe knew that even if they killed those two, his Martial Uncle would probably have no strength left to deal with the other alien-race Golden Core experts who would arrive later. The foundation of Falling Star Valley would be lost at his hands. How could he not feel a sense of desolation?
After making the arrangements, the red-robed youth finally turned his gaze to Li Yan. He had to deal with the two enemies outside the formation, but there was still some time. The enemy's main army would likely take at least seven or eight hours to arrive.
"Kid, your cultivation is not bad. For the sake of us both being human, I'll give you five breaths of time. Otherwise, I will immediately perform a Soul-Search."
When the red-robed youth said this in front of Lin Xinghe, the latter's expression changed instantly, but he did not interrupt his master's questioning. He already knew there was a big problem with the youth before him. His eyes became incredibly gloomy. As the master of a sect, his personality might not be so ruthless, but his mind was absolutely first-rate.
'I actually failed to notice this person's abnormality. How did Martial Uncle perceive it? No wonder he had me bring him here!'
He scanned Li Yan with his Divine Sense without reservation, but the result still left him in disbelief.
'A spy at the Qi Condensation stage? What use could he be!'
Even with a few more spies of this level, it would be impossible for them to get close to any of Falling Star Valley's slightly more advanced secrets. If they were sent for assassination, it would be a gross overestimation of their abilities. Killing more disciples below the sixth level of Qi Condensation would barely make a ripple. But he also knew that his assumption must be wrong, so he scanned him again and again, but the other party was still at the fifth level of Qi Condensation.
At this moment, Li Yan had already started speaking rapidly. This old monster had only given him five breaths and might use the Soul-Searching Art at any moment, which made Li Yan increasingly uneasy. However, he had been considering how to quickly persuade the other party ever since he was exposed, so this time, his answer was well-thought-out, focusing on the main points.
"This junior is Zhang Ming, a newly entered disciple. My purpose is to borrow your esteemed sect's Earth Fire Spirit Vein to refine my Natal Magical Treasure. There is no other..."
But before Li Yan could finish, Lin Xinghe actually interrupted him directly.
Li Yan looked helplessly at the red-robed youth. "Senior..."
The other party had only given him five breaths, and Lin Xinghe had already spoken with surprise in his voice. "Your name is Zhang Ming? Are you the disciple who went to the Feng Family Fort a few months ago?"
The red-robed youth did not stop Lin Xinghe. He had let him stay precisely because he had been secretly investigating the origins of all new disciples recently and should have some understanding of this kid, which would serve as a good verification. Moreover, although the red-robed youth spoke of "for the sake of us both being human," in reality, it wasn't that he didn't want to just use Soul-Searching to get it over with quickly, but that this kid's cultivation was very strange.
He could judge from the sheer intensity of this Zhang Ming's Spirit Power that the other party should have the cultivation of an Initial-stage Golden Core, yet the Spirit Power in his body was still in a semi-solid state, which was definitely the Foundation Establishment realm. It was common knowledge that for the Soul-Searching Art, one's cultivation needed to be a major realm higher than the target's for one's Divine Sense to be able to overwhelm them. Otherwise, there was a constant risk of backlash during the search. And the red-robed youth was about to face a powerful enemy. He couldn't afford any accidents at this time; he even needed to be in peak condition. Otherwise, the entire plan would be ruined, and a single misstep could lead to total defeat.
"That is this junior!" Li Yan turned and answered respectfully. Hearing his reply, Lin Xinghe immediately turned and began a voice transmission to the red-robed youth.
Regarding the matter of the Feng family, when he had reported it to the red-robed youth last time, he had focused on the investigation of Fang Guangjun. For Qi Condensation cultivators like Tang Tian and Zhang Ming, he had only mentioned them in passing. He didn't want to ramble on about a few low-level disciples and annoy his master. He had personally interrogated the souls of Tang Tian and Wu Yizhen, and it was certain that Fang Guangjun was responsible for everything, so he did not suspect the Feng family or the others.
But now, learning that this Zhang Ming was also one of the witnesses at the Feng estate, a cold sweat broke out on Lin Xinghe's back. Disregarding his master's five-breath limit for Zhang Ming, he immediately interrupted Li Yan and began to recount the details to the red-robed youth.
But he didn't notice that when Zhang Ming referred to himself as "this junior," a strange look flashed in the red-robed youth's eyes. It was a confirmation of Li Yan's cultivation.
With that, there was no need for five breaths. Seeing the two of them conversing via voice transmission, Li Yan could only wait on the side. But the Fragmented Poison Body within him was already circulating with increasing caution. If the other party's next move was to grab his head for a Soul-Search, then the moment a hand touched his body, he would erupt without any hesitation. Of course, it would be best if none of this happened. Was he supposed to go to some first-rate sect or an alien-race sect to find an Earth Fire Spirit Vein? If Li Yan had the absolute strength to suppress his opponents, he probably would have already subdued the two of them and forcefully demanded the use of the spirit vein.
Soon, their voice transmission was complete. When Lin Xinghe looked up again, the red-robed youth didn't speak immediately but lowered his head as if deep in thought. In this silent stillness, the killing intent in Lin Xinghe's eyes grew stronger. But after only a few breaths, the red-robed youth's cold voice sounded again.
"Did you also kill that Fang Guangjun?"
"Yes. He wanted to kill me and trade my corpse or soul to the alien races for cultivation resources. I subdued him, but I couldn't let him go, so I lured him to meet with the Feng family ancestor and then secretly killed him!"