Li Yan's answer was swift, as if he had known all along that the other party would ask this question.
And in fact, that was the case. As long as the two of them were not fools, they would know that for someone like him to have gone to the Feng estate with Fang Guangjun and returned safely was by no means a simple coincidence or a stroke of good luck. Moreover, the excuse fabricated by the Feng family ancestor wouldn't hold up under close scrutiny. It was only because everyone had been predisposed by the personal accounts of Tang Tian and Wu Yizhen that they had accepted it at face value.
"So you deliberately watched Tang Tian and the others get killed before setting up your scheme step by step?"
The red-robed youth saw through the critical point of Li Yan's plan at a glance. When he spoke, his expression was devoid of joy or sorrow, making it impossible to read his thoughts.
"Reporting to Senior, that is not the case. I first went to the lair of the Foundation Establishment ghoul to see if I could wait for something. It was only on my way back that I encountered Fang Guangjun. He then suddenly attacked me from behind, which is when I captured him. As for the subsequent plan, this junior only came up with it after discovering the two Soul-Containing Bottles. In order not to draw suspicion upon myself and to continue staying in Falling Star Valley, I created the illusion that he was killed by the Feng family ancestor."
Li Yan's face was sincere, but he couldn't possibly admit that he had long since discovered Fang Guangjun's treacherous intentions.
When Li Yan mentioned the Soul-Containing Bottles, Lin Xinghe and the red-robed youth were already convinced that Fang Guangjun had died at his hands. Otherwise, it would be impossible for anyone else to know the contents of Fang Guangjun's Storage Pouch.
Lin Xinghe's gaze grew even more hostile as he scanned Li Yan. He, the master of a sect, had been played for a fool by this person. He had focused his attention on the deceased Fang Guangjun, while this man was the one who truly required the most thorough investigation. He had the urge to perform a Soul-Search immediately, but with his Martial Uncle remaining silent, he dared not act.
The red-robed youth, however, thought differently. This matter at least confirmed that this person was not on the same side as Fang Guangjun. Furthermore, after obtaining the souls and bodies of the Falling Star Valley and Feng family disciples, Zhang Ming had the opportunity to trade them with the alien races for cultivation resources, but he had not done so. This further suggested a high probability that he had no dealings with the alien races.
"The concealment technique you cultivate is very powerful. You referred to yourself as 'junior' just now. With such strength, you must be just a step away from condensing a Golden Core, are you not?"
The red-robed youth suddenly changed the subject. Before Li Yan went all out, even he could not see through the cover of the True Scripture of Gui Water.
As soon as these words were spoken, not only was Li Yan stunned, but Lin Xinghe was also shocked and couldn't help but blurt out, "Martial Uncle, are you saying he might be a Golden Core cultivator?"
If this Zhang Ming was truly a Golden Core cultivator, Lin Xinghe would be terrified. To have a Golden Core cultivator stay in his sect for half a year without being discovered was simply too frightening.
As for Li Yan, after a moment of shock, he seemed to realize something. Sweat began to bead on his forehead, and a meaningful smile had already appeared on the red-robed youth's lips.
Li Yan finally understood why the other party had not used the Soul-Searching Art on him. The other party had regarded him as a cultivator of the same rank. It wasn't that he didn't want to use his Divine Sense to search; it was that he was afraid of suffering a backlash. But now the situation was completely different. He had just clearly told the other party that he was not a Golden Core cultivator.
'Is he planning to use Soul-Search on me now?'
Li Yan hadn't expected that with all his cunning, he had failed to consider why the other party hadn't used Soul-Search from the start. All his attention had been focused on the five-breath time limit.
'He did it on purpose!'
Li Yan knew he had fallen for a simple little trick the other party had casually set. Why bother asking questions when you can get the real information through Soul-Search? With that one admission, Li Yan had sent himself down a dead-end road.
"Hehe, Zhang Ming, is your real name Zhang Ming? For now, I'll just call you Zhang Ming. You came for the Earth Fire Spirit Vein. How about we make a deal? You should be one of those geniuses with a Heaven Spirit Root. Since you were able to capture that Foundation Establishment cultivator named Fang Guangjun, and I previously sensed your Spirit Power was incomparably vigorous, you should be the type of cultivator who can fight above your rank. Right now, Falling Star Valley is facing a great enemy. If you can kill six more Foundation Establishment cultivators, then I will let you use the Earth Fire Spirit Vein once, free of charge. How about it?"
The red-robed youth's proposal was far beyond the expectations of both Li Yan and Lin Xinghe.
Lin Xinghe was even more astonished. With a great enemy at their doorstep, his Martial Uncle still wanted to keep a person of unknown origin by his side. But he didn't dare question his Martial Uncle's proposal. Since his Martial Uncle hadn't killed this kid after a Soul-Search, he must have his reasons. He just needed to listen.
Li Yan had originally been prepared to risk everything in a gamble. He had already moved seven or eight of the most lethal poisons in his body to the top of his head. He knew that before a Soul-Search, he would definitely be restrained first. By then, it would be too late to circulate his arts. With a single thought, he had laid the poison. The moment the other party's hand touched his topknot, the poison would activate. Li Yan refused to believe the other party could emerge unscathed after being poisoned by him. As for escaping from two Golden Core cultivators, if it were only Lin Xinghe, he would have tried without hesitation. But facing an expert who might be a Pseudo-Nascent Soul, he estimated he wouldn't even be able to flee a single foot before being killed on the spot.
The other party's continuous, disjointed leaps in conversation left Li Yan stunned for a moment before he reacted.
"Senior, you think too highly of this junior. Kill six cultivators of the same rank? Even if this junior were blessed by the heavens and survived, I would surely be so severely injured that recovery would be difficult. What talk would there be of future cultivation then?"
Although Li Yan was surprised by the proposal and couldn't fathom the other party's true thoughts, he still seized this last chance.
"Hehe, if that's the case, it can only mean my senses were wrong, and you'll just have to accept your fate. And I didn't even specify whether they should be initial, mid, or late stage. Otherwise, you could just go die now. Do you think I would keep someone of considerable strength in the sect?" the red-robed youth said without a trace of emotion.
Li Yan couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Then what's the point of talking about a deal, Senior? This junior can try for three Foundation Establishment cultivators. Otherwise, even if Senior kills me now, I cannot do it."
"Three Foundation Establishment cultivators? That won't do. Let's make it four..." the red-robed youth said indifferently, the coldness in his eyes deepening.
Zhang Ming's body trembled slightly. He could feel the killing intent overflowing.
"Fine... Four it is! Once this is done, this junior will have completed the task!" He gritted his teeth and finally agreed.
A hint of surprise flashed in the red-robed youth's eyes. In truth, he just wanted to use any means possible to harass the enemy. His Falling Star Valley was on the brink of destruction anyway; having the enemy lose one more person was a wonderful thing. In reality, he didn't expect Zhang Ming to actually kill so many cultivators of the same rank. Even if Zhang Ming was at the Late-stage Foundation Establishment, or even a Pseudo-Core, killing even an Initial-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator in this kind of large-scale sect assault was extremely difficult.
Moreover, Foundation Establishment cultivators were the backbone of sects like theirs. If Zhang Ming really did kill four of them by himself, he would inevitably attract the enemy's attention. Zhang Ming's fate would be almost certain death. That way, his objective would be achieved. No matter what purpose he had for infiltrating Falling Star Valley, he wouldn't let him die so cheaply. As for the six people he mentioned, it was a deliberate ploy to make the other party fight desperately in battle.
"Alright. As long as you kill four Foundation Establishment cultivators, the condition is met. At that time, you can use Falling Star Valley's earth fire as you wish."
Now that things had come to this, Li Yan appeared nervous on the surface, but his heart had calmed. At least he hadn't lost his life immediately or had to undergo the inhumanely cruel Soul-Searching Art.
"I imagine Senior will also be placing a restriction on my body."
"That's why speaking with intelligent people is so easy. Don't worry, this restriction will not limit your cultivation in any way. It's just that if it's not removed after a year, the consequences go without saying."
As he spoke, the red-robed youth flicked his finger, and a point of dim light entered Li Yan's body. Li Yan didn't dodge or evade. A scan with his Divine Sense revealed a deep blue point of light hovering above the lake in his Dantian, flickering with a blue glow like a ghostly eye.
"Does Senior have any other instructions?" Li Yan asked, his expression looking very troubled.
"Nothing else. You may return for now and wait for news. I am a man of my word and will not go back on a promise to a junior like you. You don't need to worry. After the great battle is over, the restriction in your body will naturally be removed."
The red-robed youth didn't want to say more to this person called Zhang Ming and waved his hand. Li Yan was even more direct, bowing to the two of them before walking straight out of the courtyard gate, quickly disappearing from their sight.
"This boy is not simple. He didn't even ask what would happen to the restriction in his body if I died or if Falling Star Valley was defeated." The red-robed youth nodded.
"Martial Uncle, why didn't you use Soul-Search to confirm his true purpose for entering the sect?" Lin Xinghe finally asked.
"There's no need. The fact that he didn't trade the souls of Tang Tian and the others shows he is not a traitor to the human race. As for whether he has some greater purpose, it no longer matters. So what if he's a spy sent by the enemy? His every move is within my perception. The slightest suspicious action, and he will be killed instantly. And in the upcoming battle, even if we are defeated, we must make the four clans of Cangyu Sect suffer heavy losses. If we can make a few more of their Foundation Establishment cultivators perish, wouldn't that be even better? Also, don't you think about using Soul-Search either. We are about to make our move. Don't waste your magical power and Divine Sense."
The red-robed youth said coldly. How could he not make use of a fighter who had delivered himself to his doorstep?
"Martial Uncle is right. To see a few more Foundation Establishment cultivators from those four sects fall would indeed be a joyous matter."
Killing intent still flashed in Lin Xinghe's eyes, but thinking that they were heading for a fight where both fish and net would be broken, it would be even better to let Zhang Ming perish together with the enemy.
"Go to the core of the Sect-Protecting Grand Formation now. Lie Changfeng will probably break the restrictions of the outer valley formation in another hour or so. I'll go take a look!"
As he said this, the red-robed youth stood up, as if he were really just going out for a casual look at the scenery. Then, he moved his lips towards a certain direction. Lin Xinghe knew he was informing his Senior Brother Xing Ming.
"Martial Uncle, are we moving now!"
Lin Xinghe hadn't expected his Martial Uncle to be so decisive, to act the moment he said he would. His murderous intent was resolute to the extreme. He had thought there would at least be some arrangements made. Lin Xinghe had never operated the Sect-Protecting Grand Formation at full power. The last time the grand formation was activated, he hadn't even joined the sect yet. He had only heard about its power from his senior brother.
Therefore, he had hoped that his Senior Brother Xing Ming could join the fight. With the three of them, the chances of killing those three would be much greater. But with the red-robed youth acting this way, if the Sect-Protecting Grand Formation wasn't as powerful as the legends claimed, it would be troublesome if the red-robed youth was tied down by the enemy. Last time, his Martial Uncle had managed to retreat unscathed from the joint attack of Lie Changfeng and his clansman, but this Sang Dongxing was by no means comparable to that clansman. He was the Sect Master of the Cangyu Sect and had been at the Late-stage Golden Core for over three hundred years. How could that Mid-stage Golden Core from the Wind-Severing Clan even compare? The difference in their strength was like heaven and earth.
The red-robed youth snorted coldly. "What's with all the nagging? Go quickly! Activate the grand formation's attack restrictions the moment you hear my voice transmission!"