Because the earth-attribute spiritual energy here was excessively dense, Zhao Min did not notice the slight change in the sky for the first few breaths.
Qian Ji and Zi Kun had already learned from Zhao Min the reason for Li Yan's injuries—he had been wounded by a Nascent Soul cultivator.
They had followed Li Yan for so many years, and this was the first time they had seen him with no way to escape, forced to flee into the "Earthen Patch" space.
The thought of how Li Yan had provoked a Nascent Soul cultivator this time still made the two demons feel a lingering fear.
So, the moment a different scene appeared in the sky, Qian Ji felt that something must have gone wrong.
Outside, the white-haired youth's hands formed a series of afterimages. The flowing light from the white sphere emitted waves of blazing white light, each stronger than the last.
It illuminated the dense forest as if a sun had risen, casting long, overlapping shadows of the trees on the ground. The shadows constantly elongated or shifted with the changing light of the white sphere.
If it weren't for the protection of the formation here, these strange phenomena would have already attracted the prying eyes of others.
When three hours had passed, the white-haired youth's expression became grim. The speck of dust in the center of the demonic face's single eye only emitted a faint yellow glow, with no other changes.
And even though he was only refining it, he had already used nearly sixty percent of his magical power. Any more, and it would trigger the repulsion of the Forsaken Continent's laws of heaven and earth against his original body.
Who was he? The Grand Elder of the White Demon Clan, a top-tier expert at the late stage of Spirit Transformation. Although he couldn't be said to be invincible in this realm, he was one of the very top figures, and no one could defeat him either.
How could he dare to use his full strength? His very being was a thorn in a great melting pot. Once exposed, the laws of heaven and earth would no longer tolerate his existence and would surely remove him.
However, his heart was filled with even greater anticipation.
'What level of supreme treasure is this!'
He gave a low shout.
"Junior Sister, help me!"
The beautiful woman at his side was also filled with solemnity. Her Senior Brother had used nearly sixty percent of his magical power. If this power were allowed to spread, it would be enough to destroy all living beings, mountains, and rivers within a million li.
Seeing that it was about to trigger the power of the laws of heaven and earth, and it still couldn't refine that speck of dust, her heart was no longer satisfied with simply studying this spatial magical treasure. Instead, she felt that this item could not fall into the hands of any one person, no matter what.
Either the two of them would study it together, or it would become a sacred treasure of the clan, with the most capable one ultimately possessing it. The white-haired youth was only a step ahead of her; he couldn't completely suppress her.
But these thoughts only flashed through her mind. She was now more interested in capturing the human cultivator who had injured Dao Yu and thoroughly examining his memories.
'Perhaps he has even more secrets!'
With the white-haired youth's low shout, the beautiful woman extended a slender finger and pointed at the white sphere of light. A blue electric arc wrapped around it.
Instantly, the demonic face on the white sphere became even more bizarre. Blue electric arcs appeared in its single eye, emitting a sharp "zzzt, zzzt, zzzt..." sound.
As they leaped about, they were like nimble fingers extending, one end firmly pinning down the speck of dust, while the crackling blue light from the electric arcs struck it.
Inside the "Earthen Patch" space, Li Yan awoke from his cultivation. His injuries had already improved a lot, especially the external wounds, which were recovering at an astonishing rate. Only some internal injuries still needed time.
He stood up and first looked towards the sky. The thin white lines of clouds there had become very dense and were beginning to gather into sheets, as if they had been combed by a comb.
A faint "buzzing" sound came from above the "Earthen Patch."
"Junior Brother, is someone attacking this space?"
Seeing Li Yan stop his meditation, Zhao Min glanced at him. Seeing that his spirits were no longer languid and that the injuries on his hands and feet had recovered, she was still somewhat surprised.
'Junior Brother's fortune is deep. The cultivation method he practices might be on the same level as the 'Heavenly Demon White Jade Plate,' or even stronger. How have I never heard of such a technique...'
Seeing Li Yan looking at the sky, she then asked. In fact, she and the two demons had already made their judgment, but she still wanted to hear Li Yan confirm it himself.
No matter who it was, in such a situation, one would certainly hold onto a sliver of hope, not wanting to be truly targeted by a powerful expert.
"Yes, and it's not a large-scale, indiscriminate attack, but a targeted one!
That Nascent Soul cultivator shouldn't be able to cause such a commotion. We might have been targeted by a Spirit Transformation cultivator!"
Li Yan's expression was calm. The words he spoke caused the faces of Zhao Min and the two demons to change drastically. They hadn't expected the attacker outside to be a Spirit Transformation cultivator.
Li Yan's worst fear had come true. The "Earthen Patch" had been discovered by a Spirit Transformation cultivator. Then, the other party would immediately be able to identify the preciousness of this spatial magical treasure.
After obtaining this treasure, even if they couldn't open it, it would be sealed or kept by their side for a long time. Then, he and Zhao Min would never be able to get out again.
The moment they showed their heads, it would mean death.
Unless they could cultivate to the Spirit Transformation stage, only then could they fight. Right now, Li Yan didn't even know if he could form his Nascent Soul, and the Spirit Transformation realm was as high and unreachable as the nine heavens.
After observing for a while, Li Yan still had some confidence.
He guessed that with a Spirit Transformation cultivator's ability, they would not be able to break the restriction on the "Earthen Patch" unless he himself died and the Divine Sense imprint on it collapsed.
Similarly, although they were temporarily safe, they also couldn't escape. It was still a dead end.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Min was a little better off; she had long been mentally prepared. The faces of the two demons had turned ashen.
Li Yan glanced at the two demons.
"A Spirit Transformation cultivator can't break through here. It's just that we probably can't get out again until one of us cultivates to the Spirit Transformation stage."
He had another sentence in his heart that he didn't say out loud. Who was attacking the "Earthen Patch" now?
If it were other Spirit Transformation cultivators from the "Sacred Demon Palace," they would still have a glimmer of hope to live. But if it was someone of the Supreme Grand Elder's level, then even if he and Zhao Min both cultivated to the Spirit Transformation stage, they might not be his match.
That was the top-tier expert in the Spirit Transformation realm, a giant of this continent.
While he was cultivating, the other party was also cultivating. Perhaps he had already reached the Void Refining realm.
After hearing Li Yan's words, the first to be overjoyed were the two demons. Although they had been here for a long time, they didn't know the origin of the "Earthen Patch."
Now hearing Li Yan say that even a Spirit Transformation cultivator couldn't break in, although they were half-believing, they also knew Li Yan very well and knew that he never boasted.
The tension on the faces of the two demons immediately eased a lot. At least their lives were saved.
"I told you, Dao Yu is from the Supreme Grand Elder's lineage. Besides, he tracked me to find you.
Ten to one, the ones outside are the Supreme Grand Elder and the Second Elder. They are a senior brother and junior sister pair. I can only describe their cultivation as unfathomable. No one knows, and I have never heard of anyone seeing them make a move.
Although they both have their own lineages, their Dao Companions have long since exhausted their lifespans and passed into the Way of Reincarnation.
Instead, the two of them often discuss the Dao and cultivate together. This means that if one of them discovered this magical treasure, then the other one is definitely there too."
Hearing this, Li Yan's face couldn't help but twitch.
This was the first time he had heard from Zhao Min that the two Supreme Elders of the "White Demon Palace" were a man and a woman. Zhao Min hadn't gone into detail about such secrets before.
Secondly, although he had already imagined the worst, he still hadn't expected that there were two top-tier Spirit Transformation cultivators from the Forsaken Continent outside at the same time.
Some of the thoughts that had just arisen in Li Yan's mind were abruptly cut off. But he didn't say anything, just raised his head again to look at the sky.
Although he had spoken with great confidence that the other party couldn't break the restriction, it was all just speculation. So right now, he just had to see if the other party could truly break the "Earthen Patch."
Two of the top-tier experts in this realm had more methods than he could imagine. Once they captured him, he would surely be soul-searched. Just for killing Dongli Qing alone, he would die without a complete corpse.
Therefore, Li Yan knew he couldn't fall into the other party's hands. The moment he sensed something was wrong with the "Earthen Patch," he would immediately self-destruct his Primordial Spirit, not his physical body.
He couldn't leave even a sliver of his soul behind. The methods of these old monsters were too terrifying.
He couldn't have any wishful thinking. The other party might be able to use a tiny bit of his remnant soul to perform a great divine ability, and maybe even resurrect him. In that case, his fate would be tragic.
However, he was fortunate that he was connected to the "Earthen Patch" by heart and mind. The moment the other party broke the restriction, Li Yan felt that he should be able to perceive it first.
At this point, Li Yan's judgment was also a little shaken. This was related to his suspicious nature.
When he died, Zhao Min would also die in the next moment due to the "Heart-Entangling Twin Gu." Since Zhao Min was unwilling to remove it, she had long been prepared for the two of them to perish together.
As for Zi Kun and Qian Ji, it went without saying. They were both bound to him by a blood contract.
If Li Yan died, the two demons would perish!
So, Li Yan didn't need to inform them at all. Anyway, once he died, everyone here except for the snow mosquitoes on the mountain would perish with him.
Zi Kun and Qian Ji knew many of his secrets, so it was better for them to be destroyed together.
If his secrets were discovered by a Spirit Transformation cultivator, even his relatives on the Forsaken Continent might be implicated.
Crossing continents was not a difficult matter for a Spirit Transformation cultivator. It was just that they usually didn't want to cause a war of the same level.
But if they really knew the secret of the secret realm where Ping Tu was on the Forsaken Continent, it would definitely be worth making a move.
Outside the "Earthen Patch," with the beautiful woman joining the attack, the "Earthen Patch" had already turned a dark yellow color. A dense earth-attribute spiritual energy emanated from it, constantly repelling the surrounding attacks.
This was completely different from its previous lack of reaction.
"It's actually an earth-attribute spatial supreme treasure!"
The white-haired youth and the beautiful woman looked at each other, their hearts filled with even more surprise and joy. They had finally determined some of the origins of this magical treasure.
"No wonder its defense is so strong. This is comparable to the defensive power of a realm!"
The beautiful woman's eyes shimmered with colorful light, and at the same time, the magical power in her hands grew even stronger.
She and the white-haired youth cultivated from the same source. Although they were not Dao Companions, they had reached a state of telepathy, and their coordination in spellcasting was perfect.
The two of them were fully focused on refining that speck of dust, and they had also activated the formation in the dense forest.
They didn't notice that at the core of the "Sacred Demon Palace's" sect-protecting grand formation, a force was slowly awakening.
This force had only caused the "Sacred Demon Palace's" sect-protecting grand formation to tremble slightly when the white-haired youth first refined the "Earthen Patch" and it emitted a yellow glow. Other than that, there was nothing unusual.
As the aura emitted by the "Earthen Patch" grew stronger, a faint shadow slowly appeared at the core of the formation. It was just that it appeared at the core of the formation, and no one in the entire "Sacred Demon Palace" knew.
That was the core of the entire White Demon Clan's core, a place only the white-haired youth and the beautiful woman could enter.
As the faint shadow slowly solidified, the figure of a Daoist appeared.
Initially, his face was unclear, just a blurry outline. But soon, as his body solidified, his features became clear.
The Daoist wore a yellow Daoist robe, with a snow-white horsetail whisk tucked into his belt. His face was ancient and thin, and his black hair was casually held in place by a cloud hairpin. He looked to be about thirty years old.
After the Daoist appeared, his eyes were filled with confusion. Only after more than ten breaths did the confusion in his eyes quickly recede.