For a time, Su Hong was once again lost in deep thought. She could guess what Li Yan was looking for her for—to confirm the news about the way to the Desolate Moon Continent from her. But it was precisely because of this that she couldn't figure out how the other party had appeared on the Verdant Continent.
Normally, with the vast power and scout capabilities of "Gui Qu Lai Xi," they would have long known the outcome of the great war between the two realms on the Desolate Moon Continent. But at that time, countless people had died on both sides. When it only concerned the life and death of a small Foundation Establishment cultivator, no one would have paid much attention. In addition, Su Hong herself was still on her way back through the chaotic flow space at that time, so how could she have had the mind to think about these things?
Afterward, after returning to her clan, she had gone into seclusion to cultivate and had not asked anyone to pay much attention to the movements on the Desolate Moon Continent, let alone to pay attention to Li Yan. In fact, the main reason was that this kind of thing was easy to handle on the same continent. After crossing realms, if she were to ask someone to pay attention to a small cultivator, it would definitely not escape the eyes of those old antiques in her family. Su Hong was not willing to go to great lengths to explain a small matter, so she had just let it go.
Now, with Li Yan suddenly appearing here, it would be strange if she could figure it out. After struggling for a while, she also put the matter aside and then looked at Mi'er with a smile. "Notify all the branches here. If someone calling himself 'an old acquaintance from the wind and snow' comes to them, then tell them I am here. Or let him wait for me at that branch. I haven't seen this 'old acquaintance' for a long time, and I miss him dearly… I really do miss him dearly!"
…
At this time, Li Yan and his companions had already flown out of the vast primeval jungle. The surrounding temperature was getting hotter and hotter, and the golden color of autumn was no longer visible in the vegetation. Large banana leaves spread out on the ground like a huge green carpet, rapidly flashing past below, one after another. This was no longer under the jurisdiction of the Tingyun Kingdom.
The Sparrow Plume Pagoda Domain. It was said that the Peacock Bright King had once appeared here, ruling over this land. Because there was a high pagoda in the Peacock Clan called the "Sparrow Plume Pagoda," which was a place of pilgrimage for the Peacock Clan, this land was therefore called the Sparrow Plume Pagoda Domain. It was only later, when the Peacock Clan slowly declined, that the other races here gradually rose one by one. But the name Sparrow Plume Pagoda Domain has been used ever since.
The Giant Wood Clan was originally a native of the Sparrow Plume Pagoda Domain. They had almost grown up alongside the Peacock Clan. At the beginning, they were vassals of the Peacock Clan. With the decline of the Peacock Clan, they had become independent and began to compete with other races for their own territory.
In a valley, by a clear mountain stream, Li Yan and the four others stood there. Zi Kun and Qian Ji had already entered the "Earthen Patch" to cultivate. "We will hide nearby and wait for your news. If you die on this trip, then Ai Sang, Ai Ni, I suggest you still take your clansmen and leave the Sparrow Plume Pagoda Domain. With your cultivation, without the threat of the Tianlan Clan cultivators, you can still find a remote place and live on with the remaining people." Li Yan spoke to A Guxi with a calm face.
Along the way, they had entered two more markets. While buying new maps, they had also been constantly inquiring about the Giant Wood Clan. Now, after comparing several maps and the news they had gathered, they had already confirmed the specific location of the Giant Wood Clan in the Sparrow Plume Pagoda Domain, about three thousand li southwest of their current position.
Other news was that the current power of the Giant Wood Clan was in the middle to upper ranks within the Sparrow Plume Pagoda Domain, which was not weak. As for whether there were Nascent Soul cultivators in the clan, this was very difficult to find out. This kind of information was already a high-level secret.
If a sect or clan had a Nascent Soul cultivator who had not ascended, there were only two possibilities. One was to protect the sect and clansmen; the other was that they had not found a suitable ascension node and did not dare to rush in, so they could only try to improve their own cultivation while inquiring about ascension nodes. Therefore, under these two possible circumstances, the Nascent Soul cultivator would not often show their face but would be in seclusion for many years. Thus, it was possible for a clan to be rumored to have a Nascent Soul cultivator, but in fact, they had already quietly ascended or passed away. Usually, this clan would also be very careful to keep this secret and would certainly not tell the outside world the real situation, as that would undoubtedly be lighting a lamp for their enemies.
Although they had entered two markets along the way, Li Yan was not in a hurry to find Su Hong. His main priority now was to deal with A Guxi's clan. He could not keep A Guxi and his people with him forever. After paying so much, it was time for a reward.
Upon hearing Li Yan's words, A Guxi immediately nodded. "As you know, Senior, why the seven clans never went to rescue us is very difficult to explain. Our sudden return to the clan will definitely cause a stir. No one knows if the result will be good or bad. Of course, someone must secretly return to the clan, on the one hand, to find out the real situation of the Giant Wood Clan now, and on the other hand, to see if they can meet the current clan chief. This matter is full of strangeness, and there will definitely be dangers in returning. But so many of our clansmen have died. Wasn't it all so that we could return to our own clan and have our leaves return to their roots? So, even if it means death, someone has to do it!"
A resolute expression appeared on A Guxi's aged face. In these few days, after seeing the outside world, his determination to let his clansmen live a better life had become even firmer.
"Clan Chief, then let me go!"
"And me!" Ai Ni and Ai Sang immediately said in low voices. Years of fighting with the Tianlan Clan cultivators had made them keep their voices extremely low under any circumstances. It wasn't that they couldn't use voice transmission, but that those mortal clansmen couldn't. So they had to communicate this way.
"Nonsense! First, you are not to call me Clan Chief anymore. Times are different now. If we can really return to the clan, and you call me Clan Chief, you will bring a death sentence upon me, making others think that this branch of our clan has ulterior motives. This time, if I don't come back, Ai Sang will be the Clan Chief. The Clan Chief will be the Clan Chief. At that time, you will take the clansmen and go as far as you can. Second, this is not a life-and-death struggle with the Tianlan Clan villains. What's the point of so many people going? If something goes wrong and you all die there, what ability will the remaining clansmen have to survive?" A Guxi berated the two in a low voice. His words already revealed a sense of either succeeding or dying in the attempt. Finally, he glanced at Li Yan and Zhao Min again.
"Besides, there are still two seniors here. Their judgment is countless times better than ours. It's fine if you act recklessly, but don't implicate others."
A Guxi already had absolute authority in the clan. In their years of living on the edge of life and death, when encountering an enemy, there was no time for lengthy debates. Whatever A Guxi said was law. Even if they knew he would die, Ai Sang and the others had to follow orders and protect the clansmen to escape first, or willingly stay behind to cover the retreat.
Ai Ni and Ai Sang immediately fell silent, but their fists were clenched tightly. The three of them had never been separated, and the bond of kinship between them was stronger than any other emotion.
"The first thing is that you, A Guxi, must first figure out the current situation of the Giant Wood Clan. The second is how to successfully meet the clan chief. The first matter, you will have to judge for yourself. I am not familiar with the clan rules and judgment criteria of your Giant Wood Clan. For the second matter, I can give you a suggestion. In order to ultimately meet the current clan chief, then, you can directly lie and say that you are a branch that was lost thousands of years ago. Now, you have come to find your clansmen under the order of your elders, and you have a token from your elders that must be presented to the clan chief. Your bloodline will definitely pass the verification without any problem. This kind of lost branch exists in every clan, and I believe the Giant Wood Clan is no exception. But you must remember one thing. You can only say that your elders left the clan thousands of years ago. Before you see the clan chief, you must not let anyone have any possibility of connecting you to the Tianlan Prairie!"
Li Yan was deducing various possibilities while constantly planning. The world he had seen was, of course, not something A Guxi could compare to. But A Guxi was calm and was the most suitable candidate.
Under Li Yan's plan, A Guxi continuously raised questions, and a complete plan was thus slowly formed in the back-and-forth between the two. Li Yan was putting in so much effort, of course, for himself as well. He did not want all his previous efforts to be in vain. He had to do his best to ensure that A Guxi and his people could return smoothly.
"The whole plan is just like this. As for what your end will be after you finally meet the current clan chief, that is unpredictable. If you live, you can return. If you die, Ai Sang and the others will leave this place! However, the plan has now changed. You can no longer go in this attire. You should change into this set of clothes before you go!"
As Li Yan spoke, a light flashed in his hand, and a set of gray robes appeared. It then floated toward A Guxi. Now that the plan was set, he certainly couldn't let anyone discover any traces of the Tianlan Prairie on A Guxi.
After A Guxi took the clothes, he couldn't help but be full of admiration for the senior before him. For the other party to formulate a plan seemed to be as easy as picking something up. He had listed out many things that he couldn't see, and had given all sorts of feasible plans. Things that he felt were impossible to do, Li Yan often gave reasonable suggestions in a few words, and often more than one, which made his eyes widen.
One reason for this was A Guxi's limited experience. Another was that Li Yan had survived until now by relying on his meticulous mind and daring recklessness. He was best at setting up ambushes and plotting.
Zhao Min, on the side, watched as Li Yan seemed to be teaching a student, constantly imparting experience to an old man, and the old man was also listening attentively. She couldn't help but smile in her heart. Li Yan's scheming was something even she could not match. It was difficult for such a person to suffer a loss. However, in her eyes, all of this was Li Yan's merit. But if it were someone else, her opinion would be that that person was cunning and treacherous.
On the other side, Ai Ni and Ai Sang, after hearing Li Yan's plan, their originally tense faces also began to slowly relax. In their hearts, they actually felt that A Guxi's trip would not be too dangerous.
Afterward, after A Guxi had washed himself by the stream, a capable and weather-beaten gray-robed old man appeared before everyone.
On the third day after A Guxi left, Li Yan and Zhao Min calculated that A Guxi should have arrived at the Giant Wood Clan. After instructing Ai Ni and Ai Sang to stay in the valley, they also went out to inquire about news.
By the stream, Ai Sang was squatting on a slippery green stone, staring blankly at the fish in the clear stream. He was holding a tree branch and was poking at the cracks in the wet ground by the green stone at his feet, now and then. He had long since lost his sense of wonder for the scenery here. In these few days, only a sense of bewilderment and helplessness had arisen in his heart, and he had long lost the mood to meditate and cultivate.
A Guxi's departure made him feel empty in his heart. Not far away, Ai Ni was standing on a large rock, looking up at the sky from time to time. They had been like this for a long time. This was the tenth day since A Guxi had left. They had spent day after day in a state of bewilderment and anxiety.
And at this moment, two blurry figures suddenly flashed a few times behind them, then quickly solidified. Ai Sang and his companion were completely unaware of this.
"There's no need to worry anymore. A Guxi has already met the clan chief. You can now lead your clansmen to the Giant Wood Clan!"