As for the Great Elder coming over to have a long talk with Li Yan in the meantime, Li Yan did not find it strange. The other party's words were all aimed at confirming certain things, matters concerning the "Qiongqi Purgatory Art."
To this, Li Yan remained noncommittal. He admitted that he knew of the existence of this technique, but as for whether he had cultivated it, the other party did not ask directly, so Li Yan did not give a direct answer.
This was the benefit that came with strength. A minor cultivator wouldn't just be asked whatever others wanted to ask; their very life was at the whim of the strong.
The Great Elder, of course, did not dwell on one topic. He also exchanged some insights on body refining arts with Li Yan.
Li Yan felt that he had benefited greatly from it, and in fact, the Great Elder had also benefited a lot.
After all, Li Yan possessed the Essence Blood of the Undead Nether Phoenix for body tempering. The feeling of power circulation and the path of qi and blood flow were not something others could know.
During this period, Li Yan did not even ask if the Wind Beasts had attacked the Tianli Clan again. He was just quietly waiting for Gong Chenying to come out of seclusion.
Time flew by, and more than a month passed in a flash!
On this day, Li Yan, who was cultivating in the building, suddenly opened his eyes. He then stood up and walked towards the main hall.
A few breaths later, a faint blue light flew from the distant mountains. After circling once, it landed in front of the courtyard where Li Yan lived.
When the light dissipated, a slender, graceful figure was revealed. It was Gong Chenying.
Gong Chenying's short hair was like black silk. She wore arrow-sleeved, blue robes with a white jade belt. The cinched waist further accentuated the magnificent roundness of her chest. The blue robes fell straight down, and her long legs made her figure appear even taller.
As she walked, the lower half of her rounded calves were revealed, her skin glowing with a wheat-colored light, exuding the texture of exquisite porcelain.
Her Divine Sense swept around lightly, and she sensed a faint, almost imperceptible restrictive force outside this courtyard.
This courtyard originally had a set of formation restrictions for defense, but it was clear that Li Yan had now added another layer of formation defense.
Cultivators had always only trusted the defenses they set up themselves for their dwellings.
Just as Gong Chenying walked towards the courtyard gate, the gate opened automatically. Gong Chenying smiled, and with a flash of her figure, she entered the courtyard...
In the second-floor hall, on either side of a tea table, Li Yan looked at Gong Chenying sitting opposite him, her face still somewhat pale, and couldn't help but frown.
"Sixth Senior Sister, your injuries haven't fully recovered. Why did you come over today?"
Gong Chenying waved her jade-like hand.
"There are many things on my mind, so I can't cultivate in peace. Besides, the injuries in my body are already stabilizing and improving. After I've spoken with my martial uncle, I will naturally go back to heal."
Her personality was calm and direct. Although she was a woman of few words, she always handled matters cleanly and did not like things lingering on her mind.
At this point, Gong Chenying's tone paused slightly before she continued.
"Besides, the pill Little Martial Uncle gave me is of an extremely high grade. Although I've only had a month to refine it, it's actually no longer a major issue."
"Especially that drop of 'Rongsun,' it instantly replenished my nearly depleted Dantian and meridians with magical power, which was like adding wings to a tiger for refining the medicinal power!"
As she spoke, a long-unseen warmth appeared in her clear, spring-like beautiful eyes.
Ever since she returned to the clan, she had always given the impression of being cold, stunning, and noble. Even when speaking with Gong Shanhe, she rarely showed much emotional fluctuation.
Looking at the dark-skinned young man with hair as tough as steel, Gong Chenying was a little dazed.
Although Li Yan's appearance had not changed much, he no longer had the greenness of the "Little Martial Uncle" from before. His figure appeared more robust, as if he were a piece of refined iron that had been tempered a thousand times.
"Back when you and Min'er fell off the cliff, Master and Martial Mother searched for a long time, and I also waited for a long time..."
At this point, Gong Chenying looked at Li Yan, a trace of reminiscence in her eyes. That was a time that had left her heart unsettled.
"Unfortunately, as months and years passed, neither of you ever appeared on Little Bamboo Peak!"
"We entered the Forsaken Continent..."
Li Yan also looked at the beautiful woman before him and continued her sentence.
Then, he began to recount his story to Gong Chenying, even mentioning "True Lord Qianchong." But just as he had told Zhao Min, he said it was an immortal fortune he had come across by chance.
Because he cultivated the technique of a certain sect, he received the help of a senior from that sect and thus escaped the perilous situation.
This was the most Li Yan could reveal. And in this world, apart from the artifact spirit Ping Tu, only Zhao Min and Gong Chenying knew that he had met True Lord Qianchong.
Li Yan's tone remained calm and steady as he spoke of the Forsaken Continent and the Verdant Continent. He also mentioned Su Hong, Bai Rou, and Shuang Qingqing.
Gong Chenying just listened quietly, her expression only moving on rare occasions, usually when Li Yan and Zhao Min were on the brink of life and death.
Although she knew they were fine, a look of worry would still appear on her cold and beautiful face.
Li Yan's narration lasted for an hour before he finished recounting all of his and Zhao Min's experiences, and how they returned to the Desolate Moon Continent.
But he still intentionally or unintentionally omitted one thing—his one-night affair with the Nascent Soul female cultivator of the Black Demon Clan. To this day, Li Yan still found that matter inexplicable.
"Although you and Min'er went through many hardships, this is also the grand path of a cultivator. You both obtained many opportunities that you couldn't have gotten on the Desolate Moon Continent. In a way, it was worth it!"
Li Yan did not hide the fact that Zhao Min had learned the supreme scripture of the White Demon Clan, the "Heavenly Demon White Jade Plate." Zhao Min had already told Li Yan that.
"There is no need to hide my matters from Senior Sister Ying; you can tell her everything!"
After Gong Chenying finished speaking, a strange color flashed in her beautiful eyes.
"Little Martial Uncle, you and Min'er were both implanted with the 'Heart-Entangling Twin Gu.' In that case, have you already become Dao Companions?"
"Yes, more than ten years ago, Min'er and I became Dao Companions! But I need to explain this matter to you..."
Gong Chenying's expression did not change. She just gently waved her hand, interrupting Li Yan's explanation.
Ever since she heard that Zhao Min, at the Foundation Establishment stage, had implanted the "Heart-Entangling Twin Gu" in herself and Li Yan to save him and preserve her chastity, she had already guessed the outcome.
Although both Zhao Min and she had understood Li Yan's feelings in the small mountain village of the Great Green Mountains, she was, in fact, the first one to have an engagement with Li Yan.
"Little Martial Uncle, why must you explain this matter? You and Min'er have been through thick and thin together for nearly a hundred years. There is nothing for me to be dissatisfied about. Besides... you said you only became Dao Companions more than ten years ago. That's already a long time..."
She stopped there, her beautiful eyes still incomparably clear.
"A Ying, it's not that I want to explain, but there are indeed some things I must let you know. I couldn't get in touch with you."
"When Eldest Senior Brother got married, he asked 'Gui Qu Lai Xi' to deliver a letter to you, but he never received a reply. No one knew your situation."
"And... and, Fifth Senior Brother and Seventh Senior Brother couldn't attend Eldest Senior Brother's wedding either..."
As Li Yan spoke, his expression turned a little grim.
Gong Chenying's normally calm, jade-like face changed slightly.
"What happened to Fifth Senior Brother and Daqiao? Did they run into danger? Or something else?"
In fact, a bad premonition had already faintly formed in her heart.
Li Yan sighed and recounted what had happened on the peak after he returned to Little Bamboo Peak.
Only then did Gong Chenying realize that Li Yan had hidden so many things a month ago for fear of destabilizing her state of mind.
She sat upright at the side of the tea table, listening to Li Yan's narration, and remained silent for a long time.
Although among the eight martial siblings, she was the one who spoke the least and preferred to be alone, the past of the sect on Little Bamboo Peak was also the happiest and most relaxing time in her memory.
Wen Xinliang's free-spiritedness, Lin Daqiao's cleverness, Eldest Senior Brother's unruliness...
Whenever she was exhausted after a battle, apart from missing Li Yan, she would think of her fellow disciples on Little Bamboo Peak. She could always see their figures somewhere in the night sky. In her reminiscence, her weary heart would find much relaxation.
After a long silence, Gong Chenying finally raised her beautiful head again.
"So Martial Mother also failed to form her Nascent Soul. She was missing Min'er too much back then, which ruined her state of mind! I hope that after seeing Min'er finally settled, she can let go of everything and successfully form her Nascent Soul!"
As a woman, Gong Chenying's mind was as fine as a needle. Coupled with having grown up with Zhao Min, she could see through her Martial Mother's thoughts.
"There shouldn't be a problem!"
Li Yan nodded again. He, of course, also hoped that Zhao Zhi would successfully form her Nascent Soul.
Just then, Gong Chenying's voice suddenly turned a little cold.
"I never received news of Eldest Senior Brother's wedding!"
As Gong Chenying said this, a trace of iciness flashed in the depths of her eyes. This was the first time she had heard that Li Wuyi had sent her a message.
She was often away fighting. The only ones who could intercept her letters were a few people in the clan. Although her words were calm, Li Yan could already see the problem.
"Gui Qu Lai Xi" had a very good reputation. If the letter could not be delivered, Li Wuyi would have at least received a reply.
He had become suspicious of this point after arriving at the Tianli Clan. Eldest Senior Brother had also mentioned in his letter that he and Zhao Min had returned, yet Gong Chenying seemed completely unaware.
"You didn't receive the message?"
"I have already guessed some of the reasons for this. You don't need to ask about it. I will handle it myself!"
Not a trace of emotion could be heard in Gong Chenying's words.
Li Yan's mind raced. He did not continue on this topic.
"By the way, I haven't been out recently. I wonder if the Wind Beasts have attacked again this past month!"
Li Yan asked. The Tianli Clan's Great Elder had not mentioned the recent situation with the Wind Beasts, and he had not pursued the matter.
If he was too eager to offer help, who knows how the other party would view him. But this was something he could ask Gong Chenying.
"When I came out earlier, I had already asked the clansmen. For the past month, the low-rank beasts of the three Wind Beast clans have still been attacking every day, but the fourth-rank Wind Beasts have not appeared again."
"Oh? I thought they would need to recuperate after the last setback. They are still attacking your clan?"
A look of confusion appeared on Li Yan's face. It wasn't just that his guess was wrong. The last battle had caused them heavy losses, yet they had not paused at all.
Gong Chenying seemed to see the question in Li Yan's heart.
"Actually, if you stay here for a while, you will know the reason. For more than ten years, for some unknown reason, the three Wind Beast clans have joined forces and have never stopped."
"This time, even if their plan failed, they still let a large number of low-rank Wind Beasts continue to attack, constantly wearing down our clan's low-rank cultivators and mortal warriors."
"This may seem to have little impact, but it is shaking the very foundation of our clan."
"The strength of any single one of the three Wind Beast clans is not as great as the Tianli Clan's, and their reproduction rate is not as fast as ours. This is what has allowed the Tianli Clan to stand against three clans with the strength of one."
"However, when these three Wind Beast clans are added together, their total number exceeds ours by about thirty percent."
"They adopt a desperate, mutually destructive tactic, trading life for life, just to completely exhaust our clan's low-rank cultivators and mortal warriors."
"That way, our remaining mid- and high-rank cultivators will be like rootless duckweed, losing the possibility of selecting disciples with spirit roots from among the mortals, and also cutting off the advancement and strengthening of our low-rank cultivators."
Gong Chenying, in her arrow-sleeved blue robes, looked heroic and valiant even when seated.
The words she spoke always gave people a sense of calm, as if the matter she was discussing had nothing to do with her.
Li Yan nodded. The Tianli Clan's situation would not change much just because of his arrival. Li Yan knew he was not a god, just an ordinary cultivator.
Gong Chenying glanced at Li Yan. There was actually one more thing in her heart that she had not said.
For the past month, although the Great Elder had not gone to see her, one matter had become imminent. They probably wanted Li Yan's help, but with her being injured, they couldn't bring it up.
So, the Third Elder had once visited Gong Chenying under the pretext of delivering medicine. Gong Chenying understood the meaning behind her words, but she remained silent.
That was that the Tianli Clan's "Grey Cloud Eagles" had been almost completely wiped out in the last battle, making the defense against the "Wind Goose Beasts" extremely difficult this past month.
The Tianli Clan could only dispatch cultivators to deal with them, but the other side would also dispatch corresponding third-rank Wind Beasts to intercept them.
In just one month, although the Tianli Clan's defensive perimeter had not been lost by much with the help of the cultivators, the number of mortal warrior deaths had multiplied, and sixty percent of the damage came from the sky.