As the clear-featured nun spoke, a slender hand had already begun to rise slowly.
"The Red Whisk Crimson Dragon Spear? The head of this spear comes from the Desolate Moon Continent, yet Senior claims that the Red Whisk Temple is right here on the ground above?
Are you perhaps mistaken about the location? Above us is a black swamp, a territory at the border of the Wind Goose Beasts' and the Wind-Iron Beasts' domains. How could there be a temple?
I have never even heard of the Yin Mountain Beast you speak of.
If Senior insists on a Soul-Searching Art, then so be it. See for yourself whether this junior is lying. Or, if Senior possesses the ability, you can try to break through to the surface and see whether or not it is a swamp above."
The clear-featured nun stared into Gong Chenying's eyes but detected no fluctuation within them.
'The Wind Goose Beast and the Wind-Iron Beast... The Red Whisk Crimson Dragon Spear appeared on the Desolate Moon Continent? And this place is beneath a black swamp?'
Her hand paused as she muttered a series of questions to herself. Shock appeared in her eyes, but inexplicably, she found herself starting to believe Gong Chenying's words. She could already sense that something was wrong with her surroundings.
She had only been awakened by the stimulating aura of the Red Whisk Crimson Dragon Spear. Although she had seen a few Yin Mountain Beasts, they were all extremely weak.
Her original purpose here was to suppress and seal them, so seeing them upon waking did not seem strange—they were merely a few minor demons.
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind. The next moment, the clear-featured nun's illusory figure flickered and vanished, leaving Gong Chenying standing motionless in place...
Several dozen breaths later, at the mouth of the cave, the illusory figure gazed at the pillars of wind that churned outside like black dragons. She extended her Divine Sense upwards, but quickly retracted it, her expression turning unsightly.
"Indeed, the environment here has changed drastically. He is constantly recovering and reawakening. Even after I unleashed Red Lotus Incinerates the Heavens, I was left with only this wisp of a soul, yet now, even his main body is reviving.
The seal here has already been eroded by sixty or seventy percent. I truly cannot sense any trace of the Red Whisk Temple above, only an endless darkness...
How has so much Heaven's Eye Wind been generated here? Its power is already enough to kill Nascent Soul stage cultivators, and it rages everywhere, crisscrossing the land... Could it be that the Red Whisk Temple also dissolved as the seal gradually weakened?"
The clear-featured nun felt a chill creep into her heart. Although she lacked a physical body, she was still gripped by an icy, bone-deep cold.
Though her Divine Sense could not penetrate the space above, the Red Whisk Temple was, in fact, an ancient magical treasure.
As the Grand Elder, she was required to refine and wield this magical treasure; it was a critical component of the seal she had placed here. Yet, at this moment, she could not sense it at all.
In truth, she hadn't sensed the magical treasure's aura when she first awoke, only the fluctuations of the seal. But at that time, she had attributed it to her own extreme weakness, believing her senses were failing her.
Now, having tried again with all her might, focusing her mind to sense it, there was still nothing. Although a part of her still hoped it was because she was deep underground and her cultivation had greatly diminished...
But thinking of Gong Chenying's words and her calm, unwavering gaze, she couldn't help but feel that the Red Whisk Temple might truly be gone.
'What about the disciples in the temple? And how did the Red Whisk Crimson Dragon Spear end up on the Desolate Moon Continent? If what she said is true, did someone from the temple eventually escape to the Desolate Moon Continent with the spear? Why? Why would they do that?'
For a time, the clear-featured nun's thoughts surged like a tide...
After a hundred breaths, the illusory figure vanished once more, but this time, her direction was not toward the cave's exit!
From the wind pillars outside, the clear-featured nun sensed an immense power. She felt that if she still possessed her physical body, even in her weakened state, she might have been able to ascend and investigate.
However, the power this wisp of a soul could unleash was severely limited. If she went all out, she could probably manifest the power of a Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, but only for five breaths, after which her cultivation would plummet.
Not only had she lost her physical body, but now even this wisp of a soul was in a weakened state, requiring soul-nurturing treasures or pills to recover.
Her seemingly effortless slaying of those few Third-rank Yin Mountain Beasts in the cave earlier was deceptive; she had barely used any of her own power.
Instead, she had borrowed the power of the Red Whisk Crimson Dragon Spear. The might of that magical treasure was far beyond what Gong Chenying could comprehend; the nun herself had only been able to borrow a minuscule fraction of its power.
Five breaths. The clear-featured nun felt that it would not be enough time to break through to the surface. She could feel a power within those wind pillars capable of killing Nascent Soul cultivators.
If a wind pillar were to hold her up for even a short time, the resulting stalemate would inevitably end with her soul scattering.
She remembered that when she had sealed that Yin Mountain Beast, she had descended to a depth of thirty thousand zhang. (TN: 1 zhang ≈ 3.3 meters)
She didn't know if that Yin Mountain Beast, now that it was reawakening, had also started to break through toward the surface while destroying the seal.
If she was still at a depth of thirty thousand zhang, she believed it would be impossible to break through the entanglement of those wind pillars.
When the clear-featured nun's figure reappeared before Gong Chenying, she immediately asked.
"What year is it in the Wind God Calendar?"
"It is the three hundred seventy-four million, six hundred and sixty thousandth year of the Wind God Calendar!"
Although the Wind God Continent had many mortal kingdoms with their own regnal years, cultivators, with their long lifespans, mostly used the simplest dating system to keep track of time, not bothering with changing era names.
Gong Chenying answered almost without thinking. She then saw a look of astonishment on the clear-featured nun's face.
"Has it... has it been that long..."
Although the clear-featured nun was just a fragment from the long river of history, her era was indeed distant from the time Gong Chenying spoke of.
Then, filled with profound disbelief, she pointed a finger at Gong Chenying's brow.
She had not been a person of great evil in her life, but with each question, Gong Chenying's answers became more and more incredible.
In the end, the clear-featured nun resorted to the Soul-Searching Art, but her search did not last long.
Because, sure enough, she saw some information related to the Tianli Clan, as well as a recent memory of Gong Chenying entering from a black swamp, a scene of her descending with a man in a green shirt...
Thus, she immediately stopped the soul search. The Red Whisk Temple was a sect dedicated to Buddhism. In the perilous and treacherous world of cultivation, although they were not always compassionate, they were far less prone to wantonly killing innocents compared to other Buddhist sects.
Moreover, the fact that Gong Chenying was a woman lessened the clear-featured nun's hostility.
'Her most recent memory is indeed of entering the swamp from below. She wasn't lying... she wasn't...'
The clear-featured nun muttered to herself, somewhat lost in thought. Gong Chenying felt a coolness on her brow and then regained her senses.
Although it felt like a fleeting trance, Gong Chenying knew she had been subjected to a soul search by the person before her. She just didn't know how much time had passed, or what information the other party had seen.
Though she was furious, this was the helpless reality for a cultivator of low strength. The fact that the other party had not subjected her to the endless pain of having her soul extracted and refined was merciful enough.
"Rest assured, I did not search for too much information. I only saw the scene of you coming down from a swamp, and some of the most profound words in your memory.
The Tianli Clan, 'A'die', 'Little Junior Brother'... it seems what you said is true.
I had no wish to perform a soul search on a junior cultivator, but your answers were growing increasingly preposterous. Amitabha, I have offended you, benefactor. Forgive me, forgive me!"
Although Gong Chenying's face was expressionless, the clear-featured nun knew exactly what she was thinking. For the first time, she not only recited a Buddhist mantra but also offered a slight explanation.
After she finished speaking, she looked at the crimson-glowing spear in her hand and, for a time, fell into deep thought.
Hearing the nun's explanation, Gong Chenying, though still angry, felt slightly better. No one would ever be willing to have their memories pried into by another.
After a long while, the clear-featured nun waved her hand. Gong Chenying felt a lightness in her body as the restraining pressure instantly vanished.
"Where on the Desolate Moon Continent did you obtain this spear?"
Gong Chenying stood up. She was half a head taller than the nun's illusory form. The nun was not short, but at this moment, she appeared rather petite.
"Senior, this was a gift from my junior brother. As for where he obtained it, this junior does not know."
Gong Chenying truly did not know the origin of the crimson spearhead. Her disposition was placid; when Li Yan gave her things, she wouldn't press for details unless he explained them himself.
The clear-featured nun frowned at her words. Although Gong Chenying had a cold personality, she was exceptionally intelligent.
"Senior, my junior brother should also be nearby, but we were separated earlier. If I find him, I can ask."
"Oh? You wish for me to take you to find him, don't you!"
The clear-featured nun glanced at Gong Chenying. A cultivator like her, who had lived for an unknown number of years, could see through matters with perfect clarity. She knew what the other was thinking as soon as she spoke.
"But this junior truly does not know the origin of this spearhead!"
Gong Chenying did not deny it.
"You may be disappointed. I am only a wisp of a soul. Although I can break through the wind pillars outside, the time I can withstand them is not long.
First, tell me what you experienced on your way here, and the current situation on the Wind God Continent."
"Senior, this junior came here in search of two Nascent Soul cultivators from my clan. In this region, our Tianli Clan are the only human cultivators. We are surrounded by Wind Goose Beasts, Wind-Iron Beasts..."
At this point, Gong Chenying could only give a rough account of the current situation. However, as she was not one for many words, she often summarized many events in a single sentence. Nevertheless, the clear-featured nun was able to grasp the basics.
After a quarter of an hour, Gong Chenying had already recounted most of it. Just then, the clear-featured nun suddenly turned her head to look in a certain direction.
Seeing the nun's strange expression, Gong Chenying's voice trailed off.
"I sense several powerful auras!" the clear-featured nun said. Gong Chenying, however, sensed nothing at all.
"Can Senior perhaps sense what kind of people they are?" Gong Chenying quickly pressed, a strange light flashing in her beautiful eyes.
"They are quite far away. Although the auras are gradually growing stronger, the wind pillars outside have the ability to disrupt Divine Sense, so I cannot get a clear reading. However, it seems there are powerful cultivators in a standoff before a battle."
As the clear-featured nun spoke, a touch of sorrow appeared in her heart. Once upon a time, she too had roamed this land freely, one of the supreme existences in this world.
Now, her cultivation had fallen to such a state. Her Divine Sense scan could barely cover the approximate range of a Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
She could only sense several auras vaguely penetrating through the wind pillars from the outside, but she couldn't get a clear picture of the specific situation.
"Then is Senior going to let me leave, or do you have other plans?"
Gong Chenying felt it must be Li Yan fighting with someone.
She still had three Golden Bell Talismans. One of them only retained eighty percent of its power, but Gong Chenying was still willing to take the risk.
However, whether she could leave was not up to her to decide; it was up to the other party.
Seeing Gong Chenying's calm demeanor from beginning to end, the clear-featured nun couldn't help but give her another look.
"It seems you are fairly certain that the person who appeared over there is the young man who came down with you. Is he a Nascent Soul cultivator? Do you also have a Nascent Soul-level defensive magical treasure?"
With just that one sentence, the clear-featured nun easily grasped the key points of her words and quickly made a judgment. The accuracy of her judgment greatly surprised Gong Chenying.
"Yes, three talismans that can only defend against an initial-stage Nascent Soul cultivator! Junior Brother is indeed a Nascent Soul cultivator."
Gong Chenying met the clear-featured nun's gaze. She knew that if the other party didn't let her go, she had no secrets to keep. It was better to answer honestly.
"Only three? That won't be enough for you to break through this distance!"
"That's better than sitting here waiting to die!"
"Perhaps waiting here for him to come is the best option!"
Gong Chenying understood the other party's meaning; she did not want to let her go. However, what the clear-featured nun said was also reasonable. Once Li Yan broke away from the enemy, he might be able to find this place.
But there was another possibility: Li Yan might have gone in the wrong direction, moving even farther away from here.
Gong Chenying had never been one to sit and wait. Of course, she would not act rashly either. If the clear-featured nun agreed to let her go, then she would ask her for the direction and gamble her life to find him. There was still a sliver of hope in that.
Now, her life was in the other's hands. If the nun wanted to kill her, there was no need to deliberately point her in the wrong direction. Since the other party had given such an answer, Gong Chenying simply said no more.
"Going like this won't do. Let's go to the cave entrance first. If we can contact the other party, I'll try to send some kind of signal.
Or, when he is engaged in battle and gets closer to this side, I will borrow your three talismans and take you through. But I have a condition: if your junior brother comes, I demand to leave this place with you.
However, you'd best not have any ill intentions. Although I am only a remnant soul, I will absolutely make you accompany me in death before I perish."
The clear-featured nun held the crimson-glowing spear, a faint pressure emanating from her body. The seal here was growing weaker and weaker, and now that she was awake, there was nothing she could do.
Moreover, she needed to go up and see what had happened to her sect. This was extremely important to her. Why had the Red Whisk Temple just vanished? What about the sect disciples? And her one and only direct disciple?
But she herself was not certain she could reach the surface smoothly. If things went wrong, she would perish underground first, and the probability of that was extremely high. She could only rely on the strength of others.