This time, in response to Li Yan's attitude, the three of them surprisingly showed no disappointment or displeasure. Instead, after looking at each other, Cheng Wenming quickly said, "Oh, of course. But what I want to talk about is not the 'Snow Sprite,' but the 'Snow Sprite Lord.' Do you know about this, Fellow Daoist?" Cheng Wenming had clearly seen Li Yan's impatience and the surge of Spirit Power around him, as if he was about to leave at any moment, so he sped up his speech.
As expected, after hearing his words, the aura around Li Yan calmed down again. He asked with a puzzled look on his face, "Snow Sprite Lord? What's that?" The three were very satisfied with Li Yan's expression because this was the appropriate reaction for a cultivator entering the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda for the first time. If no one had told them in advance, this information was not in the Jade Slip. The other party claimed to be a rogue cultivator, so it was likely that the information he knew was not very complete.
And this time, Li Yan's expression was genuinely puzzled. He really didn't know what a "Snow Sprite Lord" was. Of course, from the name, he could vaguely guess a few things.
"Yes, the 'Snow Sprite Lord.' This is the reason the three of us sought you out, Fellow Daoist. There are, of course, many types of demonic beasts in the 'Melting Cave,' but the 'Snow Sprite' is definitely among the top three in terms of combat power on this level. Therefore, the Snow Sprite is the strongest predator in a 'Melting Cave' passage. They constantly strengthen themselves by devouring prey. When they become strong enough, they will break through to a higher realm." At this point, Cheng Wenming looked at Li Yan. He needed to confirm if Li Yan believed what he said, otherwise he would have to explain again. He needed the help of a fire Spirit Power cultivator.
Seeing Cheng Wenming looking at him, Li Yan nodded. He had no doubts about this point. A "Snow Sprite," in the end, was also a type of demonic beast. As a demonic beast, it was possible for it to advance. There was nothing doubtful about this. He hadn't thought of it before because he hadn't thought that far.
Another reason was that not all demonic beasts could advance without limit. They were limited by their bloodline and inheritance. For example, some peerless demonic beasts might be born as grade-two or grade-three, and their level would get higher as they grew. Some demonic beasts were born as grade-one and might only be able to reach grade-two at most. There were even grade-one demonic beast races whose bloodline was so low that unless they chanced upon some heaven-and-earth anomaly that changed their bloodline or demonic core, they might remain grade-one demonic beasts for generations.
"A 'Snow Sprite,' in its constant growth and slaughter, will either perish or grow stronger. When a surviving, powerful 'Snow Sprite' reaches a certain level, it will break through to the second grade, becoming a 'Snow Sprite Lord.'
"The length of a 'Melting Cave' passage varies. Some may only be a thousand li long, while others may twist and turn for tens of thousands of li. Therefore, the number of 'Snow Sprite Lords' within is also uncertain. There may be only one, or there may be eight or nine. Generally speaking, there will definitely only be one 'Snow Sprite Lord' within a thousand-li range. When a second one appears, it will trigger a great battle between the new and old 'Snow Sprite Lords,' a fight to the death until one side is dead. If both sides die, then a new 'Snow Sprite Lord' will eventually be born in this thousand-li stretch of the Melting Cave, or it will be occupied by a 'Snow Sprite Lord' from another area.
"At this point, I believe Fellow Daoist Jianghai already knows our purpose. We come to the tower to explore and hunt for treasures, and of course, we are looking for things we need. The demonic core of a grade-two 'Snow Sprite Lord' is very precious to us Foundation Establishment cultivators. So there are quite a few who team up to hunt 'Snow Sprite Lords' here. This is part of our plan this time. Therefore, we would like to invite you, Fellow Daoist Jianghai, to join us."
Li Yan looked at the three of them, his eyes flashing a few times. He continued, "Is there anything special to be aware of when capturing a Snow Sprite Lord?"
Cheng Wenming did not hesitate this time but nodded directly. "Yes. The demonic core in a 'Snow Sprite's' body is a flame of extremely low temperature. This is also their strongest attack method—'Nether Flame Devour.' The feeling of being burned by this flame is not scorching heat, but an ice-cold, bone-piercing, sharp pain. This flame is completely different from a normal flame, especially when it reaches the level of a 'Snow Sprite Lord.' The flame it casts is extremely difficult for even two or three cultivators of the same level to hunt.
"Therefore, to deal with them, you can't use water or earth-type magic arts to extinguish them. That would only make the flame's temperature lower and its burning speed more ferocious. What can counter it is, ironically, 'fire'—a true, ultimate yang flame. Not a fire-type magic art conjured from gold, wood, water, or earth Spirit Power. Only a true fire-type divine ability can cause fatal damage to it. That is why we wanted to invite you, Fellow Daoist."
Li Yan nodded calmly. After his gaze swept over the three of them, he did not immediately agree. He continued, "I understand what you're saying, Fellow Daoist Cheng. But there is still a key question here. If I agree to your request, then who gets the demonic core of the 'Snow Sprite Lord' we hunt in the end?"
Cheng Wenming paused this time. It was clear that his decision after meeting Li Yan was also sudden, so he hadn't thought through the details. After he seemed to have a few words with the two Mind-Clarifying Sect cultivators via voice transmission, he smiled at Li Yan again and said, "If Fellow Daoist joins our group, any other demonic beasts we hunt in the 'Melting Cave' will be based on individual ability. Whoever kills it gets everything on that demonic beast. If we encounter a 'Snow Sprite Lord,' the two of us will undoubtedly be the main force, but we will definitely need the help and containment of the two fellow Daoists from the Mind-Clarifying Sect. So, for the final demonic core, you and I will each take forty percent, and the remaining twenty percent will go to the two fellow Daoists from the Mind-Clarifying Sect. In this situation, if I want the complete demonic core, then I will pay for the remaining sixty percent in Spirit Stones, and so on. What do you think of this method, Fellow Daoist Jianghai? Of course, if we encounter other powerful demonic beasts, we will also distribute according to the effort put in."
"If Fellow Daoist Jianghai can kill a 'Snow Sprite Lord' by himself, we won't ask for any benefits." At this moment, the Ye-surnamed cultivator from the Mind-Clarifying Sect spoke coldly. He had been dissatisfied with Li Yan all along. If it were a normal cultivator who encountered a stronger party, they would have been extremely polite long ago. But this person before them was only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, the same as the two of them, not to mention Cheng Wenming, who was at the peak of Foundation Establishment. Yet, with such a cultivation level, he showed no reverence for the three of them, instead maintaining a cold and indifferent attitude. If it weren't for Cheng Wenming's secret voice transmissions several times, they would have killed this person long ago.
Li Yan glanced sideways at the Ye-surnamed cultivator, but a sudden smile appeared on his face. He cupped his fists at the three of them. "Just as Fellow Daoist Cheng said, we cultivators come here to hunt for treasures. Since there is such a benefit, then I, Jianghai, will naturally take part. Then everything will be as Brother Cheng has just proposed."
Hearing Li Yan's words, Cheng Wenming's face was instantly filled with smiles, and he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. It was not easy to find a lone cultivator in this tower, and a fire-type divine ability cultivator at that. If it were any other experienced lone cultivator, they would have quickly left as soon as they sensed another's aura, not letting anyone get close at all. But because of this, he was even more certain that Li Yan was a person out for training for the first time.
After that, there was nothing more to be said. The four of them immediately flew forward. It was just that when the three of them saw the "Cloud-Piercing Willow" under Li Yan's feet, a sharp glint flashed deep in their eyes. They were all veteran Foundation Establishment cultivators. Li Yan had only briefly urged the "Cloud-Piercing Willow" for a short distance, but they could see that this item was by no means an ordinary flying magical treasure. The three exchanged an imperceptible glance, and they read the same meaning in each other's eyes: if the other party had wanted to get away from them just now, their flying boat magical treasure would definitely not have been able to catch up.
They flew south all the way, and half a day passed quickly. In this half a day, Li Yan also learned the names of the two from the Mind-Clarifying Sect. The tall one was named Ye Xiuwen, and the short one was named Tan Zeshan. They were fellow martial brothers. Although Li Yan knew of Confucian cultivation sects like the Mind-Clarifying Sect, this was his first contact with one. But he knew that one of the Confucian school's cultivation methods had similarities to the Jingtu Sect's Buddhist school. They not only cultivated Spirit Power; the Buddhist school also cultivated Willpower, while the Confucian school also cultivated Righteous Qi. Once these two things were unleashed, not only could they attack enemies, but they could also entangle the opponent's Divine Sense and soul, and were very difficult to remove. They were the things cultivators were most unwilling to encounter. But fortunately, whether it was the Buddhist school's Willpower, the Daoist school's Votive Power, or the Confucian school's Righteous Qi, none could be cultivated by oneself. They needed a kind of faith to slowly condense. So not all monks, Daoists, and Confucian cultivators would have these cultivation levels, otherwise their combat power would have long been famous throughout the world.
What was most rare was that for things like Willpower and Righteous Qi, using just a sliver required decades, or even a century, to re-condense. So, unless it was a last resort, they would not use them.
When Li Yan learned that the Mind-Clarifying Sect cultivated the Confucian way, although he was surprised, he did not believe that the two Foundation Establishment cultivators before him could possess Righteous Qi. He estimated that one would need to cultivate to at least the Golden Core stage to have a chance of condensing a sliver for self-defense.
Along the way, they still encountered small swarms of Snow Mosquitoes and other demonic beasts of the snowfield. Li Yan also attacked without hesitation. When he attacked, it was either a sea of fire or a surge of heat waves. The momentum was quite formidable. In the eyes of the other three, it was quite good. As a result, even Ye Xiuwen and Tan Zeshan's attitude towards Li Yan softened a lot. Only the three of them knew in their hearts what this softening meant. It was that they had seen that Li Yan's cultivation was only that of a mediocre mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and their vigilance had dropped a lot. That was why they were deliberately being friendly with Li Yan for the time being.
And Li Yan also slowly became more communicative with the three of them, no longer as cold and indifferent as before. After half a day, the four of them really looked like a pre-formed team. But to a discerning eye, there was still a difference. That is, the four of them were still split into two flying magical treasures, one in front and one behind. Neither side had proposed merging.
In the middle of the night, they finally walked out of the vast snowfield and appeared before a wall of ice and snow that connected heaven and earth. The night sky in the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda was still dotted with stars, but it lacked the unique, huge moon of the Desolate Moon Continent, making the night seem hazy and quiet.