"Has the Sect Master arrived yet?"
Li Yan asked softly at the same time.
"An Elder Token! It's... Disciple pays respects to Elder Zhang!"
It was the leader who spoke. He recognized at a glance that the star-shaped token had five corners, while the Sect Master's had six. He was greatly shocked. When he looked closer at the person, he shuddered.
He had, of course, attended Li Yan's promotion ceremony and had seen this Elder Zhang from a distance. But this Elder Zhang almost never went out, and so he had been slowly forgotten by them.
So when they first saw him, he and the other three disciples had not recognized this elder of Falling Star Valley for a moment.
Li Yan had already put away the token and was slowly walking towards the main hall door.
The leading disciple from just now was also very quick-witted. He quickly led the others in a grand salute and answered rapidly.
"The Sect Master arrived an hour ago. There are still fifteen disciples in the main hall."
Li Yan nodded, already having a guess in his mind.
'It seems these fifteen are the disciples I'm supposed to take to the Sacred Demon City.'
He waved his hand gently, brushed past the four guarding disciples, and walked directly into the main hall without stopping.
Seeing that this Elder Zhang was not angry, the four disciples only slowly straightened up after Li Yan's figure had disappeared into the doorway.
They looked at each other, and a bitter smile appeared on their faces. They all saw the sweat beading on each other's foreheads.
Although they were just on normal duty according to the rules, strictly carrying out their responsibilities, a high and mighty expert's mood often depended on a single thought.
If you blocked him, he might see it as a great offense and punish you on a whim, or even kill you. The sect probably wouldn't hold a Golden Core elder accountable for the death of a minor cultivator.
Especially since before this Elder Zhang was officially promoted, many rumors about him had been circulating throughout the sect.
He had slain a Golden Core from the Cangyu Sect when he was still in the Foundation Establishment stage, although it was said that he had taken advantage of that Golden Core cultivator's injuries.
But a Golden Core was a Golden Core. Among all the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sect, how many would have had the courage to resist in that situation? Who dared to say they could have slain a Golden Core under those circumstances?
It was said that Elder Zhang also raised a type of mosquito-like demonic beast that especially liked to feast on the flesh and blood of cultivators.
Twenty years ago, someone had witnessed the scene of invading cultivators being sucked into dried corpses. Some said dozens, some said hundreds, some said several hundred.
They saw a field of empty, dried-out husks drifting in the wind, which made all the disciples' hair stand on end and made them even more aware of this new elder's cold-blooded and ruthless nature.
In their minds, they all thought this Elder Zhang was at least over a hundred years old. Such a person would have long been accustomed to life and death over a century, killing like scything hemp, with a heart that was not just ordinarily black.
The disciples glanced at each other before returning to their original positions. No one mentioned what had just happened again.
To be assigned to guard the Sect Master's main hall, they were already core disciples of Falling Star Valley. Whether it was their judgment or their cunning, they were all smooth operators.
At this time, no one would speak of what had just happened, let alone discuss it via voice transmission. That would only bring death upon themselves.
Li Yan, of course, did not know what these disciples were thinking, nor would he probe their actions.
Inside the main hall, Xing Ming was speaking to the dozen or so people below when his expression suddenly changed. He immediately stopped speaking and looked towards the entrance of the hall.
As he looked up, the fifteen people below also followed the Sect Master's gaze and turned to look back.
Then they saw the light from the entrance of the hall dim, and a figure appeared. The shadow of the light shrouded his face.
As he walked slowly forward, the crowd also got a clear view of the newcomer's appearance. It was a young man in a green robe with an ordinary face. But there was a transcendent air about him that made his ordinary appearance different from others.
"Hehehe, Junior Brother Zhang, you've arrived so quickly. Come, come, sit here!"
Xing Ming, at the head, stood up and beckoned to the young man in the green robe with a laugh.
Li Yan smiled and nodded, also lightly cupping his hands.
"Greetings, Senior Brother!"
Then, he walked straight past the group of still somewhat dazed disciples. It was only at this moment that the dozen or so people reacted, and all of them bowed in salute.
After a chorus of "We pay our respects to Elder Zhang!", they all bowed deeply.
Li Yan swept his gaze over them and nodded slightly.
Among the fifteen, there were five Foundation Establishment and ten Qi Condensation disciples. The weakest cultivation was at the tenth layer of Qi Condensation. Many were already at the Great Perfection of the Qi Condensation stage, just a step away from Foundation Establishment.
And among the five Foundation Establishment cultivators, Li Yan unexpectedly saw Feng Tao. Of the other four, he recognized one, a deacon surnamed Meng.
That person had once been a deacon in the Hall of Deacons who distributed spirit stones to the disciples every month. Li Yan remembered that this person was at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment twenty years ago, and now he had also stepped into the late-stage of Foundation Establishment.
Among the five, only Feng Tao had the lowest cultivation—initial-stage Foundation Establishment. But she was the youngest among the Foundation Establishment group, and the ages of several Qi Condensation disciples were even similar to hers.
Li Yan's gaze just swept past them without lingering and he went to sit down at the head of the hall.
Only then did Xing Ming continue to speak to the disciples below.
"In addition to the matters I just mentioned that you need to pay attention to, remember not to cause trouble in the Sacred Demon City. Any random cultivator who comes out of there could be a disciple of a first-rate major sect. I'm sure I don't need to tell you, you understand that these are not people we can afford to offend. If you bring disaster upon the sect because of this, the sect may also choose to ignore it. At that time, don't say that I am heartless. So, you must train hard and let your state of mind and cultivation break through so that you can have a future. However, if others insist on causing trouble, then fight back. If you can't win, you still have to fight!"
Towards the end, Xing Ming's tone had become stern. For Falling Star Valley to survive the great waves, it also had its own bottom line.
Not causing trouble meant avoiding trouble. But if someone really came looking for trouble with Falling Star Valley, then they would just fight. Your weakness and retreat would only have one final result on the Forsaken Continent: death or flight.
Hearing this, the disciples below looked at each other, and a kind of slowly growing confidence could be seen in each other's eyes.
Li Yan, beside Xing Ming, glanced at him with some surprise. He hadn't expected this cheap senior brother of his to be so ruthless in educating his disciples.
And just as he was thinking, Xing Ming's voice sounded in his mind.
"In the Sacred Demon City, although the White Demon Clan is not as particularly friendly to the human race as before, it is still within the direct jurisdiction of the Sacred Demon Palace. As long as you have a reason to let the other party know that you are in the right, the White Demon Clan will usually still side with the human race. Please be sure to know this, Junior Brother."
Hearing this, Li Yan suddenly understood. He couldn't help but be secretly amused. So there was this hidden story behind it.
No wonder Xing Ming had been emphasizing not to provoke others. But behind his tough attitude was cunning.
"This time, Elder Zhang will lead you. If you encounter any problems, you can directly ask Elder Zhang for instructions. He will handle it!"
Only then did the disciples understand. Just now, they had all been wondering why this Elder Zhang, who almost never showed his face, had suddenly appeared today.
'So he's the one taking us to the Sacred Demon City!'
Feng Tao thought to herself. This reminded her of the scene when that person had traveled with her. Her attitude towards him back then could not be considered very good.
For a moment, she thought again of the silent, green-robed youth who always liked to stand in the corner.
'How old is he exactly?' Suddenly, Feng Tao remembered that before Falling Star Valley was attacked, he had come to her to ask for information. At that time, her attitude was very cold, and she had even vaguely reprimanded him.
Some old monsters' personalities became stranger the more they cultivated, making them difficult to fathom. They often held grudges...
Thinking of this, Feng Tao actually felt a little worried. She didn't know how old Zhang Ming actually was, but she figured he must be at least over a hundred.
This person, whether it was the coldness he showed when he went to the Feng family back then, or the cold-bloodedness he was later heard to have displayed in the sect war, slaughtering over a hundred people by himself, all made her heart turn cold.
For a moment, after her inner demon had been completely dispelled, and she was truly in contact with this Elder Zhang again, she began to think wild thoughts.
After Xing Ming gave a few more instructions, he handed Li Yan a storage pouch. Li Yan just swept it with his divine sense and then casually hung it on his waist.
Outside the main hall, Li Yan flicked a finger, and a long, narrow, emerald-green willow leaf floated out.
The willow leaf was as clear as if it had been washed with water. Its two ends were pointed, and the middle was slightly concave. The green leaf veins on it gave people an incomparably fresh feeling. It floated quietly three feet above the ground in front of the main hall.
Without any visible movement from Li Yan, his whole person had already gently drifted towards the slender willow leaf.
As he approached, the willow leaf continuously grew larger. By the time Li Yan's feet lightly landed on the tip of the willow leaf, it had already grown to the size of twenty zhang.
Its entire body was wrapped in a swirling, emerald-green light, giving off a feeling of vibrant life.
In the distance, Xing Ming felt the rich vitality rushing towards him. A trace of doubt flashed in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared.
"All of you, get on!"
Li Yan did not notice Xing Ming's abnormality. He spoke faintly. In fact, even if he had noticed Xing Ming's doubt, with his current cultivation, he wouldn't have cared.
When Feng Tao and the other disciples saw this, they knew that this was Elder Zhang's flying magical treasure. Several of the female disciples had looks of joy in their eyes.
They were usually very fond of magical treasures with a gentle appearance, especially this one, with its rich vitality and emerald-green color.
Led by the five Foundation Establishment cultivators, everyone leaped onto the "Cloud-Piercing Willow" one after another, and then they all looked around curiously at the swirling emerald-green light.
"Senior Brother!"
Li Yan cupped his hands towards Xing Ming, who was standing at the entrance of the main hall.
Xing Ming smiled and nodded, signaling that they could leave and that he had nothing else to say.
Immediately, Li Yan lightly tapped the willow leaf with the tip of his foot. The "Cloud-Piercing Willow" turned into a streak of pale green light and disappeared over the horizon in the blink of an eye.
This speed made the four disciples guarding the Sect Master's main hall's mouths drop open. They had never seen such speed from the "Cloud-Piercing Willow."
"After this treasure takes flight, even a Golden Core cultivator flying with just their physical body would have a hard time catching up. It must have been refined by at least a Great Grandmaster of artifact refining. Junior Brother Zhang's original sect has an extraordinary background!"
Xing Ming, standing to the side, his eyes flickered a few times as he sighed inwardly.
He could sense that this was not the true speed of this magical treasure. If it was just its current speed, he could still catch up by flying with his physical body, but he was a powerful late-stage Golden Core expert.
As the thought flashed through his mind, he also rose into the air and flew towards the deep valley behind him. At this moment, he believed even more in what Zhang Ming had said before, and felt much more at ease.
The moment Li Yan had summoned the "Cloud-Piercing Willow," Xing Ming, being an expert, knew that a good magical treasure was not just about its appearance.
Compared to alchemy, artifact refining was his strong suit. He was a genuine high-grade artifact refining grandmaster, and it wouldn't be long before he became a great grandmaster.
With his artifact refining skills, even if he went to a first-rate sect, he would be treated as an honored guest.
Ordinary magical treasures could hardly catch his eye anymore. But the moment the "Cloud-Piercing Willow" was brought out, Xing Ming's divine sense swept over it and he seemed to see a familiar flavor.