Li Yan's sudden question brought Shuang Qingqing's ascending figure to a halt. She looked at him, puzzled.
"What, you have ties with them too? Or did you accidentally provoke them? That clan is notorious for seeking vengeance over the smallest grievance."
She already knew Li Yan had provoked the Tianlan Clan. Although the Tianlan Clan was now destroyed, a centipede dies but never falls down. Li Yan and Zhao Min were surely considered mortal enemies by the survivors.
This was not the Desolate Moon Continent; they had no great tree to shelter them here. The most prudent course of action was to make as few enemies as possible.
"That's not it. I want to know if the Dark Spirit Demon Bat clan has any experts at or above the Nascent Soul Realm. If they do, and if I can confirm one thing, I might be able to request the aid of this clan's powerhouses…"
Before Li Yan could finish, the warning look on Shuang Qingqing's face first gave way to bewilderment, then to utter astonishment.
"Brat, are you saying you can get Meng Shangmo, a Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, to act? You know an old monster of that level?"
Li Yan suddenly felt a tightness in his chest, and even his breathing became difficult. Shuang Qingqing immediately noticed his pale face and realized she had failed to control her aura.
The pressure of a Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator was not something Li Yan could withstand. Fortunately, Shuang Qingqing noticed in time and retracted her aura as quickly as it had been released; it vanished before it could even affect Zhao Min, who stood to the side.
Shuang Qingqing also realized the error in her question. It was obvious Li Yan didn't know the Dark Spirit Demon Bat clan had a Nascent Soul cultivator.
As expected, Li Yan gasped for several sharp breaths.
"Sen… Senior, I don't know any… any Meng Shangmo. I just wanted to confirm if the Dark Spirit Demon Bat clan had any experts. Ev… even if their clan truly has an expert, I need to confirm a few things before I can judge whether they can be persuaded!"
Li Yan took a few hurried breaths before he finally returned to normal.
However, he had heard the name 'Meng Shangmo' and had already formed a few guesses in his mind.
'Going by the surname, it's highly likely he shares the same lineage as Meng Zhiyuan. And he's actually a Late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator…'
This was merely a guess on his part. Usually, a clan's surnames were not so uniform and were often composed of multiple family names. But there were also some very pure clans where everyone, regardless of their closeness in kinship, shared the same surname.
Li Yan had never asked for the names of Meng Zhiyuan's other junior brothers and sisters, so he could only make such a guess.
Before he could fully process the meaning behind Shuang Qingqing's words, she questioned him again.
"Brat, what exactly do you mean? Let me tell you, if you can get Meng Shangmo to act, there's no need for Chongfeng and Shuiyue to come. There would be a seventy percent chance that Bai Rou's life could be saved. Meng Shangmo has the power to easily restrain Bai Yihe."
"Senior, I only need to confirm that an old friend of mine is within the Dark Spirit Demon Bat clan and that he is safe and sound. If so, I should have a fifty percent certainty of getting an expert from the Dark Spirit Demon Bat clan to show up, and perhaps even act!"
Hearing Li Yan's words, Shuang Qingqing's gaze grew even more peculiar. Her beautiful eyes scanned him up and down.
"The Dark Spirit Demon Bat clan has only one expert, and that is Meng Shangmo! Although the clan's overall strength is inferior to the Tianli Clan's, in terms of individual combat power, Meng Shangmo alone is enough to match the entire Tianli Clan. This person is incredibly strong, so strong that I fear even Shuang Fengyan is no match for him. According to some information I've obtained, he is also skilled in using poison. Among Great Cultivators of the same Late-stage Nascent Soul level, very few are willing to fight him."
"With his current strength, he should have been able to ascend to the Immortal Spirit Realm long ago. However, I've heard that no one from the Dark Spirit Demon Bat clan has successfully formed a Nascent Soul in a thousand years. To prevent his clan from declining to a second-rate level, or worse, being coveted and exterminated, Meng Shangmo has insisted on remaining in the Lower Realm. Some speculate that if it weren't for the many restrictions imposed by the Rules of Heaven and Earth in the Lower Realm, he might have already reached the Spirit Transformation Realm. From this, you should be able to understand just how terrifying this person is."
"Although he isn't a Spirit Transformation cultivator, he is likely not far from that step. Meng Shangmo is a gloomy individual who rarely interacts with other races. And you're telling me you have a fifty percent certainty of making him show up? That's just too absurd! Even if your old friend is the clan head of the Dark Spirit Demon Bat clan, he wouldn't have that kind of influence!"
Disbelief was written all over Shuang Qingqing's face. As she spoke, her gaze, filled with extreme suspicion, never stopped scrutinizing Li Yan. She had been on the Verdant Continent for several years and had naturally gathered a good deal of information on cultivators of her level. While it might not be exhaustive, she knew the general landscape.
If she didn't know that Li Yan had always been exceedingly level-headed, she would have thought he had gone mad with anxiety and started spouting nonsense. In the information she possessed, Meng Shangmo was an existence that the seven clans, including the Giant Wood Clan, could not even compare to.
Being stared at so intently by a Nascent Soul cultivator, Li Yan was momentarily at a loss for where to begin.
He rubbed his nose.
'So terrifying. An existence comparable to a Spirit Transformation cultivator!'
He quickly sorted through his thoughts. If one didn't know the inside story, even he himself probably wouldn't believe it.
Subsequently, Li Yan selectively recounted some of his encounters with Meng Zhiyuan on the Forsaken Continent. At the same time, he had no choice but to mention the existence of True Lord Qianchong. However, Li Yan only said that he had, by a fortuitous coincidence, obtained one of his cultivation methods, and thus had formed an Immortal Fortune with him.
He made no mention of the existence of the Earthen Patch. He and Zhao Min had long shared a tacit understanding; as long as he didn't bring up the Earthen Patch, Zhao Min would absolutely not speak of the mysterious space she had entered, or the matter of that magical treasure.
By the time Li Yan finished recounting these events, half a cup of tea's time had passed.
Shuang Qingqing's eyes were filled with astonishment. She had previously heard from Li Yan about how they were able to come to the Verdant Continent; he had said it was because he knew a senior Almighty. Li Yan had been somewhat vague, and she hadn't wanted to press for details. It turned out that Li Yan and Zhao Min were not the only ones who came to the Verdant Continent; there were also so many Dark Spirit Demon Bats.
And they were Dark Spirit Demon Bats who had survived the war between the two realms. In a way, they were people from her own era. This was truly bizarre.
However, if she herself could survive to this day, it was not impossible for others. It was just that their number was a bit too large. At the same time, another matter left Shuang Qingqing horrified.
"You're saying the senior you know might be a powerful existence at the Void Refining Realm?" Shuang Qingqing pressed with a look of awe. But she had no idea that Li Yan knew True Lord Qianchong was already at the Body Integration stage countless years ago. He feared that saying it aloud would not only frighten these two but also bring endless trouble upon himself.
"Yes, Senior. That should be correct!"
"As expected, after cultivating to the Void Refining Realm, Divine Sense can transform into Divine Will, and a single strand of Divine Will can create a clone to roam the four seas. I had only heard of it before. Truly astonishing, truly astonishing!" Shuang Qingqing muttered to herself repeatedly.
After Li Yan finished speaking, a full five or six breaths passed before Shuang Qingqing finally came back to her senses.
"I have to say, your luck has always been good. Unbelievably so, even. If you hadn't met me back then, you would have perished. And now you tell me you've gained the recognition of a supreme Void Refining expert. Your fortune and blessings are so profound, it's beyond belief!"
After sighing with emotion, Shuang Qingqing, whose mind-nature was already exceptionally resilient, quickly returned to the previous topic.
"According to you, the Golden Core leader of the Dark Spirit Demon Bat branch you saved, trapped on the Forsaken Continent, is also surnamed 'Meng'. It's quite possible that this Meng Shangmo is indeed a descendant from the same bloodline as Meng Zhiyuan."
"Senior, are there other surnames in their clan?"
"There are. But you can rest assured, that Meng Zhiyuan is definitely from the same branch as him. It's just the degree of their blood relation that is unknown!"
Li Yan nodded. He thought so as well. It was just that, calculating by age, the Late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator should be a descendant of Meng Zhiyuan. However, given their current cultivation realms, Meng Shangmo was the senior.
"If Meng Zhiyuan can successfully return to his clan, he will surely recount your origins and the Void Refining expert's demands. An expert who can easily break through a grand formation like the Chencang Trail is not someone Meng Shangmo would dare to renege on a promise to. This matter of ours is definitely within his capabilities. Otherwise, he would have to worry about when the Sect Elder you speak of might cross realms to seek trouble with him."
After learning the reason, Shuang Qingqing's eyes glittered with a strange light. She didn't feel embarrassed about Li Yan once again using such a heavenly favor. As long as they could save Bai Rou, she would naturally remember these favors in her heart.
Who in the Lower Realm wouldn't give face to the demands of an existence who was said to be able to easily annihilate a Spirit Transformation cultivator?
"The Dark Spirit Demon Bats are about three million li from here. I'll take you there directly. Then, as we approach their territory, we'll carefully inquire about news of this clan. I only knew a little about Meng Shangmo before; I've never really looked into other matters. We'll use your Cloud-Piercing Willow to get there, but I will be the one driving it!"
Two days later, thirty thousand li away from the territory of the Dark Spirit Demon Bat clan, the figures of Li Yan's party of three appeared in a market.
Looking at the back of the bewitching woman walking ahead, Li Yan was filled with emotion. In just two days, they had flown over three million li. And this was with Shuang Qingqing not being the owner of the Cloud-Piercing Willow and not having refined it.
This allowed Li Yan to truly witness the speed of the Cloud-Piercing Willow and the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator up close. He was now beginning to suspect that this magical treasure was not something Shuang Qingqing had obtained during her Golden Core stage, as she had once claimed. It was highly likely a high-grade magical treasure that Shen Yuhuan had helped her refine!
Back then, after Shuang Qingqing had confirmed his identity, she had considered that he had indirectly saved her life. Furthermore, without a physical body, she had taken back the Thousand Luo Ancient Ape she had given to Bai Rou. Thus, she had gifted this treasure to him.
He now had a growing understanding of Shuang Qingqing's character. She was clear about her gratitude and grievances. As long as she felt something was right, she wouldn't care about the value of the items she gave away, acting solely on her own preferences.
Yet, Shuang Qingqing also had a ruthless side. Ever since they had come within one hundred thousand li of the Dark Spirit Demon Bat clan's territory, she had unhesitatingly captured eight Golden Core level cultivators. She had performed Soul-Searching on each of them, her goal being to obtain the most direct and accurate information about the Dark Spirit Demon Bat clan.
During the Soul-Searching process, if she discovered in the cultivator's Sea of Consciousness that the person had done anything that displeased her in the slightest, the person in her grasp would instantly turn to nothingness after the search was over. Shuang Qingqing didn't care if her target was male or female, old or young, handsome or bewitchingly charming.
Li Yan himself felt a tremor in his heart. Which cultivator who managed to reach the Golden Core Realm hadn't climbed up through countless slaughters and hardships? It was likely that every one of them had wrongfully killed others over their centuries of life. Li Yan felt that he himself had probably been in such situations.
Of the eight Golden Core cultivators, only one survived in the end! And after the Soul-Searching, that person's memory of encountering Shuang Qingqing's group was erased. That person could only be considered a muddle-headed beneficiary of heaven's grace.