Gong Shanhe possessed only a few of the voice transmission talismans that Gong Chenying used. He had spent a vast amount of spirit stones to acquire them at an auction house.
The transmission could break through a ten-thousand-li limit, and once it entered the void, not even a Nascent Soul cultivator could intercept it. It was a life-saving item for critical moments.
He hadn't expected Gong Chenying to suddenly use one. When he heard her words in the transmission, he stood up straight away, and without a second thought, he opened the restrictions and flew out.
Li Yan was back, and he had found a way to delay the fifth-rank "Yin Mountain Beast" from breaking its seal. He was to come and discuss it at once. How could this not stir Gong Shanhe's heart?
What the Tianli Clan lacked most right now was time! Although Gong Shanhe was questioning Gong Chenying, his gaze had already shifted to Li Yan. Since confirming Li Yan's identity, he no longer addressed him as "Fellow Daoist."
"Clan Head, let's sit down and talk!" Li Yan gestured to the chairs on either side.
"This trip you took, don't tell me you went back to the underground swamp?" Gong Shanhe immediately guessed the reason for Li Yan's excursion, but the thought of what lay beneath the swamp made his expression change.
At the same time, he shot a fierce glare at Gong Chenying. She hadn't said a word about this situation. What kind of place was that swamp's underground?
She had been there before; it wasn't as if she didn't know, yet she still let Li Yan go. It was no wonder Gong Shanhe had such a thought. After all, if he were to think of a way to deal with the fifth-rank "Yin Mountain Beast," the best method would be to return to the swamp's depths, carefully search for its weaknesses, and see if there was anything that could be exploited.
After being glared at, Gong Chenying gave a rare, shy smile. Li Yan didn't like to talk about things before they were accomplished, so she naturally kept her lips sealed.
Gong Shanhe didn't sit down either. He stood right where he was, looking at Li Yan. As the head of a clan, though he appeared rough, he was actually very steady in his handling of matters. But ever since hearing his daughter's transmission, he could no longer remain calm.
What Gong Chenying spoke of was currently the most urgent and important matter for the Tianli Clan. If Li Yan truly had a way to delay the fifth-rank "Yin Mountain Beast" from breaking its seal, then the Tianli Clan would gain a significant amount of time for their migration and could make more thorough preparations.
"I have only completed the first step of this matter. The follow-up will depend on the specific implementation. The Clan Head must be prepared for failure. Regarding the matter of the fifth-rank Wind Beast, I have spoken with Fellow Daoist Hong Yin, as she was the one who sealed it..." Seeing the other party's anxiety, Li Yan remained standing, but he did not speak with absolute certainty. Instead, he first cautioned Gong Shanhe to be prepared for failure.
But Gong Shanhe didn't seem to mind. Any Nascent Soul cultivator acting alone on a matter would certainly not be shooting in the dark.
Thus, Li Yan began to narrate his plan, starting with how Hong Yin, as a high monk of the Buddhist sect, had sealed the fifth-rank Wind Beast, which had given him his inspiration.
Later, he felt that since Hong Yin's seal was still in place, if he could reinforce it, it might extend the sealing time. This led him to think of using Buddhist or Confucian cultivation methods.
And it just so happened that he had a Nascent Soul-level Buddhist magical treasure, one that was specifically for suppression and sealing... Hearing this, Gong Shanhe's eyes lit up. Li Yan's line of thinking was very clear. While others were thinking of how to escape or avoid an insurmountable mountain, he had thought of using the existing seal.
Li Yan spoke quickly this time, only mentioning the key points of his plan. Gong Shanhe's expression grew more and more solemn as he listened.
About three or four hundred breaths later, after Li Yan had finished, Gong Shanhe pondered for a moment.
"Your plan is indeed very well thought out. However, I feel that before we proceed, this magical treasure still needs to be examined by Elder Hong Yin, to have her confirm its power. If she says it's feasible, it should be fine. Your estimate is at least ten more years of sealing? Very good, very good!" Gong Shanhe's thoughts were also clear. Although Li Yan's plan had stirred him, he quickly grasped the key point: Hong Yin's opinion on the magical treasure's power was crucial.
But as he spoke, he couldn't help but say "very good" twice. Immediately, Gong Shanhe continued.
"There's no time to lose. Let's go find Elder Hong Yin right now. Once it's confirmed, we can go and discuss this matter in detail with the Great Elder and the others!" With that, he turned, ready to be the first to fly off.
But when he was already hovering in the air, he noticed that neither Li Yan nor Gong Chenying had followed him. They were still standing where they were.
Gong Shanhe turned his head and looked at them with some confusion.
"What, is there something else you haven't said?" Li Yan just smiled without speaking. Gong Chenying, after glancing sideways at Li Yan, moved her vermilion lips and sent a silent voice transmission.
As Gong Shanhe listened to Gong Chenying's voice in his mind, his expression changed several times. Finally, he nodded, sighing inwardly.
'A grown daughter cannot be kept at home! All she thinks about is her future husband.' Gong Shanhe spoke to Li Yan again.
"Rest assured, once this is accomplished, I will handle the matter of the seventh layer of the 'Qiongqi Purgatory Art.' It will definitely be taught to you!" It turned out Li Yan was still thinking about this. But Gong Shanhe thought it was understandable. The clan had always given the "Qing A Wang" the Qiongqi Purgatory Art to cultivate with the intention of binding them to the clan. Once you cultivated it and experienced its unparalleled power, you would constantly want the subsequent methods. But there was no other way to get them than to do great things for the Tianli Clan, and only great things.
It was just that in the past, every "Qing A Wang" had taken who knows how many years to complete a single such task, so it didn't feel so much like a transaction. Instead, there was a sense of mutual recognition between both parties.
But now, Li Yan was accomplishing one great deed after another in a short period of time, and all of them were of vital importance to the Tianli Clan. This made it feel as though Li Yan was doing it all for the cultivation method, making it feel very much like a transaction.
In truth, Li Yan felt the same way, but he was helpless. He had wanted the subsequent cultivation method, but the conditions were too harsh. Aside from making a major contribution to the Tianli Clan, there was no other way. He could only state his conditions whenever he had the chance.
Hearing Gong Shanhe's reply, Li Yan, contrary to expectations, smiled and shook his head. This action immediately made Gong Shanhe frown, but he said nothing, merely staring at him.
Li Yan finally spoke.
"Once this is accomplished, I want all the subsequent cultivation methods!" The moment he said this, Gong Shanhe's expression changed again and again, and anger began to rise in his heart. He hadn't realized how ruthless Li Yan could be.
With something the Tianli Clan needed in his hands, he was using it as leverage to demand all the subsequent cultivation methods at once. Let alone him, even if the Great Sacrificial Priest were here, not only would he not agree, but he would immediately turn hostile.
Li Yan had found the perfect opportunity, pinching their clan's vital spot. Though Gong Shanhe said nothing, his eyes had narrowed.
At the same time, Gong Chenying's expression also changed drastically. She hadn't expected Li Yan to make such a request.
But in the next moment, she seemed to think of something, and her heart began to beat wildly, uncontrollably, feeling as if it would burst from her chest.
Because Gong Chenying had thought of the second step Li Yan had once mentioned—a step she had thought impossible.
'Could it be... Little Junior Brother is already confident he can achieve that?' Gong Chenying felt her heart pound violently... Seeing Gong Shanhe's reaction, Li Yan did not wait for him to get angry before he continued.
"What if I can seal that fifth-rank 'Wind Beast' for a thousand years, or even have a chance to seal it completely?" Just as Gong Shanhe's anger was boiling over, he suddenly heard Li Yan say this. He felt as if he had been struck by lightning and stood frozen in mid-air.
After a dozen breaths, Gong Shanhe's incredulous voice was finally heard, sounding somewhat strange.
"Are... are you serious?"
"How could I jest about such a matter? I imagine that a thousand years should be enough time for another Great Sacrificial Priest to appear in the clan!" Li Yan said slowly, his eyes calm and his tone extremely serious.
Another dead silence. For the next several dozen breaths, Gong Shanhe's gaze was fixed on Li Yan, while Li Yan's face remained impassive. Finally, Gong Shanhe let out a heavy breath.
"If... if you can truly achieve that, I... I can agree to your previous condition!" Gong Shanhe carefully observed Li Yan. He saw that after speaking what seemed like a monumental joke, Li Yan's aura remained completely steady. Various thoughts raced through his mind, and finally, he gave Li Yan his answer.
"Do you have any way to prove it now?" Gong Shanhe looked at Li Yan.
"No, but this is just a condition. If I fail, I naturally won't get the subsequent cultivation methods. In any case, the Tianli Clan will not suffer any loss." Li Yan's answer was indeed true. The two had simply reached another agreement.
But in fact, Gong Shanhe was only confident he could produce the sixth, seventh, and eighth layers of the cultivation method. Li Yan's contribution was, by rights, more than enough. However, the ninth layer was the Tianli Clan's highest secret, and he was not very confident he could persuade the faction of the Second Elder.
But after some thought, Gong Shanhe still felt it was worth it. If the Second Elder and the others disagreed in the end, he would join forces with the Great Elder to suppress them. Given the current situation, the Tianli Clan had no suitable place to migrate.
As Li Yan said, they needed a Great Sacrificial Priest to appear in the clan as soon as possible, and what they still lacked was—time!
Just when Gong Shanhe thought the matter was finally settled, Li Yan's next words made the just-calmed Gong Shanhe lose his composure again, leaving him utterly dumbfounded.
"I have one more plan, which is to use this opportunity to make Yan San and his three clans—give up their attack on the Tianli Clan, so that both sides can reach a balanced state of truce!" An explosion! Another sentence that was as shocking as it was unbelievable!
Li Yan's words were undoubtedly a bolt from the blue, something Gong Shanhe had never expected.
"A truce... you mean a... a truce..." he muttered to himself. But he was also exceptionally intelligent. After standing dumbfounded for a moment, a brilliant light slowly began to bloom in his eyes. He had already figured out how Li Yan would do it.
Li Yan would use the fifth-rank Wind Beast to threaten the other party as well. Why had there been a great war for over a decade? It was because Yan San feared the fifth-rank Wind Beast underground would break out, so he needed to seize resources to advance as soon as possible.
The Tianli Clan's efforts to deal with the fifth-rank Wind Beast were, in fact, also helping Yan San and his allies. The danger was to both sides, not just the Tianli Clan.
It was just that since ancient times, the situation between Wind Beasts and cultivators on the Wind God Continent had been one of life and death. The reason was the Wind Beasts' innately ferocious nature; they would never negotiate with cultivators.
This had made Gong Shanhe and the others forget such a possibility. And because of the existence of the "Heaven's Eye Pit," the Wind Beasts could not be completely exterminated. At most, they could be killed off for the time being.
Besides, it was impossible to do so anyway. The moment those high-rank Wind Beasts sensed danger, if they couldn't be trapped in time, they would immediately flee back to the "Heaven's Eye Pit" and wait for another chance to attack. Taking a step back, even if you managed to kill the vast majority of Wind Beasts, the "Heaven's Eye Pit" would simply nurture new ones in the future, and it wouldn't take long. The problem would remain endless.
But the plan Li Yan proposed this time was completely different. Yan San and his allies did not want to die, nor did they want a powerful Wind Beast they couldn't handle to appear near their home base.
And this became their weakness. If Yan San disagreed, the Tianli Clan could tell them they would migrate away. They weren't bound by the "Heaven's Eye Pit" and could take all their people with them. Moreover, before leaving, they would take all the resources they could and destroy what they couldn't. What choice would Yan San have then?
Gong Shanhe was shocked. Hearing it again, Gong Chenying was still just as shocked! Although Li Yan had told her about it, at the time he had said that completing the first step would be good enough. She hadn't thought that in just a few years, Li Yan would propose it again, and his tone was much more certain than before.
Gong Chenying stared blankly at Li Yan. After a dead silence, Gong Shanhe let out a long breath.
"Phew... If you can truly achieve this, there will be no obstacle to you obtaining all the subsequent cultivation methods for the 'Qiongqi Purgatory Art'! It's just, what method do you have to do it? Is it that magical treasure? But you said before that its power isn't sufficient, didn't you?" Gong Shanhe continued to stare at Li Yan, asking a series of questions. Li Yan's body slowly began to float.
"Let's go find Elder Hong Yin first. We'll first confirm if the magical treasure can reinforce the seal. All other plans are built on this foundation!"...
At Hong Yin's residence, she was somewhat surprised to see the three of them arriving together.
But when she saw Li Yan among them, she felt a sense of relief. Three years ago, she had roughly guessed the purpose of Li Yan's excursion. Seeing him again now, she had a feeling.
"For Fellow Daoist Li and Clan Head Gong to arrive together, it seems there is good news!" After Hong Yin came to the Tianli Clan, they had provided her with several kinds of soul-nourishing medicinal pills.
Although they weren't the most supreme treasures in the world, given the Tianli Clan's resources, every soul-nourishing pill they provided for a Nascent Soul cultivator was a rare treasure in this realm that was priceless.
Hong Yin's cultivation had now returned to the Late-stage Nascent Soul. However, if she were to use a late-stage grand divine ability, she would inevitably have to use her soul power.
After a brief exertion, her cultivation would still fall. This was the biggest disadvantage of not having a physical body. However, the Tianli Clan had already personally negotiated with "Gui Qu Lai Xi" when the Third Elder went out to gather information, requesting to purchase a fire-attribute Nascent Soul physical body from them. Buying one was, of course, the fastest way.
However, such a matter was a great taboo in the Cultivation World, and "Gui Qu Lai Xi" would not openly advertise such services. Only when both parties knew each other well would a transaction take place. Otherwise, if the matter were to leak, it would surely provoke a collective attack from other cultivators. Body seizure was a major taboo, let alone killing another Nascent Soul for a transaction.
But all of this was an open secret among high-level cultivators. Especially for the bodies provided by "Gui Qu Lai Xi," you would have no idea where they came from. At the very least, you would have no connection whatsoever with the body in your native land.