The "Heaven's Eye Wind" at the eye of the storm not only tears a cultivator's body to shreds but also sweeps their soul into the "Heaven's Eye Pit," a fate from which they might never reincarnate. Ordinary Wind Beasts are born at the very edge of the "Heaven's Eye Pit's" bottom; even high-rank ones dare not approach the central eye after reaching adulthood.
But that fifth-rank Wind Beast was willing to endure the endless pain of the central "Heaven's Eye Wind" to recover quickly, which showed just how desperate it was to heal its injuries.
"Yes, so to truly seal it, you must enter the central location at the very bottom of the 'Heaven's Eye Pit'—the eye of the wind. Even the Great Elder would find it... very difficult to approach that place. This was an oversight on this nun's part. When Fellow Daoist Li first showed me the magical treasure, he didn't have the refinement method, and it was a Buddhist art with special properties at that..." At this point, Hong Yin's expression was calm, but her body was already leaning slightly forward.
The three, who had been full of joy just moments ago, now looked grim after a few dozen breaths.
"The central area of the Heaven's Eye Wind... It seems only a few Great Sacrificial Priests in our clan's history have ever been there, and that was to find a way to wipe out the Wind Beasts completely. Although it wasn't the 'Heaven's Eye Pit' where the 'Yin Mountain Beast' is, I imagine they are fundamentally the same. The current Great Sacrificial Priest once told me that even she dared not go too deep. Once swept to the bottom of the pit, it would likely be a one-way trip. She also warned us that even if we beat the three clans to near extinction, we should never attempt to approach or enter the eye of the 'Heaven's Eye Wind'! ...However, the Great Sacrificial Priest was just saying that. I imagine if many people joined forces, perhaps it would be possible to try and get close!" Gong Shanhe spoke slowly, his mind racing.
The "Heaven's Eye Pit" remained an unsolved mystery, an extremely perilous place. Countless Spirit Transformation cultivators had tried to explore its depths in the past, only to never return after reaching the bottom.
However, Li Yan had already brought things this far; how could he be willing to give up? Although the danger might wipe out all the high-level cultivators who went, there was still a sliver of hope. What's more, he also considered that if Li Yan's follow-up plan succeeded, they would have Yan San and the others to help.
"Even if you and the Great Elder join forces, the chance of getting close to the eye of the wind is less than ten percent, not to mention you need time to set up the seal. I've read many records in the clan, including some about the 'Heaven's Eye Pits' of the three clans, but I can say they are far from comparable to the one of the 'Yin Mountain Beast.' The main reasons are, one, the yin cold there is four to six times stronger than at the nostrils of the illusory beast shadow you were in; two, it's possible the 'Yin Mountain Beast' might awaken if it senses an extremely dangerous aura. The person sealing it would be so close, and even with my seal restraining it, if it were to launch a desperate attack, it is simply not something a Nascent Soul cultivator can withstand. Your divine abilities and defenses are meaningless in the eyes of a fifth-rank Wind Beast." Hearing this, Hong Yin just shook her head slightly.
"Four to six times more yin cold? Is it really that terrifying?" Gong Shanhe's face paled again and again. Others might not know how cold the yin wind there was, but he had endured it for over a decade. Even now, the mere thought of it sent a shiver down his spine.
"There is no need to deceive you on this point. I naturally went to the eye of the 'Heaven's Eye Wind' when I sealed it, so I can make a comparison. The seal I set is now very weak, and some of the 'Yin Mountain Beast's' main body's attacks should be able to penetrate it!" Perhaps feeling she hadn't been clear with Li Yan before, and now being a guest elder of the Tianli Clan, Hong Yin rarely explained so much.
For a moment, the atmosphere here became oppressive. Gong Chenying clenched her jade fists, her knuckles turning white. She felt her own inadequacy more and more keenly.
Listening to their conversation, she could only feel waves of powerlessness. Even if the Great Elder and the others went together, their chances were less than ten percent.
'Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation...' Gong Chenying thought to herself! Gong Shanhe also lowered his head in deep thought, wondering whether he should even tell the Great Elder about this.
Because once the Great Elder knew, he would most likely take the risk. But as of now, the final situation with Yan San was still unknown...
"Elder Hong Yin, are you saying that a Spirit Transformation cultivator could withstand the force of the wind's eye?" Just then, Li Yan's voice suddenly rang out.
He had been listening to their conversation, his eyes flickering continuously.
"A Spirit Transformation cultivator?" Hong Yin turned to look at Li Yan. Gong Shanhe and his daughter were also startled from their silent contemplation by Li Yan's question and looked at him in astonishment.
'Does Little Junior Brother know a Spirit Transformation cultivator?' This thought arose in both their minds simultaneously. Li Yan just nodded at Hong Yin, indicating she hadn't misheard.
"Even an Initial-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator would probably have a forty percent chance. After all, they would only be going to seal a sleeping Wind Beast and would just need to withstand the extreme cold yin wind there. It's just... don't be fooled by the fact that Late-stage Nascent Soul is only one step away from Spirit Transformation. When you reach that level, you will truly understand many abstruse and inexplicable laws of heaven and earth. The difference is like that between heaven and earth!" Hong Yin's voice also sounded a bit strange. She had been with the Tianli Clan for some time and knew that they had had no Spirit Transformation cultivators since the last Great Sacrificial Priest, nor did they know any others.
The number of Spirit Transformation cultivators on the Wind God Continent was even rarer than in her era, and they all hid themselves away, never going out.
Or perhaps, they were secretly in a standoff with other fifth-rank Wind Beasts. Hong Yin heard the meaning in Li Yan's words. She thought perhaps he was anxious and felt he could let the Great Elder risk a try.
"I have one more question. What is the probability of its main body awakening?" Li Yan asked again after hearing her.
"That is uncertain. It's possible for it to awaken if it senses extreme danger or is forcefully stimulated by its avatars. Fellow... Fellow Daoist Li, do you know a Spirit Transformation cultivator?" Hong Yin felt she had been clear enough, yet Li Yan kept asking. Li Yan was a cautious and alert person; could it be he didn't want the Great Elder to take the risk?
Finally, she voiced the doubt in her heart. Although prying into someone's privacy wasn't good, for Li Yan to ask such a question, it was as if he had some trump card.
If he really knew a Spirit Transformation cultivator, he would surely invite that person in the end. There was no longer any need for concealment.
"Oh! If that's all, Clan Head, our plan can proceed as before. It's just that the Great Elder won't be needed then."
"Little Junior Brother, you can invite a Spirit Transformation cultivator?" Disbelief filled Gong Chenying's beautiful eyes. This was the Wind God Continent. When had her Little Junior Brother become so powerful?
"Hahaha... Some things don't necessarily require a Spirit Transformation cultivator to personally act!" Li Yan suddenly broke into a smile.
Hearing Li Yan's words, the others reacted differently. Hong Yin and Gong Shanhe both understood the meaning behind his words: Li Yan possessed a Spirit Transformation-level magical treasure, and it was very likely a most precious defensive one.
Hong Yin had already learned of Li Yan's situation from Gong Chenying. A young expert from a top sect on the Desolate Moon Continent, not some old monster who was good at preserving his youth like Gong Shanhe.
She also knew that the Malevolent Spirit Sect had Spirit Transformation cultivators, so a possibility immediately came to mind. At the same time, Gong Shanhe seemed to have an epiphany as well.
'Is this kid's status in his sect really that high? He actually received a gifted magical treasure from a Spirit Transformation Ancestor, and it might even be an extremely rare defensive one!' At this moment, Gong Chenying's voice sounded in Li Yan's mind.
"Is Martial Uncle Gu still in the sect?" Gong Chenying thought not of Su Changyang, but of Gu Jiuqi. That Chimei Emissary was from Little Bamboo Peak and should be more inclined to favor Li Yan.
"Martial Uncle Gu is in the sect. Don't worry, Senior Sister!" Li Yan didn't want to reveal the source of his trump card at this moment, and what he said was true; Gu Jiuqi was indeed still in the sect.
"Can you be certain of this result?" Gong Shanhe still felt a bit uneasy. The only reply he received was Li Yan's smiling nod...
Inside the "Heavenly Dawn Hall," the Great Elder, Second, Third, and Fourth Elders had all arrived. The only others present were Gong Shanhe, Gong Chenying, and Li Yan.
The nun Hong Yin had not come. Given that she existed in a soul state, it was better for her to cultivate in peace if she could. She wouldn't go out unless it was for something important.
Upon seeing Li Yan, their expressions varied. The Great Elder was serene, while the Second Elder remained as stern as ever.
The Third Elder leaned her slender, graceful body back in her chair, her beautiful eyes sizing Li Yan up and down, as if trying to figure out where he had been all these years.
Even with Gong Chenying present, she made no effort to be discreet. The women of the Tianli Clan had always been bold. They either liked someone, were curious about them, or detested them, but they never shied away from expressing it.
Faced with the Third Elder's somewhat fiery gaze, Li Yan felt a bit uncomfortable, but he could only maintain a smile on the surface.
As for the Fourth Elder, he was much more enthusiastic than the Fifth Elder had been. With a smile, he even exchanged a few pleasantries with Li Yan, making one feel as if bathed in a spring breeze.
However, after learning that he was from the Second Elder's faction, Li Yan raised his guard against this person. People like him were much more difficult to deal with than the Fifth Elder.
"Shanhe, why have you gathered all the clan's elders in such a hurry? What major event has occurred?" Seeing that everyone had arrived, the Great Elder immediately questioned Gong Shanhe, but his gaze swept over Li Yan. It was obvious that gathering so many people was related to the just-returned Li Yan.
"This matter concerns the fifth-rank Wind Beast underground. Li Yan has found a way to possibly resolve our crisis!" Gong Shanhe's words shocked everyone except for Gong Chenying and Li Yan. Even the perpetually stern Second Elder's eyes showed a trace of bewilderment.
"You... you're saying Fellow Daoist Li has found a way to resolve our clan's crisis?"
"Could it be that the reason Fellow Daoist Li was away all these years was also to find a suitable migration site for our clan?" The Great Elder and the others asked one after another in their surprise.
Gong Shanhe organized his thoughts and began his narrative... In the time that followed, the expressions of the people in the hall went from shock to suspicion... and then to discussing and verifying the related matters!
Finally, it came to the matter that concerned Li Yan most. A scene almost identical to the previous one unfolded. As soon as it involved the "Qiongqi Purgatory Art," the atmosphere instantly tensed. Before Li Yan had even laid out all his conditions, upon hearing his demand for all subsequent cultivation methods, the Second Elder nearly flew into a rage, and the smile on the Fourth Elder's face turned into a sneer... Then followed another round of explanations and haggling... After more than half an hour, the hall finally quieted down.
Everything was explained by Gong Shanhe himself. The matter was divided into two steps, mainly focusing on Li Yan's hidden follow-up plan. Naturally, questions arose one after another, requiring constant discussion and confirmation... After everything was done, they had to witness the power of the "Secret Traces Vajra Suppresses the Sacred Mountain" for themselves. After all, you couldn't just take his word for it.
In a valley, night had fallen. Under a sky full of stars, it was exceptionally quiet.
This was a very remote place in the northern mountains of the Tianli Clan's territory. Although it belonged to their domain, the area under their jurisdiction was vast, and there were many such places where no one ever went.
Besides the Great Elder and the others, Elder Hong Yin had also been invited. Li Yan wasted no more words and directly brought out the "Vajra Suppressing the Sacred Mountain Formation." Hong Yin then took control, this time activating the full power of the formation and striking at the Great Elder, while everyone else immediately rose high into the air...
A dozen or so breaths later, Hong Yin retracted the technique, revealing the Great Elder's figure under the golden light. The Great Elder flew out from a bottomless pit, his face filled with horror as he looked at the four and a half Dharma Manifestations in the sky...
Several dozen breaths later, everyone landed on the ground. They were looking at a small formation on the ground before them.
"This is the magical treasure you said could reinforce the seal? This is a formation set!" The Third Elder's beautiful eyes stared at the formation, which was glowing with a faint cyan light. Li Yan nodded.
Following the Third Elder's question, the others looked at Li Yan again, but their gazes were now all different. The prayer bead magical treasure Li Yan possessed was too intimidating.
"The 'Vajra Suppressing the Sacred Mountain Formation' will be placed at the core of this formation set. This formation set is called the 'Primal Qi Grand Clarity Formation,' a formation passed down from an ancient sect. Not only is its defense astonishing, but it can also attack and trap enemies. By making the 'Vajra Suppressing the Sacred Mountain Formation' a sub-formation within it, it can be used for auxiliary attacks, and it will double the power of the 'Vajra Suppressing the Sacred Mountain Formation'!"
"What Fellow Daoist Li describes are functions that only a Sect-Protecting Grand Formation would have. Could this be the Sect-Protecting Grand Formation of a top-tier sect?" After hearing Li Yan's introduction, Hong Yin's eyes lit up.
Grand formations that could house sub-formations and enhance their power were usually only seen in major sects.
The Great Elder and the others finally understood Li Yan's intention, but their thoughts were varied. Their clan also had a Sect-Protecting Grand Formation, refined by the third-generation Great Sacrificial Priest.
It could withstand a full-power strike from an Initial-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator, and even a Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator couldn't break it in a short time. To refine such a terrifyingly defensive grand formation, the Tianli Clan had spent the accumulated resources of three generations, almost exhausting a massive amount of resources. Now, they could only maintain its operation; upgrading it was beyond their power.
One reason was that many of the raw materials were now extinct; the other was that the current Tianli Clan could no longer find a Grandmaster of Artifact Refinement of that level.