Just as Yan San was bewildered by Li Yan's sudden halt, Li Yan unexpectedly spoke.
The black Wind Goose Beast, its face still a mask of ferocity, showed a flash of human-like astonishment. Instantly, it understood the meaning behind Li Yan's words.
In the next moment, the aura around its body began to fluctuate violently!
Although their exchange had lasted only a few breaths and it had yet to unleash its powerful divine abilities, in the heat of the confrontation, it had forgotten one thing: its opponent was merely a Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
Watching how easily Li Yan had blocked his attack, Yan San guessed that his opponent had also not used his full strength. Although Li Yan might ultimately be no match for him, and could even be slain by him, that would likely only happen after at least ten breaths, or perhaps even longer. But this outcome was merely one possibility that Yan San himself had imagined.
That amount of time was more than enough for Gong Shengguang to wreak havoc and slaughter his forces. Yan San knew that the few Fourth-rank Wind Beasts under his command wouldn't last two breaths against him. Gong Shengguang was even stronger than him; if he were to be tied down by this Li Yan, the overall situation would likely be decided in just a dozen breaths.
His side was already outnumbered in terms of high-rank Wind Beasts. With Gong Shengguang joining the fray, unless they were near their respective "Heaven's Eye Pits," they might not even have a chance to escape.
As Li Yan spoke, his left hand, hidden behind his back within his wide sleeve, was trembling uncontrollably. To intimidate his opponent, he had just taken the risk of catching the magical treasure of a Late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator with his bare hand. The power carried by that small gray hammer could have pulverized a Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator into a pile of flesh paste.
If not for his formidable physical body, the concussive force from the magical treasure alone would have shattered his arm into fine dust, and cracks would have appeared all over his body. That was an offensive magical treasure painstakingly nurtured by a Great Cultivator. Though Li Yan made it look effortless, he had actually moved the "Earthen Patch" to his palm in an instant to block the blow.
Although the "Earthen Patch" had blocked the attack, the residual shockwave still made the meridians in his arm ache with a sore, swollen, and painful sensation that was extremely uncomfortable. But seeing the utter shock in Yan San's eyes, Li Yan felt his goal had been achieved.
But in the next moment, something happened that made Li Yan's eyes narrow. In the air, Yan San's enormous body suddenly blurred, transforming into a black-robed elder with deep-set, sunken eyes and an aura as cold as iron.
Then, he viciously clawed downwards with both hands. Below them stood several colossal mountains that pierced the heavens, their peaks deeply shrouded in the clouds. As Yan San extended his hands, his arms rapidly expanded and lengthened, and his palms transformed into sky-covering giant hands.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two thunderous roars echoed, and then the entire world began to rumble violently. Heaven and earth shook intensely for a moment. This caused the mid- and low-rank cultivators five or six hundred li away to lose their footing; many felt a wave of dizziness and fell directly from the sky, while the cultivators and soldiers on the ground stumbled and staggered.
Then, before everyone's horrified eyes, two mountain peaks were uprooted from the ground, one in each giant hand. In an instant, two immense, deep pits appeared on the ground below. River water immediately surged out, shooting hundreds of zhang into the sky with a deafening, torrential roar.
"Die!"
Yan San bellowed. The two ten-thousand-zhang mountains in his hands, carrying world-destroying momentum, came smashing toward Li Yan like a pair of "Twin 'Peaks' Funneling the Ears." Caught between the two mountains, Li Yan seemed more insignificant than an ant.
How could Yan San be intimidated by Li Yan's words? With his ferocity on full display, he moved mountains and overturned peaks with a single gesture. All of this, though seemingly long, happened in an instant. The two ten-thousand-zhang mountains were weightless in Yan San's hands. Daylight was blotted out by massive shadows, and everyone felt as if night had fallen.
"Whoosh!"
The two colossal peaks blotted out the sky and sun, crashing forward with the force of a thunderbolt. Li Yan's reaction was also extremely fast, and he flew away in the blink of an eye. But in Yan San's sinister gaze, the twin peaks moved even faster. Li Yan had just barely reached the edge of one of the ten-thousand-zhang mountains when...
"BOOM!"
A tremendous explosion shook the heavens. The two mountains, sweeping across the world as if to annihilate it, crashed into each other.
In that instant, jets of flame shot into the sky. Under the dim light, they looked like flashes of lightning tearing the world apart. A rain of giant boulders then poured down, falling like meteorites amidst the billowing dust and smoke, smashing the mountains and rivers below into collapse and causing the rivers to flow backward and surge into the sky...
Even the mid- and low-rank Wind Beasts, cultivators, and soldiers from both sides hundreds of li away cried out in terror. The Second Elder of the Tianli Clan had already flown over the moment Yan San uprooted the peaks, hastily erecting a massive barrier at the front line. On the Wind Beast side, a Fourth-rank Wind Beast also flew over to cast a spell, blocking the rocky rain from the aftershock. At this moment, both sides had disregarded the agreement not to fight within a five-thousand-li range, but they tacitly sent out one Nascent Soul cultivator each, notably without the Great Elder making a move.
Yan San's eyes glinted with a savage light as his Divine Sense swept through the dust and rockfall. With this attack, he would see how Li Yan's physical body could possibly withstand it. A coverage of nearly ten thousand zhang, all in an instant. Unless Li Yan's Nascent Soul escaped, allowing him to use an Instantaneous Movement divine ability, he would have to take this world-destroying blow head-on.
Everything happened too quickly. Both sides had only seen Li Yan send the small, gray, long-handled hammer flying with just his palm. They had yet to recover from their shock.
The Great Elder also wore a dazed expression.
'Li Yan's physical body is this strong? This should only be possible after reaching the seventh layer of the Qiongqi Purgatory Art...'
The shock in the others' hearts was even greater. But then a strange scene unfolded before them. The moment Li Yan sent the magical treasure flying, he turned and flew to the side, while Yan San quickly uttered a word to the empty space before him. With the word "Die!", he uprooted two mountain peaks and smashed them toward the empty spot. This left everyone utterly bewildered, not understanding Yan San's actions. But seeing the two peaks about to collide, they still rushed out to rescue people at the first opportunity.
At the center of the battle, Yan San's Divine Sense swept the area, his ferocious expression freezing. There was no trace of Li Yan's aura amidst the massive rockfall, nor was there the bloody scent of magical power.
"Are you looking for me?"
A somewhat familiar voice suddenly rang out from above his head. Then, a vast expanse of golden light showered down. Yan San was startled and looked up.
Unbeknownst to him, four half-Vajra-Hand Bodhisattva Dharma Manifestations had appeared above him. They sat cross-legged in unison, their bodies radiating a supreme majesty. And on the right arm of one of the Dharma Manifestations, which was forming a hand seal, stood a person.
The man was clad in a black robe, his short, pitch-black hair standing on end. Bathed in the myriad rays of golden light, he stood with his hands behind his back like a black-gold venerable lord. It was none other than Li Yan.
"You..."
A look of disbelief flashed in Yan San's eyes. The man had clearly been in front of his attack a mere breath ago; how had he appeared above him? Moreover, he had personally seen him fly only to the edge of the twin peaks before being struck. Not only had he suddenly appeared overhead, but he had also summoned a Buddhist magical treasure!
'That bizarre movement skill again?'
Yan San was horrified. Li Yan's speed had once again exceeded his imagination.
A sharp light erupted in Li Yan's eyes. From the very beginning of their duel, he had been waiting for the chance to lay down the "Illusion Poison." The "Li Yan" his opponent had last seen was merely a figment of his own poisoned consciousness.
'The Illusion Poison can only affect a Great Cultivator for one and a half breaths before its effects disappear!'
This was the first time Li Yan had used the Illusion Poison on a Late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator. He immediately made a final judgment in his mind to gain more experience. A Great Cultivator's willpower was too strong; even with his Divine Sense, which was now on par with theirs, this was the most he could achieve with this poison.
But this was the opportunity Li Yan had been waiting for. Without a moment's hesitation, and completely ignoring Yan San's questioning, he stomped his foot down. Standing on the Dharma Manifestation's right arm, he and the four Dharma Manifestations crashed down toward Yan San. At the same time, he secretly activated a technique. The "Vajra Sacred Mountain-Suppressing Formation" erupted in an instant, its suppressing and sealing power enveloping Yan San.
Yan San felt the space around him sink, and he was immediately engulfed by waves of golden light. To his great horror, he found himself immobilized. He desperately channeled his magical power, which surged like a tide, but in the next breath, something even more terrifying happened. His magical power also showed signs of being sealed. Although it was still flowing, its movement through his meridians was incredibly sluggish, like a slowly meandering stream.
"This... this is impossible, I don't believe it!"
Yan San's eyes instantly turned crimson. He unleashed his power with reckless abandon. Indeed, under his full-force assault, the flow of his magical power immediately strengthened, and cracks began to appear in the surrounding space.
However, Li Yan did not continue to press the suppressing power of the "Vajra Sacred Mountain-Suppressing Formation." Instead, with a thought, the "Gui-Yi Water-Parting Spike" hovering above his head blurred and instantly appeared before Yan San's eyes.
Gazing at the two needle-thin points before him, which radiated a deep chill and trembled slightly, Yan San knew that if his opponent channeled his magical power again, this pair of magical treasures would pierce his brain while he was still trapped.
At that moment, the thought that he only needed more time to kill Li Yan instantly transformed into a boundless, icy dread and a fear of death. If he did not fear death, he would not have sought to tread the Way of Eternal Life, nor would he have united the three Wind Beast clans. Therefore, his fear of death was all the greater.
But he also knew that while he feared death, there was not much resentment left. His opponent was a whole minor realm below him, and in a realm—Late-stage Nascent Soul—that represented the greatest chasm for cultivators of the lower realms. Li Yan had defeated him in a direct confrontation. Who could he blame? He didn't need to think to know his fate after falling into human hands; Yan San knew it was a one-way trip down the Yellow Springs Road.
He immediately stopped trying to break the restraints with his magical power. Slowly, he closed his eyes.
Seeing this, a sharp glint flashed in the eyes of the golden-light-bathed Li Yan. If it weren't to help Gong Chenying and achieve his own goals, he would have been truly reluctant to bring out this "Vajra Sacred Mountain-Suppressing Formation."
However, this victory was not solely due to the "Vajra Sacred Mountain-Suppressing Formation." Had Yan San been given a little more time, he would have been able to break free from the restraints. This was different from sealing the Fifth-rank Wind Beast. First, it lacked the support of Hong Yin's seal and the "Primal Qi Grand Clarity Formation." Second, Buddhist techniques were not a perfect counter to Yan San's clan.
Moreover, if not for Li Yan's endless array of fighting styles that had allowed him to poison Yan San with the Illusion Poison, the chances of suppressing a freely moving Great Cultivator with the "Vajra Sacred Mountain-Suppressing Formation" were slim. Suppression-type magical treasures, much like Li Yan's "Gui-Yi Water-Parting Spike," had specific limitations. The best way to use them was by surprise. Once the opponent was on guard, they would dodge in advance and attack from a distance.
Li Yan had used almost all his strength in this battle. Although their exchange lasted only a moment, he had unleashed a flurry of spells and arts, holding back only the "Soul-Tugging Execution." He had to expose his Gui Water Immortal Sect techniques as little as possible, especially with so many Nascent Soul cultivators watching. And he certainly couldn't kill Yan San, who had personally experienced his methods.
After waiting for two breaths, death did not come for Yan San. Nor did Li Yan's sealing magical power descend upon his cultivation. Instead, Li Yan's voice reached him.
"Fellow Daoist Yan, do you still think your three clans have any chance of victory?"
'Is he trying to humiliate me?' Yan San slowly opened his eyes, a ferocious glint still in them. Knowing there was no good end for him in human hands, and that death was certain either way, he let out a sneer.
"Heh, so what? Do you have the ability to break into the 'Heaven's Eye Pits'? Besides, you people will certainly not meet a good end!"
Ever since this cultivator named Li Yan had arrived, the advantage of the three allied Wind Beast clans had plummeted. Now, all hope was lost. His clansmen could only retreat into their main camp. As for the other two clans, how could he possibly care about them now? In any case, not even Gong Shengguang dared to enter the "Heaven's Eye Pit." The Tianli Clan could never exterminate the "Wind Goose Beast" clan. Although he would die, the "Wind Goose Beast" clan would one day rise again.
However, thinking of the scene he had detected in the swamp, he spoke to Li Yan with viciousness. Yan San wasn't sure if the Tianli Clan had scouted the situation beneath the swamp, but even if they had, they might not have time to relocate! But his words here just sounded like a bluff born of desperation.
"Why must you be like this, Fellow Daoist Yan? We came today wanting to have a sincere talk with you. We have no intention of driving you back into the 'Heaven's Eye Pit.' Instead, we want to cooperate with you!"
At this point, Li Yan finally revealed his purpose.
Previously, when he had discussed the possibility of coexisting with Yan San's clans with the Great Elder and the others, they had all shaken their heads. They had fought the Wind Beasts for generations; no one knew their savage nature better than them. On this continent, between other living beings and the Wind Beasts, only one side could survive. This was because the Wind Beasts had the "Heaven's Eye Pits," which could not be eradicated, and they also wanted to acquire more heavenly materials and earthly treasures from the outside world.
But Li Yan had proposed that Yan San's ability to unite the three Wind Beast clans suggested he was different from other Wind Beasts. He was more interested in pursuing the long Way of Eternal Life, which meant there was a possibility of negotiating with him. But given the Wind Beasts' nature, if Yan San didn't feel the pressure of impending doom, he would most likely still try to annihilate the Tianli Clan to secure all the cultivation resources for himself. This would not only fulfill his dream of reaching the fifth rank but also allow him to resist the "Yin Mountain Beast" in the swamp's depths.
Therefore, Li Yan had to completely shatter his beautiful dream. Didn't Yan San always believe that only the Great Elder could threaten him? Now, everything before him had thoroughly extinguished all of Yan San's ambitions. To take a step back, even if Li Yan only managed to hold him off for a dozen breaths, the Great Elder's cultivation was sufficient to wipe out all the other Fourth-rank Wind Beasts.
Yan San's eyes, which had been glinting ferociously, went still for several breaths after hearing Li Yan's words. His perpetually cold expression froze even more solid.