"You... you said cooperate? What do you mean?" he finally asked, bewildered.
In the distance, the Fourth-rank Wind Beasts on Yan San's side froze in terror when they saw him immobilized and then threatened at the head by two magical treasures. Yan San had been defeated. The Great Cultivator who stood at the pinnacle of this world's cultivators had actually lost to a Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. This was something they simply could not believe.
Especially the Fourth-rank Wind Beast that had flown to the front line and was casting spells below. Its figure flickered and vanished into the distance, its speed unbelievably fast. It was in the most danger. If the Second Elder engaged it for even a moment, it would undoubtedly die.
"He... he defeated Yan San?"
This was the thought echoing in the minds of the Tianli Clan members. They were all stunned. This wasn't what Li Yan had told them. Didn't he say he just needed to hold Yan San off for a dozen breaths to gain leverage for negotiations? That way, the other party would have to consider the consequences of the Great Elder running rampant for those dozen breaths. But... but how did it end up like this? Yan San was just... defeated.
And for a Late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator to be defeated so quickly... when did Great Cultivators become so vulnerable?
"It's the power of that Buddhist magical treasure!" the Fourth Elder muttered, as if to himself, or perhaps to the others. In his heart, he hoped it was the power of the magical treasure, not that Li Yan's own cultivation was so terrifyingly high.
"He really did it. But... Little Junior Brother still likes to hide his strength!" Although Gong Chenying had not yet reached Nascent Soul Formation, after cultivating the "Red Lotus Incinerating Fire Scripture," both her strength and Divine Sense had reached the level of an ordinary Initial-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. She could see the duel thousands of li away with perfect clarity. Seeing this result, her heart swelled with waves of joy and an irrepressible sweetness.
While the high-rank cultivators on both sides were either terrified, stunned, or shocked, another unexpected scene unfolded. Li Yan suddenly beckoned with his hand, and the two "Gui-Yi Water-Parting Spikes" flew back to him. Before the bewildered Yan San could react, he felt the invisible force binding him recede like a tide, and the magical power in his body was instantly restored.
Li Yan's body swayed, and he reappeared a thousand zhang away from Yan San. The Vajra-Hand Bodhisattvas, their bodies radiating golden light, rapidly shrank, transforming into four golden threads that entered a string of prayer beads, which were then put away by Li Yan.
"What are you..."
Yan San was bewildered by Li Yan's series of actions. This was completely different from what he had imagined.
"Fellow Daoist Yan San, this is our sincerity. Shall we talk now? Isn't the purpose of your three-clan alliance because of that Fifth-rank Wind Beast underground? What if we join forces to deal with it, what do you think?" Li Yan's gaze was scorching as he stared at Yan San, giving him a sense of pressure.
"Join forces with you to deal with that Fifth-rank Wind Beast?"
Hearing Li Yan's words, Yan San's eyes showed immediate surprise, but then, as if realizing something, a trace of disdain appeared. "We are mortal enemies, locked in a blood feud. The human race has always been sinister and cunning. You don't even have a single Spirit Transformation cultivator, yet you speak of joining forces? You want to dig a trap for our three Wind Beast clans to jump into? Trying to buy yourselves time? You think too highly of yourself!"
Yan San instantly saw through Li Yan's intentions. They had indeed found out about the situation in the swamp. Since they couldn't destroy the "Heaven's Eye Pits" and the Tianli Clan needed more time to relocate, they were trying to use him as a pawn.
"Fellow Daoist Yan, you understated it. It's not just a blood feud, it's a generational feud. We've fought for generation after generation. This feud is immense! If there were no grudges and no benefits, we would have stopped fighting long ago. The cooperation I speak of is to set aside our past grievances. We have more information about the Wind Beast in the swamp. And it's not necessarily about you taking the lead. As I said before, these are things to be discussed."
Li Yan shook his head upon hearing this.
The sneer and disdain on Yan San's face froze. "You have more information on that Wind Beast? Just because Gong Shanhe and the other one have been trapped for so many years? If I'm not mistaken, the reason those two aren't dead is that they didn't venture deep into the eye of the wind. Otherwise... hmph!"
He said this, but Li Yan's words had piqued his curiosity. He certainly wanted to know more about that Wind Beast. But recalling his own senses from that time—an aura of extreme danger emanating from the eye of the wind—he, as a Wind Beast, had already made a guess. The other beast was likely using the most violent frigid winds at the core of the "Heaven's Eye Wind" to cultivate some technique.
At that time, greed had stirred within him. He thought that if the other party was truly in the middle of cultivation, he might be able to sneak over and reap some benefits. But the result was that the extreme yin-cold wind there had almost prevented him from getting out. That "Heaven's Eye Pit" must be an ancient existence; the Heaven's Eye Wind within was chaotic beyond measure, and even he was powerless against it. He couldn't block the yin-cold from entering his body. Once injured by the cold, his aura became disordered, and he was subsequently besieged by several Fourth-rank Wind Beasts...
Thousands of li away, the expressions of the three Fourth-rank Wind Beasts had turned to suspicion. Why did that grandmaster of the Poison Dao suddenly release Yan San's restraints?
"Did Brother Yan just break free on his own?" the Third-rank Wind Beast that had just flown back from the front line asked uncertainly. Its Divine Sense had been locked on the Second Elder and the space around it the entire time.
"That Li Yan retracted his magical treasure himself and then voluntarily retreated. But why would he do that?"
On the other side, the Great Elder and his group felt a wave of relief seeing that the two had finally stopped fighting. A look of anticipation appeared in many of their eyes. But for the time being, without a voice transmission from Li Yan, no one would approach, lest Yan San think it was an ambush, which would be counterproductive.
"Little Junior Brother succeeded. He's negotiating with Yan San now!"
As Yan San showed no signs of attacking again, Gong Chenying's anxious heart finally settled.
"To be able to block the opponent's magical treasure with his physical body, that kid Li Yan is hiding his strength quite well!" Gong Shanhe exclaimed, his tone carrying a note of inexplicable admiration. The more he looked at Li Yan, the more pleasing he found him. With Li Yan demonstrating such strength and now facing Yan San in negotiations, he too felt relieved.
"Great Elder, can you tell if he has cultivated any other body refining arts? Otherwise, how could he withstand a Nascent Soul-level magical treasure with his physical body?" the Second Elder, who had already returned, asked, his mind once again on the earlier scene. As a powerful body cultivator, he was particularly focused on this. Although bringing it up now seemed to put the cart before the horse, waiting was waiting. The "Qiongqi Purgatory Art" had always been what they considered the strongest body refining art in this realm, so how did Li Yan manage what he did before? However, they could also see that Li Yan's movements contained the power of the "Qiongqi Purgatory Art," but it was only one of the forces at play.
"It seems like the power of earth... it seems... it seems to be a defensive cultivation method!" the Great Elder couldn't tell what kind of art Li Yan had used either. Li Yan dared to borrow the power of the "Earthen Patch" precisely because he was confident no one would see through it. Even Yan San, who had faced it directly, couldn't figure it out, let alone the observers.
"The strongest earth-attribute defensive cultivation method? Fellow Daoist Li is also proficient in such a powerful earth-attribute immortal art. His breadth of knowledge is truly admirable!" The Third Elder's beautiful eyes sparkled.
"The truth may not be so. It might be a treasure similar to that string of prayer beads, just that Fellow Daoist Li used it so cleverly that we didn't notice! Don't forget, Fellow Daoist Li said he was confident he could return from the eye of the wind. The foundation of the Malevolent Spirit Sect is not something we can compare to!" The Fourth Elder, however, didn't want to admit that all of this was Li Yan's true ability. He believed Li Yan possessed a treasure to resist the cold wind of the wind's eye, and had likely borrowed other powers as well. It had to be said, the Fourth Elder was reluctant to see a Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator be so heaven-defying, and thus voiced his opinion, but he was actually not far from the truth.
At this moment, the soldiers and cultivators below were all craning their necks. They had no idea what the high-rank cultivators were doing today. Not long after they appeared, a world-shaking battle began, with rivers flowing backward and boulders raining down. Fortunately, both sides had deliberately avoided the main battlefield, otherwise, no one here would have survived. Since the high-rank cultivators were fighting like this, those below naturally assumed another bloody slaughter was about to begin, but the order to attack never came.
"Is the duel over?"
"Doesn't look like it. No one has landed from the sky!"
"A double defeat?"
"Shut up! Don't make wild guesses..."
High above in the Ninth Heaven, Li Yan was rapidly sending a voice transmission, sharing some information about the "Yin Mountain Beast." A transmission would save a great deal of time. He didn't want to waste words and briefly explained the origin of the "Yin Mountain Beast," omitting everything about the "Red Whisk Temple." He only said that the reason the Fifth-rank "Yin Mountain Beast" hadn't emerged wasn't because it was cultivating some technique, but because it had been sealed by someone long ago, and they only had about ten years left!
As Yan San listened, the light in his eyes changed continuously. He had his own speculations before, but he had leaned more toward the idea that the "Heaven's Eye Pit" was ancient, and the Wind Beast within was an ancient one. The reason it hadn't come out was likely due to a severe injury from the past, forcing it to use the eye of the wind to recover. Therefore, the timing of its emergence was uncertain. It might recover tomorrow, or it might still be in closed-door cultivation a hundred or a thousand years from now. He never imagined it was sealed.
"So it's called the 'Yin Mountain Beast.' But how do you know the seal will only last for ten more years?" Although Yan San had heard a lot, he was now suspicious about the seal.
"Hehehe... Fellow Daoist Yan, if you want to know more, we'll have to negotiate properly. Then, we will tell you more. The information I've just shared is a gift to you, another sign of our sincerity. Of course, if you still don't believe it, that's up to you. At worst, we can just fight again like before. Also, don't even think about snatching resources from us. Even if the Tianli Clan relocates, we will destroy all the resources here!" This time, Li Yan chuckled, but said no more.
For a time, both sides fell into silence again. Yan San had indeed held onto the hope that if the Tianli Clan left, some resources like the roots of spirit plants might be left behind, which they could then figure out how to rapidly cultivate. But Li Yan had spoken of a plan to eradicate everything, roots and all. That was truly venomous.
"First, briefly tell me what you need us to do." After a few dozen more breaths, Yan San finally spoke again. But he didn't press for more information about the "Yin Mountain Beast," instead asking a different question.
Hearing this, a smile appeared on Li Yan's face. Yan San's question was the fundamental basis for their cooperation. "We have a way to seal it again, and we will be the ones to do the sealing. What you need to do is have you and the Great Elder ready to provide support for me. The only other thing is for both sides to sign a Blood Contract, guaranteeing that after this is done, we will never invade each other again! Our main goal is to stop this great war from reoccurring, so both sides can survive. Otherwise, we would rather give up this place. But you, Fellow Daoist, you can't leave this land..."
A sharp glint flashed in Yan San's eyes. "You're saying you already have a method to seal it, a way to deal with that Fifth-rank 'Yin Mountain Beast'?"
"Of course. What did you think of the prayer beads that imprisoned you earlier, Fellow Daoist? Let me give you another piece of information: that string of prayer beads is part of the seal."
"A Buddhist magical treasure! It is indeed the nemesis of those yin-cold creatures. But only part of the seal..." Yan San quickly processed Li Yan's words, and a sliver of belief began to grow in his heart. Although that string of prayer beads might not be able to hold him for long, it was indeed a suppression-type magical treasure, and one that countered yin-cold creatures. Li Yan also said it was only part of the seal. Looking at Li Yan's expression, he probably had other tricks up his sleeve.
"You just said you only need me and Gong Shengguang for support, and you will go down to seal it yourself?"
"Of course. If you don't feel safe going alone, you can bring a few more people. All of this will be bound by a Blood Contract, so there's a certain guarantee. Besides, your clan still has the 'Heaven's Eye Pit' for protection!" Li Yan's meaning was clear. At least he and the Great Elder would be going from their side. After the previous battle, it would be dangerous for Yan San to accompany them. Of course, Yan San could bring others, but that would leave his clan's experts depleted. However, this could be stipulated in the Blood Contract they signed, forbidding any sneak attacks and so on. If the other clan was truly worried, they could all retreat into the "Heaven's Eye Pit." Yan San fell silent for a time...
Half an hour later, Li Yan and Gong Chenying flew side-by-side toward the rear of the Tianli Clan's territory. A strange scene was unfolding on the battlefield before them. The mid- and low-rank Wind Beasts had all retreated, and the Tianli Clan had only left their routine patrols. In the mid-air where they usually fought, a massive, multicolored sphere had appeared, surrounded by a glowing restriction. The Great Elder, Gong Shanhe, the Second Elder, as well as Yan San and the powerhouses of the "Wind-Iron Beast" and "Wind Elephant Beast" clans were all inside.
"Aren't you going to listen to the final conditions they agree upon?" Gong Chenying, dressed in her blue, arrow-sleeved attire, gently tucked a strand of short hair behind her ear.
"With the Clan Head there, what is there to worry about? I've already done everything I can in the initial stage. Either the negotiations succeed, or if they fail, we'll seal it ourselves. Then we'll see how to lure out the high-rank Wind Beasts of the three clans and kill them all in one go. In that situation, it will take at least three to five hundred years for them to produce another powerhouse at or above the Nascent Soul realm."
Li Yan said faintly. He knew Gong Chenying was worried about him, especially since he would be the one going down to perform the sealing. If the terms of the Blood Contract were unfavorable to him, he would be caught in his own trap. Li Yan just smiled at this.