At this moment, Li Yan was flying through the air—or more accurately, Li Wuyi was carrying him as he flew.
Li Yan looked with some curiosity at the book-scroll-like magical artifact beneath his feet. The scenery below slowly shrank and then rapidly swept backward.
After they left the room, Li Wuyi had taken out a small item shaped like a book scroll. He shook it towards the air, muttered a few words, and the item expanded in the wind, instantly growing to two or three zhang in size.
A cultivator had to reach the Foundation Establishment stage before they could fly through the air without relying on any objects. Disciples in the Qi Condensation stage could only fly by relying on flying artifacts like spirit tools, spirit treasures, or magical artifacts. It was already quite good for them to have a single flying spirit tool.
Li Wuyi had reached the Foundation Establishment stage long ago, and the late stage at that. Flying on his own was no problem for him, and his speed was quite fast. But now that he was carrying Li Yan, he could not very well fly with him on his back or in his arms, so he took out a flying magical artifact he had not used in a long time.
He planned to take Li Yan to Lord Lao Peak to collect his entry items, and then return to Little Bamboo Peak to pay respects to their Master. But since he had brought Li Yan out, he decided to first let him get a general idea of the features of the sect's various peaks.
The peak they had just been on was "Spirit Insect Peak," the peak to which the cultivator surnamed Yu who had brought Li Yan to the sect belonged. They circled the peak at its waist. According to Li Wuyi, he could not fly to the summit as there was a no-fly restriction there. Only their Master and the others could fly inside.
Li Yan watched the immortal cranes, peacocks, and other unknown spirit birds that occasionally soared past. He looked down at the flying eaves and glazed tiles, the small hills and bridges, and the gurgling springs all over the peak below. It was a scene he had never even dreamed of.
Li Yan saw many people coming and going in different places on Spirit Insect Peak, seemingly turning a blind eye to the two of them in the sky. Like Li Wuyi, they were mostly dressed in dark green robes, with only a very few individuals dressed differently.
Some people were riding on a ferocious beast covered in scales like a crocodile. When the crocodile-like beast saw them fly overhead, it raised its huge head, its small, protruding eyes staring fiercely at the sky, letting out roars and thrashing its tail.
Another person had a toad covered in black warts squatting on his shoulder. It constantly opened its mouth and spat out mucus. Just as it was about to drip onto the person's clothes, its long tongue shot out and rolled the mucus back into its mouth.
From another person's robe, several five-colored centipedes crawled out and scurried around on his body, occasionally disappearing into his collar, only to reappear a moment later from a seam at his waist or a pant leg to crawl around again.
There was also a seductive woman with delicate green snakes hanging from her earlobes. They would occasionally raise their heads and flick their tongues. The woman would sometimes use her jade-like hand to bring the green snake's head to her lips for a kiss...
Seeing all this made Li Yan's scalp tingle and a chill run down his spine. He thought, 'Don't tell me Little Bamboo Peak also has such perverted and disgusting cultivation methods.' The thought made his skin crawl as if a thousand insects were crawling on him.
Li Wuyi saw Li Yan's expression, which was like he had swallowed a fly, and chuckled. "Junior Brother, this peak is called 'Spirit Insect Peak.' Their main practice is raising all kinds of spirit insects and spirit beasts from heaven and earth. Man and beast complement each other, and their attack power is far beyond that of cultivators of the same rank."
'Spirit insects, spirit beasts? Where is the spiritual aura in that? These are clearly poisonous insects and ferocious beasts,' Li Yan complained inwardly. But seeing his Eldest Senior Brother still looking at him with a smile, he did not dare to say it aloud. Looking at his Eldest Senior Brother's face, Li Yan's expression suddenly turned doubtful, as if he had remembered something.
"What's wrong? Junior Brother, why are you looking at me like that?" Li Wuyi saw Li Yan's expression and felt as if he too were being looked at like one of the demonic beasts below. He was taken aback.
"Um, Eldest Senior Brother, don't be offended. I suddenly remembered what you said before. You're seventy-four this year?"
Just now, seeing his Eldest Senior Brother looking at him with a warm smile, and looking at that face that did not seem much older than his own, Li Yan remembered a sentence Li Wuyi had said when comforting him earlier. He finally could not hold back his curiosity. Seventy-four years old... that was seventy-four years old! In the village, that was a venerable old man, who would have difficulty walking. Who knew, they might sit down somewhere and never get up again.
"Hehe, I was wondering what it was. Of course, that's true. I joined the Malevolent Spirit Sect when I was ten. After establishing my foundation at nineteen, I began to follow Master. Unfortunately, it's been decades, and I'm still stuck at the late stage of Foundation Establishment. Ai, I'm ashamed, truly ashamed." Li Wuyi did not feel there was anything wrong with saying this, but his later words were full of emotion. He still had over a hundred years left. If he could not form a Golden Core by then, he could only enter the cycle of reincarnation.
A hundred-plus years might seem like a long time, but for them, it might just be the duration of a few secluded cultivation sessions.
Of course, Li Yan did not know what he was thinking. At this moment, a wave of turbulence stirred in his heart. 'Are cultivators really this powerful? Among mortals, living to sixty is already a long life. Yet a cultivator in their sixties or seventies is like they are in their prime youth.' He could not help but feel a little anticipation for his own future.
What Li Yan did not notice was that his heart was undergoing a transformation.
He also overlooked another piece of information in Li Wuyi's words: establishing his foundation in nine years. It was not so much that Li Yan overlooked it, but his ignorance. He did not understand what establishing a foundation in eight years represented. It would not be an exaggeration to call such a person a chosen one of heaven. For an ordinary cultivator, successfully establishing their foundation within thirty years was already considered outstanding. If one established their foundation after the age of thirty, they would generally have no hope of condensing a Golden Core in their lifetime, unless they had a special opportunity. The three stages of Foundation Establishment—early, middle, and late—were each a hundred times more difficult to advance through than advancing to the next layer in the Qi Condensation stage. It was common for a cultivator to be stuck at the early stage of Foundation Establishment for their entire life.
As they spoke, the two had already flown away from Spirit Insect Peak. After flying forward for about several hundred li, a massive, yellow-hazy mountain appeared before them. It was also towering into the clouds, its height unknown. As they got closer, they realized that the yellow haze was a layer of something like mist or clouds. They wrapped around the mountain in layers, like a tight-fitting garment, clinging to the massive peak without drifting outwards, making it impossible to see the situation on the mountain clearly.
"This is Four Symbols Peak. The junior and senior brothers and elders here are masters of formations. This yellow mist you see is their peak-protecting formation. This mist changes every moment. What changes is not only its shape but also the poison within. Every quarter of an hour, one thousand and eighty different potent poisons are generated. They can continuously change and combine for twelve hours without repeating. In the next twelve hours, the arrangement of these poisons will be randomized again."
"Each poison here has a chain reaction with the other poisons that appear at the same time. As for what kind of reaction, that's hard to say. Maybe a poison you've been afflicted with can be neutralized by another nearby poison, but that other poison might be the product of the first poison combining with other poisons. A person in the formation can be poisoned in all sorts of ways, making it impossible to defend against. We'll just circle around here. In the future, if you're interested, Junior Brother, you can also get an entry token from Master. It's just that the senior brothers and martial uncles here are a bit eccentric. Hehe, you'd better be careful with your words when you enter, or you'll inevitably suffer a little."
Hearing Li Wuyi's words, Li Yan felt a sense of wonder and admiration, but he did not pay too much mind to it. He was amazed because he had just calculated in his head: one thousand and eighty potent poisons in a quarter of an hour, without repeating for twelve hours. How many strange poisons of the world had this Malevolent Spirit Sect researched? He could not help but marvel at the deep foundation and power of this immortal sect passed down from ancient times. He was not concerned because after hearing his Eldest Senior Brother's words, he had no intention of ever coming to this peak. A single misstep in entering or leaving could lead to suffering. If he were a little careless, it was not impossible to lose his life. Besides, he had no intention of learning the way of formations, so what would he come here for?
After circling once, they flew off again, heading to the opposite side. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, another massive, grey-hazy mountain appeared before them. This peak was not covered by mist or the like; the mountain itself was clearly visible. On the mountain grew dense, tall plants shaped like sharp swords, about four or five zhang high. Most of them grew in clusters of a dozen or so, pointing straight to the sky. The clusters were spaced less than two feet apart at the base. Each sword-shaped object was like a greyish-black cactus filled with juice. The entire mountain was densely covered, like a giant hedgehog, sending a shiver down Li Yan's spine.
'Could it be that the sect I've joined not only sounds like a demonic cultivation sect, but even the places they live and cultivate are so abnormal?' Thinking about the few peaks he had seen—one swarming with poisonous insects and ferocious beasts of all sizes, another with a thousand poisons interwoven in the mist, and this one before him, like a whole, bizarre, greyish-black hedgehog of a mountain—it went without saying that these sword-shaped plants were not good things either.
"This is Never-Parting Peak. They primarily use gu-insects to cultivate to immortality. The plants on this mountain are the favorite habitat of the vast majority of gu-insects. So, we shouldn't get too close. Otherwise, if we disturb them, all kinds of unknown gu-insects will come flying out from these 'Great Halberd Sword Cattails' like a plague. Some of these gu-insects will attach directly to a person's skin and feed on their flesh and blood. For an ordinary Qi Condensation cultivator, if four or five of them attach to the skin, they'd be left with nothing but a skeleton supporting a bag of skin in three or four breaths. Others will burrow into the body through the eyes, ears, and nose, devouring the internal organs from the inside out, leaving not even bones behind, perhaps only a human skin fluttering in the wind. Of course, some gu-insects are of the latent type. After entering the body, they might stay in the heart or crawl into the brain, either slowly devouring the heart's blood or slowly eating away the brain marrow. What I've just described are only a few of the common types. This bunch of lunatics has cultivated who knows how many kinds of sinister gu-insects. In the decades I've been in the sect, I've been to Four Symbols Peak more than ten times as often as I've been here. I just don't really want to come here. Ahem."
As he spoke, Li Wuyi's handsome face twitched, as if he had remembered something.
"As long as you know, let's go." After saying that, Li Wuyi did not wait for Li Yan's reply and urged the magical artifact to break through the air and leave. After hearing all that, Li Yan had no desire to stay here either and had wanted to leave long ago.
Just as Li Wuyi flew away, among the sword-shaped plants, many people also saw the flying object. At the base of one cluster of plants, a beautiful woman in a red dress, about sixteen years old, was sitting cross-legged. She looked at the departing Li Wuyi and let out a soft "eh?"
"Huh, that magical artifact just now looked like that kid Li Wuyi's. Who was the other person on it? Why did they just circle around and leave? I was hoping to find him for a drink and to compose some poetry."
She pondered for a moment. "Forget it, I'll go find him in a few days. This little fellow is almost ready." Her figure was fiery and her breasts were high. Her red dress was spread out on the ground. She then looked at a faint, thin line in the palms of her hands, then closed her beautiful eyes again and placed her jade-like hands back on the plant.
Li Wuyi, in mid-flight, seemed to sense something. He could not help but pour magical power into his feet, and the speed of the flying magical artifact suddenly soared, shooting out like an arrow from a bow. This action made Li Yan beside him take a few extra glances. Since meeting this Eldest Senior Brother today, he had always been easy-going and calm, unperturbed by anything. How did he suddenly lose his elegant demeanor and look so anxious?
Of course, Li Wuyi also noticed Li Yan's gaze. He pretended not to see it and stared straight ahead.
"Junior Brother, Lord Lao Peak is just ahead. This is also the main place where the sect handles daily affairs. The Sect Master also resides on this peak. Things like the Hall of Deacons, the Mission Hall, sect teachings, and major competitions are all held on this peak."
Under Li Wuyi's frantic urging of spiritual energy, they reached the main peak of the Malevolent Spirit Sect—Lord Lao Peak—in about the time it takes to brew half a cup of tea. On the way, Li Wuyi also introduced the status of Lord Lao Peak to Li Yan.
Except for Little Bamboo Peak, each peak had its own law enforcement hall. However, each peak managed its own treasured collection of cultivation methods and secret manuals. This was firstly because the cultivation attributes of each peak were different, with each peak having its own main attribute, so each peak managed the corresponding cultivation methods. Of course, common cultivation methods were available in the treasured collection of every peak. Secondly, disciples from other peaks were not forbidden from borrowing books from another peak's treasured collection; it was just that the fee was much higher than borrowing from their own peak. There was nothing questionable about this. After all, they belonged to the same sect, and very few people had a single Saint Spirit Root. It was normal to learn cultivation methods of other attributes.
In addition to the points mentioned above, Lord Lao Peak also had a Hall of Deacons, which was dedicated to handling external affairs and various sect matters. For example, the purpose of Li Yan's trip here was to collect his entry items.
Other things, like the monthly sermon, were also held on this peak. Different Foundation Establishment stage masters would be dispatched from each peak to lecture, allowing all the disciples to learn and comprehend. Sometimes, even a great Golden Core cultivator would come to give a sermon. Whenever this happened, the place would be teeming with people, and figures would be zipping back and forth in the sky.
There was also the major competition for those below the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment from each peak held every five years, and the major competition for those from the mid-stage to the late-stage of Foundation Establishment held every ten years. All such matters were held on this peak.
The Sect Master was also the Peak Master of this peak, and at the same time, a first-rank Alchemy Grandmaster. However, the alchemists of their sect were not just the same as those in other sects on the surface. The alchemy of other sects was truly about opening a furnace to refine immortal pills. These pills were mostly helpful for cultivation, or for assisting in breakthroughs, detoxification, or prolonging life and healing, and so on. In general, most were beneficial to the human body.
The Lord Lao Peak of the Malevolent Spirit Sect, in addition to refining the above-mentioned pills, was most famous, or rather infamous, for specializing in refining all kinds of potent poison pills, powders, or colorless and odorless gases, and even plague seeds that could spread over a large area.
Li Yan looked at the Hall of Deacons before him, and then at the surrounding buildings and the people coming and going. He finally felt a little better. This was what a normal sect should look like. At least the people here were normal. Although there were occasionally people who brought poisonous insects and ferocious beasts with them, they were much more restrained. Even the ferocious beasts that came with them were made to look somewhat docile by some unknown method used by the cultivators. But these few peaks had one thing in common: Li Yan felt that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth here was extremely abundant, making him feel so comfortable with every breath that he wanted to moan.