Along the way, Li Yan continued to ask about the parts of Su Hong's story she hadn't finished.
It turned out that Su Hong had received the news just two days before the Chant-Garment Assembly. According to the report, a Buddha from the Jingtu Sect had died in Daning City several months ago. Now, some clues about the perpetrator had emerged, with sightings near Yuguan City. The Jingtu Sect had dispatched another Buddha with a group of people to Yuguan City. At that time, Su Hong happened to be nearby on business with two Golden Core cultivators from Gui Qu Lai Xi. Upon receiving the news, she guessed that the Jingtu Sect might have found clues related to the cultivator's death. So, she hastily put aside her current task and went to Yuguan City. After arriving, Su Hong and her companions did not rashly go to the Jingtu Sect to visit the Buddha. Instead, based on the information she had, they first searched several locations outside the city but found no leads.
Finally, after carefully connecting all the previous clues and information, Su Hong still felt that the perpetrator was likely a member of the mysterious force. After killing a Buddha in Daning City and obtaining something from him, they now appeared in Yuguan City. This meant they either hadn't found what they were looking for before, or they were about to make another move in Yuguan City. Judging by the timing of these two appearances, the mysterious force was becoming anxious, even at the risk of exposure. However, their objective this time remained a mystery. When Su Hong thought of the upcoming Chant-Garment Assembly in Yuguan City, a thought struck her. She then began to inquire about the items to be auctioned and subsequently decided to participate. She felt it was highly likely that the mysterious force was trying to obtain something from the auction, which was why they had come despite the risk. Otherwise, with the Jingtu Sect on high alert and two Buddhas stationed in Yuguan City, if the enemy still wanted to make a move, they might as well reveal themselves and declare war instead of hiding.
At the Chant-Garment Assembly, she felt that the prices for three particular items were unreasonable when they appeared. She raised the price a few times, but others kept following. In the end, she decided to buy all three items. The Malevolent Spirit Sect would cover the cost of the Spirit Stones anyway.
However, when they left Yuguan City, intending to finish their previous business before returning to the Peiyang market, they were ambushed by four people some distance from the city. The leader was the beautiful woman in cyan gauze, and the other three were also Golden Core cultivators—two at the initial stage and one at the mid-stage.
It had to be said that Su Hong was always extremely cautious when she went out. This time, she had brought two Golden Core cultivators with her. Normally, this level of protection was beyond what an ordinary cultivator could imagine. But who would have thought the other party would be so willing to invest, dispatching four Golden Core cultivators at once.
Fortunately, one of the people she brought was also a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator. Otherwise, they might have been wiped out in the first exchange. Even so, her two Golden Core cultivators had to fight to the death to hold off three of the opponents, allowing her to escape. The beautiful woman in cyan gauze then pursued her relentlessly.
After hearing all this, Li Yan felt a sense of unease about the series of strange events he had recently encountered. It was an indistinct feeling of a storm brewing, a sense of dark clouds gathering overhead. But he was just a minor Foundation Establishment cultivator. Unease was all it could be. At most, it could help him stay far away from the center of the trouble.
'I wonder if Qin Chengyi and the beautiful woman in cyan gauze are on the same side. From the looks of it, it's highly possible they belong to the same force. For me to run into them one after another, my luck is really 'good.' In the future, unless absolutely necessary, I must not get involved in such matters.' Li Yan secretly warned himself.
Two days later, Li Yan and Su Hong were flying north at high speed, a long streak of light in the sky. In those two days, they had found a relatively hidden spot where Li Yan set up a formation to guard her while Su Hong focused on recovering. During Li Yan's vigilant watch, although the woman did not find them, other cultivators did pass by their location. Despite the concealment of the formation's restrictions, they couldn't escape the notice of some observant individuals. However, when Li Yan released his powerful aura, those people would sense it and immediately fly away.
By now, Su Hong had recovered seventy to eighty percent of her strength. Her complexion was like a peach blossom, her charming eyes held a smile, and she was chatting in low tones with Li Yan from time to time. Although Li Yan still wore an illusory face and did not show his true features, Su Hong seemed oblivious, speaking to him with a radiant smile. Though she hadn't spent much time with Li Yan, Su Hong had come to understand his disposition: a man of few words. Often, you could say several sentences, and he would only occasionally reply with one, which was considered good. Sometimes, he would just smile without a word. But she still enjoyed the conversation immensely.
After flying for several more days, they finally arrived at a teleportation node. After entering the sect that provided the teleportation formation and confirming that the place was safe, Li Yan nodded to Su Hong. The two bid each other farewell and parted ways. From beginning to end, Su Hong never asked for Li Yan's name or identity, which made Li Yan see this practical woman in a new light.
Watching Li Yan's departing figure, Su Hong slowly walked towards the teleportation node, her dark brows furrowed. At that moment, her mind was filled with speculation about Li Yan's identity.
'Along the way, I've observed that this person never uses a Spirit Beast Pouch, so he shouldn't be a disciple of Spirit Insect Peak. His formation restrictions for protection are also average, which rules out the possibility of him being from Four Symbols Peak. The remaining three peaks are all possibilities. The Gu-insects of Never-Parting Peak can be hidden within the body. The disciples of Lord Lao Peak have extraordinary medicinal pills and use poison without relying on demonic beasts or spirit insects; this person seems very proficient in this. The cultivation methods of Little Bamboo Peak are eclectic and unorthodox, which is also a possibility. But Lord Lao Peak seems the most likely.' After some thought, Su Hong shook her head. It wasn't that she was deliberately trying to find out Li Yan's identity, but merely out of curiosity. She knew of all the brilliant and talented disciples among the younger generation of the Malevolent Spirit Sect. The ones sent out at this time must be among them. But no matter how she thought about it, she couldn't match Li Yan with any of them, which only made her more curious.
'Forget it. I might find out in the future. When I get back, I'll re-examine the files on the younger generation of Malevolent Spirit Sect disciples. I'm sure I'll find something. For now, there's something more important. I wonder if Elders Lin and Hu are alive or dead? Hmph, 'Seven Mysteries Yin Sha Art,' Red Chan Sect, Zhong Mengyin... others may not know you are a hidden elder of the Red Chan Sect, but I can basically confirm it...'
There was one thing Su Hong hadn't told Li Yan. She recognized the beautiful woman in cyan gauze who had ambushed them. Although she didn't recognize the other three, it was enough to determine that the Red Chan Sect had likely joined that mysterious force. Zhong Mengyin probably never imagined this would happen. In the Red Chan Sect, she never showed her true face and only revealed a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation level in front of others. For so many years, no one recognized her. Su Hong had pretended to be a complete stranger to her, but in reality, she had received news years ago that the Seven Mysteries Yin Sha Art had appeared on the Desolate Moon Continent. And this time, she had confirmed that this art was being cultivated by the Red Chan Sect.
'The Red Chan Sect is very likely the successor of Daoist Yue'emei. No, this news is too important. I must report it back immediately...'
...
At this moment, Zhong Mengyin had regrouped with the three Golden Core cultivators. The mid-stage Golden Core elder was looking at her with a gloomy expression, his face full of displeasure. "Elder Zhong, we held off their two Golden Core cultivators, but this is the result you give us? You are a Golden Core cultivator, yet you let Su Hong escape. And a strange cultivator appeared. This means we are all at risk of being exposed."
The four of them had regrouped a day ago and had searched a ten-thousand-li radius, but still found nothing.
Zhong Mengyin was already annoyed. Hearing the man's questioning and his tone, and seeing the other two Golden Core cultivators also looking at her with displeasure, she felt even more frustrated.
"Fellow Daoist Feng, your words are improper. That wench has an endless supply of treasures. I'm sure you are aware of the resources of 'Gui Qu Lai Xi.' I chased her for three days, yet the three of you were held up by two people for so long and couldn't catch up in time. In the end, you only managed to heavily injure one of them while both escaped. Is it not normal for other cultivators to appear during a three-day journey?" After Zhong Mengyin said this, the elder surnamed Feng's face twitched. He was also extremely frustrated. He had thought that since the other party only had one mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, as long as he kept that person busy, his two companions would quickly deal with the other initial-stage Golden Core cultivator. But to their surprise, the two people Su Hong brought were too powerful, especially the mid-stage Golden Core cultivator he faced. That man was a Variant Spirit Root cultivator who cultivated a thunder-attribute cultivation method. Elder Feng was caught off guard at the beginning and was put on the defensive, almost being taken down in one move. Just like that, Elder Feng had to use all his strength just to hold him off for a while, allowing his two initial-stage Golden Core companions to heavily injure Su Hong's other Golden Core cultivator. Seeing this, the thunder-attribute Golden Core cultivator had no choice but to abandon him to save his companion. In the end, under the combined attack of Elder Feng's group of three, the thunder-attribute cultivator escaped with his heavily injured companion, having only sustained minor injuries himself.
Then, Elder Feng and his two companions abandoned the pursuit of the duo and followed the markers Zhong Mengyin had left behind. But after only two hours, the thunder-attribute cultivator, who had returned alone, caught up with them.
The attack power of a thunder-attribute spirit root was horrifyingly strong. In terms of flight speed, without a top-tier Magical Treasure, no other attribute's spirit root cultivator could compare, except for a wind spirit root. After taking the heavily injured cultivator to a relatively safe place and hastily setting up a formation for him to heal, this thunder-attribute cultivator had rushed back alone. After catching up to Elder Feng's group of three, with no one to worry about, he harassed them with fierce long-range attacks, refusing to engage them head-on. When the three tried to stop and surround him, the thunder-attribute cultivator would just move far away. They couldn't catch him, but if they turned around, he would chase and attack them again. In this way, he managed to hold up Elder Feng's group of three for five days. The three of them were filled with a rage they couldn't vent.
After fighting and retreating like this, they finally saw Zhong Mengyin. The thunder-attribute cultivator saw Zhong Mengyin's ashen face and noticed several secret signs left by Su Hong along the way. He guessed that his young mistress had already escaped. After a few threatening words, he departed gracefully, his power truly chilling to the bone.
"Then does Fellow Daoist Zhong know who attacked you?" Elder Feng was unwilling to argue with a woman and asked instead.
"I don't know. He is definitely a Golden Core body cultivator, and he also cultivates a concealment technique. Otherwise, how could he have gotten the drop on me with a sneak attack?" Although Zhong Mengyin was sixty percent sure that the opponent was not a Golden Core cultivator, she couldn't say so. That would undoubtedly place the blame on her. Moreover, she had to exaggerate the opponent's cultivation level.
"A body cultivator? Could it be someone from a sect within tens of thousands of li of Yuguan City?" Elder Feng frowned and thought, but for a moment he couldn't think of any sect here that had such a formidable body cultivator. The other two Golden Core cultivators also thought for a while and both shook their heads, indicating they didn't know.
"Not necessarily from a nearby sect. I went back to examine that simple cave residence later. It was clearly dug out on a temporary basis. It could have been someone just passing through," Zhong Mengyin said helplessly.
"Oh, then it might be one of those bald donkeys from the Jingtu Sect. They are the best at cultivating the physical body. More than half of their disciples follow the path of body cultivation," Elder Feng suddenly asked.