Jie Fengkai had come to support him; it was only right to offer some form of repayment.
This was what Li Yan believed, so naturally, he wouldn't "keep it to himself" and immediately revealed the Elder Dragon Flood Dragon's current state truthfully.
Wanxiang and Wanzang couldn't help but chant another Buddhist proclamation, both thinking to themselves, 'This Benefactor Zhang is no saint. This is blatant murder by a borrowed knife, aiming to cut the grass and pull out the roots!'
"Good, good, good! Fellow Daoist Zhang is a straight talker and worthy of deep friendship. I shall take my leave now, or I might not even get a sip of the soup, hahaha!
The two Great Masters are benevolent of heart. Fellow Daoist Zhang, would you care to join me?" he said quickly, laughing heartily as he looked at Li Yan with bright, shining eyes.
"Me? I won't be going. Winning this one match against him is repayment enough!"
As he spoke, a faint, obscure grayness suddenly surfaced on Li Yan's face, but it vanished in a flash.
A sharp glint moved in the depths of Jie Fengkai's eyes. He then glanced at Wanxiang and Wanzang. Seeing that they were merely watching him with smiles, he immediately laughed again.
"Very well, then I shall be on my way!"
With that, he flicked his large sleeve and shot into the sky, swiftly departing.
As soon as Jie Fengkai left, Great Master Wanxiang frowned and looked at Li Yan.
"Little Friend Zhang, the residual poison in your body has yet to be fully cleared?"
"Hehehe, thank you, Great Masters, for your protection. Otherwise, that Fellow Daoist Jie..."
"This is our mistake. We should not have brought him. Amitabha, this poor monk has miscalculated! As members of the human race on the Forsaken Continent, we are easily targeted. It is necessary for us to support each other. Benefactor Zhang, there is no need for such formalities!"
This time, it was Great Master Wanzang who spoke. His expression remained stern, but his eyes now held a hint of apology.
The slight change in Li Yan's complexion just now had not escaped their eyes. Although Jie Fengkai's words were pleasant, claiming a deep friendship with Zhang Ming, the two monks immediately guessed his true intentions.
It was highly likely that he intended to ambush and kill the Falling Star Valley elder on his way back.
Although the dueling grounds were still within Sacred Demon City, it was not the main urban area. If one acted quickly enough, the deed could be done and one could escape. The Demon Guard Army might not take the matter too seriously.
Out of consideration for their shared human heritage, the two monks did not want such a situation to occur.
Moreover, their interest in Falling Star Valley's alchemy skills was growing. Naturally, they snuffed out Jie Fengkai's idea, adopting a posture that said, 'You may leave, we still have matters to discuss with Benefactor Zhang.'
They had known each other for some time, and Jie Fengkai instantly understood the meaning in their eyes. They intended to protect this fellow human cultivator.
He had no choice but to reluctantly give up on the tempting idea and immediately went off to get his share of the other prize.
The cultivation world was ruthless, but Wanxiang and Wanzang were not acting solely out of concern for Li Yan's life or death. The alchemy and artifact refining skills of Longhua Temple were average.
Sects that specialized in alchemy and artifact refining were always sought after by others. Naturally, a small sect like theirs couldn't get close to a first-rate sect like the Heaven-Burning Sect, but Falling Star Valley was a perfect fit.
Their overall strengths were comparable, and they were also a human sect. This point alone reduced a great deal of potential friction, as long as there were no major conflicts of interest, making them the easiest to form an alliance with.
Furthermore, only one Golden Core cultivator, Zhang Ming, had come to the duel today. Although he currently seemed to have residual poison, there were still three other Golden Core cultivators within the Falling Star Valley sect.
Since they couldn't wipe out all of the opponent's strongest forces in one fell swoop, befriending them was the best of both worlds.
That Jie Fengkai was still a bit too arrogant. Though the Zhang Ming before them was afflicted with residual poison, Poison Cultivators were notoriously difficult to deal with. Their desperate counterattacks were often unpredictable.
What's more, his opponent was also a powerful Body Refining cultivator.
Therefore, even though the others who had left earlier were clearly aware that the Elder Dragon Flood Dragon was heavily poisoned, they would likely still team up to deal with him rather than trying to take all the spoils for themselves.
"I won't be able to invite you two for a visit today. I will be sure to pay a formal visit another day to thank you for today's assistance!"
Li Yan had matters to attend to and immediately took his leave.
Wanxiang and Wanzang knew he was in a hurry to go back and purge the residual poison. They also wanted to take the opportunity to see how many days it would take him to recover, which would give them a better measure of this Zhang Ming.
The poison pills of the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan were not something they dared to swallow so casually. Thus, even though they both possessed some decent antidotes, they thought about it and decided not to offer them to Li Yan.
Wanxiang and Wanzang pressed their palms together, bid farewell to Li Yan with a Buddhist chant, and departed on a golden light.
Li Yan, on the other hand, took out his flying magical treasure and flew away with the still dazed Su Yuan and Xie Tongyi.
After everyone had left, the world returned to a state of silence.
A short while later, one of the Demon Guard Army soldiers spoke up.
"Do you think that Falling Star Valley cultivator really has residual poison, or does he have other plans?"
He didn't state it outright, but no one here was a fool. Besides, having stood guard here, they had witnessed all sorts of duels and their outcomes.
"It should be residual poison. I noticed that his aura wasn't as calm as it appeared on the surface when he was flying. Even with my Foundation Establishment stage senses, I could detect the abnormal fluctuations in his vital energy."
"Not necessarily. The human race has always been cunning. If he wanted to rush off and take the chance to eliminate the Elder Dragon Flood Dragon, and then pretend he had nothing to do with it, it's highly possible he's just acting. I say, Chief, you're a Mid-stage Golden Core expert. Could you tell if this person was just pretending to have residual poison?"
The Demon Guard Army stationed here usually consisted of a squad with one Golden Core cultivator leading nine Foundation Establishment cultivators.
The captain, addressed as "Chief," was that Mid-stage Golden Core cultivator. He had been staring in the direction Li Yan disappeared and pondered for a moment upon hearing the question.
"It should be residual poison. The turbulent aura seemed to be forcefully suppressed by him, not like a deliberate act!"
Although his cultivation was impressive, several of the cultivators present earlier were at the Late-stage Golden Core or higher.
Therefore, he felt that if even a high monk like Great Master Wanxiang said the opponent had residual poison, then his own judgment was unlikely to be wrong.
After hearing their chief's words, although some of the nine Demon Guard Army soldiers still felt that human cultivators were cunning, none dared to refute their captain's view.
Among cultivators, taking advantage of someone's weakness to finish them off was all too normal, especially on the Forsaken Continent where races vied for supremacy and killing was commonplace.
They felt it would only be normal for that Falling Star Valley cultivator to deliver a fatal blow in secret.
After a brief silence, another Demon Guard Army soldier spoke up.
"They were dueling over the matter of supplying pills to the palace, weren't they? Doesn't that mean the rank of the pills we'll be able to get in the future will be even higher?"
As soon as he said this, someone else retorted.
"That's not certain. The outcome of a poison duel can't be judged solely on the immediate result. It's possible that the Elder Dragon Flood Dragon's side will be the ones to survive in the end, while this Elder Zhang becomes entangled by a stubborn poison or succumbs to it later!"
The others nodded in agreement. The consequences of being poisoned were unpredictable. It could lead to instant death, or one could survive for decades while being tormented by a persistent affliction.
"We should know the result in a few days. If this Elder Zhang of Falling Star Valley doesn't show his face again, it will at least mean that the antidotes they refine aren't necessarily stronger than the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan's..." the Mid-stage Golden Core captain said in a low voice.
Li Yan, riding the Cloud-Piercing Willow, sped back to the main city district in an extremely short amount of time.
Li Yan remained silent the entire way. Su Yuan and the other man assumed he was circulating his energy to detoxify, so they dared not disturb "Elder Zhang," but their attitudes became even more humble and respectful.
Upon arriving at the shop, Li Yan immediately put away his flying magical treasure.
"Do not disturb me unless it is an urgent matter!"
After leaving these words, Li Yan went directly into the rear pavilion and activated the restrictions.
Su Yuan and the other man naturally bowed in assent. This Elder Zhang was certainly going back to meditate and expel the poison. They exchanged a glance, and both saw the worry in the other's eyes.
They had also heard the conversation between Elder Zhang and the three from Longhua Temple and were certain that the residual poison in his body had not been cleared. Under such circumstances, no one could guarantee that Elder Zhang would be able to walk out of that room safely.
After entering the room, Li Yan set up another simple restriction, and then with a flash, his figure quietly disappeared.
Of course, there was no residual poison in Li Yan's body; it was just that his Fragmented Poison Body was particularly active at the moment, and he had to divert some Spirit Power to manage it.
But right now, he didn't have time to regulate his Fragmented Poison Body. More important matters awaited him.
Everything just now had been an act. He didn't like to leave behind loose ends. One had to cut the grass and pull out the roots to prevent future troubles from those who might hold a grudge.
Therefore, his first objective was to kill with a borrowed knife, or at the very least, ensure that the Elder Dragon Flood Dragon's return journey was not peaceful and that he would be ambushed.
Even if the ambush failed to kill him, it would delay him for some time. He would then follow and find an opportunity to kill the Elder Dragon Flood Dragon and the female cultivator, completely eliminating any possibility of future retaliation.
Even though this course of action might still arouse suspicion, it would only be suspicion. If not for the fear of exposing the existence of his Fragmented Poison Body, he would have gone over directly like Jie Fengkai and the others.
After all, after such a poison duel, it was impossible for him to be full of vigor in a matter of moments.
Once word got out that the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan was in trouble, there would be plenty of people wanting their heads. Without evidence, no one could say he did it.
His unusually effective detoxification ability would thus remain concealed.
The Ghost Flood Dragon Clan was over five thousand li from Sacred Demon City. Li Yan had a perfect opportunity to catch up, unless his opponent possessed a flying magical treasure comparable to the Cloud-Piercing Willow.
However, the cultivators from before had left right after the Elder Dragon Flood Dragon. They could also send messages to have others block his path ahead of time.
With these guarantees, Li Yan felt that his opponent wouldn't get too far. When he caught up, he would first observe from the shadows.
It would be best if someone else killed the two Golden Core cultivators of the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan. If his opponent had some trump card and managed to escape the encirclement, Li Yan would definitely deliver the fatal blow in secret.
However, the result of this trip was a miscalculation for Li Yan, who had always been a meticulous planner.
In the end, not only did he fail to find any trace of the Elder Dragon Flood Dragon, but even his plan to kill with a borrowed knife failed to be of any use.
Li Yan searched for any possible clues or traces along the way, stopping and starting, a growing sense of unease creeping over him.
In the end, he had chased them all the way to the vicinity of the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan's sect, but he found no sign of the Elder Dragon Flood Dragon, Jie Fengkai, or the others.
Looking at the sect's activated Sect-Protecting Grand Formation, Li Yan knew he was a step too late, but the reason for it left him completely bewildered. He didn't know where in his calculations he had gone wrong.
It wasn't until some time later, when Li Yan went to Longhua Temple to visit Great Master Wanxiang and met Jie Fengkai there, that he learned the full story and the reasons behind it.
The Elder Dragon Flood Dragon, capable of leading the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan to flourish on the Forsaken Continent, was no simple character. His cunning and depth of planning were not something Li Yan could easily outmaneuver.
The Elder Dragon Flood Dragon had even left a backup plan in place when he invited the four Golden Core cultivators to assist him.
He knew that it was normal for cultivators to kick a man when he was down.
Although he felt that there would be no problems in this duel, he still cautiously left a fallback. This was the way of survival that had allowed him to lead the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan without incident for so long, and for the sect to endure.