https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-438-The-Sect-Master-Who-Travels-by-Foot/12554649/
Chapter 439: The Yu Clan
Chapter 439: The Yu Clan
"Let's go."
Li Qianyun quickly summoned the treasure boat, steering the conversation away from the previous topic. She tugged at Zheng Qian's sleeve and pulled her onto the boat.
After Shen Yi and Yan Wencheng boarded as well, she stirred her spiritual energy, causing the boat to disappear into the horizon with everyone on board.
"...”
Shen Yi didn't quite understand where the sudden hostility from the unfamiliar woman came from. However, he wasn't interested in finding out.
Killing demons was killing demons; there was no need to make it complicated.
"I wanted to ask Director Li if there's any news about the phoenix fairy's blood." He walked over to Li Qianyun and asked.
After obtaining some items from Lingyun Cave, he had asked Li Xuanqing to help him sort through them before leaving. The extra items, including the piece of Green Sun Branch, could be exchanged for much-needed cultivation resources.
However, it would be good to know the value of the phoenix fairy's blood beforehand so that he could prepare accordingly.
"..."
Li Qianyun's face turned bitter.
As expected, upon hearing about the phoenix fairy's blood, Zheng Qian easily connected it to their current target.
She glanced at Li Qianyun and quietly shook off her hand, which was holding her sleeve. Then, she continued to stare silently into the distance.
"Let's not talk about that for now," Li Qianyun waved her hands and said to Shen Yi, "There's news of a fire-attributed demonic bird in the sect. Let's go take a look. If it's suitable, we won't need to look for the Heavenly Sword Sect anymore."
"Thank you," Shen Yi said, sensing the strange atmosphere and nodding in agreement before retreating back into the cabin.
When they were alone, Li Qianyun transmitted her voice, "My dear cousin, stop being petty. He's the sect master of Nanyang Zong, and my father acknowledges him. Besides, it's perfectly reasonable for an executive like me to be out on a mission. Just act like he doesn't exist."
"Act like he doesn't exist?" Zheng Qian rolled her eyes at her, "Well then, it's convenient because I also need some fire-attributed demonic bird essence. This time..."
Li Qianyun pinched her waist hard and chided, "Will you stop causing trouble!"
"Hmph," Zheng Qian finally suppressed her dissatisfaction. After all, they were on a mission, and as the leader, it wasn't the time to settle scores.
The lives of these three people depended on her.
With that in mind, she withdrew her sound transmission technique and turned towards the cabin, "Whether you're the sect master or a disciple, if you choose to follow me on this trip, you must follow my instructions."
"That's more or less it, and Sect Master Shen isn't a novice..." Li Qianyun smiled and nodded towards the cabin.
"...”
Yan Wencheng carefully observed Shen Yi's expression. For a formation master, mental fortitude was equally important. One had to be patient, fearless, and calm like an ancient well, to always draw formation runes in the most stable manner.
In the face of Zheng Qian's barely veiled targeting, Shen Yi remained quietly seated with his legs crossed, not even batting an eyelid.
Just from this, it was clear that he wasn't the type to merely talk the talk.
The only question was how strong he truly was.
After all, the formation plate was quite small, and it could transform into various formation objects.
Memorizing formation diagrams didn't necessarily mean one could set them up effectively.
...
Time passed swiftly.
The howling winds swirled around them, but they had no effect on the people on the boat.
This time, the Clear Moon Treasure Boat headed west, a stark contrast to their previous journey. The air was filled with an increasingly dense mist.
The landscape below changed from a mix of land and water to almost ninety percent boundless ocean, with only a small portion of land visible.
Zheng Qian's expression grew more solemn as they ventured further.
They were nearing the borders of Nanhong.
"This is the place," Li Qianyun said as she took out a jade slip to sense their surroundings.
She brought the treasure boat to a halt in the air and handed the jade slip to Zheng Qian. Following her lead, the four of them descended towards the land below.
On the remaining land, there were scattered houses numbering over two thousand, but they were all empty, giving off a desolate feeling. Occasionally, they spotted uncollected limbs and arms, but the skin on those arms had faint scale patterns, indicating they didn't belong to humans.
"The Yu Clan? How long ago was this information sent to the sect?" Zheng Qian held the jade slip and skillfully pinched a technique, concealing everyone's spiritual energy.
"About ten days ago. The other executives aren't too willing to come to the edges of Nanhong," Li Qianyun replied and then turned to explain to Shen Yi.
"The total number of the Yu Clan doesn't exceed ten thousand. They are the offspring of cultivators who were violated by aquatic demons. In terms of bloodline, they are half-human and half-demon, but they have always referred to themselves as humans. They don't rely on the aquatic demons and are instead vassals of the Nanhong Seven."
"Due to their bloodline, forget about the Unity of Spirit and Demon realm, the highest cultivation level they can achieve is the third layer of Returning Void."
"That's why they don't have a precious land to hide in. They dwell in this remote place, seeking a way to survive. It's quite pitiful."
"This time, they've offered a generous reward of a third-grade treasure material and several moon pearls in exchange for our help."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yi scanned the surroundings.
He had actually seen some half-demons before, like the demon horses used by the Demon Suppression Division. However, this was the first time he had heard of half-human, half-demons.
Of course, Shen Yi was more interested in whether there were similar half-demons with lifespans and if they could extend his lifespan.
"Where are they hiding?" Zheng Qian asked, holding the jade slip as she walked towards the riverbank.
Suddenly, a hand covered in scale patterns emerged from the wet sand under their feet, trembling as it waved at them.
After a moment, the hand brushed away the surrounding soil, revealing a muddy hole just large enough for one person to enter, "Please, noble immortals...lower yourselves and speak to us..."
"..."
Zheng Qian fell silent for a moment, her face showing her dilemma.
However, she still led everyone and turned into streams of light, entering the muddy cave.
After numerous twists and turns, their surroundings suddenly brightened. In the hastily constructed damp cave, there were rows upon rows of pale-skinned figures huddled together, all hugging their knees and burying their heads.
There were only about a thousand of them, and their low, mournful wails made the scene incredibly desolate.
The surrounding walls were embedded with pearl-sized moon pearls that emitted a soft glow, the only source of light in the cave.
"Are you all crazy?" Zheng Qian's eyelids twitched as she was clearly shocked by the extent of their injuries, "If you can't live on land, return to the waters! Even if those aquatic demons despise you, they wouldn't go as far as exterminating your entire clan, would they?"
The Yu Clan member who had led them in knelt on the ground and said, "What the noble immortal says makes sense, but we cannot violate our ancestral teachings. If we enter the water, we will truly become demons, and there will be no turning back."
Upon hearing this, Yan Wencheng sighed softly.
In just over ten days, they were nearly wiped out.
If only a Clearmoon Sect executive had been willing to come earlier; perhaps the situation would have been vastly different.
However, beings living in a blessed land of unity often struggle to empathize with those outside.
He raised his eyes to look at Shen Yi.
He saw the latter taking down a pearl from the wall and examining it in his hand.
"The Yu Clan has some aquatic demon blood, and they possess similar abilities. They can condense the moon's essence into pearls, which are quite beneficial for cultivators. However, they are only half..."
Yan Wencheng swallowed the rest of his words, "...demons. For Nascent Soul cultivators, it's not that useful, only slightly helpful for replenishing one's vitality."
"I see."
Shen Yi casually placed the moon pearl back.
"This is our clan's most treasured item. Please accept it, Immortal."
The Yu Clan member took out a piece of bright red coral from his bosom and respectfully held it out to Zheng Qian. His voice trembled as he said, "Please, Immortal, take revenge for our ancestors and slay the demons."
The aura emanating from the coral was exceptionally dense, clearly surpassing that of the Green Sun Branch they had obtained earlier.
Just based on its value, it was at least equivalent to a Nascent Soul-stage Crimson-Eyed Phoenix.
"Is your ancestor dead?"
Zheng Qian asked bluntly, not bothering with niceties.
The Yu Clan member's expression turned bitter, but he honestly replied, "Our ancestor is severely injured but not yet dead."
"What happened? Tell me." Zheng Qian, sensing the dampness in the air, forcibly suppressed her emotions and continued to inquire.
"Half a month ago, a group of Golden Fire Sparrows arrived and settled on the distant mountain. We saw them but didn't disturb them, believing in the principle of live and let live. But who would've thought that they would covet our land and even despise us for the fishy smell on our bodies..."
In Hongze, every piece of land was a contested resource.
"We didn't want to leave."
"But you lost the contest."
The Yu Clan member fell silent. The reason for their reluctance to leave was actually quite simple.
This place was at the edge of Nanhong, where the Nanhong Seven protected the human race.
If they ventured further out, it would be difficult to find another top-tier power willing to lend a helping hand. If they were unlucky, they might encounter some evil demons who would enslave them and force them to condense moon pearls for eternity—a fate even worse than annihilation.
"What cultivation levels do these demons have?" Shen Yi glanced sideways, more interested in this detail.
The Yu Clan member hesitated, unsure if he should answer.
After all, he could clearly see who was in charge, and he knew that the Immortal Sect placed great importance on seniority and respect for elders.
"You, speak!" Li Qianyun glared at him.
"...” Zheng Qian glanced at her companion helplessly.
"There are four Golden Fire Sparrows in total. The one with the highest cultivation level is at the fourth layer of the Returning Void realm, while the cultivation levels of the younger ones are unclear... Because they hadn't even started attacking yet, we were already forced to retreat."
The Yu Clan member quickly continued his explanation.
"Alright, I understand." Zheng Qian nodded, about to issue orders, but then she frowned slightly.
She saw Shen Yi slowly extending his hands, and strands of black mist-covered golden threads emerged from his fingertips.
This kid was actually taking the initiative to act on his own?
"This is..."
Yan Wencheng froze for a moment, then watched as the golden threads landed on the ground and transformed into formation runes. He couldn't help but exclaim softly, "A formation?!”
Upon hearing this, Zheng Qian finally realized what was happening. This Nascent Soul cultivator was also a formation master!
However, she had no idea how skilled he was.
"No formation tools are needed... Using the soul to guide the viscera..."
Yan Wencheng subconsciously bit his finger, suddenly remembering Tong Xinquan's words from that day. So, it turned out that the South Yang Sect had such an extraordinary method of formation manipulation!
Then, he watched as Shen Yi slowly set up a lotus petal formation.
Five Elements Treasure Lotus Formation?
As Yan Wencheng puzzled over this, he saw Shen Yi's golden threads transform into black mist-covered green silk.
With each completed section of the formation, the Divine Refining Silk changed to match the corresponding elemental attribute.
True Yang Qi, Aged Wood Qi, Golden Lightning Qi...
Shen Yi was actually using five completely different spiritual roots to set up the Five Elements Treasure Lotus Formation without any formation tools!
Yan Wencheng was completely stunned.
It wasn't that having five different spiritual roots was impressive, but rather, he couldn't believe that someone with such a chaotic spiritual root could successfully achieve the Nascent Soul realm!
Did everyone in the South Yang Sect cultivate like this?
Another question arose.
Why set up a restraining formation here? Weren't they supposed to be subduing demons? Why restrain these Yu Clan members?
The numerous pale-skinned demon-humans felt the subtle changes in their surroundings and looked up anxiously, unsure what they had done to anger the Immortal Sect cultivators.
"...”
Shen Yi retracted the Divine Refining Silk.
With the strength of his soul after breaking through to the Returning Void realm, he could simultaneously maintain the formation and move about freely within a certain distance.
As for why he set up a restraining formation, it was simply because he didn't know any defensive formations suitable for the Returning Void realm, so he used this one instead, which would be almost as effective.
Restraining them was as good as protecting them.
He was quite interested in those moon pearls.
Zheng Qian quietly waited for him to finish setting up the formation before she prepared to reprimand him. Taking the initiative to act without orders was a serious offense during missions.
But when she glanced at Yan Wencheng's stiff and shocked expression, she found herself at a loss for words.
Compared to Li Qianyun, who was an outsider, Zheng Qian, though unfamiliar with formations herself, at least had a rough idea of Yan Wencheng's capabilities.
For him to display such a reaction, the means employed by Shen Yi must be astonishingly impressive.
She had clearly underestimated him before.
"Since you have such skills, I'll leave these people to you. Wait here, and we'll go deal with the demons." Zheng Qian exhaled and then left the mud cave with Li Qianyun.
However, as soon as they emerged onto the ground, they saw Shen Yi following close behind.
She glared at him silently.
"Do your thing, and don't mind me." Shen Yi merely tilted his chin slightly.
He knew that these people were experienced, and in the eyes of others, he was probably seen as a troublemaker.
But he couldn't reveal his secret about lifespan absorption.
Moreover, setting aside other factors, he was quite skilled at demon-slaying, so he believed that things would go smoothly.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
