Li Xingtian nodded somewhat perfunctorily, as if responding yet not quite responding.
Didn't Eldest Senior Sister say she was going to East Victory Divine Continent? Why did she run to Central State instead?
Could it be that she couldn't make it over there and came to Central State to play with the Tianyan Token?
After all, a small place like East Victory Divine Continent might not necessarily recognize a Tianyan Token.
It wasn't that Eldest Senior Sister wasn't strong, just that her style of conduct in the sect was somewhat less than prudent. After all, Eldest Senior Sister's age was genuinely not that old.
One had to suffer some losses when going out to grow. Li Xingtian had also suffered many losses before figuring out the ways of the outside world.
Even if Senior Sister was a genius, she should still face setbacks.
He wouldn't ask about this question—it was better to preserve some of Eldest Senior Sister's dignity.
Li Xingtian's gaze shifted to the woman sitting beside Eldest Senior Sister, who looked somewhat nervous.
"Senior Sister, who is this?"
Li Yingling gently patted Zhang Miaoyu at her side, signaling her not to be too nervous, then answered:
"Let's say she's a temporary follower. What about you? You've been out so long, doesn't anyone want to follow you?"
Zhang Miaoyu showed a slightly stiff smile.
Li Xingtian nodded in response and casually sat down in an empty chair:
"I'm used to being alone."
Li Yingling nodded lightly upon hearing this, asking no further questions.
Although Second Junior Brother appeared to have much experience, he was actually quite clumsy. Complex tasks requiring leadership and thinking were naturally beyond him.
However, Second Junior Brother made an excellent teammate.
He could fight, was obedient, and his reports were certainly better than those wild rogues. After all, he had been somewhat educated by their master.
At the very least, he had learned a bit of their master's superficial skills.
She'd ask him privately later how he was really doing. If it was truly bad, he could just follow her.
She wouldn't ask now—after all, she needed to preserve her junior brother's face.
Wang Lin's expression remained calm, his gaze sweeping over the two. For some reason, watching them chat familiarly while leaving him—their reinforcements—on the side...
It felt like he was the one requesting help.
Well, these were people Elder Bai favored. Being a bit eccentric was normal.
He could only hope that this male cultivator with his fierce appearance could use his brain to make plans, rather than immediately asking—what's the plan? We'll just kill our way through.
After all, people Elder Bai favored... hmm...
Li Xingtian's gaze turned to Wang Lin. He nodded in greeting and then spoke:
"I am Li Xingtian. Thank you all for making this trip. I've already grasped the specific situation. Let me make some preliminary arrangements."
"That group of evil cultivators plans to initiate the Nightmare Dream, intending to access the Dream Immortal's treasure. The good news is there are good things in the Dream Immortal's treasure chest. The bad news is that when the Dream Immortal's treasure opens, there will be a Dream Barrier."
"The range is very large, and as more people enter the dream, the Dream Barrier grows larger and correspondingly more powerful. Once it expands to a certain extent, most cultivators below Nascent Soul will be drawn into the Grand Dream Realm. Once you die in the Grand Dream Realm, you truly die. The core of it all is the Dream Flower formed from the Dream Immortal."
"Those who die will also be absorbed by the Dream Flower, strengthening it."
"We don't know whether the evil cultivators' target is the Dream Flower or the Dream Immortal's treasure—perhaps both. But preventing them from getting what they want is our objective."
Wang Lin listened calmly. It was very detailed, but perhaps too detailed. Most intelligence about evil cultivators was usually just a general direction—roughly where to go, roughly what the purpose was.
To have their situation completely laid bare like this could only happen in one circumstance—an undercover agent.
And a high-level one at that.
Either that, or one had divination abilities like the sect's founding ancestor—fortune telling.
But clearly, this somewhat fierce-looking man who was probably only at the Golden Core stage didn't seem like someone skilled in deduction.
As for being an undercover agent... someone holding Elder Bai's Tianyan Token going undercover... that was hard to imagine.
Outside the sect, as team leader, Wang Lin bore responsibility not just for his own life, but for the lives of everyone in this squad.
Even though the other party held Elder Bai's Tianyan Token, Wang Lin still had to be responsible for the teammates who trusted him.
Anyone who could become a disciple of Tianyan Sect was unquestionably a prodigy outside, each with their own promising path to immortality.
Not to mention these teammates had long been comrades who had risked their lives together?
Wang Lin prepared his words slightly, then spoke:
"May I ask where this intelligence came from?"
Li Xingtian was silent for a moment before answering: "The information was collected along my journey. I killed quite a few of them and interrogated many. I was also once trapped in their dream—inside... it felt like endless despair."
Wang Lin nodded lightly, then asked another question:
"What cultivation level was the Dream Immortal when alive?"
Li Xingtian replied: "Should be at the Grand Vehicle Realm. Definitely not at the Tribulation Crossing level."
Wang Lin frowned slightly and asked: "A deceased Grand Vehicle cultivator... just the residual waves can affect Golden Core cultivators? That should only happen at the Tribulation Crossing level."
"According to the evil cultivators' intelligence, the Dream Immortal voluntarily died within their own dream. Their cultivation, including their body, and even their soul, likely transformed into that single Dream Flower," Li Xingtian said seriously.
"That Dream Flower, if left unchecked, would probably exceed even Grand Vehicle level."
Wang Lin looked at Li Xingtian, his tone unusually serious, almost questioning:
"Then Brother Li, do you want to prevent those evil cultivators from opening the Dream Flower, or do you want to obtain the Dream Immortal's treasure while eliminating the evil cultivators?"
These were two entirely different situations.
If merely preventing, Wang Lin only needed to eliminate the evil cultivators attempting to open the Dream Flower.
If wanting the Dream Immortal's treasure, that meant waiting for those evil cultivators to open the Dream Immortal's treasure first.
"There's no need to dwell on this. Counting the time, they should have already started," Li Xingtian said with a somewhat helpless expression.
"What we need to do now is prevent the situation from developing further. In my request for help, I mentioned inviting seniors at the Deity Transformation or Integration Realm... did none come?"
"Tianyan Sect has its own response protocols. We can't just let others make demands. If the situation exceeds expectations, I'll naturally apply upward," Wang Lin stood up, a slight smile on his face.
"Besides, Tianyan Sect's Nascent Soul cultivators can actually be considered half a Deity Transformation cultivator."
Li Xingtian didn't argue this point—after all, what they said made sense. His gaze shifted to Li Yingling:
"Then Eldest Senior Sister, time is tight. You can enjoy yourself here for a while. After I handle these matters, I'll come find you?"
Li Yingling stood up and without hesitation slapped her hand heavily onto Li Xingtian's shoulder:
"Still dare to give orders to your Senior Sister? How can a junior brother fight while his senior sister plays behind?"
"This time, rest assured. I'll take command of the specific operations! I guarantee this mission will be completed smoothly."
Li Xingtian's expression showed some conflict... letting Eldest Senior Sister command was definitely not a good idea.
Li Yingling seemed to notice Li Xingtian's distrust. She patted Zhang Miaoyu at her side and said:
"Tell this clumsy junior brother of mine how my commanded operations went."
Zhang Miaoyu instinctively stood up and answered without hesitation:
"Perfect and reliable."
Li Xingtian's brows furrowed slightly. He quickly assessed the woman before him.
She had definitely been thoroughly deceived by his Eldest Senior Sister.
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