A peak second-tier wind-attribute demonic beast was a greater threat than an ordinary initial-stage Golden Core cultivator. The truly terrifying thing about wind-attribute demonic beasts was not their attack power, but their speed. Even though Li Yan now had the ability to contend with initial-stage Golden Core cultivators, he would still feel a sense of powerlessness when facing a wind-attribute demonic beast that excelled in speed.
Whether it was the opponent attacking him or dodging his attacks, it would all happen in an instant. And the only things he could rely on to fight a Golden Core cultivator were the Qiongqi Purgatory Art and perhaps the Fragmented Poison Body. The former was suited for close-quarters combat, the latter for assassination and sneak attacks. Neither was suited for a frontal assault against a wind-attribute demonic beast; he would be forced into a passive, defensive position.
After hearing this, Li Yan couldn't help but feel secretly glad about his earlier strategy. He had lured his opponent into a trap, allowing his own strengths to be brought into full play. Looked at this way, what he had just called a fluke really did have an element of that to it.
Of course, Li Yan rarely chose to fight head-on. Even though the two of them had been so close just now, as if about to engage in a direct confrontation, Li Yan had still set a trap. Since there wasn't much time before entry, Li Yan wanted to resolve the confrontation quickly and also to intimidate the others. That way, even if he encountered these people in the palace later, they would have to think twice before trying to make a move on him.
The Qiongqi Purgatory Art was his most unwillingly exposed trump card, especially within the territory of the Jingtu Sect, which was a place with many body-cultivating sects. If he used the Qiongqi Purgatory Art frequently, he might attract the attention of observant people. Even if the vast majority didn't know the origin of this art, with the knowledge of the Jingtu Sect, someone might know of Gong Chenying's existence, just like Wang Lang back then. If that happened, they could deduce his origins.
Thus, the way to kill or defeat his opponent in an instant was with the Fragmented Poison Body. Poison cultivators were mysterious, and their sects were extremely secretive. This was because while poison cultivators inspired fear, they also inspired hatred. Therefore, poison cultivators were often reclusive. The Malevolent Spirit Sect was a prime example; it had the worst reputation among the Four Great Sects, but no one dared to speak out due to fear of its power. Yet, even the Malevolent Spirit Sect wouldn't dare claim to be the number one user of poison in this world.
Since he had decided to use poison, the fastest way to poison the opponent was through physical contact. There was nothing faster or more direct.
To make physical contact, he first had to get within ten zhang of the opponent. Of course, this wasn't even the optimal range. Li Yan had to use words to provoke the opponent. In such situations, if the opponent had a violent personality, they would usually want to kill him with their own hands rather than through a casual spell.
These thoughts had flashed through Li Yan's mind the moment the cultivator surnamed Sun had spoken. He then provocatively took a few more steps forward, stopping only when he was within close combat range. What followed was just as Li Yan had expected. As for using the Fragmented Poison Body, he was so familiar with it that he didn't need to consider how to use it. He just had to decide which poison to use in which situation. The final result naturally achieved Li Yan's goal of intimidation.
Li Yan didn't know why Duan Weiran had told him all this. Logically, with his realm, there was no need to show goodwill to a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. For a moment, he couldn't guess Duan Weiran's intentions.
Li Yan did not assume the other was a good person just because he had shared some information. They were not related in any way. Why would someone be so kind to him?
"Why did Fellow Daoist Duan suddenly tell me these things?" Li Yan didn't want to guess at the outcome; he just asked plainly.
"For no other reason than that this person once had a feud with a friend of mine!" Duan Weiran's voice was also as calm as ever.
"Hehe, then I am indebted to Fellow Daoist Duan. This one is just an unknown nobody; you can call me Jianghai. It seems Sun Jiuhe was not aware of the relationship between Fellow Daoist Duan and your friend?"
After a moment's thought, Li Yan had a rough idea. Firstly, Sun Jiuhe must have offended Duan Weiran's friend somehow, without realizing it himself. From the looks of it now, the grudge must be quite deep.
Secondly, Duan Weiran might have already harbored thoughts of revenge, or even murder, when he met Sun Jiuhe today. He had just hidden it so well that no one could see his dissatisfaction.
There was one more point. Duan Weiran might also have intended to use Li Yan. It seemed that 'Ghost Eagle Manor' was a force to be reckoned with. The manor's lord was Sun Jiuhe's master, who was very likely a Golden Core cultivator. This was probably the reason for Duan Weiran's apprehension, and thus he might have intended to borrow a knife to kill someone.
Li Yan had a general idea of all this, but he didn't care. He had already made an enemy of Sun Jiuhe, so knowing more about the situation was for the better.
"Hehe, so it is Fellow Daoist Jiang. Sun Jiuhe should have some friends in this pagoda. Fellow Daoist Jiang will need to be careful later on."
Duan Weiran naturally understood the meaning behind Li Yan's words. He was pointing out that Sun Jiuhe had been so polite to him earlier because he didn't know about his grudge. He was subtly indicating that he had guessed Duan Weiran's motives.
Both were intelligent people. After saying this, Duan Weiran fell silent, once again sinking into his intermittent contemplation. He had no intention of inquiring about Li Yan's origins, let alone trying to pull him to his side.
After hearing Duan Weiran's words, Li Yan nodded slightly. Seeing that Duan Weiran was no longer speaking, the two ended their voice transmission.
"Fellow Daoist, that was an impressive move just now! I am Bu Luo. It seems we meet again!"
Just as Li Yan was planning to wait quietly for the palace gate at the bottom of the lake to fully rise, the surrounding cultivators, while seemingly chatting casually with their companions, began to drift away, slowly putting a considerable distance between themselves and him.
No one wanted to be close to an unknown, powerful poison cultivator. Of course, it was better to stay far away. But there was always someone who would approach. That person now greeted Li Yan.
Looking at the book-boy with the bamboo basket, who was staring at him with a curious expression, Li Yan was somewhat stunned. This book-boy had been so arrogant before, as if he looked down on everyone. Yet now he had come over. Li Yan felt that even though he had just displayed some of his abilities, it shouldn't have been enough to change this person's disposition so quickly. Nevertheless, he cupped his hands in greeting.
"Jianghai, a rogue cultivator. Greetings, Fellow Daoist Bu Luo!" Li Yan said politely, his tone neither warm nor cold.
"Jiang... hai... Jiang... hai..."
After hearing Li Yan's name, Bu Luo frowned slightly. With his knowledge, he had never heard of such a poison cultivator. His young master's alchemy skills were at the grandmaster level, and his network of cultivators was vast. While he couldn't say it covered the entire world, the number of people from large and small sects who came to seek out his young master was like carp crossing a river. There were also countless rogue cultivators. The name Jianghai was completely unfamiliar.
"Oh, Fellow Daoist Bu Luo need not guess. This is my first time leaving my sect. It is just a small, unknown sect. Even if I told you its name, no one would know it. But for Fellow Daoist Bu Luo to seek me out, is there something you need?"
Li Yan saw some people looking at him and Bu Luo with strange expressions and spoke softly.
In the eyes of the others, the book-boy was also a mysterious existence, with a backing so powerful it was chilling. Seeing Bu Luo approach the poison cultivator directly, they were naturally curious to see what would happen. But to their surprise, it seemed the two knew each other, though not deeply.
For a moment, they couldn't figure out why the book-boy had approached the poison cultivator. It didn't seem like he was looking for trouble, which disappointed some of them. At the same time, they grew even more suspicious of Li Yan's identity. After all, the book-boy had a powerful backer, and it seemed he had met this person a few times. This suggested that Li Yan's identity was also quite significant.
Although Li Yan's earlier display had chilled their hearts, they were still displeased and somewhat jealous that a lone mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator had snatched a spot. Many here still hoped someone would test this brat's skills again.
They wanted to see if Li Yan's victory just now was just a coincidence. An unfamiliar cultivator who could kill across realms made them feel uneasy. After all, once they entered the palace, who knew if they would come into conflict with Li Yan over some benefit.
This was different from Sun Jiuhe. After all, Sun Jiuhe had been famous for a long time. Many people knew what he was good at and what he liked. They would concede on some matters, but when it came to important treasures, they would weigh the pros and cons and decide whether to turn against Sun Jiuhe, or even launch a sneak attack.
Interrupted from his thoughts, Bu Luo first raised an eyebrow, looked around, and then also started to use voice transmission. "You really are quite formidable. My young master said before that you were very strong. I never thought you would defeat Sun Jiuhe so easily. It seems you are a bit stronger than me. If I were to fight Sun Jiuhe, I would not be able to win."
Li Yan didn't expect the other to say such a thing. For a moment, he didn't know why this book-boy who called himself Bu Luo was telling him this. At the same time, he was secretly alarmed. He had only seen the middle-aged scholar from a distance twice before, yet the man seemed to have seen through his actual cultivation level.
At the same time, Li Yan also learned from Bu Luo's words that this person's combat strength was also comparable to a Pseudo-Core master, far from the mid-stage Foundation Establishment strength he appeared to have. But after a moment's thought, he felt relieved. With a master like the middle-aged scholar, it was likely that this person lacked neither high-level cultivation methods nor good magical treasures. His True Scripture of Gui Water was not the only cultivation method that allowed for fighting across realms.
"Oh... I was just lucky. That Sun Jiuhe didn't even have time to use his magical treasure."
Li Yan didn't know how to respond for a moment, but he couldn't just ignore the other person. In the end, it was because he was still very wary of the middle-aged scholar. He could only give a vague response.
"A win is a win. Brother Jiang, are you entering this time to seek a breakthrough in your cultivation, or to find medicinal herbs?" Bu Luo pursed his lips at Li Yan's words. He felt Li Yan was being disingenuous. But with nothing else to do, and still some time before the palace gate fully rose, he was genuinely bored. He felt that this person his young master had mentioned was indeed quite interesting.
Bu Luo didn't find himself annoying at all and started to familiarly question Li Yan.
Li Yan was taken aback by Bu Luo's jumpy questions. It took him a good while to react, by which time Bu Luo was frowning again. A thought slowly dawned on him. 'Could this person be one of those legendary 'sheltered prodigies' from a sect or family?'