The initial thought in the minds of Ding Yushan and the others was that the Golden Core elder from Lingtian Gate had finally arrived.
But as Li Yan's figure slowly became clear in their vision, they all felt that this person was somewhat unfamiliar, yet also a bit familiar.
This feeling was especially strong for Ding Yushan. But he quickly remembered. This person seemed to be the Foundation Establishment cultivator who had arrived before the manor.
At that time, they had been nearly scared out of their wits by the Manor Lord's two attacks. In their state of shock, they had only briefly swept their divine sense over Li Yan, confirmed he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and then, in their great disappointment, ignored him.
Now that Li Yan had appeared, it was inevitable that he would seem somewhat familiar.
Thus, everyone looked at each other, unsure for a moment whether this person was friend or foe, not daring to speak directly.
The next moment, as Ding Yushan stared at Li Yan's turned face, he felt an even stronger sense of familiarity. He was certain in his heart that this was definitely not the first time they had met; he must have seen this person somewhere before.
The others were also completely puzzled by Li Yan's identity. No matter how they secretly probed with their divine sense, this person was at the Foundation Establishment stage, and a mid-stage one at that.
But just now, the black-robed youth had been unbelievably powerful. The six Foundation Establishment cultivators were still standing there with a wooden expression, and the Qi Condensation cultivators had long since vanished from this world.
But since Li Yan did not speak, Ding Yushan and the others did not dare to speak either, unsure of his intentions. For a moment, the atmosphere here seemed extremely strange and quiet.
Just then, a hesitant voice finally broke the brief silence. "This... senior... did... did you enter the second level of the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda over a year ago?"
Ding Yushan had finally remembered, and he slowly superimposed the image of the person before him with the black-robed youth who had made Sun Jiuhe cut off his own arm on the surface of Red Maple Pool's lake a year ago.
He still had a deep impression of this matter. At that time, that black-robed youth should have been a poison cultivator, and now the cultivators in the manor were clearly showing signs of being poisoned.
But what still made it unbelievable for him was, if this person was indeed the one who had arrived outside the manor earlier, then what about the two terrifying Golden Core cultivators in the manor?
At this thought, a chill ran through Ding Yushan's heart. For a moment, he couldn't be sure if the person before him was the same one he had met a year ago. Hesitantly, he still quickly addressed him as senior, his attitude extremely respectful.
"Oh, it seems Fellow Daoist has recognized me. We haven't seen each other for a year, and it looks like Fellow Daoist has also had a great opportunity beneath Red Maple Pool, with your cultivation greatly increased."
Seeing that the other party had recognized him, Li Yan smiled slightly and spoke to Ding Yushan.
His words shocked the few conscious cultivators. It turned out that this Ding Yushan actually knew this powerful cultivator.
But the way they addressed each other left everyone confused. One addressed a cultivator of the same rank as a junior, while the other still called him "Fellow Daoist."
But with this result, the cultivators on Ding Yushan's side felt a sense of relief. This person should be a friend, not a foe, so their lives should be safe for the time being.
Just now, they were afraid that Li Yan was a rogue cultivator with a strange personality. Such cultivators often followed no rules and acted solely on their whims.
It wouldn't be surprising if he, who had just subdued the manor's cultivators one moment, suddenly turned violent the next and killed them all without needing any reason.
But Li Yan's words held a different meaning for Ding Yushan. 'So this senior doesn't want to admit his senior status. I must pay special attention to this.'
In Ding Yushan's mind, he simply did not believe that Li Yan's cultivation was only at the Foundation Establishment stage. So what if he was a poison cultivator? To face so many cultivators of the same rank, even with a sneak attack, it was impossible to do it so easily and carefreely.
He asked himself, even if he reached the Pseudo-Core Realm in the future, just one step away from Golden Core, he would be completely unable to do this.
At that time, the most he could do was successfully ambush two cultivators, and that would require his full effort. But Li Yan looked as calm as a light cloud and a gentle breeze, without a hint of strain.
Moreover, Li Yan had no intention of introducing himself, which made Ding Yushan and the others not dare to press the issue.
"I am Ding Yushan of the Wind and Snow Sect, part of a patrol squad formed by the Jingtu Sect. This time, we were careless and mistakenly entered the demon's territory. If not for Fellow Daoist's help, I'm afraid we would have all perished here."
"Oh... one more thing, I wonder about the two Golden Core cultivators in this manor..."
Ding Yushan was naturally very clever. He first brought up the name of the Jingtu Sect and stated the purpose of his group. Only then did he worriedly mention the two Golden Core cultivators in the manor.
After speaking, he couldn't help but look up at the distant sky, feeling very uneasy.
If this black-robed youth had only trapped the two of them with a spell, then they had to leave as soon as possible before the two could break free.
"So it's Fellow Daoist Ding. If you're talking about that male and female Golden Core pair, you don't need to worry. Fellow Daoist Ding, could you explain the matter of your patrol squad in some detail?"
"I only came out of the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda a few days ago. Besides noticing that there are patrol teams of cultivators everywhere, I'm not very clear on the rest."
After speaking, Li Yan stared at Ding Yushan with a burning gaze.
Although his words did not explicitly state that the two Golden Core cultivators had perished, anyone present could hear that this person had probably already killed them.
Thinking that those were two Golden Core cultivators, and possibly even demons, far stronger than ordinary Golden Core cultivators, everyone's hearts filled with terror. Their gazes towards Li Yan began to dodge, no longer daring to look directly at him.
This was even more beyond Ding Yushan's expectations. He had had contact with Li Yan before and thought more about it. For a moment, his mind was in turmoil like a dark tide.
'He actually killed two Golden Core cultivators. This means this person must be at least in the late-stage Golden Core to be able to do this.'
How could he have known that Li Yan had also been chased like a stray dog, and that the Manor Lord had ultimately died at the hands of his own wife.
But seeing that Li Yan was unwilling to talk about other things, Ding Yushan now knew that the black-robed youth before him had just come out of the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda.
He didn't know which sect or family this person belonged to, to have come to such a desolate place. But he didn't dare to hide anything regarding Li Yan's question, so he began to recount the events to Li Yan in a low voice.
During the entire narration, the other cultivators didn't even dare to breathe loudly, let alone move from their positions. Li Yan would occasionally interject with a question.
After more than half an hour, Ding Yushan finally finished his explanation. He couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. He hadn't expected this senior to ask in such detail. Some of the things were simply beyond his knowledge.
Yet this senior would bring them up, and seem to attach great importance to them. He could only explain the situation with an uneasy heart, not knowing if the other party was satisfied.
But he still held back some of the core secrets concerning the Demon Clan. How could he dare to speak carelessly about such things?
But then again, with Li Yan's cultivation and his qualification to enter the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, he must be a crucial figure in his sect or family. Even his own master from a second-rate sect knew about it, so this person should also know about the Demon Clan.
Li Yan wasn't "attaching importance" to it; he simply didn't know. All his previous assumptions were just deductions. Of course, now that he had the chance, he had to seek detailed confirmation.
'It's just as I guessed. Those two were not Demonic Beasts at all, but Demon Lords from another dimension.'
'I can't believe the situation in the cultivation world has reached this point. The long-dormant Demon Clan has begun to appear. Is a great change coming?'
Li Yan cupped his chin with one hand, his mind racing.
Previously, from the black smoke emanating from the Manor Lord and his wife, he couldn't sense a trace of the five elements, but he did feel a frenzied, violent power. He immediately thought of what Shuang Qingqing had said about the war between the two realms.
Only then did he slowly connect all these events, guessing that the black smoke might be demonic qi.
'These demons are natural berserkers. Both their strength and physical bodies are far superior to human cultivators. If I hadn't used a trick earlier, even with my True Scripture of Gui Water and Qiongqi Purgatory Art, my chances of winning against one of them would have been slim. Now I finally know how terrifying that Shuang Qingqing is.'
After confirming that the enemies were indeed from the Demon Clan, Li Yan was filled with emotion. The sense of power that came from his recent rapid advancement in cultivation instantly diminished.
Especially when he thought about how Shuang Qingqing could not only fight above her rank but also deal with three Demonic Generals at the same time. Even after falling into an ambush, she had relied on her own formidable combat power to kill one, heavily injure another, and then escape.
Before, Li Yan had no concept of what it meant for Shuang Qingqing to fight three Demonic Generals; he only thought she was powerful. But after personally experiencing the strength of the Demon Clan and thinking of Shuang Qingqing again, her power could no longer be described as merely 'powerful'. It was... terrifying!
Li Yan couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration, and at the same time, regret for his own combat power. Facing two initial-stage Golden Core demon cultivators, he had no choice but to flee.
But for a moment, he didn't consider that he was only a Pseudo-Core cultivator, which was a world of difference from the Golden Core realm. To be able to escape with his life was already beyond what most cultivators of his level could achieve.
However, if Dong Fuyi and Ping Tu were here, they would have thought nothing of it. In their minds, it was only natural for a member of the Five Immortal Sects to be able to kill cultivators one or two ranks higher than themselves.
Otherwise, why would it take hundreds of thousands of years to find just one successor to the Five Immortal Sects?
"So it's the Demon Clan from another world. No wonder a sense of mortal hatred spread through my heart, an impulse to kill them with my own hands."
In Li Yan's storage space, the Purple Divine Dragon-Elephant muttered to itself.
It was formed by the combined Votive Power of three Purple Divine Dragon-Elephants. Before their deaths, these three, along with seven other Purple Divine Dragon-Elephants, had been locked in a long-term battle with the Demon Clan.
Their eventual demise was related to the Demon Clan from another world. It was an irreconcilable feud. Although the small Purple Divine Dragon-Elephant had not received the inherited memories, this deep-seated hatred from its bloodline was already engraved deep within its soul.
After Ding Yushan's explanation, Li Yan slowly began to understand some of the questions he'd had for a while. Needless to say, Gong Chenying and the others returning to their sect a year ago was also because of this matter, though the situation was not as bad back then.
In a very short time, Li Yan came to the conclusion that a great change was coming.
Ever since the Demon Clan's invasion tens of thousands of years ago, although the passage between the two realms was later sealed and the remaining demons were repeatedly hunted by human cultivators, they were like a centipede that does not collapse even in death. Many of their forces remained. For these forces, who had lain dormant for so long, to now make a large-scale move, some kind of opportunity must have arrived.