At the same time, the force binding Shuang Lianzhou on the other side suddenly vanished. Shuang Lianzhou stumbled and fell headfirst to the ground.
Li Yan had deliberately ignored him, a slight punishment.
However, Shuang Lianzhou paid no mind to his scraped forehead. He simply looked up in a daze at the figure standing with his hands behind his back in the night.
Ming Ling also thought she had misheard. She stopped crying and looked at Li Yan with tear-streaked cheeks.
For a moment, the only sound in the quiet night was the heavy breathing of these three.
"Sen... Senior, you... you're saying you don't need the 'Divine Puppet Art'?"
Shuang Chongshan, being the head of the family, was the first to react.
He asked in an uncertain tone, not even realizing that his voice had become hoarse.
"What? Is your Duye Clan's 'Divine Puppet Art' so powerful that you insist on giving it to this Zhang?"
Li Yan chuckled lightly. If it were some dharma or body cultivation method, or a mid-grade or higher pill recipe, he would definitely have asked to see it.
But artifact refining was of little importance to him. He had already learned enough miscellaneous skills and didn't have the energy to cultivate puppet mechanism arts, having only learned the basics from Bai Rou.
"Oh... oh... no, no, no, that's not what this junior meant. My family's heirloom is only considered a treasure by myself and those low-level cultivators. How could it possibly catch Senior's eye? It couldn't, it couldn't!"
Only now did Shuang Chongshan fully regain his clarity. He quickly replayed the recent events in his mind and felt as if he were in a dream.
But from the moment the man appeared, he had only asked about the process and never once mentioned wanting the "Divine Puppet Art."
"But... but, could he really have acted just because Ling'er is human? Is there no other reason? That's enough to make him intervene?"
Shuang Chongshan felt that things shouldn't have happened this way. But besides the "Divine Puppet Art," what other valuable things did he have that would be worth someone saving him?
"Could this person be an evil cultivator? Some evil cultivators have a particular liking for eating unborn fetuses or using the essence blood of pregnant women to refine vicious magical treasures..."
All sorts of miscellaneous thoughts suddenly flooded his mind, and Shuang Chongshan found himself growing more and more afraid.
He couldn't fathom the other's psychology. Having just returned from the brink of death, he began to let his imagination run wild without realizing it.
Meanwhile, Shuang Lianzhou and Ming Ling had already kowtowed, their faces filled with surprised joy.
"Thank you, Senior, for saving our lives! May we ask for Senior's great name? We will definitely set up a longevity tablet for you as we said before, and it will be passed down for generations, with incense burned and respects paid daily!"
They kowtowed three times. Seeing them still talking about setting up a longevity tablet for him, Li Yan thought to himself.
'Just looking at that thing gives me the chills. Though your intentions are good, I'd rather not see my name carved on a tablet!'
He looked again at Shuang Chongshan, who had sunk into contemplation.
"Alright, let's leave it at that. It's not easy to meet a fellow clansman on the Forsaken Continent. To be able to help was a matter of chance."
"Now, you have two paths to choose from. One is to part ways here and now. Whether you live or die in the future will depend entirely on your own luck."
"The other path is to follow me back to my sect. You can live under the sect's protection from now on, without having to hide anymore."
"On this point, I can be clear. I value your puppet skills. My sect is also a pill and artifact refining sect, and we are in great need of cultivators like you."
"As for your lineage's inheritance art, the sect will absolutely not take it by force. I can guarantee this. You only need to help the sect refine puppets according to your own will."
"Consider what I've said. You have fifty breaths of time. This one has other matters to attend to!"
Shuang Chongshan was still lost in his thoughts when he heard the man's words. He was taken aback for a moment, starting to understand the reason for the man's intervention.
For a moment, he forgot to continue asking for Li Yan's name.
'He really did act because Ming Ling is also human!'
He had never expected to meet a cultivator with a benevolent heart.
'However, there's also a selfish motive in this. The main point is that he wants us to go to his sect. Is he testing me?'
'If I don't comply, will he immediately turn hostile and kill us, or has he truly given us two paths?'
The man had given him time to think. Although Shuang Chongshan had already made a decision in his heart, he didn't want the other to see through him. He showed hesitation on his face as if in deep thought, and then asked.
"Senior, may I ask which sect you belong to?"
"Falling Star Valley! I am a sect elder!" Li Yan said faintly.
"So it's Falling Star Valley. That is indeed a pill and artifact refining sect!"
Shuang Chongshan muttered to himself, seemingly considering, but he quickly looked up.
"Senior, I... I... I still want to..."
As he spoke, his gaze became somewhat evasive.
Li Yan nodded. He had only come over because he saw a pregnant human woman.
Of course, if Shuang Chongshan and the other two were heinous villains, he wouldn't have shown himself at all. If they died, they died. He wouldn't even have cared about the fetus in her womb.
Given what happened later, he did indeed take a liking to the man's puppet skills, which led to his invitation. Since the man was unwilling, he wouldn't force him.
"Then so be it!"
As Li Yan's voice fell, his figure under the night sky blurred from solid to ethereal, rapidly merging into the darkness.
At the same time, the two storage pouches on the mutilated corpses on the ground flew up. However, in the next moment, an item flew down to the ground, and Li Yan's voice came from afar once more.
"This is your puppet!"
As he left, he had unceremoniously taken the storage pouches from the two men surnamed Ma.
Although he was now at the Golden Core realm, he was still in the habit of taking the storage pouches of those he killed.
With a quick scan of his Divine Sense, he saw the "Three-legged Green Luan" that had carried Ming Ling away earlier. He immediately threw it out.
He could sense the dense connection of essence blood on it, and recalling some of what he had heard, he knew it must be Shuang Lianzhou's natal magical treasure.
Since he had done a good deed, he might as well see it through. Li Yan had no desire to snatch it and damage the other's cultivation.
Earlier, to send Ming Ling away, Shuang Lianzhou had no better flying treasure and had to use his natal magical treasure.
But shortly after, he was caught by the cultivator surnamed Gao. Without its master's control, the "Three-legged Green Luan's" attack power was greatly reduced.
Furthermore, the cultivator surnamed Gao was already much stronger than Shuang Lianzhou. The "Three-legged Green Luan" was struck down and restrained by him.
But thinking it was a mid-level puppet, he controlled his attack power well and did not damage it.
Thus, Shuang Lianzhou was spared from suffering a backlash injury, which was a stroke of luck.
After Li Yan left, Shuang Lianzhou and Ming Ling quickly went to their father's side, supporting the old man from both sides.
Shuang Chongshan was severely injured in this battle, both internally and externally. The poison was not yet fully cleansed. It was only due to his profound cultivation that he managed to stay conscious.
"Father, in this situation, we can't stay in the market anymore!"
"Why didn't you agree to the senior's offer just now? Falling Star Valley has a good reputation and has been rising like the midday sun in recent years."
"Plus, Ling'er is also a human cultivator. That senior is a man of great righteousness. We have nowhere else to go now. It won't be easy to find another suitable place!"
Shuang Lianzhou looked in the direction where Li Yan's voice had disappeared, his face filled with excitement.
With a wave of his other hand, he drew his natal magical treasure into his hand. Sensing that the treasure was unharmed, his gratitude towards Li Yan deepened.
"Sigh, let's leave this place first. Find a remote spot, and I'll recuperate before we talk."
Shuang Chongshan didn't answer his son's question. His priority was to recover his body.
At the same time, he had many questions that needed to be sorted out, but he didn't dare to speak recklessly here.
That man's cultivation was too high. Whether he had gone far or was watching from the shadows, if he accidentally said something he shouldn't, disaster could strike immediately.
In his heart, Shuang Chongshan couldn't be sure if the man had truly left. Their cultivation levels were too far apart, and his Divine Sense couldn't detect the other's presence.
'Has he really left? I heard that Xing Ming looks like an old man, and Tianxingzi and Lin Xinghe have been in seclusion for many years. This person's appearance doesn't match Xing Ming's. It's highly likely he's the newly promoted Elder Zhang.'
He simultaneously speculated about the man's identity. Shuang Chongshan often went out in the market.
Not just to procure goods for the shop, but also to constantly gather information about the surrounding area, always prepared for danger.
So he knew a little about sects like Falling Star Valley, but with his realm, it was impossible for him to meet their Golden Core cultivators.
But based on some information he had obtained before, he quickly came to his own conclusion.
He gently pushed away the two's support and slowly walked to the headless, giant red tiger. A pang of sorrow shot through his heart. This magical treasure had been with him for a long time, and he had grown attached to it.
Although it wasn't his natal magical treasure, it had consumed many precious materials and took a full six years to complete.
If he hadn't been poisoned, he could have killed those two villains just by controlling this magical treasure, without needing anyone's help.
Now, due to his own mistake, this magical treasure that had accompanied him all this way was almost completely destroyed.
Shuang Chongshan sensed it for a moment and sighed softly. The "Red Lotus Golden Tiger" essence soul within the puppet had already dissipated.
But he still retrieved the tiger's head from a distance before putting the giant red tiger's remains into his storage pouch.
"Let's go!"
He turned around and signaled for Shuang Lianzhou to release the "Three-legged Green Luan." Seeing his father didn't answer his question, Shuang Lianzhou didn't dare to press further.
He could only keep his thoughts to himself and, with a long sigh, took out the "Three-legged Green Luan." The three of them then stepped onto it.
He was a person dedicated to the Dao, always wanting to find a quiet and safe place where he could refine puppets without worry. This was the cultivation he desired.
He had heard that Falling Star Valley had four Golden Core cultivators, but he wasn't clear on the specifics. Most of what he knew was told to him by Shuang Chongshan.
So Shuang Lianzhou couldn't guess which person in Falling Star Valley this green-robed youth was.
After flying for several hundred li, Shuang Chongshan finally relaxed completely.
"That person really had no intention of killing us!"
The man hadn't appeared or made a move all this time. There was no need to worry anymore. Following them served no purpose; a soul-search would have been faster and more reliable.
His worry was just a product of his long years as a fugitive, which made him suspicious of everything.
And by now, Li Yan was already ten thousand li away from them.
This was just something he did on a whim. After all, his Divine Sense had scanned a pregnant human cultivator facing death.
With Li Yan's emphasis on family ties, he certainly wouldn't let someone slaughter a pregnant woman.
Besides, those two foreign cultivators were nothing to him. He could kill them with a single breath. Li Yan could act as he pleased.
This incident reminded Li Yan of that distant village, and his mood turned somber for a moment. He no longer wanted to delay on his journey.
Finally, on the third night after leaving Sacred Demon City, he returned to Falling Star Valley.
When he returned to the sect, the sky was already full of stars. Li Yan decided not to disturb Xing Ming.
He used his elder token and went straight back to his cave residence, deciding to go and ask Xing Ming about the specific situation the next day.
But about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea after he returned to the Myriad Stars Cavern, Li Yan's expression suddenly changed, and a look of astonishment appeared on his face.