'Is this matter so urgent? Weren't we given half a month? There are still a few days to spare!'
Li Yan wasn't surprised that Xing Ming knew of his return.
The Sect-Protecting Grand Formation was under his control, and Li Yan hadn't concealed his aura. It would have been strange if Xing Ming hadn't sensed a Golden Core cultivator entering the sect.
Just then, Xing Ming's aged voice came from the valley entrance.
"Junior Brother, to hole yourself up in your cave residence the moment you return is to miss out on the joys of life. Why not come out for a drink?"
Li Yan smiled faintly. With a wave of his large sleeve, the restriction over the valley ten li away opened.
A short while later, Li Yan, standing at the entrance of his cave residence, saw an old man in white robes drifting over. Li Yan smiled and clasped his hands in greeting.
"It was already late when I returned to the sect. I was afraid of disturbing your quiet cultivation, Senior Brother, and had planned to visit you tomorrow!"
Xing Ming laughed heartily and walked straight into the maple forest in front of the cave residence. Li Yan followed him.
In a large clearing amidst the maple forest, atop a massive stone platform, a brilliant expanse of blue and white light shimmered.
On the chessboard-like grid of lines, at each intersection, a bright blue or white dot twinkled, echoing the starlight in the sky.
The surrounding towering maple trees swayed in the night breeze, rustling with a sound like a dream.
Xing Ming stepped onto the long, thin stone slab in the middle of the square platform.
Then, with a flash of light from his hand, two wine jars, several oil-paper packages, and two pairs of bamboo chopsticks appeared on the stone slab.
Seeing Li Yan approach, he waved his hand again, and the oil-paper packages opened silently.
Shredded pig's ear, fried peanuts, sliced cooked beef, and melon slices were revealed as the paper unfolded, their fragrant aroma filling the air. Just a whiff was enough to lift one's spirits.
Xing Ming had already sat down cross-legged, leaning directly against the side of the long stone slab. The platform beneath him was instantly enveloped in a field of starlight, as if he were seated in a celestial paradise.
He beckoned for Li Yan to sit on the other side of the stone slab.
With a casual slap, he broke the clay seals on the two wine jars. Instantly, Li Yan felt the surrounding air fill with the intoxicating aroma of wine and cooked food, arousing his appetite in a moment.
Xing Ming flicked his finger, and one of the large wine jars floated towards Li Yan, indicating they would drink without cups or bowls.
"Junior Brother, the journey has been long and tiring. Occasionally savoring the food of the five grains can dispel the weariness in one's heart and allow the spirit to roam between heaven and earth. This is the great Dao of cultivation, hahaha. How about we drink and talk?"
Li Yan reached out and caught the mouth of the floating wine jar.
"If all cultivation could be like this, Senior Brother, then one would truly be as free and unfettered as an immortal. Senior Brother, please!"
With a smile on his face, he didn't stand on ceremony. Tilting his head back, he held the wine jar and, with a gentle tilt, a clear stream of liquid flowed from the mouth of the jar into his mouth.
Xing Ming also grabbed his wine jar and took a large gulp, then chuckled at Li Yan. He picked up a translucent sliver of pig's ear and put it in his mouth, chewing with his eyes half-closed.
Seeing that the other was in no hurry, Li Yan did not press him. He too picked up his chopsticks, took two fried peanuts, and slowly crunched them, his mouth instantly filling with fragrance.
"Sometimes, a cultivator's life may not be as free and happy as a mortal's!"
Xing Ming gazed at the myriad stars in the sky, his aged voice low.
Li Yan looked at the white-robed old man in surprise. He had not expected Xing Ming to have such thoughts.
'Among the other Golden Core cultivators in the sect, I've interacted with Xing Ming the most, but he has never told me about his past. It seems that even at his realm, there are still things he can't let go of!'
Since the other had not spoken plainly, with Li Yan's personality, he would naturally not ask. He just nodded with a smile.
"You are right, Senior Brother. Mortals can find happiness easily in some things, unlike cultivators whose aspirations are like climbing one mountain only to find a higher one, with no end in sight!"
"Well said, Junior Brother. A cultivator never knows what they will desire tomorrow. By the way, did you find any clues about your esteemed Master in 'Sacred Demon City'?"
Xing Ming slowly withdrew his gaze from the night sky, looked at Li Yan, and changed the subject.
"No, not a single clue!"
Li Yan shook his head, his expression calm.
"This matter cannot be rushed. It's good to hold on to a thought, unlike my old ghost of a Master who left so early, without even leaving a thought behind."
"Although Xinghe and I were often beaten by that old ghost back then, it truly spurred us on. We both reached the Golden Core stage many years before the disciples under Martial Uncle."
"But that was also because Martial Uncle took in disciples relatively late. When I was Zhu Luomu's age, I had already successfully formed my core. This was all due to the old ghost's strictness..."
Xing Ming said this after taking a small sip of wine.
His words surprised Li Yan, and he also felt that today's Xing Ming was a bit strange. But he just listened quietly, not knowing why Xing Ming was so emotional today.
"Hahaha, does Junior Brother find me a bit abnormal today?"
Although Xing Ming didn't look at Li Yan, he gently patted the star-lit platform beneath him and chuckled softly.
"Senior Brother, with such an expression, I really don't know what this has to do with you summoning me back."
"Junior Brother, do you know who used to live in your cave residence?"
A sect would not have many cave residences with dense spiritual energy, so they would naturally not be left vacant. Even if not assigned for long-term residence, they could be used as rewards for outstanding disciples to cultivate in for a period of time.
And Xing Ming had once said that people were often sent to clean the "Myriad Stars Cavern," which clearly implied that no one had lived there for a long time.
Li Yan's mind was sharp. He hadn't known why Xing Ming was like this today, but after hearing this question, a thought stirred in his heart. He looked at Xing Ming with a puzzled expression.
"Could this cave residence be..."
Xing Ming continued to gently pat the platform beneath him, a look of reminiscence on his old face.
"Your guess is correct, Junior Brother. This was once my master's cave residence."
"Since my master passed away, no one has lived here. Every time I come here, I am reminded of the scene of my master playing Go with Martial Uncle right here."
"The sect has truly shown this Zhang great favor, to think this place was where a senior immortal resided. However, the path of cultivation is fraught with peril, with dangers at every step. How many can truly reach the end?"
"You need not dwell on sorrow, Senior Brother. After all, neither of us knows what tomorrow will bring!"
Li Yan was not good at comforting others, and he didn't know the past of Xing Ming's master. He could only offer these dry words.
"Indeed! More than one hundred and fifty years ago, Martial Uncle returned, covered in blood and filled with a sky-high killing aura, carrying the dying master. That old ghost only instructed Xinghe and me to cultivate diligently before he passed away."
The reminiscence in Xing Ming's eyes slowly faded, replaced by a sharp glint.
"The cause of the old ghost's death was just him fighting with someone over a three-hundred-year-old 'Empty Pavilion Bamboo.'"
"Master injured a master from the Luminous Feather Parrot Clan. Out of a moment of benevolence, he let him go."
"A month later, when the old ghost master was returning to the sect alone, he was ambushed by that Luminous Feather Parrot Clan master with two other Golden Core cultivators."
"The old ghost was severely injured, but before that, he also unleashed the 'Spiritual Aperture Shattering Star Grand Art,' catching them off guard, killing two Golden Core cultivators and injuring one who escaped."
"The old ghost master could only use the last of the 'Spiritual Aperture Shattering Star Grand Art's' power to seal himself in a hidden place. Before falling unconscious, he sent out a distress signal."
"By the time Martial Uncle found Master, it was too late for treatment. It was a hopeless situation. So, Martial Uncle, in a great rage, went all the way to the Luminous Feather Parrot Clan's sect and slaughtered every last one of them."
At this point, a sharp light burst forth from Xing Ming's eyes.
Hearing this, Li Yan was first a bit confused by Xing Ming's switching between "Master," "old ghost," and "old ghost master," but from this, he could also see the relationship between Xing Ming and his master.
But Li Yan was more shocked in his heart. Although Xing Ming did not specify the detailed realms of each side, just in those few sentences, five Golden Core cultivators had already appeared in a duel.
Having been in "Falling Star Valley" for so long, Li Yan had some understanding of its inheritance techniques.
'The 'Spiritual Aperture Shattering Star Grand Art' is the same self-harming secret technique that caused Lin Xinghe's long seclusion to instantly boost his cultivation!'
'I never thought that the previous generation of 'Falling Star Valley' was so fierce, to be able to kill two of the same rank and injure one with just one person. Truly amazing, amazing.'
'Even Tianxingzi is probably no match for him. Otherwise, during the invasion of the Wind-Rending Clan and the other sects back then, he would have had the confidence to fight them head-on!'
Li Yan thought in astonishment. He was now more and more aware of how difficult it was to kill a Golden Core cultivator in a head-on fight.
He could only succeed in a sneak attack to kill a Golden Core cultivator of the same rank by using poison or when the other party was unaware that he was a dual cultivator of dharma and body.
"Senior Brother, this must be related to you summoning me back, right?"
Xing Ming's unusual attitude today, and his telling him such a secret.
Li Yan felt that the other party was definitely not just saying these things out of emotion because he was living in the "Myriad Stars Cavern."
Xing Ming had come here to talk with him before.
"Do you know? What I value most about you, Junior Brother, is your meticulous mind. Although Xinghe is also thoughtful, he often makes mistakes in the small details, hahaha!"
Xing Ming reached out for a slice of melon, gently holding it between two fingers. A smile had returned to his face, and Li Yan could feel that it was a smile filled with delight.
This made him even more confused, but he only needed to wait.
After swallowing the melon slice in one bite and taking another large gulp of wine, a sharp light exploded in Xing Ming's eyes.
"Because I have now found the murderer who killed my master!"
"The murderer? Didn't you say you had slaughtered the entire Luminous Feather Parrot Clan..."
"Junior Brother, Martial Uncle did slaughter the entire Luminous Feather Parrot Clan back then, but I also told you before, Master was besieged by three people, killed two, and injured one."
"And the injured one did not return to the Luminous Feather Parrot Clan. At that time, he was probably severely injured and went into hiding nearby to recuperate, or he had a premonition and escaped beforehand."
"The Luminous Feather Parrot Clan had a total of four Golden Core masters. So, when Martial Uncle went over, he did slaughter the entire sect's cultivators, but he only found one Golden Core cultivator who was guarding the sect."
"Even the disciples of the Luminous Feather Parrot Clan who were outside at the time were hunted down and killed cleanly by Martial Uncle using their clan members' essence blood for a tracking art, but this person was missing."
"That was because this person's cultivation was already at the mid-stage Golden Core at that time. After sensing a bloody calamity, he also used a spell to block Martial Uncle's tracking!"
Xing Ming's aged voice was filled with unwillingness. Li Yan frowned.
"So, you have been searching for this person all along. To be able to find him after more than one hundred and fifty years, there must be some special feature about that person."
"One's appearance can be changed, and that person himself has the ability to block the tracking of his clan's essence blood. Could it be based on the cultivation method he practices?"
Xing Ming nodded slightly.
"As expected of a clever junior brother. Although you didn't guess correctly, you're not far off."
"As you said, Junior Brother, whether it's checking his true appearance or using his clan's essence blood for tracking, both methods are only possible when there is a significant difference in cultivation between the two sides."
"Otherwise, while spying on the other party, the other party will also sense it and thus cast a spell to block it, and even counter-kill."
"And what we relied on was a sentence left by my master back then. In his final blow, his natal magical treasure, the 'Seven-Colored Glazed Lamp,' was embedded in that person's body after hitting him."
"He took it with him when he was severely injured. My master was already too weak to retrieve it. And my master's natal magical treasure seemed to have appeared a while ago. And based on this, I have finally found the person using the magical treasure!"