"Hiss..."
Li Ye looked at Fan Yuanzhou, who stood before him with a weary expression and weakened aura, his own face full of complicated emotions and a deep sigh.
He couldn't even say whether these people were just terribly unlucky or incredibly lucky to still be alive!
As it turned out, things had unfolded exactly as Li Ye had predicted.
Under the joint advance of the cultivators from the three sects, the disturbance caused as they approached the Lava Palace had indeed attracted a third-rank fire beast just as expected.
But since their sects had sent them on this mission, the elders had naturally prepared them with appropriate trump cards. Each of the three sect leaders carried a talisman crafted from a Nascent Soul ancestor's life-bound treasure.
Once the nine-headed fire beast appeared, they didn't hesitate. Whether out of self-preservation or for the sake of the "so-close" Lava Palace, they immediately used their talismans and launched a combined assault.
Fire beasts were typically a bit weaker than cultivators, to begin with, and judging by the number of heads, this nine-headed fire beast had likely only just reached the Nascent Soul level. That made it even weaker.
So while its entrance was aggressive and intimidating, under the barrage from the three sect leaders' talismans, they were able to hold their ground and even managed to injure and force the beast to retreat!
However, that was when a new problem emerged...
The injured nine-headed fire beast suddenly let out a sky-shaking roar, the sound reverberating throughout the vast underground world.
Before anyone could see what was happening inside the Lava Palace, a second fire beast burst forth!
This one had ten heads, and its power far surpassed the previous one. Its purple-red flames could incinerate almost anything, and even the powerful talismans could barely hold it back they were no match for it.
So as soon as this beast appeared, the cultivators from the three sects didn't even stop to think they immediately turned and fled.
A single third-rank fire beast could be handled with talismans but two of them? If they didn't run, they might not even have bodies left to bury!
In the face of death, terror overwhelmed reason. The cultivators were so desperate to escape that they even forgot to avoid the various formations and traps in the area.
Before the fire beasts even caught up, some were already blown to bits from blundering into forbidden zones.
And with their territory being invaded by cultivators, the two fire beasts weren't about to let it go.
They began to pursue relentlessly, clearly holding a particular grudge against the three leaders who had used the talismans and injured them.
The ten-headed fire beast struck first, killing Liao Shengtao, then chased down and slaughtered others as it pursued Kong Changsheng out of the cave.
Its brutality was beyond imagination.
Meanwhile, the slightly weaker nine-headed fire beast caught up with Zou Zifu and tore him apart as well.
Though talismans were powerful enough to temporarily grant the might of a Nascent Soul cultivator, they were ultimately just crutches for Foundation Establishment-level practitioners.
Three working together might hold off a nine-headed fire beast but alone, each could only last so long.
Only Fan Yuanzhou and a few others, who hadn't contributed much to harming the fire beasts and weren't seen as prime targets, managed to scatter and flee, grasping that slim chance of survival.
But after barely making it out alive, Fan Yuanzhou tried to contact his fellow sect members and slowly realized
All of them, including Deng Tiancheng, had perished in that underground inferno. No one responded to his calls.
Now heavily injured and without allies, he knew that, as a disciple of Jiuding Valley, he was far too noticeable a target to travel alone.
In his despair, he had no choice but to come to Pingyang Mountain and seek Li Ye's help.
After all, ever since being introduced by Deng Tiancheng, he had sought pills from Li Ye on several occasions. Whether out of personal benefit or friendly relations, there was at least some connection between them.
Asking for a safe place to heal wasn't too outrageous maybe Li Ye would agree.
Li Ye was indeed surprised by his sudden arrival but didn't hesitate long.
Not only was Li Ye confident in his deep mastery of secret arts, but he knew that within the Voidrealm Tree Sea formation, he could suppress Fan Yuanzhou with a single thought.
This man alone was no real threat. So out of past ties, Li Ye allowed him in.
It was also a good opportunity to learn what exactly had gone down in the Lava Palace.
He just hadn't expected the entire event to have turned out like this...
"My condolences, Brother Fan…" Li Ye sighed and continued, "I've prepared a place for you to rest and recover. Your injuries are severe you shouldn't delay treatment."
He also took out a small bottle of pills and placed it before Fan Yuanzhou.
"These 'Clear Heat Dispersing Pills' are especially effective against fire-based toxins. Consider this a small token of my goodwill please, take them."
Fan Yuanzhou looked at the jade bottle before him with mixed feelings.
He couldn't help but recall how those three sects had even been plotting to breach Pingyang Mountain and eliminate Li Ye, hoping to remove a potential threat.
Yet Li Ye had remained behind his mountain defenses the entire time, while they had ended up losing most of their forces. Now, barely anyone was left.
The irony stung. And Fan Yuanzhou felt deeply ashamed.
Li Ye's caution had been entirely justified. That a bunch of Foundation Establishment cultivators had dared covet an ancient legacy like the Lava Palace… it was no wonder they ended up dead and gone.
He even remembered how, when Li Ye first appeared at their doorstep, he had scoffed at the idea of seizing the opportunity. Now, it turned out Li Ye had seen the situation most clearly of all.
But now that all his comrades were gone, it was simply too late to realize the truth.
Fan Yuanzhou accepted the pills, then stood and gave Li Ye a deep and respectful bow.
"Thank you, Brother Li. I will go begin my seclusion now. Your aid today… I will not forget. One day, I shall repay it in full!"
......
Sitting in the pavilion, the weather was perfect today. The sun was shining just right, and a gentle breeze made the air pleasantly comfortable.
Li Ye held a cup of tea in his hand, tasting the initial bitterness that gave way to a lingering sweetness. His gaze drifted aimlessly toward the sky as he let out a soft sigh.
"Another familiar face… gone."
Deng Tiancheng had built a solid foundation on his own, without the aid of any spiritual herbs or pills far superior to ordinary cultivators.
His unique and sharp spiritual power had even allowed him to reach the mid-foundation Establishment within just a few years.
With such talent, even forming a Golden Core one day wasn't out of the question.
Yet, a genius like him still fell on the path in pursuit of fortune. The ambitions he once spoke of with Li Ye… now would never come to pass.
"With a limited lifespan, any cultivator striving to reach greater heights is constantly driven toward risk..."
"Just like in my past life chasing after a house, a car, a family I kept pushing myself, squeezing out every bit of potential like a beast of burden, just to satisfy ever-growing desires and expectations..."
"But mortals are fragile. All it takes is one runaway truck, and everything turns to dust."
Li Ye's thoughts were calm and detached. "And cultivators, if they're not careful, can just as easily perish during one of those 'adventures' leaving all hopes and dreams to return to the earth."
"In the end, for any living being… time is the greatest enemy."
"Thankfully... in this life, those worries no longer apply to me. Cultivation? I've got all the time I need."
Still, a chance to strike while the iron's hot… was not something he intended to pass up.
Li Ye put down his teacup, and the Tracking Moth Gu in his hand crept out quietly. With a flash of spiritual light, it slipped out of the grand formation without a sound.
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