The gray-robed monk stood several feet in front of Li Yan, with his hands clasped together and his body slightly leaning forward. With a respectful attitude, he said something that surprised Li Yan.
Fortunately, due to Li Yan's personality, although he was shocked in his heart, his expression remained the same.
Li Yan had such a hidden aura that even a cultivator in the late Nascent Soul stage might not be able to see through it, but the other party revealed his strength in one go.
When he discovered the gray-robed monk, Li Yan was also observing him. He was more than 90% sure that the monk was a cultivator in the Jindan realm, but the gray-robed monk called himself "senior" right from the start.
How could he not be surprised
In addition, Li Yan clearly did not recognize the gray-robed monk, but the other party knew his last name. The other party was coming straight towards him, so the gray-robed monk did not look like he had recognized the wrong person.
This is Li Yan's first time to come to Fengshen Continent. This is not Huangyue Continent, and now he is recognized by many people.
Therefore, after leaving Jiao Mingzhou, Li Yan returned to his original appearance and was no longer a burly man.
"Could he be a Divine Transformation cultivator? But why does he call himself a 'junior'?"
Li Yan's mind raced. Seeing that Li Yan was just staring at him and not answering, the gray-robed monk spoke again with a smile on his face.
"It seems that you are Senior Li, so don't be surprised. I am here on the orders of my uncle to invite you to have a chat!"
"Your uncle? Who is he?"
Li Yan's face had returned to calm.
"My uncle is the elder of Shamen Temple, Master Xuji, and he is also one of the two Nascent Soul cultivators currently in charge of this market!"
The gray-robed monk looked calm and answered respectfully.
A look of doubt flashed across Li Yan's eyes. He had seen the name of Shamen Temple in ancient books. It was a fairly large temple in the Fengshen Continent.
The one who invited him was the Yuanying monk from Shamen Temple who was in charge here? Li Yan glanced at the gray-robed monk.
"Oh? I don't know him at all. If you have anything to say, tell him to come and talk to me!"
Li Yan's expression was calm. He would not just go to the place where a Nascent Soul cultivator was entrenched.
Although he was proud of his magical powers, if he went to the place designated by another Nascent Soul cultivator for no reason, and the other party had ulterior motives, he might not be sure he could get out.
Especially since the other party could actually see through his cultivation level at a glance, Li Yan had no idea how much the other party knew about him.
Such monks either cultivated the "clairvoyance" or possessed secret skills or magic weapons that they did not know about to explore people's privacy.
In just a moment, Li Yan's mind was already racing. He still felt that the Zen Master Xu Ji was practicing some kind of magical power to pry into people's privacy.
As a cultivator in the middle stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, I came to the market town and concealed my cultivation level. It is possible that the other party sent someone to invite me or to investigate.
"Could it be the red light on the archway? He didn't come himself, but sent a little monk over. Do you really think you are a living Buddha and everyone should go to pay homage to you?"
But what Li Yan couldn't understand was how the other party knew his last name
Li Yan's face remained expressionless, he had already made up his mind. He planned to stay for a while, then summon the two monsters and leave.
Although Li Yan was not afraid of the other party, since his whereabouts had been discovered, Li Yan knew that the person would keep watching him in secret. He had other things to do, so it was better for him to get away from him as soon as possible.
"This is what my uncle asked me to give to you, senior. You will know it once you see it!"
The gray-robed monk showed a little surprise on his face when he heard this. He didn't know Li Yan, but his uncle had told him when he came that if he gave this person something, that person would follow him.
He showed a look of surprise, because his uncle's reputation was not small in the world of immortal cultivation. Moreover, the influence of Shamen Temple was huge. In Fengshen Continent, many forces wanted to make friends with him.
However, Shamen Temple might not pay attention to the other party, so he thought that as long as he reported these titles, the other party would give him face even if he was a Nascent Soul cultivator. However, he did not expect that the other party would refuse outright.
Only then did he believe what his uncle said and immediately took out a jade slip.
When Li Yan saw the jade slip handed over by the other party, he did not immediately reach out to take it. He was also surprised by the person who invited him. Out of his usual caution, he would certainly not take risks rashly.
Li Yan's spiritual sense directly reached out to the jade slip in the gray-robed monk's hand, and a voice immediately came from the jade slip. After hearing this voice and the content, Li Yan's expression, which had been calm all along, was obviously stunned for a short time.
There was only one sentence in the jade slip. After being stunned for a moment, Li Yan stretched out his hand and took the jade slip from the gray-robed monk's hand. He put it away casually, and when he looked up at the gray-robed monk again, a faint voice came out of his mouth.
"Lead the way!"
In a secluded place in the city, there is a large area of dense forest. Compared with other places in the city, this place seems like a world away.
The occasional bird calls in the woods make this place even more elegant and secluded…
Li Yan followed the gray-robed monk at a leisurely pace, but at this moment his heart was not as calm as it seemed on the surface, but was still surging with waves.
He didn't expect to meet this person here, which was beyond his expectations.
The stone paths in the woods are winding, and from time to time you can see a brook gurgling and bending through the woods. The sunlight shines through the leaves and falls on your body. You don't feel the heat at all, but instead have a sense of being in a secluded path.
After walking about two or three miles on the stone path in the forest and turning a few corners, Li Yan saw a corner of a wooden house with overhanging eaves. The sound of wind chimes swaying in the wind came out from the eaves. As he continued walking, a courtyard with red walls and green tiles came into view like a picture scroll...
Soon, the gray-robed monk brought Li Yan to the small gate of the courtyard. It was obvious that not many people came and went here, as moss had already appeared on the steps in front of the gate.
Just as the gray-robed monk led Li Yan up the stairs, the small door of the courtyard opened automatically with a creaky sound.
The gray-robed monk immediately stopped at the side of the small door, clasped his hands together, and bowed slightly towards the courtyard.
"Uncle Master, Senior Li is here!"
"Thank you, nephew. Please leave first!"
A deep voice was heard from the courtyard, revealing a sense of vicissitudes.
"Uncle Master, you are too polite!"
The gray-robed monk made a gesture of invitation to Li Yan with one hand, and then his figure gradually disappeared like a phantom.
When Li Yan stepped into the courtyard, he saw several neat houses with green plants climbing up the walls. In front of one of the houses, there was a gray-robed monk in his thirties, who was also holding his hands together and looking at him with a smile.
Although that person was also wearing a gray monk's robe, his aura was very different from that of the gray-robed monk just now. He gave people a feeling of being bathed in a spring breeze, as if there was a peaceful holy land in front of him.
Li Yan looked at the face which was completely different from before but somewhat familiar, and a smile appeared on his face.
"After not seeing you for so many years, I didn't expect to see you here. What a surprise!"
"Amitabha, good fortune has come to me. This is also unexpected for me. I was just checking the monks entering the market on a routine basis, but I saw a familiar face after a long absence. I am really delighted!"
Listening to the voice that was no longer old, Li Yan felt as if everything was a lifetime ago.
"Should I call you Master Xuji, or Fellow Daoist Zhuo, or Fellow Daoist Sang?"
As Li Yan spoke, he walked towards the middle-aged monk.
"It's just a title. You can call me whatever you want, Fellow Daoist Li! As you said, we are so happy to see each other after so many years. How about we talk inside?"
The middle-aged monk slightly turned his body, revealing the main door of the hall behind him, where incense was already burning and tea was brewing, with wisps of green smoke curling up. Li Yan was not polite, he laughed and walked into the house.
"Hahaha... Sorry to bother you, Fellow Daoist Zhuo!"
There was only one sentence in the jade slip just now.
"After parting with the Hu Chen family, does Brother Li still remember Zhuo?"
The monk in front of him was Zhuo Lingfeng, who had a good relationship with Li Yan.
But at this moment, not only has he converted to Buddhism, but he also looks much younger, no longer having the old face he had before.
Inside the room, the scent of sandalwood is refreshing.
Li Yan and Zhuo Lingfeng sat opposite each other on either side of a small table.
"Fellow Daoist Li, please taste this tea first. This is the 'Emptiness Tea' that is unique to our temple. Although it cannot improve our cultivation, it can calm our minds and remove dryness and turbidity!"
As he spoke, Zhuo Lingfeng raised his hand and pointed to the cup of tea in front of Li Yan.
The tea in the cup was pale white, and a refreshing fragrance rushed straight into his sea of consciousness. Although Li Yan had not taken a sip, he had already felt a cool breeze passing through his sea of consciousness. This feeling made him extremely comfortable.
Li Yan noticed that Zhuo Lingfeng never called himself "donor" and seemed very casual about the title.
This may seem insignificant, but Li Yan understands that this is because the other party still regards him as the same person as before and does not want to deliberately destroy the relationship between them.
Li Yan picked up the teacup as he was told, took a sip without any precautions, and then closed his eyes.
Zhuo Lingfeng watched all this with a smile, until Li Yan suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes clear and bright.
“Good tea!”
"This tea can only be produced once every sixty years. If you like it, I can give you a small bag. It can help you calm your mind in your spare time!"
"Oh, you gave me such a big gift right after we met, how can I give you back?"
"Haha, this thing is not some rare treasure, it just grew a little older. It's rare that Fellow Daoist Li likes it, so how can it be called a great gift!"
As Zhuo Lingfeng spoke, he flipped his hand and a delicate small bag appeared on the table, which he gently pushed over.
Although Li Yan was polite, when he saw the exquisite little bag in front of him, he smiled and put it away with a flick of his sleeves.
Then he raised his eyebrows and looked carefully at Zhuo Lingfeng who was smiling, and a strange look appeared in his eyes.
"I think my method of concealing my aura is pretty good. How did you tell my level of cultivation, Fellow Daoist Zhuo? Could it be the red light at the archway?"
After observing Zhuo Lingfeng carefully, he found that his cultivation should be at the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage, which was one small realm lower than his own. Zhuo Lingfeng shook his head when he heard this.
“I didn’t see your true cultivation level. Until now, I see that you are still in the early stage of Golden Core. Your method of concealing your aura is really amazing!
Moreover, the red light at the entrance of the archway is only to identify whether there are wind beasts entering, and there is no other malicious intent. Otherwise, prying into other people's cultivation will only arouse public anger."
Li Yan just listened quietly without interrupting.
"The reason why I was able to 'see' Daoist Fellow Li's cultivation level is because... I guessed it!"
"Guessed... out?"
Now Li Yan couldn't believe it.
"How difficult is this? It seems that you have overlooked one point. This is the Wind God Continent!"
Seeing the puzzled look on Li Yan's face, Zhuo Lingfeng just said something softly. After hearing it, Li Yan was slightly stunned, then he reached out and slapped himself on the forehead.
"Yes, yes, yes, I really forgot that there is anyone here who can recognize me. I really missed the point!"
Li Yan didn't react until this moment.
He felt that no one knew him in Fengshen Continent except Gong Chenying, but he met Zhuo Lingfeng here.
In the eyes of the other party, I must have come from another world, so, among the three people entering the market, at least one should be a Nascent Soul cultivator.
When the three of them entered the archway, they were clearly focused on themselves. With a 30% chance, why not guess that it was me?
“Fellow Daoist Li, please don’t blame me. I am just checking the monks who are entering the market as a routine. There is also a Yuanying cultivator in charge of this market. He and I will check the monks who are entering the market from time to time.
I didn't expect to see you by such a coincidence. You look the same as before. I asked myself that there would be no such coincidence in the world, so I made a bold guess and sent someone over!"
Zhuo Lingfeng briefly described the process as an explanation, and he did not ask about Li Yan's true level of cultivation.
Li Yan felt more at ease after knowing that the other party had not seen through his cultivation level. Otherwise, he would really have to consider whether he should change his appearance when going out in the future.
"I don't know how Fellow Daoist Zhuo got here, and why..."
When Li Yan said this, he raised his hand and pointed at the monk's robe on Zhuo Lingfeng. He had a lot of questions in his mind and couldn't help but ask, but then he continued.
"Oh, I am also surprised to meet a Taoist friend here. If you are not comfortable answering, then forget it!"
"Daoyou Li, you are worrying too much. There is nothing that cannot be said. I invited you here to ask you something. I am afraid I will have to trouble you later."
Zhuo Lingfeng clasped his hands together and then began to narrate.
"That year, after my fellow Taoist and I parted ways with the Hu Chen family, in order to avoid arousing the murderous intent of the Hu Chen ancestor, I went to the valley where I once lived and stayed there for a while.
Later, when he came out again to purchase some resources for cultivation, he found that the entire world of immortal cultivation was in chaos. He heard that the demons had invaded the South China Sea, defeated the Taixuan Sect, and lost their lair.
The four major sects ordered all cultivators above the foundation building stage to participate in resisting the demons. At that time, I was just a casual cultivator at the foundation building stage. I had never been successful in my life and could barely protect myself with my cultivation.
If I hadn't been quick to seize the opportunity when I was in the market, I would have been forcibly conscripted.
After I escaped, I thought why should I risk my life for such a thing, and then I felt that the small valley was not a safe place, so I decided to flee far away.
After thinking about it for a while, I finally chose a dangerous place called "The Land of Sunset". I think Fellow Daoist Li should have heard of it."
Having said that, Zhuo Lingfeng paused and smiled at Li Yan.
Of course Li Yan knew where the "Land of Sunset" was. It was one of the two most dangerous places in the desert along with the "Flying Sand Ancient Cave".
In order to avoid being hunted down by the Red Fire Ancestor, he plunged into the "Flying Sand Ancient Cave" and almost died there. From this, we can see how dangerous the "Setting Sun Land" of the same name is.
At that time, Zhuo Lingfeng was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, but in order to avoid disaster, he chose to enter the "Land of Sunset". He was really risking his life.
However, this also shows how helpless and miserable the low-level cultivators were in the war against the invasion of demons.
Li Yan also understood Zhuo Lingfeng's original choice. In that great battle with the demons, the most number of casual cultivators died.
Most of the reasons are that the skills they learn are average and the magic weapons they have are average, which leads to average combat power. Once they encounter fierce demon cultivators and foreign monks, they will suffer the most deaths!