Li Yan nodded. He could understand the meaning of the elder's words.
A race like the Tianli tribe, which fights with wind beasts almost every day, has passed down from generation to generation, and there must be countless heroic members of the tribe.
But what they need more is spiritual support to constantly inspire future generations, rather than letting future generations only see the tragic side of their ancestors.
The two of them were moving at a speed that seemed both slow and fast. Soon, a wide square appeared in front of Li Yan and the other person.
During the journey, Li Yan made a rough estimate and found that there were tens of thousands of statues, a number that was chilling.
Looking to both sides, they are densely packed, like neatly arranged tombstones, standing through endless years.
The square can accommodate tens of thousands of people. There are huge stone pillars erected around it. These stone pillars are so large that three or four strong men cannot hug them together. Each stone pillar is more than thirty feet high, and there seems to be a disc pressing on the top.
On the other side of the square where Li Yan and the Great Elder came from, there was a huge monster crouching. It was a statue as big as a mountain. It was so big that even Li Yan felt a sense of oppression.
It was a creature that looked like a ferocious tiger, with a body like a fighting bull, sharp hair, a pair of evil wings on its back, and a huge mouth and fangs. It was none other than the Qiongqi, one of the four most ferocious beasts in the world.
"This is the outskirts of the ancestral land. It will only be opened when something major happens in the clan, just like the last time we held a heavenly sacrifice for the second elder, which was held here. However, those clan members can only reach here."
Li Yan also understood the meaning of the Great Elder's words. This kind of ethnic group must have cohesion and a belief. Therefore, no matter how sacred the ancestral land is, the tribesmen need to feel it.
The tens of thousands of statues here are designed to allow the tribesmen who can enter the ancestral land to feel the spirit of their ancestors, giving them a greater sense of identity and cohesion.
However, the ancestral land cannot be entered by anyone at will, as that would make it lose its sense of mystery and dignity.
Especially for someone like Gong Chenying, since he left the tribe at a young age, he has only entered once, during the last heavenly sacrifice.
Anyone who can enter here will be proud of it, and it may even be the pride and honor of his clan.
The Great Elder just made a casual introduction, because it would be unlikely for Li Yan to come here again in the future, so just let him have an understanding.
Even as he spoke, he did not stop and walked directly towards the huge monster Qiongqi opposite.
“This sacred beast statue was carved by the first generation of high priests. At that time, the second generation of high priests had already appeared in the clan.
The first high priest was in seclusion for 1,600 years, and suddenly he had an epiphany, so he carved this statue of the sacred beast, and then ascended to heaven. "
"Oh? What level of cultivation did she reach at that time?"
Li Yan also knew some information about the first generation of high priestess, such as the migration here was her grand move, but he didn't know too much, so he asked curiously.
“I don’t know. The first generation of high priestess had already reached the Spiritual Transformation Realm, but she was desperately suppressing her realm. Because she was the first generation, her responsibilities were greater and heavier, so she was waiting for the second generation to appear.
And when the second generation appeared, she did not choose to ascend immediately, but entered the ancestral land that she had opened up herself.
After he had completed the carving of the sacred beast, he left a jade slip for the second generation of high priests, and he disappeared without even meeting anyone. "
The Great Elder shook his head.
Every generation of high priests and elders of their Tianli tribe lived a very hard life, waiting for the emergence of subsequent powerful people before they could ascend to heaven with peace of mind.
Otherwise, they would rather suppress their cultivation and block their own path to immortality and stay in the lower realm forever. This is also the difference between a race and a sect.
In a tribe, there are often more people who are willing to sacrifice themselves, because they have the same blood running through their veins, and they have been raised to be proud of the entire tribe and take pride in it.
As the two approached, Li Yan's eyes were always looking forward, looking at the huge statue of the sacred beast.
At some point, Li Yan didn't know if it was an illusion, but he felt that the statue of the sacred beast in front of him seemed to have entered a fog.
I was clearly getting closer, but I felt like it was getting farther and closer and I couldn't grasp its direction.
At this time, the Great Elder was observing Li Yan's reaction. He did not tell Li Yan that those Tianli people who entered the ancestral land were not allowed to look directly at the statue of the sacred beast.
They would bow their bodies devoutly the whole time, silently praying in their hearts without daring to look up. Similarly, those people were not allowed to walk across half of the square.
Because once there, if anyone secretly looks at the statue, even the great elder will be unable to rescue them, as their minds will be lost in an instant.
It was as if the soul was sucked away by the sacred beast, and from then on they became stupid and stupid, or even died on the spot.
Only when they have practiced the "Qiongqi Purgatory Technique" to the sixth level, or practiced other techniques to reach the middle stage of the Nascent Soul, can they gaze at the statue of this holy beast.
Normally, members of the Tianli tribe would only cross half of the square when they were inheriting and practicing the seventh level of martial arts. But at this moment, Li Yan and the great elder had already walked across half the square.
Gradually, the statue in Li Yan's eyes seemed to come alive. It was originally half squatting and half sitting, but suddenly it stood up, and an ancient barbaric aura suddenly rose into the sky.
His red hair seemed to be burning like a raging fire, and his pair of fierce eyes seemed to be filled with overwhelming pressure, just a glance at him.
Li Yan couldn't help but pause slightly, and at this moment, in his dark pupils, the image of a giant beast with one claw covered it...
Li Yan only felt that his body could no longer move in an instant. All he could see was that huge claw that could cover the sky and the sun, slapping fiercely towards his head...
An endless crisis of life and death instantly arose in Li Yan's heart. The scene around the square in front of him had completely disappeared, and even the great elder had disappeared.
Between heaven and earth, there was only the power of that claw. The dim sky and earth here were torn into huge cracks in an instant. Li Yan felt that he was even smaller than an ant.
However, no matter how he used his magic power, his body could not move at all.
"I'm already a great cultivator in the late Nascent Soul stage. I feel that even if I face a Spirit Transformation cultivator, I should be able to escape. But why now, I don't even have the slightest strength to resist..." Li Yan was very anxious, but before he could finish his thoughts, the claw had already hit his head with a roar with the power of heaven and earth.
Li Yan felt an unbearable pain in his head and wanted to scream out loud.
A large area of crimson appeared before his eyes, obscuring his vision. There was an unspeakable and boundless pain in his soul, flesh, blood, and bones.
"wrong?"
At the moment when this heart-wrenching pain spread throughout his entire sea of consciousness, the golden Nascent Soul figure in Li Yan's body suddenly stood up.
Five-colored light suddenly burst out from his limbs and eyes, and Li Yan's mind immediately became a little clearer. At the same time, the five-colored light flowed to his limbs and bones, and a stream of coolness instantly filled Li Yan's body.
Everything in front of his eyes disappeared, and the excruciating pain that penetrated his soul also mysteriously disappeared.
And in front of him, was still the huge statue of the sacred beast, half-squatting in the same posture as before, as if everything that had just happened had never happened.
"The pressure is so great!"
There was a gleam in Li Yan's eyes. A high-level cultivator might not even need to use his hands to demonstrate to the low-level cultivators, or even kill them. Just a look or a breath of air could make them unconscious or die. This was coercion.
Of course Li Yan could also use it, and when he was weak, he had repeatedly felt the pressure from people stronger than himself, but it only made him feel fear or symptoms like his blood boiling.
However, the pressure from the statue of the holy beast in front of him made him hallucinate. This was an absolute suppression in terms of strength. Even though Li Yan had reached the late Nascent Soul stage, there was still a huge gap between the two.
"What realm did the first generation of high priests reach when they carved this statue? They actually left some rule power beyond the Nascent Soul realm in this statue."
Li Yan was truly shocked this time. He thought that after he reached the late Nascent Soul stage, there would not be too many things in this world for him to worry about. Unexpectedly, he soon encountered this situation.
However, Li Yan could also guess that this statue of the holy beast could not actually stand up and attack people. It was just that the person who carved it was at a very high level, which gave the statue some power of rules.
This should be a kind of rule power that only the four ferocious beasts, Qiongqi, can master.
To the great elder on the side, everything that Li Yan had just experienced seemed like his pace was just gradually slowing down, and then he paused, standing still, his eyes still staring ahead.
But in just a breath, Li Yan returned to normal. His eyes were clear, but he no longer stared at the statue of the sacred beast in front of him, but turned to look at him.
"Prince Yan's cultivation is superb, and I admire him. It's not that I don't want to tell you, but even if I don't let you see it, it will probably only make you more curious.
But as long as you don’t collapse under the pressure for more than ten breaths, there will be no problem. If it exceeds ten breaths, your mind may be affected.”
The Great Elder chuckled.
Li Yan also smiled bitterly and shook his head.
What the other party said was really right, especially now that I have cultivated to the late Nascent Soul stage. If the Great Elder did not allow me to look at the statue of the holy beast, I would probably become even more curious.
"Let's go over there, but this time, Prince Yan really shouldn't stare at the statue of the holy beast. Not only does it contain a trace of the power of the rules of the Qiongqi holy beast, but it also contains a lot of faith power from my people.
Especially as they get closer, the power of the two will only get stronger. Although Prince Yan has great cultivation, it is better not to try. After all, he came here just to pass on the skills, hehe!"
"Thank you, Great Elder!"
Li Yan suddenly opened his mouth and said something like this.
Although the Great Elder spoke so politely, Li Yan understood what he really meant.
He is a veteran late Nascent Soul cultivator, and he has a deep understanding of the state of mind of late-stage great cultivators.
The Great Elder knew that he had just entered the late Nascent Soul stage, and he must have felt that there were very few rivals in this world.
This is indeed the case. Even with Li Yan's usually cautious character, after he has been promoted to this level of cultivation so smoothly, it is inevitable that he will have the mentality of standing on top of the world and looking down on all the other mountains.
So the opponent used the pressure from the great cultivators in the late Nascent Soul stage in the ancestral land of the Tianli tribe to deliberately make Li Yan feel the approach of death again.
This is to remind myself that art has no end and I should never be dismissive at any time.
"Haha, okay, let's go in!"
The Great Elder just laughed and did not continue to dwell on this matter. Li Yan could understand his painstaking efforts in an instant, and he was very relieved.
Talking to smart people is a very pleasant thing in itself.
As he finished speaking, the walking stick he usually carried appeared in his hand, and he lightly tapped the base of the sacred beast statue in front of him.
Suddenly, a slightly reddish door appeared in the void in front of him and Li Yan.
The Great Elder had already taken a step forward and came to the door. He stretched out his hand and pushed it open. He turned back and smiled at Li Yan, then stepped in first.
Li Yan looked at the statue in front of him and saw that he was still nearly half the distance away. He still stayed in the square, so he couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"It turns out that here, he can open the inner passage to the real ancestral land at any time, and he deliberately let me walk here..."
As the thought arose in his mind, Li Yan followed closely in. The moment he stepped in, the red door also disappeared.