The other party was investigating him without any concealment, so Li Yan certainly wouldn't be polite and also used his spiritual sense to scan the current cultivation level of the two.
He soon came to a rough conclusion that if he used all his strength now and secretly performed methods that the other party was unaware of, he should be able to escape from here.
The premise is that Tian Xingzi does not want to be in a desperate situation, so he does not use his full strength to activate the sect protection formation.
Li Yan looked at the mess around him and clasped his fists again and said.
“I originally only intended to come here to refine my life-saving magic weapon, but I accidentally triggered a heavenly calamity. This was totally beyond my expectations.
Although it was not intentional to bring the sect into the current situation, this is the inner valley of the Falling Star Valley after all.
Therefore, if it is within my power, I can compensate for these losses."
Although Li Yan knew that the other party had ulterior motives just now, there were many cases of people taking advantage of others' misfortunes in the world of cultivating immortals.
As long as the other party didn't really do anything to him, he would of course still want to try to resolve the matter quickly with the idea of "less trouble is worse than more trouble".
After all, he had infiltrated a sect with ulterior motives. After resolving the issues here as quickly as possible, he would leave quickly as he still needed to stabilize his realm.
However, he would not be so stupid as to allow himself to be slaughtered. He left room for the other party when he spoke. If the other party asked for too much, he would have to fight for his life and try to escape.
"Oh, Brother Zhang, are you planning to leave?"
After hearing this, Tian Xingzi suddenly smiled faintly.
"Why? Do you two Taoist friends still want to keep Zhang?"
Li Yan frowned when he heard this. It seemed that the other party was unwilling to give up.
"Haha, Fellow Daoist Zhang has misunderstood. Fellow Daoist Zhang has been in my sect for more than 20 years. Although there was a misunderstanding before, I believe that Fellow Daoist Zhang has not forgotten his original promise.
At least now you are still a guest elder of my "Falling Star Valley". Could it be that Brother Zhang is going to break his promise as soon as he succeeds in condensing the golden elixir
Or is it that what Fellow Daoist Zhang said before was not entirely true, and was just a delaying tactic? ? "
Li Yan, who had already begun to accumulate strength, was stunned when he heard this.
"Twenty years? Haven't I only been in the sect for more than two years? This retreat has taken twenty years?"
His dazed expression caught Tian Xingzi's eyes, and he and Xing Ming looked at each other.
Xing Ming already understood what his uncle meant. Since he didn't want to make enemies, he might as well win him over. This could actually provide unexpected help to "Falling Star Valley". This time, it was Xing Ming who spoke up to explain.
"It turns out that Fellow Daoist Zhang didn't know how long he had been in seclusion. Now it has been twenty years since you successfully refined your life-defining magic weapon."
At the same time, an idea arose in Xingming's mind.
"Could it be that after his soul left his body 20 years ago, he completely entered into a state of meditation? This time, the formation of the elixir was the opportunity brought by his soul leaving his body!"
Xing Ming suddenly remembered the scene when he saw Zhang Ming's soul leaving his body. He had also briefly talked about this with Tian Xingzi before.
However, neither of them had expected that Zhang Ming had completely ignored time while in meditation. Although they would slowly lose their sense of time every time they went into seclusion, they still had some idea of it.
The other party seemed to be completely unaware of it. This meant that he had entered some indescribable state of cultivation. Sure enough, Li Yan was stunned for a moment before muttering this.
"It's been twenty years, I... I thought it would only be a year or two at most!"
Then, Zhao Min suddenly came to his mind.
"Decades have passed, and I don't know how my sister is doing now..."
Li Yan was in a trance for just a moment, then came to his senses.
"You want me to become the elder of 'Falling Star Valley'?"
"Of course, what do you think, Fellow Daoist Zhang?"
Tian Xingzi smiled.
Now both he and Lin Xinghe are seriously injured and have not recovered. Although that battle shocked some surrounding forces, if they rely on Xingming alone, it will sooner or later attract the covetousness of others once they find out their background.
If a Jindan could be pulled into the "Falling Star Valley", the negative thoughts that were beginning to grow would definitely be reduced a lot, which would buy him and Lin Xinghe some precious time.
For a moment, Li Yan fell silent. He actually still wanted to leave "Falling Star Valley". After stabilizing his realm, he still had many things to deal with and could not stay here for a long time.
"What? Fellow Daoist Zhang, do you still have any concerns? As long as you agree to become an elder of the sect, all your cultivation resources, spirit stones, elixirs, raw materials, etc. will be provided by the sect.
Of course, except for some particularly precious natural treasures, which require you to spend spirit stones yourself, the rest will be provided by the sect.
After all, we are only a second-rate sect, and some rare treasures may not be purchased even with the strength of the entire sect, but we can find out any information about the cultivation resources you need for you. "
Tian Xingzi immediately put forward conditions, which were quite generous. Li Yan could obtain all the cultivation resources he would often use in the future for free.
Li Yan listened silently. When he heard the second half of Tian Xingzi's words, his heart moved, but he remained expressionless.
He seemed to think about it for a while before speaking slowly.
"I have said before that I have a master who is away. Because of this matter, I may not be able to stay in the sect for a long time in the future."
After hearing this, Tian Xingzi's smile became even more pronounced.
"If it's for this matter, then there's nothing to worry about. Brother Zhang, just do as you please. We can even get information about your master for you.
If we need to take action, as long as the other party is not a first-rate sect or above, it is not impossible. After all, we will be a family by then. " Xing Ming also echoed at the same time.
"As a sect elder, there is no need for you to stay in the sect all the time. It is common for you to be in seclusion or travel outside. As long as there is nothing major happening in the sect, it will not alarm the elders."
He also had his own speculations and answers about his uncle's attitude.
"This Zhang Ming was a foundation-building cultivator before. If I can find his master, I will have two golden elixirs to help me in 'Falling Star Valley'.
By then, no matter whether his master agrees or not, he will also become an elder of the sect. As long as Zhang Ming is here, if something really happens, can he not take action? ? "
This deal was reasonable no matter how Starmoth looked at it. Tianxingzi saw through this immediately when Zhang Ming brought up the matter of his master, and even promised to help him make the deal.
But he did not take on too much responsibility. If the opponent was too strong, they would definitely choose to watch. However, the more they did so, the more sincere they appeared. Monks were good at protecting themselves.
Li Yan's face was uncertain for a moment, and he still did not agree immediately.
"Fellow Daoist Zhang, do you want to join a first-class sect now that you have been promoted? If that is the case, you are wrong.
Although Jindan cultivators are very powerful, first-rate sects still adopt a wait-and-see attitude towards Jindan cultivators in the early stages.
Some cultivation resources may not be more than what we give, and they don’t know each other as well as we do! "
Tian Xingzi took advantage of the situation and said this. Li Yan hesitated for a moment this time and spoke immediately.
"That's it. If I need to go out for a long time to look for my master in the future, then I can only be regarded as a figurehead."
“Haha, Elder Zhang, there is no need to emphasize this matter. Everything is based on Elder Zhang’s wishes.
I still say the same thing, if you need to use the sect's resources, you only need to tell Xing Ming, and he will arrange everything first!"
Tian Xingzi's young face was already smiling brightly, and he changed his words from "Daoyou Zhang" to "Elder Zhang". Xing Ming also put on a kind smile, and then he said.
"Uncle Master, you can continue to retreat, and I will take care of the rest.
Elder Zhang still needs to stabilize his realm, but now he can distribute his name cards and invite fellow Taoists. I think we should hold a grand ceremony for Elder Zhang in March..."
But before he could finish his words, Li Yan gently waved his hand.
"My two fellow Taoists, there is no need for this. Zhang does not like to socialize with others. I think it is enough to just announce it to the public. I will participate in the sect's ritual of offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, but everything should be kept simple."
"this… "
Xing Ming and Tian Xingzi immediately looked at each other. They had inquired about Zhang Ming's information before and knew that this person lived in seclusion and almost never contacted outsiders, but that was to avoid being seen by others.
But now that the two sides have known each other to this point, the other party is still unwilling to interact with others.
"This person is a true ascetic."
Both of them had such thoughts in their minds, but how could they be willing to carry out such a big event rashly
They want to take this opportunity to publicize this matter, so that it will be more conducive to the publicity of "Falling Star Valley".
So after the two's constant persuasion, Li Yan finally had to take a step back. He also understood that his joining the "Falling Star Valley" must be publicized with great fanfare.
But he had no choice but to agree that except for showing up during the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, he would not appear in the future, and all other matters would be controlled by the Star Moth.
Xing Ming tried to persuade him a few more times, but seeing that Zhang Ming just smiled and said nothing, he had to give up.
At that moment, Tian Xingzi bowed to Li Yan, said goodbye, and left. Now that the matter here was settled, he could focus more on retreat and recuperating.
However, Xingming personally led Li Yan to fly deeper into the "Falling Star Valley".
“Junior Brother Zhang, although there are still many courtyards in the area where the core disciples are located, and the spiritual energy is quite good, you naturally cannot live here with your current status.
The courtyards here are only a hundred miles apart, and it is inconvenient for you to go in and out on a daily basis, so you need to move to another place with a more suitable environment..."
Xingming said with a smile as he led Li Yan forward.
However, at this time, he didn't even call him "Elder Zhang" anymore, but called him "Junior Brother Zhang" all the time, appearing to be even more intimate with him, as if the incident of plundering the "Energy of Robbery" before had never happened.
Li Yan also smiled and whispered to him all the way. They flew for more than a thousand miles.
It was Xingming who did most of the talking along the way, but intentionally or unintentionally, he was still trying to find out more about Li Yan.
With Li Yan's scheming, even though he didn't live to the level of an old demon like Xingming, it would be extremely difficult to get any information out of him.
Seeing that Li Yan was a very secretive person and that not a single detail of his background was revealed, Xing Ming finally stopped and did not dwell on it, lest the other party feel disgusted.
He began to tell Li Yan about some major events that had happened recently in the world of immortal cultivation. Li Yan, who had been in seclusion for twenty years, was very happy to listen to it, and he asked about some things in a low voice from time to time.
Xing Ming answered every question Li Yan asked, and for a moment, the two seemed to be in great harmony.
As the Star Moth fell, Li Yan found that they were standing at the entrance of a valley.
"This is an inner valley within an inner valley, called 'Starry Cave'. No one has lived here for over a hundred years, but deacons and disciples often come to clean it, and all the necessary services are available inside..."
After sending the star moth away, Li Yan opened the forbidden formation outside the valley and walked inside along a stone path with maple trees on both sides.
It is summer now. As we walk along the path, the emerald green maple leaves sway in the wind, and there is a unique charm when we walk on the path in the woods.