Five Immortal Sects
Chapter 153: A Mighty Presence

A wave of dizziness swept over Li Yan, as if shattered and distorted images flickered rapidly before his eyes, a chaotic kaleidoscope of light and wonder.

This process felt both incredibly long and incredibly short. The flashing images made him dizzy and nauseous, leaving him in a trance. Just as he instinctively closed his eyes,

"Thump!"

With a dull thud, his body landed somewhere. Li Yan felt a soft impact beneath him and no pain.

Li Yan suppressed the nausea in his chest, barely opening his eyes as he propped himself up with his hands.

His vision was met with a golden-yellow mist, completely obscuring his surroundings. Li Yan immediately held his breath. After circulating his spiritual power for several breaths, he felt his chest clear considerably.

He hastily extended his divine sense to survey the environment, and then, his face took on a truly remarkable expression.

Before him was a expanse of golden-yellow gas, an etheric spiritual qi so dense it was almost tangible, a pure earth-attribute spiritual qi without the slightest impurity, as if one could grasp it in their palm.

For spiritual qi to be this dense, Li Yan was utterly astonished. Could this be a prime spiritual vein?

He slowly rose from the ground but remained still. His divine sense passed through this spiritual qi, perceiving only its viscous density, and found nothing amiss.

As his divine sense moved forward, it "saw" a wall. A moment later, Li Yan withdrew his scattered divine sense, his expression turning solemn.

He seemed to be in a sealed room, approximately twenty zhang in space, with cold, unfeeling walls and no doors or windows.

"No doors or windows at all. How did I get in? Are there restrictions obscuring the openings?"

Just as Li Yan was pondering, a sudden, ancient voice resonated through the space!

"Young fellow, no need to search. With your current cultivation, even if the exit were placed before you, you would not be able to find it."

The voice came abruptly and was as resonant as a great bell. Li Yan's body trembled violently, but he remained rooted, making no move.

The other party could easily transport him here, and he was still alive, indicating that he wouldn't be immediately killed. But who was this person, and why had he brought him here?

Seeing Li Yan staring motionlessly ahead, his gaze relatively calm, the ancient voice spoke again.

"Young fellow, your composure is decent! But you needn't worry. I sensed a familiar aura from you. Don't you feel the same way? Whether it's the secret realm or the Wheel of Life and Death, do you have a familiar feeling?"

Li Yan still didn't speak, standing there as if pondering or simply silent. He naturally knew what the other party was referring to, but given his caution, he couldn't easily speak.

Dong Fuyi had repeatedly emphasized the importance of the Five Immortals Sect; since ancient times, countless individuals had coveted their cultivation methods. In this unclear situation, he waited for the other party to speak, to reveal more, so he could find some clues.

At the same time, Li Yan's divine sense stealthily probed the surroundings. Even with the voice speaking, he couldn't pinpoint the other party's location. It was as if this person was omnipresent, their voice coming from all directions, causing his heart to waver.

"Hehehe… Young fellow, you have quite the deep mind. My awakening is due to your appearance. I have been here for endless ages, perhaps hundreds of thousands of years, perhaps millions, or more.

I fell into a deep slumber long ago. It is only your arrival that has made me sense the aura of the Guishui Immortal Sect."

The ancient voice slowly spoke, seemingly seeing through Li Yan's thoughts.

"Is this the Jitu Immortal Sect of the mortal realm?"

Upon hearing the other party mention the Guishui Immortal Sect, Li Yan knew his origins had been seen through. His thoughts raced, and he immediately countered with a question based on his earlier speculation.

After Li Yan asked this, the ancient voice fell silent for a long time before slowly replying.

"Yes, and no! We'll discuss that later. What is your name, and where is the Black Water Immortal Monarch now?"

Li Yan was stunned. Although he couldn't see the other party, his expression was immediately perceived.

"What? You don't know the Black Water Immortal Monarch? Did I mistake you, are you not cultivating the Guishui True Scripture?"

As the ancient voice sounded, a wave of divine sense like a surging tide swept towards Li Yan, causing him to tremble all over. Li Yan could even sense that killing intent was rising within this divine sense.

Li Yan's heart tightened, but hearing the mention of the Guishui True Scripture, combined with his previous conjectures, he already had some information.

The moment the other party's divine sense reached his body, like a ten-thousand-ton mountain pressing down, Li Yan desperately circulated all his spiritual power and managed to speak.

"Senior, I simply don't know who the Black Water Immortal Monarch is."

But that powerful divine sense paid no heed. The moment it touched his body, it permeated straight through, directly entering Li Yan's body. Li Yan could not muster even a shred of resistance.

In just a few breaths, that incredibly sharp divine sense receded like an ebbing tide, disappearing instantly. The mountain-like pressure on Li Yan vanished without a trace. In those few breaths, Li Yan was soaked in sweat, as if drenched in water.

"The five spiritual power vessels within your body are indeed condensed by the Guishui True Scripture. Even with the passage of time, whether the Black Water Immortal Monarch ascended or achieved Tribulation Transcendence, how could you not know the successive elders of the sect?"

Just as Li Yan felt his body lighten, the golden-yellow spiritual qi before him surged violently. In an instant, it transformed into a gigantic face of a middle-aged man, with dazzling golden rays emanating from his eyes, staring fixedly at Li Yan, though his voice remained incredibly ancient.

"From where did you obtain the cultivation method for the Guishui True Scripture?"

Golden light flickered in the pupils of the colossal middle-aged face. Li Yan's consciousness immediately gave way, his mind losing all awareness in an instant.

"Bestowed by Dong Fuyi!" Li Yan said with a somewhat dull expression.

"Dong Fuyi? So it's Dong Fuyi. Is the Black Water True Monarch still in the sect now?"

The golden light in the colossal middle-aged face also condensed after hearing Li Yan's words.

"I only encountered a wisp of Dong Fuyi's divine intent. He only found me a few years ago and imparted the Guishui True Scripture to me. He did not mention the Black Water Immortal Monarch."

Li Yan said woodenly.

"So the Guishui Immortal Sect also came to the mortal realm to seek disciples…"

The colossal middle-aged face nodded, and the golden light flickering in its eyes slowly faded.

Li Yan's mind instantly cleared, and he couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. He clearly remembered everything he had just said, but it wasn't of his own volition, as if an irresistible force had compelled him.

"What kind of divine ability is this? Just a phantom face and it seized my mind. Truly terrifying! If he wanted to kill me, a single thought would suffice."

Thinking of this, the slight arrogance Li Yan had recently developed due to his continuous rise in strength immediately vanished. Cold sweat seeped from his back.

"Recently, due to the secret realm, my cultivation speed has been unexpectedly fast, and my mental state has become unstable. This level of cultivation is utterly worthless before this person. Whatever he commands, I can only obey…"

A sense of unwillingness rose in Li Yan's heart, yet it only strengthened his resolve to cultivate diligently.

"Senior knows Sect Master Dong Fuyi?"

Li Yan collected his thoughts. The phantom giant face must know Dong Fuyi, so he quickly pressed the question.

"Dong Fuyi is the Sect Master? Then, has the Black Water True Monarch already…"

The first half of the colossal middle-aged face's sentence was a query to Li Yan, but the latter half seemed to be speaking to itself. Then, its gaze returned to Li Yan's face.

Upon hearing Li Yan mention Dong Fuyi, the colossal middle-aged face had already confirmed Li Yan's identity. Five Immortals Sect cultivators were rare, and the sect itself was exceptionally mysterious. When they ventured out, they never revealed their true names, and outsiders rarely knew their identities.

Moreover, Li Yan's physique was not what the Five Immortals Sect sought, yet he coincidentally obtained the Guishui True Scripture. All of this could not simply be a coincidence.

Seeing the other party staring at him, Li Yan scratched his head and roughly recounted how Dong Fuyi had found him.

"So Dong Fuyi has already become the Sect Master, and he also came to the lower realm for the sake of finding successors… Hehehe, Five Immortals Sect!"

After hearing Li Yan's words, the colossal middle-aged face fell silent, the golden-yellow light in its eyes dimming somewhat, as if lost in thought. The space immediately became quiet.

Seeing this, Li Yan dared not disturb it.

After waiting for a while, the other party remained still. Finally, Li Yan simply sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate. He naturally wouldn't miss such dense spiritual qi, and although it wasn't the water-attribute spiritual qi most suitable for him, he could simply convert it.

Time thus passed. After an unknown period, just as Li Yan felt his spiritual power within his body brimming, and even the barrier of the early tenth level Qi Condensation showed signs of loosening, the ancient voice sounded again.

"Young fellow, cultivate later. There will be benefits for you subsequently."

Li Yan was immediately startled awake from his cultivation, somewhat reluctantly opening his eyes. He believed that with the purity of the spiritual qi here, given just one more hour, he could surely break through to the mid-tenth level Qi Condensation. However, he clearly wasn't in a position to decide here.

"What is your name?"

The colossal phantom face in the air asked again, its voice carrying an irresistible majesty.

Li Yan was now fully awake. He suddenly remembered his Sixth Senior Sister Gong Chenying outside, wondering what her situation was.

"This junior is Li Yan. Senior, there is something I do not know if Senior is aware of."

"You wish to ask about your fellow disciples? Their casualties are not small, but the three Foundation Establishment cultivators are still alive. This Wraith Sect is quite good. You joined it for cultivation resources, I presume?"

The colossal phantom face now seemed to bear a faint, unreadable smile in Li Yan's eyes.

Li Yan's heart eased upon hearing that the three Foundation Establishment cultivators were still alive, but at the same time, he inwardly scoffed at the latter half of the colossal middle-aged face's statement.

"Dong Fuyi indeed wanted me to join a cultivation sect to obtain resources, but I was actually captured to be a disciple!"

Just then, the golden-yellow spiritual qi before Li Yan surged violently, and a middle-aged man appeared before Li Yan. This man had an ancient appearance, possessing an indescribable sense of antiquity and weathered experience.

"Li Yan, your arrival here is also a great fortuitous encounter for you. The Five Immortals Sect is inherently ethereal and mysterious, and it is heaven's will that its various branches can meet. Today, I shall bestow upon you a great blessing."

...