When Shi Xuan heard him say this, his first reaction was that there were quite a few emerging forces in the outer regions.
The place she found Qiu Chang'an at, which she then destroyed, was also an experimental base for [Newborn].
Yan Lingyi continued, "I met some 'newcomers' there. I was lured by them, wanting to gain more power, so..."
He paused there, but Shi Xuan knew that what he wanted to say was, "So, eat their Cixi Fruit."
"At the time, I didn't know it was the Fruit of Compassion. They only said that they had a method to increase power without any hidden dangers..."
"How did you realize something was wrong?" Shi Xuan asked.
"I ate the fruit they gave me, and sure enough, I felt my strength increase rapidly. So I settled down on that floating island. Later, they would tell me about the savior god every day. I didn't really want to hear these things, but the rapid increase in my power made me reluctant to leave."
"I ended up living on that floating island, so much so that I missed the opening of the Nine-Story Tower. By then, I was completely captivated by the power that could be gained so quickly. I agreed to everything they said."
If he had stayed there to cultivate, it certainly wouldn't have been something that could be achieved in just a few days or months.
"How long have you stayed here?" Shi Xuan asked.
Yan Lingyi paused for a moment before replying, "Six years."
Shi Xuan raised an eyebrow in surprise. Six years? That means he's only been out for a short time.
"Where did you transform into a spirit?"
Yan Lingyi nodded.
"They kept talking to me about the savior god, saying that the savior god gave us power, but I always brushed them off and didn't take it to heart. It wasn't until I became a god and wanted to leave that floating island that I found it was impossible."
"Is it a high-level cultivator blocking the way? Or is it an array?"
Yan Lingyi was somewhat surprised to hear Shi Xuan ask this question, as Shi Xuan seemed to have already expected it.
“It’s a formation. They won’t let me out and make me swear an oath of allegiance to the savior of the New Life. If I really join their organization, I’m afraid I’ll never be able to escape. So I refuse to swear this oath.”
"How many fruits did you eat?" Shi Xuan asked.
"One a year, I ate six in total."
Six fruits allowed him to advance directly from the early Nascent Soul stage to the Deity stage; such a temptation is irresistible even to ordinary cultivators.
However, this is only possible with Yan Lingyi; most people couldn't achieve such results.
This is probably why they approached Yan Lingyi.
Shi Xuan laughed and said, "This deal is quite suitable. If you give in, their organization will gain another general with exceptional talent. If you don't comply, they can also recycle you and feed you back to the Cixi Tree?"
Yan Lingyi was genuinely surprised this time: "How did you know... Could it be that you also..."
Shi Xuan seemed to know a lot about the [New Life] organization. She could keep talking about it after starting the conversation, and she even knew about the Cixi Tree.
He always thought that the matter of the Tree of Compassion was a great secret of the New Life.
Judging from Shi Xuan's cultivation speed, could it be that she also ate the Cixi Fruit to achieve such rapid progress?
“I don’t want to eat that kind of thing,” Shi Xuan replied immediately.
Yan Lingyi could tell from Shi Xuan's reaction that she had never eaten the Cixi Fruit before. After receiving confirmation again, he couldn't quite describe how he felt.
From childhood to adulthood, he had always been the one with the best physique and unparalleled talent in cultivation. He was always the best, until he met Shi Xuan.
Now, the comparison is even clearer: he has become a god through the evil Cixi Fruit in recent years, while Shi Xuan has far surpassed him by virtue of his own strength.
Even with this method, he still couldn't catch up with Shi Xuan, which shows how big the gap was between the two of them.
Shi Xuan... how did she do that...?
"Lingyi!" Just as Yan Lingyi was getting stuck in a rut, the Great Prophet suddenly called his name.
This child is ultimately lacking in character; he can only be a leader in favorable circumstances, but he cannot adapt to any adversity.
He was easily influenced by Shi Xuan after meeting him, and fell into self-doubt.
The sect's masters placed too much emphasis on his cultivation aptitude, neglecting the tempering of his character, which is truly a pity.
Shi Xuan couldn't empathize with his thoughts. "So, when you were almost taken to be used as fertilizer, your great prophet came to your rescue?"
Yan Lingyi seemed somewhat embarrassed; the trouble he caused ultimately resulted in the Great Prophet bearing the consequences.
This made him feel utterly worthless.
Shi Xuan did not know the Great Prophet's cultivation level, but although she was injured, the aura she exuded was not to be underestimated.
Shi Xuan guessed that she should be a major cultivator during the integration period.
The fact that a cultivator at the Integration Stage could suffer such severe injuries while trying to rescue his own disciple shows that the newcomer's strength is indeed formidable.
"Where were you to be fed from the Nurturing Tree?" Shi Xuan asked.
"It is located underground in a valley west of the Luoyin Sect in the western border of Qianyuan."
When Yan Lingyi got to this point, Shi Xuan suddenly realized that the place he was referring to was the location where she had caught Zeng Mo.
Zeng Mo was unaware that there was another underground palace there...
"Then how did you get here?"
Yan Lingyi paused, seemingly reluctant to speak, but finally said, "This place was searched a while ago, so it's safer here."
Shi Xuan immediately understood that they were hiding from the pursuit of the [New Life].
The great prophet is now seriously injured and probably wants to recover his strength before leaving. Unexpectedly, Shi Xuan found him here.
She was hiding in the building that had just collapsed, which explains why Yan Lingyi was so nervous.
Shi Xuan looked at Yan Lingyi and asked, "What else do you know?"
Yan Lingyi shook his head: "At that time, I was very cooperative before I reached the Nascent Soul stage. They thought I had already submitted and didn't speak behind my back. I heard that Cixi Fruit is a bit nervous now because two Cixi trees have been damaged and only one is left."
Coincidentally, Shi Xuan and his group had indeed uprooted two Cixi Trees. If Yan Lingyi's statement was correct, then their last remaining tree was near the Luoyin Sect. Shi Xuan planned to return from there and asked the sect leader to lead people to destroy their last tree.
However, Yan Lingyi's understanding of their situation was too simplistic.
Just then, another group of cultivators entered the secret realm.
As soon as they entered, Shi Xuan sensed that something was wrong.
There were still three people, but their cultivation levels were all very high. If they were here for training, there was no need for them to come to such a trivial Crescent Moon Secret Realm.
Sure enough, after noticing the arrival of the newcomers, the three people approached Shi Xuan and the others and came to their side in less than two breaths.
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