"Martial Uncle, are you saying you don't want us to accompany you into the valley?"
A flicker of astonishment crossed the middle-aged Devil Race cultivator's face. One had to know that by volunteering themselves, they were taking an enormous risk. Logically speaking, Lin Xuan had no reason to refuse.
Why?
Aside from bewilderment, there was only more bewilderment. As for Lin Xuan saying he had means to protect himself, the man greatly disagreed. True, Martial Uncle Lin's divine abilities were no small matter and far surpassed many others of the same rank.
But so what? Breaking through a bottleneck was completely different from fighting spells in ordinary times. At that moment, all one's mind, spirit, and magic power would sink into the dantian.
To put it jokingly, a cultivator at such a time—forget someone who could move mountains and overturn seas—if even a mortal came by under a twist of fate, they might be made to suffer cultivation deviation.
Yet Lin Xuan's voice entered their ears, carrying a tone of certainty. "Correct. The few of you will remain within the sect. There is no need to follow me into the valley. You only need to tell me the location of Spirit Source Valley."
"But..."
"Martial Uncle, please think it over again. Alone, with no one to protect you, if someone really barges in at the crucial moment..."
"I understand your goodwill," Lin Xuan said, "but forgive me for being blunt. If there truly are outside enemies, would the few of you be able to help?"
Since matters had come to this point, Lin Xuan simply opened the skylight and spoke plainly. "Don't blame me for being direct. Given the situation in Spirit Source Valley, the cultivation of the few of you is still far too shallow. If you truly encounter