Just then, Li Yan spoke again, sounding hesitant and uncertain.
"But when I finally killed that late-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator, he must have sensed the danger to his life. In that final instant, he unleashed a certain power.
"That power contained two kinds of force, one hard and one soft. Even as his spell took shape, it made my heart tremble. Yet I felt that he wasn't very proficient at using it.
"So he failed to block my fatal strike at that critical moment.
"The Chimei Envoy and I discussed it afterward. If that technique could truly be unleashed, it would be no weaker than our sect's high-level techniques.
"From that perspective, these people didn't seem like cultivators from minor realms either..."
As Li Yan spoke, he seemed to still be pondering the incident.
"Oh? Could you describe that power in detail?"
Upon hearing this, Da Cen's furrowed brows eased slightly, and he immediately fixed Li Yan with a burning gaze.
This was an excellent clue, and Li Yan and the others' analysis of their origins seemed to have some merit.
"I only sensed it for an instant. That power had barely begun to erupt before it vanished with his death!"
This time, Li Yan simply shook his head.
After a moment's thought, Da Cen asked several more questions in succession, but Li Yan remained uncertain in his answers.
"The hard and soft forces you mentioned—although they weren't unleashed, could they have been water and fire? In other words, did that person possess both water and fire spiritual roots?"
It was nothing unusual for someone to cultivate water and fire spells; other attributes could imitate them as well. But cultivators who possessed both water and fire spiritual roots were exceedingly rare.
If they investigated along those lines, they would still