At the same time, the cultivators from Pure Land Sect, Grand Profound Sect, and Ten-Step Court all had expressions that turned extremely ugly, especially some of the Core Formation elders.

While some disciples hadn’t noticed the problem earlier, the Core Formation elders and those with keen observation had already discovered the difference—these two teams of demon cultivators had been transmitted out in a way that was different from before.

Previously, Li Yan and his group had emerged through bubble transmission, but just now the demon cultivators had appeared within a cluster of five-colored radiance. Perhaps because the five-colored radiance had appeared so suddenly, some people had focused only on seeing who had come out, forgetting about the manner in which Li Yan’s group had emerged.

Just then, another dazzling cluster of five-colored light blazed up from the spherical mountain peak. When the radiance gradually faded, it revealed over a dozen figures within, led by a yellow-haired burly man.

His face bore a joyful expression as he looked around, immediately taking in the surrounding situation. He couldn’t help but burst into wild laughter, releasing his flying artifact. Without a moment’s hesitation, he swept up the people behind him and, with a whistling sound, flew directly toward the mountain peak where Wraith Sect stood.

“It’s Gan Shi from Wraith Sect. Looking at that face full of joy, it seems he gained quite a few benefits!”

“Another five-colored radiance… no longer the previous bubble transmission. This… this should be one of the top three teams. But if we follow what Jin Chuiyan said earlier, could it be that Wraith Sect actually obtained two rankings?”

“It’s Senior Uncle Gan and his group. How are Mei Bucai and Cheng Jingnian with this team coming out together?”

After many Wraith Sect cultivators saw clearly who was in the five-colored radiance, quite a few showed puzzled expressions. Some looked toward Gong Chenying, who was standing not far from Elder Peng.

“Mei Bucai and the others are indeed still alive!”

When Gong Chenying saw Mei Bucai’s group of six, as well as the spirit storage pouch hanging at his waist, her pretty face revealed a smile. Li Yan also felt his heart ease—he had been concerned about these companions with whom he had faced life and death together.

However, when seeing Mei Bucai’s group of six, his heart inevitably felt a trace of sorrow. Although he had learned early on from Gong Chenying that only fourteen people remained from their team, when these people truly appeared in his sight, he felt that many familiar figures were suddenly missing.

One by one, those who had been on good or bad terms with him, but had all fought alongside him as comrades—some lay in Gong Chenying’s storage pouch, while others hadn’t even left a trace of their existence in this world.

Just as Gan Shi came whistling over, another cluster of five-colored radiance blazed up from the spherical mountain peak, immediately causing Gan Shi’s group to lose attention as all gazes turned toward that area. This made Gan Shi, who had been quite enjoying the attention, look back and mutter something.

“That fellow Baili, you could have waited for me to report to the elders before coming out.”

Under everyone’s focused gaze, the radiance dispersed, revealing Baili Yuan leading over Read on Jormuntl a dozen people. After he saw clearly where he was, he waved his sleeve, and an ancient scroll floated in mid-air, then expanded to over ten zhang in size.

Baili Yuan stepped onto it, followed closely by the dozen or so Qi Condensation disciples behind him. Only after all the disciples had climbed on did Baili Yuan unhurriedly urge the scroll beneath his feet and fly toward the mountain peak where Wraith Sect was located.

“Amitabha!”

Master Yisong of Pure Land Sect—that Buddha with a burly build and ruddy complexion who had been sitting in meditation with closed eyes from the beginning—suddenly sprang up from the rock at this moment.

As his eyes opened and closed, brilliant light flashed forth as he stared unblinkingly at the five-colored radiance slowly dispersing above the spherical mountain peak.

Ten-Step Court, Grand Profound Sect, and the demon cultivators also fixed their gazes deadly on the spherical mountain peak, hoping for radiance to appear once more. For a moment, this place became surprisingly quiet.

It wasn’t until Gan Shi and Baili Yuan had respectively landed on Wraith Sect’s mountain peak that the central spherical mountain peak showed no further activity.

Qiu Jiuzhen’s pretty face grew paler and paler, her delicate body trembling continuously. Gradually, despair appeared in her eyes, and finally she stared viciously toward Ten-Step Court’s direction, where a person lay flat at the feet of Sword King.

As soon as Mei Bucai’s group landed, they searched everywhere for Gong Chenying, immediately spotting her in the [unauthorized copy]crowd ahead along with Li Yan beside her. The six couldn’t help but show excited expressions as they hurried over.

This scene fell into Wang Tian and the others’ eyes, inevitably revealing surprise. For a moment, they truly didn’t know why Mei Bucai and the others would appear in Gan Shi’s team.

Mei Bucai, despite his fat build, was not slow at all. He had already passed Gan Shi and rushed directly toward Gong Chenying, leaving Gan Shi—who had been walking in front enjoying everyone’s attention and striding heroically toward Elder Peng—completely stunned.

Then, seeing it was Mei Bucai’s group of six, he couldn’t help but be startled, followed by angry muttering under his breath.

“A bunch of ungrateful things. It was this old man who brought you out.”

Then he looked toward Gong Chenying and Li Yan, his face also revealing a thick smile. Behind him, Rui Feikai, Dai Jing, and Zhu Gaotai also saw Li Yan and, after apologizing to Gan Shi, also walked quickly toward Li Yan’s direction, leaving Gan Shi quite depressed as he had to walk alone toward Elder Peng.

This behavior had already surprised the other Wraith Sect cultivators greatly. Even those Core Formation elders looked toward Gong Chenying’s side with great interest.

“It seems Gong Chenying and Li Yan spoke truly. Mei Bucai and the others’ expressions cannot be faked. Even those few people that Gan Shi brought also look very excited. They must all be rushing toward Li Yan.”

Elder Yi’s usually stern face revealed a faint smile, and the others nodded in agreement.

Mei Bucai’s group came with great speed, arriving before Gong Chenying in the blink of an eye. Under the surprised or suspicious gazes of Li Wuyi, Wang Tian, the Chu Brothers, and others.

Mei Bucai had already reached to untie the spirit storage pouch at his waist. With an excited expression, he respectfully presented the storage pouch in his hands to Gong Chenying while saying loudly:

“Disciple Mei Bucai has not failed in his mission, bringing back all the remaining junior brothers and sisters. Please inspect them, Senior Uncle Gong.”

Gong Chenying also smiled as she reached out to receive the storage pouch.

“You’ve worked hard. You few go rest.”

After speaking, her storage pouch flashed with radiance as Wu Shixi, Ding Yiwei, and six other severely injured people appeared on the ground. Looking at these eight people, Gong Chenying’s face showed a trace of sorrow. She thought of the twenty-two who had died in battle, then turned to look at Elder Peng and the others with pleading eyes.

Just as she looked over, an elder from Old Lord Peak had already stepped forward. At this time, Gan Shi, who had just walked over, also had a dim look in his eyes.

He patted his waist, and after a series of flashing lights, ten figures also immediately appeared from two storage ​noodles​pouches. Gan Shi simultaneously gave that Old Lord Peak elder a deep bow.

Then he turned to look at Li Yan, who stood to one side, respectfully cupping his fists before walking toward Elder Peng and the others again.

Mei Bucai, Cheng Jingnian, and the eight people who had emerged from the storage pouches, including Zhu Gaotai, all deeply bowed toward Li Yan.

“We pay our respects to Little Martial Uncle Li!”

Li Yan looked at these people before him and couldn’t help feeling somewhat dazed, as if he could see the scholarly Yu Yiyong again—that scholar who had brought him to Wraith Sect.

There was also Hu Ziyi, who had deep feelings for Yu Yiyong, and even Qi Busheng and Mi Yuanzhi, who had been at odds with him. In just a few days, they had become separated from him by death itself, silently and without trace. For a moment, he was filled with countless emotions.

The actions of Gan Shi, Mei Bucai, and the others fell completely into the eyes of the other Wraith Sect members in the distance. They were greatly shocked, and even Li Wuyi, Li Changting, and Zhao Min showed puzzled expressions.

They didn’t know why Mei Bucai and these people were so respectful toward Li Yan. Although Li Yan was nominally their martial uncle, everyone understood that few among the four peaks truly treated Li Yan as an elder.

Whether in terms of qualifications or cultivation level, Li Yan was far too shallow.

Especially Gan Shi’s behavior was even more puzzling. Gan Shi was such an arrogant person that among his peers, those who could make him adopt such an attitude could be counted on one hand. Only Li Wuyi, Baili Yuan, and a few others were somewhat qualified, while even Gong Chenying and Wang Tian wouldn’t receive such treatment.

Just as everyone watched with surprised and suspicious gazes, an even more shocking scene occurred—Baili Yuan had also led his group nearby.

Baili Yuan first released the severely wounded for the Core Formation elders to treat, then actually also looked toward Li Yan, cupping his hands with an extremely courteous attitude.

Behind him, a crowd of Qi Condensation disciples, like Mei Bucai’s group, also walked before Li Yan and bowed deeply.

“We pay our respects to Little Martial Uncle Li. Should Little Martial Uncle Li have any orders in the future, just send word.”

Seeing this, Li Yan realized that his temperament had become mature over these years. Facing such an unprecedented situation, he still felt somewhat flustered and said in a somewhat hurried manner:

“It’s good that you’ve returned, it’s good that you’ve returned!”

After Mei Bucai and the dozens of others finished their bows, their faces showed joy as ​unauthorized copy​they were about to speak with Li Yan in detail. However, the Old Lord Peak Core Formation elder who was crouching on the ground treating the wounded raised his head.

With a gentle wave of his hand, an invisible light barrier immediately enveloped these Qi Condensation disciples, his lips moving slightly…

After a short while, these dozens of Qi Condensation disciples showed puzzled expressions, but no one came forward to chat intimately with Li Yan anymore. However, their gazes toward Li Yan were still filled with respect.

This made Li Wuyi and the others even more curious, but that Core Formation elder swept them with his gaze, stopping them from approaching to chat with Li Yan here. They could only halt where they stood, their hearts filled with countless questions.

From the perspective of the other mountain peaks dozens of li away, these situations appeared to be nothing more than people meeting and exchanging pleasantries after surviving disaster.

That Old Lord Peak Core Formation elder, having seen Mei Bucai and the others bow without mentioning events within the Life-and-Death Wheel, had allowed them to meet with Li Yan.

If he had rigidly prevented it, it would have seemed problematic, so he let them exchange greetings.

However, when Mei Bucai and the dozens of others wanted to speak with Li Yan in detail about their separation, he immediately transmitted a silencing order. Although this command greatly puzzled these Qi Condensation disciples.

But seeing that Li Yan was unharmed, it was clear that the Core Formation elder’s action wasn’t targeting Li Yan. How could they dare to inquire further? They could only stand to one side and wait for the final outcome of this expedition.

Time passed bit by bit in this manner. Finally, discussion began to rise from each mountain peak, growing increasingly noisy.

The expressions of Pure Land Sect, Ten-Step Court, and Grand Profound Sect’s Core Formation cultivators grew increasingly grim. Finally, they all directed their gazes toward Wraith Sect, because their targeted objective had actually emerged with all three teams intact. Although some had perished, this far exceeded their plans.

After Jin Chuiyan and Wu Wu’an returned, the demon cultivator side was also called over by Yin Congfeng and several others for detailed questioning. In the end, they too looked toward Wraith Sect.

Wraith Sect’s eight Core Formation elders seemed not to see any of this, continuously whispering with Baili Yuan and Gan Shi.

The Qi Condensation disciples were finally called over by those Foundation Establishment cultivators, but what these people didn’t know was that anything related to Li Yan was glossed over vaguely by these Qi Condensation disciples.

The reason they had thanked Li Yan so gratefully earlier was because, although Li Yan’s cultivation was low, his special constitution had helped them pass trials with much fewer casualties.

Especially in the final trial, when everyone merged into one area, Senior Uncle Gong had this Little Martial Uncle Li find the other two teams. When their spirit beasts were reduced and pills insufficient, he had assisted them in formation arrangement and poison deployment.

These reasons sounded quite far-fetched. With the intelligence of Wang Tian, Li Wuyi, and others, although they felt there were major problems within, they vaguely understood this was ​stolen content​the sect leadership’s intention and dared not inquire further.

But the more it was like this, the more these Foundation Establishment cultivators felt a trace of mystery regarding Li Yan. Li Yan’s weight in their hearts imperceptibly increased, especially those who had previously looked down on Li Yan now began to regard him seriously.

(Chapter End)