Volume 1, Chapter 113 – The Three Gather Together

The group moved swiftly across the charred, shattered earth.

Liu Ruyan led the way like a beacon, clearly guiding her fellow disciples through the secret realm.

Although color had returned to her face, a closer look revealed a faint trace of exhaustion still lingering deep in her eyes.

Samsara Draw was undeniably formidable. It had instantly replenished the power she had expended and even enabled her to break through.

But she knew full well that unless the situation was desperate, she should avoid using it. Otherwise, she risked becoming a demonic cultivator condemned by all.

Once they returned, she would have to report everything that had happened today to Master and let her decide how to proceed.

Ye Ling’er followed half a step behind, stealing occasional glances at her senior sister’s profile.

Her lingering fear had completely subsided, replaced by deep admiration and a trace of… longing that even she herself had yet to fully recognize.

To protect them, Second Senior Sister had used a divine ability that could draw condemnation without the slightest hesitation. Such courage and decisiveness filled Ye Ling’er with heartfelt admiration.

“Senior Sister,”

Ye Ling’er said softly,

“are you… really all right?”

Liu Ruyan turned and gave her a gentle smile.

“I’m fine. What about you? Does your wound still hurt?”

“Not anymore. Your spiritual power is very special, Senior Sister.”

Ye Ling’er shook her head and instinctively touched the wound beneath her ribs, which had already stopped bleeding and scabbed over.

Liu Ruyan nodded and turned her gaze to the distance again.

“Gu Luoli and the others are less than thirty li away. And… they seem to have run into some trouble.”

“Trouble?”

Ye Ling’er’s expression sharpened.

“Senior Sister, then let’s hurry!”

“All right.”

Liu Ruyan said no more. Spiritual power surged around her as she picked up her pace again.

Seeing this, the disciples behind her gritted their teeth and hurried to keep up.

Thirty li was no more than a brief journey for them.

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When Liu Ruyan and the others emerged from a canyon, the scene ahead sprang into view.

An even broader charred plain stretched before them, with a ruined palace standing at its center!

No one knew how many years the palace had endured. Its walls were mottled and covered in blackened patterns, and more than half the structure had already collapsed.

Even so, the surviving sections still radiated a deeply unsettling aura.

Even more striking was the fierce melee raging around the palace!

Over a hundred figures were locked in battle. Flashes of colliding spiritual power exploded without pause as roars and screams rang out one after another.

The combatants were clearly divided into several factions, each attacking the others. The object of their struggle appeared to be the entrance to the ruined palace!

At the edge of the chaotic battlefield, a group of around thirty people was fending off attacks while slowly advancing toward the palace entrance.

The person leading them was none other than Gu Luoli!

Behind her were Zhang Cheng, Liu Yuan, and Sun Qiao, along with more than twenty other disciples of Yaochi Immortal Palace whose cultivation levels varied widely.

Three main factions were besieging them.

The first consisted of over thirty black-robed disciples of the Xuanming Sect, led by someone whose cultivation had already reached late-stage Golden Core.

The second was an alliance of more than thirty independent cultivators. Their clothing was an eclectic mix, but every one of them had a vicious look in their eyes.

The final faction consisted of more than twenty disciples from Ten Thousand Poisons Ridge.

The three factions seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement to join forces against Gu Luoli’s group.

“Senior Sister Gu! The entrance is right ahead! Once we get inside, they won’t be able to do anything to us!”

Zhang Cheng knocked aside an attack with his sword and shouted.

Gu Luoli forced the late-stage Golden Core cultivator from the Xuanming Sect back with a single strike and gave a slight nod.

Her double pupils swept across the battlefield, taking in the situation at a glance.

Although their side numbered more than twenty, their overall cultivation was relatively low. Most were only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and after days of travel and fighting, they were in poor condition.

The three opposing factions had joined forces and outnumbered them several times over, with far more high-level combatants. If the battle dragged on, their casualties would only continue to mount.

They might be able to shake off their pursuers by charging into the palace and using the terrain to their advantage, but they had no idea what awaited them inside. They could just as easily find themselves in even greater danger.

Just as she weighed the risks against the benefits…

“Third Junior Sister!”

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A clear voice rang out from the flank of the battlefield!

The group led by Liu Ruyan plunged into the battlefield like a sword, instantly tearing open a corner of the encirclement!

“Senior Sister Liu!”

“It’s Senior Sister Liu, Senior Sister Ye, and the others!”

The disciples of Yaochi Immortal Palace were instantly reinvigorated and burst into cheers.

The disciples of Yaochi Immortal Palace were instantly reinvigorated and burst into cheers.

A smile appeared on Gu Luoli’s face. Light flashed across the Dragon Abyss Sword in her hand, and her swordplay abruptly turned even fiercer.

The two Golden Core cultivators before her were driven back again and again.

Liu Ruyan’s figure flickered, and in an instant, she appeared beside Gu Luoli. The two stood back-to-back.

“Are you all right?”

Liu Ruyan asked quickly. Her gaze swept over Gu Luoli, and when she saw that Gu Luoli’s aura was steady and she had suffered no injuries, a weight lifted from her heart.

“I’m fine.”

Gu Luoli answered tersely. Her gaze swept over Liu Ruyan, then paused.

“Second Senior Sister, you broke through?”

Liu Ruyan gave a wry smile and recounted through voice transmission how Huo Wushuang and the others had surrounded and attacked them earlier.

After hearing the story, Gu Luoli asked no further questions.

“Let’s deal with the trouble in front of us first.”

Their exchange took no more than an instant.

With the arrival of Liu Ruyan’s group, the tide of battle immediately turned!

Yaochi Immortal Palace’s forces now numbered more than forty, with the three personal disciples Liu Ruyan, Gu Luoli, and Ye Ling’er at their core.

The Xuanming Sect, Ten Thousand Poisons Ridge, and the independent cultivator alliance might have had more than a hundred people between them, including plenty of high-level combatants.

But against the extraordinary combat strength of Liu Ruyan, Gu Luoli, and Ye Ling’er, along with the other disciples of Yaochi Immortal Palace, their superior numbers no longer gave them an advantage.

“Yaochi Immortal Palace… has more people coming?”

The Golden Core cultivator from the Xuanming Sect watched Liu Ruyan and Ye Ling’er carve through the crowd, his expression dark.

“Fellow Daoist, this isn’t looking good. Why don’t we withdraw for now?”

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A Golden Core cultivator from the independent cultivator alliance spoke in a low voice.

Their alliance had only ever been temporary. Now that they had run into a force they could not overcome, they naturally had no desire to risk their lives.

The Xuanming Sect cultivator’s eyes flickered. He glanced at the entrance to the ruined palace nearby, then at the disciples of Yaochi Immortal Palace. Finally, he gritted his teeth.

“Let’s go!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he swept out a hand and unleashed several attacks.

At the same time, he retreated rapidly, leading the remaining Xuanming Sect disciples away from the battlefield and fleeing into the distance.

Seeing this, the independent cultivator alliance did not hesitate either. Its members scattered in every direction.

In the blink of an eye, only the people from Yaochi Immortal Palace remained on the battlefield that had been so fierce and chaotic moments before.

“We won!”

“Hahaha! They ran away!”

The disciples erupted in cheers at having survived the ordeal. Many collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.

The relentless high-intensity fighting and constant mental strain had already pushed them close to their limits.

Liu Ruyan and Gu Luoli did not lower their guard. They spread out their divine senses, and only after confirming that the area was safe did they slowly breathe a sigh of relief.

“Take a head count, tend to the wounded, and rest here for two hours.”

Gu Luoli issued the order.

“Yes!”

Everyone quickly got to work. Those with minor injuries bandaged one another, while the severely wounded took medicinal pills and circulated their spiritual power to recover.

Liu Ruyan walked over to Gu Luoli, and the two stood side by side, looking at the ruined palace close at hand.

The palace entrance was an enormous archway, half of which had collapsed. Beyond it lay nothing but darkness.

A faint aura of Dao laws, even more ancient and fragmented than those outside, seeped from within, mingled with an indescribable chill.

“This palace… gives me a very bad feeling.”

Liu Ruyan frowned slightly.

Gu Luoli stared at the entrance with her double pupils and slowly said,

“This should be one of the core areas of the secret realm. It may have something to do with Venerable Tianqiong.”

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“There will certainly be danger, but opportunities may also lie within.”

She paused, then turned to Liu Ruyan.

“Second Senior Sister, how are you feeling? What you mentioned in your voice transmission just now… could there be any lingering consequences?”

Liu Ruyan shook her head.

“I’m fine, just a little tired. I need some rest.”

“Master once said this divine ability shouldn’t be used too often. I know my limits.”

“That’s good.”

Gu Luoli nodded.

“In two hours, I’ll lead a group inside to investigate.”

“You and Fourth Junior Sister can remain outside with the more seriously injured junior brothers and sisters to provide support. How does that sound?”

Liu Ruyan considered the proposal briefly and knew it was the safest arrangement.

She had only just broken through and had also forcibly used a forbidden technique. She truly needed time to regulate her condition.

“All right. Be careful in there. If anything seems wrong, send a signal immediately.”

“Mm.”

Two hours soon passed.

Under Gu Luoli’s lead, twenty disciples whose injuries were relatively minor and whose condition was comparatively good formed a battle formation and cautiously approached the entrance to the ruined palace.

Liu Ruyan and Ye Ling’er remained outside with the other twenty-odd disciples to rest and recover.

As she watched Gu Luoli and the others disappear into the darkness beyond the entrance, Ye Ling’er could not help asking,

“Second Senior Sister, Third Senior Sister and the others… will they be all right?”

Liu Ruyan gazed at the dark, cavernous entrance, a trace of gravity in her gentle eyes.

“Trust Gu Luoli.”

“Besides, we’re right outside and can support them at any time.”

At her words, Ye Ling’er softly murmured her assent, but her gaze remained fixed on the entrance.

Time trickled by amid the silent, tense wait.