Soon, Li Yan landed on the purple band of light. He took out the blue rhomboid crystal and swiftly sent his Divine Sense into it. A short while later, he raised his head. "They're at the fifth gate." With a flash of light, Li Yan shot directly toward the center of the purple band.
Gan Shi squinted, looking at the ever-increasing number of blood-red infant faces emerging from the snow. He couldn't help but sigh internally. 'If I were alone, even with such heavy injuries, I could probably hold on until the ten-li mark. But with the four behind me, I need to expend even more magical power.' At this moment, a twisting pain began in his abdomen. He knew it was a side effect of the "Aged Vigor Pill" he had taken earlier. If he didn't treat it in time, he might drop a minor realm, falling from the peak of late-stage Foundation Establishment to just late-stage. It would take more than a dozen years of bitter cultivation to recover. But the crucial thing now was that he had no time to recover, and he didn't have much magical power left. On this path forward, if he stopped his output of magical power, all of them would be dead in a matter of breaths.
'Since my realm is going to drop anyway, I might as well take another Aged Vigor Pill. It's just...' A bitter taste rose in Gan Shi's heart. If he took another Aged Vigor Pill, he might never be able to recover to the peak of Foundation Establishment in this lifetime. In other words, his hope of congealing a Golden Core would be completely severed.
The Aged Vigor Pill was a medicinal pill that could be taken by Golden Core or Foundation Establishment cultivators. Its medicinal power squeezed one's physical strength and stimulated the residual spiritual power in the meridians, allowing one to recover about forty percent of their strength in a short time. However, the damage to the meridians was permanent, like a person rapidly aging into their twilight years. Yet, it could also temporarily stimulate potential and increase strength, hence the name "Aged Vigor Pill". This type of pill had immense side effects but was also incredibly precious. It was usually difficult for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to obtain even one. Gan Shi, however, had been granted one years ago for his outstanding talent on Four Symbols Peak to be kept as a life-saving measure. The other one he had purchased at a great cost from a Golden Core elder of his peak before entering the secret realm. He had never imagined he would have to take two in succession; he had merely prepared it as a last resort, knowing the dangers of the harvesting period in the secret realm.
If a cultivator below mid-stage Foundation Establishment took one, it would cause a permanent, irreversible drop in their strength. If a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator took one, they might be able to slowly repair the damage to their meridians through a dozen years of bitter cultivation. But if they took two within three days, a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator like Gan Shi would have his realm permanently drop to mid-stage Foundation Establishment after the pill's effects wore off. Without some heaven-defying opportunity to find a miraculous pill, he would be stuck at this level for the rest of his life. For a proud cultivator, the blow to his heart would be an irreparable pain.
But it was clear that at this moment, he had no other choice. A cold light flashed in Gan Shi's eyes, and one hand slapped his Storage Pouch. With a flash of light, a gray medicinal pill landed in his palm. 'Then I'll use the remaining power of the pill to charge to the ten-li mark, and then I'll settle things with the enemy inside that sphere.' Gan Shi's peripheral vision glanced at the four people behind him. He knew that even if he took this Aged Vigor Pill, he was fated not to walk out of the Wheel of Life and Death. In that case, he would lead them on one last, spectacular charge.
"Aged Vigor Pill! Martial Uncle, don't!" The three conscious people at the rear had been keeping their eyes on the yellow-haired man up ahead. When they saw him support the massive light shield with one hand while pinching a pill with the other, a careful look made their hearts pound in terror. Although they had never possessed an Aged Vigor Pill, this precious pill had been described in texts and by their masters. They recognized it at a glance.
In his alarm, the stocky man from Lord Lao Peak recognized it most clearly. He was an alchemy disciple of Lord Lao Peak and was fully aware of this pill's effects. He had also seen Gan Shi take a pill inside the yellow sphere earlier. Now, seeing him take out another one, he grew anxious and, forgetting the distinction between senior and junior, shouted to stop him.
The petite girl from Four Symbols Peak and the semi-conscious disciple from Never-Parting Peak were also shocked when they heard the stocky man shout "Aged Vigor Pill". They all stared nervously at Gan Shi.
Hearing the shout, Gan Shi merely gave the man and the others a cold glance, his eyes glinting. He said nothing. But that one look made it difficult for them to breathe, and sweat instantly poured out. How could they dare to say another word?
Gan Shi was a decisive man. How could he be dissuaded by a few juniors from something he had already decided? He pinched his fingers, and the pill flew up. But at that very moment, a voice suddenly appeared in the space.
"Senior Brother Gan, please wait." The voice came so abruptly that it made everyone's hair stand on end. Though the voice was soft, it was no less than a clap of thunder in the air. In this kind of trial, aside from one's own party or the attacking demonic beasts, a third human voice should never appear.
The pill was already flying rapidly toward Gan Shi's mouth, but as the voice sounded, a sharp warning flared in Gan Shi's mind. His realm was still at the peak of Foundation Establishment. Although his magical power was depleted, his Divine Sense was still formidable. For this person to approach silently to within five meters without him noticing at all—if this person were to launch a sneak attack, he would have no chance of dodging, even if they were of the same realm. He instinctively reached out and snatched the pill in his palm. At the same time, his body shot backward. These were all instinctual reactions. But as he retreated, a strange feeling arose in his heart, because that person had just called him "Senior Brother Gan". His Divine Sense had already swept out.
But what he found next was unbelievable. His Divine Sense scan revealed no one else around, only the blood-red infant faces attacking with a howl and the sharp sounds they emitted. This couldn't help but shock him. But then his Divine Sense fell directly on a spot to his right, where the spatial fluctuations were clearly different.
The other few also scanned their surroundings with their Divine Sense, and likewise found nothing. When they looked at the yellow-haired man ahead, they found his gaze had fallen on a spot not far to the right. They also focused their attention there. In that spot, the space rippled like water, and a figure slowly materialized. At first, it was illusory, but in the blink of an eye, it solidified into a person. This person was dressed in the dark green robes they were most familiar with and was currently looking at them with a smile.
"It's you." Gan Shi was stunned when he saw the person clearly and blurted out the words. As for the people behind him, some recognized him, while others just found him somewhat familiar but couldn't quite place him.
The newcomer was, of course, Li Yan. He hadn't immediately passed through the band of light into the passage. With his cautious nature, even after confirming that the color of the light band was undoubtedly the one chosen by the Malevolent Spirit Sect, he would not have blindly plunged in. He needed to first confirm the identity of the cultivators in the passage, observe their situation, and then decide how and where to reveal himself. Otherwise, he might be attacked by the cultivators within or fall into a trial restriction upon appearing. That was not something Li Yan would do.
He opened a crack at the gate of light and slowly probed with his Divine Sense. Then he saw what was happening inside. In the past, although his Divine Sense was comparable to an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator's, Gan Shi, with his peak late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, would have definitely noticed something was amiss. But now, with so many attacks around, his magical power was already strained, so naturally, he wouldn't waste his Divine Sense scanning the surroundings for anything else. Besides the trial's restrictions, there was only the great dark shadow in the sky behind them slowly pressing down. There would be nothing else.
When Li Yan's Divine Sense discovered the five people in the passage, especially seeing Gan Shi's heavily injured state, his heart also tightened. 'I'm still too late. Did Senior Brother Gan encounter a powerful opponent, or did he fall into the enemy's trap? Otherwise, how could there be only a few of them left?' He then began to check the restrictive attacks around the gate of light. Seeing the endless blood-red infant faces around Gan Shi's group, Li Yan's scalp also tingled. Clearly, this was not a good place to emerge. When he saw that Gan Shi's group was desperately approaching the sixth gate, he quickly withdrew from the band of light and hurried to the sixth gate. The restrictions there had not yet been fully triggered, so it was much safer for him to come out.
When he reached the sixth gate, he immediately sent out his Divine Sense. Sure enough, he saw Gan Shi's group slowly walking over. Only a small part of the restrictive attacks on the other side had been activated. In his Divine Sense, he saw Gan Shi pinching a pill, about to swallow it. The pill looked very familiar, but he couldn't recall it at the moment. At first, he thought it was a pill to replenish spiritual power, so the blue rhomboid crystal in his hand was already glowing brightly with green light, and he had opened a hole in the gate of light, preparing to dash out. But at the same time, his wisp of Divine Sense heard one of the Qi Condensation disciples behind call out "Aged Vigor Pill" and try to stop him. He was also shocked. No wonder it looked so familiar. He, of course, knew the effects of this pill. Looking at the cold glint in Gan Shi's eyes, Li Yan knew that this senior brother had likely already taken one before. He immediately sent a rapid Divine Sense transmission, and only then did he step out of the gate of light.
Gan Shi's group stared somewhat blankly at the person who had suddenly appeared. Gan Shi knew Li Yan. High-level disciples like him, of course, paid close attention to the information on the disciples of Little Bamboo Peak. Moreover, Li Yan had almost always been with Li Wuyi before, so he had naturally noticed him.
"You?" A hint of suspicion flashed in Gan Shi's eyes, but his other hand was already pulsing with light, ready to attack at any moment. Although he recognized Li Yan, for this person to appear here so bizarrely, he didn't believe it was actually Li Yan himself. He thought it was another illusionary attack spawned by the restrictions here. But after scanning Li Yan with his Divine Sense, he sensed a solid, real aura from him, leaving him somewhat hesitant.
The few people behind him also slowly remembered Li Yan, and a hesitant look appeared in their eyes. "Is that the Martial Uncle from Little Bamboo Peak?" the petite girl from Four Symbols Peak asked the stocky cultivator in a low voice, while supporting the disciple leaning on her.
"It... it should... should be, right?" The man from Lord Lao Peak had just recovered from Gan Shi's sharp gaze, the cold sweat still on his back. Now faced with this new development, he was also uncertain. He hadn't had much interaction with Li Yan and had never faced him in the sect competition before. It was only after Li Yan's several strange performances that he had watched him once on the large crystal panel. Even during this entry into the secret realm, Li Yan had been very low-key, either standing in a corner or remaining silent, while the disciples from the other peaks gathered and talked among themselves. He had truly been overlooked.
"It... it... it's him," the heavily injured disciple from Never-Parting Peak, who was leaning on the stocky man and had lost his mobility, said with difficulty. His voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, but everyone was a cultivator with excellent hearing, so they all heard him clearly.
Li Yan was about to reply to Gan Shi, but hearing what the people behind him said, he couldn't help but look over. Then he cupped his hands toward the Never-Parting Peak disciple leaning on the stocky man. "So it's Martial Nephew Zhu... Zhu." He was clearly unfamiliar with this form of address.
The heavily injured Never-Parting Peak disciple was none other than Zhu Gaotai, who had left a deep impression on him during the competition. He was the one who had fought Fei Ling from Spirit Insect Peak in the first round. At the time, Li Yan had considered this person a formidable opponent and had a vivid memory of his cunning and his pair of "Urn-Thunder Gu". It was just that they never ended up facing each other, which saved him a bitter fight. He never thought this person would be so familiar with him. He was anxious, but the others were acting so cautiously that he was afraid one wrong move would cause them to suddenly attack him.