Elder Peng looked at the gleaming, glass-like upper half of the central sphere, his expression grave. He slowly spoke, "Have any of you heard of such a change occurring in previous trials of the Wheel of Life and Death ?"
"This is indeed rather strange. In all my centuries of experience, I have never heard nor read any records within the sect of such a change in the Wheel of Life and Death . Could something have gone wrong inside?" Elder Yi of Four Symbols Peak stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze somewhat grim.
"Could this be the work of those other three sects? I hardly think they have such capabilities. Besides, look at their faces; they don't look any better off than we do." A voice, charming to the bone, rang out softly. It was the beautiful Peak Master Li of Never-Parting Peak , her lovely eyes twinkling as she glanced toward the other sects.
On the peak where the Ten-Pace Courtyard stood, Sword King Xiahuà's sword-like brows shot up, a sense of unease in his heart. This feeling was an intuition honed through hundreds of life-and-death battles. Cultivators often trusted their intuition more than mortals. When one's cultivation reached a certain level, although they might not be able to predict life and death or see the future, they usually possessed a sixth sense. This was especially true for those who cultivated the Dao of Yin and Yang, the Dao of Reincarnation, or the Dao of Slaughter.
"I have a faint feeling of bloodlust soaring to the heavens. Could it be that Wang Lang and the others have met with disaster? This change in the Wheel of Life and Death is extremely bizarre."
He muttered to himself.
"Sword King Xiahuà, did the Supreme Mystery Teachings mention anything about this sudden change during your prior communications? I have never seen any similar descriptions in the old records." Beside Sword King Xiahuà, a stout, slightly fat man's small eyes flashed, darting around with a sharp glint.
"Sword King Xiàchí, Martial Uncle Liehuo previously arranged for Sword King of the Nether Spring to liaise with the Supreme Mystery Teachings and the Pure Land Sect . I never heard Senior Brother Nether Spring mention that the Wheel of Life and Death would be different this time. It seems something unexpected has happened." After speaking, he turned his gaze to the top of a peak to his left, where a dozen Daoists in green robes were also standing.
"Could it be that the green gourds or the bodies with miscellaneous spirit roots that were brought in have triggered some unknown restriction?" Hang Zhi stared at the spherical mountain, her pretty face shifting between sunny and overcast.
Immortal Elder Hangwu , however, remained silent, simply watching the central spherical mountain, lost in thought.
But Hang Zhi didn't notice that from another peak, a gaze was periodically sweeping over her, lingering for a few moments on her curvaceous figure.
'A female cultivator like this, though beautiful, has a heart full of insidious poison, yet her personality is exceptionally fierce. Judging by her posture and the firmness of her skin, she has likely never been with a man. To think she's still a virgin even after reaching the Golden Core stage. Her resistance would surely be strong. Conquering her would be incredibly stimulating.' The handsome young man transformed from the Jade Qilin , Lin Mingyu , flicked his scarlet tongue over his teeth before turning his gaze elsewhere. He looked toward where the Peak Master of the Malevolent Spirit Sect's Never-Parting Peak , Li Yuyin, was standing. But the moment his gaze landed on her, Li Yuyin seemed to sense it and turned her head to look directly at him, flashing him a bewitchingly seductive smile. That one smile seemed to drain all the color from the world. Yet, it sent a shiver down Lin Mingyu's spine, and he hastily averted his gaze.
'A woman like that is the absolute finest quality, but also the most difficult to deal with. Her every frown and smile is a trap. One careless misstep, and you'll end up as soup stock, bones and all.'
Seeing Lin Mingyu's embarrassed smile before he looked away, Li Yuyin sneered inwardly. 'Hmph, you want to bed me? How should I find the chance? Hmm, roasted would probably taste good. I'll ask Ting'er for some good wine later; it should be delicious.' At this thought, she couldn't help but run her pink tongue over her red lips, her lively eyes darting about. This smile and lick of her lips made several Golden Core elders beside her quickly look away. Someone was already thinking to himself, 'That Qilin had better pray for his own fortune.'
Slightly behind them, Li Wuyi , Li Changting , and Zhao Min were all silently watching the changes on the central spherical mountain, knowing that this must be the final moment.
Zhao Min's long robes fluttered as she stood against the wind, like a carved goddess gazing at the horizon. In the breeze, she reached up a slender hand to tuck a few strands of black hair behind her ear, revealing her fair, almost translucent earlobe. She turned her head to look at Li Changting beside her, her long ponytail swinging with the movement.
"Senior Sister Li, is the Gu-insect wine ready? I'm going too when the time comes."
Hearing this, Li Changting was taken aback for a moment, then she smiled knowingly before turning a loving gaze upon Li Wuyi .
Li Wuyi instantly felt his head swell. He grumbled to himself, 'I say, Sister Min, why must you cause trouble for no reason? Just like that senseless little martial brother. Does this make you seem heroic? Is... is that wine even fit for human consumption?'
Lost in thought, he forgot to answer. Suddenly, he felt a murderous aura slowly spreading from beside him. He quickly forced a smile onto his handsome face. "Oh, oh, good, good! We'll all go to Little Martial Brother's courtyard then."
"There's wine? Eldest Senior Brother, can you bring me along?" a simple, honest voice came from behind. Wei Chituo , standing behind them, had vaguely heard something about drinking and wore a fawning smile. Beside him was Yun Chunqu , who had mostly recovered from his serious injuries. He was currently staring nervously at the central spherical mountain, his lips pressed tightly together.
Farther away, Wang Tian, Wei Feng , and others were also gathered in small circles, speaking in low voices.
"Of course! If Second Junior Brother wants to go, then go! I'll give you my share of the wine," Li Wuyi said, his face breaking into a wide smile.
Li Yan felt another wave of dizziness. He couldn't help but think, 'This is just a short-distance teleportation, and it's like this every time. If it were a long-distance one, wouldn't I vomit myself to death? Cultivation... I still have to work hard to improve it.'
He forced his eyes open, trying to see his surroundings clearly, but everything outside the bubble was extremely blurry. Opening his eyes only made the nausea in his chest worse. He vaguely saw Gong Chenying beside him, seemingly unaffected, her beautiful eyes calmly looking ahead. A strong wave of dizziness washed over him, and Li Yan had no choice but to quickly shut his eyes again.
This all seemed to take a long time, but it happened in an instant. Li Yan suddenly felt the pressure on his body vanish, replaced by a gentle breeze caressing his cheeks. He slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze fell upon a blue sky with lazily drifting white clouds. He was now standing on the spherical mountain. Looking around, the bubble that had surrounded him was gone. Besides Gong Chenying, who was already standing beside him, there were only the various gazes from the surrounding peaks fixed upon them. For a moment, Li Yan felt an immense pressure, but it vanished as quickly as it came. Almost simultaneously, flashes of light appeared continuously on the spherical mountain. Several five-colored bubbles materialized and then instantly burst, slowly revealing figures within. The gazes that had been focused on Li Yan had already scattered, turning toward these new arrivals.
"They're out! Hey, they're out!"
"It's Qiu Jiuzhen from the Supreme Mystery Teachings ! How are there only seven or eight of them left?"
"Is that considered few? Look over there at Gong Chenying from the Malevolent Spirit Sect . She only brought one person out. The difference is clear."
"More people are coming out..."
"Huh? Who is this?"
"He should be a cultivator from the Ten-Pace Courtyard . It looks like he took some kind of pill that stimulates life force to drain his potential..."
For a time, the surrounding peaks erupted in a clamor. Many knowledgeable individuals could discern something unusual about Wang Lang , who was the last to be teleported out.
Li Yan and Gong Chenying did not immediately fly toward the peak where the Malevolent Spirit Sect was located. They stood where they were, looking around. Qiu Jiuzhen had come out before them, and the last to appear was the unconscious Wang Lang . The moment Wang Lang appeared, Li Yan's eyes narrowed. This was the moment he had been waiting for. He then looked at Gong Chenying beside him and spoke in a low, seemingly casual voice.
"Senior Sister Six, I didn't really notice inside the bubble, but look at the wound on that Ten-Pace Courtyard sword cultivator's chest. Doesn't it look like it was cut by a sawtooth? Could it have been done by a demonic cultivator's claws?"
"Hmm, it does look a bit like it, but not exactly. The optimal force for a demonic cultivator's claw attack should be a vertical slash or a diagonal swipe. Judging by the angle of the tear in his clothes, this seems to have been cut from the bottom up. It looks more like it was done by some kind of sharp blade." Gong Chenying glanced at the few bubbles nearby. The people who came out were all from inside the metal sphere earlier, but she still didn't see Mei Bucai and the others, and she grew anxious. Hearing Li Yan's out-of-the-blue question, she glanced again at the unconscious Wang Lang on the ground, wondering why Li Yan had suddenly asked such a strange question.
Qiu Jiuzhen was only a few yards away from them. Li Yan's seemingly whispered words were heard by her loud and clear. Her delicate body trembled, and she whipped her head around to look at the fallen Wang Lang. When she saw the wound on his chest, her eyes filled with disbelief.
The next moment, she strode toward Wang Lang. But just as she neared him, a figure intercepted her, blocking her path. A cold voice sounded.
"Martial Niece Qiu, what do you think you are doing?" Qiu Jiuzhen stopped abruptly. She looked up and saw a fat middle-aged man standing before her, his small eyes fixed on her while his other hand made a grasping motion through the air toward Wang Lang on the ground behind him.
Qiu Jiuzhen was startled. She naturally recognized this merchant-like fatty. She quickly bowed in salute. "Greetings, Martial Uncle Xiàchí. This niece has a matter to confirm with Senior Brother Wang Lang."
The person who had come directly to the spherical mountain was none other than Sword King Xiàchí of the Ten-Pace Courtyard . The moment Wang Lang appeared, the Divine Senses of these Golden Core grand cultivators had all locked onto him. But after the bubble disappeared, their expressions changed drastically. If not for Wang Lang's aura, they wouldn't have been able to recognize who he was. Moreover, there was no one behind him.
Sword King Xiahuà's face was extremely grim, and the others also looked somber. Apart from the Pure Land Sect , from which no one had emerged, among the three sects that had appeared so far, their Ten-Pace Courtyard had fared the worst. Even Wang Lang himself looked on the verge of death. With their experience, they could tell at a glance that his condition was the result of taking medicine to suppress his injuries. How could they delay?
Before Sword King Xiahuà could speak, Sword King Xiàchí beside him blurred his portly figure and vanished like a ghost. The next moment, he had reappeared in front of Wang Lang, only to find that someone else was also approaching him.
Hearing Qiu Jiuzhen's words, Sword King Xiàchí frowned. By now, he had already pulled Wang Lang into his grasp with his telekinetic power. A quick scan with his spirit power told him that Wang Lang's condition was extremely grave. His life force was nearly extinguished. Even if he were treated now, there was no absolute certainty of saving him. And yet this girl from the Supreme Mystery Teachings was blocking his way.
"Can you not see that he is already unconscious? How can you confirm anything? Move aside, quickly." Sword King Xiàchí was displeased. If not for the presence of the Supreme Mystery Teachings' Golden Core cultivators, he would have kicked this person aside long ago. Even so, his words were already laced with spirit power.
Qiu Jiuzhen felt a roar in her mind. Her face paled as if she had been struck by a heavy blow, and her body retreated rapidly. Just as Sword King Xiàchí's words left his mouth, a voice full of mockery rang out from behind Qiu Jiuzhen.
"Xiàchí, what a show of might! To throw your weight around with a junior." As the voice sounded, Qiu Jiuzhen felt a cool sensation enter her body from her back, instantly dispelling the stifling feeling. Another powerful force blocked the attack in front of her.