"It seems everyone really is here." Yi Tianyun felt that the Evil Spirit Roulette was incredibly useful; without it, he wouldn't have found them. This place was so well-hidden that no communication tokens worked, and a simple search wouldn't suffice. If it were easy to find, they wouldn't have hidden here in the first place.
The more dangerous a place, the safer it often is. After the Evil Spirit Race searched the area once, they wouldn't return for a second look. This kind of defense, however, also meant they kept their own people out, as even Elder Ji Yue didn't know they were hiding here.
"Thank goodness you're all here. We thought the Evil Spirit Race had captured you..." Upon descending, Ji Shuilian's eyes reddened, and tears began to flow.
Although their cultivation levels weren't low, they were deeply moved by the plight of their people, and they were relieved to see them safe.
"We thought the Evil Spirit Race had captured you too..." Elder Ji Yu and the others gathered around, equally emotional and relieved to see their kin safe and sound.
Yi Tianyun observed this scene and couldn't help but sigh. It seems that only in such circumstances do people unite as one, without internal strife. If there were still infighting at this time, it would indeed be the end.
However, such situations do exist. Even with external enemies closing in, some still fight among themselves for more power and resources, eventually leading to their downfall.
This kind of thing was not uncommon in the Three Realms. Empires or divine kingdoms fell this way, knowing there were many external enemies but still fighting internally, leading to their self-destruction.
"By the way, who is this young man..." Elder Ji Yu looked over and scrutinized Yi Tianyun, maintaining a cautious stance towards a stranger.
"He is our savior, but it's a long story..."
They then exchanged stories, recounting each other's situations. Upon hearing what Elder Ji Yue and the others had gone through, the crowd was shocked and repeatedly glanced gratefully at Yi Tianyun. Without him, they wouldn't have seen Elder Ji Yue again.
As for Elder Ji Yu and her group, their situation was as expected: they hid inside while the elders fought outside. After a fierce resistance, they activated the divine seal defense, blocking out the enemies. They pretended to escape, and some elders indeed led people out. The attacking Evil Spirit Race forces were numerous, coordinating from inside and out.
Thus, a few elders were currently outside, hiding until it was safe to return. They used a teleportation array inside to escape, the safest and quickest method.
Upon hearing that their hidden path had been breached, they feared it was the Evil Spirit Race discovering them. Unexpectedly, it was their long-lost kin returning, bringing them immense joy.
"Where is the Patriarch? I don't see him." Ji Shuilian looked around, not seeing the Patriarch.
"The Patriarch..." Elder Ji Yu paused and then said, "Come with me."
She led them and instructed the others to repair the broken passage. Since only a small hole was made, the repair was easy.
Following Elder Ji Yu to a room, even before entering, Yi Tianyun smelled a strong medicinal scent wafting from inside.
Inside, they saw a middle-aged man lying on a bed, wrapped in a thick layer of medicinal herbs, with only his nose and mouth exposed.
"Father!" Ji Shuilian gasped, covering her mouth in shock, tears streaming down her face.
She rushed to the bedside, kneeling down, her eyes red as she looked at her father.
The man wrapped like a mummy was Ji Shuilian's father, Ji Fuyun, the current Patriarch of the Divine Spirit Race. He was gravely injured, covered in medicinal herbs, and in a miserable state.
Ji Fuyun didn't respond, lying there in a coma.
"Elder Ji Yu, what happened to my father?" Ji Shuilian and Ji Tianze both approached, with Ji Tianze clenching his fists in anger. The Evil Spirit Race was clearly behind this, but they wanted to know the details.
"The Patriarch was injured while covering our retreat, fighting against three God Monarchs. Now he's in a coma and will take a long time to recover," Elder Ji Yu sighed. "At first, we thought it was you returning, but it turned out to be the Evil Spirit Race!"
"They somehow found our hidden location and broke through our defenses. It was too sudden; several elders and the Patriarch had to fight them off. If the Patriarch hadn't held them off, we would have been severely injured and unable to escape."
Yi Tianyun narrowed his eyes, realizing the blood outside was probably Ji Fuyun's. As he guessed, the Evil Spirit Race could see their markers and launched a surprise attack, catching them off guard.
Assuming it was their own people returning, they let their guard down, only to face the assault of the Evil Spirit Race.
Despite successfully defending, the Patriarch was severely injured, indicating he bore the brunt of the attack to let others escape.
Ji Fuyun was quite powerful, with an eighth-level God Monarch cultivation, but even he couldn't fend off so many attackers, resulting in severe injuries. Escaping to safety was already fortunate.
"Now we can only perform simple treatments. If we weren't afraid of being discovered, we would have sought external help long ago. Without proper healing pills, the Patriarch's recovery will be slow," Elder Ji Yu sighed, deeply troubled.
The Divine Spirit Race excelled in divine seals but not in alchemy or artifact crafting. The injuries Ji Fuyun sustained were too severe for them to handle.
"If it's a matter of alchemy, I happen to know a bit. May I take a look?" Yi Tianyun interjected.
Everyone turned to him, expressions varied. Yi Tianyun, an alchemist? They hadn't seen that coming!