Just as Li Yan was about to enter his cultivation room, he suddenly felt the wind and clouds churning in the sky above his courtyard. He quickly looked up. In an instant, the clear morning sky, once a pristine blue, was now filled with a great wind and dense, dark clouds. Li Yan's heart jumped in alarm, not knowing what was happening. With a flash of his eyes, he vanished from the courtyard. The next moment, he was standing on a flying sword, shooting up into the sky.
At this moment, above Little Bamboo Peak , a fierce wind was raging. In the distant sky, thick black clouds were rolling toward them. The bamboo forest on the mountain heaved violently like ocean waves, sweeping up countless fallen leaves, making the already dark green mountain appear even more oppressive and heavy under the encroaching clouds.
Li Yan hovered in the sky above his small courtyard. Though his long robe whipped about in the wind, his figure was as still as a statue, as if nailed to the air. He looked at the churning black clouds that were constantly approaching, then followed their direction to their source. It was the southeast corner of Little Bamboo Peak. A thought stirred in Li Yan's heart. He looked again at the roiling black clouds in the sky, a guess forming in his mind.
At the same time Li Yan ascended, dozens of streaks of light shot into the sky from Little Bamboo Peak. They were Wei Chituo , Gong Chenying , Wen Xinliang , Lin Daqiao , and Yun Chunqu . Li Wuyi and Miao Wangqing did not appear. The other cultivators who flew into the air were disciples from the other four peaks on missions here. They all wore looks of astonishment, gazing toward the southeast of Little Bamboo Peak. In the distance, dozens more streaks of light were whistling over, followed by even more lights continuously rising into the sky, all heading toward Little Bamboo Peak.
Wei Chituo and the others also saw Li Yan in mid-air but had no intention of gathering. Instead, each of them wore a grave expression as they looked toward a densely forested area in the southeast corner of Little Bamboo Peak. At this moment, the sky there was continuously gathering wind and clouds from the surroundings. The lowest part of the thick cloud layer was no more than three hundred zhang from Little Bamboo Peak, and the faint rumble of thunder could already be heard from within the black clouds.
As everyone watched, the dozens of streaks of light had whistled to a stop above Little Bamboo Peak. As the light faded, Li Yan focused his gaze and saw many familiar faces among them. Baili Yuan , Gan Shi , Wei Feng , the Chu Brothers , and Wang Tian were all there. Just as they revealed themselves, another crimson light shot over from the distance at an astonishing speed. The red glow quickly dissipated, and Li Changting's curvaceous figure appeared in the sky above Little Bamboo Peak. Her beautiful face was somber, showing a rare solemnity. Upon arriving, she didn't greet anyone but fixed her gaze tightly on the bamboo forest in the southeast corner of Little Bamboo Peak.
Seeing this scene, Li Yan became even more certain of his guess. Meanwhile, more and more lights appeared in the sky above Little Bamboo Peak. In just a dozen breaths, nearly a hundred streaks of light had arrived, all of them Foundation Establishment cultivators from the various peaks. After arriving, each of them had a sharp glint in their eyes. Only a few spoke in low voices; the majority stared unblinkingly at the southeast corner of Little Bamboo Peak.
Not long after Li Changting arrived, another streak of white light shot across the sky and landed directly beside her. It was Zhao Min in her white robes. After landing, she first swept her gaze around. When her eyes fell on Li Yan, they merely flickered past without lingering. Finally, her gaze also fell on the southeast corner, and a rare look of worry appeared in her eyes.
This was clearly not the end. Streaks of colored light continued to fly toward Little Bamboo Peak. At that moment, a cold snort echoed across the sky. "What sort of behavior is this? All of you, retreat one hundred li from Little Bamboo Peak. This includes the disciples of Little Bamboo Peak as well."
With the appearance of this voice, a pressure that made all the cultivators' hearts tremble descended upon them. This pressure seemed even more terrifying than the leaden, ink-black clouds in the sky.
Then, a space above Little Bamboo Peak distorted, and seven or eight figures appeared. The one in the lead was none other than the Sect Master of the Malevolent Spirit Sect , Yan Longzi . He looked around with displeasure, followed by the four Peak Masters—Li Yuyin , Feng Changge, and Yi Qiansheng—as well as several elders like Peng Wuxing .
The simultaneous appearance of so many Golden Core cultivators instantly quieted the atmosphere. Although this was only a portion of the Malevolent Spirit Sect's Golden Core cultivators, they were the ones with the most real power.
Hearing Yan Longzi's words, all the Foundation Establishment cultivators here glanced at each other. Although they could see the reluctance in each other's eyes, how could they dare to defy the Sect Master's will? They had no choice but to ride their escape lights and fly away from Little Bamboo Peak. The five peaks of the Malevolent Spirit Sect all covered a vast area. Even flying a hundred li away, they were still within the range of Little Bamboo Peak.
Li Yan also helplessly rode his flying sword away from the sky above his small courtyard. Wei Chituo, on the other hand, made a grabbing motion downward. The three disciples from the base of Little Bamboo Peak—Ouyang Ping , Zhang Que , and Feng Moxin —along with a dozen handymen, were swept into the air by him. He then flew into the distance with Gong Chenying and the others.
Li Changting and Zhao Min were the last to slowly fly away, seeming extremely reluctant. Only after receiving a voice transmission from Li Yuyin did the two of them leave the area.
Watching the disciples fly away and looking up at the ever-lowering clouds, Yan Longzi's expression was grave. Without turning his head, he said in a low voice, "This should be that boy Wuyi. He has waited a long time for this day."
"It's him. Look at my Changting's expression. If it's not him, could it be that girl Miao Wangqing?" Li Yuyin's red lips parted, but her voice still carried a light laugh.
Yan Longzi nodded and continued, "Thank you for that just now. Otherwise, if Changting and Zhao Min refused to leave, it would have been difficult. Changting is easier to handle, but with Zhao Min's personality, I really wouldn't know what to do with her."
"Sect Master is doing this for all their good. Allowing them to watch from a hundred li away is already a great opportunity. Otherwise, when the Core Tribulation descends, any cultivator below the Golden Core realm within a hundred li would have a one-in-ten chance of survival," the scholarly Feng Changge, Peak Master of Spirit Insect Peak , said with a smile.
"Little Fengzi is right. Giving them this chance to observe is already a heavenly grace. At the very least, it will give them some experience for when they attempt to form their Golden Core in the future." Li Yuyin nodded lightly after hearing Feng Changge's words.
However, upon hearing the name "Little Fengzi," a dark line appeared on the Spirit Insect Peak Master's forehead. He was very dissatisfied with this nickname, but he didn't dare to provoke this Senior Sister. He could only sulk and remain silent, muttering in his heart, 'I'm a little lunatic? You're the lunatic, you crazy woman, so unreasonable.'
"Sect Master, there is still a disciple in seclusion on this peak. I will go and set up a formation around her small courtyard," the Peak Master of Four Symbols Peak , Yi Qiansheng, suddenly said, pointing to a spot on Little Bamboo Peak. With that, he flew straight down.
Watching Peak Master Yi's disappearing figure, Yan Longzi slowly said, "Junior Brother Wei has been in seclusion for almost a year. I don't know when he'll come out. Today, we have to be the ones to protect his disciple through the Core Tribulation."
The other elders also smiled and nodded upon hearing this. Just as Yan Longzi's voice fell, a warm and deep voice echoed between heaven and earth. "Thank you, Senior Brothers, for protecting my young disciple. This junior brother is eternally grateful."
These words came abruptly, startling everyone who heard them. Then, from a spot below Little Bamboo Peak, a brilliant light suddenly flared. In the eyes of the crowd, two dazzling streaks of light shot out from below, heading straight for Yan Longzi and the others.
The two streaks of light were extremely fast. The moment the crowd noticed them, they had already arrived. The light was astonishing, but after hearing the words, Yan Longzi and the others smiled and just stood quietly in the air, watching the two streaks of light arrive.
The light dissipated, revealing two people within: a portly man and a stunningly beautiful young woman in a palace dress. After they appeared, the portly man cupped his hands in a salute to the crowd, and the palace-dressed woman also curtsied lightly. They were none other than the Peak Master of Little Bamboo Peak and his wife.
When Yan Longzi and the others saw Wei Zhongran and his wife, their gazes swept over them, lingering a little longer on Wei Zhongran. A glint appeared in their eyes. Yan Longzi laughed heartily. "Little Junior Brother, your cultivation has improved again. This is truly a blessing for the sect."
Wei Zhongran smiled faintly. "My dear Zhi and I have both made some gains during our seclusion this time."
"For us who have reached the Golden Core stage, even the slightest progress is extremely difficult. Junior Brother Wei is being too modest," the Spirit Insect Peak Master shook his head and said. Once one's cultivation reached the Golden Core realm, it was common to go decades, even a hundred years, without any progress. His own cultivation had been stagnant for over thirty years. No matter how much he went into seclusion, it was in vain. At this stage, one needed a sliver of opportunity. When the opportunity arrived, whether through sudden enlightenment or encountering some heavenly material or earthly treasure, the unbreakable bottleneck would instantly shatter. But such opportunities were too ethereal.
Before Wei Zhongran could speak, a voice as enchanting as bone marrow sounded out. "Little Junior Brother, I only heard you thank your senior brothers just now. Am I just a decoration?" Hearing this voice, many people's hearts skipped a beat. They all looked at Wei Zhongran. The area fell silent for a moment. Even Yan Longzi looked up at the ever-thickening dark clouds, as if he hadn't heard a thing.
Hearing this voice, Wei Zhongran's face immediately looked as if he had eaten dozens of pounds of bitter herbs. He looked at that bewitching face and wrung his plump hands together as if it were the dead of winter. "Senior Sister Li, this little brother was just about to thank you separately. The Sect Master started questioning me the moment I arrived, so I haven't had a chance to speak."
"Oh? Then how do you plan to thank me?" Li Yuyin looked at Wei Zhongran with a half-smile.
"My wife and I naturally thank Senior Sister Li for coming to help Wuyi form his core. Zhongran is clumsy with words. I, your humble wife, apologize to Senior Sister here." Before Wei Zhongran could speak, the palace-dressed young woman's eyes darted, and with a radiant smile, she curtsied to Li Yuyin again.
"Oh, my dear sister, I cannot accept this courtesy. You are Madam Wei. Such thanks are not as sincere as a round of drinks. How about we have Junior Brother Wei treat his Senior Sister to a drink when he has time?" Li Yuyin waved her hand to stop the palace-dressed woman's curtsy and spoke with a light laugh.
The palace-dressed woman showed no dissatisfaction upon hearing this. Instead, she smiled and said, "That can be arranged. Since all you Senior Brothers have come to help Wuyi today, regardless of the outcome, we will invite you all together afterward."
Seeing the two women conversing so happily, the others couldn't help but show strange expressions on their faces. Wei Zhongran stood there, looking somewhat awkward.
"It's coming." At that moment, Yan Longzi, who had been watching the dark clouds, suddenly spoke. Everyone looked in the direction of his voice. In the leaden clouds above Little Bamboo Peak, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a sky-shattering clap of thunder that exploded from the heavens.
Wei Zhongran and the others stopped talking and all fixed their gazes on the vast, churning dark clouds.