Li Yan scanned the ruined palace he was in. In the distance, there were indeed a few damaged chambers. Only two of the chamber doors had maple leaf symbols carved on them, but the color and number of leaves were different. One door had five red-and-yellow-striped leaves, while the other was carved with three red maple leaves. If Li Yan wanted to leave now, he just had to push open that door.
After getting his bearings, Li Yan soared into the air and, a moment later, disappeared into the crimson-hued sky.
Not long after Li Yan entered the golden gate at the bottom of the pool, five more people arrived at the edge of Red Maple Pool. Two men stood shoulder to shoulder at the front, looking at the slowly sinking palace gate, then at the five people sitting cross-legged on the other side. A Chan Monk named Yiming put his palms together.
"Amitabha, we have arrived late. To think there are still five people left here. The number of people who came this time is much greater than before."
The white-robed middle-aged man beside him also smiled. "The outside world is in turmoil right now. It seems many families have also accelerated the training of their disciples, sparing no expense to send many of their outstanding disciples into the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, hoping to make them grow up quickly."
Given the white-robed middle-aged man's status in his own sect, he knew some high-level secrets. This time, he had entered the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda with his junior brother, primarily to hunt a special soul-type demonic beast—a "Mud Beast Soul"—to enhance his own combat power. Guiding his junior brother through some training was secondary.
Disciples below the Golden Core stage held a rather awkward position in their sects. They were soldiers in big battles and the main force in small ones, always having to charge at the forefront. The white-robed middle-aged man knew a little more than ordinary disciples, so of course, he had to seize the time to do everything possible to increase his combat power.
The soul of a "Mud Beast Soul" was an excellent material for refining relatively high-level illusion formations. Even with the white-robed middle-aged man's Pseudo-Core cultivation, he was not very confident he could hunt this beast. Unexpectedly, he happened to meet Chan Master Yiming, whom he had met a few times before.
Chan Master Yiming was coming to the palace under Red Maple Pool to seek a breakthrough. Their paths were similar, so after a brief discussion, they hit it off immediately.
Afterward, they met two female cultivators from the "Blue Sea Sect." The two women had also met the white-robed middle-aged man during a sect exchange. They were also heading to the bottom of Red Maple Pool, so they readily agreed to team up.
However, these five had not traveled stealthily like Li Yan. Even so, Li Yan had gone through several life-or-death battles. But these five had traveled without hiding their tracks at all. They immediately killed any suitable demonic beast they encountered, and they had even killed sixteen or seventeen cultivators, mostly for their belongings.
Looking at the two men chatting warmly in front, the two female cultivators from the "Blue Sea Sect" exchanged a glance. The seemingly benevolent Chan Monk was by no means as he appeared. When he killed, he didn't even blink, all while wearing a look of compassion. The white-robed middle-aged man was equally ruthless.
At this moment, both women regretted joining this three-man team. Among them, only the young man in the white robe was somewhat normal. He would often hold back when fighting enemies, but whenever he did, the white-robed middle-aged man would stare at him coldly, looking at his own junior brother as if he were looking at a dead man. This made the young man in the white robe, amidst hesitation and struggle, have no choice but to go all out.
The two female cultivators from the "Blue Sea Sect" kept a very low profile. Along the way, whether it was medicinal herbs, demonic beast materials, or storage pouches from those they killed, the two women only dared to take a very small portion. The majority was unceremoniously taken by the old monk Yiming and the white-robed middle-aged man. The two women felt bitter. Now, they didn't dare to casually suggest leaving the team.
They could only hope that the white-robed middle-aged man, for the sake of the good relationship between their two sects, would not get rid of them after they had served their purpose. As for Chan Master Yiming, every time they saw his smile now, the two women trembled in their hearts.
While the white-robed middle-aged man and Chan Master Yiming were talking, three more figures flew over from the distance. The sound of them cutting through the air was urgent, showing no intention of concealing their aura.
Chan Master Yiming merely swept his divine sense over them and seemed to whisper, "Is that 'Ghost Eagle Black Lotus' Sun Jiuhe? Why is his right arm missing?"
The white-robed middle-aged man beside him also withdrew his divine sense, a sharp light flashing in his eyes. He said faintly, "His aggressive posture makes it look like he's here for revenge."
As the white-robed middle-aged man withdrew his divine sense, he cast a faint glance at the five-person team on the opposite shore. With Sun Jiuhe making no effort to hide himself, the five of them had naturally long since discovered the three aggressive newcomers. A playful smile appeared on their faces, which did not escape the white-robed middle-aged man's eyes.
A moment later, three figures came whistling through the air. Then, Sun Jiuhe saw the sinking golden palace gate, and his expression became even more unsightly.
He had sensed several powerful auras here earlier, but he was wary of the unfathomably cultivated scholar in the green robe, so he dared not randomly probe with his divine sense. He feared that his divine sense might accidentally land in the area where the scholar was, which would have dire consequences. Thus, he did not know the actual situation here.
"Brother Sun, we are late. That person has already passed. We just don't know if he actually entered the palace or has already left!"
One of the people who flew over with Sun Jiuhe spoke. The aura of a Great Perfection Foundation Establishment cultivator emanated from him without any concealment. He was a burly man with a full beard, wearing baggy black pants and a sleeveless, coarse, thick shirt, his two muscular, dark arms bare.
Sun Jiuhe nodded indifferently. After looking around, he took the lead and flew towards the five-person team. At his action, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator in the five-person team was the first to stand up, as if he knew Sun Jiuhe was coming. The mid-stage cultivator cupped his hands at Sun Jiuhe, then his eyes couldn't help but glance at Sun Jiuhe's right arm.
Although his glance was extremely subtle, Sun Jiuhe's senses were not dull. Though displeased, he still whispered a few words to the cultivator with a cold face.
Then he flew back, not even bothering to say thank you. The five-person team looked at Sun Jiuhe's back but showed no sign of displeasure.
"That brat has already entered. We will have to wait here until tomorrow. I will have to rely on you two fellow Daoists for this matter. Your foolish brother has taken a big fall this time, making a fool of myself in front of you two."
At this point, Sun Jiuhe had regained his composure. He withdrew his gaze from the lake, his face grim. He forced a smile and spoke to the two beside him.
His right forearm was gone, but he had already applied medicine and wrapped it in cloth. If he wanted to restore his arm, he would either need a heavenly material or earthly treasure that could regenerate flesh, or he would have to wait until he cultivated a Golden Core and then consume a large amount of its power to regrow the severed limb.
Of course, there were two other methods: one was to perform a Body Seizure on a new body, and the other was to have his master spend decades of arduous cultivation to restore it for him. The first method's cost was too great; it would take an even longer time for a seized body to reach a compatible state. As for his master, he would not waste his hard-earned cultivation power for his severed arm.
From this, one could imagine Sun Jiuhe's hatred for Li Yan; it was a pain that pierced his heart and bones.
"The poison cultivator you mentioned, did you really not notice when he cast the spell?" At this moment, the cultivator on Sun Jiuhe's other side showed an unwilling look and also began to question Sun Jiuhe. He hadn't come here to avenge Sun Jiuhe, but to see for himself the poison cultivator who could make Sun Jiuhe suffer such a miserable defeat in a single exchange.
This person had an effeminate appearance, with long, narrow eyes and a pale complexion, as if he hadn't seen the sun in years. He was tall and thin, and the long purple robe he wore made him look like a walking hanged ghost. As he spoke, he once again sent his divine sense probing towards the bottom of the lake.
Hearing this, Sun Jiuhe's face couldn't help but twitch. Sensing the direction of the other's divine sense, he knew what this person meant. He was looking for the severed arm he had cut off, wanting to find it and study it.
But the tyranny of that poison made Sun Jiuhe's heart convulse even now when he thought about it. If he had been a bit slower in cutting, his entire arm would have been gone. How could there still be a severed arm at the bottom of the lake now?
"Fellow Daoist Qiu, how could your foolish brother embolden another's prestige? When this person administered the poison, my divine sense truly did not detect anything amiss. And its onset was too fast to react. Including the time I spent trying to apply antidotes, it was less than three breaths before it became like that. Otherwise, do you think I would have been willing to cut off my own arm?"
Sun Jiuhe suppressed his displeasure and said with a slightly annoyed tone.
If this person wasn't a helper he could find quickly, he would not be willing to get so close to him. Few people were willing to be intimate with a poison cultivator.
The cultivator surnamed Qiu seemed not to have heard the dissatisfaction in Sun Jiuhe's tone. His divine sense continued to scan the Red Maple Pool for a while longer before he withdrew it with a look of regret.
At this time, the burly man beside Sun Jiuhe had already nodded to Yiming and the white-robed middle-aged man in the distance. They were acquainted. Seeing this, Sun Jiuhe thought for a moment, then walked towards the white-robed middle-aged man's group with a smile on his face.
Li Yan flew through the dark red sky. The eleven people who had entered first had all disappeared without a trace. Even that "sheltered prodigy" Bu Luo was nowhere to be seen. Thinking of Bu Luo, Li Yan thought of the terrifyingly powerful scholar in the green robe.
"He really did leave. Otherwise, with his strength, why would he need to hide and enter secretly? It seems he either had other matters to attend to or he has gone to the third level of the pagoda." Thinking of this, Li Yan let out a long breath. The feeling that middle-aged scholar gave him was just like his own master, Wei Zhongran—unfathomable. His aura was as stable and deep as an abyss.
No one would want such a powerful cultivator to appear by their side, unless, of course, they were on the same side.
Li Yan had only flown for less than three li when a strong fluctuation of spirit power suddenly came from his side. Li Yan couldn't help but curse his bad luck. He had just entered and had already run into another fight. Moreover, two figures were flying rapidly in his direction. Li Yan tapped his foot on the "Cloud-Piercing Willow," changed direction, and flew quickly in another direction.
However, Li Yan had only flown for a few li when his face darkened. The two figures had also made a turn and were continuing to fly towards him. Li Yan was not flying at full speed. His action just now was undoubtedly to tell the two that he did not want to get involved in others' affairs, yet the other party followed him like a shadow.