Zhiwei hesitated.
Jian Gu’s behavior was quite normal—after all, he and Master had met in the Grotto Heaven, and casually catching up should be no problem.
But his nature is indifferent, and he doesn’t seem to care about others.
"Forget it, we’ll talk about this later. This person is not an enemy, otherwise, he wouldn’t have helped us back then."
Chen Ye laughed and pointed to another special group,
"You should be careful with this group as well. They are all Loose Cultivators from Yan Kingdom."
This is a group of cultivators in various attires, with mixed auras.
Some are old, some are young; some are full of scars, some are sinister and ruthless, and the magical treasures on them are diverse.
This was a consensus reached by the Five Sects of Yan Country; to appease the Loose Cultivators of Yan Kingdom, a batch of Luoxiao Orders was specially released. Cultivators holding the Luoxiao Order could enter Luoxiao Grotto Heaven.
Therefore, even though these people have magical treasures and cultivation techniques far inferior to those of sect cultivators,
they are, after all, ruthless characters who have climbed over mountains of corpses and seas of blood, not to be underestimated.
"Tsk... If I were the protagonist of a novel, logically, I should have a Luoxiao Order, then go to Luoxiao Grotto Heaven to wreak havoc, and perhaps even make the fairy from Medicine King Valley bow down."
Chen Ye sighed inwardly.
What a pity.
He was just an ordinary old man, only good for watching his disciples wreak havoc outside.
"The time has come!"
Just as Chen Ye was still tirelessly reminding each disciple of Lingyin Sect,
Gu Tangyin’s clear and domineering voice resounded throughout the venue, silencing the noise.
"The Luoxiao Grotto Heaven, open!"
"Enter!"
Rumble——
A pillar of light behind the Heaven-Suspended Tower trembled, and within the chaotic light, a massive space portal was torn open.
Ancient and vast aura emanated from the portal, clearing everyone’s divine souls.
"Disciples of the sects, hear the order! Line up and enter in batches!"
With a wave of her long whip, Gu Tangyin commanded confidently.
According to the prior agreement, nominally to avoid uncontrolled spatial turbulence from large-scale teleportation, only up to five people could enter at a time.
And Chen Ye’s three disciples formed their own team. They didn’t want to team up with strangers, so Master had to go along with them.
After all, his disciples had too many secrets; it wasn’t good to be with others.
"Master, we’re going!"
Qing Jun could barely contain herself, eagerly rubbing her hands together.
She planned to bring back lots of treasures for Master!
Otherwise, Master couldn’t afford to support her!
Besides, she wanted to support Master!
A little girl’s heart harbored big dreams!
Chen Ye took a deep breath, looking at the three disciples in front of him, each with different personalities but all deeply on his mind, his eyes gentle:
"Go ahead."
"Remember, while opportunities are good, life is more important."
"I will be here outside, waiting for your triumphant return."
"Yes!"
The three girls saluted in unison.
The next moment.
Zhiwei held Jin’er’s little hand, and Qing Jun took the lead. The three figures transformed into startling rainbows, rushing toward the giant light gate first.
Behind them, the nine disciples of Lingyin Sect quickly divided into two teams, following closely.
Buzz!
Just as Qing Jun and the others were about to touch the light gate,
a five-colored light curtain covering the entire entrance suddenly lit up without warning.
This was a grand array set up cooperatively by the Golden Core True Men of Yan Kingdom’s Five Sects.
The array is not meant to defend against external enemies, only to prevent violations.
Anyone carrying magical treasures of the Third Tier or above, or those with cultivation above the Sixth-Layer Foundation Establishment, will be repelled and possibly seriously injured upon touching the array.
Whoosh!
The light curtain swept over Qing Jun’s body.
In that instant, a slight glow on Qing Jun’s body caused a subtle fluctuation in the light curtain.
Chen Ye’s heart couldn’t help but tighten.
This girl had a special identity; could the grand array misjudge her?
Meanwhile,
the little white fox lying in the backpack was holding its breath tightly, compressing its demon force to the extreme.
Damn human race array!
Damn Golden Core True Men!
Once I recover my cultivation, I’ll definitely dismantle this broken array and use it for firewood!
Although it had already undergone Mortal Transformation and was confident in passing through the grand array, it was still a little worried at the critical moment. As the saying goes, better safe than sorry.
Luckily.
It was only a moment of fluctuation, then Qing Jun passed through unhindered.
Afterward, Zhiwei and Jin’er also passed smoothly.
"Fortunately, Zhiwei’s Gourd Sword dropped to Second Tier Top Grade, and Jin’er’s Divine Fire... is probably more than Third Tier, so this array naturally couldn’t recognize it."
Chen Ye let out a sigh of relief.
After the last cultivator rushed into the light pillar,
"Seal!"
Gu Tangyin softly commanded, casting a dharma seal onto the array.
The giant space portal trembled once more.
The originally chaotic light gradually contracted, forming a mercury-like flowing light screen that lay between heaven and earth.
The outside world could no longer spy a trace inside, only through this light screen could they glimpse a fraction of Luoxiao Grotto Heaven’s situation.
But this light screen was not controlled by man, merely randomly reflecting portions of Luoxiao Grotto Heaven.
The noise in the plaza gradually subsided, becoming oppressively quiet instead.
The leading teachers and accompanying disciples of the four major sects all sat cross-legged in their respective areas, some closing their eyes to rest, some staring intently at the light screen, with varying expressions.
"Hmph."
Gu Tangyin coldly scanned the surrounding cultivators from various sects, a disdainful smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
She waved her wide sleeve, setting up a small table on the Chijiao battle chariot, taking out a pot of spiritual alcohol, and began pouring and drinking by herself.
"Take your time waiting, everyone."
"Surprises await."
Her tone was peculiar, causing many cultivators to frown, a sense of unease rising subtly in their hearts.
Meanwhile...
Inside Luoxiao Grotto Heaven.
The sky was a murky gray, perpetually shrouded in an unresolved mist.
Suddenly, a spatial rift in mid-air ripped open violently.
"Waaaah—!!"
A scream of weightlessness pierced the ancient forest’s silence.
Accompanied by a "boom" outburst.
A figure fell clumsily from the mid-air rift, landing in the thick layer of decaying leaves, sending broken branches and withered leaves flying all around.
"Cough cough cough... ptooey ptooey ptooey!"
Qing Jun climbed out of the pit, spitting out the dried leaves in her mouth, rubbing her sore little butt, with a face full of grievance,
"Almost split Qing Jun’s butt into eight pieces! It hurts... boohoo, where’s Master! Qing Jun needs Master to rub it better!"
Then above the swirling dust.
A green sword light flitted across like a startled swan, swiftly descending and landing gently.
Zhiwei’s clothes fluttered, her expression cold, holding a sword in one hand while the other arm wrapped securely around Jin’er’s slender waist, her toes lightly touching down on a thick branch, with black hair like ink, white socks immaculate, unstained by dust.
The young girl with ink-black hair slightly furrowed her brows, seemingly displeased:
"Qing Jun, don’t talk nonsense. You are a girl, how can you let Master rub your butt?"
The little girl stuck out her tongue: "Qing Jun is a girl! Girls don’t need to mind these things!"
Zhiwei’s forehead darkened.
Brat!
Only half a year younger than me!
If it weren’t for her true dragon body, with its slow development, she should logically be comparable to me!
Damn...
Why did she grow so fast?
Jin’er’s face flushed slightly, embarrassed as she slipped from her senior sister’s arms, she looked concernedly at Qing Jun:
"Senior Sister Qing Jun, you have Little White on your back, don’t crush it."
"Ah!"
Qing Jun was startled, hurriedly taking off the small backpack from her back.
She unzipped the bag to reveal a dizzy little white fox, its eyes rolling unsteadily, poking its head out.
"Grr..." (you stupid girl... were you trying to kill me...)
The little white fox rolled its eyes, nearly fainting.
"Hehe, I’m sorry, Little White, the descent was too sudden, I wasn’t paying attention..."
Qing Jun sheepishly stroked the little white fox’s fur, then tucked it back into the backpack, carrying it on her back,
"Don’t worry! From now on, Qing Jun will tread carefully! So Little White can sleep comfortably!"
"Grr—"
Little White expressed doubt.
"Senior Sister, where are we?"
Jin’er tilted her small face, observing the surroundings.
The trees here were so tall, and everything was so quiet, there wasn’t even the sound of birds, only the occasional unknown beast roar, chilling to hear.
"According to the map Master gave us..."
Zhiwei took out a jade scroll, her divine sense entering it, comparing it to the surrounding terrain,
"We should be at the perimeter of the grotto heaven. The spiritual energy here is dense, with many wood-series demon beasts. It’s not considered too dangerous, but it’s easy to lose direction."
Unfortunately, the information in the jade scroll was limited.
Luoxiao Grotto Heaven only surfaced in the world about a century ago.
Additionally, its internal area is vast, encompassing seventy-nine peaks of Lingyun.
Just one of its peaks is as large as Lingyin Mountain. Not to mention the numerous restrictions and lurking demon beasts within.
Thus, external cultivators’ understanding of Luoxiao Grotto Heaven is quite limited.
Even the Lingyin Sect has only explored three of its peaks.
"But... the more unknowns there are, the more opportunities there might be!"