Qi Yuntian shook his wide sleeve, and without needing to recite a mantra, the green light that had been holding the reverse-flowing water column in place suddenly contracted and transformed into a small green branch, which disappeared into his sleeve. Fixing his gaze on Zhang Yan, he said with a gentle expression, "According to the reports of two junior brothers, there were seven others with Junior Brother Zhang. I wonder, where are they now?"
Zhang Yan sighed deeply, a look of sorrow appearing on his face. He said, "On the day we sent Brother Xie and the others out, several senior brothers perished on the spot. Later, after several skirmishes with the Blood Essence Sect disciples, I am now the only one who remains."
Qi Yuntian nodded slightly, his expression calm and unsurprised. Upon entering the Demon Cave and seeing only Zhang Yan, this outcome was more or less within his expectations. He asked again, "Have the Blood Essence Sect disciples appeared in recent days?"
Zhang Yan replied, "We initially encountered them, but in the past few days, they have been unseen. I imagine they are wary of the Mingcang Sect sending disciples here, and thus dare not linger for long."
In truth, after sending Xie Zongyuan and Feng Ming out of the Demon Cave, aside from Li Weide, who was fixated on avenging Li Weimin and overly confident in his Xuan Guang Realm cultivation, pursuing Zhang Yan relentlessly, most of the Blood Essence Sect disciples had already departed. Those who blocked Zhang Yan that day were the last few of them.
As for the few he personally killed, that was related to his cultivation method, and naturally was not something he needed to mention.
Qi Yuntian’s gaze momentarily flashed with an intense sharpness. In a cold voice, he said, "The Blood Essence Sect dares to wantonly slaughter my Mingcang Sect disciples. When I return, I shall report this to the Sect Leader and seek justice for our fallen junior brothers." Though his tone was calm, there was an imposing power in his words that naturally inspired trust and conviction in those who heard him.
Zhang Yan could not shake his curiosity and asked, "If Brother Qi has come today to rescue us, Brother Xie and Brother Feng should have already left the Demon Cave on the fifteenth of last month. The sect should have known this by now. Could there have been some unexpected incident that delayed things for so long?"
Qi Yuntian sighed upon hearing this and shook his head. "It was just a matter of misfortune. Last month, True Master Peng of Shouming Palace reached a critical point in his cultivation breakthrough and was preparing to break through to the next stage. To avoid any disturbances, he ordered the island be sealed, with no one allowed in or out. Thus, even though Junior Brother Xie and Junior Brother Su had left the Demon Cave, they could not exit the island. It wasn’t until a few days ago, when True Master Peng lifted the restriction, that the sect received the news."
"I see," Zhang Yan nodded in realization, his doubts suddenly cleared.
He recalled that when they had first arrived on the island, True Master Peng had shown signs of attempting a breakthrough. Unexpectedly, they had coincidentally encountered this event—a stroke of bad luck, indeed. Even so, it hardly changed anything. Fang Zhen and the others could be said to have sought their own doom. Had they listened to his earlier advice not to force their way out of the Demon Cave’s exit, they could have easily relied on the Dragon Tooth Flying Boat for protection.
Qi Yuntian looked at Zhang Yan for a moment, lost in thought. Then, with a sigh, he said, "When I first heard of this matter, I assumed that so many days of delay would already have resulted in disaster. Yet Brother Ning insisted that while others might meet misfortune, Junior Brother Zhang would surely remain unharmed and might even escape on his own without our help. When I asked him why he was so certain, he only smiled without explanation. So, I made a wager with him, and now it seems he was right."
Zhang Yan laughed. "It seems Brother Ning tricked you, Brother Qi. While others may be unsure of my fate, Brother Ning was bound to know it."
Qi Yuntian raised an eyebrow curiously. "Oh? Why is that?"
"In the past, Brother Ning gave me a Ruyi Divine Shuttle as a protective charm. If I were to perish, the Divine Shuttle would inevitably fall into someone else’s hands for refining, and at that time, Brother Ning would surely sense it. That is why he could be so confident in his words."
Upon hearing this, Qi Yuntian burst into laughter, his voice echoing throughout the cave walls like thunder. "Ah, what a clever Ning Junior Brother. It seems he outmaneuvered me in this matter."
Zhang Yan smiled and cupped his hands respectfully. "Nevertheless, I must thank Senior Brother for your assistance today, as it seems I can finally return to the sect."
Qi Yuntian, however, waved his hand and chuckled. "No rush. I know you came here to increase your cultivation level, and to earn some merit and recognition in battle against the Three Pools Lake Demon. It seems to me that while your Xuan Seed has already taken root, your Xuan Guang has yet to manifest fully. It appears your progress is still incomplete. However, to have cultivated to this point despite being pursued by Demon Sect disciples is no small feat. This place is not easily accessed and should not be lightly abandoned. The journey of a hundred miles is incomplete at ninety steps. Why not continue your cultivation here? I will act as your protector. Once you break through the Dome and step into the Xuan Guang Realm, it will not be too late to leave."
Zhang Yan’s heart stirred. It seemed his earlier suspicions were correct—Qi Yuntian had indeed come with the intent to recruit him.