"Zhou Lingzhe, please be at ease, since this matter was just a misunderstanding, and you have proven your powerful and invincible ability, then I, Jia Yongheng, will be the first to stand out and support you."
The white-clothed youth whom Zhou Yan had seen before unexpectedly stepped forward, the first to support Zhou Yan.
He appeared quite ordinary in every way, but to Zhou Yan, with his exceptionally powerful soul sensing ability, he could not sense anything from this person, a clear indication that he was no ordinary individual.
Further, he seemed extraordinarily handsome, yet there was something incomplete about his handsome appearance.
Zhou Yan, with his understanding of the "perfect" way of the Tao, under the influence of the Purple Flame Lotus Seed and his multiple Enlightenment experiences, already had a special sensing ability.
He was certain the man’s appearance could be fake.
But he could not perceive any of the man’s underlying essence.
After this person came forward, one after another, cultivators stepped out, declaring they were willing to follow Zhou Yan’s arrangements.
Evidently, after establishing his authority, Zhou Yan had clearly displayed his capabilities, and his status naturally equated with those of Chen Tianjian and others.
Beside Zhou Yan, Feng Ling Bamboo’s earlier resentment and anger were gradually suppressed after Zhou Yan had gained such status and recognition.
She took a deep breath and silently stood behind Zhou Yan, like the most loyal guard, fully expressing her loyalty.
Hearing the cultivators’ words and sensing the changes in Feng Ling Bamboo’s mentality beside him, Zhou Yan’s mood improved considerably. Especially when he felt the contrast between Feng Ling Bamboo’s earlier pride and her current submissive heart, he also felt a sense of accomplishment as a man subduing a disobedient woman.
Men always prefer obedient women, even if they act as if they like disobedient ones, the subconscious desire is to subdue such rebellious women, making them more obedient than the obedient ones.
Zhou Yan was no exception.
Sensing the change in Feng Ling Bamboo, he couldn’t help but look towards Feng Yunyan, and then, he realized she appeared to be an even more disobedient woman.
The path of the Ancient Array, fraught with hardship and uneven terrain.
Upon arriving here, it was not easy to travel. At least, that was the case so far.
The place was silent, with chilly winds blowing softly yet oppressively, as silent as if everyone had perished.
However, nearly a hundred cultivators still followed Zhou Yan.
In a silent environment, any sound would make it seem even quieter, even more desolate.
At this moment, the melancholic sound of an ancient flute mysteriously appeared here.
The ancient flute’s music was desolate, bleak, carrying an ancient sorrow that could wrench the listener’s heart and even seem as if it could cause an empathetic listener to succumb to Transformation.
The sudden sound caught almost everyone off guard, trapping them in its terrible grasp.
But Zhou Yan was unaffected.
He stood quietly at the forefront, looking at a figure in white clothing playing the flute within a sky-blue arc-shaped hoop ahead, as if piercing through space-time, seeing a scene from the past or future.
This scene, this figure’s silhouette, felt very familiar to him.
But he still could not remember who this person was.
This silhouette was still that of the statue of the woman who had lost her eyes, but the memory of this silhouette seemed ancient and distant.
Yet, these were not the main concerns; Zhou Yan was sure of one thing – there was no such instrument as the Xiao in this world.
It was a world similar to the ancient Earth world of his Master, where such instruments did exist, but Zhou Yan had never known of this instrument in this world.
In the memories of his Master, on that Earth, there was the existence of the flute, but that was on Earth.
But now, there was the sound of flute music here.
This scene even made Zhou Yan wonder if that Earth world truly had myriad connections with this one; otherwise, why would his Master have ended up in such a world after breaking through the sky?
He did not think too far, but as he pondered, he suddenly felt his own life energy, as if massively draining away.
This was Vitality Energy being directly devoured!
His heart chilled as he instantly awoke, and then he looked towards Feng Ling Bamboo, who had clearly aged a bit; her previously girlish bright eyes and white teeth had matured into the beauty of an attractive woman. In that instant, her whole person seemed to have transformed into a stunningly beautiful matron.
It was the obvious drain of vitality!
He then looked to the others and indeed, many cultivators had already turned grey-haired and their faces were marked with deep wrinkles as if aged by time.
His heart was shocked, and he immediately stimulated his soul to vibrate and shouted out loud, "Wake up!"
This roar was like a thunderclap, with a surging energy vibrating all around.
"Awake, awake, awake—"
The echoing sound seemed to come from all directions, making this dead silent world suddenly lively.
Zhou Yan’s shout first impacted Feng Ling Bamboo, so she was the first to awaken; she immediately felt her changes, and at once, her beautiful and charming expression complicated, following which her complexion abruptly paled and her previously radiant eyes dimmed.