Suddenly, he raised his hand.
Zhou Yuanli, taken aback, realized what was happening and hastily flew to the edge of the formation.
Soon, shadows began to materialize before his eyes.
These were not enemies, but familiar faces!
He breathed a sigh of relief, but the sight of bloodied figures soon turned his expression even graver.
The sight of a severely injured Gu Caiyi being held by Murong Qinglian sent shivers down his spine.
"Hall Master Murong, what on earth happened out there?"
"We were attacked, there were many of them!"
Murong Qinglian’s face was wrought with worry, her gown covered in blood.
It was unclear whether it was her own blood or if it had soaked in from the unconscious Gu Caiyi nearby.
"What sort of enemy could harm both you and Steward Gu?"
Murong Qinglian turned to look back, but found no trace of their attackers.
She forced a bitter laugh, "I’m not exactly sure but there were at least four Ninth Level Qi Refinement Experts. And countless ones at the Middle and Late Stage of Qi Refinement."
"Elder Sikong left the valley before us, but when we found him, he was being pursued relentlessly by a Ninth Level Qi Refinement Cultivator with iron claws."
"It was only thanks to his warning that we managed to avoid an ambush targeting Gu Caiyi and me."
Zhou Yuanli widened his eyes, wondering how such enemies could have appeared without any reason.
Furthermore, if they possessed such formidable power, why would they let Murong Qinglian and the others escape?
Outside the grand formation were cultivators from the Medicine Hall and Pill Hall, each of them only at the Early or Middle Stage of Qi Refinement.
"Let us in quickly!"
"Those people are horrific, they kill without blinking. Chen Yuan died right before our eyes, his body reduced to nothing."
"Elder Zhou, could you activate the grand formation? I’m injured and it hurts."
"Activate the formation quickly!"
Cries of desperation rang out, gradually turning into angry, resentful accusations.
Zhou Yuanli’s expression shifted uncertainly, unsure of what course of action to take.
"Let them in."
A steady voice echoed from beside him and Zhou Yuanli immediately turned.
"Hall Master! No, we mustn’t!"
"Among these people, there could be spies!"
Luo Chen’s expression was severe, "That’s alright, I’ll be the one making the decisions."
He strode forward and stood in front of the grand formation.
Looking at the familiar faces outside, he spoke loudly: "Before entering the formation, present your Broken Mountain Gang identity token."
"Once inside, you must not move around or resist interrogation."
"Anyone found breaking the rules will be executed on the spot!"
The commotion finally quieted down.
One by one, the crowd began to chant praises of the Hall Master and expressed their gratitude.
Unmoved, Luo Chen kept his gaze fixed on the cultivators outside.
Zhou Yuanli sighed. Luo Chen, he thought, was inexperienced and too kind-hearted.
Allowing such a large number of people to enter so suddenly, especially if there were spies among them, could lead to unimaginable consequences.
But in this place, Luo Chen’s authority was unsurpassed, and he had no power to oppose him.
Especially under everyone’s watchful eyes. If he were to refuse, not only would he anger Luo Chen, but he would also invoke the crowd’s wrath.
After all, many among those outside shared close relations with those inside."
For example, Yuan Dongsheng, the Spirit Plant Cultivator, was currently conversing with Elder Yuan from the Medicine Hall through the grand formation.
Oh well, no use worrying over it now.
I will just have to be extra vigilant, he decided.
Reluctantly, Zhou Yuanli ordered the grand formation to be opened, creating an entrance big enough for one person.
First to enter were, of course, Murong Qinglian and Gu Caiyi.
Luo Chen glanced at them and nodded slightly.
"Steward Yuan Yuejiao, I’ll leave their treatment in your hands."
"I don’t need any, I managed to react in time and avoided any serious injuries."
Murong Qinglian sighed and handed Gu Caiyi over to the elderly woman.
She then stood beside Luo Chen.
Next, one after another, lower order cultivators from the Medicine Hall and Pill Hall entered the formation.
Under Zhou Yuanli’s supervision, they presented their Broken Mountain Gang identity tokens and submitted to questioning.
Suddenly, Luo Chen frowned at a cultivator who had just been questioned.
"Capture him and interrogate him thoroughly!"
The man was startled, and as he tried to flee, his face turned pale.
The rest of the crowd was too slow to react, but Luo Chen had already made his move.
He flicked his finger!
Thud!
The man fell to his knees, with blood flowing from two small holes in his kneecaps.
Murong Qinglian was taken aback, "This is Zheng Baotai from the Medicine Hall. He shouldn’t be..."
"He’s not Zheng Baotai!"
Luo Chen extended a hand and shot a streak of Spirit Power. Suddenly, the man’s face emitted a plume of black smoke and his features transformed to reveal a stranger’s face.
It was a disguise! A face transformation!
Even though Zhou Yuanli was surprised, he swiftly captured the intruder.
"Not just him, there’s also this one."
Luo Chen glanced at another cultivator hiding among the crowd, and once again, he flicked his finger.
The man, as if anticipating this, immediately brandished his Magic Tool.
Clang!
He blocked it!
Just as he began to relax, two stone beads came whirling at him from two sides, striking his knees.
Thud! Thud!
Down he went!
"Capture all of them! Interrogate them thoroughly and find out which faction they’re from."
"Also, impose Prohibition Techniques on all the cultivators who came in, including Yuan Dongsheng."
Luo Chen calmly addressed the crowd, his gaze falling on Yuan Yuejiao who stood not too far away.
The old woman pursed her lips and nodded subtly in response.
Zhou Yuanli drew a deep breath and complied.
However, he wondered how Luo Chen was able to distinguish friend from foe.
Besides, Luo Chen didn’t seem as inexperienced as he had thought, having arranged everything meticulously.
Of course, Luo Chen didn’t explain himself. But with his Double Spirit Vision Technique, identifying such simple Spirit Power disguises was simply too easy.