It was unclear how much time had passed before Xiao Yufan once again felt the sensation of solid ground beneath his feet. However, the comfort of that feeling didn’t last even ten seconds before his brows furrowed. The place they had arrived at turned out to be a deserted island.
“Damn it! Could I be this unlucky? I thought I was coming here for treasure, but instead you brought me here to live like a savage!”
Xiao Yufan muttered in annoyance. That spatial passage was simply too unreliable. Still, he should probably be grateful he hadn’t landed straight into the ocean, which would have been even worse.
Ten thousand curses raced through his mind. He had imagined countless possibilities for this mysterious location, but never did he expect it to be just an isolated island. Still, this must be part of that mysterious realm; otherwise, it would be too pitiful.
Xiao Yufan’s expression was far from pleasant, and the others weren’t faring much better. Their lips twitched involuntarily. If it hadn’t been the spatial passage personally opened by Elder Ning of the Eastern Holy Temple, they would have thought they had definitely come to the wrong place.
Nor Tian Gong and Ye Kong, among others, also wore grim expressions. Although their strength had reached the Half-Step Primordial stage, what good was power in a place like this?
“Everyone, I think you all understand the current situation. This island, although part of the mysterious realm, is not the core area. If we remain stuck here, it will be meaningless. So why don’t we work together and leave this island first?”
Xiao Yufan glanced around before shifting his gaze to the others. Naturally, he ignored Nor Tian Gong’s face, which was twisted with hatred. Even if they fought again, the outcome would remain the same.
The others exchanged glances. They were well aware of their current predicament. This island was so small they could see its edges—what could they possibly expect to find here? If they stayed, they would miss out on all the treasures the mysterious realm had to offer.
However, all of them were young experts from the Guardian Temples, each with their own pride. As soon as Xiao Yufan spoke, they instinctively resisted his suggestion.
Xiao Yufan wasn’t in a hurry. He knew these guys were all proud and stubborn. The reason they hadn’t followed the Guardian Temples into the mysterious realm was because they each had their own ideas. The more they resisted, the more frustrated they would become, and the more fruitless this journey would seem.
“You bunch of indecisive men! If you don’t want to leave, then stay here! I, for one, don’t like this place at all!”
At this moment, Wang Yuxuan—who had been silent until now—finally spoke up. Her words immediately caught Xiao Yufan’s attention. Not bad! No wonder she was Big Brother Wei’s sister. She really was in sync with him.
A little proud of himself, Xiao Yufan thought, out of the ten people, the only two women were now on his side. That must be making those arrogant guys think twice.
“Hehe, you ignored me for so long, now you should be grateful for my support!” Yuxuan pouted cutely, her beautiful eyes fixed on Xiao Yufan.
“If we stay here too long, we’ll only end up with the leftovers after everyone else has taken their share. So I agree with Xiao Brother’s suggestion—we should work together to leave first, and then decide our next move.”
Someone stepped forward, nodded at Xiao Yufan, and spoke with a smile.
Before this, Xiao Yufan had already learned everything about the top ten martial artists from the Ancient Martial Arts Tournament. This man must be Xie Yuan from the Illusion Heaven Temple.
Although the Illusion Heaven Temple didn’t hold the highest status among the Guardian Temples, Xie Yuan’s strength ranked among the top five of the ten people present. His Half-Step Primordial cultivation base was slightly stronger than Ye Kong, who had just recently entered that realm.
As soon as Xie Yuan spoke, the others began to waver. In such a situation, it was better to make a decision quickly. After all, staying on the island would only waste more time.
“Let’s team up and leave this place first. As for what we do after reaching the core area, it’s up to each individual!”
Another person from a Guardian Temple stepped forward, followed by three others who nodded one after another. Nor Tian Gong’s expression grew darker by the second, while Ye Kong remained surprisingly calm, as if he had anticipated this.
“I don’t mind either,” Ye Kong shrugged casually. He had already noticed the others’ gazes.
The reason he hadn’t joined the other young experts from the Green Spirit Temple was because of Cheng Ying. Although Cheng Ying didn’t really need his protection, he still insisted on staying by her side because he understood how important she was to both the Green Spirit Temple and the Green Spirit Clan.
Xiao Yufan hadn’t expected Ye Kong to agree so easily. After all, during the Ancient Martial Arts Tournament, Ye Kong had been defeated by him. There was no way Ye Kong didn’t hold a grudge.
However, Ye Kong’s feelings for Cheng Ying were genuine. Even if he harbored resentment, he could only keep it inside. He couldn’t possibly act on it, because if he hurt Xiao Yufan, Cheng Ying would never forgive him.
Besides, with Ye Kong’s current strength, even if he wanted to hurt Xiao Yufan, it would be difficult.
After reaching the Half-Step Primordial stage, he had thought he could finally catch up to Xiao Yufan. But soon after, he realized he couldn’t even begin to fathom the latter’s true strength. In other words, Xiao Yufan had made yet another leap in cultivation during this time.
Such a monstrous rate of progress left Ye Kong speechless. It seemed the grudge from the Ancient Martial Arts Tournament would remain unpaid. If that was the case, he might as well act more generously.
With Ye Kong’s agreement, Nor Tian Gong’s face turned even darker than a pig’s liver. He definitely didn’t want Xiao Yufan to be the hero here. But if he were the only one refusing, it would be difficult for him to even leave the island.
“Miserable indecisive fools!” he cursed inwardly.
Why must they follow someone else’s lead? Couldn’t they leave this place without that guy?
He wasn’t a saint. After being humiliated and thrown down by Xiao Yufan, anyone would be furious. It was already hard enough for him to restrain himself from attacking his enemy. Was he now expected to follow Xiao Yufan around like a dog?
The young experts from the Nine Palaces had already entered this mysterious realm. Once Nor Tian Gong reunited with them, he would definitely make Xiao Yufan pay back every ounce of humiliation. In this place, he would ensure Xiao Yufan had no way to escape—neither heaven above nor earth below.
But the key problem was—he had to leave this cursed island first. If he couldn’t, everything else was meaningless. And if he were left behind alone on this island, he would go insane.
“Hmph! Enjoy your moment while you can. Once I reunite with the Nine Palaces, your time is up!”
Gritting his teeth, Nor Tian Gong finally agreed, though his voice was clearly twisted with anger. Xiao Yufan didn’t care. There were plenty of people who wanted him dead. How could he possibly care about a powerless, barking dog?
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