Han Li suddenly recalled another young woman he had encountered within the restricted area and couldn’t help but glance toward the Spirit Beast Mountain’s direction. He noticed that Han Yunzhi was sitting obediently on the ground with a calm expression, showing no signs of any mishap, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.
As the time for the passage to close drew near, the expressions of the Masked Moon Sect members grew increasingly grim.
While members of the other sects pretended to be concerned about the Masked Moon Sect disciples on the surface, they were secretly delighted. After all, the Masked Moon Sect, as the leading sect of Yue Country, had long been the target of envy. The opportunity to slightly weaken their strength was something these people were more than happy to see.
Perhaps these thoughts had the opposite effect, for just a quarter of an hour before the passage was set to close, a white shadow flashed within the passage, and a team of over ten Masked Moon Sect disciples emerged in an orderly manner. Leading them was the stunningly beautiful Nangong Wan.
At the sight of her (them) emerging, Elder Qiong merely let out a long sigh of relief. However, Fairy Nishang couldn’t help but rush forward, grabbing Nangong Wan’s arm with deep concern, her worry clearly written on her face.
This scene did not go unnoticed by others, and members of the other sects were puzzled.
This was hardly surprising. Although Nangong Wan had met these Core Formation cultivators a few times before, she had always worn a veil, never revealing her true appearance. Thus, none of them realized that the beautiful young woman before them was the very “Fairy Nangong” they had encountered on several occasions.
Han Li was also immensely relieved to see her emerge safely. After all, she was the first woman with whom he had shared an intimate connection in this life. Even though he knew it was impossible to rekindle any romance, he couldn’t help but feel concerned for her.
However, Elder Li and the Taoist’s smiles were rather forced. This was understandable—not only were they unsure how many spiritual herbs the Masked Moon Sect had gathered, but the number of disciples who had survived and exited the restricted area already exceeded the combined total of their two sects. How could this not frustrate them immensely?
“It seems all the disciples who are coming out have emerged. Those who haven’t…” the leader from the Spirit Beast Mountain area began, clearing his throat.
But before he could finish, another person stumbled out of the nearly closed passage, rolling and crawling. It was none other than the sly old fox from Yellow Maple Valley, Xiang Zhili. However, the burly man from the Giant Sword Sect and the young Taoist who had been cooperating with him to gather herbs were nowhere to be seen.
The moment the old man crawled out of the passage, a tremor came from the direction of the restricted area. A blue light flashed, and the passage shattered into pieces before disappearing without a trace.
At this point, anyone still inside the restricted area was undoubtedly doomed. Disciples who failed to emerge in time had never reappeared when the restricted area opened again, vanishing for unknown reasons. This was precisely why no one dared to delay their exit.
However, the fact that a tenth-layer disciple like the sly old fox from Yellow Maple Valley had managed to escape with his life at the last moment truly surprised these high-level cultivators. They couldn’t help but scrutinize Xiang Zhili a few more times.
“Brother Li, I never expected Yellow Maple Valley to be so talented! Not only did an eleventh-layer disciple emerge, but even a tenth-layer disciple managed to survive. Your sect truly excels at nurturing disciples. I am impressed!” The cultivator from the Giant Sword Sect, seeing that only two of his disciples had emerged and that the barefoot man he had placed high hopes on had not made it out, while even two low-level disciples from Yellow Maple Valley had escaped with their lives, couldn’t help but feel a surge of frustration and sarcasm.
Upon hearing this, Elder Li’s expression darkened. He, too, believed that Han Li and Xiang Zhili had merely hidden away to avoid danger, taking opportunistic shortcuts. He shot a resentful glare at the sly old fox but felt compelled to defend them: “These juniors have shallow cultivation. Surviving is already a stroke of luck for them. As for the methods they used, we as elders need not criticize them further.”
“Hmph!” The high-level cultivator from the Giant Sword Sect, seeing Elder Li’s pretentious attitude, found it highly displeasing and was about to say more when Elder Qiong impatiently interjected.
“What is there for you two to argue about? If they survived, it’s their own capability. Should they have charged ahead knowing they stood no chance? However, Little Li! Hurry up and check the results of the bet. Let’s settle this sooner rather than later. Do you expect an old man like me to wait here forever?”
The old man clearly adopted a condescending tone, but the Giant Sword Sect cultivator and Elder Li dared not provoke his displeasure. They could only exchange a glance and laugh it off, dropping the matter. Otherwise, earning this old monster’s resentment would bring nothing but misfortune!
Thus, at Elder Qiong’s urging, the Taoist Fuyunzi from the Clear Void Sect and Elder Li had no choice but to reluctantly gather together. They then instructed the disciples from their three sects who had emerged from the restricted area to display their harvests one by one to determine the outcome of the bet.
The Clear Void Sect had only four Taoists who emerged from the restricted area. However, when the first middle-aged Taoist revealed his spiritual herbs, everyone’s expressions shifted slightly.
“Three mature hundred-year Blood Orchids, two three-hundred-year Heavenly Spirit Fruits, three four-hundred-year Jade Marrow Mushrooms…”
The Taoist continued to place eleven or twelve spiritual herbs on the ground one after another. The sheer quantity astonished all onlookers. Only Fuyunzi, who had placed the bet, smiled smugly, seemingly quite satisfied with the stunned reactions of others.
In contrast, the offerings from the old man from Yellow Maple Valley and the male disciple from the Masked Moon Sect, who had presented their harvests earlier, paled in comparison, with only a few herbs each.
Next, the second Taoist from the Clear Void Sect presented a less exaggerated but still impressive collection of seven or eight spiritual herbs, far exceeding the normal harvest. This made Elder Li somewhat uneasy, and even Elder Qiong’s playful expression faded, replaced by a serious demeanor.
High-level cultivators from the other four sects, hearing about the bet, naturally stepped forward to observe. They, too, were quietly amazed by the scene.
However, the spiritual herbs presented by the Chen siblings finally brought some relief to Elder Li. Their combined harvest of nearly twenty herbs was almost on par with the two Taoists. The next disciple from the Clear Void Sect presented a more normal harvest of only four herbs.
As for the Masked Moon Sect disciples, they maintained an average standard, with three consecutive disciples presenting fewer than five herbs each, allowing the Taoist and Elder Li to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
But when the next young man from Yellow Maple Valley stepped forward to present his spiritual herbs, he hesitated for a moment before shamefully producing only three herbs. This nearly caused Elder Li to fly into a rage, as he had never expected Han Li and the sly old fox to contribute anything significant!
According to the order, it should have been Han Li’s turn next, but unexpectedly, the sly old fox, Xiang Zhili, swiftly stepped forward before Han Li. He respectfully produced two Purple Monkey Flowers, which surprised Elder Li and slightly improved his mood—though only slightly. Although the number of herbs before him now exceeded that of the Clear Void Sect by one or two, he would still lose if the last disciple from the Clear Void Sect presented an average number of herbs. He had no expectations for Han Li’s harvest, assuming that Han Li would, at best, produce two or three herbs like the sly old fox, which would already be considered a decent effort for these low-level disciples.
Thinking this, Elder Li couldn’t help but glance at Fuyunzi, who appeared restless and happened to look back at him. The two were momentarily stunned before immediately averting their gazes, refocusing on the bet.
The last Taoist to step forward was a white-haired old man. He walked to the front unhurriedly and began slowly taking out herbs one by one, his sluggish pace irritating everyone present.
However, when he produced five herbs and continued reaching into his storage pouch, Elder Li’s expression darkened, while Fuyunzi beamed with joy. For the moment, both of them forgot about the Masked Moon Sect disciples.
To everyone’s surprise, the white-haired Taoist ultimately contributed seven spiritual herbs, far exceeding expectations.
By this point, Elder Li’s face had turned ashen, while the Taoist, now excited, turned his attention to the Masked Moon Sect disciples, confident that victory over Yellow Maple Valley was assured.
At that moment, Han Li stepped forward. The others merely glanced at him briefly before turning their attention to the Masked Moon Sect, completely ignoring him.
Elder Li also saw this but paid no attention to Han Li, believing he had already lost any chance of turning the tables. He thought that this eleventh-layer disciple’s presentation would only bring further embarrassment and thus saw no reason to show Han Li any favor.
Han Li paid no mind to the others’ reactions, nor did he consider withholding any mature spiritual herbs.
This was because the other two managing elders from each sect had brought one or two Scent-Sniffing Beasts with them. These peculiar creatures, resembling squirrels, could detect any hidden hundred-year spiritual herbs within a three-zhang radius, even if they were inside storage pouches.
Therefore, after voluntarily handing over their spiritual herbs, every disciple emerging from the restricted area had to undergo an inspection by these small beasts before they could leave. This was to prevent any deceitful disciples from secretly hoarding spiritual herbs!
Han Li walked to the spot, took out a storage pouch he had prepared earlier, and unceremoniously turned it upside down. A flash of white light later, a pile of over twenty various spiritual herbs spilled onto the ground.
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