Secret Sound Valley was a subordinate force of the Nan Clan, so their own people had to be saved.
Nan Xunran moved slightly and appeared before them in an instant.
His expression calm, he raised a hand and waved it gently, unleashing a terrifying force that seemed capable of destroying heaven and earth.
Like a raging torrent, the force engulfed the ferocious beast in an instant.
The beast did not even have time to scream before the impact reduced it to ash, leaving not a trace behind.
Everyone stared at Nan Xunran, who had appeared out of nowhere, rooted to the spot.
Only after a long while did they recover from their shock, as though waking from a dream.
"Divine... Divine Son Xunran!"
"Thank you for saving us, young master!"
"Thank you, Divine Son Xunran!" Voices of gratitude rang out one after another.
Nan Xunran's expression remained indifferent. "Since I came across you, it was only right to help."
With that, he turned to leave.
Just then, a woman summoned her courage and called out, "Divine... Divine Son Xunran! Could you please save Senior Sister Yan?"
The woman continued, "We've used up all our pills."
Nan Xunran stopped in his tracks.
He remembered that Secret Sound Valley's current-generation saintess was called Yan Lingxue.
By the look of it, this unconscious woman held a rather high position among them, so she was probably the saintess.
He calmly held out a bottle of pills to the woman and said slowly, "These are Return Spring Pills. Give her one."
Hearing this, the woman hurried forward and, a little flustered, took a Return Spring Pill from the bottle.
She gently helped Yan Lingxue sit up and slowly fed the pill into her mouth.
A moment later, Yan Lingxue's eyelashes fluttered, and she gradually woke.
Coughs rattled in her throat as she asked weakly, "Cough... cough, cough, cough. Where's the ferocious beast...?"
The woman hurriedly replied, "Divine Son Xunran killed it."
A trace of surprise appeared on Yan Lingxue's face. Then she asked in confusion, "Divine Son Xunran? Where is he?"
The woman lowered her head slightly and said softly, "The divine son left after giving us the Return Spring Pills."
The words the valley master had said to her before the trial surfaced in Yan Lingxue's mind: "If you run into danger, go find the Nan Clan's divine son."
She looked around at the exhausted people and sighed softly. "With our current abilities, there's no way we can make it through this trial. Let's go find Divine Son Xunran."
Everyone fell silent for a moment after hearing her, then nodded without a word.
Just then, without warning, they suddenly felt a powerful pressure surge toward them like a tide.
The pressure carried an indescribable deterrent force that made everyone's hearts tremble.
"It's Divine Son Xunran's presence!" someone murmured softly.
Yan Lingxue frowned slightly and said thoughtfully, "It seems he's letting the people of the Crimson Plume Sacred Land know his exact location."
After a moment's silence, Yan Lingxue softly said, "Let's go."
The group set off in Nan Xunran's direction.
They moved slowly onward, guided by the faint, intermittent trace of his presence.
At the mountaintop
Nan Xunran stood quietly, straight as a pine, as though he had become one with heaven and earth.
The suffocatingly powerful pressure still surrounded him.
Like an invisible field, the pressure spread through the surroundings, making the entire space seem to tremble.
"This is... Master's pressure!" Pei Zimo's eyes widened, and without the slightest hesitation, he immediately sped toward its source.
The other Dao Children also stopped what they were doing. Then, with a flash, they rushed toward Nan Xunran's location.
When the disciples of the other sacred lands felt the powerful pressure, they too cried out in amazement.
They looked toward its source, complicated expressions in their eyes.
Faced with this pressure, they all felt the enormous gap between themselves and Nan Xunran.
A short while later
No one had expected the disciples of Secret Sound Valley to be the first to arrive.
Nan Xunran raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, a trace of doubt in his voice, "What is it?"
Yan Lingxue stepped forward and respectfully addressed Nan Xunran. "Divine Son Xunran, before the trial, the valley master told me to come find you if we ran into danger."
She paused briefly, then continued, "Could we follow you until the trial ends?"
Nan Xunran's expression did not change when he heard her. He merely gave a slight nod.
Since this was a promise the Nan Clan had made to Secret Sound Valley, he naturally had no reason not to help as its divine son.
Besides, it would be no trouble for him, and Secret Sound Valley would owe him a favor. Why not?
At that moment, the atmosphere seemed to freeze. Yan Lingxue opened her mouth, about to say something.
But a loud voice suddenly rang out. "Master! I'm here!"
Immediately afterward, Pei Zimo arrived in a whirlwind, his voice having reached them before he did.
He sped over, stirring up a gust that set Nan Xunran's robes flapping.
Pei Zimo quickly looked around and, seeing no other Dao Children, threw up his arms in excitement. "Woohoo! I'm first!"
Then he turned his gaze to Yan Lingxue and the others. A puzzled expression appeared on his face, and he could not help asking, "Master, who are they?"
Nan Xunran said calmly, "Disciples of Secret Sound Valley. They'll be following us until the trial ends."
Hearing this, Pei Zimo nodded thoughtfully.