At this moment, Zhou Yi was in grave danger.
After the young girl led them out of the mountains, they flew onward for more than an hour before arriving at a small town beyond the mountain range.
Several old men came forward to greet them and led everyone into a large courtyard in the town.
"Weiwei, did you encounter any danger along the way?"
"The Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground suddenly underwent a change, alarming all the cultivators nearby. Weiwei, did you discover anything?"
The moment they entered the hall, several old men surrounded them and bombarded them with questions.
"I did not discover anything unusual..."
Weiwei had just begun to answer when she was interrupted by a startled cry.
"Eh? These people... Look! Look! These people..."
An old man stared at Zhou Yi and the others in utter shock, his eyes bulging so wide that one worried they might fall out.
"Aren't they just ordinary mortals? Their clothes are a little strange, though... Ah!"
The old man beside him answered dismissively, then glanced at Zhou Yi and the others. Before he could finish speaking, he too cried out in alarm.
"These people... these people..."
The other old men were all drawn over. Once their eyes fell upon Zhou Yi and the others, it was as if they had seen peerless treasures, and they could no longer look away.
"Their vital energy is as brilliant as a rainbow, spiritual radiance overflows from them, and most importantly, their Bitter Seas have already been activated. They are all outstanding talents, fine jade!"
"Hahahaha! Good! Good! Good!"
"Weiwei, you will soon leave Spirit Void and head to a sacred land to cultivate. Yet before departing, you found us so many promising seedlings. Weiwei, you have rendered a great service!"
The old men were overjoyed. Though they were praising Weiwei, their gazes remained fixed on Zhou Yi and the others, filled with admiration.
"Ahem!"
An elderly old man stepped forward, glanced at everyone, and asked gently, "Young friends, where do you come from?"
"Hello, sir. We..."
Zhou Yi stepped forward and answered the old man's question. "Our homeland is very far from here. We were visiting an ancient mountain, but for some unknown reason, we suddenly appeared here."
"This situation..."
The old man stroked his beard and nodded. "I fear you accidentally entered some kind of formation and crossed through the void to arrive here."
As he spoke, a trace of sympathy appeared on his face. He sighed and shook his head.
"Judging by your attire, especially your short hair, it resembles the customs of the Western Desert nations. I fear you are from the Western Desert? This place is the Eastern Wasteland, separated from the Western Desert by countless billions of miles. I fear you will find it difficult to return in this lifetime."
"Difficult to return? Why?"
Zhou Yi looked at the old man and asked in surprise, "Why can't we go back?"
"The Eastern Wasteland and the Western Desert are separated by far more than countless billions of miles. Even this old man, flying with escape light, would need several decades to reach it. As for you, ordinary mortals could never arrive there in a single lifetime! Unless..."
The old man abruptly stopped, giving everyone a meaningful look. "Unless you can cultivate. Once your cultivation succeeds, such a distance will not be a problem."
"Cultivation?"
"Can all of us cultivate?"
"That's wonderful! Wonderful!"
"Immortal Master, please take pity on us and accept us into your sect."
Everyone understood the old man's meaning. How could they possibly hold back? Flying through the skies and burrowing through the earth! Immortality! Who would not desire such a thing? They immediately began pleading and asking eagerly.
"Hahahaha! Good! Good!"
The old man nodded with a gratified expression. "Since you are all so sincere, this old man shall naturally open the Door of Convenience wide for you."
"Thank you, Immortal Master! Thank you, Immortal Master!"
Everyone was overjoyed and hurriedly thanked him.
"Hehehehe!"
Seeing this, the old men smiled happily.
"Immortal Master, this disciple has something to report."
At this moment, Liu Yunzhi suddenly stepped forward and bowed respectfully to the leading old man.
"Liu Yunzhi? What is he trying to do?"
Zhou Yi's eyes flickered, and unease rose in his heart. Could he...
"Immortal Master, before arriving here, we visited an ancient temple. Inside that ancient temple..."
At this point, Liu Yunzhi turned to look at Zhou Yi, a cold, sinister smile on his face.
"Damn it!"
Hearing this, Zhou Yi's expression changed drastically. He already understood Liu Yunzhi's intentions.
"Damn it, that bastard Liu Yunzhi!"
Zhou Yi was both furious and anxious, gritting his teeth as he wished he could tear Liu Yunzhi apart. Liu Yunzhi's thoughts were obvious: if I cannot have it, neither will you.
"Hehe!"
"Liu Yunzhi is really ruthless!"
Seeing this scene, all kinds of thoughts passed through everyone's minds. But aside from a few people, most were simply taking pleasure in Zhou Yi's misfortune.
"Who told you to keep all the benefits for yourself? Who told you to steal all the limelight? Now you've caused trouble, haven't you? Now you're in trouble, aren't you? Before an Immortal Master, you'll have to obediently hand over every benefit."
"Liu Yunzhi, you..."
Li Xiaoman was among the few who did not delight in Zhou Yi's misfortune. Seeing Liu Yunzhi preparing to harm Zhou Yi, she hurriedly spoke up to stop him, but it was already too late.
"Immortal Master, we discovered a treasure in that ancient temple."
Liu Yunzhi stared at Zhou Yi, a cold gleam flashing through his eyes. With a faint smile on his lips, he pointed at Zhou Yi. "That treasure is in his hands. The reason we were able to appear here may very well be related to that treasure."
Not only did Liu Yunzhi reveal the existence of the treasure, but he also greatly exaggerated its abilities.
As a result, the old men, who had originally been uninterested in a treasure mentioned by mere mortals, were all drawn in.
"A treasure capable of crossing the void? Such a treasure actually exists?"
"What kind of great expert could refine such a supreme treasure?"
"If we offered such a treasure to a sacred land, we could surely exchange it for countless spirit pills and wondrous medicines. Perhaps our cultivation could even advance another level."
As they thought of this, the old men's eyes began to shine.
"Hehe. Young man, once you join Spirit Void, you will be one of us. As long as you offer up the treasure, we certainly will not mistreat you. One day, it may even be possible for you to enter a sacred land and cultivate, just like Weiwei!"
The leading old man looked at Zhou Yi with a smile. His expression remained gentle, yet his eyes carried an indescribable meaning.
"Exactly! Our Spirit Void Grotto-Heaven is one of the six great grotto-heavens of Yan State and is affiliated with one of the Eastern Wasteland's renowned sacred lands. You will have rendered a great service the moment you enter the sect. Your future will surely be boundless!"
Another old man smiled and nodded at Zhou Yi, though a cold glint flashed through his eyes.
"Young man, a treasure capable of crossing the void is of no use in your hands. In fact, it would be of little use even in ours, but in the hands of a sacred land, it would be extremely useful."
"Right. Young man, keeping this thing in your hands may even bring you trouble. So... hand it over to the sect. What do you think?"
Several old men stared intently at Zhou Yi.
"Damn it! Where am I supposed to find any treasure?"
Sweat had already appeared on Zhou Yi's forehead. He had traded away all the things from Da Lei Yin Temple, and he did not even have anything to bluff with. He could not possibly hand over the Supreme Heavenly Book, could he?
"Hm? What? You are unwilling?"
Seeing that Zhou Yi remained silent, the leading old man's face turned cold, and his gaze became incomparably sharp.
"Young man, you had better think this through!"
Another old man had already placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist, his expression hardening.
"Damn it, what should I do?"
Panic filled Zhou Yi's heart. Patriarch, where the hell did you go? I'm doomed this time!
P.S. The author created a group. Interested friends are welcome to come chat and shoot the breeze. 419,574,189.