Demon Ghost Domain Trial (4)
"Yan Tuo's son, Yan Shu?" Fei Denan asked in surprise, "Yan Tuo is willing to send his precious son to the Demon Ghost Domain for trials?"
"Whether he's willing or not is his business, and it's none of my concern. But Yan Shu told me himself that he's going too, so it's probably true. You know I have a grudge against him. Going to the Demon Ghost Domain with him would probably be very dangerous for me." Yue Qianchou said, making a snapping motion with his hand.
Fei Denan fell silent. If Yan Shu truly intended to kill Yue Qianchou in the Demon Ghost Domain, it wouldn't be difficult at all. With his late Core Formation stage cultivation, killing a Foundation Establishment Realm disciple wouldn't require much effort. Besides, in the Demon Ghost Domain, who could say who killed a disciple or two?
"Yue Qianchou, in this Demon Ghost Domain trial, my Myriad Fragrance Garden is not as good as the other lineages, but we have still selected one disciple each from the Nascent Soul, Core Formation, and Foundation Establishment Realm to participate. You know all three of them. When you get to the Demon Ghost Domain, stick close to them. Even with Yan Shu's Yan Shu Core Formation stage cultivation, he can't do anything to you." Fei Denan stroked his beard and pondered.
Yue Qianchou's eyes lit up. He had been waiting for this comment. Although he wasn't afraid of Yan Shu, having a few more people was better than none. He got up from his chair and said with a grin, "Then I'll trouble Elder Fei to take care of things. I'll go back and make preparations as soon as possible." With that, he swaggered out.
Time flew by, and the three members of Utopia had differing attitudes towards Yue Qianchou's departure for the Demon Ghost Domain. Guan Yu knew how high the mortality rate was on Fu Xian Island and was vaguely worried, but didn't say much. Chen Feng, on the other hand, was very devoted to his leader, whom he considered omnipotent and blindly worshipped. Bai Suzhen simply said, "Summon me if you're in danger."
In front of the main hall of the Alchemy Pavilion, fifteen disciples of various cultivation levels stood ready to depart, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. Guan Wei Wu, who was rarely seen, stood on the steps, looking at the disciples with a serious expression. Although he had seen such scenes many times, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional, wondering how many of them would return alive.
His gaze swept across the room, and he saw his disciple Yue Qianchou, hiding at the very back of the Foundation Establishment Realm five-person group, looking around curiously. Compared to the others, he seemed quite indifferent. Good attitude! Guan Wei Wu nodded approvingly and waved to the group, saying, "Come on, follow me to the Penglai Pavilion."
Guan Wei Wu took the lead and flew into the air, followed by fifteen disciples, each with a long sword drawn at the same time. With a "swish, swish, swish..." their momentum was astonishing, and they instantly followed Elder Guan swords.
Many of the onlookers shook their heads and sighed, lamenting how many of these people had gone and how many had returned. Some disciples, seeing their seniors depart together on their swords, wore expressions of amazement and envy. These were mostly disciples who hadn't yet reached the Foundation Establishment Realm; they didn't consider the dangers their seniors faced, but rather envied their ability to Sword Flight. The saying, "You get what you pay for," is quite true.
Ling Feng and his two companions watched Yue Qianchou fly at the very back of the crowd, sighing with mixed feelings of regret and frustration. When did he become an outstanding disciple?
When Guan Wei Wu led his men to the main hall of the Penglai Pavilion, a considerable number of people were already standing there, with more arriving one after another. Each faction stood in its own place, with the leading elders of each faction standing at the front. Yue Qianchou craned his neck, looking around. There were about three or four hundred people here, and the Cultivation Pavilion faction, standing at the far east, had the most people, forming a huge group that probably accounted for half of the total.
Dozens of elders stood on the steps of the main hall. The sect leader Feng Xiangtian, solemnly surveyed the crowd. An elder whispered a few words in his ear, and he nodded. The elder then took a small compass with a stand from his Storage Bag, shone a beam of white light at them, and tossed it forward. The compass instantly grew to the size of a dining table and was placed in front of the main hall.
The elder then cupped his hands in a gesture of invitation to the elders in charge of each branch who were standing in front.
At this moment, the Cultivation Pavilion on the east side made the first move. The elder in charge led his disciples towards the compass. Yue Qianchou desperately craned his neck, wanting to see what was going on, but unfortunately, there were too many people blocking his view.
It wasn't until it was the turn of the Alchemy Pavilion that Yue Qianchou's curiosity was satisfied. The large compass, resembling a majestic drum, was covered with densely packed horizontal and vertical lines like a chessboard, with four handles resembling handprints. As they approached, the elder repeatedly reminded the disciples to press their palms against the compass handles and input a wisp of Divine Sense. Upon successful input, a white light would flash on each handle. Yue Qianchou did as instructed and wondered, "What is this thing?"
Each time, four people could input their Divine Sense simultaneously, and it took less than an hour for several hundred people to complete the task. The elder cast Method Formula to put away the compass, and then nine more elders walked down the steps behind the sect leader. The ten elders stood in a row and bowed to the sect leader in unison.
According to Yue Qianchou's estimation, it should be time for the leader to speak now. Unexpectedly, Feng Xiangtian raised his hand, took out a small boat, cast Method Formula, and threw it into the air. The small boat grew larger in the wind above everyone's heads. A few moments later, a large ship blocked the sky above everyone's heads, and everything below was dark.
Feng Xiangtian then cast another Method Formula, and a plank of wood split open beneath the large ship, forming a staircase leading to the cabin. Sect Leader Feng Xiangtian nodded to the ten elders, five of whom immediately stepped forward and boarded the ship via the staircase, while the other five stood guard at the top of the stairs.
As the Cultivation Pavilion rose, disciples from various lineages began boarding the ship in turn. Before boarding, Yue Qianchou gave his master a deep look, then resolutely turned away and boarded. Once aboard, he discovered the ship was exceptionally large. Elders directed them to sit cross-legged with their own lineage members; there weren't even benches, just the deck. He happened to be seated near the side of the ship.
It wasn't until the other five elders came up that everyone was announced to be present. To Yue Qianchou's dismay, he had hoped to hear the spirit of the leader of this era's leadership, but unfortunately, Feng Xiangtian hadn't uttered a single word from beginning to end, maintaining his sect leader's dignity remarkably well.
As the surrounding scenery changed, everyone knew that the ship was already on its way to the Demon Ghost Domain, and many people's expressions became solemn. Yue Qianchou glanced at Yan Shu, who was resting with his eyes closed to his left, and then looked around for the three female disciples of Myriad Fragrance Garden. He found that the three of them were sitting at the very back, and there seemed to be a woman next to them who looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen her before.
"Senior Brother Quan, is that Senior Brother Guan's disciple?" an elder whispered to the elder beside him. The elder called Senior Brother Quan glanced in the direction he indicated and saw Yue Qianchou leaning against the ship's wall, fast asleep, seemingly oblivious to everything, with a faint drool at the corner of his mouth. In contrast, the other disciples, those with higher cultivation levels, were resting with their eyes closed, while those with lower cultivation levels generally looked uneasy, clearly afraid of the upcoming Demon Ghost Domain. However, this was understandable, as most were disciples venturing off the island for the first time. But that kid was going too far! He could actually fall asleep, drooling all over his face—wasn't he worried at all?
Elder Quan looked at Yue Qianchou with a wry smile and shook his head slightly. He was one of the elders who had watched Yue Qianchou refine pills with the sect leader in the Alchemy Pavilion that time, so how could he not recognize him? He turned to his side and transmitted his voice, "Junior Brother Sun! It is Yue Qianchou, whom Senior Brother Guan entrusted us to take care of."
"Haha, this kid is quite interesting. He truly lives up to his reputation as Senior Brother Guan's personal disciple," Elder Sun laughed.
As another sunrise rose, an elder standing at the bow of the ship shielded his eyes from the dazzling sunlight and gazed into the distance. He saw that the distant sky was covered with dark clouds, which seemed out of place with the rising sun. He turned around, glanced at the people in the cabin, and said in a deep voice, "The Demon Ghost Domain is just ahead. Everyone, get ready."
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