The intense pain did not make Shen Yi pass out. Instead, it made him even more clearheaded. The instant he leaped into the blue glow of the teleportation point, the raging flames covering his body were extinguished in an instant. Even so, Shen Yi still felt lingering fear.
"Shen Yi!"
A familiar voice rang out, brimming with delight. Only then did Shen Yi see that it was Wu Liujian.
"Old Wu!"
Shen Yi was equally delighted. He had not expected to encounter his friend here. What good fortune.
The two were both overjoyed and hurriedly found a secluded place to talk.
"The champion of the Immortal Academy Grand Competition, and yet you ended up in such a sorry state?"
Wu Liujian punched Shen Yi lightly in the chest. His tone was teasing, but his expression was filled with worry.
"Ran into some trouble."
Shen Yi sighed. He took out an intact set of clothes from his Cosmic Ring and changed into them, then told Wu Liujian everything about the bizarre blood vines and the Molten Flames he had encountered along the way. He then asked,
"What about you? You look so grave. You must have run into something unusual as well."
Sure enough, Wu Liujian had encountered danger too. It was different from Shen Yi's experience, but it still made Shen Yi's heart pound in terror.
Seeing more and more cultivators being teleported over, Shen Yi said in a low voice,
"If my guess is correct, if Jiang Miaoyi and the other two manage to break through the obstacles, they will likely be teleported here as well."
Wu Liujian nodded in agreement, glancing vigilantly around from time to time. Both of them had suffered losses at the moment. If they encountered an ambush, they might not be able to get away easily.
"How about this? You meditate and recover first. I'll investigate the surroundings."
Seeing that everyone around them was recuperating, Shen Yi called out to Wu Liujian and had him recover first while he stood guard. As for Shen Yi's own injuries, with the Essence of Flora inside his body, he had long since recovered.
Wu Liujian said no more. He immediately sat down and began tending to his injuries, leaving Shen Yi to investigate the area.
This place was exceptionally spacious, enough to hold several hundred people. Shen Yi made a round and discovered that it was a circular structure. There was also a corresponding circle on the map, which was presumably another teleportation endpoint. If Jiang Miaoyi and the others had not been teleported here, then they should be at the corresponding location on the map.
Sure enough, after waiting here for two whole days, none of Jiang Miaoyi's group of three appeared. They had likely gone to the other location. Instead, Wang Mingxuan appeared here.
The two instantly spotted one another amid the crowd. Wang Mingxuan made a throat-slitting gesture at Shen Yi, who smiled faintly and slowly raised his middle finger.
"What? Did you run into an enemy?"
Wu Liujian had mostly recovered and noticed Shen Yi's gesture. He hurried over to ask.
"Wang Mingxuan, the eldest son of the Great Elder of the Qingxuan Sect. He came here too."
"What do you think? Should we find an opportunity?"
At the mention of Wang Mingxuan's name, Wu Liujian frowned slightly. He clearly disliked the man and quietly asked Shen Yi.
Shen Yi shook his head. All five members of the Qingxuan Sect were here. If they acted rashly, the two of them would likely be the ones to suffer. Besides, Shen Yi could not see through Wang Mingxuan's cultivation.
Fortunately, there were many cultivators here, and no one paid particular attention to the conflict between Shen Yi and Wang Mingxuan.
Over the following days, more cultivators were teleported in one after another. The earliest group had already fully recovered, and once the balance of strength was broken, conflicts arose.
"Longevity Sect disciples, hand over your protective treasures. My Jiaxiang Sect will spare you and leave you a path to survive."
"Dream on! Your Jiaxiang Sect killed members of our sect. My Taiyi Sect wants an explanation as well. Friends of the Longevity Sect, why not join forces with us to deal with these thieves!"
Old grudges and new enmities erupted together within this tiny structure. One stone stirred up a thousand waves, and in an instant, the building was filled with cries of slaughter.
Wang Mingxuan's side seized the opportunity to attack Shen Yi and Wu Liujian as well. Although the Qingxuan Sect held the advantage in numbers, Shen Yi and Wu Liujian were no ordinary opponents. For a time, the battle was evenly matched, and neither side could gain the upper hand.
"You're Shen Yi, right? The grand number one of the Immortal Academy, yet you're only at the Qi Refining Third Layer. How laughable."
Wang Mingxuan faced Shen Yi, attacking while mocking him, trying to disrupt Shen Yi's state of mind.
"Too bad that even though you're at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, you still can't do a thing to me."
Though Shen Yi spoke boldly, his movements remained exceedingly cautious. He could sense that Wang Mingxuan had not yet displayed his true strength, as though he had some misgivings. As they spoke, the two exchanged another punch and each retreated a step.
Shen Yi and Wu Liujian stood back-to-back, surrounded by the five Qingxuan Sect disciples. Both sides probed each other, and the standoff remained unbroken.
"This won't do. The two of us will eventually be ground to death bit by bit. Find an opening and break out!"
Shen Yi and Wu Liujian quietly discussed their response. Then Wu Liujian thrust out his longsword, striking toward one man, with Shen Yi's Dragon Elephant Fist following close behind. That man blocked the sword move but had no time to deal with the fist technique and could only leap high into the air. The two seized that opening and broke through.
"What can you do even if you break out? Today, I will make sure you two are buried here!"
Wang Mingxuan's eyes turned vicious. With a single command, he led his four fellow disciples in pursuit.
Shen Yi and Wu Liujian fought as they retreated, but they were forced into a corner again. Just as there was nowhere left to evade, a thunderous boom sounded ahead, and a stone door slowly opened.
Waves of spiritual energy poured from within the stone door, incomparably pure. Everyone present stopped fighting at once and rushed toward it.
"Sect matters come first. Consider yourselves lucky today. I'll spare your lives, but next time we meet, I'll have your blood splatter three feet high!"
Afraid of falling a step behind and letting others get ahead of him, Wang Mingxuan abandoned his father's orders on his own initiative. He charged forward, fighting his way through the crowd to contend with everyone for entry through the stone door.
Shen Yi and Wu Liujian let out long breaths and exchanged bitter smiles, though rage burned in both their eyes. The next time they met, who would live and who would die was still unknown.
"I'm afraid there are still dangers upon dangers beyond this stone door. Be careful!"
The two arrived at the stone door side by side and saw the character "Yang" carved upon it. Shen Yi had seen the map, and understanding dawned on him at once.
"This ruin was likely constructed according to the Eight Gates, the Five Elements, Yin Yang, and One Origin. Ahead is the Yin Yang region. Only after passing through it will we reach the ruin's true core."
Wu Liujian was greatly shocked after hearing this. Shen Yi truly was extraordinary. He had actually inferred the structure of the entire ruin from such simple information. He was indeed the number one of the Immortal Academy.
"I'll follow your command in everything!"
Wu Liujian was now completely convinced by Shen Yi. He immediately declared that he would follow Shen Yi's decisions. They had originally been friends, but now they had become comrades who had faced life and death together. Naturally, he trusted Shen Yi deeply.
"Perfect. Wang Mingxuan and his people are in the same region as us. We might as well eliminate his companions first, leaving him without claws or fangs, then kill him. As for how we act, once we get inside, the two of us will adapt to the circumstances."
Before you continue