This Time, No One Could Take the Three Cloud Sisters Away

Tongtian did not leave at once.

At least not before he had confirmed that Yuanshi's aura had completely vanished into the distance.

He remained standing outside the Nine-Twist Yellow River Formation.

That made Lin Yuan feel remarkably at ease.

What was protecting one's own?

This was protecting one's own.

It was not just saying, "Your master believes in you."

Then going back to one's cave abode to wait for news.

He was right here.

If you dared come back again,

then they could keep talking.

Only after confirming that Jade Clarity's Saintly might had completely disappeared did Tongtian look toward Yunxiao.

"Put away the formation."

"Go back."

Yunxiao nodded.

"Yes."

The Nine-Twist Yellow River Formation began to truly withdraw.

The formation diagram folded itself away.

The Primordial Golden Dipper returned to her palm.

The yellow sand filling the sky gradually settled.

This supreme formation, which had made the Twelve Golden Immortals suffer a collective crushing defeat, swiftly reverted to an ordinary formation diagram.

With the formation's concealment gone,

the Three Cloud Sisters' auras also completely stabilized.

The three death warnings constantly flashing in Lin Yuan's mind finally began to fade bit by bit.

Yet they still did not settle directly.

That surprised him somewhat.

Yuanshi had already left.

Why had it not yet been determined that they had completely escaped this death calamity?

Did the Three Cloud Sisters have to truly leave the battlefield?

Thinking of this, Lin Yuan did not urge the system.

After all, the most dangerous hurdle had already passed.

So long as they did not deliberately stir up trouble again,

the Three Cloud Sisters were basically safe this time.

Bixiao clearly had not fully emerged from her earlier excitement.

The first thing she did after putting away the formation was run over to Lin Yuan.

"Martial Nephew."

"You did well just now."

Lin Yuan glanced at her.

"Which part does Martial Aunt mean?"

"Daring to reason with Martial Uncle Yuanshi."

The more Bixiao spoke, the more delighted she became.

"I thought you would at most secretly crush the sword token."

"I never expected you to question him first."

"Whether the Twelve Golden Immortals had entered the formation willingly."

"Whether anyone had been killed."

"Why Teacher had personally stepped in."

"You questioned Martial Uncle Yuanshi until he had nothing to say for ages."

Lin Yuan gave a dry cough.

"Martial Aunt."

"Second Martial Uncle may have left."

"But a Saint's ears should be quite sharp."

Bixiao's expression stiffened.

She subconsciously looked up.

"He probably can't hear us, right?"

Lin Yuan said seriously,

"At this distance,"

"I think it's hard to say."

Bixiao immediately dropped the subject.

Beside them, Zhao Gongming laughed so hard his shoulders shook.

"You have things you're afraid of too?"

"Elder Brother!"

Bixiao shot him a glare.

"Isn't it all because of you?"

"If Lu Ya hadn't nearly cursed you to death, would we have come down the mountain?"

Zhao Gongming was instantly speechless.

He truly had to bear the blame for that.

Qiongxiao smiled.

"Enough."

"It is already over."

"Elder Sister said before that we would only contend with the Explanatory Sect to see who stood higher."

"Now victory and defeat have been decided."

"We should return to Three Immortal Island."

Yunxiao nodded as well.

"The aura of the calamity here is growing heavier and heavier."

"There is no need to remain long."

Hearing this, Lin Yuan was completely satisfied.

Exactly.

Leave after the fight.

If you won and still stayed at the enemy's doorstep celebrating for three months, waiting for them to call in more people, that meant you did not know when to stop while you were ahead.

Yunxiao had always possessed a steady temperament.

In the original course of events, if Zhao Gongming had not died so miserably, she might not have taken matters to such an extreme.

Now that Zhao Gongming was alive,

the three of them had come down the mountain more to vent their anger for their fellow disciples.

Their anger had been vented.

Naturally, there was no reason to keep fighting to the bitter end.

Tongtian clearly did not intend to remain any longer either.

"Gongming."

"Return with them."

Zhao Gongming froze.

"Teacher."

"This disciple was still planning to..."

"Planning what?"

Tongtian glanced at him.

"To keep wandering around West Qi?"

"You were first plotted against with the Treasure-Dropping Coin."

"Then you were cursed with the Nail-Head Seven-Arrows Book."

"Have you not learned your lesson yet?"

Zhao Gongming awkwardly rubbed his nose.

"Isn't this disciple all right now?"

"You are all right because Lin Yuan noticed in time."

Tongtian said blandly.

"If it happens again,"

"who knows what the next method will be?"

Lin Yuan silently nodded.

Those words made far too much sense.

In his eyes, Zhao Gongming was probably the classic high-value, high-risk user.

His combat strength was absurdly powerful.

And his ability to draw hatred was truly reliable.

If he stayed on the front lines,

who knew when another new death calamity might appear.

Though the system offered rewards,

Lin Yuan did not want to use Zhao Gongming as an endlessly respawning monster spawn.

If things truly went wrong even once,

it would be too late for regrets.

In the end, Zhao Gongming agreed.

"This disciple understands."

Then Tongtian turned toward the Ten Heavenly Lords.

"You should return for now as well."

Qin Wan and the others were stunned.

"Teacher."

"The Ten Ultimate Formation..."

"It has done enough."

Tongtian said,

"The Investiture of the Gods Calamity is not fought in only this one battle."

"The formation has already been revealed."

"If you continue staying here,"

"others will always devise new ways to break it."

"Go back."

"Thoroughly master the things Lin Yuan modified earlier."

"Use them next time."

The Ten Heavenly Lords exchanged glances.

Then they all bowed together.

"Yes."

Lin Yuan listened, secretly impressed.

It was not that Tongtian could not think.

At least after the string of incidents before this,

he had clearly begun to make adjustments on his own initiative.

The greatest pitfall of the Intercepting Sect had originally been that one batch of people went down the mountain.

They died.

Then another batch came.

They died again.

Like lining up to deliver goods to the Investiture of the Gods.

But now Tongtian was proactively pulling back the core members who had already fought a round.

The Ten Heavenly Lords all withdrew.

Zhao Gongming withdrew.

The Three Cloud Sisters withdrew.

The Four Sages of Nine-Dragon Island had no need to remain at the very front either.

This way,

the Intercepting Sect's fighting strength would not be worn away batch by batch.

This was the change Lin Yuan truly wanted to see.

Wen Zhong naturally understood as well.

Though the departure of these experts would weaken the Shang Camp's strength in the short term.

He raised no objection.

Wen Zhong himself was a disciple of the Intercepting Sect.

He could not possibly sacrifice all his fellow disciples here for a single war of Great Shang.

"This disciple will reassign the qi refiners within the army."

Tongtian nodded.

"The conflict between Shang and Zhou will continue."

"But remember."

"In mortal wars, use mortal methods first."

"If the Explanatory Sect sends Immortals into battle again."

"Send word back."

Wen Zhong solemnly accepted the order.

"This disciple understands."

Hearing this, Lin Yuan suddenly had a very distinct feeling.

The plot had truly changed.

When Shiji survived.

It was only one person.

When the Four Sages of Nine-Dragon Island survived.

It became a small group.

After all the Ten Heavenly Lords survived.

The Intercepting Sect began to realize for the first time that formations, coordination, and retreat mattered more than charging headlong into a wall.

Zhao Gongming escaped his tribulation.

Tongtian began to face the fact that "his disciples could be schemed against by means beyond a direct confrontation."

By the time it came to the Three Cloud Sisters.

Tongtian had even taken the initiative to adjust how the Intercepting Sect intervened in the Investiture of the Gods.

With every person saved.

What changed was no longer merely that one person's fate.

The thinking of the entire Intercepting Sect was changing along with it.

That mattered more than Lin Yuan simply increasing his cultivation.

Because he could not possibly stand beside every person forever.

Teaching everyone not to throw their lives away was what truly saved him the most worry.

"Lin Yuan."

Tongtian suddenly called to him.

"This disciple is here."

"You will return to Golden Turtle Island with us."

"Yes."

Lin Yuan had not planned to remain much longer anyway.

The Three Cloud Sisters' death tribulation had yet to be officially settled.

It was best to personally see them return safely.

Tongtian was the first to transform into a streak of sword light and vanish.

Zhao Gongming and the Three Cloud Sisters then prepared to depart.

The Ten Heavenly Lords also began gathering the formation flags and spiritual artifacts they had left behind.

Wang Mo and the other three were clearly reluctant to leave the Shang Camp after these days.

Gao Yougan even went into the army to find several jars of immortal brew.

"To drink on the way back to Kowloon Island."

Yang Sen glanced at him.

"Can't you act a little more like an Immortal?"

"Can't Immortals drink?"

"They can."

"Then that settles it."

Standing to one side, Lin Yuan nearly laughed.

If things had followed their original course.

Many of them would already be gone by now.

Yet now they were still arguing over who got to carry a few jars of wine.

That most ordinary bustle instead made everything feel especially real to him.

Yunxiao walked up to Lin Yuan.

"Martial Nephew."

"This time, I owe you another favor."

Lin Yuan shook his head.

"Martial Aunt."

"If we truly counted favors, there would be far too many."

"We are all fellow disciples."

"This disciple simply does what he can."

Yunxiao looked at him for a moment.

Then she suddenly smiled.

"No wonder Master listed you as a candidate for Dao Child."

Before Lin Yuan could speak.

Bixiao had already leaned in from the side.

"Eldest Sister."

"I think the word candidate can be removed."

"Bixiao."

"I was only saying it casually."

Bixiao immediately shut her mouth.

Lin Yuan did not take the position of Dao Child too much to heart.

His greatest attention remained fixed on the system.

Everyone left the battlefield of West Qi.

They fled eastward toward the Eastern Sea.

Lin Yuan was still carried along for part of the journey by Wen Zhong's lightning.

Wen Zhong then returned to the Shang Camp.

Lin Yuan continued on with Zhao Gongming and the others.

The farther they traveled from West Qi.

The fainter the death-tribulation prompt belonging to the Three Cloud Sisters became within the system.

Until they had completely left the battlefield region where the calamity's aura was most concentrated.

The first prompt finally sounded.

[Target Yunxiao's predetermined Death Node has been escaped.]

Lin Yuan's eyes lit up.

Immediately afterward.

The second.

The third.

Appeared in succession.

The Three Cloud Sisters' death tribulation—

Had truly begun to settle!