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Outside the Forbidden Grounds, white light flashed at the pitch-black passage entrance, and two women in white emerged. They were Qin Xian'er and Ling Yue, the two elite disciples of the Covering Moon Sect.

Their faces lit up when they saw the white-robed woman at the Core Formation Stage. They walked over and respectfully said something to her, after which she had them stand behind her.

An incense stick's worth of time later, two Daoists, one middle-aged and one elderly, walked out of the gate of light. After looking around, they headed toward Fuyunzi!

Seeing two disciples from his sect emerge at once, Fuyunzi's brows lifted with delight. He praised them briefly, then turned his attention back to the gate of light!

Immediately afterward, a sharp-faced man in yellow robes emerged from the gate of light and headed straight toward Li Huayuan!

Li Huayuan's face brightened at the sight, and he cast a sidelong glance at Fuyunzi.

Yet Fuyunzi wore an utterly unconcerned expression! This made Li Huayuan somewhat suspicious.

Afterward, disciples walked out of the Secret Realm one after another.

An hour later, four disciples of the Giant Sword Sect had emerged from the Forbidden Grounds, and the broad-faced young man in black was among them!

The Covering Moon Sect had seven survivors, the Qingxu Sect five, and Spirit Beast Mountain four. Yellow Maple Valley, Heavenly Gate Fort, and Blade Transforming Dock each had three, making Li Huayuan's expression begin to sour!

Fuyunzi glanced at Li Huayuan and said with a slight curl of his lips, "Brother Huayuan, it looks like you're certain to lose. Your disciples must be rather lacking in strength. The Forbidden Grounds are about to close, yet only three of them have made it out!"

Li Huayuan was furious at these words. With a displeased expression, he said, "You ox-nosed Daoist! Don't get smug. There's still some time before the Forbidden Grounds close. The outcome has yet to be decided!"

Li Huayuan promptly ignored Fuyunzi and fixed his gaze on the passage. Though he had spoken boldly, his eyes betrayed the drums pounding in his heart. He was terribly nervous.

Naturally, he had possessed some confidence when he first dared to wager with Fuyunzi.

For this expedition into the Forbidden Grounds, Yellow Maple Valley had sent several elite disciples, including two who were exceptionally powerful even among Qi Refining Stage cultivators.

Yet only one elite disciple had emerged so far, while the two strongest were nowhere to be seen. How could he not feel frustrated?

Seeing that his words had left Li Huayuan without a retort, Fuyunzi chuckled and turned his attention back to the passage!

An incense stick's worth of time later, light flashed at the passage, and two yellow-robed disciples stumbled out in a sorry state.

Both were covered in blood and deathly pale. As soon as they appeared, they limped over to Li Huayuan.

After taking in their wretched condition, Li Huayuan gave a cold snort, but his expression eased considerably. They might be in miserable shape, but at least they had made it out!

The two Yellow Maple Valley disciples also wore bitter smiles. After exchanging a glance, they obediently stood behind Li Huayuan.

A moment later, a dark figure flashed at the passage, and a young cultivator in black emerged. His disheveled clothing made it clear that he had been through quite a few battles.

This was Xiao Yu, who had finally reached the exit after racing all the way and fighting several fierce battles. Along the final stretch, he had encountered several more ambushes.

Perhaps because his cultivation did not seem particularly high, most of those he encountered actually took him for a fat sheep they could handle however they pleased. Almost all of them chose to attack him.

Left with no choice, Xiao Yu unleashed thunderous force and killed his attackers one by one.

In the process, his Scarlet Cloud Sword Talisman Treasure had nearly been used up, and Xiao Yu himself had almost suffered serious injuries. Fortunately, he had decisively unleashed his trump card and managed to escape.

After sweeping his gaze over his surroundings, Xiao Yu walked straight toward Patriarch Wang, bowed to him, and stood behind him.

After that, a few more disciples from the various sects trickled out.

Another half hour passed, and a tremor came from the direction of the passage into the Forbidden Grounds.

Then azure light flashed, and the passage shattered before vanishing without a trace. At this point, anyone still inside the Forbidden Grounds could only await death.

Those disciples who failed to emerge before the passage closed had never reappeared when the Forbidden Grounds opened again. They vanished completely for unknown reasons, which was why no one who entered dared delay.

In the end, nine members of the Covering Moon Sect emerged alive from this expedition into the Forbidden Grounds, bringing its survival rate to nearly forty percent. It truly deserved its place as the greatest sect in the Yue Kingdom; even the strength of its lowest-ranking cultivators offered a glimpse of its might.

The Qingxu Sect had six survivors. Yellow Maple Valley, Spirit Beast Mountain, and the Giant Sword Sect each had five, while Heavenly Gate Fort and Blade Transforming Dock had only four each.

Apart from the Covering Moon Sect, fewer than thirty percent of the disciples sent in by the other six sects had returned alive. This showed just how brutal the trial in the Forbidden Grounds had been!

After grieving for a while, everyone from the various sects cheerfully gathered to watch the wager between Fuyunzi and Li Huayuan play out.

As they watched the disciples of the two sects produce medicinal herbs one after another, many Qi Refining Stage disciples looked on with envy. There was no trace of grief left in their eyes, as though the expedition into the Forbidden Grounds suddenly had nothing to do with them.

Such was the cultivation world. Most people showed the dead the coldest indifference. Resources were scarce, and fighting, killing, and competing for them were the norm. One might breathe one's last at any moment. Apart from those close to them, who had the heart to grieve over another's death? Staying alive was what truly mattered!

After the disciples of each sect finished handing over their medicinal herbs, a Foundation Establishment Stage steward from Spirit Beast Mountain stepped forward and released a Scent-Detecting Mouse. It carefully sniffed every Qi Refining Stage disciple. This was their method of checking whether anyone had secretly kept any medicinal herbs.

When Xiao Yu's turn came, his expression did not change in the slightest. He also kept his emotions under control, remaining as calm as possible to avoid arousing suspicion.

Sure enough, the Scent-Detecting Mouse showed no reaction to him. The medicinal herbs he had placed in his space could not be detected from the outside at all.

Xiao Yu's arrival had not changed the outcome of the wager between Fuyunzi and Li Huayuan. Just as in the original story, the Qingxu Sect's disciples proved a cut above the rest, bringing out three more medicinal herbs than Yellow Maple Valley and winning Fuyunzi the wager.

"Hahaha! Brother Huayuan, thank you for letting me win. Once you return, please have someone deliver the iron essence to my cave abode!" Fuyunzi laughed heartily, looking as happy as could be.

Li Huayuan, meanwhile, looked as though he had swallowed a mouthful of shit. He snorted coldly. "Hmph, rest assured. I'm not shameless enough to renege on a debt. I'll have someone deliver it in two years. Now hurry up and get lost with your people!" Thoroughly disgruntled, he urged Fuyunzi and the others to leave.

"Hehe, certainly, certainly. This humble Daoist will be heading back now. Hehe!" Fuyunzi said with a grin.

At this point, Patriarch Wang cupped his hands toward the Core Formation cultivators of the other six sects and said:

"Fellow Daoists, my sect is the farthest from here, so I'll take my leave first!"

"Safe travels!"

The other six Core Formation cultivators returned his salute one by one!

Patriarch Wang then led the four Foundation Establishment Stage stewards and the five disciples, including Xiao Yu, onto the giant sword-shaped flying artifact. They raced toward their sect like the wind and lightning.

Standing on the giant sword, Xiao Yu looked at the four people beside him. Their expressions held a mixture of relief at surviving disaster and faint excitement.

Xiao Yu could not help but reflect on how danger lurked at every turn along the path of cultivation. Of the more than twenty people who had set out, only five remained. The rest had met an end that left not even their bones behind. He wondered whether such a day would come for him as well.

No! I must never act without confidence in my chances! At all times, preserving my life must come first. Only by staying alive can I have a chance at immortality!

Xiao Yu once again reminded himself to plan before acting in all things. Every step he took in this dangerous cultivation world had to be cautious and careful!