By this reckoning, of the nearly seven hundred Nascent Soul cultivators, more than half had perished at the Yaotai Gathering! Far exceeding the losses of previous Yaotai Gatherings. As for the Golden Core cultivators, their fate had been even more miserable. Basically none below Golden Core Mid-stage had survived, while only forty percent of the late Golden Core cultivators remained. These Golden Core cultivators did not dare brave the formations alone; they all followed Nascent Soul cultivators and did not dare leave their side even a step! Now, these Golden Core cultivators had but one wish: to end this damned Yaotai Gathering as soon as possible! The moment the Dragon Gate opened, they would definitely be the first to rush out at all costs. Never again would they come to Yaotai Mountain! They would not come back even if beaten to death!!
The Daoist sect cultivators had indeed suffered grievously, but this still fell considerably short of what Kong Hongwu had expected. The Nascent Souls of these fallen Nascent Soul cultivators alone were truly disproportionate to the massive investment of the Immortal Palace.
The fact that so many Daoist sect cultivators remained was largely thanks to Xiao Hua. Leaving aside how Xiao Hua had restrained the Star Lord Palace, how he had killed three Star Lords, and how he had personally saved so many Nascent Soul and Golden Core cultivators, merely his ability to move Xunkong Shangren and Zhang Daoran with that "heart of the Dao" was already a goodness beyond measure! This influence had seeped in silently, like spring winds turning into rain, transforming Xunkong Shangren and Zhang Daoran from adversaries suspicious of one another into allies who acknowledged each other and joined hands in cooperation. Not only had the two of them avoided death, they had also protected