Conflict

A few days later, following the map in Yi Xuan's hand, the group finally approached the entrance to the Artifact Ruins.

Yi Xuan was standing on a patch of grass, with the other nine people standing behind him.

Yi Xuan checked the map again, then pointed to the mountains opposite and said, "See that? The entrance to the Artifact Ruins is in these mountains!"

After speaking, Yi Xuan handed the map to Yan Siruo, saying, "Siruo! As the senior sister with the highest cultivation level and the longest time in the sect, you will lead the way for the rest of the journey. I will follow you from the sky!"

Without waiting for anyone's reaction, he boarded the Firmament and soared into the sky.

Looking at the Sky Firmament, which had become a tiny black dot in the sky, He Hongfei said irritably, "What kind of leader is this? The sect leader promised to let him lead the team, but look at him, he actually let Senior Sister lead the team while he hides!"

Yan Siruo didn't understand what Yi Xuan meant either, but since Yi Xuan was the leader of this group, everyone had to obey his arrangements.

Yan Siruo spoke up, "Alright, that's Sect Protector, be careful! Protector Yi might have some other ideas!"

Despite saying that, Yan Siruo also had some dissatisfaction with Yi Xuan, but she couldn't express it in front of everyone.

Yan Siruo had spoken, the others dared not say anything more. The group flew into the mountains to search for the entrance to the Artifact Ruins.

Meanwhile, Yi Xuan, high in the sky, had the Firmament follow the group, while he himself rested with his eyes closed in the passenger seat.

With the map in hand as a guide, and having already pinpointed the location to this mountain range, Yan Siruo and the others arrived at their destination, a clearing in a valley, in less than an hour.

By this time, quite a few people had gathered in the open space.

Yan Siruo and the others looked around and found that many of the top sects in the Southern Frontier had already arrived.

Following the arrival of the Azure Cloud Sect, many more people came in succession.

"Senior Brother He? I didn't expect you to be here too?"

Just as everyone was looking for a place to rest, a voice reached their ears.

He Hongfei felt the voice sounded familiar, turned around and laughed.

"Junior Brother Yue! Long time no see, you've arrived quite early!"

The person called Junior Brother Yue is a disciple of the Azure Thunder Hall. The Azure Thunder Hall is located in the Thunder Land of the Southern Frontier and has been on good terms with the Azure Cloud Sect for generations. Therefore, disciples from both sects often do some tasks together, and they address each other as senior and junior brothers.

Upon hearing the voices of his disciples, Elder Qi, the leader of the Azure Thunder Hall, also spotted He Hongfei and his group.

After looking around, Elder Qi realized that only nine disciples from the Azure Cloud Sect had come, and none of them were even the elders leading the group. His heart skipped a beat.

"What happened to you? Did you encounter any danger on the road?" Elder Qi asked with concern as he approached He Hongfei and the others.

Before He Hongfei and the others could speak, a voice came from the side. "The Azure Cloud Sect is getting worse and worse. They didn't even send a single sect elder to explore the Artifact Ruins. Have you juniors been abandoned by the sect? Hahahaha!"

Such unfriendly words immediately drew angry glares from He Hongfei and the others, only to discover that the speaker was the captain of the Gazing Immortal Sect.

The two sects already had considerable conflict due to previous events, so naturally the elder of the other sect wouldn't have any pleasantries upon meeting. However, since the other party was Golden Core True Person, He Hongfei and the others didn't dare to confront him head-on and could only remain silent.

At this moment, all nine of them felt resentment towards Yi Xuan. If Yi Xuan were here, they, the younger generation, would not have been humiliated by his Golden Core.

Elder Qi, seeing the Azure Cloud Sect disciples being bullied, spoke with displeasure, "Old Man Liu! Are you itching for a beating? Or didn't your Gazing Immortal Sect suffer enough last time?"

Upon hearing this, Elder Liu was immediately filled with rage.

The fact that the Gazing Immortal Sect was defeated by the Azure Cloud Sect was known to almost all cultivators in the Southern Frontier, but everyone was only discussing it in private.

After all, the Gazing Immortal Sect was only defeated; even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse. A cultivation sect in the Southern Frontier is not one that ordinary people can laugh at.

Elder Qi's public pronouncement of this matter is a blatant slap in the face to the Gazing Immortal Sect.

Elder Liu, his face contorted with rage, pulled his weapon from his Storage Bag and pointed it at Elder Qi, saying, "Old man Qi! Take back your words, cut off your own arm, and I might let your slip of the tongue go!"

At this moment, Elder Qi realized that he had said something he shouldn't have, but the words had already been spoken, and in front of many cultivators from the Southern Frontier, Elder Liu's demand that he cut off his own arm was really audacious.

Seeing that the other party had already taken out a weapon, Elder Qi was no pushover and could not be easily bullied. He also took out his own Law Treasure from his Storage Bag.

The two stared at each other from a distance of more than ten meters, their auras clashing in the air.

The disciples of the Azure Thunder Hall and Azure Cloud Sect behind Elder Qi, as well as the disciples of the Gazing Immortal Sect behind Elder Liu, were all forced to retreat by the aura of the two.

Upon witnessing this scene, other sects immediately instructed their disciples to keep their distance.

At the same time, many sect elders addressed the two.

"Gentlemen, the Artifact Ruins are about to open. Don't let such a trivial matter jeopardize the future of your disciples!"

"Yes, yes, Elder Liu, Elder Qi didn't mean it. He's always been quick-witted, don't take it seriously."

"Yes! What will happen to your disciples if we really fight?"

As if they had taken the words of those around them to heart, their momentum began to wane.

Elder Liu glared fiercely at Elder Qi, then turned and led his disciples elsewhere.

The members of the Azure Cloud Sect rushed forward to thank Elder Qi for speaking up for justice.

"By the way, you haven't mentioned this yet? Where's your team leader? Is everything alright?"

Hearing Elder Qi's words, everyone felt even more frustrated. They never expected that after being insulted at the Artifact Ruins, they would have to rely on an outsider like Elder Qi to uphold justice.

Meanwhile, Yi Xuan, the team leader, was nowhere to be found.

"Is there something you're having trouble saying?" Elder Qi asked, noticing their pale faces.

The group was somewhat embarrassed and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

"Hahaha, this must be Elder Qi of the Azure Thunder Hall! I've long admired your name. I am Yi Xuan, the newly appointed Sect Protector of the Azure Cloud Sect!"

Unbeknownst to them, Yi Xuan had somehow appeared behind Yan Siruo and the others.

Upon hearing Yi Xuan's voice, everyone quickly made way for Yi Xuan to speak with Elder Qi.

Yi Xuan looked somewhat unfamiliar. Elder Qi looked at him for a while and then said somewhat embarrassedly, "This... Protector Yi! I have some connections with the elders of your sect, but Protector Yi is quite unfamiliar to me. I didn't expect the Azure Cloud Sect to be so full of talented people. Protector Yi has actually advanced to the Golden Core at such a young age. Remarkable."

"Uh!" Hearing Elder Qi's praise, Yi Xuan said somewhat embarrassedly, "You misunderstand, I am not an elder, therefore I am not Golden Core cultivator!"