Entering the Stone Mountain
At this moment, the nine people from the Azure Cloud Sect looked at Yi Xuan with very strange expressions.
Yi Xuan thought for a long time and saw in their eyes the expression he had when he prayed to gods and Buddhas in his previous life.
But don't misunderstand, that expression didn't mean they respected Yi Xuan; rather, it meant that in their eyes, Yi Xuan was omnipotent.
Yi Xuan felt a little uneasy under their gazes, genuinely worried that these young men would suddenly kneel down and offer Yi Xuan a fervent prayer.
"Cough cough!"
Yi Xuan coughed a few times, and the nine people in front of him realized that their gazes towards Yi Xuan seemed a bit strange. They looked at each other and all showed awkward smiles.
Yi Xuan didn't say anything, but waved his hand to signal them to sit down cross-legged.
"Alright, the matter with the Gazing Immortal Sect is now resolved. Their commotion will likely extend our trip to the Artifact Ruins considerably. Although we exposed the Gazing Immortal Sect's conspiracy, Qi Yun still slaughtered quite a few disciples from other sects!"
Hearing Yi Xuan's words, He Hongfei said nonchalantly, "Protector Yi, we have done more than enough. It's not our fault that those people didn't believe us and suffered at Qi Yun's hands!"
Yi Xuan thought so too, so he nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, we've done enough! So this is what I wanted to say. My previous disagreement with you entering the Stone Mountain area was because I believed that the closer you were to the Stone Mountain, the better the fortuitous opportunity, but it also meant greater danger. Although you are all outstanding disciples of my Azure Cloud Sect, there is no benefit in rashly entering the core fighting circle!"
Yi Xuan wanted to continue speaking, but he couldn't say anything after meeting the eyes of the people opposite him.
At this moment, the meaning in the eyes of He Hongfei, Yan Siruo, and Qu Ling was very easy to understand.
Everyone seemed to be saying, "Are you sure you're not letting us in for safety reasons, or to help you obtain low-level Law Artifact?"
Well, the fact that his disciple had seen through his intentions still made Yi Xuan blush with embarrassment.
"Alright, alright, why are you all staring at me like that? Aren't I doing this for the future development of the sect? Besides, you'll all get your share of the benefits after we get out!"
Hearing this, the nine disciples finally smiled with satisfaction.
Yi Xuan then realized that these guys had definitely planned this in advance, and they actually used this method to make him compromise. They were no longer the simple and honest boys who helped him find Law Artifact without complaint.
Seeing the somewhat awkward situation, Qu Ling took the initiative to speak, "Protector Yi, are you planning to lead us into the Stone Mountain next?"
Qu Ling was very quick-witted; he had almost deduced Yi Xuan's thoughts as soon as Yi Xuan started to make a move.
"Good!"
Yi Xuan nodded and said, "As I mentioned before, due to the matters concerning the Gazing Immortal Sect, the overall progress of this Artifact Ruins trip has been delayed considerably. Even so, seven or eight days have already passed. A normal Artifact Ruins trip should last about ten days, but I estimate this one will take seventeen or eighteen days."
"So now we really should enter the Stone Mountain. But Qu Ling, you're wrong about one thing. It's not me leading you in, it's you leading them in!"
Even with her sharp mind, Qu Ling couldn't have imagined that things would turn out this way.
A day later, Qu Ling led her team into the area of Stone Mountain. Strangely, even without Yi Xuan, their group still consisted of ten people.
One of them was wearing a cloak that completely covered his body, so even Qu Ling and the others couldn't see what was under the cloak.
At first, they were a little awkward about the addition of a stranger. But after a day, they realized that this strange person, who completely concealed himself, was like air, neither communicating with the others nor participating in their conversations.
At first, people might feel uncomfortable with the addition of such a person, but over time, they will consciously ignore him.
"Qu Ling, why didn't Protector Yi come in with us?"
Hearing He Hongfei's question, Qu Ling thought for a moment and said, "I'm not too sure, but after the big battle with Qi Yun, I suspect that Protector Yi may not have many trump cards left!"
"Oh? Tell me more?"
Qu Ling considered for a moment before speaking, "You all saw the steel giant that Protector Yi used during the battle with Qi Yun!"
Everyone nodded. The impact of the Black Tortoise was so great that they could never forget it.
"Although that steel giant was ultimately no match for Qi Yun and was destroyed by him, its strength should not be underestimated. I estimate that even Golden Core True Person wouldn't be a match for it; it only became what it is now when it encountered Qi Yun, who was at the Nascent Soul Realm stage!"
"That's right, Junior Brother Qu is right. When the Gazing Immortal Sect attacked before, everyone should have witnessed the methods of Golden Core True Person. I don't think they can compare to that steel giant!"
Yan Siruo's words immediately resonated with everyone, and they all nodded in agreement.
Qu Ling continued, "The destruction of something so powerful shows how much it affected Protector Yi. And then there's that final burst of light that instantly killed Qi Yun. Keep in mind that Qi Yun's strength, even if not at the Nascent Soul Perfection, was certainly close. I don't believe Protector Yi can use a method that can eliminate such a powerful expert in an instant without limit!"
"Therefore, Protector Yi's two methods of combat, possibly even his strongest ones, are currently unusable. For his own safety, he naturally won't risk entering. Don't forget Protector Yi's actual situation!"
At this moment, everyone finally realized that Yi Xuan was Rootless Person.
Their conversation reached Yi Xuan's ears without missing a beat, naturally because of the person Yi Xuan had sent out who was completely shrouded in a cloak.
That was actually a Pangu robot.
Just as Qu Ling said, the Black Tortoise was destroyed, the laser emitter was unusable, and the Firmament was also partially damaged, resulting in reduced performance.
The ever-cautious Yi Xuan would not put himself in danger at such a time. In this way, the Pangu became the best alternative. Yi Xuan it to follow Qu Ling and the others into the Stone Mountain was essentially no different from sending it into the Stone Mountain himself.
"Qu Ling! You're right!"
The Pangu suddenly spoke in the crowd, startling everyone.
However, having learned from the previous incident with the belt, everyone quickly realized that the voice belonged to Yi Xuan.
He Hongfei approached the Pangu and peered at it through the cloak for a few moments, then suddenly laughed, "Junior Brother Qu, it seems you guessed wrong. Protector Yi has secretly followed us here, hasn't he?"
After saying that, He Hongfei suddenly ripped off his cloak, but unfortunately Yi Xuan's figure did not appear in front of everyone. What stood in front of them was just a metal man with a shape similar to a human.