After a full six hours of waiting, the number of people kept growing, yet still no one made a reckless move.
What surprised Lin Xiao greatly was that after six hours, even though it had just been nightfall when he arrived, it should now be dawn, should it not?
Why then, did the night before them show no sign of change whatsoever?
“Why has the sky here remained unchanged?” Lin Xiao asked the youth beside him.
This youth was one of the three who had turned into the ugly middle-aged man by the lake. Through their exchanges during this six-hour wait, Lin Xiao had come to know the three somewhat.
The youth was named Xi Yuchen, only twenty-six years old, and according to him, he was merely a rogue cultivator.
Of course, that was just what he claimed. With such talent, it was hard to say if he truly was one.
Lin Xiao even secretly wondered if this fellow might be a disciple from one of the two great sects.
Naturally, given his surname Xi, he could not be from the Ji family, unless he had changed his name.
After the previous eerie event, the four of them had become somewhat familiar with one another.
“Brother Lin does not know, but this Domain of Evil has no daylight. From the moment we entered until now, it has all been midnight.” Xi Yuchen replied.
“Oh?” Lin Xiao was slightly startled in his heart. The Domain of Evil was indeed eerie, lacking even daylight.
“Someone could not hold back any longer!” At that moment, the middle-aged man beside them called out.
This middle-aged man was named Bo Haixuan, an elder of the Bo family, which was just an unremarkable clan in this region.
However, during their earlier exchanges, Bo Haixuan had not forgotten to jest with Lin Xiao and Xi Yuchen about his fifteen-year-old daughter, who was stunningly beautiful.
In his view, Xi Yuchen was a rare genius. As for Lin Xiao, though he claimed to be only at the eighth level of Martial Lord realm, his speed was in no way inferior to theirs, and his cultivation was something Bo Haixuan could never quite discern, suggesting it was far from that simple.
The two seemed to have fine character. If his daughter could connect with either of them, it would be a fine match.
Of course, Lin Xiao and Xi Yuchen had little interest in the matter.
After hearing Bo Haixuan’s shout, Lin Xiao’s gaze also turned forward.
At this point, a figure could be seen flying over the ancient city and plunging inside.
“Finally, someone could not hold back.” Lin Xiao thought to himself.
“Puff!”
Yet just then, that figure seemed to collide with some terrifying force above the city walls. His entire body instantly burst into a cloud of blood mist.
“…”
The crowd all drew in sharp breaths.
As expected, this city could not be entered rashly, or one would die without knowing how.
Many inwardly rejoiced that they had held back, or the one turned to blood mist would have been themselves.
“If it cannot be entered from above, then how can one get into the city? Must we wait for the city gate to open on its own?” Someone asked in confusion.
“We should observe calmly and not rush. Better to wait than to take risks.” Someone reminded their companions.
“Since it is a city, it should be enterable. Having emerged into the world, there must surely be a way in.” Someone said firmly.
Lin Xiao was also full of surprise. This ancient city was clearly extraordinary at a glance, which was why he had not even sent out his Purple Corpse Puppet to test it. Otherwise, if he had, the puppet might well have been shattered into a pile of ash.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a group of twenty or thirty people flew over from the void, their auras unmasked, their momentum surging like a tide, their pressure vast and imposing, as they sped towards the main gate of the ancient city.
These people wore white clothes, greyish-white garments, or white robes: three elders, a few middle-aged individuals, and mostly youths. The men were handsome, the women beautiful, each one exuding an extraordinary presence, dashing and spirited.
“The Heavenly Saint Sect, people from the Heavenly Saint Sect have arrived!” Upon seeing this group, someone exclaimed in shock.
“Those three elders are actually all powerhouses at the eighth level of Martial Emperor realm!”
“That youth is Zhao Qingsui, a genius of the Heavenly Saint Sect. At just twenty-five years old, he has reached the sixth level of Martial Emperor realm, with strength that is immensely powerful.”
“Have the people of the Heavenly Saint Sect not experienced this eerie dispersal? Or have they been on the periphery all this time, rushing over only now?”
…
The crowd erupted in waves of exclamations.
“Three at the eighth level of Martial Emperor?” Lin Xiao’s brows furrowed slightly, a thick expression of wariness appearing on his face.
With three eighth-level Martial Emperor powerhouses leading them, the Heavenly Saint Sect’s lineup was simply too formidable.
And among their young geniuses, one had already reached the sixth level of Martial Emperor realm!
Moreover, that youth was only twenty-five years old.
The Heavenly Saint Sect truly lived up to its name as one of Yang Province’s great powers.
“These top forces from Yang Province are extremely arrogant, but they have the capital to be so. We must not offend them.”
Bo Haixuan lowered his voice beside them, reminding Lin Xiao, Xi Yuchen, and the other middle-aged man, Qi Shiyuan.
Lin Xiao and the others all nodded. With three eighth-level Martial Emperor powerhouses at the fore, they truly could not afford to provoke them.
After the Heavenly Saint Sect arrived, they largely ignored the others, standing in the void before the ancient city’s main gate, discussing among themselves.
Of course, some with a bit of strength flattered the Heavenly Saint Sect, approaching them to report what had just happened.
Another hour passed, and yet another group flew over from the void.
This group also numbered twenty or thirty. Among them were two elders, ten middle-aged men, and fifteen youths.
These people had no uniform attire, each dressed loosely and casually. Some were burly, some slender; some handsome, some ordinary, and some downright plain-looking. There was not a single woman among them, making them seem far inferior to the Heavenly Saint Sect in comparison.
It was as if they were not from the same force at all, appearing utterly scattered.
However, though they did not radiate the powerful auras and pressures like the Heavenly Saint Sect members, many exuded a wild ferocity.
Especially those burly youths: three of them had exposed arms with muscles thicker than others’ thighs.
They appeared to be a band of unruly mavericks.
“Those are people from the Azure Dragon Sect. The Azure Dragon Sect has indeed come as well!”
“In a place like the Domain of Evil that has appeared, the three great powers would surely not sit idle. The Ji family must have entered the Domain of Evil too. It will not be long before the Ji family gathers here.”
“The Azure Dragon Sect has brought two eighth-level Martial Emperor powerhouses as well!”
“Those disciples of the Azure Dragon Sect do not seem to include anyone on par with Zhao Qingsui. And there are even a few skinny ones. Has not the Azure Dragon Sect always prided itself on powerful physiques? When did they start recruiting such scrawny disciples?”
“Who says every disciple must cultivate the body? In a great sect, one cannot generalise. Moreover, even without a disciple to rival Zhao Qingsui, they are still beyond what the likes of us can contend with.”
…
Waves of discussion arose. Even Lin Xiao beside them was somewhat taken aback.
For one of Yang Province’s great powers, the Azure Dragon Sect, to look like a ragtag bunch of rogue cultivators gathered together.
This lineup was truly one of a kind.
Upon the Azure Dragon Sect’s arrival, Lin Xiao even felt an impulse to approach and chat, perhaps even ask them to take him directly to the Azure Dragon Sect.
But in the end, he restrained the thought.
Though Long Tuti was from the Azure Dragon Sect, he had killed quite a few of their elders and disciples back in the day. Mentioning his name might provoke their enmity and lead to a direct strike.
It would be better to approach the Azure Dragon Sect openly.
“Hahaha, the Azure Dragon Sect is truly declining more and more, even letting skinny weaklings like that show up!” At that moment, Zhao Qingsui burst into laughter, looking towards the Azure Dragon Sect’s young disciples with utter disdain.
