After Leng Rong entered, five middle-aged men and two elders soon arrived. Of the two elders, one was a Ninth-layer Martial Emperor and the other a Seventh-layer Martial Emperor.
The five middle-aged men ranged from Fifth-layer to Seventh-layer Martial Emperor.
With Leng Rong included, the strength of just the First Vein alone was already terrifying.
And this was probably only part of the First Vein’s power.
It was hard to imagine how frightening the full might of the entire Azure Dragon Sect would be.
No wonder they could rank among the top three forces in Yangzhou.
Compared to them, the Three Sects were not just a little inferior.
No wonder even when facing the Ji family, the overlord of Yangzhou, the Azure Dragon Sect dared to stand firm.
The Azure Dragon Sect had the strength to do so.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Soon afterwards, groups of people flew over one after another and landed on the mountain peak.
There were three waves from different veins, each containing thirty to forty people, led by the Third Peak Master, Fifth Peak Master, and Seventh Peak Master.
Immediately after, another five groups arrived, and the remaining five Peak Masters also appeared.
Lin Xiao swept his gaze through the crowd. Apart from the Peak Masters, he recognised a few familiar faces.
Bi Zhuang was among the Ninth Vein group, Zhuo Yifan (whom he had fought) was in the Seventh Vein.
The nameless Fifth-layer Martial Emperor youth who had once planned to challenge him alongside Zhuo Yifan was in the Sixth Vein.
Kong Hongjun was in the Fourth Vein.
Among the youths of these veins, apart from those few, no one else stood out particularly.
As for the other veins, Lin Xiao could roughly tell who mattered.
In the Second Vein there was an especially striking youth, roughly twenty-nine or nearing thirty, burly in build, wearing a slightly loose short cyan robe, with only his right arm.
His exposed single arm was covered in powerful muscle. His eyes were large and deep, like mountains and peaks. His aura was fully restrained, yet he seemed to contain explosive power, giving off a domineering and ruthless impression.
The Third Vein had no youth who was exceptionally distinctive or outstanding in temperament.
However, there was one muscular youth openly radiating Seventh-layer Martial Emperor aura, aged around twenty-eight.
At that age and cultivation level, he was clearly one of the Azure Dragon Sect’s first-tier genius disciples.
While Lin Xiao was observing, whispers arose beside him among the First Vein crowd.
“Dugu Li from the Second Vein, Wu Chuo from the Third Vein, Guo Chengfu from the Fifth Vein, and Luo Qianqiu from the Eighth Vein have all come. Together with our First Vein’s Senior Brother Leng Rong, that makes five first-tier geniuses.”
“This line-up is truly terrifying. If the Ji family and Sacred Heaven Sect don’t send more heavenly-level geniuses, they won’t be able to contend with our Azure Dragon Sect.”
“Apart from those five monstrous geniuses, we have four Ninth-layer Martial Emperors, five Eighth-layer Martial Emperors, more than a dozen Seventh-layer Martial Emperor elders, plus two Peak Masters travelling openly and in secret. It’s been a long time since the Azure Dragon Sect mobilised such a powerful force.”
Hearing their discussion, Lin Xiao was filled with shock.
Those young geniuses had all reached the Seventh or Eighth-layer Martial Emperor realm.
On top of that, there were two half-step Martial Saints, four Ninth-layer Martial Emperors, five Eighth-layer Martial Emperors, and more than a dozen Seventh-layer Martial Emperor elders. This force was simply too fearsome.
If this group were sent to wage war, they could probably flatten the Three Sects and Four Valleys one by one.
At the same time, Lin Xiao focused mainly on those first-tier geniuses.
He had already seen the First Vein’s top monstrous genius, Leng Rong: cold, handsome, and aloof. Even when everyone greeted him, he only nodded without speaking.
The one-armed burly youth from the Second Vein, Dugu Li, brimmed with explosive power.
The muscular youth from the Third Vein, Wu Chuo.
The Fifth Vein’s Guo Chengfu looked ordinary in appearance and build, but like Wu Chuo, he deliberately released Seventh-layer Martial Emperor aura.
Then there was the Eighth Vein’s Luo Qianqiu, who was extraordinary. Over six feet tall, she stood gracefully. Her brows were like autumn moons, her eyes like stars, her face fair as jade, her red lips delicate and thin. Dressed in a moon-patterned black long robe with light black ribbons fluttering, her temperament was ethereal and peerless, like a goddess of her generation, a beauty for the ages.
She was an unattainable, exceptional woman. According to the Eighth Peak Master, she was the foremost female genius of the Azure Dragon Sect. Lin Xiao was unsure whether that meant the top female disciple or the top disciple overall.
But just from Luo Qianqiu’s unique aura, he couldn’t help leaning towards the latter.
This woman was definitely very strong.
“Everyone, the Domain of Evil is no simple place. The opportunities inside are probably not limited to that ancient temple; there may be even more and greater fortunes. However, countless dangers exist as well. We are all fellow disciples of the same sect, so we must stand together with sincerity. If anyone encounters a danger they cannot handle, retreat immediately.”
The Grand Peak Master addressed the crowd loudly.
Everyone nodded, their faces filled with anticipation and fervour.
The Grand Peak Master exchanged glances with the Third and Fifth Peak Masters, nodding to each other. Then the Fifth Peak Master stepped forward and announced in a resounding voice, “Now, follow me and set off!”
The crowd rose as one. Two to three hundred people surged forward in a mighty stream, flying out of the Azure Dragon Sect.
After passing through several teleportation arrays and flying for several more days, Lin Xiao and the group arrived before a peculiar mountain range.
This mountain range showed no trace of life. As far as the eye could see, endless withered trees and plants stretched into the distance. There was no sound at all. The entire area was deathly silent.
“This is the entrance to the Domain of Evil. There is no special spatial gate. Fly straight for five thousand miles and you will enter the Domain of Evil. If you try to enter from any other location, you cannot get in. It is extremely strange,” one elder explained to the crowd.
He was the Ninth-layer Martial Emperor elder who had led the second group out earlier and was very familiar with the route.
Hearing this, even Lin Xiao was surprised. He had assumed the Domain of Evil was a mysterious domain, a special separate space with a spatial entrance.
He had never expected entry to work like this.
Could it not be a mysterious domain space after all?
But if not, why was it impossible to enter the Domain of Evil by going deeper from other directions?
“When entering the Domain of Evil, all sorts of strange things may happen. Everyone must remain calm at all times,” the Ninth-layer Martial Emperor added.
The crowd nodded again.
“Move out!” At the Fifth Peak Master’s command, the group cautiously flew inside.
Once within, the landscape remained a silent, dead mountain range. Although the flowers, plants, and trees were dead, they had not turned to ash. Logically, if they had died long ago, they should have decayed into dust over such a long time, yet those dead trees remained perfectly preserved.
Deeper in, some areas that had once been rivers were now dry, the ground parched and yellow, giving people an inexplicable feeling.
This place was truly strange.
