As Baili Yuan and his group moved at high speed, Gan Shi's face was grim. Behind them were Du Sanjiang and the other disciples, but now they were joined by Mei Bucai's group of six, who all looked extremely nervous.
After leaving Gong Chenying and traveling for about a hundred li, Mei Bucai's group of six had slowed down. They could feel powerful pressures coming from several directions from time to time, and there were faint sounds of explosions, indicating that people were fighting. Behind them, there were also constant rumbles; Martial Aunt Gong and the enemy were in a fierce battle. It was precisely because all sides were busy fighting that they had overlooked this small group. In addition, Mei Bucai was an extremely cautious person. He constantly urged everyone to lower their auras to the minimum. Whenever there was a gust of wind, they would immediately lie dormant, retracting all their aura. Only after feeling that it was somewhat safe would they slowly move toward the intersections of the explosions.
With this method, as long as a Foundation Establishment cultivator didn't deliberately scan the area inch by inch with their Divine Sense, it would be impossible to discover them from a distance during a fierce battle. Most of their attention would be on the fight itself. Although this was not a foolproof plan, it was the best they could do.
But no matter how careful Mei Bucai's group was, they were still discovered after advancing for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. It was just that the one who discovered them was Gan Shi. Although he was in a weakened state after the effects of the "Aged Vigor Pill," his Divine Sense was still strong. Baili Yuan was calmly dealing with Qiu Jiuzhen, while having Gan Shi lead a few people to charge in the direction Wang Lang had disappeared. He told him not to get too far away. He himself would slowly move forward while fighting Qiu Jiuzhen. He and Gan Shi had analyzed that the person Wang Lang could be chasing was either the demonic beast party or Gong Chenying. So, Gan Shi only needed to advance and ensure his Divine Sense could scan the opponent to confirm before making further plans.
Qiu Jiuzhen had intermittently clashed with Baili Yuan several times. Both were at the Pseudo-Core Realm, and their strengths were comparable. But Qiu Jiuzhen was very wary of Baili Yuan's methods, not knowing when he would release his invisible poisons. Being on guard everywhere, she was at a disadvantage for a time. However, the battle between their Qi Condensation disciples was extremely intense. Although the Supreme Mystery Teachings had fewer people, the formations of these Taoists were the strongest of the four sects, especially when it came to joint attacks. The Malevolent Spirit Sect, however, had twice as many people and was skilled in sneak attacks. For a time, the battle was extremely fierce. As time went on, although the Supreme Mystery Teachings had the support of formations, they were still no match. Although both sides had casualties, the casualty rate of the Supreme Mystery Teachings began to increase. This was not what Qiu Jiuzhen wanted to see. She could not let her side suffer heavy losses for the sake of the Ten-Pace Courtyard, so she once again retreated far from the battlefield.
At that time, Gan Shi was leading a few people to charge in Wang Lang's direction. As his Divine Sense constantly scanned the area, he only felt that Wang Lang was getting farther and farther away. His speed was much faster than his own party's. And the person in front of Wang Lang was beyond the range of his Divine Sense. Gan Shi was still unable to determine the identity of the person Wang Lang was chasing.
Gan Shi began to grow anxious. He looked back at the battlefield amidst the explosions, steeled his heart, and planned to lead these few people to speed up and figure out which team Wang Lang was chasing as soon as possible. It was just that his current combat strength was less than thirty percent of his usual. Even if he encountered a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, his injuries could be aggravated again. This was also why Baili Yuan had been keeping him within a range where he could reach him in an instant.
Just as Gan Shi was about to increase his speed to chase after Wang Lang, his face suddenly tensed. As he was withdrawing his Divine Sense, at the edge of his range, nearly three hundred li to their other side, someone seemed to be hiding. That person should have been probing just now. Their Divine Sense had been released and then withdrawn in an instant, but that slight fluctuation had been captured by Gan Shi. So, he carefully scanned that area with his Divine Sense. Because that area was at the very limit of his Divine Sense in his current injured state, when Gan Shi scanned it again, he could not find anything unusual. He couldn't help but frown. Without a word, he quickened his pace and flew in that direction. His speed was astonishing. The few people following closely behind him did not dare to question this Martial Uncle and also sped up to follow.
Behind them, Baili Yuan had just repelled a wave of attacks from Qiu Jiuzhen when he suddenly sensed Gan Shi dashing off in one direction. After a moment's hesitation, he glanced at Qiu Jiuzhen from a distance and led his men to dash in that direction as well.
Qiu Jiuzhen, leading eight people, watched as Baili Yuan suddenly sped up and rushed forward. She hesitated for a moment and did not immediately follow, but still kept her distance. After these few clashes, although the Malevolent Spirit Sect had lost two and injured a few, her side had lost a full three people. This made her heart ache. Although these Qi Condensation cultivators had no hope of advancing to Foundation Establishment in the future, the sect had spent enormous resources and decades to nurture them. She could not continue to consume them like this. At the same time, she was constantly spreading her Divine Sense, searching for Quan Jiuxing. But to her disappointment, as she fought and advanced, she had not found that familiar figure.
Mei Bucai had been so scared just now that he had almost wet his pants. It was only when he felt that the surroundings were beginning to calm down that he slightly released a bit of his Divine Sense to probe the surroundings. A powerful wave of Divine Sense swept past above him. He was so scared that he immediately withdrew his Divine Sense and quickly restrained his entire aura. The five people behind him also turned pale upon seeing this, almost wishing they could turn into cold, breathless stones. It was just that the powerful Divine Sense had clearly discovered their existence, sweeping over them repeatedly several times before slowly disappearing.
"We must have been at the edge of that senior's Divine Sense just now. Otherwise, we would have been unable to escape." After lying prone for a long while and feeling no Divine Sense, Mei Bucai carefully looked around, slowly got up, the fat on his face trembling continuously, and said with lingering fear.
"Senior Brother Mei, what do we do next?" Cheng Jingnian asked, his face pale as he looked in a direction behind him, but he saw nothing. The other four also stared nervously at Mei Bucai. They had been able to survive the great battle, one, because their combat strength was not weak, and two, because they were all people with good luck.
Mei Bucai knew that Cheng Jingnian was hoping for Martial Aunt Gong to come soon, but everyone knew in their hearts what to expect. With Gong Chenying's condition, it was almost impossible for her to escape her pursuer.
"Let's continue forward. But the closer we get to the center, the greater the chance of encountering other cultivators," Mei Bucai said with a bitter smile. But he had no other choice. Without a Foundation Establishment cultivator to lead them, they were already being as careful as possible. They couldn't just not move, could they?
But just as they had stealthily advanced less than fifty li, a powerful Divine Sense once again swept over them like a great flood, and it came extremely suddenly. This left Mei Bucai and his group completely unprepared, and they were immediately enveloped by the opponent's Divine Sense. The six of them were instantly stunned.
"Sigh, it's over. We've been discovered. Fellow junior brothers and sisters, defend on the spot. I hope we can hold out until Martial Aunt Gong arrives," Mei Bucai said, the fat on his body trembling. When he said this, his voice was filled with despair, but he was still coherent. The faces of Cheng Jingnian and the other five were also ashen. They also knew that they could not scatter and flee at this time. If they gathered together to set up formations and use poison, there might still be a sliver of hope. If they immediately split up and fled, with the speed of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, they would be killed one by one in a short while. So, gritting their teeth, they each slapped the storage bags at their waists, about to take out their strongest life-saving measures. But unexpectedly, a loud laugh came from that Divine Sense. At first, the laugh stunned them, but then, the somewhat familiar voice made their faces light up with ecstatic joy.
"Hahaha, so it's Mei Bucai's group of little rascals. Don't run. Wait for me there." Hearing this boisterous voice, the ashen faces of Mei Bucai's group were soon wreathed in smiles.
"It's Martial Uncle Gan!"
"It's... it's Martial Uncle Gan and the others!"
"We're finally saved!" ...
The few of them immediately began to shout loudly, a complete change from their earlier state of looking like beaten dogs. Cheng Jingnian, the only remaining female cultivator, had tears streaming down her face without realizing it.
On the other side, "Baili, I've found them. They are about two hundred and forty li in my direction of advance. We need to proceed at full speed. There are only a few disciples. Junior Sister Gong is not with them." At this moment, Gan Shi's face was grim, without any of the joy of having found Mei Bucai's group. He sent a direct transmission back.
Baili Yuan was still nearly a hundred li from Gan Shi. When he received Gan Shi's Divine Sense transmission, his heart also sank. He glanced at Qiu Jiuzhen behind him and sent a transmission back to Gan Shi, asking, "What are the casualties over there? Is Junior Brother Li Yan not among them either?" He did not get an immediate answer. After a moment of silence, Gan Shi's voice slowly came back.
"There are only six of them left. The Spirit-Storing Pouch is on Mei Bucai's waist. I haven't seen Junior Brother Li Yan." Then he cut off the Divine Sense, clearly having flown forward at extreme speed.
Hearing this, Baili Yuan's heart skipped a beat. 'The Spirit-Storing Pouch is on Mei Bucai's waist? Something must have happened to Junior Sister Gong. Otherwise, she wouldn't have given the Spirit-Storing Pouch to Mei Bucai. By that count, there are at most fourteen of them left. It makes sense that Junior Brother Li Yan is not among them. The anomaly in this space happened shortly after he left us. It's possible he was teleported to some other direction alone.' After hearing Gan Shi's transmission, Baili Yuan quickly analyzed the situation and then said in a low voice.
"Your Martial Uncle Gan has found Martial Aunt Gong's group. We will speed up to rendezvous with them. I'll cover the rear. You all advance at full speed. Don't worry about what's behind. I'd like to see what a single Qiu Jiuzhen and a few Qi Condensation disciples can do to hold me back." With that, Baili Yuan's gentle demeanor changed, and a monstrous, fierce qi surged to the heavens.
A few dozen li behind them, Qiu Jiuzhen suddenly saw Baili Yuan fly to the rear of the team. The Qi Condensation disciples quickly gathered and left in one direction, while Baili Yuan followed behind at a leisurely pace. As Baili Yuan advanced, the aura on his body grew higher and stronger, until finally, he radiated an aura of looking down on the world, causing the heavens and earth in this area to change color. Immediately, two powerful Divine Senses swept toward this area, but after making contact with Baili Yuan's aura, they hesitated for a moment and then changed direction.
'It seems they've discovered something. Could it be the third team of the Malevolent Spirit Sect? That's impossible, absolutely impossible. In that case, did the Malevolent Spirit Sect not encounter any of our merged teams in the first four trials? Impossible.' Qiu Jiuzhen's mind raced, but she quickly came to a conclusion that she was most unwilling to think about. Although she had had her suspicions when Wang Lang's aura had chased after a team, she had thought it was most likely the demonic beast party. After all, Gan Shi and Baili Yuan from the Malevolent Spirit Sect had already appeared here, which was already a very bad result. But now, seeing Gan Shi charge ahead alone and Baili Yuan instantly display a powerful aura, it was clearly telling others not to come to this area.
What made Qiu Jiuzhen's heart sink to the freezing point was that just after Baili Yuan had displayed his powerful strength, two more powerful Divine Senses had come over. Likewise, neither Quan Jiuxing's nor any familiar person's Divine Sense was among them. This gave her an increasingly bad feeling. Her small face instantly turned pale, and she muttered to herself, her steps coming to a halt. She frantically spread her Divine Sense, sending it out in all directions again, hoping to find people from the other two sects besides Wang Lang, especially the other two teams from the Supreme Mystery Teachings.