Ji Yuan's gaze deepened. Even if he exhausted all his means, it would be impossible for him to break through the encirclement of over a hundred cultivators and forge a path of blood.
The greater possibility was that the moment he stepped out of the mountain protection formation, he would be instantly overwhelmed by a torrent of magical artifacts and techniques, leading to a gruesome death.
However, remaining there indefinitely was also an impossible prospect. Furthermore, who knew what unforeseen circumstances might arise with the passage of time?
Despite the formidable power of this mountain protection formation, cultivators below the Golden Core stage could not possibly break it with their cultivation alone.
Yet, exceptions always existed. If a peak cultivator of the Third Realm, wielding one or two offensive magical treasures, might possess a slight chance of success.
And certain special artifacts could even grant Second Realm cultivators the temporary ability to breach formations.
"What should we do?"
Li Buwei's face was bitter, and he was already feeling a sense of despair.
If there were only twenty to thirty cultivators, he was confident that with his mastery of escape techniques, he would have a decent chance of safely disengaging.
But with the current number of cultivators gathered outside the mountain gate, even if his escape technique prowess suddenly increased tenfold, there would be no possibility of breaking free.
"It's alright, someone is coming to our aid."
Ji Yuan's eyes narrowed, and then he gave a faint smile.
As Li Buwei and Zhou Lianying, looking puzzled, followed his gaze, they saw a group of over twenty people rapidly approaching the mountain gate.
Leading them were four elders, three men and one woman, followed by a host of young disciples.
This group strode forward with their heads held high. Along the way, the surrounding cultivators quickly parted to both sides, respectfully making way.
"It's Nanxi!"
Zhou Lianying exclaimed, spotting a familiar face among the group.
Even Ji Yuan was somewhat surprised, not expecting to see Nanxi in the ranks of the Nine Xuan Sect.
However, before he could ponder further, Elder Hong Tian, leading the contingent, arrived directly outside the mountain gate protected by the great formation. He casually waved a hand, signaling that they could emerge.
Upon witnessing this, Ji Yuan first cautiously surveyed the surroundings, ensuring that the closest cultivators were at least twenty zhang away. He then scanned the faces before him and saw Zhao Yuansong and others among them, which significantly eased his wariness.
Under the helpless gazes of Elder Hong Tian and others he was familiar with, he finally led Li Buwei and Zhou Lianying, who were beside him, to slowly step out from under the protective shroud of the mountain formation.
This formation only restricted outsiders from entering, but it did not impede those within from exiting.
"You rascal, do you think someone would impersonate us?"
Elder Hong Tian stroked his beard and chided Ji Yuan, albeit with a hint of amusement.
Behind him, Zhao Yuansong and Wu Chengqing also offered wry smiles. They understood his temperament reasonably well, yet they still found the situation rather comical.
"It's not an impossibility."
Ji Yuan replied earnestly. Before the elder could get angry, he quickly shifted his gaze to the three elders beside him.
Judging by their attire, these two elderly men and the old woman were likely elders from various peaks of the Nine Xuan Sect.
Sensing his gaze, Elder Hong Tian understood and immediately introduced them, "These three are the elders from Withered Wood Peak, Grand Manifestation Peak, and Flowing Cloud Peak."
One of the elders, gaunt and with skin like bark, was named Hermit Baifei. Although not an elder from a direct lineage, he was a formidable existence among the inner sect elders.
Back at the Nine Xuan Sect, Ji Yuan had once attended his lectures. Regarding techniques, Elder Baifei was considered to have reached the pinnacle of mastery and was highly sought after by both inner and outer sect disciples.
When he lectured, the disciples listening attentively were, if not the most, then close to the most.
The other two elders were Zhang from Grand Manifestation Peak, and the old woman, Sun, from Flowing Cloud Peak.
Adding Elder Hong Tian to the mix, the Nine Xuan Sect had four Third Realm elders present here. Coupled with a contingent of Second Realm disciples, it was no wonder they could deter the over a hundred cultivators gathered here.
It was worth noting that the weakest of the Nine Xuan Sect's inner sect elders were already at the mid-to-late stage of the Third Realm. Moreover, hailing from a renowned great sect, their combat prowess far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators of the same realm.
"Let's leave here first."
Elder Hong Tian glanced around and then produced a small boat.
When this magical artifact was first revealed, it was only palm-sized. But upon infusing it with a surge of pure spiritual energy, it instantly expanded manifold, comfortably accommodating over twenty people without any sense of crowding.
As everyone boarded the small boat artifact, Elder Hong Tian willed it, and it ascended to an altitude of over thirty zhang. Within a few breaths, it flew in a specific direction.
Under the complex gazes of the hundred-plus cultivators, the boat transformed into a streak of light and vanished from sight within a few flashes.
"Elder, has something happened?"
Aboard the small boat, Ji Yuan suddenly frowned and asked the elder beside him.
Hearing this, Elder Hong Tian's expression also turned serious. Seeing that there were no outsiders around, he shed his reservations.
He gently tapped his foot, and then set up a soundproofing barrier around them, encompassing himself, Ji Yuan, and the other three inner sect elders of the Nine Xuan Sect.
"The situation has indeed become somewhat complicated."
After a moment of contemplation, he finally spoke slowly.
Originally, the Nine Xuan Sect believed that their greatest adversary in the early stages of exploring the dojo would be the Moon Gazing Sect, with perhaps a few sects from Qinghe County joining them.
In this process, even if the news leaked, it should not have attracted too many other cultivators. At the very least, it would take another month or two for other forces to discover any clues.
However, no one had anticipated that the Moon Gazing Sect would secretly disseminate information about this dojo. They might have even used extraordinary means to notify the demon realm and the demonic path.
In just over half a month, an uncountable number of cultivators had already flooded into the underground dojo, including rogue cultivators, hermits from mountains and wilds, as well as forces from all over Lingyang Prefecture who had rushed upon hearing the news.
"To allow these individuals to smoothly enter the dojo and stir up trouble, the Golden Core great cultivator of the Moon Gazing Sect even personally intervened, opening more than ten breaches into the dojo!"
Elder Hong Tian said with a displeased expression.
It was understandable that anyone would lose their temper if something they were about to obtain was disrupted in such a manner.
The Moon Gazing Sect's actions clearly indicated that they knew they could not compete with the Nine Xuan Sect for the dojo. Instead, they had decided to attract various cultivators, perhaps hoping to fish in troubled waters.
This approach was akin to realizing they couldn't have the meal, so they smashed the pot. While they could still eat, the current situation required scrambling on the ground with others, compared to directly putting food in their bowls. Naturally, this left the Nine Xuan Sect feeling extremely vexed.
It was only now that Ji Yuan understood why there were so many cultivators in the dojo; it was all the doing of the Moon Gazing Sect.
He had been puzzled before. Even if the news had leaked, the number of cultivators entering in a short period should not have been so large.
Yet, in just a few days, dozens of cultivators would gather in one place, and one could easily face the covetous stares of over a hundred if not careful.
It turned out that a Golden Core great cultivator from the Moon Gazing Sect had personally opened breaches, allowing cultivators from all sides to enter the dojo freely!
"The sect is now recalling disciples. From now on, to seek opportunities, at least a dozen people must act together."
Elder Baifei, standing beside them, sighed slowly.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be about seeking opportunities, but about seeking death.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan nodded. If only a few disciples acted alone, facing twenty to thirty or more cultivators would indeed be no different from sending oneself to one's doom, unless they were top-ranked prodigies of the inner sect.
At the same time, he understood why so many elders and inner sect disciples had gathered outside the peak. Apart from Elder Hong Tian and a few others who were there to find him, the rest were elders recalling their disciples.
It just so happened that the two groups met, so they decided to wait together before setting off back.
"When we return to the Colorful Cloud Cascading Staircase, you should all rest for a while and refrain from going out for the time being."
Elder Hong Tian instructed, his expression tinged with worry.
As more and more cultivators gathered in the dojo, various factions had already begun to fight fiercely for the opportunities within. Especially among sects with pre-existing animosities, battles erupted frequently.
Currently, the entire underground dojo had descended into chaos. For safety's sake, it was indeed inadvisable to roam about seeking opportunities.
Even for more than ten inner sect disciples traveling together, there remained immense danger, as there were not only Second Realm cultivators here, but Third Realm cultivators were also making frequent appearances.
Just as Ji Yuan was about to nod in agreement, his expression suddenly shifted. He turned to look in a certain direction and saw a nine-colored signal flare ascending in the distant darkness, eventually exploding into a brilliant bloom.
Upon witnessing this, Elder Hong Tian and the others' faces drastically changed, and a powerful killing intent erupted from them.
"Someone is attacking our Nine Xuan Sect's prodigies!"
Elder Sun shouted. The old woman with graying hair now exuded a sharp murderous aura.
Elder Hong Tian did not hesitate. He steered the small boat beneath them, making a sharp turn in the high sky, and then sped towards the direction where the nine-colored flare had risen.
He even spared no effort in expending a large amount of spiritual energy to push the boat's speed to its limit. In just seven or eight breaths, it covered over a li!
Elder Zhang of Grand Manifestation Peak dispelled the soundproofing barrier around them and stepped forward to address the disciples, instructing them to be prepared. While they might not be needed to intervene, such a scene signified immense danger.
However, not a single Nine Xuan Sect disciple showed any fear. They all wore determined expressions, radiating hostility.
Even without the presence of the four elders, upon seeing the emergency signal flare of an inner sect prodigy, they would have immediately rushed to their aid without hesitation.
Regardless of any grudges between fellow disciples or the intensity of their competition, when facing danger, the disciples of the Nine Xuan Sect would always unite and face external threats without any hesitation.
This was also one of the main reasons why the Nine Xuan Sect, within several hundred years, had accumulated such a vast foundation and was qualified for promotion to a sect.
The distance of about one hundred and fifty li was quickly covered under Elder Hong Tian's full control of the small boat.
Before long, the group arrived at the origin of the nine-colored flare. Looking down, they saw the ground was already ravaged. Within a radius of several li, over two hundred cultivators were gathered, with the light of various techniques emanating everywhere.
About a li away, five Nine Xuan Sect disciples were being besieged by countless cultivators. Besides a large number of rogue cultivators and hermits from mountains and wilds, there were also several groups of individuals in uniform attire.
Yet, facing enemies far outnumbering them, the five Nine Xuan Sect disciples showed no signs of being disheveled. Instead, they launched waves of fierce attacks, and in a matter of moments, they had slain six or seven cultivators!
"These are the prodigies of the Nine Xuan Sect?"
Ji Yuan mused to himself, standing on the small boat.
The so-called prodigies were the top ten disciples within the inner sect of the Nine Xuan Sect. They possessed truly outstanding talent, rare spiritual roots, and were blessed with great fortune and opportunities.
Not only were their achievements in cultivation profound, but they also possessed countless techniques, making their strength far surpass that of ordinary cultivators of the same realm. Each of them could easily fight across realms and even kill enemies of a higher cultivation level.