Heavenly blessings descending did not necessarily signify profound fortune. Only by not letting opportunities slip away could one truly be considered blessed by fate.
Otherwise, it would merely be preparing the ground for others, and how could that be truly called exceptional fortune?
Ji Yuan sighed inwardly, then withdrew his gaze from Li Buwei.
He turned his attention to the distant sect gate, which was already guarded by a group of Wangyue Sect disciples, forbidding any cultivators from approaching within ten Zhang.
Under the murderous gazes of the disciples, the surrounding cultivators retreated nearly twenty Zhang. None wished to engage in a pointless skirmish with the disciples of a renowned sect.
Moreover, any conflict would inevitably disadvantage them, as they held no advantage in numbers or cultivation.
As he surveyed the surroundings, Ji Yuan's expression suddenly shifted. He saw Li Buwei, no longer acting furtively, but striding boldly towards the Wangyue Sect disciples.
However, as soon as he stepped out from the crowd, he abruptly stopped and let out a sudden shout.
This commotion naturally drew the attention of many cultivators. Under dozens of gazes, he raised a jade token high.
Propelled by spiritual energy, the jade token immediately emitted a hazy glow, and a profound aura swept out. Even from twenty to thirty Zhang away, it resonated with the mountain-guarding array.
Seeing this, no further explanation was needed. Everyone knew what this jade token signified, and their breathing quickened.
"Fellow Daoists of the Wangyue Sect, I present this to you!"
Li Buwei chuckled and, while shouting loudly, tossed the jade token.
With a crisp sound, the token landed ten Zhang from the Wangyue Sect disciples, and approximately ten Zhang from the surrounding cultivators.
After discarding the token, Li Buwei quickly retreated. By then, no one was paying him any further attention.
The area suddenly grew much quieter, with less whispered conversation but a more peculiar atmosphere.
The cultivators eyed each other. Whoever made the first move would become the target of everyone's combined assault.
Even a cultivator at the late stage of the Dianling Realm could not withstand a coordinated attack from so many.
"Attack!"
From within the crowd, someone suddenly shouted, and a blur of afterimages streaked forward.
A few Zhang into its charge, the rest of the cultivators, having reacted, quickly unleashed their spells. Within mere breaths, over a dozen varied spells descended.
The afterimage was instantly torn apart, and the previously silent crowd erupted with their full aura, charging towards the jade token ten Zhang away at maximum speed.
Witnessing this, the Wangyue Sect disciples could not stand idly by. Of the thirteen cultivators in the second realm, seven immediately surged forward.
Among these seven were three cultivators at the middle stage of the second realm. Together, they unleashed spells that scattered waves of pure white moonlight.
In the falling moonlight, cultivators were ensnared by illusions. Unaware of what they were seeing, they suddenly unleashed spells in all directions, disregarding their spiritual energy consumption.
Some spells struck empty air, causing some commotion with wind and dust but little else.
However, several cultivators were inexplicably attacked. Angered, they retaliated immediately, caring little whether the attacker was under an illusion.
Although only those with weaker resolve among the wild cultivators were affected by the illusions, it still created considerable chaos. All but the fastest seven or eight were blocked by the ensuing melee.
Forced to, a group had to detour, while some with fiercer tempers charged headlong into the fray, getting entangled in a brawl.
Initially, Zhou Lianying was somewhat puzzled, unable to understand why these individuals would act in such a manner, clearly risking missing the opportunity to obtain the jade token.
It was only when she saw one of them stealthily kill a wild cultivator and expertly loot the body that her expression changed to one of sudden realization.
So, their fiery tempers were all a pretense; their true aim was to seize treasures through chaos!
"Keep up!"
Ji Yuan whispered and followed the crowd forward.
Zhou Lianying quickly followed suit, immediately applying two lightness talismans to her legs.
As the spiritual energy within the talismans surged, the two runes spread to her legs. She felt her body lighten, and her legs became much more agile.
With a gentle circulation of her internal energy, her speed surpassed her normal pace, and she easily kept up.
Ji Yuan led Zhou Lianying, running stealthily among the cultivators at the rear. He paid no mind to who obtained the jade token, his eyes constantly scanning the entire scene.
This was partly to guard against unforeseen events and partly to evade the more dangerous cultivators.
Even when other cultivators approached, whether intentionally or not, he would glare at them with sharp eyes. If they ignored his gaze, he would unceremoniously send a few talismans their way.
Seeing his vigilance and decisive actions, some cultivators who intended to fish in troubled waters and launch surprise attacks immediately abandoned their thoughts and sought other targets.
There were quite a number of cultivators with this mindset, mostly wild cultivators and a few rogue cultivators. No cultivators from established sects were visible.
Perhaps such individuals harbored similar intentions, but they were better at concealing them. They would not act openly unless the benefits were substantial, and they preferred to preserve their reputation, unwilling to give outsiders any cause for criticism.
Before long, the situation Li Buwei had described occurred. The Wangyue Sect disciples and the gathered cultivators clashed fiercely, vying for the jade token that granted passage into the mountain-guarding array.
In less than twenty to thirty breaths, several cultivators had perished, slain by the Wangyue Sect's unique artifact, the Moon Wheel Slash.
Of course, the Wangyue Sect disciples also suffered casualties. Two recently promoted second-realm disciples were struck by several artifacts, their bones and tendons broken, barely breathing.
Furthermore, a middle-stage second-realm disciple sustained severe internal injuries, his aura fluctuating, and his spiritual energy circulation seemed less fluid than before.
Just as Ji Yuan was mixing into the crowd, occasionally launching a small fire orb, a rapid footstep approached his side.
With a flick of his sleeve, while appearing unconcerned, over a dozen talismans were palmed, and a surge of spiritual energy was ready to be unleashed at any moment.
He glanced sideways and, upon seeing Li Buwei, breathed a slight sigh of relief, though his guard remained undiminished.
Although they had agreed to cooperate, it was possible that Li Buwei had changed his mind from the beginning or suddenly decided to strike, intending to kill him for his treasures.
Fortunately, Li Buwei apparently had no such intentions; otherwise, he would have faced a fierce counterattack potent enough to kill a middle-stage second-realm cultivator.
"The other five are ready. How are things on your end?"
As soon as he approached, Li Buwei asked in a low voice.
Ji Yuan glanced at Zhou Lianying beside him and then nodded solemnly.
"What about those two? You're bringing them along too?"
Li Buwei pointed at the middle-aged man surnamed Chen a few Zhang away and the nervous-looking youth beside him. He recalled these two had been following Ji Yuan earlier.
Without even looking, Ji Yuan replied coldly, "Whether they want to follow is their business; it has nothing to do with me."
His words clearly indicated that the fate of these two was their own concern, and they were not to be looked after or brought into the array with them.
A glance at Zhou Lianying, and Ji Yuan seemed to understand. He had likely figured out the reason.
However, he did not dwell on this matter and directly stated, "Someone will open a passage for us shortly. That will be the signal to move."
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan became curious, wondering how this so-called passage would be opened.
After all, dozens of second-realm cultivators, including over ten at the middle stage, were present. To open a passage through such a crowd would be incredibly difficult, perhaps only having a slight chance for a peak second-realm cultivator.
Yet, his curiosity did not last long. He soon understood how a passage to the sect gate would be created amidst dozens of second-realm cultivators.
A hazy, earthy yellow light surged, and the ground beneath them suddenly trembled violently. Then, an earth dragon emerged, writhing. With a mere shake of its body, it swept away the surrounding cultivators.
"Retreat!"
Li Buwei shouted in a low voice and rapidly retreated.
Not only that, but he also continuously applied several talismans to himself, shrouding him in layers of light. He then took out a small round shield and held it in front of him.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan immediately pulled Zhou Lianying and retreated as well. The Xuán Tiān Shì Líng Tǎ (玄天噬灵塔) materialized from his body, hovering above his head, and descended with strands of light.
Simultaneously, he saw several figures also retreating, instantly breaking away from the crowd.
In the next moment, a dazzling light, like a small sun, rose, so brilliant that one dared not look directly at it!
BOOM!!
A thunderous roar echoed through heaven and earth, causing the ground beneath to tremble as if a great earthquake had struck.
After an unknown period, as the light and sound gradually subsided, Ji Yuan suddenly heard a clear shout nearby.
"Now!"
As the words fell, in his peripheral vision, he saw Li Buwei darting forward at extreme speed, covering several Zhang in an instant.
Without a word, Ji Yuan grabbed Zhou Lianying's arm and closely followed behind Li Buwei.
At the same time, several figures streaked forward, exactly five in number.
There were four men and one woman, the holders of the jade token and their companions. The weakest were at the early stage of the Dianling Realm, with two having already broken through to the middle stage.
Including himself, Li Buwei, and Zhou Lianying, the eight of them, without stopping, rapidly passed through dozens of cultivators and hurried towards the sect gate.