Sword qi pierced the air, only to be silently neutralized by a soft yet tenacious force, vanishing like a clay ox entering the sea.
"Haha, Junior Sister Cang, it has been a long time. Your temper is still as fiery as ever," a slightly teasing chuckle echoed from the mist.
Immediately after, several figures slowly emerged from the shadows of the stone forest.
The leader wore black cloud-patterned disciple robes. A faint, inscrutable smile played on his lips as he looked at Cang Dongqing with interest.
Cang Dongqing's pupils constricted as she tightened her grip on her long sword. However, after clearly seeing the newcomer's attire and face, the tension in her heart involuntarily relaxed slightly.
"Xuan Tian Sect... Di Yunkuang?" she recognized the man.
Di Yunkuang was the lead disciple of the Xuan Tian Sect for this team battle, possessing a late-stage Golden Core cultivation and formidable strength.
Among the participants who met the age restrictions, he was already a top-tier existence within the Xuan Tian Sect, especially since the originally sole Nascent Soul seed player, Wen Qianhui, had perished.
More importantly, Cang Dongqing remembered that before entering the secret realm, her master Ling Xiao had cryptically mentioned that the Xuan Tian Sect and the Sword Heart Sect shared a certain degree of "tacit understanding" and intent for cooperation in this competition, aimed at jointly countering potential threats like the Five Elements Dao Sect.
Behind Di Yunkuang followed four other Xuan Tian Sect disciples, all at the late-stage or peak of Foundation Establishment, their expressions wary and their formation orderly.
"It is indeed I." Di Yunkuang smiled slightly, his gaze sweeping across Cang Dongqing's pale face and the surroundings, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry. "Why is Junior Sister Cang alone here? From the look of you, it seems... you've just been through a fierce battle?"
Thoughts raced through Cang Dongqing's mind, but her expression remained stoic. She said coldly, "Is Senior Brother Di not also leading his people through this mist? Encountering trouble within the secret realm is perfectly normal."
Naturally, she would not easily reveal the pathetic experience of being ambushed by the Five Elements Dao Sect and forced to abandon her teammates.
Di Yunkuang didn't seem to press the matter, merely laughing. "That is true. This secret realm is eerie and shrouded in mist; acting alone is too risky. It seems Junior Sister Cang has been separated from your fellow disciples? Why not... travel with us?"
He directly offered an olive branch: "Our two sects already share some friendship. Joining forces here to look out for each other is far better than fighting alone and being picked off one by one. What does Junior Sister Cang think?"
Cang Dongqing quickly weighed the pros and cons in her heart.
Di Yunkuang was at the late-stage of Golden Core, his strength far exceeding her own, and the team's overall power was strong, ensuring safety.
At the same time, the Xuan Tian Sect and the Sword Heart Sect did have a basis for cooperation and were temporarily trustworthy. She had just suffered a setback, was in poor condition, and desperately needed rest and protection. Searching for her fellow disciples alone was highly risky.
Perhaps... she could use the Xuan Tian Sect's strength to find an opportunity to retaliate against the Five Elements Dao Sect and reclaim her losses?
However, cooperating with outsiders was ultimately not as reliable as being with her own sect; she would still need to remain vigilant at all times.
Furthermore, in such a partnership, being alone would put her in a relatively weak position, and she might... suffer when it came to the distribution of interests.
But for now, she seemed to have no better choice.
Her other Sword Heart Sect fellow disciples were even further away, making it difficult to regroup in a short time.
And the threat of the Five Elements Dao Sect was right before her eyes.
"Fine!" After only a moment's hesitation, Cang Dongqing nodded decisively. "Since Senior Brother Di is willing, Dongqing is happy to travel with your noble sect and support each other."
She agreed so readily that a flash of surprise crossed Di Yunkuang's eyes, which quickly turned into appreciation. "Direct! Then we welcome Junior Sister Cang to join us."
Cang Dongqing nodded slightly, sheathed her sword, and walked over to the side of the Xuan Tian Sect team.
The four Foundation Establishment disciples nodded to her in greeting, though their eyes still held a scrutinizing gaze.
Di Yunkuang laughed. "With Junior Sister Cang joining us, our team is like a tiger with wings. We are currently tracking the fluctuation of a flag, and the direction happens to coincide with the way you were heading earlier. Perhaps we can find your sect's disciples along the way."
Cang Dongqing's heart stirred. This Di Yunkuang was indeed not simple; he seemed to have noticed her movements long ago.
She kept her expression neutral, merely saying plainly, "I appreciate the trouble, Senior Brother Di."
Thus, Cang Dongqing temporarily joined the Xuan Tian Sect team.
With a late-stage Golden Core expert like Di Yunkuang leading the way and a complete team configuration, her sense of security greatly increased.
As she silently circulated her cultivation to recover her state, she secretly observed Di Yunkuang and the Xuan Tian Sect disciples, calculating how to secure the greatest benefits for herself and the Sword Heart Sect within this temporary alliance.
...
Deep within the canyon, toxic miasma drifted about.
Feng Weilan's figure was like a bolt of lightning as the long blade in his hand drew a cold arc, precisely piercing the throat of a demonic beast!
"Awoo—!"
The demonic beast let out a shrill wail, struggled a few times, and then crashed to the ground, dissipating into specks of spiritual light.
Feng Weilan withdrew his blade and stood still, his breathing steady, though a few beads of sweat dotted his brow.
He had faced a late-stage Foundation Establishment bone-spur shadow leopard. It was extremely fast with tricky attacks, and while it took some effort to resolve, it hadn't posed a major threat to him.
He walked to the side and pulled up a flag stuck in a rock crevice.
"Shenmu Sect flag, ten points." Feng Weilan glanced at it and put it away.
Not long ago, he had indeed successfully regrouped with his second senior brother, Zhu Yinxi.
The process of their meeting was just as Li Nanzhu had imagined—a silent exchange of glances, a brief greeting, and then a tacit understanding to act together with high efficiency.
However, about half an hour ago, they simultaneously discovered flag fluctuations coming from two different directions, and both were not far away.
To maximize efficiency, the two had almost no verbal exchange; they simply shared a look and tacitly decided to split up.
Zhu Yinxi went toward the direction with stronger spiritual energy fluctuations, while Feng Weilan came to this direction where the fluctuations were slightly weaker.
"If I get a few more flags... she should be happier."
This thought flashed through Feng Weilan's mind, and a trace of barely perceptible softness passed over his cold face.
The "she" he spoke of was naturally his fifth senior sister, Feng Qingping.
He regulated his breath for a moment, preparing to head to the meeting point he had agreed upon with Zhu Yinxi.
By his estimation, even if his second senior brother encountered a Golden Core demonic beast, with his methods, he should be able to handle it; it was only a matter of time.
However, Feng Weilan did not know that at this very moment, as he had just finished his battle and his aura had not yet fully settled, a potential crisis was rapidly approaching from another direction!
...
About dozens of miles away from the canyon, Cang Dongqing and the five-person team from the Xuan Tian Sect were traveling through the mist.
The leader, Di Yunkuang, suddenly stopped and sensed the area ahead carefully, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "There are faint spiritual energy residues ahead; it seems a battle has just ended. Moreover... there is the aura of a flag, though its grade isn't high."
Hearing this, Cang Dongqing's heart stirred, and she also focused her senses.
Although she was only in the Foundation Establishment stage, her divine sense was sharp, and she indeed captured a very faint spiritual energy from a flag and... a trace of an aura.
This aura... felt somewhat familiar?
She couldn't remember where she had encountered it for a moment.
Di Yunkuang looked at Cang Dongqing and smiled. "Junior Sister Cang, it seems our luck is good. We might have a harvest right after joining up. What do you say? Shall we take a look together? If the opponent is alone, this flag will be our first success."
Cang Dongqing currently desperately needed points and flags to make up for her losses and increase her value within the temporary alliance, so naturally, she would not object.
She nodded. "I follow your arrangement, Senior Brother Di."
"Good!" Di Yunkuang waved his hand. "Conceal your auras; we'll move closer to see the situation. If it's a tough nut, we'll plan accordingly; if it's an easy target... heh."
The group immediately cast concealment spells and crept silently toward the canyon where Feng Weilan was located.
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