Ye Fan listened, a wave of emotion washing over him.
It sounded rather undignified and embarrassing, yet this was the harsh reality for cultivators at the bottom.
The apex of the pyramid always belonged to a select few; most cultivators were like Zhao Yelv and his kin.
Dignity and face were concerns for the powerful. These low-level cultivators only cared about any opportunity that could make them stronger.
Perhaps this small gain today would become a lifesaver for them in the future!
It was through these tiny accumulations that cultivators grew step by step.
Even so, what realm they could ultimately reach depended on luck.
After all, cultivation wasn't something where effort always guaranteed reward.
Effort was merely the most basic prerequisite.
For cultivators to boast about how hard they worked was akin to acting like a scoundrel.
Throughout the entire conversation, Mrs. Zhao remained by his side.
She would cast a wary glance at Ye Fan from time to time, as if afraid he might reveal something...
Zhao Yelv's daughter also kept stealing glances at Ye Fan.
Though she appeared shy, a strange excitement flickered in her eyes.
After all, apart from her and her mother, everyone in the Wild Donkey Gang was an oddity.
After seeing oddities for so long, seeing someone else naturally felt different.
Especially since Ye Fan was already handsome.
Ye Fan, preoccupied with his own troubles, didn't notice. However, the Little Demoness caught it with her sharp senses!
So, the Little Demoness locked eyes with Zhao Yelv's daughter.
Four eyes met, and sparks flew...
In the following days, more and more people began to fly in.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't the official opening day of the ruins when they departed, but considering the travel time, they arrived just in time.
A few days later.
Various flying ships slowly landed before the Qingyun Mountain Range.
The Qingyun Mountain Range was where the Xieyan Ruins were located.
When Ye Fan and his group disembarked, they found that many people had already arrived.
The Little Demoness casually glanced around.
The most powerful among them was only at the ninth level of Void Comprehension.
A bunch of trash, not worth worrying about.
Not far from the crowd stood a magnificent cluster of buildings.
It looked like a sect's base, but judging by its condition, it had clearly been there for a long time.
Ye Fan inwardly grumbled.
Finally, it wasn't a tomb...
As it turned out, Ye Fan's assumption was very accurate.
These people completely ignored their arrival.
Only those of similar cultivation levels to Zhao Yelv and his companions spared them a few glances.
Their gazes even carried a hint of disdain and contempt!
Though their cultivation wasn't high, they had numbers!
The largest group had several hundred people, while the smallest had over a hundred.
The difference was stark.
Zhao Yelv and his group, a newly formed gang of about ten people, clearly lacked any presence...
At this moment, the main gate of the Xieyan Ruins remained tightly shut. The gate, over ten zhang high, looked exceptionally grand.
Strangely, the gate was rather plain.
There were no decorative patterns whatsoever, not even a single nail was visible.
It was simply a flat piece of material placed there.
Ye Fan's eyesight was keen, and he immediately recognized the material of the gate.
Crimson Cloud Iron!
While Crimson Cloud Iron wasn't an extremely high-level material, its affinity for formations was quite good.
No wonder the gate was so plain.
Ye Fan wouldn't believe for a moment that this gate held no secrets!
As for what kind of formation it was, that could only be known after seeing it.
During this time, some people attempted to push open the gate, but it was clearly useless.
Later, some even used their true qi or magical treasures to attack the gate, but all their efforts were in vain.
Some tried to climb over the gate or the walls, but as if blocked by a barrier in mid-air, they were repelled.
Ye Fan immediately scoffed.
If a gate made of Crimson Cloud Iron could be climbed over so easily, they wouldn't be called cultivators.
Those who hadn't acted probably had already tried this before...
As the first rays of sunlight fell at noon, the gate finally showed signs of movement!
Mysterious and complex patterns gradually appeared, and everyone's expression became tense.
An hour later.
The intricate patterns covered the entire gate, and its color changed from its original green to crimson.
At this point, the gate stopped all movement and change.
Everyone looked at each other, utterly bewildered.
Shouldn't the gate open at this stage?
What should they do next?
Their gazes naturally fell upon the prominent figures present.
The influential figures present also felt a pang of consternation.
Don't look at me, I don't know either!
Just go and try to push the door?
Don't be ridiculous, isn't that suicidal?!
The things on the door were clearly formations; who knew what their power was...
Then, people looked at each other, none daring to be the first to try.
The influential figures saw that this wouldn't do!
They were busy and had no time to waste here!
Therefore, a Void Comprehension expert fixed his gaze on the cannon fodder army.
With a wave of his hand, a Nascent Soul early-stage cannon fodder was sent flying towards the gate in terror.
As soon as the person touched the gate, he turned into dust in full view of everyone!
Not flesh and blood residue, but genuine powder!
There were no signs, not even any energy fluctuations.
A living person had simply turned into powder like that!
This was even more terrifying!
If there had been some movement, these influential figures could have used energy fluctuations to estimate the formation's general power.
But now, with no movement at all, how could they possibly deduce anything?
This made them even more hesitant to try themselves, as they had no idea if they could withstand it.
Experimenting with more cannon fodder seemed to be of no use, and the situation became deadlocked...
"Why haven't those guys arrived yet?" one influential figure muttered. "Did they change their minds?"
As soon as he finished muttering, he looked up with a sense of premonition.
In the sky, a flying ship was rapidly approaching.
The flying ship was not large, but it was clearly a high-quality item.
Especially the dense array of runes and formations carved on the outside of the ship, which significantly elevated its prestige.
After the flying ship landed, several old Daoists descended.
"Greetings, Esteemed Masters!" the influential figures quickly rushed forward.
"The preparations caused a slight delay, please forgive us, Sect Leader Yan." The old man leading the group cupped his fist in return, speaking politely.
However, his expression was far from courteous.
Including him, all the old men wore an air of arrogance.
"We dare not, we dare not," the Void Comprehension experts said repeatedly, politely ushering the old Daoists towards the gate. "We will entrust the rest to you Masters."
The old Daoists wasted no more words, staring at the formations on the gate and beginning their research.
As time passed, their expressions grew increasingly grave.