"Wait!" Feng Qing Zhenren did not join in setting up the formation. He walked out and stood not far from Lan Yan, calling out, "Lan Yan, you can still turn back. As long as you and I deal with Jun Ye Lan together, you will still be my disciple."
Lan Yan released Jun Ye Lan's hand and stood beside him. She bowed to Feng Qing Zhenren. "Master, thank you for your guidance over the years, but Lan Yan has things she must do."
Reaching this day, she could not let Jun Ye Lan face certain death alone.
Feng Qing Zhenren had not expected Lan Yan to be so resolute, so much like his junior brother back then. He had made his choice then, and his junior brother had died. This time, he wanted to pull Lan Yan back.
"Lan Yan, you are a cultivator, the strongest Beast Tamer. After several more decades of cultivation, your future is boundless. Why do you do this for a mere demonic beast? He is a demonic beast, bloodthirsty and cruel, incapable of human emotions."
Lan Yan disagreed with this statement. "Master, Jun Ye Lan has a heart and understands emotions. He reciprocates my devotion, takes care of me meticulously, knows my fears and my likes."
"Master, he is no different from me. Moreover, Jun Ye Lan did nothing wrong and should not be treated this way. Being born a demonic beast was not his choice, and he should not have to bear this tragic fate."
As she finished speaking, warmth spread from her palm. She turned to look at Jun Ye Lan, who was smiling at her. She returned his smile and looked resolutely at Feng Qing Zhenren.
If Jun Ye Lan did not retreat, neither would she.
Feng Qing Zhenren's pupils trembled, his fingers pointing at Lan Yan shaking. He sighed, "Fine, you will not turn back." He had heard these words twice in his life, and that was enough.
"Junior Brother, why waste words with them? Set up the formation!" the Ling Shan Sect Leader shouted. He urged his palm, activating the formation that had just been laid, and aimed it at Jun Ye Lan's head.
Jun Ye Lan embraced Lan Yan's waist and dodged to the side.
However, the formation followed them like a shadow, chasing after Jun Ye Lan.
Jun Ye Lan could clearly feel the formation strengthening. He wondered what technique the Ling Shan Sect Leader had used to cause this. Under this formation, his cultivation would be suppressed, making it difficult to break through.
Lan Yan, seeing Jun Ye Lan in deep thought beside him, proposed, "Jun Ye Lan, this formation is difficult to break from the outside. We can try from within." She believed the magical artifact from the abyss would be useful.
Jun Ye Lan nodded, and he and Lan Yan stood to the side, channeling their cultivation to block the formation before them.
Watching the increasingly powerful formation, the Ling Shan Sect Leader laughed, "A mantis trying to stop a chariot, overestimating its own strength." This killing formation he had used an ancient forbidden art, and no one had ever been able to break it.
To prevent any further variables, he had put in extra effort.
Behind them, Feng Qing Zhenren watched this scene with a heavy heart, shaking his head slightly.
Lan Yan saw sharp spikes emerging from the formation, all aimed at Jun Ye Lan. She called out, "Ye Lan, let's retract." She withdrew her palms, and Jun Ye Lan did the same.
The two of them were trapped within the formation, yet the curved saber in Jun Ye Lan's hand began to glow.
The Ling Shan Sect Leader watched this scene with a smug look. "See? Jun Ye Lan is nothing special. Fellow disciples, we just need to wait. Jun Ye Lan will surely die."
The cultivators behind him believed the Ling Shan Sect Leader and nodded in agreement. "Ling Shan Sect Leader, after dealing with Jun Ye Lan, the treasures on him will be ours. We naturally deserve a share."
They all had their own agendas.
The Ling Shan Sect Leader frowned, unwilling to share with these people. He was counting on Jun Ye Lan to greatly increase his cultivation, hoping to ascend to the immortal realm sooner. He outwardly agreed, but inwardly, he was planning how to take Jun Ye Lan away later.
At this, the faces of the other cultivators lit up with smiles. Jun Ye Lan was an ancient demonic beast, after all.
Only Feng Qing Zhenren did not smile. He looked at the Ling Shan Sect Leader. "Senior Brother, Lan Yan is my disciple, and I, as her master, should be the one to deal with her."
"Junior Brother, she is a traitor to our Ling Shan. It would be good enough if she isn't severely punished. If you ask me, you should have expelled her from the sect long ago. What use is keeping her? You and Master are both too soft-hearted."
Feng Qing Zhenren's expression changed. He remembered how their Master had changed after his junior brother's death, aging significantly and passing away not long after.
"You were the one who led the charge back then, causing Junior Brother's death. Do you want to repeat the same mistake!"
The Ling Shan Sect Leader's eyes flared with anger. "Feng Qing, you are too presumptuous. Everything I am doing is for our Ling Shan, for the cultivation world!"
"I think it's for yourself," Feng Qing Zhenren said coldly.
The Ling Shan Sect Leader's eyes were filled with rage. He found his junior brother utterly unreasonable.
The other cultivators were suddenly bewildered. Why were these two brothers arguing! They looked towards the formation inside and shouted, "Something is wrong! Why is the formation moving!"
At this, the Ling Shan Sect Leader and Feng Qing Zhenren stopped their argument and looked at the formation, their eyes deepening.
Inside the formation, Jun Ye Lan was brandishing his curved saber, searching for weak points.
Lan Yan was also helping. She took out a detection artifact from her waist pouch and scanned every area. She arrived at the right corner, and the detector finally responded. She excitedly shouted, "Ye Lan, it's here."
Jun Ye Lan then went to Lan Yan, thrust the curved saber into the right corner, and channeled all his cultivation into it.
Gradually, the curved saber began to shake, emitting light all around. A gap suddenly appeared in the formation.
The cultivators outside saw this and raised their hands to cast spells, shouting, "Speed up, or the people inside will escape."
The Ling Shan Sect Leader cursed, "Damn it!" This Jun Ye Lan was truly restless.
As he spoke, a large gap appeared in the formation before them, and two figures emerged from within.
Jun Ye Lan unfurled his wings, embraced Lan Yan, and hovered above the formation, coldly surveying the hypocritical cultivators before him. He once again drove his curved saber, striking down these people.
The cultivators fell to the ground, realizing their failure.
The Ling Shan Sect Leader's eyes were full of unwillingness. He shouted, "Get up, everyone! Even if you have to use your entire cultivation, you must kill Jun Ye Lan here. Otherwise, he will kill us."
The cultivators exchanged glances, afraid to retreat. They got up and attacked Jun Ye Lan.
Jun Ye Lan placed Lan Yan on the ground. He looked into her eyes and said, "Yan'er, this time, I will fulfill my promise." His eyes suddenly turned blood-red. He raised his curved saber and struck towards the people before him.
Lan Yan watched Jun Ye Lan being surrounded and channeled her power, defeating some of the weaker opponents around him.
However, the Ling Shan Sect Leader saw this and instructed the disciples beside him, "You take the younger disciples to attack Lan Yan, so Jun Ye Lan will be distracted from dealing with us." He realized that Lan Yan had some use after all.
Thus, Jun Ye Lan faced the high-level cultivators of the immortal sects from the front, while the disciples of these experts converged on Lan Yan, surrounding her.