Xi Wen couldn't help but find it amusing, "Senior Brother Bo Chen, why do I feel like you're being a bit sour?"
"Sour? I'm just speaking the truth." Bo Chen glared at Xiao Man's retreating back, "Ever since she made new friends, look, we've all been sidelined."
Xi Wen's smile grew brighter, and he lowered his voice, "Her keeping her distance from us is for our own good. With her knack for causing trouble, and us being such dead weight, she's distancing herself to protect us."
"Really?" Bo Chen didn't believe it. Xiao Man was indeed very good at causing trouble, but she wouldn't be afraid of implicating them; she'd drag them down with her!
"Absolutely true, I can swear to heaven." Xi Wen said with an oath.
"I knew she wasn't someone who got bored easily!"
Hearing Bo Chen's words, Xiao Man almost stumbled and fell. When had she ever gotten bored easily?
"Get bored easily?" Nangong Yu raised an eyebrow.
"That's slander. As the saying goes, old clothes are better than new, and old friends are better than new ones." Xiao Man quickly replied, "Don't you know what kind of person I am?"
Nangong Yu snorted. Although he was very displeased with the other person's appearance, he was also grateful for their timely intervention. Otherwise, they would have perished by the Eight-Headed Serpent's jaws. Yet, it was precisely this that made him feel particularly useless.
Seeing Nangong Yu's despondent expression, Xiao Man didn't want to provoke him further and remained silent. Looking around, she saw only disciples from the Seven Sects, while the sect disciples and aristocratic family disciples formed their own cliques, not mingling with the Seven Sects' disciples.
"Xiao Qin, did you do this?" a disciple from the Azure Wolf Sect asked suspiciously, looking at the messy surroundings.
Xiao Man glanced at him but said nothing. Instead, she secretly counted her own people, checking for casualties. Seeing that her people were all safe, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Don't all gather here. There's an Eight-Headed Serpent here, a very powerful one. It has now been repelled by a mysterious expert, and the Eight-Headed Serpent could return at any moment. We should leave as soon as possible," Xiao Man warned everyone.
"Eight-Headed Serpent?" someone asked curiously, "What level is it?"
"A level that can kill all of us without breaking a sweat," Xiao Man said gloomily. "If you're interested, you can follow this path and chase after it."
"Divine Beast level?"
"Sacred Beast level," Xiao Man said as she walked away. The Eight-Headed Serpent was still inside, and having lost two heads, she didn't know when it might go mad. The sooner they left, the safer it would be. Moreover, Jin Yao might have escaped, and encountering Jin Yao again would be disadvantageous.
As Xiao Man left, those close to her also departed. In the end, only the disciples of two sects remained. The Azure Wolf Sect disciple frowned, "Let's go. With our small numbers, going there would just be sending ourselves to our deaths."
"It seems I haven't seen any aristocratic family or sect members."
"Those people probably already left after snatching the spirit medicine. We should hurry and leave too."
"Did you manage to collect any spirit medicine?"
"It was all snatched away."
"Damn it, to come here and return empty-handed, I'm truly unwilling."
"It's good enough to get out alive." The group walked out dejectedly. With Sacred Beasts like the Eight-Headed Serpent existing within the Blessed Land of Fortune, if there were Nascent Soul masters from the aristocratic families, they wouldn't have to worry. Unfortunately, the sect and aristocratic families treated them as the lowest of dogs, so how could they possibly help them!
Meanwhile, Jin Yao had used a teleportation scroll, which Madam Jin had painstakingly acquired for his safety. He hadn't expected to use it here.
"Xiao Qin!" Jin Yao gritted his teeth in hatred and immediately released a signal to contact those from the Jin family in the vicinity for aid.
However, Jin Yao brought his men to guard the exit of the trial ground, waiting for a chance. As long as Xiao Man dared to come out, he would kill her on the spot. He waited with his men for the exit to open. As people emerged one after another, Xiao Man was nowhere to be seen, nor was Nangong Yu, who had been by her side.
"Hey, did you see Xiao Qin?"
"I saw her inside earlier, but haven't seen her since."
"You saw her inside, when was that?" Jin Yao asked in confusion. Could she have been killed by the Eight-Headed Serpent?
The person thought carefully, "I saw her when the Blessed Land of Fortune was about to exit. After exiting, I never saw her again."
"Blessed Land of Fortune!" Jin Yao gnashed his teeth. He had thought Xiao Man would surely die by the Eight-Headed Serpent's claws, but no, not only did she not die, she escaped unscathed.
"What about the Eight-Headed Serpent?"
"It escaped."
"Did you see it with your own eyes?"
"I heard it from Xiao Qin. She said a mysterious expert appeared and repelled the Eight-Headed Serpent."
"So, she's still alive then!" Jin Yao looked towards the exit. "Guard the exit. As soon as she comes out, kill her on the spot."
"Yes!"
Xuan Hu was somewhat surprised, "Second Young Master Jin, what are you doing?"
"You'd best mind your own business." Jin Yao's murderous gaze fixed on Xuan Hu. "She's merely a lowly disciple of the Seven Sects, yet she dared to scheme against me. If your Hundred Medicine Hall dares to harbor her, I will ensure that the Hundred Medicine Hall ceases to exist in this world!"
Xuan Hu's expression changed slightly. He shielded a few disciples behind him, preventing them from clashing with Jin Yao impulsively, while also signaling others to find a way to warn Xiao Man.
Just then, a person emerged from the entrance, riding a white horse, with another person by their side. That person was none other than Elder Chen, a Nascent Soul elder from the Jin family.
Jin Yao stepped forward, "Elder Chen, are you alright?"
However, Elder Chen was like a wooden man, woodenly following Wen Ting. He walked when Wen Ting walked, and stopped when Wen Ting stopped, like a puppet.
"Elder Chen?" A trace of unease flashed through Jin Yao's heart. This was a guest elder of the family; any mishap would be a heavy loss!
"Wen Ting, what did you do to Elder Chen?"
Wen Ting sneered, "Jin Yao, I'm not like you. I don't just use people, I also kill them to silence them afterwards. I'm very gentle; I ask if they're willing to follow me."
"You're lying!"
"Lying?" Wen Ting looked at Elder Chen, "Elder Chen, are you following Young Master Wen of your own free will?"
"I am willingly following Young Master Wen."
"Elder Chen, have you gone mad?" Jin Yao became anxious. If Elder Chen were lost, he would surely be impeached by the family's elder council. The elder council was already dissatisfied with him; if he were to lose Elder Chen because of himself, his chances of ascending to the position of Young Master would be even slimmer.
"Second Young Master, Elder Chen seems to be acting strangely." A guard stopped Jin Yao, who was about to step forward. "Look at Elder Chen's eyes; there's no spirit in them. It seems his mind is gone."
"Wen Ting, you've controlled Elder Chen!"
"Jin Yao, speak with evidence." Wen Ting said unhurriedly, "I'm not like those riff-raff from the Seven Sects, someone you can slander and bully as you please."