Ye Qingcheng informed Ye Bufan and others that after they were teleported out, they were resting in the encampment, with some even trying to re-enter.
Some rogue cultivators, without sects, were preparing to leave in advance. Everything was normal at first.
However, some people from Thunder Valley were actually living puppets from Cherry Blossom Island. They secretly contacted those from Cherry Blossom Island who hadn't entered yet. Soon, the living puppets from Thunder Valley launched a surprise attack.
The first to suffer were the cultivators with lower cultivation bases resting there. Before long, those rogue cultivators who had left also rushed back. After inquiring, they learned that the people from Cherry Blossom Island had already surrounded the area outside.
"Did you try to negotiate with them? Did the people from Cherry Blossom Island make any demands?" Ye Bufan asked.
"The people from Cherry Blossom Island said that as long as we hand over what we obtained in the secret realm, we can leave here safely," Ye Qingcheng replied. "One-third of the rogue cultivators compromised and gave their treasures obtained in the secret realm to the people from Cherry Blossom Island. Unexpectedly, the people from Cherry Blossom Island broke their promise and killed those rogue cultivators in the end."
"They are faithless and deserve to die!" Ye Qingyi exclaimed. "It seems that the people from Cherry Blossom Island have already extended their influence to our side."
Ye Bufan had a similar feeling, as if the people from Cherry Blossom Island had been infiltrating the Kyushu Land all along.
"What about the people from the Demonic Cult?" Ye Qingyi asked.
"The Demonic Cult and their so-called righteous sects have always been at odds, so they fight their own battles," Ye Qingcheng said. "The demonic cultivators, led by the Earth Fiend Hall and the Heavenly Evil Sect, are all in the north."
"It seems that the plan of Cherry Blossom Island that person refused to reveal earlier is this," Ye Qingyi mused.
Ye Bufan nodded and asked Ye Qingcheng about the current situation again. To his surprise, the number of people deployed by Cherry Blossom Island this time might be even greater than during the fight against the Eight-Headed Serpent.
According to Xun'er and Ling'er's description, they even discovered traces of Nascent Soul stage cultivators, with five at the early Nascent Soul stage alone.
"Did you see any sign of Living Yama?" Ye Bufan asked again.
"Before you all, I saw Living Yama leading Meng Po and the Ox-Head and Horse-Face Monks towards the north," Ye Qingcheng replied.
"It seems we need to have a talk with Senior Bai Zizhen. Fighting separately is definitely not a good option. Only by cooperating can we find a breakthrough and shatter the conspiracy of the people from Cherry Blossom Island," Ye Bufan said.
"That's exactly what I intended." Bai Zizhen appeared behind them at some unknown time. Ye Bufan turned around and found that Bai Zizhen had already gathered the leaders of the cultivation families and major sects.
"We have discussed it. Our vast Kyushu Land, in the face of external threats, can temporarily set aside past grievances and unite against the common enemy. Therefore, we are preparing to send a few people to have a good talk with Living Yama," Bai Zizhen announced.
"Senior, negotiating with people from the Demonic Cult is not an easy task," Ye Bufan said to Bai Zizhen.
"Heh, you're quite interesting, kid. You just said you wanted to talk to me about cooperating with the Demonic Cult to fight the enemy, and now you're warning me," Bai Zizhen said, amused by Ye Bufan's seemingly contradictory words.
Seeing this, Ye Bufan used telepathic transmission to remind Bai Zizhen that people from Cherry Blossom Island had already infiltrated the major sects. If he gathered these sect leaders now, they would certainly know about the cooperation, and the people from Cherry Blossom Island would inevitably be prepared.
Bai Zizhen nodded, looking at Ye Bufan with even greater admiration. He hadn't expected an eighteen or nineteen-year-old young man to be so meticulous.
"We just had a conflict with Living Yama in the secret realm, and he didn't obtain the inheritance. If we go to him now, he might make some excessive demands," Ye Bufan said after a moment's thought, coming up with a somewhat forced reason.
"You have a point," Bai Zizhen agreed.
"Everyone, the people from Cherry Blossom Island are watching us menacingly. To be safe, we need to keep most of our combat strength here to guard against a new round of siege from Cherry Blossom Island. Let's just send a few people to go together. What do you all think?" Bai Zizhen asked the leaders present.
The others looked at each other, each with their own hidden agenda.
"It seems that none of you are very willing to leave this place," Bai Zizhen snorted coldly. The faces of these people turned very grim.
"Senior Bai, I am willing to stay here," said Yan Yuzhu, the Palace Master of Guangming Palace.
With Yan Yuzhu taking the lead, some others began to voice their agreement. Seeing this, the rest reluctantly consented.
Among these families, since Bai Zizhen had entered the main hall of the Taiyi Divine Sect, some began to suspect that he and Living Yama were secretly plotting to embezzle everything obtained from the Taiyi Divine Sect.
Therefore, after Bai Zizhen returned here, in just over half an hour, he clearly felt that someone was observing him in secret.
"Senior Bai, why don't I go with you?" Ye Bufan offered.
"No," Bai Zizhen waved his hand. "Song Mingqin has already told me about the matters between you and Living Yama. If you appear before Living Yama, he will definitely be blinded by greed, and it might lead to actions detrimental to both of us. I will find two people from each of the cultivation families and sects to accompany me."
"Then Senior, please be careful." Ye Bufan clasped his hands in a salute to Bai Zizhen. Based on the information he obtained from his ring, there were indeed trials set in the main hall. However, by passing those trials, one could obtain two Heaven-tier cultivation techniques and a high-grade Earth-tier magical artifact.
"Taiyi Divine Sect is indeed a great sect of ancient times," Ye Bufan couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Ye Bufan, Ye Qingyi, Ye Qingcheng, and others found a place to rest. Soon, they saw Bai Zizhen leaving with his group towards the north.
As Bai Zizhen and his five companions departed, Ye Bufan immediately heard someone shout, "They're surrounding us again."
Ye Bufan and Ye Qingcheng stood up instantly, and rustling sounds emerged from the surrounding forest.
"Full alert!" Ye Bufan heard Qu Fei and Song Mingqin shouting towards the surroundings.
"Heh heh heh..."
A strange laugh echoed, and Ye Bufan saw a figure descend from the sky. The figure was clad in a white Yin-Yang Master robe, holding a feather fan, and sported a goatee.
"Who are you?" Song Mingqin and Qu Fei immediately flew into the air, followed by Yan Yuzhu, the princess of Guangming Palace, and Chu Tai, the Sect Master of Tianyuan Sect. Huangfu Zheng, after instructing Huangfu Yun, also flew into the air.