Five Immortal Sects
Chapter 144: It… It Should Be

In short order, Li Yan landed on the purple ribbon. He took out the blue prism crystal and swiftly delved into it with his divine sense. Soon, he raised his head.

“It’s in the fifth gate!”

With a flash of light, Li Yan directly rushed towards the center of the purple ribbon.

Gan Shi narrowed his eyes, gazing at the increasing number of blood-red infant faces emerging from the snow. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

“If I were alone, even with such severe injuries, I could probably still manage to hold out for ten li. But now, with the four people behind me, the spiritual power in my body is insufficient. I need more spiritual power!”

At this moment, waves of agonizing pain assaulted his abdomen. He knew the ill effects of the "Aging-Reality Pill" he had taken earlier were appearing. If he didn't treat it promptly, he might drop a minor realm, falling from the late-stage Foundation Establishment Grand Perfection to the late-stage Foundation Establishment.

To recover would be impossible without more than a decade of arduous cultivation, but the critical issue was that he had no time to recover, and his remaining spiritual power was also scarce. If he stopped his magical attacks and defenses, they would all perish within a few breaths.

“Since my realm is going to drop anyway, I might as well take another ‘Aging-Reality Pill.’ It’s just that…”

A bitter taste rose in Gan Shi's heart. If he were to take the "Aging-Reality Pill" again, he might never be able to return to the Foundation Establishment Grand Perfection in this lifetime, directly severing his hope of reaching Core Formation.

The "Aging-Reality Pill" is a medicinal pill that Core Formation stage or Foundation Establishment cultivators can take. Its medicinal power exhausts the body, stimulating residual spiritual energy in the meridians, and can restore about 40% of spiritual power in a short time, but it causes permanent damage to the meridians.

After consumption, it's as if a person rapidly ages within an extremely short period, quickly entering their twilight years, yet it can briefly stimulate potential and enhance strength, hence the name "Aging-Reality Pill."

Although this pill has extremely severe adverse effects, it is also quite precious. Foundation Establishment cultivators usually find it difficult to possess even one. However, due to his extraordinary talent at Four Symbols Peak, Gan Shi was bestowed with one years ago, to be kept for emergencies.

The other pill in his hand was acquired just before entering the secret realm this time at a great cost from a Core Formation elder of his own peak.

Gan Shi had not anticipated that he would find himself in a situation where he had to take two pills consecutively. He had simply known that the secret realm's harvest was perilous and had prepared a contingency.

If a cultivator like Gan Shi, who is at the Foundation Establishment Grand Perfection stage, were to consume two pills within three days, their meridians would be permanently damaged, causing their cultivation to drop to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Without an extraordinary stroke of luck, they would be stuck at this level for the rest of their lives.

For a proud cultivator, this kind of blow to their spirit would be an irreparable, immense pain.

But clearly, at this moment, he had no other choice. A cold glint flashed in Gan Shi's eyes. He slapped his storage bag, and amidst shimmering light, a grey pill fell into his palm.

“Then, while the medicinal power hasn't faded, let's swiftly kill our way to the ten-li mark and settle matters with the enemy inside the sphere!”

Gan Shi's peripheral vision swept over the four people behind him. He knew that even if he took this "Aging-Reality Pill," he was destined not to escape the Wheel of Life and Death. In that case, he would take them on a grand and magnificent journey.

“Another Aging-Reality Pill! Martial Uncle, no!”

Among the three conscious individuals at the rear, the yellow-haired man, who had been staring ahead, saw Gan Shi supporting a massive light barrier with one hand to block the frantic attacks from outside, while his other hand already held a grey pill.

The burly man from Old Lord Peak recognized exactly what it was. As an alchemy disciple of Old Lord Peak, he was perfectly clear about the pill's effects, and they had also seen Gan Shi take a pill earlier while inside the yellow sphere.

Seeing Gan Shi take out another one at this moment, he grew anxious and, forgetting all about seniority, directly spoke out to stop him.

At the same time, the petite girl from Four Symbols Peak and another semi-conscious cultivator, upon hearing the burly man exclaim “Aging-Reality Pill,” were also startled and stared nervously at Gan Shi.

Upon hearing the shout, Gan Shi merely looked back coldly at the big man and the others, his eyes flashing with cold light, but he didn't speak. That single glance instantly made it difficult for these few to breathe, and sweat poured from their foreheads in an instant. How dared they speak further?

Gan Shi was a decisive man; how could his decisions be swayed by a few juniors? With a wave of his hand, the pill shot towards his mouth. Suddenly, a voice abruptly echoed in this space.

“Senior Brother Gan, stop!”

This voice came so abruptly, no less than a thunderclap in the sky, instantly making everyone present's hair stand on end.

During the progression through the pass, apart from their own people, and excluding sounds made by attacking demonic creatures, there would absolutely not be any third-party human voices.

The pill had already flown towards Gan Shi. As soon as the voice rang out, a sudden warning arose in Gan Shi's heart. One must know that his current cultivation realm was still at the Grand Perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage. Although his spiritual power was depleted, his divine sense was still formidable.

That person had approached him to within a few zhang, yet he had been completely unaware. If that person had launched a direct sneak attack, he would have had no way to dodge. He couldn't help but reach out and grab, the pill already clutched in his palm, while his body rapidly retreated.

Gan Shi suddenly thought of a possibility, and his face changed drastically.

“Can the cultivators of the Three Sects not only enter the sphere but also infiltrate the process of passing through?”

But the next moment, as he retreated, he realized something was amiss, because that person had just called him “Senior Brother Gan.” At the same time, Gan Shi's divine sense swept out directly.

As his divine sense swept, aside from the whistling attacks of blood-red infant faces and their shrill cries, he noticed a ripple in the space not far to his right.

Immediately, a figure quickly appeared, initially very illusory, but in the blink of an eye, it solidified into a person. This person was clad in their most familiar dark green robes and was currently smiling at them.

“Li… Martial Uncle Li!”

Gan Shi was clearly stunned upon seeing who had arrived, while some of the people behind him recognized Li Yan, and others found him somewhat familiar but couldn't recall who he was for a moment.

The person who came was indeed Li Yan. He hadn't immediately passed through the ribbon and entered the passage. With his caution, even after confirming the color of this ribbon was the one chosen by the Wraith Sect, he wouldn't just rush in headfirst.

He first opened a crack in the light gate, then slowly extended his divine sense, and then he witnessed the scene unfolding inside.

Ordinarily, although his divine sense was comparable to a early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, with Gan Shi's late-stage Foundation Establishment Grand Perfection cultivation, and at such close proximity, he would definitely have noticed something amiss.

However, there were too many attacks around him, and his spiritual power was already strained. Anyway, besides the attacks from the passage's restrictions, there was only the enormous black shadow in the sky slowly pressing down from behind; there wouldn't be anything else.

When Li Yan saw the appearance of the five people in the passage, especially Gan Shi's severe injuries, his heart tightened.

“Am I still too late? Did Senior Brother Gan encounter a formidable opponent, or has he already fallen into the other party's trap? Otherwise, why are there only these few people left!”

Then he began to check the forbidden attacks around the light gate. Seeing the endless blood-red infant faces surrounding Gan Shi and the others, Li Yan also felt his scalp tingle. Clearly, this was not a good place to exit.

When he saw Gan Shi and the others, struggling, approaching the sixth gate, he quickly retreated from the ribbon and rushed towards the sixth gate. The restrictions there had not yet been fully triggered, so it would be quite safe for him to exit from there.

Just as he reached the sixth gate and his divine sense probed out for the first time, he saw Gan Shi flick out a pill, about to swallow it. He found this pill quite familiar but couldn't recall what it was for a moment.

Initially, Li Yan thought it was a pill to replenish spiritual power, but then he heard someone in his divine sense call out "Aging-Reality Pill" and try to stop him, which startled him. No wonder he found this pill somewhat familiar.

Li Yan also knew the pill's effects, and seeing the cold glint in Gan Shi's eyes, he roughly guessed that this senior brother might have already taken one before and was about to fight to the death. In his haste, his figure swiftly emerged from the light gate.

Gan Shi and the others looked dazedly at the person who had suddenly appeared. Gan Shi recognized Li Yan; he had naturally paid attention to the few people from Little Bamboo Peak, and Li Yan had mostly been with Li Wuyi before, so he had certainly taken note.

“You?”

A look of doubt flashed in Gan Shi's eyes, and his other hand flickered with light, ready to attack at any moment. Although he knew Li Yan, he didn't believe this person who appeared here so strangely was truly Li Yan himself.

He thought it was a new illusionary attack generated by the restrictions here, but after his divine sense swept over Li Yan, he felt Li Yan's real aura, and for a moment, he couldn't quite be sure.

Some people behind him recognized Li Yan, and their eyes also showed an expression of disbelief, daring not to confirm.

“Is that Martial Uncle Li from Little Bamboo Peak?”

The petite female disciple from Four Symbols Peak, supporting the cultivator leaning on her, quietly asked the burly cultivator.

“It… it should, be… be him, right?”

The burly man from Old Lord Peak had just recovered from Gan Shi's sharp gaze, his back still cold with sweat. At this moment, facing this new turn of events, he was also somewhat bewildered.

He had no prior interaction with Li Yan and had only seen him on the crystal screen during the sect competition.

Later, after everyone entered the secret realm, Li Yan had always been very low-key, either standing in a corner or remaining silent, while disciples from other peaks gathered and communicated, so he had indeed overlooked him.

“It's… it's… him!”

At this moment, the severely injured disciple leaning on the burly man, who had lost the ability to move, spoke with difficulty. Though his voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, everyone present was a cultivator with acute hearing, so they all heard him clearly.

Li Yan was about to respond to Gan Shi when he heard someone speak from behind Gan Shi. He couldn't help but look up, then waved his hand at the severely injured disciple.

“So, it’s Junior Nephew Zhu… Zhu!”

Li Yan clearly found this form of address, spoken by himself, somewhat unfamiliar.

The severely injured disciple from Boundless Peak was precisely Zhu Gaotai, who had left a deep impression on him during the great competition. He was the one who had fought Fei Ling from Spirit Insect Peak in the first match. Li Yan had even listed this person as one of his formidable opponents at the time.

He had a deep memory of this person's cunning and his pair of "Urn Thunder Gu," but since he didn't encounter him later, it saved him a bitter struggle. He hadn't expected this person to seem very familiar with him as well.

At this moment, he was anxious, but the other party's extreme vigilance made him fear that if he wasn't careful, they might suddenly attack him.

(Chapter End)