The eight members of the search party stopped as Meng Zhan spoke. Yu Wen and Yu Wu, along with the other three, were momentarily stunned.
Li Xuan had actually subdued Meng Zhan!
"Brother Wen, you all go first," Li Xuan said directly, as Yu Wen and Yu Wu's group couldn't help Li Xuan much by staying.
Upon hearing this, Yu Wen and Yu Wu's five exchanged glances, and a look of determination soon appeared on their faces.
"Brother Li, we choose to fight alongside you!" the five said in unison.
Li Xuan smiled wryly. The reason he wanted Yu Wen and Yu Wu's group to leave was so he could question Meng Zhan about the Ghost Realm. The five's choice now made Li Xuan feel both touched and helpless.
"Fine, you all retreat to the side for now," Li Xuan said after a moment of thought.
Yu Wen and Yu Wu's five nodded and moved behind Li Xuan and Meng Zhan.
Seeing this, Li Xuan didn't say more. Instead, his gaze shifted to the eight members of the search party. "We have no intention of offending you, but to survive, we must resist. As long as you don't act rashly, I promise not to harm you."
After speaking, Li Xuan looked at Meng Zhan and said, "You too. As long as you cooperate, I will spare your life."
Meng Zhan looked at Li Xuan in confusion. "What do you want to do?"
"After the great battle, what happened between the two Ghost Emperors?" Li Xuan asked.
Meng Zhan fell silent for a moment, his gaze towards Li Xuan becoming more vigilant. "So, you are not an ordinary person. Who exactly are you?"
Li Xuan frowned. The Shi Sword in his hand moved slightly as he said coldly, "You seem to have forgotten, the initiative is in my hands."
A trace of ruthlessness flashed in Meng Zhan's eyes, but he eventually spoke. "The Ghost Emperor was not seriously injured and has recovered after two months of recuperation. As for the other one, their condition is unknown. Otherwise, why would the Ghost Emperor let us search so extensively?"
Li Xuan believed Meng Zhan's words. However, if even the combined might of the Ghost Emperor and the Demon Emperor took two months to recover, Li Yao's situation was likely even more dire.
The thought sent a tremor through Li Xuan's heart. Meng Zhan, who had been watching Li Xuan closely, suddenly exuded a dense black aura. In the next instant, he shot backward.
"Full power!" Meng Zhan shouted as he broke free from the suppression of Li Xuan's Shi Sword.
The eight figures attacked instantly. Before Yu Wen and Yu Wu's group could react, the eight were upon them.
At the same time, Meng Zhan charged directly at Li Xuan.
In Meng Zhan's mind, if he hadn't been careless, he wouldn't have been subdued by Li Xuan. And in the moment Li Xuan lost focus, his pressure on Meng Zhan was also momentarily gone. Meng Zhan, at the peak of the Dao Proving realm, wouldn't let such an opportunity slip away. To his surprise, he actually succeeded.
Being captured in front of his subordinates naturally enraged Meng Zhan. His attack was therefore unleashed with full force.
"What sharp senses. It's a pity you forgot what I said." Li Xuan had already regained his senses. Seeing Meng Zhan charge at him, Li Xuan sneered and slashed down with his Shi Sword.
*Yin!*
With a sword's hum, the Shi Sword pierced through Meng Zhan's body. The sword energy then churned, destroying Meng Zhan's physical form.
Meng Zhan looked down in disbelief. He was now just a soul. What terrified him was that the sword had actually pinned his soul in mid-air!
"Suppress!"
Li Xuan's eyes grew cold, like a god of death. A faint light enveloped Meng Zhan, and in an instant, his soul was drawn into the first layer of the Prison Suppressing Pagoda.
At this moment, Yu Wen and Yu Wu's group were entangled with the eight members of the search party. Since the fight was so brief, no one noticed the outcome of Li Xuan and Meng Zhan's battle.
"Go!"
Li Xuan's mind stirred, and the Shi Sword struck out again.
*Puff!*
In the next moment, heads flew into the air. Yu Wen and Yu Wu's group looked at Li Xuan in horror, clearly not expecting his strength to have reached such a level.
"Brother Li, did that Meng Zhan escape?" Yu Wen and Yu Wu's five looked around breathlessly, then turned to Li Xuan and asked.
Li Xuan shook his head slightly. "He is dead."
Yu Wen and Yu Wu's five swallowed hard. Not a trace remained!
If it were before, they would never have believed Li Xuan could kill someone at the peak of the Dao Proving realm. But they had just witnessed the deaths of the eight search party members. With just one sword, they, all at the Dao Proving realm, had perished.
"Brother Li, you truly hid your strength well. But without you, we five would likely not have survived today," Yu Wen said to Li Xuan with emotion.
Meng Lang and the other three nodded in agreement. The five exchanged glances and then bowed deeply to Li Xuan.
"You are too kind. No need for this. You all treated me with sincerity, and at that critical moment, you chose to stay and fight alongside me, which is more than enough," Li Xuan said. "However, we cannot linger here. I have matters to attend to. I hope we can meet again."
Yu Wen and Yu Wu's five nodded. Although the battle wasn't large-scale, people from the Ghost Realm had died. No one could guarantee that the Ghost Realm wouldn't detect the death of this team.
Yet, as Li Xuan prepared to leave, the five felt a sense of reluctance. Though they hadn't known him long, they could tell Li Xuan was someone worth befriending.
"Brother Li, be careful!" Yu Wen and Yu Wu's five clasped their fists towards Li Xuan.
"May we meet again if fate allows!" Li Xuan clasped his fists in return, then moved forward, shooting into the distance. Within a few breaths, Li Xuan disappeared from their sight.
"Is Brother Li's strength truly only at the peak of the Dunyi realm?" Meng Lang asked, gazing in the direction Li Xuan had gone, with a sigh.
Yu Wen smiled wryly. "Whether he is at the peak of the Dunyi realm or not is no longer important. After all, we have no value to Brother Li. And without Brother Li today, how could we have survived?"
"That's true. Brother Li perhaps chose to leave because his strength was exposed today, and he worried we might have some ulterior motives," Zhou Qi said.
Meng Lang nodded slightly. "This place is not safe. Let's leave."
"Let's go," Yu Wen and the other four nodded, then moved off in another direction.
Ghost Realm, Underworld Palace.
A figure suddenly opened their eyes. The figures below immediately bowed their heads.
"The Meng Zhan team has been wiped out. It seems we can no longer hide it," the figure sneered and stood up.
"My Lady Ghost Princess, have you found the whereabouts of that person?" an old man asked, cupping his fist.
"Will we not know if we go and see?" Lady Ghost Princess smiled and said.
The old man frowned. "My Lady Ghost Princess, if it is indeed that person who has appeared, this matter must be reported to the Ghost Emperor."
Lady Ghost Princess was silent for a moment, then said, "Have you considered the consequences of reporting it without concrete evidence? Forget it, I will go and investigate first."
With a flash of black light, Lady Ghost Princess vanished from her spot.
Meanwhile, Li Xuan had appeared in a broken mountain range. After confirming his safety, Li Xuan entered the Prison Suppressing Pagoda.
"What do you wish to know, Your Excellency? I will tell you everything without reservation!" As Li Xuan arrived, Meng Zhan's soul immediately spoke.
Li Xuan smiled. This fellow was quite accommodating.