The man's face grew increasingly grim, his complexion turning ashen, his entire body trembling involuntarily.
It was known that among the four major cultivation sects of the Western Wasteland, the Chaoyang Sect had always been at the bottom. In every triennial grand competition between the four sects, the Chaoyang Sect was consistently last. To be frank, if not for the sect leader's exceptional strength, the Chaoyang Sect would likely have long been expelled from the ranks of the four major sects.
But now, things were different. If there were six people in the sect at the Foundation Establishment realm, it would not only elevate them to a first-rate sect, but at least allow them to hold some sway among the four major sects of the Western Wasteland.
After all, there was a saying circulating among cultivators: those who could be called a fighting force had to be at least above the Foundation Establishment realm.
The reason this man felt fear was that such a sickly-looking man, on his very first day, had brought a great fortune to the Chaoyang Sect!
And he, himself, had actually angered such a divine being!
The thought sent a lump to his throat, rendering him speechless.
"Didn't you want to leave the sect? You may go, but before you do, you'll have to apologize first."
Bai Zhanchen's words, though as calm as water, carried an undeniable authority.
Upon hearing this, the five people felt as if they had been granted a great pardon, and they repeatedly prostrated themselves and kowtowed.
"Big Brother, your younger brothers had no intention of offending you. We will kowtow to you now, and we hope you will be magnanimous. We will be eternally grateful." The man then bowed to Han Ling Shuang, "Junior Sister, we are not leaving. What we said earlier was just in a moment of anger. We will definitely mend our ways, we..."
"Hmph, opportunistic wretches. It seems my grandfather has misjudged you all these years. Drink this and then get out. The Chaoyang Sect will have no use for the five of you from now on."
Han Ling Shuang distributed five pills into the hands of the five men. They knew that once this pill was swallowed, all matters concerning the Chaoyang Sect would be erased, and they would no longer be able to enter the Chaoyang Sect through the hidden stone gate formation.
"Junior Sister, we..."
"Do not speak further. Our Chaoyang Sect indeed has very few people, but each and every one of them is upright and loyal. May you all fare well in your future endeavors in the martial world."
...
The five men ultimately took the pills and were sent out by Bai Zhanchen.
At that moment, the sky was clear and vast, and the nights in the deep valley arrived even earlier. Around six o'clock, the sky had completely darkened.
To welcome Ren Yuanhao's arrival, and with the addition of five Foundation Establishment realm experts to the Chaoyang Sect in one day, the Sect Leader arranged a rare 'grand banquet.'
However, this 'grand banquet' could only be considered on par with an outdoor food stall in terms of scale.
Ren Yuanhao and the three women naturally sat at the same table as the Sect Leader, Han Ling Shuang, and others.
"Young fellow, I originally thought you would wake up at the earliest by this time tomorrow. I never expected you to be able to eat and sit with us now. Truly, your physique is exceptionally strong."
The Sect Leader's name was Han Yan, and he was the two hundred and third generation Sect Leader of the Chaoyang Sect.
In the sect, candlelight flickered, casting shadows under the twilight. The air had turned chilly. The undulating lights, like ships floating on the sea, swayed with the changing wind. The lake outside the sect reflected the scattered firelight, creating a breathtaking and magnificent scene.
"You flatter me, Sect Leader. I am merely relying on everyone's help to recover so quickly."
Ren Yuanhao raised the flower nectar tea brewed by the Chaoyang Sect, bowed to the Sect Leader and everyone present, and drank the tea in one gulp.
"Brother, you are too kind. We merely exerted a little of our true qi, but we never expected you to bestow upon us such a great fortune!" Tang Feng stood up, and the other four followed suit in returning the toast.
At this moment, Sect Leader Han Yan suddenly stood up, his heart filled with joy. He raised his flower nectar tea and announced loudly to the disciples seated below, "Today is a grand day for our Chaoyang Sect. In the past, among the four major sects of the Western Wasteland, our sect was always at the bottom, often looked down upon. Now, I want to tell everyone that besides myself, five more people in our sect have entered the Foundation Establishment realm!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the disciples who remained loyal to the Chaoyang Sect rejoiced. Ren Yuanhao looked around; there were only twenty to thirty disciples in total in the Chaoyang Sect. This number was undoubtedly very small for a sect.
"After tomorrow, your five senior brothers, along with my unpromising granddaughter, will once again go to the Sacred Altar! In this triennial competition, our Chaoyang Sect will make a spectacular comeback!"
"Ooooh!!!"
The voices of the disciples below surged like waves. Although their numbers were far fewer than the Chixiao Sect that Ren Yuanhao knew, their spirit and strength were even more formidable.
After the disciples below calmed down, the Sect Leader asked, "Brother, what are your plans next?"
"I venture to ask the Sect Leader one question."
"Please, do not hesitate."
Ren Yuanhao paused for a moment before asking, "How much do you know about the Gray Wolf organization?"
Ren Yuanhao was naturally very eager to know all about the Gray Wolf organization, and most importantly, he wanted to understand their leader and whether his assumptions about him were correct.
"The Gray Wolf, in truth, is merely an organization that has only emerged for less than a month."
"Less than a month?"
Ren Yuanhao was somewhat surprised. For an organization to gather so many people and have so many acquired ability users within a month was already considered rapid development.
Behind all of this, there was definitely the support of Mandala Genetics.
The Sect Leader nodded. "They have 'Eight Kings' under them, with considerable strength. Liu Yu is one of them, and he can be considered the weakest."
Ren Yuanhao, having fought with him, knew very well how strong he was. To put it mildly, his true qi intensity could rival that of a 'Taotie' level ability user, and he was merely the weakest. One could imagine how formidable the other seven were.
The Sect Leader stroked his beard and said, "The Gray Wolf has spread Mandala Genetics to Guyao City in the far west of the Western Wasteland, turning it into an even more chaotic place. Our four major sects reached an agreement half a month ago to stop the Gray Wolf's actions in the desert. Unfortunately, the desert is too vast, and we cannot completely cut them off, allowing large quantities of Mandala Genetics to continuously flow into Guyao City."
"Senior, do you happen to know if there is a man named Jiang Cheng among these Eight Kings?"
Ren Yuanhao truly disliked mentioning this name. This person had nearly brought shame to Yang Lingxue and Shen Lannin, and had killed Yun Qinghe.
The Sect Leader's expression changed slightly, as if mentioning this name also made him quite wary.
"Brother, the person you speak of has fought with the Sect Leaders of our four major sects."
As he spoke, Han Yan rolled up his sleeve. Under the flickering candlelight, a nearly twisted scar, like a giant centipede, ran across his entire right arm.