Published: March 2, 2025
CHAPTER 174: Six Survivors
"It seems that this matter has a greater impact on Yan Hongyu or her family's influence than we initially thought."
Liu Yu observed thoughtfully.
At that moment, Wu Yuhan walked out from behind the hall. She first comforted Li Butong softly with a few words, then moved her lips to transmit her divine sense to Yan Hongyu, and finally announced to everyone:
“Everyone, please wait a moment. Regarding the matter of Bing Character No. 6 Spiritual Herb Garden, the three elders have decided to summon you for inquiries at noon.”
Her tone was calm, referring to both Yan Hongyu and Li Butong as junior brothers and sisters, indicating her seniority or deeper background.
At this time, there was still half an hour until noon. As foundation establishment stage cultivators, several of them naturally had the patience to wait. They focused on adjusting their breath, with Liu Yu also closing his eyes to stabilize his injuries.
Half an hour later, no additional foundation establishment cultivators arrived at the side hall, and the only ones who returned from the spiritual herb garden were still the six of them.
Liu Yu was somewhat familiar with Ding Hui, the female cultivator in a light yellow long dress who appeared gentle and delicate. Unless something unexpected occurred, she would likely never return.
This made him feel a sense of vigilance; this was the real cultivation world. If it weren't for his superior skills, it would have been him who died in the spiritual herb garden.
Wu Yuhan woke the others who were adjusting their breath and led them out of the hall.
“Junior Brother Liu, wait a moment.”
Suddenly, Liu Yu received a divine sense transmission from Yan Hongyu while walking. He turned to look at her and nodded slightly to indicate his agreement.
The other four survivors from the battle in the spiritual herb garden also looked over, and the six exchanged glances and nodded, reaching a silent understanding.
Compared to the previous summons at the pavilion, this one was undoubtedly much more formal. Wu Yuhan led them to the main hall of the city lord's mansion.
The space of this grand hall was expansive, approximately thirty zhang long, twenty zhang wide, and over ten zhang high.
The hall had an overall bronze color, built in a simple yet grand style, supported by eight black stone pillars arranged in an orderly manner.
In the center of the hall, there were nine small steps with three Grand Scholar Chairs placed at the top. On the left and right sides below, there were several chairs, clearly arranged in an order of respect.
The three chairs were naturally for the Golden Core Elders, and since Wu Yuhan had already reported their arrival, the elders had yet to arrive. Yan Hongyu, Li Butong, Liu Yu, and the others could only wait.
As the younger generation of the sect and having failed in their duties, they naturally did not dare to sit and wait, even the severely injured Cao Mengyu stood up straight with difficulty.
About a quarter of an hour later, Liu Yu, with his keen spiritual perception, sensed something unusual. He looked up and saw that the three Grand Scholar Chairs were already occupied.
Although the Golden Core Elders had concealed their cultivation aura well, Liu Yu could still sense a hint of danger from the three, like an abyss, an ocean, or a mountain pressing down, bringing immense pressure to his mind.
His spiritual perception was frantically alerting him, and Liu Yu's heart sank, not daring to be careless. He focused his energy and secretly circulated the concealment technique to maintain his cultivation level at that of a three spiritual roots cultivator.
At this moment, his cultivation growth rate was slightly faster than that of a dual spiritual roots cultivator, nearing that of an abnormal spiritual roots cultivator. If he were discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable. A deeper investigation would be impossible to explain, and the secrets of the Immortal Abode could very likely be exposed.
The reactions of the other five were noticeably slower; their spiritual perceptions were nowhere near as sharp as Liu Yu's. Even Li Butong, with his wind spiritual root, took half a breath to realize something was off before looking towards the Grand Scholar Chairs.