43: Loli girl! Is she Nangong Wan?

Above the high platform, the Sect Head’s voice rang out again, with a touch more solemnity: “This entry into the Forbidden Ground is fraught with unpredictable dangers. All of you are elite Disciples of my Huangfeng Valley, and you must prioritize your own safety.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over every Disciple below: “To facilitate mutual support within the Forbidden Ground, the Sect has specially prepared a ‘Concentric Ring’ for each of you.”

As the Sect Head’s words fell, several attendant Disciples, holding trays, began to distribute an antique bronze-colored bracelet.

“This ring can sense the aura of fellow Disciples wearing Concentric Rings within a one-mile radius. In times of crisis, you can converge with it to resist external enemies together,” the Sect Head’s voice clearly transmitted. “Remember, only through unity can you go further.”

Lin Feng took a bracelet; it felt slightly cool to the touch. When his Divine Sense probed it, he indeed sensed a peculiar fluctuation, subtly resonating with the other bracelets.

“This time, the team will be led by Red拂 Shishu of our Sect,” the Sect Head announced loudly.

As soon as these words were spoken, a low murmur of discussion arose among the Disciples below. Hongfu Immortal, the only female Core Formation Cultivator in Huangfeng Valley, was renowned for her decisive style and impressive strength.

Upon hearing this, Lin Feng’s brow subtly, almost imperceptibly, twitched.

“Red拂 Shishu?” he mused inwardly. “In the original work, the one who led the team into the Blood Forbidden Ground should have been Li Huayuan. Has my appearance changed this matter?”

He couldn't help but feel a headache. If Li Huayuan didn't come, how should he arrange Han Li’s follow-up actions?

Just as Lin Feng’s thoughts raced, a high-pitched, clear Dragon roar suddenly echoed from the horizon.

“Ang—!”

The sound was deafening, and a powerful Spiritual Pressure spread out with it.

The Disciples all looked up, only to see a massive golden Flood Dragon speeding in from afar.

Above the Flood Dragon, a slightly disheveled figure stood with hands behind his back. He was unremarkable in appearance but possessed an innate demeanor of profound stability.

“Hahaha, Senior Sister Hong Fu, how could I, this old Daoist, miss such a lively event!” A slightly uninhibited, hearty laugh, accompanied by the Dragon roar, spread throughout the entire plaza.

Hongfu Immortal on the high platform, at the instant she heard this voice, a vein on her forehead seemed to twitch, and a hint of helplessness appeared on her face.

She rubbed her forehead, clearly having a headache over this Junior Brother of hers.

Lin Feng saw the figure on the Golden Thread Flood Dragon and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Li Huayuan! He still came.”

It seemed the plot wasn’t so easily altered.

Li Huayuan, controlling the Golden Thread Flood Dragon, hovered above the plaza.

His gaze swept over the crowd below, finally landing on Hong Fu, and he chuckled: “Senior Sister, one more person means one more help, right?”

Hong Fu snorted coldly but said nothing more, implicitly agreeing to his participation.

Seeing this, the Sect Head could only smile wryly and shake his head; he had long grown accustomed to this Uncle Li’s casualness.

“The time has come! All Disciples, prepare to depart!” the Sect Head announced loudly.

With a command, dozens of Huangfeng Valley Disciples orderly headed towards Li Huayuan’s Golden Thread Flood Dragon.

The Golden Thread Flood Dragon had a massive body, with a broad and flat back, more than enough to accommodate a hundred people.

Lin Feng, with the crowd, also stepped onto the Flood Dragon’s back. The scales underfoot were hard and cool to the touch, and a faint Dragon might assailed them, causing many Qi Refinement Stage Disciples to turn pale and secretly circulate their spiritual power to resist.

“This is only a mutated Flood Dragon. What kind of power would a true Five-Clawed Golden Dragon possess?” Lin Feng couldn’t help but feel a trace of envy and longing. “In the future, I must find a true Dragon to be my mount; now that would be grand.”

He secretly made up his mind, his gaze inadvertently glancing at Han Li not far away.

Han Li still maintained his low-key demeanor, inconspicuous within the crowd, though his gaze towards the green Flood Dragon beneath his feet also held a hint of novelty and shock.

Once all the Disciples were on the Dragon’s back, Li Huayuan let out a hearty laugh, and the Golden Thread Flood Dragon roared, pushing off with its four claws, soaring into the sky, transforming into a rainbow and shooting towards a certain direction.

The wind whistled past their ears, and the scenery below rapidly receded.

The Golden Thread Flood Dragon flew extremely fast. In less than half a day, a vast expanse of crimson land appeared before everyone’s eyes.

Over that land, a faint blood-colored mist enveloped it, exuding an eerie and ominous aura.

“The Blood Forbidden Ground, we’ve arrived,” Li Huayuan’s voice echoed in everyone’s ears.

The Golden Thread Flood Dragon slowly descended, finally stopping in an open clearing.

Here, it was already bustling with people.

Besides Huangfeng Valley, Cultivators from the other six major Sects had already arrived ahead of them.

Qingxu Sect, Huayi Sect, Tianque Fortress, Giant Sword Sect, Spirit Beast Mountain, and Yanyue Sect.

Disciples from each Sect gathered distinctly, their attire varied, and their auras differed.

Each Sect had one or two Core Formation Cultivators leading them, who were now gathered in small groups, exchanging greetings, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

After all, the Blood Forbidden Ground was about to open; the real fighting would only begin after entering the Forbidden Ground.

Li Huayuan and Hong Fu also stepped forward to greet the Core Formation Cultivators from the other Sects.

Lin Feng’s gaze, however, immediately turned to the Yanyue Sect’s team.

He scrutinized them carefully and soon discovered that the Core Formation Cultivator leading the Yanyue Sect this time, just like in the original work, was not Nangong Wan.

Then his gaze searched among the Yanyue Sect Disciples, and soon, he was drawn to a unique figure.

It was a female Disciple, dressed in the Yanyue Sect’s moon-white Disciple robes, with a thin white veil covering her face, making her exact features unclear.

However, her figure did not match Nangong Wan’s curvaceous physique.

Did the plot change again?

“Right… Could it be…” Lin Feng’s heart stirred.

The female Disciple’s figure looked like that of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl in the prime of her youth, but she carried herself with a mature demeanor, and the few Disciples around her subtly deferred to her as their leader.

“Could it be the ‘Su Nv Reincarnation Skill’…” This thought instantly flashed through Lin Feng’s mind.

He recalled that Nangong Wan had mentioned in the original work that cultivating this Cultivation Technique to a profound Realm would have the effect of reverting to youth, and even with each Reincarnation, her appearance and part of her aura would temporarily change.

“It seems this is Nangong Wan’s current state,” Lin Feng thought to himself. “To suppress her Cultivation and enter the Blood Forbidden Ground, she ‘reincarnated’ herself to the Qi Refinement Stage.”

It was just that the side effects of this Cultivation Technique seemed even more thorough than he had imagined, even her appearance had transformed into that of a young girl in her prime.

Lin Feng looked at the “young girl Nangong Wan,” and a peculiar feeling arose in his heart.

When they entered that secret chamber later, if she was still in this form, would he be able to bring himself to do it?

— — — — — — — — — — — —

Hhh, finally, the titular character of this book is about to appear~