44: Bet, meet Han Yunzhi again

Just as Lin Feng was pondering, the Core Formation Cultivators leading the Seven Sects had finished their discussion.

"It's almost time," someone said.

On the high platform, the Core Formation Cultivators from each Sect stepped forward, each occupying a position, subtly forming a profound array.

Li Huayuan and Hong Fu from Huangfeng Valley, the female Elder from Yanyue Sect, Fuyun Zi from Qingxu Sect, the white-haired Daoist from Huayi Sect, the beautiful woman from Tianque Fortress, the sword-backed Daoist from Giant Sword Sect, and the burly man from Spirit Beast Mountain—a total of eight Core Formation Cultivators—simultaneously formed hand Seals.

In an instant, various spiritual lights soared into the sky, intertwining and converging in mid-air.

A massive wave of spiritual power, like a tsunami, spread outwards, almost suffocating the Qi Refinement Stage Disciples present.

"Open!"

The eight Core Formation Cultivators shouted in unison, pushing their hands forward fiercely.

The surging spiritual power gathered in mid-air abruptly blasted towards the void enveloped by the bloody mist.

"Buzz—!"

The space vibrated violently, as if a huge stone had been thrown into water, rippling outwards.

The bloody mist churned and boiled, and an enormous blood-colored light gate slowly appeared and solidified in the void.

Within the light gate, distorted light and shadows were faintly visible, exuding an ancient and vast aura, along with a faint, almost imperceptible scent of blood.

"The Blood Forbidden Ground has opened! Disciples of the Seven Sects, enter quickly!" Hong Fu's voice rang out again, with a hint of urgency. "Remember, the Forbidden Ground has a limited opening time. Seven days later, regardless of your gains, you must exit through this gate, or you will be permanently trapped inside!"

"Yanyue Sect Disciples, follow me!" The leading Disciple of the Yanyue Sect was the first to shout, leading the other Disciples as they transformed into streaks of light and plunged into the blood-colored light gate.

Lin Feng noticed that the "Veiled Maiden" was among them, her figure light, her face devoid of any expression.

Disciples from other Sects also followed closely.

When it was Huangfeng Valley's turn, Li Huayuan suddenly became interested. Stroking his sparse beard, he chuckled to the Core Formation Cultivators of the other Sects, especially Fuyun Zi of Qingxu Sect, saying, "Fellow Daoists, in my opinion, this trip to the Blood Forbidden Ground will surely yield the most abundant harvest for my Huangfeng Valley Disciples!"

His voice was loud, carrying a strange confidence, or rather, boastfulness.

Hongfu Immortal frowned upon hearing this, thinking to herself, "This is bad," as this guy wanted to cause trouble again.

Sure enough, Fuyun Zi, the Daoist leading the Qingxu Sect, an old Daoist who looked about seventy, with a lean figure and a goatee, scoffed, "Fellow Daoist Li, you say this every time the Forbidden Ground opens. What was the result? Has Huangfeng Valley ever taken the lead?"

Fuyun Zi and Li Huayuan had always been at odds. They had disliked each other since they were young and had been bickering for decades, which was already commonplace.

"Heh, Old Daoist Fuyun, you don't believe me?" Li Huayuan stiffened his neck and widened his eyes. "Previous years are previous years; this year is different! My Huangfeng Valley has produced many elites this year, and we will surely make you look at us with new eyes!"

"Oh? That's quite a boast," Fuyun Zi squinted at him, his tone full of mockery. "Since Fellow Daoist Li is so confident, why don't we make a bet? How about it?"

"Bet then! Do you think I'm afraid?" Li Huayuan, provoked by him, immediately got carried away and shouted.

"Good!" Fuyun Zi clapped his hands and smiled, a hint of triumph flashing in his eyes. "We'll bet on which of our two Sects has more Disciples surviving after the Forbidden Ground closes, and which gathers more Spirit Medicine of higher age and quantity. The loser must produce something satisfactory to the other party."

As he spoke, Fuyun Zi flipped his palm, and an inner core the size of a dragon's eye, entirely blood-red, radiating astonishing fire-elemental spiritual power, appeared in his hand.

"This is the inner core of a fourth-grade peak Yao Beast, the Bloodline Fire Dragon. It is of great use to Spell Cultivators with fire-attribute Cultivation Techniques, or for cultivating fire-attribute Spirit Beasts. If your Golden-Thread Dragon consumes this core, it won't immediately advance, but its strength will definitely increase greatly," Fuyun Zi said with a smile, tossing the inner core in his hand.

Li Huayuan's eyes immediately lit up when he saw the Bloodline Dragon inner core.

His mount, the Golden-Thread Dragon, was a third-grade peak Yao Beast, just a step away from the fourth grade, but this Bottleneck had troubled it for many years. If it could obtain this inner core, it would be able to Breakthrough to a level comparable to Early Stage Core Formation.

His heart immediately grew fervent, but then he hesitated. The Disciples Huangfeng Valley sent this time varied in strength, and he wasn't really confident.

"What? Is Fellow Daoist Li perhaps afraid?" Fuyun Zi saw his hesitation and continued to provoke him with words.

"Who's afraid!" Li Huayuan, who could not stand being provoked, slapped his thigh fiercely. "I'll bet! This old man will bet with you! If my Huangfeng Valley loses, I'll give you my Iron Essence!"

"Iron Essence?" Fuyun Zi's eyes lit up, clearly having heard of this spiritual material.

The other Core Formation Cultivators around, seeing this, also showed expressions of watching a good show. This kind of gamble was a bit of "after-entertainment" after the Forbidden Ground opened.

Hongfu Immortal stomped her foot in anger, transmitting her voice angrily, "Li Huayuan! Are you crazy! You're treating the lives of our Disciples and the Sect's interests as a game!"

Li Huayuan, however, stiffened his neck, looking like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, and replied, "Senior Sister, don't worry, I have confidence in our Disciples!"

The Disciples of Huangfeng Valley, who were about to enter the Forbidden Ground, heard that their Uncle Li was actually gambling with their lives and gains, and their faces all turned a bit ugly.

This was practically pushing them into a pit of fire!

If he lost the bet, this Uncle would lose face, would he vent his anger on them?

For a moment, the atmosphere in the team became heavy.

Seeing this, Hong Fu took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in her heart, and softly said to the Disciples, "All Disciples, there's no need to panic. Just focus on your trial. Although Uncle Li's actions are improper, you only need to do your best and ensure your own safety. The Sect will never blame you for this. Within the Forbidden Ground, Opportunity and danger coexist. Always prioritize your own safety."

Her clear and pleasant voice, like a clear spring, slightly calmed the anxious minds of the Disciples.

Many Disciples looked at Hong Fu gratefully.

After comforting the Disciples, Hong Fu no longer paid attention to the still huffing and puffing Li Huayuan, turning to the Disciples and saying, "Alright, it's getting late. Enter the Forbidden Ground quickly, and remember to be careful!"

With that, she glared fiercely at Li Huayuan, sighing inwardly.

This unreliable Junior Brother was truly a headache.

She suddenly missed her former Dao Companion, Yunlu Old Demon.

Under Hong Fu's urging, the Disciples of Huangfeng Valley, with complex feelings, stepped into the enormous blood-colored light gate.

Lin Feng, mingling in the crowd, took in the farce between Li Huayuan and Fuyun Zi, shaking his head inwardly.

This Li Huayuan was truly a character, just like in the original work.

With a flash of light, Lin Feng felt the scene before him twist and change, and a powerful pulling force came.

When his vision recovered, he was already in an unfamiliar environment.

Around him were towering blood-colored giant trees, their branches gnarled, exuding a strange vitality. The ground was covered with thick rotten leaves, and the air was filled with a faint smell of blood and damp decay.

It was quiet all around; besides himself, there was no one else.

"As expected, it's a random separate teleportation," Lin Feng murmured to himself.

He immediately released his Divine Sense, wanting to investigate the surroundings.

However, as soon as his Divine Sense left his body a few feet, he felt an invisible pressure, as if sinking into a swamp, making it difficult to move an inch.

"The suppression of Divine Sense here is indeed powerful," Lin Feng frowned slightly.

With his Divine Sense strength comparable to Early Stage Nascent Soul, he could only barely cover a ten-foot radius around him here. This was undoubtedly a great restriction for him, who was accustomed to perceiving everything with his Divine Sense.

"It seems I'll have to use some means."

With a thought, a pigeon-egg-sized, earthy yellow pearl, radiating streaks of profound aura, appeared in his palm.

It was precisely the Nine Revolutions Breathing Earth Pearl.

Besides simulating cultivation aura, this pearl also had a hidden characteristic: in specific environments, it could, to a certain extent, counteract the external suppression of a Cultivator's Divine Sense and magical power.

Lin Feng activated the Nine Revolutions Breathing Earth Pearl without hesitation.

"Buzz!"

The pearl let out a soft hum, and an earthy yellow halo enveloped Lin Feng.

With a thought, he simulated his cultivation aura to the highest level he could currently simulate: Nascent Soul Perfection.

In an instant, Lin Feng felt a surge of magical power within him, as if breaking free from some shackles, circulating freely, no different from when he was outside.

His Divine Sense, which had been heavily suppressed, now spread outwards like a Seal being lifted.

Ten feet, a hundred feet, a mile, ten miles...

Ultimately, his Divine Sense coverage actually reached a hundred-mile radius!

Although his Divine Sense was not as strong as when he was outside, within this Blood Forbidden Ground, he was still second to none.

As long as he didn't encounter Xiang Zhili...

His heart filled with joy, he immediately began to investigate carefully.

Within the hundred-mile radius, the terrain was complex, with mountains, swamps, and dense forests.

Various strange-shaped Yao Beasts lurked within, exuding strong or weak auras.

There were also many Spiritual Plants and Spirit Medicines shimmering with spiritual light, hidden in secluded corners.

Furthermore, there were scattered figures of Cultivators, cautiously exploring their surroundings.

These Cultivators wore different attire, evidently Disciples from the Seven Sects. Most of them were solitary, though a few lucky ones had managed to form teams. Each of them looked wary, clearly having sensed the danger of this place and the trouble of their restricted Divine Sense.

Lin Feng's Divine Sense swept over them one by one, not finding any particularly noteworthy targets.

He was about to retract his Divine Sense to first find a safe place to rest and plan his route, when at the edge of his Divine Sense, a slightly familiar figure caught his attention.

It was a woman dressed in Spirit Beast Mountain Disciple attire, with a graceful figure and beautiful features. She was currently controlling a blue giant wolf about ten feet tall, battling a ferocious Yao Beast covered in bone spurs.

The woman's Dao techniques were skilled, and the blue giant wolf was quite brave. The two, one person and one wolf, cooperated tacitly, gradually gaining the upper hand.

"Hmm? Is that her?" Lin Feng raised an eyebrow, recognizing the woman's identity.

It was Han Yunzhi, whom he had met briefly at the Tai Nan Small Meet and later seen at the Ascension Gathering.

Unexpectedly, she had also entered the Blood Forbidden Ground, and it seemed her treatment at Spirit Beast Mountain was quite good; not only had she broken through to Qi Refinement Perfection, but she even had a contracted Spirit Beast.

Lin Feng's Divine Sense lingered on her for a moment before moving elsewhere.

His goal for this trip was very clear: Han Li and Nangong Wan were his primary concerns.

As for Han Yunzhi, if she faced a life-or-death crisis, helping her out would be no harm.