Time passed slowly. After Li Xuan and the others had waited for three hours, a contingent of over five hundred people arrived first.
Upon seeing Li Xuan's group, they immediately halted a thousand meters away from Li Xuan and his party.
"Which faction do these people belong to?" Li Xuan asked Shi Hongyi beside him, noting that all the newcomers wore black robes and black hats.
Shi Hongyi's expression tensed, and he then whispered, "This is the Ghost Prison Sect, one of the top powers on par with our Profound Sect. Their leader appears to be Gui Liguo, the eldest disciple of the Ghost Prison Sect's Third Hall Master."
"Gui Liguo... his strength is already close to breaking through to the peak of the Dao Integration realm. It seems the Ghost Prison Sect is not to be underestimated."
Li Xuan nodded slightly. Seeing that the Ghost Prison Sect had no intention of approaching, he closed his eyes again.
As time wore on, more and more contingents appeared.
Perhaps due to the presence of Li Xuan and the Ghost Prison Sect's group, the forces of various factions slowed their pace and did not immediately enter the mountain range. At this moment, a trace of solemnity appeared on Li Xuan's face.
"According to the timeline, our Profound Sect's contingent should have arrived long ago. But now, besides us, no other group has appeared. And before we departed, Senior Brother Zhu's group, although they took a detour of over a thousand li, would not be this slow."
"But they haven't shown up at all. Could they have all been intercepted by the Sacred Sect's forces?" Li Xuan said with some worry, looking at the various contingents.
"Senior Brother Li Xuan, besides our Profound Sect's contingent, no other groups have arrived. The Sacred Sect's forces have also not been seen. It looks highly likely that they have been intercepted."
Shi Hongyi glanced at the distribution of the surrounding groups and then looked at Li Xuan with a grim expression.
"Currently, besides our group, no other Profound Sect contingents have arrived. The other factions' groups have all assembled. If we don't receive reinforcements, do we enter the mountain range with them or continue waiting?" a green-robed disciple beside Shi Hongyi asked.
"If all the factions choose to enter the mountain range together, then the great formation will naturally be discovered. Moreover, the Sacred Sect would not dare to kill so many people with just one sect. It's highly likely that the Sacred Sect's ambush force here will withdraw and head deeper to provide support."
"However, I feel that with the Sacred Sect's strength, they would not so easily withdraw the formation. I suspect there are backup plans."
Li Xuan pondered for a moment before speaking again, "We can only observe the situation for now. The opening of the level-eight ruin is still ten days away, so there's no need to rush. If we can wait for the arrival of our Profound Sect's other contingents, we will have the confidence to fight."
"Let's hope so. I wonder how the other fellow disciples are doing." Shi Hongyi sighed helplessly and looked into the distance.
As time passed, it seemed that all the factions' contingents had arrived.
Li Xuan's group, which had initially been quite numerous, now appeared rather solitary after the arrival of the other factions. Even the area they occupied had shrunk slightly with the influx of other forces.
"Looking at this, all the factions' contingents have arrived. The show can officially begin!" Bai Luan, seated on the cliff, looked down at the groups below through the mist, a slight smile playing on his lips.
As Bai Luan's voice fell, a beam of spiritual light shot into the void and vanished.
Simultaneously, Li Xuan, who had just sat down, felt a movement in his mind, and the communication talisman within his storage ring began to flash. Li Xuan's expression changed drastically upon seeing it.
"Senior Brother Li Xuan, what happened?" Shi Hongyi asked, seeing this.
Li Xuan's expression turned cold, and he slowly said, "Our Profound Sect has a total of thirty-nine contingents, including ours. Four of them have now had their spiritual light indicators disappear completely. Senior Brother Zhu just sent a communication saying they were ambushed by Sacred Sect forces. The enemy force numbered two thousand."
"What! This means our Profound Sect has already lost four contingents! This damned Sacred Sect, to be so cunning! Senior Brother Li Xuan, what do we do now? Since Senior Brother Zhu sent a distress call, should we rush to reinforce them?"
Shi Hongyi was furious. The spiritual energy within him surged, and the people from other factions nearby all looked over.
Li Xuan shook his head, his voice now extremely cold, "Senior Brother Zhu also sent a message: if any contingent arrived, they were to press on to the deepest part to support Senior Brother Ming Chi and the others."
"Even though they were ambushed, they would hold back the Sacred Sect forces, even at the cost of self-detonation. Even if we rushed to reinforce them, it would likely be too late."
Shi Hongyi and the others' expressions became indignant. They looked towards the central area behind them, their eyes subtly glistening with tears.
"If I ever encounter a Sacred Sect disciple, I will not retreat even if I die!"
"Only a fight to the death!"
Hearing this, everyone became spirited. The look of determination to die was evident on each of their faces.
"Senior Brother Zhu and the others have fallen in battle!"
Suddenly sensing the vibration of the communication talisman, Li Xuan waved his hand. A message was instantly imprinted in his mind. Li Xuan slowly opened his eyes and, under the watchful eyes of Shi Hongyi and the others, hesitated before finally speaking the results of his inspection with a heavy heart.
The moment Li Xuan checked the message, in addition to Zhu Juncai's final words of completing the mission, the spiritual energy dot belonging to Zhu Juncai's group completely dimmed on the communication talisman.
Recalling that Zhu Juncai, who had fought alongside them not long ago, had suddenly died, Li Xuan's expression became even more solemn. Beside Li Xuan, Xi Chuyun seemed to sense Li Xuan's heavy mood and cast a comforting glance his way.
All the Profound Sect disciples present fell silent, but the aura of killing intent grew more solidified. If any Sacred Sect forces appeared, they would likely charge forward and engage in a bloody battle immediately.
"Senior Brother Zhu and the others may have died, but they died valiantly! We must not fail their trust. We must press on to the deepest part and join Senior Brother Shengzi to resist the Sacred Sect!"
A moment later, Shi Hongyi's voice rang out, and everyone nodded vigorously in response.
"We will fight the Sacred Sect to the death and avenge our fallen comrades!"
"We will fight the Sacred Sect to the death and avenge our fallen comrades!"
"..."
The voices of the group gradually grew louder. Seeing this, Li Xuan waved his hand, and a barrier descended, enveloping them. The voices were completely contained. However, even so, the nearby factions' groups began to murmur amongst themselves.
"The Profound Sect's contingent hasn't shown up for two days. Could it be that, as the rumors suggest, all their other groups have perished?"
"Not only has the Profound Sect's contingent not gathered, but have you noticed that not a single Sacred Sect group has appeared? I suspect that the Profound Sect and the Sacred Sect are assassinating each other, which is why they haven't arrived here."
"According to reliable sources, the Sacred Sect and Profound Sect contingents are engaged in a chaotic battle in the central region. The fighting is extremely fierce, with countless casualties."
"..."
Discussions arose, and within moments, all the factions stationed here began to chatter.
And then, their gazes all turned towards Li Xuan's contingent.
Li Xuan paid no attention to these stares. Instead, he had a thought and his sword, Shi Jian, rose directly into the sky. Terrifying sword energy surged, causing the leaders of the various factions to frown. However, considering the Profound Sect's strength, they all withdrew their gazes.
As the stares and murmurs subsided, Li Xuan retracted his aura and fell silent, looking into the distance.
Could he protect this contingent he led?