Chapter 347: I Don't Know

When Xie Yan looked toward Cang Li and Ying Wuji, Ying Wuji also sensed his presence.

Xie Yan gave them a faint glance and then vanished on the spot.

Ying Wuji seemed lost in thought.

…

At the same time, at the center of the snow beasts' encirclement, Lu Xiangxiang and the others had already triggered the eighth trap mechanism.

And they naturally heard the sound of explosions coming from the outer perimeter.

"Someone's coming!" the gray‑robed elder's face darkened.

Lu Xiangxiang had already guessed the newcomer's identity; if nothing went wrong, the person would be—Hua Chengyan!

But when she looked up, among these people she saw someone she despised immensely.

Yuan, Yao!

Her face was full of disbelief; why was Yuan Yao appearing here?!

And why had she come together with Hua Chengyan and the others?

When Yuan Yao appeared, she fixed her gaze on Lu Xiangxiang, a faint, ambiguous smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Protected to the center by the crowd, Lu Xiangxiang, upon seeing Yuan Yao's almost provocative expression, couldn't help recalling the time Yuan Yao had beaten her up in the Flowing Light Secret Realm, and a wall rose in her heart.

Lu Xiangxiang scanned the surroundings; seeing that Ying Wuji and a few others were not among them, she suddenly felt relieved.

Today, no one can protect her any longer.

The gray‑robed elder squinted and reminded, "They are people from the Eighth Continent."

Once Hua Chengyan's group entered here, the snow beasts would cease attacking them.

Hua Chengyan surveyed the young disciples dressed in sky‑blue garments, then shifted his gaze to Lu Xiangxiang and the gray‑robed elder, and finally to Hong Zhengqing, who was bleeding, having already guessed their approximate identities and plans.

"Young master, should we make a move?" Uncle Jiu asked anxiously.

Hua Chengyan slowly raised his hand, "No rush."

At that moment, Bian Chen and Nie Bai and a few others also arrived here.

"Young master Hua, what a coincidence." Nie Bai chuckled in a teasing manner.

Bian Chen looked toward Yuan Yao, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Cultivator Yuan."

Yuan Yao replied with a smile, "Cultivator Bian."

Hua Chengyan raised an eyebrow slightly; he hadn't expected Nie Bai and his companions to arrive here so smoothly. They had no map, which meant they likely found the treasure site by sheer luck.

Hua Chengyan gave a faint smile, "Young Master Nie."

Nie Bai said, his gaze gradually falling on Lu Xiangxiang and the others, "Shall we cooperate?"

The gray‑robed elder clearly sensed their intention, yet he paid them no heed.

He looked at Hong Zhengqing.

Hong Zhengqing had already shed a great deal of blood, his complexion extremely pallid, his body weak and swaying as if about to collapse; had it not been for other disciples supporting him, he would have fallen long ago.

The gray‑robed elder frowned, wondering whether Hong Zhengqing's blood‑line power was simply insufficient to break the sealing barrier.

At that moment, a woman in her thirties wearing a white robe leaned beside him and whispered, "Second Elder, I think Hong Zhengqing can't hold on much longer. We are trapped inside a mechanism, unable to escape easily, and these people are eyeing us like tigers; we cannot fight them under these circumstances."

Another middle‑aged male cultivator in a white robe lowered his voice, "If Hong Zhengqing cannot use his blood‑line power to open the sealing barrier, we will still have to face the Mountain King and the wrath of the snow beasts…"

The gray‑robed elder heard this and his eyes flickered.

He turned his head toward Lu Xiangxiang, "What do you think?"

"Cooperate with them," Lu Xiangxiang said calmly. "After we break the sealing barrier, our cooperation will cease, and then each of us will vie for the treasure and the Heavenly Pride Token based on our own abilities."

The gray‑robed elder nodded in agreement.

He shared the same thought.

Suddenly, the middle‑aged male cultivator squinted, staring at Bian Chen's face, "It seems a disciple of the Peerless Sect has also arrived."

The gray‑robed elder looked up, examined for a moment, and also recognized Bian Chen.

His expression darkened, then he scanned the group and saw no second Peerless Sect disciple.

That meant those people had not come.

The gray‑robed elder looked at Hua Chengyan and the others, and in a deep voice said, "Everyone, I presume our goals are aligned. Now a barrier stands before us; if we can work together to break it, wouldn't that make us all happy? As for after we enter the treasure site, we can settle matters later. What do you think?"

Hua Chengyan smiled and replied, "Alright."

Bian Chen naturally also recognized the gray‑robed elder's party; he whispered to Nie Bai beside him, "They are from the First Continent's Heaven One Sect, the sect where the Formless Immortal resides. That gray‑robed elder is the Second Elder Wang Yangbo of Heaven One Sect, the woman in white is the Seventh Elder Rong Jin Zhi, and the middle‑aged man in white is Master Qu of the sect's outer gate."

"These young disciples are all outer‑gate disciples of Heaven One Sect. As for that girl…" Bian Chen paused, glanced over, and almost mistook the girl for Yuan Yao.

"I don't know."

Nie Bai heard that and seemed thoughtful.

Bian Chen suggested, "Nie Bai, we could choose to cooperate with them for now."

Nie Bai and Bian Chen exchanged a glance and decided to also cooperate with them.

They immediately expressed their stance.

The gray‑robed elder, who is Heaven One Sect's Second Elder Wang Yangbo, was very pleased with their attitude.

And at the same time—

The fifth‑tier peak snow beast, seeing these humans choose to form an alliance, had a cold, forest‑like glint in its eyes; it did not speak, continuing to obey the Mountain King's command.

When the time comes, if these humans still cannot use blood‑line power to open the sealing barrier, it will kill them!

Lu Xiangxiang suddenly spoke, "Everyone, since we have agreed to cooperate, please help us break this sealing barrier together!"

"May I ask, who are you, fellow cultivator?" Hua Chengyan asked with a warm smile.

Lu Xiangxiang said, "I am Lu Xiang, a disciple of the Formless Immortal."

Hua Chengyan was startled for a moment, then lightly laughed: "So you're a disciple of the Formless Immortal Venerable; I've long admired your great name."

Lu Xiangxiang smiled faintly.

And her attention was constantly on Yuan Yao, fearing that Yuan Yao might now expose her identity, revealing that she had been expelled from the sect by Qianjue Mountain.

Yet from beginning to end, Yuan Yao never opened her mouth to speak.

This instead made Lu Xiangxiang's heart hang in suspense.

She had naturally already thought of a response, but Yuan Yao simply wouldn't speak; it was like a sharp sword hanging above her head, lingering without falling.

Torment.

Soon, Hua Chengyan sent the Elder and Uncle Jiu to lead a portion of the Hua Sect disciples to break the sealed barrier, while he stayed on the spot with the remaining few Hua Sect disciples and Yuan Yao.

Nie Bai chose to leave those four Nie family disciples at the spot, and he went with Bian Chen to break the sealed barrier.

Hua Chengyan looked at Yuan Yao beside him, his expression sincere and earnest, and said: "Daoist Yuan, earlier we were besieged by snow beasts, the situation was critical. At that time I also had no countermeasure; in helplessness I could only abandon the three of you and flee. As the junior sect leader of the Hua Sect, protecting the safety of our disciples is my duty. To safeguard the sect's elite, I had to take this action. I am truly remorseful and hope you, Daoist Yuan, can understand and forgive me…"

He let out a deep sigh.