Chapter 556

Just as the demon clan's heavenly pride were brimming with killing intent, about to strike, Quan Li suddenly raised her hand and stopped them.

Her hand, with distinct knuckles, hovered in midair, fingers slightly spread, and an invisible pressure fell upon the restless demon clan, instantly silencing them.

Quan Li's gaze slowly moved, finally settling on Yuan Yao's direction; deep within her strange purple pupils flickered an elusive gleam, as if she were assessing some prey.

Yuan Yao had already risen to her feet, though her body still felt light and her complexion had not fully recovered.

She keenly sensed that hundreds of gazes around her fell upon her like tangible weight.

"Little Sixth Sister, the demon clan wants to drive us away. If we don't leave, they'll strike and kill us." Qian Yunzhou let out a soft sigh; as he spoke, he reached out to support Yuan Yao, but was immediately shoved aside by Xie Yan who had rushed over.

Qian Yunzhou's expression stiffened, and he turned his head to look at Xie Yan.

Xie Yan gazed at Yuan Yao and asked, "Do you still feel any discomfort?"

Yuan Yao shook her head slightly.

"Yao Yao, you're alright! I was terrified!" Dong Jiao also rushed forward; seeing Yuan Yao awake, the heart she had been holding clenched suddenly relaxed, and her eyes rimmed red.

Yuan Yao gave them a reassuring smile; though it was somewhat weak, it carried a steadfast strength.

Immediately, she lifted her head and gazed at the sky, now completely shrouded in a deep, bloody hue, and her heart sank a little.

That expanse of blood-red was like a curtain of despair, foretelling their hopeless predicament.

"The Abyssal Rift has closed." Ying Wuji noticed her furrowed brows and softly explained, his tone calm yet unable to conceal its gravity.

Yuan Yao withdrew her gaze, met Ying Wuji's eyes for a moment, fell silent, took a deep breath, and spoke softly but firmly: "Even if the Abyssal Rift is closed, we will surely find a way to leave."

Quan Li heard this, raised her brows, and in a cold voice laced with meaning said, "Leave? Could it be you still have a way to let us go?"

At this moment, all the heavenly pride's gazes fell upon Yuan Yao, carrying a hint of scrutiny and assessment.

Yuan Yao slowly lifted her head, her clear eyes meeting Quan Li's gaze, which held inspection and mockery, and spoke calmly: "Not now."

No sooner had her words fallen than she shifted her tone, raising her voice slightly so that it rang clearly in everyone's ears: "But the closing of the Abyssal Rift means that the heavenly pride of the three realms are all trapped here for now, and none of us can leave in the short term. If so, why must we fight over a mere breath flower, inflicting casualties upon ourselves? What do you all think?"

"Hah, your words sound better than sung!" Quan Fan crossed his arms, a sneer of contempt on his face, "Your human race is now depleted of vital energy, the weakest side, so of course you don't want us to make a move! Stop pretending here!"

Yuan Yao laughed, "Our human race the weakest? Do you really think so?"

No sooner had she spoken than ten black-clad figures appeared at her side.

Quan Fan saw this, his brow furrowed, and images of how those black-robed people had previously schemed against him surfaced unbidden in his mind.

The silent observer, Fourth Prince Xie Xu, saw this, a glint flashing in his eyes, then spoke slowly, his voice warm and jade-like, bearing a leader's steadiness: "Our demon clan has always esteemed peace and dislikes conflict. If everyone is willing to set aside prejudices, live in harmony, and jointly face the present predicament, our demon clan would naturally welcome it."

His words both stated his position and gave both sides ample face.

Quan Li slung the massive bone blade casually over her shoulder, glanced askance at Yuan Yao, the corner of her mouth curling in a half-smile, her tone tinged with amusement: "You sure have a big mouth. Can you speak for all the human heavenly pride?"

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the human cultivators of varied expressions, and added, "As far as I know, you probably aren't the leader of the human heavenly pride, are you?"

The human heavenly pride exchanged bewildered looks at her words.

Indeed, Yuan Yao is exceptionally talented and has shown extraordinary strength and leadership, but the openly recognized leaders of the human heavenly pride are Ying Wuhuan and Lu Xiang, aren't they?

In that brief, silent span of two seconds, a clear, cold female voice broke the deadlock.

Yu Jing stepped forward, her gaze fixed firmly on Quan Li, and uttered two clear words: "She is."

"What?!"

"Deputy Leader Yu, aren't you mistaken?"

"Ying Wuhuan is our leader!"

Yu Jing's words struck like a thunderclap out of nowhere; the human heavenly pride instantly erupted, many showing incredulous expressions, and some even voiced objections directly.

Faced with the crowd's skepticism, Yu Jing remained unfazed, merely posing a quiet question that everyone could hear clearly: "If you believe Ying Wuhuan is the leader, then can you now get in touch with him and Lu Xiang?"

That single sentence silenced all opposing voices.

Ying Wuhuan and Lu Xiang had already been separated in the earlier riot, and to this day their fate is unknown, with no word of them.

"I now announce, as Deputy Leader of Tian Jiaocheng, Yuan Yao—" Yu Jing's words were cut off before she could finish, as Yuan Yao interrupted her.

"Fellow Daoist Yu, you needn't go to such lengths. We are not sent by the Buddhist Venerable; our Chuyuan Squad secretly infiltrated the Abyssal Rift. If you want me to become your Tian Jiaocheng's leader, that would mean you'll incur punishment from the Tian Jiaocheng Elders once you leave the Abyssal Rift."

The human heavenly pride were startled.

They actually had sneaked in!

Jiang Shuai narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "We absolutely cannot let Yuan Yao become our leader! She and her Chuyuan Squad entered the Abyssal Rift without permission—a grave crime! To let someone burdened with such a crime openly become our leader, what would that make us law-abiding heavenly pride?"

Many who already bore a grudge against Yuan Yao or remained loyal to Ying Wuhuan nodded in agreement, their gazes toward her growing even more hostile.

"They seem rather dissatisfied with you," Quan Li remarked teasingly.

Yuan Yao merely smiled faintly, then had Qian Yunzhou and the others remove their masks.

When the human heavenly pride saw their faces clearly, they were startled.

Qian Yunzhou?!

Dong Jiao...

Amidst the astonished gazes of all, Yuan Yao spoke slowly and solemnly declared: "Effective immediately, our Chuyuan Squad has no further ties with your Tian Jiaocheng heavenly pride team."

Upon hearing this, the faces of the human heavenly pride shifted dramatically—some shocked, some angry, and a faint panic flickered beneath the surface.

They never expected Yuan Yao to act so decisively, choosing to sever ties outright!

Cang Li let out a deep sigh, palms pressed together, wearing a look of anguish: "Alas, how can one be so greedy? Earlier, during the riot's critical moment, it was our Chuyuan Squad that stepped in to help, saving many lives. Now that the crisis has eased, you treat us like this—it's truly chilling to the bone."

"Since you—" Quan Li began, but Yuan Yao cut her off.

"Everyone, I know many of you still feel attached to Tian Jiaocheng. But now, Ying Wuhuan and Lu Xiang are out of contact, Tian Jiaocheng is leaderless, and its future uncertain." She paused, then continued: "If you fellow cultivators don't fear that, after leaving the Abyssal Rift later, you'll face reproach and punishment from the Tian Jiaocheng Elders for today's actions, our Chuyuan Squad sincerely welcomes you to join us."

"What?!"

"She... what is she trying to do?"

"She doesn't want to join us; she's actually trying to poach our people?!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked beyond belief, staring at Yuan Yao with eyes full of astonishment.

As it turned out, she had never intended to join the Tian Jiaocheng team, nor had she ever thought of contending for that illusory 'leader' position!

Her goal was to directly absorb the members of Tian Jiaocheng whose hearts were shaken into her own Eliminate Abyss Squad!

Thus, all authority would be firmly held in Yuan Yao's own hands!

She also wouldn't have to suffer the Bind and the rule‑based hindrances of Tian Jiaocheng's cumbersome formalities.

Feng Xuanji and Bian Chen exchanged a glance, both tacitly nodding.

We're joining the Eliminate Abyss Squad!

Hua Chengyan, while holding a small bronze mirror to admire his stunningly handsome face, also stepped forward to Yuan Yao and the others, winking at Yuan Yao: 'Count me in.'