The Elder's voice was solemn, placing heavy emphasis on the words "life and death." Although the back mountain belonged to the Sect, many terrifying Demon Beasts thrived within its borders.

It was a place of considerable danger.

Yet, no one chose to back down at this moment. The path of cultivation was akin to walking on thin ice; if one feared danger, they should have given up from the very beginning.

"Good."

"Disciples, enter."

The Elder stepped aside.

As the Elder's voice faded, several figures suddenly surged forward, slipping through the narrow path into the Clear White Land. Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao followed suit.

After weaving through the dense woods for a few breaths, Ning Fan's field of vision suddenly opened up. A vast, seemingly endless clearing stretched out before him, and a towering mountain loomed in the distance.

To the side stood a cliff so high it pierced the clouds-the Repentance Cliff.

Just as Ning Fan cleared the forest, he noticed a group of disciples gathered together. Leading them were the two dominant pairs of Dao companions, Ji Wuxi and Lin Yao.

Aside from Ji Wuxi and Lin Yao, five other couples stood close around them. A total of six pairs had already joined forces, clearly making up more than half of the disciples holding tokens.

These people had banded together already?

Apart from those six couples, three other pairs were hesitating, watching intently. They were Shao Hong and Bai Ran; Nan Li and Song Nianxia; and another pair Ning Fan did not recognize.

All three of these couples clearly intended to approach Ji Wuxi and Lin Yao, but before they could get close, they were met with cold, unfriendly stares from that faction.

There were too many of them.

Their numbers were simply too overwhelming.

In this back mountain expedition, the threats came not only from Demon Beasts, but also from fellow disciples. It was common for cultivators to fight fiercely over rare materials and heavenly treasures.

If the vast majority banded together like this, it left the unaligned with a massive disadvantage.

It was obvious that the disciples surrounding Ji Wuxi and Lin Yao had known beforehand that the two powerful figures held tokens. They had coordinated their plans long before entering.

At this point, anyone else trying to grovel and join them would only be inviting humiliation.

"Fellow Daoists."

"Let us meet at the Spirit Vein."

Ji Wuxi stepped forward and tilted his head slightly to look at the remaining couples. There was no explicit mockery in his eyes, yet his arrogant demeanor made everyone else's faces darken.

The Spirit Vein!

That was the most precious Fated Chance within the Clear White Land. Bathing one's body in the Spirit Vein could temper the physique, purge internal impurities, and drastically accelerate future cultivation speed.

Ji Wuxi's meaning was clear-they had already claimed the Spirit Vein Fated Chance as their own.

Ji Wuxi had secured five other couples as followers to form an absolute front.

With their blades pointed directly at the Spirit Vein, did the others even stand a chance at competing?

Without another word, Ji Wuxi turned and departed.

The five couples followed tightly behind him, marching straight into the depths of the plain toward the distant mountain.

The Spirit Vein was sealed within that very peak.

Watching Ji Wuxi's group recede, the remaining disciples looked at each other in dismay. Initially, no one had intended to form alliances, but since a powerhouse like Ji Wuxi had so many followers, anyone acting alone would be completely squeezed out.

"Everyone, why don't we travel together as well?" Shao Hong suggested.

"Agreed."

"I have no objections."

The couple Ning Fan didn't recognize spoke up first. They looked toward Nan Li and Song Nianxia, then turned to Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao, offering a warm, friendly smile.

"We are Ling Tian and Li Xiaonuan. Please look after us."

"I don't mind either," Ning Fan said, shrugging.

He had only entered the Clear White Land on short notice and lacked a deep understanding of its layout. Traveling with Shao Hong and the others was a reasonable course of action.

"Hmph."

Nan Li merely snorted and crossed his arms.

Shao Hong understood that this attitude meant Nan Li had reluctantly agreed.

"Then shall we also head straight for the Spirit Vein?"

"Let's go."

Thus, under the pressure exerted by Ji Wuxi's faction, Ning Fan's four couples formed a temporary alliance to explore the Clear White Land together.

"The chances of finding treasures on the outer perimeter are quite slim," Shao Hong noted as they walked.

As the most basic restricted area in the Divine Sect's back mountain, the Clear White Land had been combed through by countless disciples over the years. Although the central Spirit Vein would regenerate over time, the external areas held very few valuable resources.

"Oh?"

Suddenly, Yun Qingyao paused, letting out a soft sound of surprise. She bent down and pulled away a patch of wild weeds from the earth.

"What is it?" Ning Fan asked, stepping to her side.

"Heh."

Nan Li let out a mocking sneer, not even bothering to look closely. It was nothing but common weeds. Ning Fan and his Dao companion were making a fuss over nothing-truly greenhorns who had never seen the world.

"There seems to be something underneath," Yun Qingyao said, tilting her head.

"Alright."

Without a shred of hesitation, Ning Fan immediately began to dig at the spot she had indicated. With his physical strength, he quickly excavated a deep pit in a few motions.

Suddenly, a bright crimson gemstone appeared at the bottom of the pit, instantly drawing everyone's gaze.

"This is...?"

Shao Hong stepped closer, staring intently at the gemstone. A look of shock quickly flooded his face.

"This is a Top Grade Yellow-rank treasure-a Crimson Blood Stone! If one utilizes this stone during dual cultivation, the efficacy of the cultivation session increases by twenty percent, and it provides an additional tempering boost to the physique!"

"This is truly an excellent item."

Ning Fan's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he looked at Yun Qingyao with pleasant surprise. As expected of a powerful figure; her perception was incredibly sharp to detect a treasure buried deep beneath the dirt.

But just as Ning Fan bent down to claim the Crimson Blood Stone, the soil beside the pit suddenly shifted. A tiny, deep burrow collapsed open, and a black shadow shot out like a lightning-fast whip, aiming straight for Ning Fan's throat.

"Husband, watch out!"

"A snake!" Yun Qingyao cried out.

The others were not surprised. Rare spiritual treasures were almost always guarded by Demon Beasts, especially a Crimson Blood Stone that was already on the verge of reaching the Mysterious rank. It would be stranger if there were no guardian beast.

In fact, they had been waiting for Ning Fan to spring any hidden traps. Once he drew the beast into the open, dealing with it would be easy.

As for whether Ning Fan got hurt? That was none of their business.

Seeing the serpent open its fangs to strike Ning Fan's throat, a trace of schadenfreude flashed in the onlookers' eyes.

Yet, in that exact instant, Ning Fan's hand shot out. He pressed his four fingers together into a rigid palm-blade and chopped ruthlessly at the snake's vital seven-inch spot.

"Thwack!"

Before the fangs could pierce his throat, Ning Fan's palm-blade struck first, breaking the serpent's momentum and sending it crashing to the ground. Before anyone could even process what happened, Ning Fan leaped forward.

"Splat!"

With a heavy stomp, Ning Fan crushed the venomous snake into two bleeding halves!