Lei Yun, still unsettled as he tried to grasp who that old man was, couldn't help but feel relieved when he saw the elders arriving unharmed at the stone platform just a few minutes later.
The elders entered the formation and landed gently on the ground, their faces calm and composed, showing that at least they hadn't clashed with that mysterious expert.
Just from the speed alone, Lei Yun had calculated that the realm of that man should be at least at the perfection of Soul Formation, if not higher—which would be disastrous if he were an enemy.
Gu Jian approached the two and smiled.
"Did you meet Ancestor Bao?" he asked playfully, seeing their previously serious faces turn confused and then light up in realization.
"Elder Gu, that senior is the sect's ancestor?" Lei Yun asked, feeling genuine relief that this peculiar man was not an enemy.
"Yes, Ancestor Bao is one of the ancestors of our Infinite Dao Sect. He's the one I mentioned who was dealing with the 12 powers. Now that he's finished, we asked him to lend us a hand here." Gu Jian nodded, confirming.
But his simple words completely shocked the girl Mu Luyin at his side. This time, however, she did not deny it.
She had seen that old man, and even without releasing any aura or pressure, he conveyed a terror beyond words. It wasn't about the pressure he exuded, but rather the fact that there was absolutely none. It was as if he were just an ordinary person, but ordinary men don't appear behind her without her noticing, much less disappear into the air at a speed she couldn't even comprehend.
On top of that, another reason she didn't doubt was that only those elders, who appeared to be at the Golden Core level, had found the nodes of a Void-Tier formation in just one minute while facing the frenzied attack of hundreds of cultivators.
Even if she suspected they already knew the formation's node map, to locate and use them within just a minute under attack was already an extraordinary feat. And, for some reason, she didn't believe they were lying.
So, their ancestor could only be even more astonishing.
Although, from what she knew, the mountain's protective formation wasn't connected to the Dragon Lake's formation—and was actually much stronger—she no longer dared to be presumptuous and insist firmly that it was impossible to pass through it. The 10 elders had already made her admit she was wrong more than once, and she didn't want to be slapped in the face again.
As for Lei Yun, he didn't doubt it for a moment. While the elders searched for the formation's nodes, he had clearly seen part of their abilities while exploring on his own. They certainly weren't joking or lying.
Moreover, just from the terrifying technique they had given him, he already knew the sect's capability was beyond question.
"Elder Gu, did something happen down there?" he asked in doubt. After all, asking the ancestor for help meant things weren't easy below.
Gu Jian raised an eyebrow and calmly waved his hand.
"It's just the skeleton of a flood dragon, controlled by a Void-Tier Silent Cadaver Orchid. It's a bit troublesome for us, given our current cultivation states, so we called the ancestor," he explained as if it were nothing.
But the couple didn't see it so simply and were extremely shocked. After all, that herb was the target of the central continent and the 12 powers, but it seemed they would no longer have the chance to obtain what they wanted—at least not on that mountain.
Lei Yun, beyond surprise, looked thoughtfully at Elder Gu, who spoke with such simplicity about a combat power at the Void Refinement realm.
"Elder Gu… your cultivations, by chance, are…" He began, uncertain and curious, but unwilling to directly touch on a possibly delicate subject. However, seeing the elder wink playfully at him, he stopped asking.
It was clear. The elders had their cultivations sealed for some reason, and their true realms were far greater than what they had shown so far. This explained why they were so powerful even while appearing to be only at Golden Core.
Aotian smiled at Lei Yun's sudden realization. That was exactly the effect he was aiming for, since his elders' cultivation speed was always strange. Whether in the lower or higher realms, their progress was absurdly fast—to the point of being outright unnatural.
So it was better to instill these perceptions in the disciples—especially in special ones like Lei Yun, who could better notice the details and grasp the true power of the avatars—that it wasn't the avatars' cultivation that was advancing rapidly, but rather that the seal was gradually loosening.
As they talked, loud noises and explosions echoed from inside the cave. Soon after, a massive blast erupted, so powerful that the avatars and the couple had to protect themselves with spiritual energy so their eardrums wouldn't burst just from the sound. Immediately, the entire mountain trembled with the impact's force.
Moments later, old Bao was already in front of them again, while the explosion's aftermath came in the form of tsunamis, with enormous dragon skeletons rolling among the waves, colliding against the formation wall that shielded them from that chaotic energy.
Of course, even without the formation, Bao Wuji could protect them all without difficulty.
"Well, the problem here is solved. I'll take you all outside, and you can continue searching for herbs and other things. Later, when the event ends, I'll pick you all up outside the mountain," the old man said with a gentle smile, like a father promising to pick up his children after school — as if he hadn't just shaken the entire mountain with his strike.
"We thank you, Ancestor Bao!" The elders clasped their fists and bowed respectfully, and Lei Yun was compelled to follow suit.
After all, even though he was the same old man who, strangely, just minutes earlier had tried to steal his pouch of storage rings, he was still the ancestor of the power he had joined and deserved respect.
As for the strike Bao Wuji had used to defeat the dragon, that was the most powerful spell Aotian had ever synthesized.
[Collapse of the Five Elements: Nascent-Tier Spell.
Description: An extraordinary spell capable of gathering the elements for an attack that transcends levels.
Requirement: High-level spiritual control, large amount of spiritual energy.
Note: This technique can transcend realms and kill cultivators one realm above, but it is extremely dangerous, wild, exhausting, and takes 5 times longer to gather than a normal spell. Not recommended without a strong enough realm, additional minds to control each element, and advanced mastery of energy. Subject to risk of explosion, potentially injuring or killing the user himself.]
Aotian always created spells of all elements together for each realm, but they all basically shared the same flaws. Though not exactly flaws, rather limitations of the user. After all, they were 5 spells combined into one, and it was natural for the difficulty level and casting time to be 5 times greater. And even if the power was beyond doubt, it was still a less practical option.
Against stronger cultivators, there was no time to use it. Against weaker ones, it was unnecessary. Thus, this was the first time he had actually used a 5-element spell in real combat.
Only against the bone dragon, which could only fight in close combat, did this technique have the chance to shine. Far from useless, there simply hadn't been a proper opportunity until now.
Returning to the present, Bao Wuji waved his hand, helping the bowing elders rise with a small burst of spiritual energy.
"Alright, stand up. Time is short, but before I go, does anyone want to eat this?" he suddenly asked with a smile, as he pulled the Silent Cadaver Orchid from his storage space and pointed at the golden center of the purple plant.
Instead of a normal orchid stem, there was a golden sprout, vibrating with extremely strong energy and draconic aura.
The elders raised their eyebrows, but Mu Luyin and Lei Yun were startled to see what he was offering.
"This is the dragon bloodline inheritance gathered by the orchid. Although it only took over the flood dragon's body when it was already a skeleton, and most of the nourishment came from the sea of blood—turning it into a polluted essence—even so, it shouldn't be far from the essence of a hornless dragon on the verge of evolving. And judging by the vibrations, she nurtured that essence all the way to the perfection stage of Soul Formation," he explained with an amused smile.
The elders' eyes immediately shone with desire.
But in the end, all of them, helpless, looked at one particular elder who was practically jumping in place, anxious before the golden sprout.
"Uhh… let's leave that to Brother Leopard," one of the elders said with a helpless sigh.
"Ugh, you're right, those guys from the Beasts Pavilion are the ones who like these things the most. It'd be unfair for us to take it."
"Yeah, that's the only way. Leopard, you lucky guy, don't forget to give us a ride later."
The elders gave up, patting Leopard on the back, who looked deeply moved upon hearing his sect brothers' support.
"You guys…" His eyes grew misty, and he quickly wiped them with his arm. "Then… I won't be polite with my brothers," he said, smiling with emotion.
The elders only smiled and supported him with more pats on the back.
The scene might have seemed harmonious and moving… if it weren't actually Aotian supporting himself and pretending to be touched—across different bodies.
Mu Luyin looked impressed at those people. That was an unprecedented opportunity for advancement. Even with the disadvantages, no one on the Beiyan continent would dare to refuse such a chance. Normally, blood relatives would kill each other over it, but here, they were yielding the opportunity so peacefully.
But Lei Yun didn't think the same. He saw the sect's potential, and what the elders were doing made no sense. So, he couldn't help but speak.
"This… elders, you do know this bloodline is tainted, right? And this kind of inheritance, between different species like human and dragon, brings incompatibility between body and soul. Humans have dantian and spiritual roots, beasts have bloodline and beast cores. When you merge a dragon's body with a human soul, it's the same as a Nascent Soul cultivator taking an incompatible body. That way, if you consume such a bloodline, despite the great power obtained, your cultivation path will end there," he said strangely, warning them.
If it were someone else, he wouldn't say much. The perfection of Soul Formation was already unattainable for most cultivators of the Mid-Continents, and taking such a shortcut wouldn't be a bad path.
But for the elders of the Infinite Dao Sect, it seemed like an absurd detour.
The elders turned and looked at him, confused.
"Lei Yun, what are you talking about?" Gu Jian asked, intrigued.
The boy, hearing the question, was left speechless and stunned. How could such powerful men not know? It wasn't a difficult concept to grasp.
Even though he was confused, for the sake of gratitude for the technique and opportunity he had gained, he decided to advise them. Unfortunately, before he could answer, one elder finally seemed to understand what he meant and burst into loud laughter.
"Pfff! Hahaha! He thinks we're tempted by the power of the perfection of the Soul Formation realm. Hahaha!!"
The moment that phrase was spoken, illumination and amusement appeared in all the elders' gazes, to the boy's bewilderment.