The Wager's Climax

Han Li suddenly thought of another girl he had encountered in the Forbidden Land and couldn't help glancing toward the Spirit Beast Mountain's direction. He found Han Yunzhi sitting obediently on the ground, her expression calm and peaceful, seemingly unharmed. This sight made Han Li breathe a sigh of relief.

As the channel's closing time drew near, the faces of the Moon-Masking Sect disciples grew increasingly grim.

The other sects' members, though putting on expressions of concern for the Moon-Masking Sect disciples, were secretly delighted. After all, the Moon-Masking Sect, as the number one sect in the Yue Kingdom, had long been a target of envy. Having an opportunity to slightly weaken its strength was something they naturally welcomed.

Perhaps their thoughts had a reverse effect, for when there was only a quarter of an hour left before the channel closed, a white flash suddenly appeared within it. A team of over ten Moon-Masking Sect disciples walked out in an orderly formation, led by none other than the stunningly beautiful Nan Gong Wan.

Seeing them emerge, Old Man Qiong let out a long breath of relief. Fairy Ni Chang, however, rushed forward impulsively, grabbing Nan Gong Wan's arm and inquiring with utmost concern, her worried expression plain for all to see.

This scene fell into the eyes of the others, causing confusion among the other sects.

This was hardly surprising. Although Nan Gong Wan had met these Core Formation cultivators a few times before, she had always worn a veil back then, never revealing her true face. Thus, none of them recognized that the beautiful young woman before them was the "Fairy Nan Gong" whom they had encountered on several occasions.

Han Li was also relieved to see her emerge safely. After all, she was the first woman with whom he had shared an intimate union in this life. Even though he knew another meeting was impossible, he could not help but feel a sense of concern.

However, Li Shizu and the Daoist's smiles were now somewhat strained. It was not hard to understand why—setting aside how many spirit herbs the Moon-Masking Sect had actually gathered, the mere fact that the number of their disciples who had walked out of the Forbidden Land alive exceeded the combined total of the two sects' survivors was enough to make the two men deeply dejected.

"Alright, it seems all the disciples should have come out. Those who haven't..." The leader of the Spirit Beast Mountain contingent cleared his throat and began to speak.

But before he could finish, a figure stumbled and crawled out of the channel just as it was about to close. It was none other than the old slickster Xiang Zhili of Yellow Maple Valley. However, the burly Greatsword Gate man and the young Daoist who had originally coordinated with him in gathering herbs were nowhere to be seen.

The moment the old man crawled out of the channel, a tremor came from the direction of the Forbidden Land. A flash of green light followed, and the channel shattered, disappearing without a trace.

Anyone still inside the Forbidden Land at this moment could only face death. Disciples who failed to exit in time had never reappeared when the Forbidden Land opened again in subsequent cycles, vanishing for completely unknown reasons. This was precisely why no one dared to delay their departure.

That the old slickster, a Yellow Maple Valley disciple at merely the tenth layer of cultivation, had managed to escape with his life at the last moment came as quite a surprise to these high-ranking cultivators. They could not help but take a few extra looks at Xiang Zhili.

"Brother Li, your valley truly seems to be overflowing with talent! Not only can those at the eleventh layer walk out of the Forbidden Land, but even a disciple at the tenth layer can manage to preserve his life. Your sect's teaching methods are truly impressive. I am in awe!" The Greatsword Gate cultivator, upon seeing that only two of his own disciples had emerged and that the barefoot man on whom he had pinned his greatest hopes had failed to return, while Yellow Maple Valley had managed to have two low-level disciples escape with their lives, felt a surge of resentment and could not help but sneer.

Li Shizu's expression darkened. He, too, believed that Han Li and Xiang Zhili were opportunists who had merely hidden and avoided conflict. He shot the old slickster a hateful glare, but was forced to defend them verbally.

"These juniors have shallow cultivation. Being able to preserve their lives is already a stroke of fortune. As for the methods they employed, we elders need not be overly critical."

"Hmph!"

The Greatsword Gate master found Li Shizu's hypocritical demeanor deeply irritating and was about to say something more when Old Man Qiong impatiently interjected.

"What is there to argue about between you two? Since they survived, that is the junior generation's own skill. Are you saying they should have charged in when they knew they couldn't win? Enough! Li boy, quickly check the results of the wager. I want to settle this matter soon. Do you expect me, at my age, to wait around here forever?"

The old man was clearly putting on airs, but the Greatsword Gate master and Li Shizu dared not provoke him. They exchanged a glance and let the matter drop with a forced laugh. Otherwise, if this old monster developed a grudge, they would be in serious trouble.

Thus, at Old Man Qiong's prompting, Fu Yunzi the Daoist of Void Spirit Gate and Li Shizu had no choice but to hold their noses and gather together. They then ordered the disciples who had emerged from the Forbidden Land from their three sects to display their harvests one by one, so the wager's outcome could be determined.

Only four Daoists from Void Spirit Gate had emerged from the Forbidden Land this time. But when the first one, a middle-aged Daoist, laid out his spirit herbs, everyone's expression shifted slightly.

"Three mature century-old Blood Orchids, two three-hundred-year Celestial Spirit Fruits, three four-hundred-year Jade Marrow Mushrooms..."

The Daoist continued to produce eleven or twelve spirit herbs, laying them out one by one on the ground. The sheer quantity astonished the onlookers. Only Fu Yunzi, who had made the wager, smiled with smug satisfaction, seemingly very pleased with the others' stunned expressions.

As for the items laid out by the first Yellow Maple Valley elder and the Moon-Masking Sect male disciple, they paled in comparison, consisting of only a few herbs each.

When the second Void Spirit Gate Daoist presented his harvest, it was not as exaggerated, but still amounted to seven or eight spirit herbs—still a marked improvement over normal yields. Li Shizu began to grow uneasy, and even Old Man Qiong's playful expression faded, turning serious for the first time.

The high-ranking cultivators from the other four sects, upon hearing about the wager, naturally came forward to watch. Seeing this, they were secretly astonished.

But then the Chen Clan siblings presented their harvest, which finally brought some relief to Li Shizu. The combined total of their spirit herbs was close to twenty, not far off from the two Daoists' yields. The next Void Spirit Gate disciple performed at a normal level, presenting only four herbs.

As for the Moon-Masking Sect disciples, they maintained their average standard, with three consecutive members producing fewer than five herbs each, causing both the Daoist and Li Shizu to secretly relax.

However, when the next young man from Yellow Maple Valley stepped forward to lay out his herbs, he hesitated for a moment before shamefully producing only three. This nearly infuriated Li Shizu, who was on the verge of cursing out loud. He had never expected Han Li or the old slickster to contribute anything worthwhile.

It was supposed to be Han Li's turn next, but Xiang Zhuozi, the old slickster, darted forward and cut in front of Han Li. With great deference, he produced two Purple Ape Fruits. This took Li Shizu by pleasant surprise, and his expression brightened slightly. But only slightly. Though the number of spirit herbs before him was now one or two more than Void Spirit Gate's, he knew he was doomed if the other side's final disciple produced an average amount. He had no expectations that Han Li would harvest much, believing that Han Li, at best, would toss out two or three spirit herbs like the old slickster, which would be considered a decent effort from a low-level disciple.

Thinking this, Li Shizu glanced at Fu Yunzi. The Daoist appeared restless, and happened to be looking back at him. They both paused in surprise before quickly averting their gazes and returning their focus to the wager.

The last Daoist to step forward was a white-haired old man. He walked to the front and began to produce spirit herbs unhurriedly, one after another. His slow, dawdling pace drew eye-rolls from everyone present.

But when he had set out five herbs and was still reaching into his storage pouch, Li Shizu's expression darkened, while Fu Yunzi's face lit up with joy. As for the Moon-Masking Sect members, the two men had temporarily forgotten to pay them any attention.

In the end, this white-haired Daoist surprisingly produced a total of seven spirit herbs, catching everyone off guard.

Seeing this, Li Shizu's face turned ashen. The Daoist, however, excitedly shifted his gaze to focus on the Moon-Masking Sect disciples, believing the victory over Yellow Maple Valley was all but sealed.

At this moment, Han Li stepped forward. The others only gave him a cursory glance before turning their attention to the Moon-Masking Sect, completely ignoring him.

Li Shizu also saw this, but he did not spare Han Li a single look either. He believed there was no chance for a comeback, and this disciple at the eleventh layer of cultivation coming forward would only embarrass himself further. Naturally, he would not give Han Li a kind expression.

Han Li paid no attention to the others' actions, nor did he consider holding back mature spirit herbs or presenting a smaller count.

Each sect's two accompanying supervisors carried one or two Scent-Sniffing Beasts. These strange creatures, resembling squirrels, could detect any century-old spirit herb hidden within three zhang, even if it were stored inside a storage pouch.

Thus, after the disciples emerged from the Forbidden Land and voluntarily handed over their herbs, they had to be sniffed by these little beasts before they could leave, to prevent any disciple with ill intentions from secretly hoarding herbs.

Han Li walked to the designated spot, took out a storage pouch he had prepared long ago, and unceremoniously tipped it over. A flash of white light later, a large pile of over twenty spirit herbs of various kinds lay scattered all over the ground.

(End of Chapter)