C3 Encountering Danger

"Flying Tiger Gang!"

Upon witnessing the scene, Zhang, the God Immortal, bellowed in rage, "Have you mortals consumed the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard to dare ambush me? You shall all perish!"

With those words, he lifted his palm, and to everyone's astonishment, a large ball of flames burst forth. Ye Chen watched in amazement as the flames danced in Zhang's hand, wondering how he could remain unscathed.

The leader of the Flying Tiger Gang, unfazed by the flickering fireballs, raised his mace and sneered, "Hmph, the Void Returning Sect has gone too far. Today, it starts with you. Brothers, let's take down this charlatan!"

Without so much as a blink, Zhang pushed the fireballs forward, and as soon as they grazed the attackers, they burst into towering infernos.

The air filled with a pungent odor. While Hsu Qi and the others nearby were so frightened they fainted, Ye Chen alone admired the display. This was the true power of the Immortals. Those bandits were clearly up to no good; the Ye family's village had suffered their harassment before.

If only he possessed such powers, Ye Chen mused, he would gladly use them to vanquish his foes in one fell swoop.

But in that moment, a massive beam of light, resembling an oversized arrow, flew from the distance, shattering the protective light barrier and impaling Zhang through the chest.

"You..."

Staggering briefly, Zhang, who had been a whirlwind of destruction, collapsed, lifeless.

The Flying Tiger Gang erupted in triumph at the sight, having slain an Immortal of the Void Returning Sect. Ye Chen, however, stood in stunned silence. If mortals and Immortals were worlds apart, how had Zhang met such an end?

A group emerged from the deep pine forest, laboriously carrying a huge catapult, elated by their victory. The burly leader approached Ye Chen, who was visibly shaken.

"Are you a disciple of the Void Returning Sect?"

Ye Chen nodded subconsciously.

"You've got guts. Normally, the Flying Tiger Gang would take someone like you in a heartbeat, but you've got ties to the Void Returning Sect."

It was clear that the muscular man intended to kill Ye Chen, Liu Ao, and the rest of them.

"Hold on a second!"

A woman stepped forward from the crowd, clad in green, and shot the muscular man a look of utter disdain. "Sect Master Hu, aren't you going too far? Are you really going to attack a defenseless child?"

"We in the Flying Tiger Gang don't put on airs like your Soaring Flying Sect, pretending to be holier-than-thou. It's just a kid. What's the big deal if he's killed?"

The woman in green was clearly not pleased with his response and was about to retort angrily, but he cut her off.

"Still, it was your Soaring Flying Sect's divine crossbows that did in the Void Returning Sect. I'll spare their lives this time."

With that, the crowd dispersed, leaving Ye Chen bewildered, staring at the chaos before him, unsure of what to do next.

The Void Returning Sect was nestled within the Dian Cang Mountain, a renowned peak in the land of Northern Chu. On the morning of the fifteenth day of the seventh month each year, one could witness the auspicious sight of purple clouds at the mountain's summit. Legend has it that the Void Returning Taoist himself was astonished by the sight during his travels and decided to establish the sect right there and then.

At that moment, in front of the sect's mountain gate, two bored disciples suddenly noticed several children in the distance. They were supporting each other, all looking frail and pallid. But upon catching sight of the mountain gate, two of them collapsed on the spot, leaving only one struggling to drag himself forward.

"Liu Ao! Hsu Qi! We're almost there, just hang in there!"

Ye Chen was trying to rally his friends, though he was hardly in better shape himself.

Since leaving the pine forest, they had been at a loss. Hsu Qi was in tears, desperate to go home, and Liu Ao was at a loss for what to do.

Having survived a baffling skirmish, and with even the old immortal dead, they had come to realize that the path of cultivation was far from child's play, with life hanging by a thread.

Ye Chen, being somewhat older, gave it careful thought. He longed to return to the village, but the journey was fraught with danger, and the risk of encountering bandits was high.

The children simply lacked the strength to face such threats. It was likely they wouldn't make it two miles before falling prey to the bandits.

With no other option, Ye Chen did his utmost to convince Liu Ao and Hsu Qi to continue. Together, they followed the trail left by the venerable Immortal.

They were gradually drawing closer to the Void Returning Sect, a far safer prospect than the bandits lurking behind them.

The journey was incredibly tough. Without Ye Chen's magical jar that could replicate food, it's doubtful the trio, all under twenty, would have made it this far.

Upon their arrival, two disciples looked on with impatience and dismissively gestured, "Where did you kids spring from? Shoo, shoo! This isn't an orphanage!"

After enduring so much to get here, Ye Chen was not about to be turned away at the doorstep. Mustering his strength, he responded, "We're from Ye Family Village... We've come to join the Void Returning Sect..."

"Ye Family Village?" The disciples exchanged a glance, taken aback. "Isn't that Senior Brother Zhang's territory? Where is he?"

Tears welled up in Ye Chen's eyes. "The old Immortal was killed by bandits while escorting us here."

"What?!" they exclaimed in disbelief.

"That's impossible! Senior Brother Zhang had reached the Sixth Empyrean of Qi Refining. How could he fall to mere mortals? You must be making this up!"

Ye Chen, seeing their skepticism, detailed the events they had witnessed. Finally convinced, one disciple realized the gravity of the situation. "This is serious. I must report to the elders immediately!"

"I'll go ahead," he said urgently. "Chen Chong, take them to the Third Elder. These villains have really gone too far."

Shortly after, the cursing disciple departed, leaving Chen Chong to escort Hsu Qi and Liu Ao, with Ye Chen trailing behind, gasping for breath.

Chen Chong, hearing the labored breathing, turned and chuckled.

"Haha, you must be exhausted after such a journey. How about I carry you the rest of the way?"

"No need, I can still walk," Ye Chen responded through gritted teeth.

"Alright, if you can manage to bring two little brothers to the Void Returning Sect, you've proven yourself to be quite the young man."

Despite the compliment, Ye Chen was far from excited. The tragic condition of the old deity haunted his thoughts. To encounter such an ordeal on his very first day in the Cultivation Realm was a stroke of incredibly bad luck.

About fifteen minutes later, Chen Chong and the others had reached the outskirts of the Spirit Inspection Hall. Ye Chen's face was flushed, bordering on purple from the effort.

Since Ye Chen had fallen behind, Chen Chong had taken Hsu Qi and Liu Ao in for their tests first.

By the time Ye Chen caught up, the two boys were brimming with vitality, running up to support him, showing no signs of their previous fatigue.

Ye Chen couldn't help but marvel at the extraordinary capabilities of the immortals.

"Mr. Ye, the Third Elder just assessed me," Liu Ao said, bubbling with excitement. "He told me I have both metal and wood Spirit Roots—a rare genius for the Void Returning Sect!"

Hsu Qi joined in with a hearty laugh, "I'm a bit behind him. I have water, wood, and earth Spirit Roots!"

Ye Chen, still catching his breath, could only offer them a smile, genuinely happy for their success. Their achievements meant the trip had been worthwhile. As for himself, he harbored some concerns.

He alone knew that his so-called Spirit Root awakening was entirely due to the aid of the jar. Now, all he could do was hope that it wouldn't lead to any complications.

Inside the Spirit Testing Hall, the Third Elder sat cross-legged on a cushion, his white hair and deeply lined face giving him the appearance of ancient tree bark. Ye Chen guessed the elder must be well over a hundred years old, making even the village chief seem youthful in comparison.

"The Spirit Children from Ye Family Village this year are quite promising. It's just unfortunate about Little Zhang," the Third Elder murmured as he slowly opened his eyes and reached for Ye Chen's wrist.

"Come, let me examine your Spirit Root," the aged figure before him said, his surprising strength belying his advanced years. Ye Chen complied, holding his breath and silently praying for good news.

"Golden Spirit Root... Earth Spirit Root..."

"Water Spirit Root... Fire Spirit Root..."

"At least with four Spirit Roots, there's a chance..." The Third Elder muttered as he twirled his beard. Then, with a sudden widening of his eyes and a peculiar look, he exclaimed, "What's this? All five Spirit Roots are present?"

"Elder, how would you rate my talent?" Ye Chen inquired softly, too apprehensive to raise his voice.

"Well, to be honest with you, in all my years, I've never encountered a case like yours. To awaken a Spirit Root in such a manner is truly the worst I've seen."

Feeling as if his heart had been struck by a stone, Ye Chen pressed on anxiously, "Does that mean I can still pursue cultivation?"