Chapter 444: Turmoil at the Mountain Gate!

"Elder Mei!"

Everyone was overjoyed to see Mei Zhen!

Even Ye Yuan looked at Yue Mengli in astonishment, wanting to know what was going on.

But when he looked, he was startled—Yue Mengli had turned back into the ugly yellow-faced woman, and her cultivation had dropped to the Crystal Condensation stage.

Ye Yuan had just been reunited with his fellow disciples and hadn't noticed when Yue Mengli had changed.

However, Ye Yuan understood clearly that Yue Mengli didn't want to reveal her identity.

And Ye Yuan's fellow disciples, having gone through life-and-death situations and even had soul seals placed on them, how could they remember this ugly woman they had only met once?

Yue Mengli said, "When Young Master Ye was confronting the Wind Emperor, that mysterious expert sneaked into the imperial palace, rescued Elder Mei, and handed him over to me."

Yue Mengli portrayed herself as the mysterious expert, while she was just an ordinary martial artist. And Ye Yuan also caught the implication behind her words: the reason Yue Mengli was late was precisely to rescue Mei Zhen!

But she had misjudged the situation, thinking Xing Yuan could hold off Ye Yuan's opponent for a while.

Who knew the Wind Emperor wouldn't care about Xing Yuan's face and directly struck at Ye Yuan. Ye Yuan immediately caught on and said, "So that's how it is. I'm truly grateful to that mysterious expert! Otherwise, none of us would have made it back!"

None of the fellow disciples paid much attention to this plain-looking woman. Instead, Xiao Ruyan drew a few extra glances. But their focus now was clearly on Mei Zhen.

Without delay, Ye Yuan also removed the soul seal from Mei Zhen.

"I... I actually lived to see the light of day again!" Mei Zhen looked at everyone with deep emotion, seeming to have aged considerably. After some pleasantries, Mei Zhen suddenly said to Mo Yuntian and the others, "Ye Yuan infiltrated the Windstorm Realm alone, a journey fraught with peril! The hardships he endured are beyond our imagination! And today, he has rescued every one of us. By all rights, we should bow to him in gratitude!"

With that, Mei Zhen took the lead and bowed deeply to Ye Yuan.

Before Ye Yuan could help Mei Zhen up, the others also bowed deeply.

"Elder Mei, fellow senior brothers, rescuing you is my duty. How could I deserve such a grand gesture? Please, rise!" Ye Yuan quickly helped everyone up.

"Alright, time is pressing. Let's talk on the way. We need to return to Nethercloud Sect quickly and inform the Sect Master about the invasion from the Windstorm Realm!" Ye Yuan added.

Naturally, no one disagreed. They packed up and set off toward the outskirts of Cloud Dream Mountain Range.

...

A full day later, Ye Yuan and his group finally emerged from the Cloud Dream Mountain Range.

Seeing the blazing sun overhead, everyone felt a sense of melancholy.

"We've already encountered several groups of Windstorm Realm martial artists along the way. It seems Cloud Dream Mountain Range has become their stronghold!" Mei Zhen frowned.

"It's been months since the passage was opened. It's no surprise that Windstorm Realm martial artists have made this their base," Ye Yuan said.

"I wonder how Nethercloud Sect is doing. I'm very worried about the Sect Master and my master," Mo Yuntian said.

"From here, it's still a month's journey on foot to Nethercloud Sect. Who knows what changes might occur in that time!" Mei Zhen said worriedly.

Their spirit boats had long been confiscated; they were now practically destitute.

Not to mention spirit boats, they didn't even have a single primal crystal.

Just then, Xiao Ruyan, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, "I still have a spirit boat, but it's only a low-grade one."

Everyone was overjoyed.

"That's wonderful! Miss Xiao, could we borrow your spirit boat? Rest assured, once we return to the sect, we will compensate you adequately," Mei Zhen said.

Along the way, everyone had learned about Xiao Ruyan's background and identity. As Ye Yuan's chief disciple, she naturally received due respect.

Moreover, the talkative Yan'er had recounted Ye Yuan's exploits in the Windstorm Realm, leaving everyone speechless for a long time.

Ye Yuan was now at the seventh level of Crystal Condensation, matching Mo Yuntian in cultivation, and his combat strength far surpassed everyone else.

Even Mei Zhen, an elder of the sect, was no match for Ye Yuan.

Based on Ye Yuan's battle with Zhao Chengqian, aside from Sect Master Luo Qingfeng, no one in Nethercloud Sect could claim to be definitively stronger than him.

If he returned to Nethercloud Sect, Ye Yuan's status would naturally rise, and he would become part of the sect's high-level leadership.

Everyone also knew that this meant Ye Yuan's departure from Nethercloud Sect was drawing nearer.

Since Mei Zhen had asked, Xiao Ruyan couldn't refuse. The group boarded the flying spirit boat and headed toward Nethercloud Sect.

Xiao Ruyan's flying spirit boat was of high quality, and they reached the outskirts of Lingfu Mountain in just seven or eight days.

With rest and the aid of medicinal pills over these days, Ye Yuan's injuries had healed by seventy to eighty percent.

The remaining twenty to thirty percent mainly involved replenishing his depleted vital blood.

For other martial artists, this would be fatal, but Ye Yuan had his own methods to restore vital blood.

However, he currently lacked the necessary herbs, so he hadn't yet refined the pills.

After disembarking from the spirit boat, they arrived at the mountain gate but found it unguarded.

Ye Yuan frowned, sensing something was wrong.

"Something's off. Why are there no disciples guarding the gate? Could... could something have happened?" Mei Zhen's heart sank.

"The sect-protecting formation has been broken. It seems... something has indeed happened to the sect. Let's hurry up and see," Ye Yuan said solemnly.

Seeing this, the joy of their survival vanished instantly.

The group, anxious and worried, hurried up the mountain.

Halfway up, they suddenly stopped, shocked by the scene before them.

Everywhere they looked, there were corpses of disciples wearing Nethercloud Sect uniforms.

Blood had gathered into small streams, quietly flowing down the mountain, a gruesome sight.

These disciples were outer sect disciples, not strong in cultivation, but such a large-scale massacre ignited rage in Ye Yuan and the others!

"Who... who did this! Are they trying to annihilate Nethercloud Sect?"

Mo Yuntian was trembling all over; the scene filled him with uncontrollable fury.

"Blood for blood! If I find out who did this, I'll tear them limb from limb!" Tianyu gritted his teeth.

Even the usually calm Ti Wujiu was pale, his fists clenched tightly, clearly struggling to contain his anger.

"There seems to be a fluctuation of primal energy from the mountaintop. There might be a fierce battle happening. Let's hurry!" Ye Yuan suddenly said.