Chapter Thirty-Three: Everything Has Returned

At the point where the valley met the forest, one side rose with towering old trees while the other bristled with jagged stone. Right where the two met stood more than a dozen enormous sun umbrellas. Under each were two beach chairs, with a small table between them bearing two drinks, some fruit, and a few light snacks.

Tang Yi and Hua Ruoxue were now reclining beneath the umbrella at the center, chatting as they drank their juice. The other umbrellas were still empty.

“Brother Tang, are they really going to come back? Did you already know this in advance?” Hua Ruoxue asked, taking a bite of apple.

“Heh heh, of course. Don’t you know who your Brother Tang is?” Tang Yi said smugly, sipping his juice. “I’ll tell you, my supernatural abilities are no joke now. With my current spiritual power, plus that top-tier probing art I got after helping someone heal last time, I’ve improved it and combined it with my own abilities. At this point, I can say that every little stir on this whole Verdant Star is under my notice. Heh heh, someone’s about to come back.”

A thunderous bang rang out.

Two figures slammed into the invisible barrier of the formation Tang Yi had set up, then slowly slid down from it. They were Li Zhan and Bai Dongfang. After getting back on their feet, Bai Dongfang knocked on the formation barrier and called in to Tang Yi, “Hey, Brother Tang, you’re sitting in there looking awfully comfortable. How do we get in?”

Tang Yi grinned. “Heh heh, just take your time and come around the back. And if you don’t hurry, more people will be flying over soon. Don’t blame me if you get smashed—I warned you.”

Bai Dongfang and Li Zhan had only gone a short distance when another whooshing sound came from behind them, and two more people shot straight toward Tang Yi’s position. They had seen Tang Yi’s smiling face from far away and already begun to slow down, but by then their speed was still too great. Before they could stop themselves, both of them slammed into the formation.

“Hahaha...”

Seeing their sorry state, Tang Yi, Hua Ruoxue, Li Zhan, and Bai Dongfang all burst into laughter.

The two this time were Zhang Qiang and Liu Mingde.

“Qiangzi, let’s go. Looks like we’re among the earlier ones. There’ll be plenty more behind us to let us enjoy the show,” Liu Mingde said, glancing at Tang Yi inside the formation and at Li Zhan and Bai Dongfang outside it.

When the four of them had entered the formation and settled into the beach chairs, a multicolored energy shield came flying over, while on the other side a huge green sphere also hurtled this way. The multicolored shield stopped just before the formation, but still made an intimate contact with it; naturally, the commotion was not too great. The sphere split open into two, revealing Guo Ziping and Liu Yuefeng.

Then the green sphere dropped directly above the formation. When it touched the barrier, it scattered apart, revealing two more people: Lu Zhengyang and Ding Pengfei.

Just as these four had entered the formation, someone else returned as well. This one was a little unusual—he was dragging a long black trail behind him. It was Sun Lang, whose entire body looked as though it had been scorched by fire.

Sun Lang flew straight over the formation and landed at the entrance. Tang Yi had already warned him about the barrier in advance; otherwise, he would have crashed into it as well.

“Ruoxue, it’s your turn to show what you can do. Let’s see how your water-control ability has been coming along,” Tang Yi said.

Hua Ruoxue smiled faintly. “Leave it to me. Sun Lang, stand over there. I’ll help you wash up.”

After Sun Lang moved aside, Hua Ruoxue rose from her chair and gently lifted her right hand. A clear spring burst from the ground, carrying not a speck of dirt. Under her control, it flowed over Sun Lang again and again.

A few minutes later, Sun Lang was once more clean and presentable, though his clothes were completely ruined. Hua Ruoxue quickly sat back down in the lounge chair.

“Tsk tsk. Hurry up and change clothes,” Tang Yi said, giving the ragged Sun Lang a once-over.

“Ah, sorry!” Sun Lang said, then hurried off to find a place where no one could see him and changed into fresh clothes.

At that moment, Lin Jiang also returned. He came back flying, with torrents of water spilling from his body as he went, making him look as if he were creating a sudden artificial rainstorm.

“Help! Somebody help me!” A scream suddenly rang out in everyone’s earphones.

Aside from Tang Yi, everyone in the formation jumped in alarm. It was Gu Zhenzhen’s voice. Had something dangerous happened?

Just as they were about to rush out, Tang Yi stopped them.

“No need to panic. They’re fine. You’ll see them in a moment.”

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, two energy shields—one yellow and one purple—drifted out of the forest.

They were Hua Shaojie and Gu Zhenzhen.

At once, Gu Zhenzhen’s voice came through again. “Come help us! There are lots of monsters behind us!”

“Really? Then why didn’t we see any?” Tang Yi replied.

“What do you mean, didn’t see any? Look over there—” Gu Zhenzhen turned back, only to freeze. The monsters that had been relentlessly chasing them just moments ago were suddenly all gone.

As if they had never existed at all.

Not a trace remained.

“Brother Tang, now only Zhang Sanfeng and Zhang Cuishan are left. When are they coming back?” Hua Ruoxue asked after counting the people present.

“Heh heh, masters are masters. No need to rush—they’ll be back soon. And they’ll bring us a surprise besides,” Tang Yi said, wiping his juice-soaked hands.

“A surprise? You already know about it, so how can it still be a surprise?” Hua Shaojie said.

“I knowing it doesn’t mean you know it. Just watch,” Tang Yi replied with a strange smile.

Two kilometers away from Tang Yi’s group, Zhang Sanfeng held a sword in one hand. Every so often he would make a light sweep with it, and something nearby would suddenly explode. Beside him, Zhang Cuishan was not having such an easy time. He had activated his energy shield, while a pair of judge’s pens outside it spun rapidly in the air, sending out occasional blade-like arcs of qi. Wherever the qi blades passed, things would burst apart, and hidden shapes would be forced to reveal themselves.

“Senior Zhang, this place is far too strange, far too dangerous. I’m starting to struggle to keep up,” Zhang Cuishan said.

Zhang Sanfeng walked forward with an easy stride and said, “You’re being far too cautious. Too tense. In truth, with your current cultivation, doing what I do is not difficult at all.”

“Then I humbly ask Senior to guide me,” Zhang Cuishan said respectfully.

Zhang Sanfeng looked at him and said, “I have a suggestion. How about becoming my disciple? I’ve already survived the heavenly tribulation, yet I don’t have a single disciple. I’d also like for someone to carry on my lifelong legacy in the world of cultivation. I wonder whether you’d be willing?”