Everyone knew Li Younan was talking nonsense. If he truly had the confidence to persuade all the factions not to covet the Red Candle Fruit and hand over such a heaven-defying existence to the Pill Elixir Sect, that would be the real miracle.
Only what you held in your own hands truly belonged to you. Li Younan's words were entirely devoid of sincerity and not worth believing.
Moreover, how could matters of such colossal importance be decided by juniors like them? Once Li Younan brought the Red Candle Fruit back, the Pill Elixir Sect's elders would simply deny any promise made by the juniors. What could the other sects do about it? Even if they joined forces to annihilate the Pill Elixir Sect, the Red Candle Fruit would already be lost.
Wei Guchang understood the underhanded scheming better than anyone. He knew that the moment he agreed, he would become the target of everyone's hostility. Qu Changfeng, Fang Tianzhong, Yin Sudie, along with Qu Minghai from Twin Heart Valley and Tang Yongyi from Ethereal Palace—none of them would rashly agree to such an unreasonable proposal.
Still, he wasn't foolish enough to openly offend the Pill Elixir Sect. He feigned deep consideration for a moment, then gave a slight nod. "If Brother Qu and Brother Fang are all agreeable, then I suppose Shadow Moon Palace can be part of it as well. But Brother Li… heh heh, have you gone to speak with that fellow yet?"
As he spoke, he subtly gestured toward a small hilltop.
Li Younan's face twitched slightly. He naturally knew exactly who "that fellow" was. Putting on a strained smile, he said, "I was thinking of first reaching an understanding with all of you, and then discussing the details with him."
Wei Guchang curled his lips and shook his head, sighing repeatedly. "This won't be easy to handle. If it were really just our few factions, joining forces wouldn't be a problem. But now there's this additional variable. I think, Brother Li, you should first get a read on that fellow's stance before coming to talk to us in detail."
Li Younan paused, though his expression remained composed. He cupped his fists and said, "Brother Wei makes a fair point. Then I shall go back and think it over. We can discuss this matter at greater length."
With that, he drifted gracefully down from the hilltop and returned to his own side.
Once he was gone, Wei Guchang let out a barely perceptible cold snort. "Does he really take me for an idiot?"
Dai Yuan chuckled softly beside him. "You already know what the Pill Elixir Sect people are like, Brother Wei. Why bother arguing with them? It was the right call to refuse this time. If you'd actually agreed, that would have been the real trouble."
"Of course I know that," Wei Guchang said, his expression turning serious. "Never mind that for now. With a spiritual fruit like this maturing and appearing, I have no idea whether this is fortune or calamity."
He gazed at the elites stationed on each of the hilltops, privately wondering how many of them would end up dying in the fighting once the Red Candle Fruit truly ripened.
"Let's talk about something else. I feel like cultivating here is incredibly beneficial. Anyway, there's still some time before the Three Suns Rising phenomenon that Sister Dai Yuan mentioned. Why don't we just stay here and focus on our comprehension?" Dong Xuan'er suggested.
The other three nodded in agreement. They each found a spot on the hilltop, sat cross-legged, and carefully immersed themselves in the wondrous mysteries contained within the fruit's fragrance.
Yang Kai quickly became aware of the heaven-defying properties of the Red Candle Fruit. Just as the ancient texts described, in the days before its maturation, it would continuously emit this kind of fragrant aura. When the scent entered the nose and permeated the flesh, limbs, and bones, it could enhance a martial artist's mastery over their own strength and the integration of their cultivation realm.
And this was merely from the appearance of a single red sun. If all three suns gathered together, the effect would surely multiply severalfold.
Since he was together with Wei Guchang and the others, Yang Kai wasn't worried about being ambushed here. He allocated only a small portion of his consciousness to monitor his surroundings, then quickly sank into that wonderful sensation.
He was an alchemist by nature, and during pill refining he needed extremely precise control over his Saint Origin. In this regard, he far surpassed most martial artists. Stimulated by the Red Candle Fruit's fragrance, the subtleties of his control over Saint Origin became even more exquisite, and he found himself utterly captivated. Yang Kai soon lost himself in the experience, as if he had entered an entirely new world—a world where he could achieve perfect communication and supreme command over the power within his body.
Yang Kai sank into his comprehension of Saint Origin control, while Wei Guchang, Dong Xuan'er, and Dai Yuan each descended into deep realizations in their own respective fields and disciplines.
The martial artists on the various hilltops, after an initial period of cautious observation, also prudently sat cross-legged and drew in the Red Candle Fruit's fragrance, no longer willing to waste time.
Roughly half a day after Yang Kai had arrived at this place, an eerie calm settled over the entire area. Everyone was quietly absorbing the benefits that the Red Candle Fruit's aroma brought them.
More and more people continued to arrive at the hilltops. Though most of them looked utterly bewildered at first, seeing that those who had come earlier were all meditating, they quickly found suitable spots and imitated them. In the blink of an eye, looks of pleasant surprise appeared on their faces, and they soon became too engrossed to pull themselves away.
At one moment, a young martial dressed in blue robes arrived here alone. He was the very same man who had previously attempted to push deeper into the third layer. But he had arrived somewhat late—the hills near the valley had already been claimed by everyone. His cold gaze swept across the surroundings as he privately debated whether he should seize a spot by force. However, he quickly dismissed the thought.
He had only recently possessed his new body and returned to the light of day. For now, he did not wish to attract too much attention.