Deep within the Temple of Time, in some unknown location, the powerful had gathered.
This was the deepest reaches of the Temple, and everyone who had qualified to reach this place was among the absolute peak experts of the Dao Source Realm in the Southern Domain.
Lan Xun, Xiao Chen, Luo Yuan, Kong Qi, Murong Xiaoxiao, Gong Wenshan, Bian Yuqing — all of them were present.
Among the seven, aside from Lan Xun who was at the first stage of the Dao Source Realm and Gong Wenshan who was at the second stage, the rest were all at the third stage of the Dao Source Realm.
Lan Xun went without saying. As the cherished daughter of the Bright Moon Great Emperor, she possessed an extraordinary physique, and her true strength could not be measured by cultivation alone — she absolutely had the qualifications to set foot here. Gong Wenshan was the same. Though his cultivation was a full stage lower than most of the others present, as a grandmaster of formations, his methods were elusive and unpredictable, making his strength equally impossible to judge by cultivation alone. That he had arrived here was hardly surprising.
At this moment, of the seven, only Xiao Chen remained stationed at Lan Xun's side without budging an inch. The others had each found their own spots, sitting cross-legged in meditation, conserving their energy, as though silently waiting for something.
Murong Xiaoxiao would occasionally glance in a certain direction, her beautiful eyes brimming with worry and anticipation.
At some unknown moment, within a circular gate of light some dozen zhang from where the group stood, ripples began to spread outward in layers. Then, a figure slowly materialized from within the light gate.
Everyone sensed it and turned to look.
"Finally, we're all here…" Luo Yuan seemed to have grown impatient with waiting, unable to suppress a cold snort.
Murong Xiaoxiao, however, rose to her feet with a smile blossoming on her face, and began walking toward the gate as if to greet the newcomer.
The others all wore expressions of keen curiosity, wanting to see who had arrived.
The figure gradually took solid form, and at last, the person stepped out of the light gate, revealing their true appearance.
"Huh?" The smile on Murong Xiaoxiao's face froze instantly, her shocked gaze fixed on the newcomer, her expression utterly complicated — part disappointment, part surprise.
She had never expected that the last person to walk out of this light gate would turn out to be Yang Kai, rather than the Xiao Baiyi she had imagined.
The others all showed varied reactions as well. Kong Qi's face twitched, and he quickly averted his gaze, as though even looking at Yang Kai for one more moment would be an insult to his eyes.
Bian Yuqing pressed her lips together and smiled…
"Oh? So many people!" The moment Yang Kai stepped out of the light gate, he caught sight of the seven figures ahead and couldn't help but feel surprised. "What are you all doing here?"
"Waiting for you, of course!" Bian Yuqing smiled faintly, her voice carrying an irresistible charm.
Yang Kai rubbed his nose. "Don't joke around — since when do I carry enough weight to trouble all of you into waiting here?"
He figured Bian Yuqing was simply teasing him.
But it turned out…
"We're not joking. We really were waiting for you!" Gong Wenshan rose to his feet at this point, regarding Yang Kai with a serious expression. "Though that's not quite right — we weren't waiting for you specifically, but for whoever was the last person to come through here!"
Yang Kai furrowed his brow and glanced around, his gaze finally settling on what lay ahead. A thoughtful look crossed his face. "It seems that to break this restriction, you didn't have enough people."
"Exactly!" Gong Wenshan nodded.
"Would someone care to explain what's going on?" Yang Kai smiled and looked around at the group.
Gong Wenshan wore a look of disgust. "Something this troublesome — I'm certainly not explaining it twice!"
With that, he turned his back on Yang Kai entirely.
Murong Xiaoxiao pressed her red lips together and said, "I'll explain. Brother Yang, come over here."
She beckoned to Yang Kai with a wave of her hand.
Yang Kai nodded and walked over.
Murong Xiaoxiao promptly began her explanation.
Only after hearing her description did Yang Kai learn that the main entrance of the grand hall up ahead had been sealed by a formation known as the "Eight-Direction Return Origin Formation." In truth, the formation was not particularly profound, nor did it serve any great purpose — and dismantling it was extremely simple.
All that was needed was to gather eight people and stand them in specific positions, and the formation would collapse on its own without requiring any martial effort whatsoever.
Of course, if someone well-versed in formations were not present, the trick to it would likely go unnoticed. However, a formation of this caliber was hardly a challenge in Gong Wenshan's eyes.
"So you've all just been stuck here waiting for the last person to show up?" Yang Kai asked after hearing the full account.
"Yes." Murong Xiaoxiao nodded gently, a soft smile on her lips. "I didn't expect you to be the last one to arrive, Brother Yang."
Yang Kai glanced at her and said in a low voice, "Don't worry — Brother Baiyi is just a little injured. His life isn't in any danger!"
Murong Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up at his words. "Brother Yang, you saw Senior Brother Xiao?"
"Mm." Yang Kai nodded.
"Where is he now?" Murong Xiaoxiao asked, tension clear in her voice.
"I don't know either. Maybe he's been teleported out, or maybe he's still somewhere else in this Temple." Yang Kai shrugged.
Murong Xiaoxiao seemed to think of something, and she covered her mouth with a soft gasp. "Brother Yang… Could it be that you defeated Senior Brother Xiao?"
"Oh?" Yang Kai blinked in surprise. "From the sound of it… you've been to the Dao Discussion Platform too?"
"That's right…" Murong Xiaoxiao replied. "I ran into an opponent there and had to defeat him before I could come here."
"Seems like we all had pretty similar experiences…" Yang Kai murmured thoughtfully.