The Di Tian organization had risen to prominence within the Grand Void Realm, founded single-handedly by Ding Yi. Over the years, he had gathered a considerable number of followers beneath his banner. The Land of No Elders rejected Open Heaven Realm cultivators, allowing only those at the Emperor Realm to enter, and Di Tian had reaped enormous benefits from this — every single one of their members was an Emperor Realm cultivator.
Back in that seven-colored passageway, Ding Yi had led the Di Tian forces to blockade the channel, stirring up chaos that left countless dead and injured.
However, he had suffered a bitter defeat at Yang Kai's hands many years ago, nearly losing his life in the process. Since then, he had been extremely wary of Yang Kai, and had always shown him a measure of respect. Whether it was back on the Yuan Magnetic Mountain or during the earlier passage through the seven-colored corridor, he had always kept the peace between them.
Ding Yi bore wounds of his own, suggesting his journey here had not been a smooth one.
There were barely a thousand people at the foot of this mountain, yet Di Tian had arrived with two to three thousand — nearly two or three times the number of everyone else combined. Who wouldn't feel intimidated? Such a massive force could easily tip the balance of power in this place.
In the blink of an eye, the Di Tian members had reached the foot of the mountain. Ding Yi strode at the forefront with his Ghost-Head Greatsword resting on his shoulder, surveying the surroundings with an imperious gaze. Suddenly, his eyes locked onto a particular figure, and he erupted in fury: "Searching high and low with no trace, only to find you right here without any effort! You little thief, how dare you steal my Sacred Medicine — now that I've caught you, let's see if you can escape death!"
He thrust the greatsword forward, pointing directly at the short man who had obtained the Gourd Vine.
The short man's brow furrowed slightly. This was clearly a troublesome situation. If it were only Ding Yi alone, he wouldn't have feared him at all — the Gourd Vine was extraordinarily powerful, and one Ding Yi, or even ten or a hundred of him, would be nothing more than fodder. But there were far too many people in Di Tian. If a real fight broke out, he would inevitably come out at a disadvantage.
After a brief moment of deliberation, the short man spoke: "Ding Yi, a Sacred Medicine is extraordinary — it belongs to those with the capability to claim it. Since it chose me, it was simply meant to be. Why must you be so obsessive about it?"
"Meant to be my ass!" Ding Yi burned with rage. "If you hadn't stuck your nose in, this Sacred Medicine would already be in my hands long ago! You despicable, shameless wretch — you stole my Sacred Medicine from the shadows, and now you have the audacity to stand here and say something like that?"
The short man snorted coldly: "You keep saying this is your Sacred Medicine. Go ahead — call its name and see if it answers you!"
Ding Yi shot back: "You call me Grandpa and see if I answer you!"
The two of them bickered furiously, drawing the attention of countless onlookers. Even Yang Kai showed a look of sudden understanding.
He had previously gone searching for the Gourd Vine on Pu Baixiong and Little Mushroom's directions, only to find that someone else had gotten there first. The traces left behind suggested a battle had taken place — and one involving a considerable number of people.
Now it seemed that Ding Yi had led the Di Tian forces to fight the Gourd Vine, but at the critical moment, this short man had swooped in and snatched the prize.
Anyone in such a situation would be seething with rage, and there was no way they would let it go.
Ding Yi had led his people here to track down the thief who stole the Sacred Medicine, and he probably hadn't expected to actually run into him. But now that the encounter had happened, he certainly wasn't going to let him off easily.
"The Sacred Medicine is already in my hands. What do you intend to do about it?" The short man stood alone against thousands of Di Tian members, yet remained utterly unfazed.
Ding Yi let out a sinister laugh: "What do I intend to do? Kill you, of course, and take the Sacred Medicine back! No one has ever gotten the better of me, Ding Yi, and they never will!"
As he spoke, he flicked the cape behind his back, and the thousands of followers immediately sprang into action. Di Tian had been established over a decade ago, founded right when the Grand Void Realm first opened. Over the years, under Ding Yi's leadership, its members had been active throughout every corner of the realm, having fought in countless battles both great and small — they had even held off several waves of beast tides. Now, with no need for further instruction from their leader, everyone knew their role. In an instant, thousands of people formed a tight encirclement, surrounding the short man in the center.
The short man's expression grew increasingly grim.
"Ding Yi, the Innate Tree stands right before us. If we could obtain the Innate Spirit Fruit, wouldn't the gains far exceed those from a single Sacred Medicine? Perhaps we could set our grudge aside until after we've competed for the Spirit Fruit?" the short man proposed.
Ding Yi pointed his greatsword at him: "There's an enemy right in front of me — you think I care about some Spirit Fruit or not? I'll give you a choice: do you want me to kill you in one swing, or do you want me to carve you up piece by piece?"
The short man shook his head with a sigh: "It seems there's no room for peace. What a pity — I didn't want to kill you lot. But since you're practically begging for death, I'll grant your wish."
With that, he flicked the Gourd Vine.
Seven small gourds hanging from the vine rolled off with a series of soft plops. In the blink of an eye, they transformed into seven little figures, each wearing a short green leaf tunic, barefoot, with a differently colored small gourd atop their head.
One gourd raised a hand to the sky and declared in a bright, clear voice: "I am the Eldest Brother!"
Another crouched and gathered his strength, calling out crisply: "I am the Second Brother!"
A third ambled over and shaded his eyes with one hand, mimicking a monkey gazing out at sea: "I am the Third Brother!"
The fourth stood with arms crossed, speaking in a deep voice: "I am the Fourth Brother!"
With two sharp whooshes, the fifth and sixth gourds leapt up and landed on the shoulders of the first four, each balancing on one foot.
"I am the Fifth Brother!"
"I am the Sixth Brother!"
The final gourd performed an aerial somersault and alighted above all the others, hands on his hips, laughing heartily: "And I am the Seventh Brother!"
The seven gourds declared in unison: "We are the Seven Gourd Brothers!"
Yang Kai stared, completely dumbfounded. Beside him, Xu Zhen's mouth twitched: "This Sacred Medicine is... rather amusing."
Pu Baixiong let out a derisive snort: "What a bunch of show-offs!"
Little Mushroom, on the other hand, had stars in her eyes. She pumped her fists and called out: "Gourd Brothers, be careful out there!"
The seven gourds turned to look at her, flashing mischievous grins.
Ding Yi's face darkened. He pointed his greatsword forward: "Kill that little thief — but don't harm the gourds!"
The moment his words fell, a storm of attacks descended upon the short man from every direction.