Elder Xiang Qian was momentarily taken aback, then slapped his thigh. "Brother Yun Nie is more perceptive than I — I nearly missed such a loophole! Everyone, do a headcount and report anyone from your sect who hasn't shown up. This is no small matter. We cannot afford the slightest gap in our ranks!"
Elder Xiang Qian was a man of strong principles. Once Elder Yun Nie brought it to his attention, he immediately issued the order.
Jiang Chen felt a measure of relief upon seeing Elder Xiang Qian take the matter seriously. He had already done what he could — raised the alarm and made the reminder.
As for the Three Star Sect's collusion with a colossus like the Nine Sun Heaven Sect, that was far beyond what he, Jiang Chen, could undo single-handedly. He could only take it one step at a time.
He would bide his time, watch the situation, and seize the right moment to expose the Three Star Sect.
Jiang Chen quietly observed the reactions of the Three Star Sect delegation. Sure enough, after Elder Yun Nie's words, a barely perceptible shadow flickered across the brows of both Three Star Sect elders. Zhu Feiyang, in turn, let his brow crease ever so slightly.
Mei Ruoxi, however, gave a gentle nod, clearly in full agreement with Elder Yun Nie's proposal.
"It seems Mei Ruoxi is kept in the dark — her rank isn't high enough for that." From the varied reactions within the Three Star Sect, Jiang Chen could more or less piece together the situation.
Zhu Feiyang, on the other hand, absolutely knew the truth.
It didn't take long before a headcount of the absent was tallied.
The Three Star Sect had two missing. The Beiming Sect had one. The Holy Sword Palace and the Xiaoyao Sect each had one.
"I don't care what methods you use — contact them immediately! If you can't reach them, you'll have no choice but to swear the Heaven and Earth Oath again. The absent parties must be included. There will be no loopholes to exploit. This isn't directed at any one of you — it's for the greater good of the Myriad Spirit Region."
Elder Xiang Qian's words were perfectly reasonable.
Elder Wuqi of the Xiaoyao Sect spoke up: "The other elder from our sect will be arriving shortly."
"Our Beiming Sect has one disciple who hasn't shown, and we can't reach him. He may have perished. However, we can take the oath again. Whether he lives or dies, he will be included in the oath."
The Holy Sword Palace side also said the person they'd sent word to would arrive shortly.
Only the Three Star Sect remained silent.
"Elder Tanlang, what does your Three Star Sect have to say?" Elder Xiang Qian asked with a faint smile.
Elder Tanlang, who led the Three Star Sect's delegation, was wracked with internal conflict but could only accept reality: "The other elder from our sect will arrive any moment now. There is also one disciple, Ding Tong, whom we've been unable to contact for the time being."
Elder Xiang Qian nodded. "Then there's no choice but to reaffirm your oaths to the heavens."
Elder Tanlang felt a surge of frustration, though his expression remained calm as he offered a faint smile. "That is only proper."
About an hour later, the others began to arrive one after another. Besides the one disciple missing from the Beiming Sect, only Ding Tong from the Three Star Sect had yet to appear.
The other thirty-eight individuals had all assembled.
Moreover, these thirty-eight people were exclusively members of the six fourth-grade sects.
"Good. Now two are still missing. You will all take your oaths anew," Elder Xiang Qian declared impartially, not allowing any ambiguity from them.
Finally, under Elder Xiang Qian's supervision, all the oaths were completed.
Elder Tanlang of the Three Star Sect was filled with nothing but sullen frustration. Not only had the loophole been plugged, but more critically, where in the world had Ding Tong gone?
Not just Elder Tanlang, even Zhu Feiyang found it strange. Someone of Ding Tong's caliber, entering the Illusory Wave Mountains, could meet with some sort of accident?
However, neither Elder Tanlang nor Zhu Feiyang had the slightest idea that after entering the Illusory Wave Mountains, Ding Tong had done nothing else and gone directly to seek out Jiang Chen.
Ding Tong was an arrogant person by nature and looked down on geniuses like Zhu Feiyang. Therefore, he hadn't shared many things with the people from the Three Star Sect.
For instance, the fact that he was acting on orders from his third senior brother, Yong Xingyun, to kill Jiang Chen.
Naturally, Ding Tong would never deign to reveal something like that.
It was precisely because of this that when Ding Tong went missing, neither Elder Tanlang nor Zhu Feiyang and the others even considered that it might have something to do with Jiang Chen.
Setting aside whether they knew about the matter, even if they did, they would hardly believe that someone as powerful as Ding Tong could have been killed by Jiang Chen.
After Elder Xiang Qian verified everyone's Heaven and Earth oath and confirmed it was accurate, he spoke again.
"Today is the twelfth day. We only have eight days left before the Illusory Wave Mountain's formation closes. Time waits for no one. Now, I would like to seek everyone's opinion. Should we wait for the third group to enter before exploring this ancient medicine garden, or should we go in first?"
"Go in first, go in first. Time is precious. If we wait for the third batch, there will only be five days left. Wasting three whole days just waiting for them isn't worth it."
"Exactly, we must go in first. Think of how many good things we can find in three days!"
There was no need for discussion on a matter like this; everyone advocated going in immediately.
Elder Xiang Qian swept his gaze around the group and smiled. "It seems everyone's thinking is more or less the same. But if we go in first, how should we arrange things for the people who come in after us?"
"Whatever happens, happens — we can't just wait."
"Right, we can't miss this opportunity. How about we leave a few people behind to wait for them?"
"Hmm, leaving a few people behind is certainly feasible."
Elder Xiang Qian smiled faintly. "Who's willing to stay behind?"
The moment this question was posed, everyone suddenly went deaf and dumb, pretending not to have heard a single word.
Who would be willing to stay behind? Facing an ancient medicine garden, no one wanted to be the one left behind. And having anyone stay behind would be unfair.