The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

At the Wanlong Mountain Boundary

"Activate the array! It's time to bring back the Seventh Princess and the others," Li Qing said softly, his voice carrying on the cold mountain wind as he stood at the peak.

Daoist Lu and the other two cultivators nodded, joining Li Qing to activate the teleportation array.

A pillar of radiant light shot into the sky.

Within the brilliance, three figures slowly emerged—it was Yun Yantian, Baili Moxue, and Yun Yanshuang.

"Seventh Princess, what happened to you?"

Seeing Baili Moxue's pale complexion and serious injuries, Li Qing and the others tensed with concern.

"It's my fault. I failed to protect her and caused her harm," Yun Yantian said with a self-reproachful tone.

"Li Immortal, it's not Yantian's fault. I acted on my own and suffered the consequences," Baili Moxue interjected hastily, fearing that Yun Yantian would shoulder the blame and incur the displeasure of the cultivators.

Noticing the bond between the Seventh Princess and Yun Yantian—their mutual care and regard—Li Qing and the others exchanged knowing smiles.

"Yantian, quickly take the Seventh Princess back to the Wanlong Palace. There will be healers to tend to her wounds," Li Qing instructed.

"Yes, Immortal Li. I will take her there immediately," Yun Yantian replied respectfully. Carrying Baili Moxue on his back and accompanied by Yun Yanshuang, he mounted a celestial crane and headed toward the palace.

"Yantian's cultivation has reached an extraordinary level," one of the cultivators remarked.

"Indeed. In the upcoming trials among the scions of the various clans, he might claim the top position. If that happens, the Emperor will have the perfect reason to bestow cultivation resources upon the Yun Clan, aiding their rise," Li Qing said with a faint smile, watching Yun Yantian's departing figure.

He couldn't help but anticipate Yun Yantian's performance in the trials to come.

After Li Qing and the others retrieved Yun Yantian's group from the mountain, other cultivators stationed at various peaks began activating their arrays to bring back the other scions.

Those who did not reappear were presumed dead within the mountain.

"Where is the Ninth Prince? Why hasn't he returned?"

"We don't know. We activated the array but couldn't sense his presence. We couldn't retrieve him," a court cultivator reported gravely.

"It seems likely that the Ninth Prince met with misfortune."

"And the North Palace Consort... what will we tell her?"

Fear spread among the cultivators responsible for the retrieval. They knew the North Palace Consort's wrath would be swift and unforgiving.

"Enough. I'll inform the North Palace Consort myself. The Ninth Prince insisted on venturing into the mountain alone. If he perished there, the blame cannot fall entirely on us," said a portly middle-aged cultivator with a sigh. With a flash of light, he disappeared into the distance.

At another teleportation array

"Brother Yuan, how are your injuries?"

In another part of the mountain, Wang Lilong and five surviving members of the Wang Clan hurriedly supported the bloodied and battered Wang Liyuan.

Wang Liyuan's chest bore a deep, gaping wound—a grievous injury inflicted by Lin Tiansheng in a desperate counterattack before his death.

Had it not been for a fortuitous treasure he discovered within the mountain, Wang Liyuan would have perished from that final strike.

"I'm holding on for now, but I won't be able to participate in the upcoming trials," Wang Liyuan said weakly, his pale face betraying his dire state.

As he spoke, he coughed violently, blood spilling from his lips.

"Hurry! Get Brother Yuan onto the celestial crane and back to the Wanlong Palace for treatment," Wang Lilong ordered anxiously.

The five surviving members of the Wang Clan quickly lifted Wang Liyuan onto the crane and began their flight to the palace.

"Those from the three great families are ruthless!"

"Especially Lin Tiansheng. Even in death, he managed to severely wound Yuan Brother with that strike," another clan member muttered angrily.

"And let's not forget Sister Lizhu. She fell to Lu Shanglin, along with many of our brothers and sisters who entered the mountain with us."

As they looked at the grievously wounded Wang Liyuan lying on the crane, Wang Lilong and the others couldn't suppress their anger.

Their hatred toward the three great families burned hot, fueled by the loss of their siblings and comrades during the deadly encounters in the mountain.

"One day, we'll settle this debt with the three great families. I swear I'll avenge Sister Lizhu and the others!" Wang Lilong vowed, his fists clenched tightly, his eyes blazing with fury.

"That Wang Liyuan... truly a man of immense fortune. He's remarkably hard to kill."

At another teleportation array, a disheveled and severely injured Ye Xiaolin stumbled out, accompanied by the only surviving Ye Clan member.

His cold, venomous gaze followed the celestial crane carrying Wang Liyuan, Wang Lilong, and the other Wang Clan survivors as it soared toward Wanlong Palace. His heart burned with hatred and a thirst for revenge.

They had believed that with the combined forces of the three great families, their numbers and strength would be more than enough to annihilate Wang Liyuan and the other Wang Clan members in the mountain.

Yet, Wang Liyuan had proven to be anything but simple. With formidable cultivation and exceptional talent, he also seemed blessed with extraordinary luck, managing to secure another fortune from within the mountain.

Even Lin Tiansheng's final, desperate sword strike—his most powerful attack—failed to claim Wang Liyuan's life outright.

"Still, even though we couldn't eliminate Wang Liyuan and the Wang Clan entirely, the deaths of Lin Tiansheng and several Lin Clan scions in the mountain are a benefit to our Ye Clan. At least one potential threat has been neutralized," remarked the surviving Ye Clan member, who was supporting Ye Xiaolin.

"You're right, cousin. While it's regrettable that Wang Liyuan survived, the Lin Clan's losses are certainly a consolation," Ye Xiaolin replied, his voice laced with cold satisfaction.

"Though I have to admit, Lu Shanglin is incredibly tenacious. All the other Lu Clan members perished, yet he managed to survive."

"Enough talk. Let's return to Wanlong Palace on the crane and tend to our injuries. Leaving these wounds untreated could lead to future trouble," Ye Xiaolin said as he boarded the waiting celestial crane with the help of his cousin.

"Wang Liyuan, I will kill you! I swear it!"

On another mountain peak, Lu Shanglin stood bloodied and battered, his roar of fury echoing across the desolate terrain. His body radiated a savage, murderous aura.

The thought of the three great families joining forces yet still failing to kill Wang Liyuan tormented him. Worse, all the Lu Clan scions who entered the mountain were dead—he was the sole survivor.

His heart was a storm of pain and hatred.

"I never imagined Wanlong Mountain would harbor so many beasts and malevolent spirits," another voice said grimly.

"Indeed. My Tongshan Xia Clan suffered several casualties. In the end, only I and Brother Changqing made it out alive," replied Xia Changqing, his robes in tatters and his body covered in blood.

Thinking back to the Xia Clan's ill-fated expedition into the mountain, Xia Changqing felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

Not only had they failed to cross paths with Yun Yantian and his siblings to eliminate them as planned, but they also hadn't obtained any significant fortunes.

It had been a fruitless and costly endeavor.

"There's still the upcoming trials among the clan scions. If Brother Changqing encounters Yun Yantian in the arena, there may yet be an opportunity to settle the score," his companion suggested.

"Exactly. I only hope Yun Yantian didn't meet his end at the hands of the mountain's many beasts and spirits. Otherwise, the upcoming trials will be far less satisfying," Xia Changqing said with a cold smile as he boarded his celestial crane, heading straight for Wanlong Palace.

Meanwhile, at various other mountain peaks, flashes of light from the teleportation arrays heralded the return of scions from the three great families and the seven clans.

The losses were staggering. Many scions had perished during the trials to claim fortunes, victims of beasts, malevolent spirits, or rival factions.

The Wang Clan, led by Wang Liyuan, emerged relatively unscathed compared to the others, despite their challenges.

As for the imperial princes and princesses who had ventured into the mountain, several had also fallen to its dangers. The few who survived managed to secure modest fortunes, offering some hope for their future cultivation.

This expedition into Wanlong Mountain for fortunes had become a tale of mixed fates—some left triumphant, while others mourned bitter losses.