"Enemy attack?!"
"Alert!!"
The camp exploded into chaos in an instant!
The exhausted cultivators snapped into action like startled birds, grabbing their weapons as spiritual energy fluctuations spiraled out of control.
The heavily wounded Jiang Che struggled to sit up, while Chen Xingcai immediately positioned herself protectively in front of him and Hong Longxiang, her beautiful eyes filled with grave concern.
After experiencing the betrayal and crushing defeat at Wangzhou City, even the slightest disturbance was enough to keep their nerves on edge.
However, Xiao Chen and Han Yu, standing at the very front, revealed completely different expressions after their initial instinctive wariness faded.
Xiao Chen's brow furrowed slightly, but his eyes held no pure hostility—instead, there was a trace of disbelief and searching.
On Han Yu's face, his hawk-sharp gaze locked onto the moving firelight, and deep within those icy eyes, an incredibly faint ripple actually surfaced.
The aura carried by that firelight... was not the domineering, bloodthirsty killing intent of the Holy Dynasty's army.
Nor was it the savage fury of the marsh's vicious beasts. It was something... faintly unfamiliar, yet carrying a sense of familiarity that originated from the very depths of the soul!
This familiarity was not the casual closeness of daily companionship. It was a resonance of shared origins and blood ties! Like a wanderer of many years suddenly hearing the dialect of their hometown!
"This aura..." Xiao Chen murmured, his voice carrying a tremor of uncertainty.
"It's them..." Han Yu's voice remained cold, but the certainty in it sent a shudder through Xiao Chen's entire body.
Under the watchful eyes of hundreds of tense, doubtful gazes, the firelight drew closer and closer, finally piercing through the outermost layer of mist to reveal its true form.
It was a group of about twenty to thirty people. Their clothing was not uniform, even somewhat plain, bearing the marks of a long and arduous journey. Yet every one of them had sharp, spirited eyes and steady auras, moving with obvious coordination—clearly an elite force.
The two at the forefront made Xiao Chen and Han Yu's pupils dilate, their faces instantly illuminated by immense joy!
On the left was a man with a vigorous, panther-like build, a strangely shaped curved saber at his waist, his face bearing the resolute strength of one who had weathered many storms—it was Li Hanzhou!
On the right was a woman, tall and valiant, a long sword strapped to her back. Her features held both the refined beauty of a woman and a heroic spirit that rivaled any man—who else could it be but Lu Xiaoluo!
"Hanzhou! Xiaoluo!" Xiao Chen could no longer contain his excitement, rushing forward in great strides.
Han Yu didn't move, but his tightly clenched fists loosened slightly, and the icy chill around him dissipated considerably as his gaze closely followed those two familiar figures.
"Senior Brother Xiao! Senior Brother Han!"
"It's really you!"
Lu Xiaoluo and Li Hanzhou were also filled with excitement and disbelief, hurrying forward to meet them.
Four hands gripped tightly together, a thousand words stuck in their chests, yet unable to find where to begin.
Surviving catastrophe and encountering old friends in a foreign land—the emotional impact was enough to move even the hardest of men.
Seeing this, the others in the camp also let out a collective breath of relief, lowering their weapons as curiosity and hope appeared on their faces.
Chen Xingcai brought Jiang Che and Hong Longxiang over as well, the joy of reunion temporarily easing the gloom that had hung over them for days.
After catching up, everyone sat down around the bonfire.
Lu Xiaoluo looked at the exhaustion and wounds on Xiao Chen and the others' faces, asking with heartfelt concern: "Senior Brother Xiao, you... we've heard some rumors about the situation in the Central Plains, but what really happened?"
"And Junior Sister Ji..."
At the mention of Ji Lingxiu, the atmosphere instantly turned heavy again.
Xiao Chen took a deep breath and briefly recounted the fall of Wangzhou City, Ye Fan's betrayal, and Ji Lingxiu's capture.
Hearing this, Lu Xiaoluo and Li Hanzhou were both consumed with fury, gnashing their teeth in rage.
"Ye Fan! That beast!" Li Hanzhou slammed his fist into the ground, leaving a shallow crater.
"We came back too late..." Lu Xiaoluo's eyes grew red, filled with self-reproach.
"We'll discuss this later."
Xiao Chen waved his hand, then asked with genuine concern: "What about you two? How have you survived these past dozen years?"
"And how did you end up deep in the Cloud Dream Marsh?"
Li Hanzhou steadied his emotions and began recounting their experiences: "Junior Sister Xiaoluo and I were fortunate—our reincarnation sites were both in this southern region."
"When the great calamity descended and the Black Turtle unleashed disaster upon the world, chaos reigned everywhere. People were fleeing in all directions, and who had the luxury to care about 'disaster stars' or not?"
"Surviving was already an achievement. We encountered each other while fleeing and confirmed each other's identities."
He paused, a look of reminiscence and gratitude in his eyes: "Later, we met a senior. A female cultivator of the Longevity Realm, always veiled in white gauze, her face hidden."
"She claimed to have old ties with our sect, or perhaps... a karmic connection with us. She found us while we were wandering, not only guiding our cultivation but also sheltering us for a long time."
Lu Xiaoluo took up the narrative, her voice clear and resolute: "That senior was very mysterious. After teaching us for several years, she departed as gracefully as she'd come, leaving behind only some resources and techniques."
"But we remembered her kindness, and we remembered our mission. When news of the Holy Dynasty's uprising spread, I discussed with Senior Brother Li—the Central Plains is the heart of the world, so if our fellow disciples were reincarnated, they would likely gather there."
"We wanted to head north to find you, but at the time our strength was meager and the southern situation was complicated. Rushing north would have been suicide."
Li Hanzhou nodded: "So we decided to first establish a foothold in this Cloud Dream Marsh, a place everyone considered barren wasteland."
"Using the resources left by that senior and our own efforts, we cultivated while secretly gathering cultivators and refugees who had nowhere to go under the Holy Dynasty's oppression, building our foundation step by step."
"Over these dozen-plus years, I wouldn't say we've achieved anything grand, but we've at least carved out a foothold in this treacherous land. Though it's far from comparable to the Holy Dynasty, at least... it allows us to keep resisting, to serve as a base, waiting for news of you all."
Listening to their account, Xiao Chen and the others were overwhelmed with emotion. They had fought bloody battles in the Central Plains, nearly reaching the depths of despair, never imagining that in this southern wasteland, their fellow disciples had been holding the line in their own way, carving out a retreat for them.
"You've worked so hard!" Xiao Chen heavily patted Li Hanzhou and Lu Xiaoluo's shoulders, saying everything without another word.
"The senior brothers and sisters have worked harder."
Lu Xiaoluo broke into a smile, rising to her feet. "Come, let's take you home!"
Home? That word warmed the hearts of those who had been displaced for so long.
Under Lu Xiaoluo and Li Hanzhou's guidance, the group set off once more, venturing deeper into the Cloud Dream Marsh. They were clearly intimately familiar with this place, navigating through toxic miasma and illusion arrays as effortlessly as walking on flat ground.
After traveling for roughly half a day, they passed through a naturally formed, extremely concealed mist-shrouded canyon, and suddenly—the view opened up before them!
Nestled within the embrace of surrounding mountains lay a vast, expansive valley.
The valley brimmed with spiritual energy, far surpassing the outside world. Streams babbled gently, exotic flowers and rare herbs carpeted the ground, and pavilions and towers were built along the mountainsides. Though not luxurious, everything was orderly and organized, radiating an unmistakable vitality.
Many cultivators walked and trained within, and upon seeing Lu Xiaoluo and Li Hanzhou return, they all bowed respectfully, casting curious glances at Xiao Chen's group of "newcomers."
What struck everyone most deeply was the massive stone stele at the valley entrance, upon which three powerful, vigorous characters were carved in sweeping, dragon-flight calligraphy—
Immortal Spirit Valley!
Seeing this name, so achingly familiar, Xiao Chen, Han Yu, Chen Xingcai, and even the wounded Jiang Che and Hong Longxiang were all stunned into silence.
Their taut nerves, stretched to the breaking point for so long, finally and completely relaxed in this moment. It was like a ship that had drifted for ages finally finding a harbor to anchor in. Here, there were fellow disciples, a foundation, and hope.
That night, Immortal Spirit Valley held a grand welcome ceremony.
Bonfires roared as the valley's reserves of spiritual wine and spirit fruits were brought out. The joy of reunion after long separation temporarily dispelled the gloom of losing the Central Plains and the scattering of their fellow disciples.
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