Chapter 371: Convergence

"Heh."

Hearing Kong Yueling's admiration for Kong Nian, Su Yan actually laughed.

However, this laughter was filled with mockery, and even more so, with disdain.

The so-called "strongest" was nothing more than someone who had snatched away the power of others.

Ma Chulong, Ma Chulan, and Kong Yueling all looked toward her; it was the first time they had seen her show such a mocking expression toward Kong Nian.

Even when Kong Yueling used to frequently speak in sarcasm toward them, Su Yan had never acted quite like this.

Kong Yueling's face felt hot with embarrassment. Although she feared Su Yan, she still asked tremulously, "Wh-what are you laughing at?"

Did she look down on Kong Nian?

Su Yan glanced at her indifferently. "Then where is Kong Nian right now?"

Kong Yueling's heart trembled. If she knew, she wouldn't be following them around in circles.

"Exactly, strength isn't something you can just brag about. Kong Nian is so impressive, yet when the critical moment came, didn't she still rely on Su Yan to save everyone?" Ma Chulan was naturally happy to target the Kong family, sniping at them with full confidence.

Kong Yueling's chest heaved violently. She was not good at arguing to begin with, and now she was even more at a loss for words.

Su Yan had no intention of continuing to bicker with her and resumed her pace.

Ma Chulong and Ma Chulan followed closely behind.

Kong Yueling clenched her fists but still chose to follow.

*Bang!*

As the three were walking, a stumbling figure suddenly ran out from the forest.

He looked quite disheveled, though there were no bloodstains on his body.

"Senior Brother Gan!"

After recognizing the person, Kong Yueling became excited and rushed forward to meet him.

Gan Hua's hair was so messy it had lost its shape; his lingering sense of dread clearly indicated that he had experienced something terrifying within the illusion.

Upon seeing them, he was momentarily stunned, but once Kong Yueling reached him, he confirmed it wasn't a hallucination.

Kong Yueling hugged Gan Hua emotionally, unable to hold back her tears any longer.

"Senior Brother Gan, it's so good that you're okay! I thought I would never see you all again!"

The journey thus far had placed an immense psychological burden on Kong Yueling.

If even Gan Hua had met with misfortune, she felt she would have completely lost the hope of living.

Gan Hua finally managed to stabilize his breathing. "Junior Sister, I'm fine. Stop crying."

While comforting her, he looked toward Su Yan and the Ma siblings.

Knowing they were looking for others to regroup with, he did not choose to join them, but instead led Kong Yueling toward the gathering point.

His reasoning was simple: his relationship with the three was not very good to begin with, and if anything happened, he would only cause trouble for Su Yan.

With Gan Hua's company, Kong Yueling no longer insisted on traveling with them.

Su Yan stared at the retreating figures of the two for a long while before withdrawing her gaze.

"Su Yan, let's keep looking."

Ma Chulong urged her. The first glimmer of light had already appeared on the horizon, meaning they had been in the second trial for an entire night.

However, the good news was that most people seemed to have emerged from the illusion.

The three encountered Du Jinsong and Zhang Ximing in the forest again. In fact, the two had broken through the illusion long ago and were specifically searching the forest for other exorcists in need of help.

Du Jinsong also told them that Zhou Li and Zhou Chong had already come out.

Calculating that their numbers were nearly complete, the five of them traveled together back to the gathering point.

By the time they arrived, the sky had brightened completely.

Every face was etched with exhaustion.

Zhou Chong had already taken headcount. "Currently, only Kong Nian, Ruan Tao, and one other exorcist have not appeared."

Kong Yueling and Gan Hua's hearts tightened. It would be one thing if it were anyone else, but how could Kong Nian fail to break through the illusion? Or had she already broken through and simply hadn't regrouped with them yet?

"Did Miss Kong encounter difficulties and directly exit?"

Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted.

Since almost everyone had emerged, with only Kong Nian and Ruan Tao left, this seemed to be the only possibility.

"Impossible!" Kong Yueling retorted excitedly.

In her heart, someone as capable as Kong Nian had no reason to fail a trial.

As the crowd discussed the matter, Zhou Li provided the answer. "It truly is impossible. If someone uses a talisman to leave the Ancestral Land, we will know."

Kong Yueling and Gan Hua exchanged a glance, and both breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"Then what do we do now?"

As long as the trial had not ended, it meant there were definitely still people lost within the illusion.

Could they only sit and wait like this?

Just as everyone was about to lose patience, a flash of teleportation light suddenly erupted, followed by a figure vanishing from the Ancestral Land.

"Someone used a talisman!"

Aside from Kong Nian and Ruan Tao, there was one other person missing, so it was currently impossible to determine who had left the Ancestral Land.

At that moment, the scenery before everyone's eyes changed. It was no longer an endless forest, but an ordinary, unremarkable cemetery.

"This is... passing the trial?!" Zhou Li was overjoyed.

The disappearance of the illusion meant that everyone had successfully passed the second trial.

Hearing his words, everyone's expressions turned to excitement; all their fatigue and injuries seemed to vanish instantly.

Not far away, the figures of Kong Nian and Ruan Tao appeared in everyone's sight.

"It's Miss Kong and the others!"

Countless gazes fell upon the two.

Kong Xiang also noticed them, but he showed no sign of pleasant surprise. Instead, he immediately signaled Kong Nian to turn around, facing her back toward everyone.

Because there was a distance between them and Kong Nian was facing away, no one realized anything was amiss with her.

"Miss, wait here. I will go deal with them."

After lowering his voice, Kong Xiang strode toward the crowd.

He could only try his best to keep Kong Nian away from the crowd; only then could he delay the time it took for her to learn the truth.

Kong Nian knew that her current state was indeed unsuitable for appearing in public, so she stood in place, being uncharacteristically obedient.

Kong Xiang had already promised her that as long as they left this place and returned to the family immediately, the Clan Leader would surely have a way to help her obtain the energy in her eyes.

Kong Yueling and Gan Hua were a step faster than everyone else in greeting them.

"Ruan Tao, are you both alright?"

The two scrutinized Ruan Tao from head to toe. Seeing no signs of injury on him, their hanging hearts settled.

Zhou Li and Ma Chulong also approached, but their gazes passed directly through him to look at Kong Nian, who remained standing not far away.

"Senior Brother Ruan, why isn't Senior Sister Kong coming over?"

Zhou Li asked with an air of great concern.

Ruan Tao's expression was cold, showing no abnormality. "Miss sustained some injuries in the illusion and does not wish to be seen by too many people, so she is not coming over."

As he spoke, he glanced toward Su Yan, who stood on the other side, completely unharmed.

As expected, everything was within his predictions.

(End of Chapter)