“Whoosh!”

The insane amount of energy dispersed, and the blinding white light disappeared, leaving only clouds of dust twirling in the air.

“Spurt!”

Wang Bugui flew out backward from the dust and he could feel the taste of iron in his throat as he kept coughing up blood. His body was broken and covered with terrible wounds. The bones in his arms and calves had been wrung into bits by the insane energy shockwave.

He then gritted his teeth and channeled the Whole after Thousand Disasters technique to heal his wounds. He was still in Eight Limits Universal Order form, which had temporarily increased his power to the Sage Realm. As a result, it took just a few minutes half of his entire body to revert back to its original state.

“Oh? You managed to absorb an attack at my maximum strength. That’s no small matter,” the ancient dragon muttered before unleashing another beam of power. He wanted to uncover the secret behind Wang Bugui’s robustness.

“Spear of 100 Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix!”

“World Devouring Strike!”

Zhao Changge and Lyu Hao could be seen charging decisively back toward their friend, and the former’s silver spear gave out a chilly glint, while the latter’s halberd swept forward with immense momentum. Both of them unleashed all of their power and infused all of their Tao skills into their attacks as they appeared before the beam of power instantly.

There was a loud boom, and the ability of the Big Capables was completely displayed. The silver and scarlet dragons manifested from the weapons of Zhao Changge and Lyu Hao were instantly shattered, but fortunately this beam of power was not as powerful as the strike from the dragon’s claw just now.

The beam of power was also smashed into pieces, and the intense shockwave created by the explosion knocked the three youth away. Zhao Changge and Lyu Hao each grabbed onto one side of Wang Bugui and used the momentum of the blast to retreat. The ancient dragon grew angry again and released his aura once more to knock them unconscious, but the youths were too far away from him this time, and it disintegrated the instant it drew near to them.

“Sheesh!” The dragon muttered subconsciously and drew in a cold breath of air after noticing the pendant on Wang Bugui’s neck that was glowing with a blue light.

By this time, Wang Bugui and his friends were already knocked back to the entrance of the cave. Yu Wude hurriedly drew a few talismanic words in the air and a crack appeared the space around them. All four of them dashed out almost instantly as the gates opened.

“That pendant…what big event is going to happen during this era?” The ancient dragon muttered to himself as he gazed in the direction the youth had disappeared in.

“Buzz…”

Outside the Dragon Trapping Well, a gateway of light opened and shut, and four figures shot out of it. They took in huge gulps of air after exiting the well, and they had never desired clean air so much. They then gave out huge sighs of relief after ascertaining that they were truly out of the dungeon.

The ancient dragon in the Dragon Trapping Well was truly terrifying; it had nearly killed all four of them with just a few moves. If it were not trapped and immobile, the four youth would most likely have been dead by now.

“I, I say… that old dragon is indeed powerful; it managed to survive till now. It nearly killed me, and I think I lost 100 grams of weight from running just now,” said Yu Wude while he panted. Anyway, he was the person who ran the fastest just now.

“Enough, how dare you say that you were unharmed? If it weren’t for Brother Bugui buying us some time, we would have ended up in the dragon’s stomach long ago!” Zhao Changge said as he sat down and exhaled deeply. The amount of cold sweat that he produced was enough to soak a few shirts, and shivered uncontrollably as he thought about their close shave.

“Yeah, if it weren’t for Wang Bugui, you wouldn’t have been able to slice the space open and bring us out of the well,” Lyu Hao added. He was extremely brave, but even his behind was trembling now. If he had not supported himself on his double-bladed halberd, he would have collapsed onto his knees.

“Tsk, to think you guys would blame me even after I led you guys out of that well. You people are really… forget it. Someone as elegant as me should not bother myself with ignorant people like you,” Yu Wude retorted. He was truly thick-skinned, and he lay upon the ground to rest without a care about what the others thought. Wang Bugui gazed at the Dragon Trapping Well from the other corner, as if deep in thought, but he came to his senses after a short while.

“Was that a Greater Power we just encountered? Even though it was near death and chained up, the pressure it created was unbearable for us young practitioners. It’s really strong, but I’ll be even more powerful than that in future!” Wang Bugui proclaimed. His body was trembling slightly; after all, he had just had a frightening experience, but he wanted to show his friends that he had not conceded defeat.

He then sat down on the ground as well. His healing was still not complete, and most of his body was still covered with bloody wounds. He channeled his Whole after Thousand Disasters technique again, and all of wounds could be seen to heal quickly. Zhao Changge and Lyu Hao still sat cross-legged on the ground and began meditating to recharge their aura and heal their internal injuries.

After 10 minutes, the pale faces of all four youth regained some color, and all of their wounds were healed. Wang Bugui opened his eyes slowly and asked his friends if they had completely recovered.

The other three nodded. “Brother Bugui, I never expected that you would be a disciple of the Palace of Human Emperors. You’ve concealed your talent really well!” Zhao Changge said.

After hearing him, the other two youths crowded around Wang Bugui as well. They were extremely interested about his identity.

“Right, Brother Bugui; you claimed that you were a liberal cultivator. If the disciples of the Palace of Human Emperors are liberal cultivators, then what are we?” Lyu Hao added as he nudged Wang Bugui on the shoulder.

“I knew there was something odd about you the moment you claimed to be a liberal cultivator, but I never thought that you would be trying to keep such a low profile! Oh, right- are you trying to surprise everyone during the Gathering of Practitioners?” Yu Wude asked while giving a bright toothy grin. Those that did not know him would think of him as a lovable, chubby person; his small round face was that affable.

Wang Bugui did not know how to reply his friends; originally, he wanted to keep his true identity under wraps but ended up blurting it out in a moment of excitement. He laughed softly before shaking his head and replying. “Actually, I wanted to give everyone at the Gathering of Practitioners a surprise and create a grand atmosphere when I announced the return of the Palace of Human Emperors.”

“Oh! You’re very thoughtful, Brother Bugui. I also want to see how shocked our old seniors will be when they receive the news. Many sects feel that their representatives can win the competition and have started preparations a long time ago. I can’t help but feel excited when I imagine how they’d feel when you spoil their party!” Yu Wude said with a chuckle.

“Right, I’ve also heard that all the different schools of Tao have found talented representatives for themselves this time. They’ve allocated most their resources to train them, and there are many who are stronger than us,” Zha Changge said.

“Right, it’s said that one of the two geniuses in the Sect of the Nine Heavens is about to achieve sainthood! The Buddhists are also very outstanding every time, and I don’t know what genius they’ll produce during the gathering,” Lyu Hao said as he frowned.

“You guys left out some sects like the swordsmen of Shushan and the Palace of Hundred Flowers; they can also have outstanding performances from time to time. They are very good at concealing their true potential until the very last minute, where they’ll seize the grand prize for themselves. Let’s not forget the Crazy Saber, Unfettered, Lingwu and Zhenyang Sects, who manage to achieve a mid-table ranking every meet. They can also produce some upsets,” Yu Wude added while waving his hands animatedly.

“Looks like the culture of cultivation amongst us Chinese descendants is pretty solid. When I was living in the West, they had only three major factions left, and perhaps only two of them have survived,” Wang Bugui lamented. A strange look flashed in his eyes when he spoke of the three major Western sects.

“You’ve even been to the West?” Zhao Changge exclaimed, his mouth already formed into an O-shape by now.

“My mother was a Westerner, and I was born in the West,” Wang Bugui replied.

Lyu Hao and Yu Wude’s expressions became exactly like Zhao Changge when they heard that. They had never expected that Wang Bugui was born in the West, but upon close examination of their friend’s face, they realized that his handsome oriental features were enhanced by protruding bones before his eyes and deep eye sockets. His abstruse looking eyes contained a mysterious devilishness, and his rigid nose structure was typical of Westerners.

Only his hair and eye color were still jet black, and his friends realized that he did indeed bear the unique features of a person with mixed blood after looking him over carefully as if he were the national treasure. If he had not pointed out his race and birthplace, the others would have never noticed these features.

Zhao Changge clicked his tongue as he spoke. “This is really great; I’ve never met any foreigner in my entire life. I’ve trained in the Pure Land since a young age, and my Master did not even allow me to leave the mountain aside from training.”

“I agree,” Lyu Hao nodded and replied.

“Hehe, then I’m better off than both of you; at least I left my own province,” Yu Wude said, trying to mock his companions.

Wang Bugui nodded as he heard his friends. “Indeed, after stepping onto the path of cultivation, I’ve rarely left the Pure Land,” he said.

“Oh, right, Brother Bugui, since you’re so strong, why don’t you travel with us and become our leader? Don’t you think it’ll be a great idea to bring us back to the Yuxu Pure Land for some fun?” Yu Wude suddenly asked as he grinned widely. Unexpectedly, Zhao Changge and Lyu Hao did not stop him nor make fun of him.

Zhao Changge thought about it before cupping one fist with his other hand and shaking it up and down in Wang Bugui’s direction. “I’ll never forget that you saved my life back at the Dragon Trapping Well! I’m of the same thought as Yu Wude, and you’re my Big Brother from now on!”

“Right, Brother Bugui. Back at the well, you turned back without hesitation to buy us some time to flee, even when all of our lives were threatened. At first, I felt that you were a very good friend, but now I’m willing to become your sworn brother. I also agree that you should become our Big Brother!” Lyu Hao said solemnly as he greeted Wang Bugui in the same way.

Yu Wude looked at the expressions of his friends and knew that they were not joking. He remained silent for a while before saying, “Er, since you guys have already made up your mind… sigh, alright. I’ll follow suit and recognize Brother Bugui as our leader too!”

He then turned around and cupped his hands as a form of greeting to Wang Bugui. “I’ve witnessed your power and virtue first hand, and you’ve met me for less than a day but are already willing to put your life on the line and face danger on our behalf. I’m convinced about your strength and character!”

“This… brothers…” Wang Bugui stuttered as he looked at his three friends. From their facial expressions, he could see that they were not trying to trick him, but he felt as if he was dreaming. How else could he gain three devoted brothers in a day? After all, he had never heard the word ‘brother’ ever since he lost his family.

He could not help but feel a little emotional, and his eyes turned wet. For the past decade, he longed for brotherhood and to feel a family close by him again. He had never got to experience that even in his dreams, however. All he got was the scene after scene of violence and sorrow.

“Alright! Since you guys trust me so much, I’ll be your leader. However, I hope that there’s true brotherly love amongst us, and that we will be able to share our joys and troubles together. I lost my family in the West, and I’ll treat you guys as my new family!”

He said in a solemn tone after a long while. Zhao Changge and the other two were all smiles upon hearing his reply. Lyu Hao then took out some wine, and all four of them drank and swore to be brothers. They did not follow the cliched practice of pledging to die on the same day as each other, however.

Their pledge was simple. They swore to remain devoted to their brotherhood throughout their lives, and that if anyone was in trouble, the others would rush over to help him, no matter how far or whatever condition they were in. They also vowed to share their fortunes with each other, and that they would rather destroy anything that they could not share, no matter how amazing that thing was. If they could not reach a decision on important matters, their leader would decide on behalf of them. Finally, they swore to remain as a true family unit no matter what happened.

They then dripped their own blood into wine and swore to the Heavens. The deities above would be their witness, and as practitioners had to follow heavenly law, they would be deemed as unworthy by the divine if they went back on their word. Vows were like the lives of the practitioners, and going against them was the same as denying one’s own existence; it would lead to death and loss of one’s power in Tao.

After they finished speaking their vows, a ray of gold light shot out of their foreheads into the skies and disappeared in the clouds. It meant that the Heavens had acknowledged their vow, and they had to abide by them for the rest of their lives!