exile

Before everyone's eyes blurred, a middle-aged man suddenly appeared before them; no one had seen how he materialized.

"Greetings, Sect Leader."

Elder Sun was startled and hurriedly bowed in salute, and the other Disciples quickly followed suit.

All the new Disciples couldn't help but feel their hearts tremble; this person was the Sect Leader of the Xuantian Branch, that legendary peerless expert.

Long Chen's heart stirred as he looked at Ling Yunzi. What shocked Long Chen was that while Ling Yunzi was standing right there, his Soul energy was completely unable to capture his figure.

It was as if he were a non-existent phantom, and he couldn't even sense his cultivation level, as if he had already merged with the entire world.

"What terrifying cultivation."

Long Chen's heart quaked. Among all the experts he had seen, aside from that Life Tree God from the Spirit Realm, Ling Yunzi was the most powerful.

Ling Yunzi nodded, looked at Long Chen and the others, and smiled, "Doing this is meaningless. The rules of the Branch were established by the Old Ancestor; even I cannot change them."

"If you think you can use this to threaten the Branch, you are mistaken. Even if all of you were to withdraw, the rules of the Branch could not be changed."

Tang Waner and the others couldn't help but change color. If even the Sect Leader couldn't change it, then wasn't Long Chen's expulsion a certainty?

Long Chen turned his head and said to everyone beside him, "I appreciate your good intentions, but I, Long Chen, will bear the consequences of my own actions. It's no big deal."

"Besides, I'm not being slaughtered. Everyone doesn't need to be so sad; even if I'm not in the Xuantian Branch, I will still grow on my own."

"Long Chen…" Tang Waner said with a trembling voice.

Long Chen waved his hand, interrupting Tang Waner, and said, "Everyone is no longer a child. Don't act on impulse. You all came here with your own ideals and missions; don't throw a tantrum like a child."

Tang Waner couldn't help but burst into tears, sobbing softly. The others also felt terrible, but Long Chen's expulsion was already a foregone conclusion.

In the distance, Gu Yang and his group watched this side with cold sneers. Elder Sun couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief; if Long Chen wasn't expelled, his plan couldn't proceed.

Watching Long Chen, a glimmer of admiration flashed in Ling Yunzi's eyes as he spoke, "According to the Branch's rules, Long Chen, you have two paths you can take: one is to be expelled, and the other is to be exiled."

"Exiled?" Long Chen was stunned; he hadn't expected there to be another option.

"That's right. The Branch's rules favor the strong, so you still have a chance to remain in the Branch. It just depends on how you choose," said Ling Yunzi.

"I'm afraid this exile isn't that simple," Long Chen asked.

"Of course. The so-called exile involves banishing a Core Disciple who has violated the academy rules to the Chaotic Stone Wasteland, a hundred thousand miles away from the Branch."

"However, I must warn you that third-rank Demonic Beasts run rampant there, and you might even encounter fourth-rank Demonic Beasts," Ling Yunzi said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts couldn't help but race. Third-rank Demonic Beasts—wouldn't that be fatal? Among those of the same rank, how many people could fight a third-rank Demonic Beast?

Not to mention fourth-rank Demonic Beasts, which were terrifying existences comparable to Bone Forging Realm Elders. Choosing exile—wasn't that just seeking one's own death?

If expelled, at least one would still be alive. Being exiled there meant there was absolutely no path to survival.

"Has anyone chosen exile before?" Long Chen asked after a moment of hesitation.

"Yes. Since the establishment of the Branch, a total of 173 people have chosen exile," said Ling Yunzi.

"How many succeeded?" This was what Long Chen cared about more.

"Regrettably, not one," said Ling Yunzi.

"What?"

People around Long Chen let out an exclamation. Over the thousands of years, more than a hundred Core Disciples had chosen exile, and not a single one had returned alive. This wasn't just a nine-deaths-and-one-life situation; it was a hundred-deaths-and-no-life situation.

"Long Chen, don't choose it! That is a path to death!" Tang Waner cried out.

Long Chen smiled slightly and comforted her, "Don't be afraid."

Turning his head, he bowed to Ling Yunzi and said, "Thank you, Sect Leader. This Disciple chooses exile."

Everyone was stunned. Was this Long Chen a madman? He was actually choosing to walk such an obvious path to death.

However, recalling Long Chen's actions since arriving at the Branch, they all realized that Long Chen had never seemed normal.

Fighting in a restricted martial arts zone, slapping an enforcer, confronting a Tendon Transformation Realm Senior Brother, pointing at an Elder's nose and cursing—which of these things was something a normal person could do?

"Hahaha, good. Go back and prepare. Three days later, you will be exiled to the Chaotic Stone Wasteland."

Ling Yunzi laughed heartily, then suddenly moved, disappearing before everyone's eyes just like when he arrived; no one noticed how he vanished.

After Ling Yunzi left, Elder Sun began announcing the rankings. Gu Yang's force was originally in second place, but after seizing the flags from Long Chen's side, they immediately soared to first place.

And the second and third places went to Lei Qianshang and Qi Xin's forces respectively; the two of them had split the flags from Ye Zhiqiu's side.

As for fourth place, it was an expert who had undergone an Awakening of Ancestral Runes, named Guan Wennan, whose strength was extremely powerful.

As for the flags of other forces, they were pitifully few; basically, they were all in the single digits.

For forces with an equal number of flags, they were ranked according to the integrity of their team—that is, the number of people who could still stand—to determine the order.

As for Tang Waner and Ye Zhiqiu's forces, they didn't have a single flag, so naturally, they were tied for last place; who was stronger or weaker no longer mattered.

After announcing the results, a large group of Medical Hall Disciples immediately swarmed onto the field and began treating everyone.

Long Chen could even recognize many familiar faces.

"Eh, isn't this that kind big brother? You're so heavily injured; we're here to help you."

A young girl suddenly saw Guo Ran, hurriedly walked to his side, and began setting his bones and treating his wounds.

At the same time, several other young girls beside her also hurriedly fed Guo Ran medicine, while circulating their own Spiritual Qi to help him treat his injuries and alleviate his pain.

Those young girls all possessed a trace of Wood energy, and with their enthusiastic help, the pain in Guo Ran's body was reduced significantly.

"Thank you all," Guo Ran said gratefully.

"No need to thank us. If anything, we should be thanking you. Last time, if it weren't for you and that other big brother coordinating, we would have been sent back. I didn't expect to have the chance to treat your injuries; I'm really so happy," a young girl said with an excited face.

Guo Ran had a bitter smile on his face, and with a trace of bitterness in his heart, he said, "I'm afraid you all will be happy quite often in the future."

Those young girls obviously didn't understand what Guo Ran meant. After setting his bones, they used Spiritual Qi to help him treat his wounds, and his bones had already begun to knit together slightly.

They urged Guo Ran not to exert too much force, saying that after three days, it wouldn't be a major issue, and he could fully recover in about ten days.

It had to be said that even though these girls were all little newbies, the Spiritual Qi within their bodies was extremely effective for healing, and the recovery speed was very fast.

Looking at the wounded covering the ground, the eyes of this group of girls were full of excitement, which was chilling to behold. Everyone understood now: they were using their injuries as test subjects for them.

However, it had to be said that this was a mutually beneficial way of cooperation; they could fight fiercely without worry, unafraid of getting injured.

And that group of girls could accumulate more experience by treating everyone, significantly improving their medical knowledge and abilities.

"Brother Long Chen, let me examine you," a young girl walked timidly to Long Chen's side and said softly.

That young girl was very shy, with big eyes. Long Chen had an impression of her; back when Long Chen was tricked by Guo Ran into being a test subject for them, his arm had almost been pricked into a honeycomb.

This girl had the biggest contribution; most of those honeycomb holes were her handiwork. At the time, she had been nervous to death and had cried several times, but Long Chen had kept smiling and encouraging her, allowing her to persevere when she had originally wanted to give up.

Long Chen smiled slightly and was just about to refuse when a cold laugh suddenly came: "A person who is about to die, what do they need an examination for? Are you bored and have nothing better to do?"

I don't know when it happened, but Lu Chuan had walked over, looking at Long Chen with a disdainful expression; the words just now were spoken by him.

The young girl couldn't help but be both shocked and angry: "Brother Long Chen will be fine. Senior Brother Lu Chuan, don't talk nonsense."

"Hmph, what a joke. The Chaotic Stone Wasteland is known as the grave of the exiled. For such a long time, not a single person has ever come out alive. He is already half a dead man now. Don't waste your time on this dead man; I order you to go treat someone else," Lu Chuan snorted coldly and reprimanded.

He was the leader of this medical team. These new Disciples were all under his management, and he had the authority to order these people.

"You… you're talking nonsense. Brother Long Chen is a good person, and he will come back alive," the girl's eyes turned red, and tears streamed down, but she had a stubborn face and simply refused to leave.

"Audacious! You actually dare to disobey orders? Do you believe I'll kick you out of the team?" Lu Chuan was furious, not expecting that she, who was always timid, would actually dare to oppose him.

Long Chen stepped forward, looked at Lu Chuan, and said, "It seems you've forgotten the pain once the scar has healed. Do you believe that at this distance, chopping off your head would be as easy as flipping my hand?"

Lu Chuan was greatly alarmed and couldn't help but step back. If anyone else had spoken to him like that, he would have scoffed.

But the person opposite him was Long Chen. In this world, there didn't seem to be anything Long Chen didn't dare to do; with his personality, he could do anything.

Now, being stared at by Long Chen, he felt his hair stand on end, and a cold wind blew against his neck, as if a sharp blade were resting on it; his heart was filled with terror.

"Do you believe that after I kill you, there won't be any punishment? It would still just be a trip to the land of exile," Long Chen said, looking at Lu Chuan coldly.

"Gulp."

Being stared at by Long Chen, Lu Chuan felt as if he were being gazed at by the God of Death. Sweat involuntarily streamed down his forehead, and his face turned as pale as paper; he was truly afraid.

"Unless I die, if I come back alive and hear that you intentionally made things difficult for this little sister, I will chop off your head and use it as a stool to sit on."

After Long Chen finished speaking, he turned his head to the young girl and said softly, "I'm fine and don't need treatment. Study hard. I believe you will become an outstanding medical expert."

After speaking, Long Chen couldn't even be bothered to glance at Lu Chuan and left with Tang Waner and the others. After returning to the Immortal Cave, Long Chen said to Tang Waner:

"These three days are extremely precious. I will write down some medicinal ingredients for you; you and Zhiqiu should exchange all your points for these medicinal ingredients."

Hearing Long Chen's words, Tang Waner went to find Ye Zhiqiu, because her own points were not enough to buy those medicinal ingredients.