341: Chapter 341 Familiar Faces!

"The Hidden Dragon Assembly has ended."

Qin Yan's voice came calmly, "We have safely returned to the Elf Clan's ancestral land. It's time to find our team and regroup."

Hearing this, Xue Ye's spirit was refreshed. He hurriedly struggled to sit up, his gaze eagerly scanning the surroundings.

When he saw the familiar architectural style of the ancestral land and felt the pure aura of the Elf Clan in the air, his tense heartstrings finally relaxed completely, and he let out a long sigh of relief.

Back alive... really back alive!

As for why he was with Qin Yan at this moment, it was not difficult to explain.

When Qin Yan killed the Black Ancient Tree, he was right beside him.

He just didn't understand why the other party had knocked him unconscious at the time, but he didn't have the courage to ask.

After witnessing Qin Yan's true strength, he had long since abandoned any thoughts of prying.

Xue Ye nodded and said, "Alright."

The open space was enormous, and people were flowing like a tide.

Each clan had a designated gathering area, and there were Elf Clan guards maintaining order, performing necessary identity verification and security checks.

Qin Yan and Xue Ye blended into the crowd. After passing through several checkpoints and showing their identity tokens to the duty Elf Clan officers, they were finally able to leave the open space and head to the temporary gathering place prepared for each participating team within the Elf Clan's territory.

Led by elf soldiers, the two passed through a forest path shrouded in faint mist and finally arrived at a relatively open forest clearing.

Many simple yet exquisite treehouses and tents had already been set up here.

Many geniuses of the Elf Clan who had returned earlier were resting and talking here.

Although the atmosphere was more relaxed than at the plaza, it was still permeated with the exhaustion and melancholy following a great battle.

Just as they stepped into this Elf Clan gathering area, a soft cry of surprise and concern came from the side:

"Qin Yan? Xue Ye?"

The two turned their heads and saw Lady-in-waiting Jian Lu walking quickly toward them.

She was still wearing a neat dark green Elven hunting outfit, which accentuated her tall and upright posture.

Her gaze quickly swept over Qin Yan and Xue Ye. Especially when she saw that although they looked a bit travel-worn, their breath was steady and there were no obvious signs of serious injury, a flash of relief crossed her eyes.

"Why are you two together?"

Jian Lu asked, her tone filled with confusion.

Qin Yan met Jian Lu's gaze with a calm expression and shook his head slightly, "It's a long story. The situation inside Ancient Yue was treacherous and ever-changing. We encountered some accidents, so we traveled together."

In a place like Canglin Ancient Peak, any bizarre encounter was not surprising.

Jian Lu was a smart person. Seeing that Qin Yan had no intention of elaborating, she stopped the topic at the right time and nodded, "It's good that you've returned safely."

"In Ancient Yue, being able to protect oneself is already no easy feat."

"Come, I'll take you to our gathering place to settle in first."

With that, she turned to lead the way.

Qin Yan and Xue Ye naturally followed.

The three then walked side by side toward the depths of the gathering place.

Along the way, Jian Lu briefly asked if the two had encountered any other team members in Ancient Yue.

As Xue Ye recounted their experiences inside Ancient Yue,

Jian Lu's voice gradually deepened, and sadness welled up in her eyes, "I didn't expect that Heavenly Dust and Xue Mian would actually sacrifice themselves."

Both were geniuses under Princess Anya's command, and both were future seeds for Grandmasters.

The death of even one was a significant loss!

Xue Ye's eyes dimmed.

He remembered that desperate ambush, the figure of Heavenly Dust doing his best to cover the retreat, and Xue Mian's severed head...

If the Black-Robed Person and the Black Ancient Tree hadn't appeared like divine soldiers descending from the heavens, he himself would probably have...

I wonder what happened to the Black-Robed Person?"

After he fainted, he didn't know what happened next.

At this thought, his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the steady-paced Qin Yan beside him, his eyes filled with an indescribable and complex awe.

He had seen the terrifying strength of that Black Ancient Tree with his own eyes.

And Qin Yan could actually "kill" such a monster head-on!

Just how terrifying was his strength?

Although Xue Ye's glance was brief, how could it escape Jian Lu's keen eyes?

Her heart stirred slightly, but she remained calm on the surface.

"It seems these two must have experienced something extraordinary together in Canglin Ancient Peak, perhaps even involving some major secrets or changes."

Jian Lu thought to herself.

However, Jian Lu knew well that now was not the best time to press for answers.

The two had just returned from a trial of life and death, exhausted in both body and mind, and needed time to rest and process everything.

She suppressed her questions for the moment, a gentle smile reappearing on her face as she changed the subject, "Let's not talk about this for now. The Princess will surely be very relieved that you've returned safely."

"Medicinal pills have been prepared at the gathering place. Go and regulate your breathing first to relieve your fatigue."

"Later on, the Princess might summon you."

While they spoke, they had already arrived at a relatively quiet small camp.

The fresh scent of vegetation permeated the air, causing one's mind and spirit to relax.

After bringing Qin Yan and Xue Ye to the gathering area, Jian Lu gave a few brief instructions and then hurried away.

The assembly had just ended. As the core lady-in-waiting, she had a mountain of tasks to handle.

From verifying the list of returnees to coordinating follow-up arrangements, every task was urgent.

Qin Yan stepped into the camp, his gaze habitually sweeping across the surroundings.

The camp was quite quiet, with only a few elven geniuses sitting in meditation to regulate their breathing or talking in low voices, most of them wearing complex expressions of fatigue and the relief of having survived a disaster.

However, not a single human figure was to be seen.

"It seems those who can return alive are, after all, a minority."

Qin Yan thought to himself.

Even as strong as he was, with many trump cards, he had experienced several life-and-death battles in such a perilous place as Canglin Ancient Peak.

For those geniuses with slightly lesser strength or poor luck, the crises they faced would only be more fatal.

The struggle of the martial path is tempered by blood and fire, a cruel process of sifting the sand to find the gold.

He shook his head slightly and stopped thinking about it.

It was still early; many geniuses had not yet arrived at the gathering place.

He then found a relatively secluded area with level ground.

With a flash of light in his hand, the long spear appeared.

"Whew—"

Exhaling a long breath of turbid air, Qin Yan's eyes became focused and sharp.

His body moved slightly, the spear following his movements as he began to practice his techniques, move by move.

The spear tip sliced through the air, letting out low but clear whistles, as if reminiscing and processing the insights accumulated during that life-and-death trial along with its master.

Time passed quietly as Qin Yan focused on his practice.

At the entrance of the camp, Jian Lu or other elven soldiers led new returnees in.

Familiar or slightly strange faces gradually appeared in Qin Yan's field of vision.

(I wanted to update one more chapter for you all, but I'm just too exhausted~ Wuwuwu!)