Yang Chan hadn’t expected the forces from White Jade City to be so rampant. After attacking last night, they were striking again tonight. He was certain because he recognized many of the familiar auras.

Unlike yesterday, when they were more restrained, today they were revealing themselves directly. This was because their auras would be exposed the moment they fought, so there was no point in being secretive.

This was not good news for Yang Chan. The attacking force had dispatched six Inner Masters, a twofold increase. They clearly intended to crush their opponents with sheer numbers.

It was obvious they hadn’t gone all out last night; they were probing to confirm how many experts were in the Cyan Yuan Pavilion. Today, they had arranged for more people to handle the job.

Fortunately, Elder Ji Feng and the others had also sensed that things were amiss. They had brought in the Night Listening Sea Tower from Silver State and the Brahma Sound Battle Pavilion from Yin State, bringing their total to six Inner Master experts. One of them was an Advanced Pharmacist whose combat power was at the Inner Master Level, keeping them on the same footing.

Yang Chan hid in the shadows, planning. ’If this turns into a life-or-death battle, I’ll launch a sneak attack with my Hidden Weapons from a distance and trigger the few traps I’ve set. As long as I can injure an Inner Master, their combat power will plummet. Then, even if no one dies, I can still influence the outcome of the fight.’

To be honest, Yang Chan didn’t want anything to happen to the Cyan Yuan Pavilion’s side. The more forces that gathered here, the safer it was for him.

’I could dig a tunnel and hide myself by Concealing my Breath, but that would be like trapping a turtle in a jar. If I were discovered, I’d be utterly doomed.’

’All things considered, it’s not a good option.’

’It would be like cutting off my own escape route.’

He didn’t know the full extent of a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster’s abilities; perhaps they could still detect his aura or find his tracks. Furthermore, he couldn’t be sure if the people from White Jade City possessed other special detection methods. With so many unclear variables, all sorts of uncertainties could arise.

For Yang Chan, that was an option to be taken only as a last resort.

The path out of White Jade City was also uncertain, a fact that made Yang Chan very uneasy.

The intensity of the battle grew, but it had not yet reached a life-or-death stage. Faced with this situation, Yang Chan decided to wait. As long as nothing happened that would decisively alter the course of the battle, he had no intention of making a move. He would remain hidden, awaiting a change in the situation.

Furthermore, Yang Chan noticed that these people weren’t fighting to the death. When they attacked, they all held something back, as if they were on guard against something.

This suggested they weren’t entirely confident in their allies, or rather, that they were wary of them.

Seeing this, Yang Chan understood. These people had merely gathered to act together; they weren’t from a single faction. This made sense. Even in White Jade City, no single power would deploy so many experts to deal with the Sects. If their identity were to be discovered, that faction wouldn’t be able to remain in White Jade City.

The combined combat power of the various Sects was truly terrifying.

Sure enough, just as Yang Chan had anticipated, the attackers retreated after fighting for only a short while, avoiding a battle to the death.

It was clear that since they couldn’t secure an easy victory, they had simply given up.

With the great battle over, Yang Chan quietly departed. As long as the situation remained stable, he could continue to lie low and hide among them.

After the battle ended, the wounded disciples were sent to a newly established infirmary. Each Sect transported and treated its own members, a clear sign of mutual distrust. They were not as united as they had been during combat.

When facing a life-or-death crisis, they could present a united front. But once the crisis passed, their relationships soured, and they even had to guard against other factions resorting to dirty tricks.

This was especially true for the wounded disciples. With just a little too much force during treatment, a person could be gone, and it would be difficult to prove anything afterward. After all, anyone immobilized during a battle would be seriously injured to begin with; their death would seem perfectly normal.

Thus, when it came to treatment, each Sect only cared for its own people. From the stretcher-bearers to the attending medical personnel, each Sect was responsible for its own members.

Even members of the same Sect weren’t always completely united, to say nothing of different Sects.

With the wounded disciples delivered to the infirmary, Yang Chan and Xu Gaocen once again began a long night of work. ’These White Jade City forces are a real bunch of creatures of the dark, always stirring up trouble at night,’ Yang Chan thought, annoyed. This meant he had no choice but to work overtime through the night again.

The only silver lining was that it hadn’t been a fight to the death, so the number of wounded disciples wasn’t overwhelming.

The total number of injured had actually increased, but with two more Sects involved, the casualties were spread out, making the numbers comparable to the previous night. The situation for the Cyan Yuan Sect was much the same.

After he finished his medical duties, Yang Chan was on his way to relieve himself when he overheard Elder Ji Feng and the others discussing their plans to bring more Sects into their alliance.

He didn’t hear much—just a few words as he passed by. He didn’t stop to eavesdrop, as there were quite a few guards around. In such a situation, stopping would have looked far too deliberate.

Their plan, however, didn’t surprise Yang Chan in the least. In fact, it was the logical choice. After all, they were being targeted by an unknown power from within White Jade City—and they still didn’t know how many factions were involved. Under these circumstances, the various Sects banding together was the only correct choice to avoid being picked off one by one.

On his way back, Yang Chan could hear them still debating which Sects to bring into the fold, their arguments quite heated. Yang Chan could only purse his lips. ’They’ll end up recruiting more allies one way or another,’ he thought.

’After all, they’re being targeted by a mysterious force that’s constantly growing stronger. Naturally, their own side needs to keep increasing its strength as well.’

’The other Sects that haven’t joined yet will have to face reality. If they want to survive, they can’t fight alone. An alliance is the only right choice.’

He quickly returned to the infirmary. It seemed he would have to sleep there tonight. Fortunately, he had already used up all his various medicines during the day, so he didn’t have to worry about his Daily Potential Point Collection decreasing.

The number of wounded disciples was steadily increasing, putting immense pressure on all the Sects. After all, their disciples were finite in number, not an endless supply. They were far from their own territories, and reinforcements would take time to arrive.

Therefore, forming an alliance was the only way forward. If they didn’t want to be annihilated, it was what they had to do.

A few of the Inner Masters had also sustained minor injuries. Xu Gaocen went to check on Ji Feng, primarily to help bandage his wounds and provide some prepared medicines to speed up his recovery.

Even minor injuries could not be ignored. After all, no one knew if another group would attack again tomorrow night, looking for trouble. Being completely uninjured was the best-case scenario. When it came to a life-or-death struggle, the slightest difference in strength could be decisive. To be hampered by an injury at such a time would be a terrible waste.