Bamboo Mound

Upon hearing this, the two nodded in agreement: "This is the only way for now."

All three had participated in the siege of the Bloodthirsty Sect back then, so they naturally knew what the Bloodthirsty Sect would do without checks and balances.

"But once we leave Pingguo, where are we going?"

After another silence, the elder of the Huayu Sect finally spoke again:

"Let's go to the Chu Kingdom in the east. I have corresponded with an elder of the Tiancang Sect there. We can go there to ask for protection, and once things have settled down, we can gather our strength to deal with the Bloodthirsty Sect."

"The Heavenly Azure Sect... I've heard of them too. Their size is enough to crush the three sects at their peak. They are the only sect in the entire Chu Kingdom."

Xiang Liang pondered for a few moments before replying.

Upon hearing this, the Xuan Shan Sect elder frowned slightly. "Would such a powerful sect really accept us?"

"My thinking is that from now on, the key to the Cloud and Mist Secret Realm will be of no use to us. We might as well use it as our main asset, and offer some other things as well. As long as we can enter the sect, everything else will be easy."

The elder of Huayu Sect said, "Besides, we don't have anything else that they would want, except for this key."

"Then let's do it this way. Delay will only lead to more problems. Let's take stock of the disciples and set off immediately," said the elder of Xuanshan Sect.

All three were in their fifties or sixties, and they had already adjusted their emotions as they spoke.

"The fifty inner disciples from the three sects have all arrived."

"Ye Xingyun, Bai Ke'er..."

"Niu shakes the mountain..."

"Fang Nanyi, Yue Mingyu, Wang Yan...?"

Xiang Liang's expression changed, and he asked the three of them, "Where is Ning Chang?"

"Reporting to Master, we haven't seen Brother Ning Chang since we parted ways after entering the secret realm," Wang Yan replied.

"This is not good..." Ning Chang's talent was obvious to all the elders, not to mention that he was Old Duan's only disciple.

If he were to simply disappear like this, he didn't think he could face Old Duan's spirit in heaven.

He then called out to the other two elders, rushed into the secret realm, and began to search for Ning Chang's direction by activating the locator talisman with all his might.

In his understanding, at Ning Chang's speed, even after four or five days, he wouldn't be able to travel very far.

But the lack of any information from the locator gradually sank his heart to the bottom.

"Alas, what a pity..."

After an incense stick had burned, Xiang Liang, having looked around, sighed, took one last look at the depths of the secret realm, and walked out.

Although Ning Chang is a genius among geniuses, he cannot put the remaining sixty-odd disciples of the three sects in danger for the sake of one person.

Seeing Xiang Liang emerge alone, Wang Yan and the other two couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

"Brother Ning Chang..."

Although they hadn't spent much time together, Brother Ning Chang taught them formations without any reservations, clearly no longer treating them as outsiders.

But this kindness has yet to be repaid, and it can never be repaid.

"Alright, maybe he's just incredibly lucky and has already found another exit from the secret realm and gotten out," Xiang Liang comforted him.

"The ferocious beasts within the secret realm pose no threat to him."

The three elders then exchanged glances and nodded to each other.

Xiang Liang unleashed a flying giant sword, but it stopped growing only when it was large enough to accommodate a group of disciples.

Meanwhile, the elders of the Huayu Sect began to set up a concealment formation on the giant sword.

The elder of Xuanshan Sect stepped forward and addressed the disciples:

"You should already know the specifics. Right now, the Bloodthirsty Sect has resurfaced, the three sects have been destroyed, and only a few of us remain. We escaped this calamity because of the Cloud and Mist Secret Realm."

"But the Bloodthirsty Sect is still around. They know that we are the only survivor among the three sects, so they will definitely come to search for us and wipe us out!"

"And now, with our current strength, even if we charge forward, we'll only be throwing our lives away!"

“I know you all have parents, and you all have some concerns about Pingguo.”

Therefore, this time we will not force you to go to another place together.

"Whether you come with us to the Heavenly Azure Gate of Chu, or stay in Ping Kingdom to guard against the Bloodthirsty Sect's search, the decision is yours."

Seeing that the elders of the Huayu Sect had set up the formation, he waved and retrieved the key to the Cloud and Mist Secret Realm from above the entrance.

"Now, those who are going together, prepare to draw your swords. Of course, once we arrive in the Chu Kingdom, you will be given the choice to go to the Tiancang Sect or develop yourselves in the Chu Kingdom."

After saying that, he flashed onto the tip of the sword and stood with the other two elders.

After a moment of silence, the crowd, led by several direct disciples, boarded the giant sword one after another.

No one wanted to stay; they all knew the cost of staying.

"Let's fly higher first; the higher we fly, the less likely we are to be detected."

Seeing all his disciples mount their swords, Xiang Liang immediately steered the giant sword straight upwards. Then, the array on the sword flashed, and the entire giant sword gradually disappeared.

Shortly after they left, a streak of blood-red light slashed diagonally toward the mountaintop!

After smoothly cutting down the mountaintop, several figures appeared here.

"Damn it! They got away!" one of the men in the middle sneered.

"No rush, they can't have gone far. Give orders to everyone to turn this entire Ping Kingdom upside down and find them!"

"Yes, if we don't eliminate them completely, there will be endless trouble in the future!"

"Let the world know the consequences of provoking our Bloodthirsty Sect!"

The others chimed in.

They then disappeared from the spot together.

.......

After an unknown amount of time, Ning Chang turned over in her sleep and her cheek touched a tree root.

The rough texture made him instinctively try to avoid it, but his powerless movements only allowed his face to rub against the tree bark.

Only after experiencing this pain did he slowly regain consciousness.

I opened my eyes and was greeted by the colors of late autumn.

He sat for a few more minutes before he came back to his senses.

He shook his head, stood up, and dusted himself off. He was now certain that he was outside the secret realm.

The spiritual power he used to activate his heterochromatic eyes had dissipated on its own while he was unconscious, and there was no mist visible even without any additional blessing.

Furthermore, the spiritual energy within his body had already been fully absorbed during his coma.

Now, he found himself in a forest. He remembered that it was only July or August, but the edges of the leaves around him had already turned half yellow!

There were many fallen leaves on the ground, and the uncovered grass was also desolate.

"So that's a teleportation array...?"

Recalling how a white light enveloped him after activating the formation, and then he found himself outside this secret realm.

"I don't know if it's directional teleportation or... no, it should be random."

He dismissed the initial guess as soon as it was made.

"If it's a directional teleportation, then this place is definitely not a forest right now. Even if it's very simple, it would be a developed area."

"But where is this? If we can't get back quickly, we might all get anxious."

He leaped into the air, using his spiritual energy to briefly hover, and surveyed the surrounding forest.

Finally, he spotted a mountain not far ahead. Of course, "not far" only refers to his journey through the Cloud and Mist Secret Realm.

With no other distinctive landmarks in sight, Ning Chang headed towards the mountain.