This masterless secret realm was no place to stay. Yan Jiaojiao could only place her hopes on the outside world.
Xuan Chen and this A Ruoxi bore such a striking resemblance; she had no idea what the connection between them was. However, at least returning to the outside world offered a glimmer of hope.
A Ruoxi was skeptical but felt Yan Jiaojiao's words held some truth. He turned to Tang Xiye, "Where is the back mountain of Ge Nan Academy? Take me there."
Tang Xiye, having endured two lightning punishments, was now unwilling but dared not resist any further. "There's an interface connecting to the outside there. Exiting this masterless secret realm from there leads directly to Ge Nan Academy."
"Let's go," A Ruoxi commanded.
Yan Jiaojiao breathed a sigh of relief, only to hear A Ruoxi say, "You all go too."
"Huh?"
Yan Jiaojiao was stunned. Before she could say another word, she saw A Ruoxi flick his sleeve. She, along with other disciples, shrunk and were all placed into his sleeve space!
The sleeve space was a vast expanse of white, yet a gust of wind blew through it. Yan Jiaojiao knew A Ruoxi was flying with the wind.
Jiang Yiling was the first to react, asking Yan Jiaojiao, "Is he truly A Ruoxi, the demon king who disappeared for a thousand years?"
"I don't think it's a lie, and Tang Xiye is also a servant of the demon race," Yan Jiaojiao replied helplessly. She had intended to get rid of A Ruoxi so they could escape, but unexpectedly, they were still tied together.
Although the others had their suspicions, hearing Yan Jiaojiao's confirmation made them even more fearful.
"Mmm, what's going on?" Yan Ruxue asked softly, holding her forehead and frowning, seemingly having no memory of what had just happened.
Chen Bingbing also looked bewildered, completely unsure of what to do.
Jiang Yiling glared at them angrily, "Are you two also running dogs of the demon realm! We were all trapped in the formation just now, and only you two were standing there unharmed!"
Yan Ruxue looked innocent, "I don't know what you're talking about. You can't just accuse us of being involved with the demon realm because we were forced to sprinkle some powder."
Chen Bingbing chimed in, "Where is this? What happened?"
Yan Jiaojiao watched them coldly, unwilling to defend them.
It was Xu Changzong, a righteous man, who spoke, "I think they might have been soul-seized by the demons."
"Soul-seized?" Yan Ruxue suddenly became very flustered. "Did we do anything excessive? But I really have no memory of it."
"Yes, I don't remember either!" Chen Bingbing added.
Jiang Yiling snorted, "If it was indeed soul-seizing, then it can't be entirely blamed on them. I'll investigate further and then decide on a course of action."
Yan Ruxue still sounded wronged, "I really don't know."
She was about to try and exonerate herself when the wind stopped. It turned out A Ruoxi had reached their destination in just a few words, a journey that had taken them almost a full day's walk.
A Ruoxi had already begun opening the passage.
Yan Jiaojiao no longer had time to bother with Yan Ruxue and the others. She said to Jiang Yiling with a serious expression, "A Ruoxi's magic is powerful. Our entire Ge Nan Academy might not be able to stop him. If he wreaks havoc in Ge Nan City, we'll basically be unable to prevent it."
Jiang Yiling was shocked, "Then why did you let him go to the back mountain?"
"Do you have a better idea?" Yan Jiaojiao's clear eyes, black and white distinct, held a pure gaze. "Should we all die in this masterless secret realm and then let him break out and enter the human world as he pleases?"
Jiang Yiling fell silent. As the saying goes, if I don't go to hell, who will?
Leading the demon king, who was about to reappear, to Ge Nan Academy at least gave them a slight chance of resistance. It was better than A Ruoxi randomly harming living beings elsewhere.
Seeing that Jiang Yiling and the others had understood, Yan Jiaojiao asked, "Do you have any other ways to communicate with the five sect masters?"
Jiang Yiling looked up, his eyes regaining their usual firmness. "Yes, I'll tell them now to be prepared."
Yan Jiaojiao nodded, already sensing A Ruoxi's aura as he gradually opened the interface.
Jiang Yiling formed a hand seal and chanted words that transformed into black characters. As Jiang Yiling completed his final movement, the characters disappeared and were transmitted away.
At this moment, A Ruoxi had opened the spatial interface and was the first to pass through, with Tang Xiye closely following.
On the high platform of Ge Nan Academy, the transparent space distorted. Unlike the spiral opening Xuan Chen had previously opened, this rift was like a tear in fabric, violent and direct.
A passing disciple, not understanding what was happening, curiously approached the black opening that suddenly appeared in the sky. He saw a pale, slender hand reach out and grip the edge of the rift, followed by another hand. With a push from both hands, the rift was widened.
The next second, a pair of enormous wings emerged from the opening, slowly unfolding to reveal a stunning man with black hair and purple robes!
The disciple was mesmerized.
A Ruoxi smiled cruelly and suddenly shot in front of him. He extended two fingers like eagle claws and gouged into the disciple's eye sockets. The round eyeballs were pulled out, trailing blood, and A Ruoxi casually dropped them on the ground, coldly sneering, "You dare to look directly at this king!"
Only then did the disciple feel pain. He clutched his eye sockets and retreated with a scream, his piteous cry echoing throughout Ge Nan Academy!
A Ruoxi, however, seemed to hear a beautiful symphony. He smiled leisurely and, with a casual wave, flung Yan Jiaojiao and the others from his sleeve onto the ground.
Upon exiting the sleeve space, Yan Jiaojiao and the others returned to their normal size. Seeing the disciple with his gouged-out eyes, they all had grim expressions.
The commotion here had already attracted attention, and people were rushing towards the high platform.
Jiang Yiling anxiously stood up and waved vigorously at them, signaling them not to approach the high platform, but with little effect.
Just then, Tang Xiye also emerged from the space. Seeing Jiang Yiling's actions, she unceremoniously kicked him to the ground.
"Tang Xiye, you traitor!" Xiao Su exclaimed indignantly, while simultaneously blocking her further surprise attack with a palm strike.
Jiang Yiling seized the opportunity to dodge, gracefully rolled, and stood up, glaring coldly at Tang Xiye.
Xiao Su was still enraged, saying, "After all the care Master Xuan Chen showed you, you demon still deceived us!"
Hearing this, Tang Xiye couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Do you really think you are from some righteous sect? Master Xuan Chen? He..."
Before Tang Xiye could finish speaking, she saw the five sect masters arriving in a hurry.
It turned out they had received Jiang Yiling's message. As soon as they appeared, the panicked disciples seemed to find their footing and voluntarily surrounded the five sect masters.