Perhaps it was because Li Qingcheng possessed the blood of the Ghost Clan, that Lu Wuming could sense her presence so clearly.
As soon as he finished speaking, before Liu Buli had even fully prepared himself, he saw a group of people charging towards them at extreme speed from the direction Lu Wuming had indicated.
Just as they had anticipated, the one running at the forefront was a woman.
Upon seeing a few people ahead, the woman's expression immediately turned to one of utter astonishment. But then, as if mistaking them for villains trying to corner her, her expression turned cold. Gritting her teeth, she unhesitatingly raised her long sword and launched an attack directly at Liu Buli, who was at the forefront.
Liu Buli's eyebrows twitched. Fortunately, he had been mentally prepared. Having guessed that the woman might act this way, he wasn't too surprised.
Holding his breath and focusing his mind, Liu Buli immediately prepared to counterattack.
After all, this was their plan from the beginning.
If Li Qingcheng didn't cause them trouble, they could certainly help deal with the cultivators chasing them from behind. But if Li Qingcheng attacked them, then they naturally wouldn't just wait to die.
After all, they had no deep connection with Li Qingcheng. The matter of risking their lives to rescue her was something Liu Buli would only do for Lu Wuming; for anyone else, it wasn't even worth considering.
Due to Liu Buli's prior instructions and Lu Wuming's assessment of Li Qingcheng's strength, he was certain that the woman was no match for Liu Buli.
Since that was the case, and Liu Buli had said he would handle it, Lu Wuming had no urgent need to help. Instead, he stood quietly to the side, agreeing with whatever Liu Buli said, as long as it didn't cause harm to the other party, Lu Wuming would obey unconditionally.
But no one expected that just as the two were about to clash, a massive fluctuation of spiritual energy suddenly appeared around them.
Before they could even react, Liu Buli, along with Li Qingcheng, was sucked into the vortex created by the spiritual energy.
While the others hadn't reacted, Lu Wuming had already extended his hand towards Liu Buli. Unfortunately, the spiritual energy vortex reversed too quickly, leaving him no time to react before Liu Buli disappeared along with Li Qingcheng.
Lu Wuming's eyes instantly turned blood red as he chased after Liu Buli into the vortex of spiritual energy.
The remaining people exchanged bewildered glances, whether it was Shen Muzhi and You Siqi who were already there, or the cultivators who had been chasing Li Qingcheng. Everyone stared blankly at the suddenly appearing entrance to the secret realm. Finally, You Siqi was the first to react, patting Shen Muzhi's shoulder, he said, "Let's go, we're chasing after them!"
Shen Muzhi also reacted when he heard this. He responded, grabbed You Siqi's hand, and entered the secret realm with him.
The cultivators who had been chasing them also followed.
Although their original objective was only to hunt down Li Qingcheng, now that a secret realm had appeared, it would be a shame not to enter.
As for those few strange people?
They weren't important. At worst, they could be dealt with along with Li Qingcheng; there was no need to worry too much.
...
Unaware of the situation outside, as Liu Buli was forcibly sucked into the secret realm, all he could think of was Lu Wuming's face, the last thing he saw.
His eyes were filled with terror and anger.
He had seen this expression before.
It was the same look Lu Wuming had when he was crying, holding Liu Buli when he was on the verge of death.
As memories flooded back, Liu Buli felt an unspeakable tightness in his chest.
He wanted to comfort Lu Wuming, to tell him he was fine and not to worry so much. But before he could speak, the other person completely disappeared from his sight. The surroundings then blurred, and amidst the dizzying chaos, Liu Buli's consciousness began to fade.
However, his cultivation was sufficient, and he knew this was an inevitable part of entering a secret realm. So, Liu Buli temporarily put aside the thought of contacting Lu Wuming. He used all his spiritual energy to control his mind, and as everything shifted and changed, Liu Buli managed to stay conscious.
It was as if he had been suffocating underwater for too long and had suddenly broken free from the water's grip. The moment he fully entered the secret realm, Liu Buli gasped for air. Looking around, everything had transformed.
It was slightly different from the novel's description of the memory. He was still surrounded by lush green grassland. However, unlike the previous spiritless dead land, this place was filled with dense spiritual energy. Not only that, but he could also see spirit beasts running freely in the surroundings.
But these were not Liu Buli's immediate concern.
After a brief glance, he quickly tightened his grip on the long sword in his hand. He swung it to the side, and it landed right beside Li Qingcheng's neck.
The woman had also reopened her eyes, but her condition was far worse than Liu Buli's. She had indeed used spiritual energy to protect her mind, but her spiritual energy was far less than Liu Buli's. Thus, this single act had already depleted most of her spiritual energy. She was now weak all over, lacking even the strength to stand, let alone resist Liu Buli's attack.
The two looked at each other. Li Qingcheng finally sighed. The last glimmer of hope in her eyes was extinguished. She listlessly lowered her gaze, appearing to await death, and said, "If you're going to do it, just do it. If even the Heavenly Dao doesn't help me, then struggling is meaningless. So, let it be."
Liu Buli stared into her eyes for a moment, frowning slightly.
He did not retract the long sword in his hand. He looked at Li Qingcheng and asked, "What are you talking about? I don't even know who you are. You were the one who attacked me first. I was merely defending myself, why would I want to kill you?"
Li Qingcheng was stunned.
He wasn't going to kill her?
No, even if he didn't kill her, he must have some other motive. Otherwise, appearing in that place at that time was too suspicious.
Li Qingcheng's eyes were filled with vigilance.
Liu Buli, however, moved the sword slightly away. He smiled at her and said, "I got separated from my disciple, and I need to find him. Since it seems like a misunderstanding between us, how about we reconcile, and you come with me?"