The appearance of Wu Tian and Lei Qianjiao immediately drew the attention of the disciples. Their faces lit up with surprise as they surrounded the two, chattering excitedly:
"Saintess, you're back!"
"What does the Thunder God Immortal Realm look like? Tell us quickly!"
"You must have gained a lot from the Thunder God Immortal Realm, Saintess! I feel like you're even stronger than before!"
Lei Qianjiao, surrounded by the buzzing disciples, felt no annoyance. After her experience in the Thunder God Immortal Realm, she truly understood how difficult it was for the Sacred Thunder Sect to survive until now. Looking at the vibrant faces around her, her heart swelled with emotion. These disciples might very well be the future pillars of the Sacred Thunder Sect. If the sect continued to develop like this, it would surely regain its former glory!
The commotion in the plaza naturally attracted the attention of everyone in the main hall. Instantly, figures darted out from the hall and stopped beside Wu Tian and Lei Qianjiao.
"Wu Tian, Qianjiao, you're back!" Sect Master Lei Zhengxuan of the Sacred Thunder Sect greeted them with a joyous smile.
Wu Tian also smiled faintly at Lei Zhengxuan and said, "We've been in the Thunder God Immortal Realm for quite some time. If we didn't return now, it would be rather inappropriate."
"Why are only the two of you back?" an elder asked, a hint of confusion in his voice. "Weren't there five of you when you left? Where is Chen Dong and the others?"
Upon hearing this, Lei Qianjiao's smile faded, and a cold glint appeared in her eyes. Lei Zhengxuan knew Lei Qianjiao well and sensed that something was amiss. He couldn't help but ask, "Qianjiao, what happened? Did you encounter any accidents in the Thunder God Immortal Realm?"
Lei Qianjiao nodded, her voice cold, "Yes, I did encounter an accident, and that accident was caused by Chen Dong. If Wu Tian hadn't intervened in time, I wouldn't be here now."
"What?" Lei Zhengxuan's brow furrowed. "What exactly happened?"
Although Lei Qianjiao was reluctant to mention Chen Dong, since Lei Zhengxuan had asked, she recounted the events without reservation. After Lei Qianjiao finished her story, the entire plaza fell into a stunned silence. It was clear that such news was a great shock to everyone. No one had expected Chen Dong to do such a thing.
Lei Zhengxuan's expression turned grim. He said darkly, "This Chen Dong truly deserves to die. I had long suspected something was wrong with his character, but I never imagined he would stoop to this."
"It was good that he was killed, truly good!"
The others also expressed their indignation, clearly angered by Chen Dong's despicable actions.
Lei Qianjiao added, "But that's all in the past. Now that we are safe, it's no longer important."
Lei Zhengxuan nodded, then curiously examined Lei Qianjiao. "So, did you gain anything in the Thunder God Immortal Realm? From your appearance, you seem vastly different. Did you obtain some great fortune?"
Lei Qianjiao smiled faintly. "It was merely good luck."
As she spoke, a powerful aura erupted from Lei Qianjiao, surging outwards like a tidal wave. Sensing this aura, everyone's expressions changed drastically. Even Lei Zhengxuan exclaimed in surprise, "High-grade True Immortal?"
"You've actually broken through to High-grade True Immortal?"
Seeing Lei Zhengxuan's astonishment, Lei Qianjiao continued with a smile, "That's right."
An eerie silence immediately enveloped the entire plaza. After all, before entering the Thunder God Immortal Realm, Lei Qianjiao was merely a High-grade Immortal. To reach the realm of High-grade True Immortal in just a few months of cultivation was faster than flying! However, Lei Zhengxuan was a man who had weathered many storms. After a brief moment of shock, he burst into laughter.
"Excellent, excellent! It seems sending you into the Thunder God Immortal Realm this time was the most correct decision. Even with your talent, it would have taken at least twenty years to reach this level through external cultivation."
He then turned his gaze to Wu Tian and asked, "Wu Tian, what about you? What gains did you make? As the sole inheritor of the Thunder God, I imagine your gains would not be less than Qianjiao's, would they?"
Wu Tian smiled faintly, about to speak. But at that moment, a sense of foreboding spread through his heart! Not only that, but the powerful experts present also felt the same unease. They all looked towards a certain direction. To their horror, they saw vast swathes of dark energy rolling towards the main hall from the horizon! The dark energy was filled with an evil aura, undoubtedly the scent of demons!
"What's going on?!" Wu Tian immediately became alert. He then looked at Lei Zhengxuan and asked, "How can demonic energy appear in this Thunder Realm?"
Lei Zhengxuan's face was also etched with seriousness. He seemed to have discerned the source of the demonic energy and said thoughtfully, "Could it be that Su Dong has returned?"
"Su Dong?" Hearing the familiar name, both Wu Tian and Lei Qianjiao were taken aback. Lei Qianjiao frowned and asked, "Sect Master, what do you mean? Wasn't Su Dong already imprisoned?"
"And this is demonic energy, what does it have to do with Su Dong?"
Lei Zhengxuan's expression flickered, as if he hesitated to speak. But finally, he sighed and said, "This is a disaster, a true disaster. We did indeed imprison Su Dong, but out of past sentiment, I did not impose strict restrictions on him. However, I never expected Su Dong to be so stubborn. Half a month ago, while I and the elders were away, he forcibly escaped his prison and entered our sect's forbidden land."
"Forbidden land?" Wu Tian felt a bad premonition. He asked with a strange expression, "What's inside...?"
Lei Zhengxuan was silent for a moment, then replied, "I think you've guessed it. Inside the forbidden land... is a demon."
"What?" This news startled all the disciples. Lei Qianjiao quickly asked, "How could this happen? Why is there a demon in our Sacred Thunder Sect?"
All her life, she had only known that the forbidden land was not to be trespassed. But she never dreamed that such a dangerous existence lay within!