"Finally out," Feng Qingyang said, looking at the hazy space before him, which felt oddly familiar.
The eighteen layers of hell had been too oppressive, compounded by the relentless pursuit of Shangguan Yuquan, leaving him utterly exhausted.
"Shall we leave the secret realm now?" Xu Yi asked the others, glancing at the pervasive demonic energy. Despite the ordeal ending without further incident, Shangguan Yuquan's whereabouts were unknown, leaving them still in peril. Xu Yi believed it would be safer outside. Moreover, everyone had sustained injuries, making it difficult to recuperate within the secret realm.
"I agree."
"Me too."
"Agreed."
"..."
The others had no objections; none of them wished to linger any longer. Xu Yi and a few others retrieved their spirit keys and infused them with spiritual power. The spirit keys flickered, and a powerful repulsive force enveloped them. The world flashed before their eyes, and when they opened them again, the scene had reverted to the ancient temple.
Hong Jing clasped his hands together and said softly, "The furthest cities from this place, besides Ping'an City, are Xiangcheng."
"Let's go to Xiangcheng."
Without hesitation, they decided to head to Xiangcheng to recuperate. Ping'an City was too close to their current location, and they feared further complications. The group boarded Xu Yi's divine journey ship and set off for Xiangcheng without delay.
A few days after their departure, a delicate and exquisite figure suddenly appeared outside the ancient temple. The woman's face was pale, her frame frail, and a faint sorrow lingered in her eyes.
"Heh..." She parted her lips, attempting to utter the name "Lu Zaiye," but an invisible force suppressed her, rendering her speechless. She offered a bitter smile, her sorrow deepening, making one want to offer gentle comfort.
Lu Zaiye was truly heartless. To prevent her from divulging anything about him, he had placed a restriction upon her. Not a single word concerning him could be uttered. Remembering Lu Zaiye's mysterious and powerful presence, Wanyan Xue's eyes gradually filled with adoration. Only strength could inspire such admiration. She stood afar, contemplating for a long time before transforming into a beam of white light and vanishing into the sky. She told herself not to rush; they would soon meet again.
As the eleven cultivators from the Myriad Buddha Sect's secret realm departed, the opening above the blood pool seemed to sense their exit and swiftly closed. The long-dormant blood pool began to churn and bubble, and a blood-red sword sheath embedded at its bottom vibrated gently with the pool, as if welcoming someone's return.
...
"What did the Second Elder say?" Inside Hong Jing's room, Xu Yi rested her chin on her hand, her eyes fixed intently on Hong Jing. They were currently in an inn in Xiangcheng. Xu Yi had spent seven full days recuperating in her room before emerging. Had she not been eager to learn about the Myriad Buddha Sect's secret realm, she might have stayed longer. This time, she had unsealed more of the medicinal power within her, raising her cultivation to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, just one step away from the Soul Transformation stage. However, her injuries were also significant, fueling her urgency to uncover the truth.
Hong Jing, however, wore a peculiar expression, his gaze towards Xu Yi tinged with guilt. "The Second Elder said he knows."
Xu Yi waited for a moment, but seeing that Hong Jing had no intention of elaborating, she raised her voice in shock, "That's it?"
"That's it."
Xu Yi: ...
"It's over just like that!" Xu Yi stood up in anger and paced the room. For this secret realm expedition, she had unsealed another layer of the medicinal power within her, a power she had intended to use only when attempting to break through to the Soul Transformation stage. Not to mention her severe injuries, and she had gained nothing in return. This was something the pragmatic Xu Yi could not accept. Her gaze sharpened as she looked at Hong Jing, "Give me your communication disc. I'll talk to the Second Elder."
Hong Jing spread his hands helplessly. "After the Second Elder told me, he informed me that he was entering seclusion and that I shouldn't seek him out for the next few years."
Xu Yi's brow twitched with anger. This old monk clearly knew she would seek him out for trouble and was deliberately avoiding her. "No! We can't just let this go. I'll return to the Myriad Buddha Sect with you!" Xu Yi slammed her palm on the table, fire seemingly leaping from her eyes. She was determined to personally confront the Second Elder at the Myriad Buddha Sect and demand an explanation, refusing to have gone through all this for nothing.
"Xu Yi, the Second Elder had one more thing to tell you."
"Speak."
"He said your reward has already been paid."
"Nonsense—" Xu Yi's brow rose, about to retort, but her voice suddenly faltered. She recalled the Spirit Demon Orb lying quietly in her storage ring and a look of annoyance crossed her face. It was now clear she had been tricked; if she didn't realize this, she would have been cultivating for nothing all these years. The Second Elder had anticipated the events in the secret realm and had given her the Spirit Demon Orb to silence her.
She turned her head and saw Hong Jing looking at her calmly. She raised an eyebrow, suspecting, "Does the Buddha Son also know what happened in the secret realm?"
"This humble one does not know." Hong Jing's voice remained calm, his expression towards Xu Yi conveying the sincerity of a monk. Xu Yi studied him for a while but couldn't find any flaws, so she could only shake her head and leave his room. She was furious and could only numb herself with cultivation.
After Xu Yi left, Hong Jing's expression gradually became indifferent, devoid of his previous compassionate demeanor. He did not know what had transpired in the secret realm, but he had foreseen it. Since accepting the bestowal, his perception of demons had become increasingly acute. In recent years, the demons confined to Zhuzhou had become restless, showing signs of a potential resurgence. The demons within the Myriad Buddha Sect's secret realm had also sensed this, becoming more active than usual.
Therefore, he had proposed to the sect that the reward for the grand competition be the Myriad Buddha Sect's secret realm, intending to use this opportunity to investigate the traces of demons alongside the elite disciples of the five major sects of the Kyushu Continent. Only by witnessing it firsthand would they understand the gravity of the situation. However, several unforeseen events had occurred in a plan he believed to be entirely under control.
The first anomaly was Xu Yi, who had also received the bestowal beneath the Heavenly Staircase of the Myriad Buddha Sect. He had been the recipient of the longest bestowal in the Myriad Buddha Sect's history for a thousand years, but he hadn't expected Xu Yi to break it so quickly. Even more surprising was that Xu Yi showed no outward changes after receiving the bestowal. After much deliberation with the elders, they decided to entrust Xu Yi with a treasure that could restrain demons. They believed in the guidance of the Buddha. Xu Yi's performance had not disappointed him.
However, the second anomaly caught him completely off guard: the sudden appearance of Shangguan Yuquan and Wanyan Xue. As they were not affiliated with the five major sects, predicting their movements was naturally difficult. When they also arrived in the secret realm, Hong Jing felt that events were spiraling out of his control.
As for the third anomaly, it was Shangguan Yuquan's descent into demonic possession. Fortunately, in the end, they emerged from the ordeal unscathed. He had reported all the events of this expedition to the Second Elder, trusting that the sect would handle it appropriately. The other major sects would also receive reports from their disciples and would likely have their own considerations.
The storm is coming. Hong Jing sighed softly and slowly closed his eyes.