Just then, someone ran out looking extremely disheveled.
As soon as they appeared, several people panicked and shouted loudly.
"Elder Wu, it's bad! Someone impersonated Li Meng to sneak into the secret realm and even killed Senior Sister Song Lantian and the others!"
This news was earth-shattering and stunned everyone into silence.
The once lively camp instantly grew so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Yue Lin and a few others from Guhan Sect felt their hearts skip a beat, a trace of guilt flashing through their minds.
After all, Song Lantian and those disciples had died by their hands. They had intended to keep it quiet and never mention it again. But now it was being brought up, and naturally, they felt tense.
Song Wanníng, on the other hand, remained calm and composed the entire time, showing no signs of panic. Seeing her like that, the tension in some people's hearts relaxed a little.
"What did you say?"
Wu Zongyuan momentarily thought he had misheard and asked again. So far, Canglan Sect had only brought out a little over fifty disciples, and he was still worried.
"Elder Wu, someone took Li Meng's identity to sneak into the secret realm and killed Senior Sister Song Lantian and the others…
He slaughtered more than ten of our disciples. If it weren't for our old injuries flaring up, none of us would have escaped!"
The disciples' eyes reddened with rage. Especially after hearing that an outsider had obtained a divine beast cub and was surrounded and injured, they immediately connected the dots.
Wu Zongyuan felt a surge of anger rise straight to his head.
The planned strategy had failed, and over ten disciples including Song Lantian were slaughtered. That person had some serious guts!
"Wu Daoyou, that person disguised himself as one of your Canglan Sect disciples to get in? How did you not notice?"
The elders from other sects quickly caught on and pressed the point: the infiltrator must have mingled among the Canglan Sect disciples!
Wu Zongyuan's blood boiled again from the questioning, his face turning terrifyingly dark.
Was he the only one who didn't notice?
Had none of them noticed?
Now they were all ganging up on him!
Killing intent exploded inside Wu Zongyuan. He stared hard at the secret realm entrance. The moment that person appeared, he vowed to make sure they died without a grave.
The atmosphere outside the secret realm turned grim. Zhang Shuning came out, confused by the expressions around her but said nothing and strode over to Liu Xingzhi.
Seeing she was unharmed, Liu Xingzhi glanced at her then back to the secret realm exit. Yue Lin, however, glanced at Zhang Shuning several times.
Since Zhang Shuning was fine, there was no need to rush to retrieve the Shadow Stone. It would be handled by the elders back at the sect.
…
"System, once I step out, immediately teleport me away. No delays. Got it?"
Xiao Heyun adjusted his disguise. He had relied on this face to enter, and he needed it to leave as well. His true identity was exposed now, and the moment he appeared, someone would be shouting to kill him.
"Host, rest assured!"
The system replied seriously, knowing how critical the situation was. One slip, and the host would be in danger. It could not afford to lose.
Prepared, Xiao Heyun finally stepped out of the secret realm entrance. The moment his foot crossed the threshold, Wu Zongyuan locked onto him.
Soon, his body and head were fully exposed, only half a foot remaining inside.
Seeing so many people outside, his heart raced. If not for the system's support, he wouldn't know how to face this.
Just as the system readied to teleport him away, Wu Zongyuan recognized Xiao Heyun.
"So you're the bastard pretending to be one of our Canglan Sect disciples?"
As he spoke, he sent a palm strike flying at Xiao Heyun.
A Divine Soul stage cultivator's palm strike was far too powerful for the injured Xiao Heyun.
It was easily resisted.
Boom—
The strike shattered Xiao Heyun's dantian, nearly ripping his body apart.
Blood gushed out everywhere. If the system hadn't immediately activated the teleport, Xiao Heyun would have been torn to pieces.
"He's escaping!"
Someone shouted as they watched Xiao Heyun suddenly vanish.
Xiao Heyun carried a divine beast, and he was responsible for so many deaths in Canglan Sect. There was no way they could let him run.
Wu Zongyuan had expected to kill him with one strike but watched helplessly as he slipped away. It was a hard slap to his face.
Without hesitation, he shouted, "Wait here. I'll be back soon!"
The wounded man wouldn't get far.
He was determined to catch him and grind him to dust to ease his hatred.
With that, Wu Zongyuan rushed off in the direction where Xiao Heyun disappeared.
"Hiss, who exactly is that guy? Is he really a disciple of Qingyun Sect? He actually dodged Elder Wu's strike!"
"Hmph, just a small trick. When Elder Wu catches him, he'll be ground to dust!"
"That guy is skilled. Hopefully, Elder Wu can catch him!"
"What do you mean by that? Elder Wu should be able to handle a mere Void Refinement stage cultivator!"
"That's not so sure, considering he sneaked in with your group in the first place…"
"Say that again?"
The disciples quickly erupted into arguments.
Xiao Heyun sneaking into their group had long caused dissatisfaction.
While the disciples argued, the elders from other sects also hurried off. Though they claimed to help, everyone knew they were after the divine beast. If there really was a divine beast, they would never let Wu Zongyuan take the credit.
They even suspected Wu Zongyuan let Xiao Heyun escape on purpose, so he could chase after the divine beast alone.
Soon, only Liu Xingzhi, a Divine Soul elder, remained unmoved, still waiting outside the secret realm.
Jiang Cen had not come out.
His heart sank. Though he wanted Jiang Cen dead, he had brought her out himself. If he failed to bring her back, the master would be furious.
Time passed slowly with no more disciples emerging.
Everyone assumed there were no survivors inside, until a figure suddenly shot out—it was Jiang Cen.
Jiang Cen looked pitiful, her clothes torn and barely covering her, her pale skin visible. Her hair was messy and stained with blood.
Her face bore bruises that lingered.
Many frowned on seeing her, knowing how notorious she was. Few liked her.
"Damn, that bitch sneaked up from behind and seriously injured me! And she even stole my storage ring!"
The moment Jiang Cen appeared, a voice echoed in Song Wanníng's mind.
"Ugh, that bitch Zhang Shuning is still alive? Good people don't last, evil lasts a thousand years! This trip to the secret realm was a huge loss. All my treasures are gone, even my storage ring was stolen!"