"Xu Yi, the situation has changed. We can't wait any longer."
Xu Yi was awakened from his meditation by Ji Buwang. Before he could ask, Ji Buwang stated the reason. Xu Yi's expression darkened.
"What happened?"
"When we left through the exit, I left a trace of divine consciousness on the robes of quite a few cultivators, just in case."
Ji Buwang had felt that some among these people might stumble upon the new exit by chance, so he had made secret arrangements.
Many of these people had already died after they left.
Ji Buwang was not surprised by this. They had left early precisely because they had predicted a bloody battle would occur there.
What exceeded his expectations, however, was that the remaining people had also died one after another after leaving.
His divine soul imprints had almost entirely dissipated within just two days, making him suspect that other changes had occurred within the secret realm.
Ji Buwang no longer wanted to wait passively. He intended to take the initiative.
After listening to Ji Buwang's words, Xu Yi also realized the seriousness of the matter.
After the bloody battle, most of the surviving cultivators would want to preserve their strength and await further developments, rather than initiating a new conflict.
Therefore, it was likely that the cultivators were not the ones slaughtering others; someone else was responsible.
Xu Yi suddenly remembered the vanished Soul-Dissolving Bell.
Could it be that?
"But these people..."
Ji Buwang subtly glanced in the direction of the Xuan Qing Sect disciples.
If they brought them along, it would inevitably slow them down. But if they didn't, and the disciples encountered an accident, Xu Yi and Ji Buwang wouldn't be able to arrive in time to rescue them.
Xu Yi thought for a moment, then took out a formation disk from his storage ring and smiled faintly at Ji Buwang. "I'll leave this for them. It should hold them until we return."
"Is this the formation disk refined by Teacher Yuwen?"
Ji Buwang recognized the extraordinary nature of the formation disk at a glance.
Xu Yi's lips curved upwards. "That's right."
To break the formation disk's defense in a short period, only a cultivator at the Mahayana stage could achieve it.
If they were to encounter a cultivator of such a cultivation level, it wouldn't make much difference whether Xu Yi and Ji Buwang were present or not.
Ji Buwang nodded, and the two of them walked towards the Xuan Qing Sect disciples.
Long Haotian, Lu Zi'ang, and the others immediately stood up to greet Xu Yi and Ji Buwang, their eyes filled with unspoken questions.
"After discussing with Ji Buwang, I've decided to go elsewhere to look for any usable clues. This formation disk is for you. If you encounter danger, activate it immediately, and Ji Buwang and I will rush back."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zi'ang instinctively looked at Long Haotian. Only he could make the decision now.
"Then I thank Senior Sister Xu and Senior Brother Lu for your kindness. Please be careful yourselves."
Long Haotian paused for a moment, then looked up and smiled faintly, accepting the formation disk that Xu Yi handed over.
Xu Yi was also pleased that he didn't refuse. After a few more instructions, he and Ji Buwang departed.
After the two of them left, the smile on Long Haotian's face vanished instantly, his brow covered by a thick layer of gloom.
Although he knew Xu Yi's actions were understandable, he still felt a sense of powerlessness, as if he had been abandoned.
Especially when he saw Xu Yi and Ji Buwang standing shoulder to shoulder, while he could only stand still and watch their backs as they moved away, this feeling became even more intense, stirring his heart into disarray.
"Senior Brother Long, what's wrong?"
Lu Zi'ang, noticing Long Haotian's expression, felt a tremor of apprehension and cautiously asked.
"Nothing."
Long Haotian closed his eyes, suppressing the turbulent emotions in his gaze, and turned to walk back into the Xuan Qing Sect's ranks.
He was unwilling, and he would not give up.
Wang Yi'an shook his head and sighed softly, his gaze seeming both pitying and contemplative.
"Why is Senior Brother sighing?"
Wang Yi'an turned to look at the bewildered Qu Xiaoxiao and said earnestly, "Junior Sister Qu, Senior Brother has a piece of advice for you."
"Please speak, Senior Brother."
"To cultivate the Great Dao, one must abandon distractions and focus on cultivation. You must not be influenced by the outside world."
Wang Yi'an's words were both a reminder to Qu Xiaoxiao and a caution to himself.
He did not wish to repeat the mistakes of Long Haotian and Chen Tao.
Although Qu Xiaoxiao did not know why Wang Yi'an would say such a thing, she obediently replied, "I've noted it down, Senior Brother."
Wang Yi'an nodded with satisfaction, unaware that he would deeply regret these words in the future.
...
Although Xu Yi and Ji Buwang hadn't discussed it, they both tacitly chose the same location.
It was the exit they had visited before.
At that time, almost all the cultivators in the entire secret realm had gathered there.
If there was any anomaly, it would be easiest to find clues by starting there.
The two of them traveled at full speed and arrived at the forest they had been to before in less than half an incense stick's time.
Upon seeing the dried bloodstains and the scattered corpses, Xu Yi and Ji Buwang's expressions turned solemn.
A fierce conflict had indeed taken place here. Besides the bodies, they also saw many broken magical treasures and traces left by intense fighting.
"Man dies for wealth, birds die for food."
Xu Yi found it somewhat ironic.
These people had not died from the greatest threat in the secret realm, but from the hands of fellow cultivators.
The depravity of human nature was laid bare at this moment.
"Let's search separately."
"Alright."
Xu Yi and Ji Buwang split up, each beginning their search from different directions.
Xu Yi first saw a pale green arm. The severed end showed festering red flesh, and a faint stench of decay could still be detected.
Xu Yi walked over the arm without looking sideways and approached a corpse, his divine sense sweeping from top to bottom.
This person had died from a punch to the chest, his internal organs ground into a pulp. His nose and mouth were filled with dried blood.
In addition to this, there were several other wounds on his body, clearly indicating he had not died at the hands of a single person.
His storage bag at his waist was gone, evidently taken by someone.
Xu Yi frowned and moved to another corpse. The condition of this corpse was similar to the previous one, except for the cause of death.
Half an incense stick later, Xu Yi and Ji Buwang met up.
"I didn't find anything here," Xu Yi said softly.
These people had clearly died in a free-for-all, and no anomalies had been discovered.
"I haven't either," Ji Buwang replied.
"Let's go to the next location."
This place was no longer worth their time.
"Okay."
Ji Buwang recalled for a moment and pointed to the southwest. "Let's go that way."
The divine soul imprints he had left on those people could only provide him with their locations, but not allow him to see their fate.
Therefore, he could only rely on his memory to recall where they had last disappeared.
The two of them sped off in the southwest direction and soon encountered a new batch of corpses.
This time there were thirteen corpses, and they still bore various wounds.
"Another free-for-all."
Ji Buwang shook his head at Xu Yi. There were still no clues found here.
"Continue."
Xu Yi refused to believe that all these people had died in a free-for-all. There had to be something wrong!