The Xuanqing Sect party set out with expressions of heightened vigilance, but after less than half an hour, their taut nerves began to ease.
Perhaps it was due to Senior Sister Xu leading the way, but they encountered no incidents on their journey and even discovered several rare spiritual herbs.
Many began to murmur inwardly that while Senior Brother Jin was excellent in all aspects, at times he was too cautious, lacking the imposing presence of Senior Brother Jin.
Long Haotian was not unaware of their thoughts, but he had no inclination to dwell on them at the moment.
He felt as if a sharp sword hung above his head, poised to fall at any moment, keeping him in a constant state of unease.
*Buzzz—*
Long Haotian's heart skipped a beat. It took him a few moments to react to the faint vibrating sound emanating from his waist.
He picked up the communication disk and instinctively activated it. Xu Yi's anxious voice immediately came through: "Long Haotian, open the formation disk quickly! There's danger!"
Xu Yi's voice, though not sharp, was clearly heard by all the Xuanqing Sect disciples nearby.
They paused, their eyes widening slightly, still laced with confusion.
However, Long Haotian had already reacted. Without a word, he threw the formation disk he had been holding in his hand towards the ground.
At the same time, an invisible sound wave surged towards the Xuanqing Sect members with destructive force.
*Buzzz buzz buzz!*
The sound wave collided fiercely with the suddenly deployed light screen. The melodious chime of the bell instantly turned into a piercing, demonic sound.
The Xuanqing Sect disciples, who hadn't yet grasped what was happening, felt their blood churning. Many even collapsed to the ground, blood beginning to seep from their orifices.
Within the formation disk, only Long Haotian and a few others were less disheveled.
Long Haotian, Wang Yi'an, and Chen Tao had, through their interactions with Xu Yi, honed the skill of reacting to sound.
That is to say, as soon as Xu Yi spoke, they would immediately take action.
This trust stemmed from the unspoken understanding developed through their long association.
Upon hearing Xu Yi's words, Long Haotian dropped the formation disk, while Chen Tao and Wang Yi'an quickly prepared their defenses, thus evading the attack.
Wang Yi'an intended to check on his fellow disciples but suddenly remembered Qu Xiaoxiao, the one with the lowest cultivation. He quickly turned to look back, his gaze momentarily stunned.
Qu Xiaoxiao stood frozen, her red lips parted in astonishment. Outside her and Hong Shengyi's bodies was a faint yellow light screen.
Wang Yi'an's gaze fell upon Qu Xiaoxiao's palm.
There lay a shattered jade slip.
A peculiar light suddenly appeared in Wang Yi'an's eyes.
He had not expected Qu Xiaoxiao to believe in Xu Yi as they did.
After all, this jade slip was enough to withstand a full-power strike from a cultivator in the Integration stage. Once shattered, it could no longer be used. For Qu Xiaoxiao, who was only at the Nascent Soul stage, this was a life-saving artifact, something not to be used unless absolutely necessary.
Yet, Qu Xiaoxiao had chosen to shatter this jade slip immediately upon hearing Xu Yi's words. This indicated that her trust in Xu Yi was no less than theirs.
A flicker of admiration crossed Wang Yi'an's eyes. Qu Xiaoxiao was a highly perceptive individual, and he believed that after leaving the secret realm, she would undoubtedly progress at an astonishing rate.
After a brief moment of surprise, Long Haotian quickly produced spiritual medicine and distributed it to the disciples, fine beads of sweat trickling down his temples.
That was close.
He hadn't sensed any danger approaching at all.
Had it not been for Xu Yi's timely reminder, they would surely have fallen victim by now.
After assessing that everyone's condition was not too dire, Long Haotian raised his head to look into the distance.
Due to the great distance, he could only see a faint, indistinct figure over there.
And whether it was his illusion or not, he felt that the figure was remarkably familiar.
Long Haotian instinctively tightened his grip on the communication disk but was drawn to its sharp edges.
He looked down and saw that the communication disk in his hand was shattered into four pieces, and the faint spiritual light that had previously surrounded it had also dissipated.
His heart trembled, and he clutched the communication disk even tighter.
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*
The heavy footsteps seemed to pound on the hearts of the Xuanqing Sect disciples.
Everyone raised their heads, staring in the direction of the sound, their faces gradually showing shock.
"It's... it's Senior Brother Jin..."
Some disciple stammered out the words.
Long Haotian retorted coldly, "No, he's not Senior Brother Jin, he's a fake!"
"Yes! He's a fake!"
Chen Tao and Wang Yi'an chimed in their agreement.
The three stood side by side, their auras intertwining, offering silent resistance to the approaching pressure.
Qu Xiaoxiao looked at the backs of the three, her eyes growing increasingly moist.
Senior Brother Long and the other two were also pillars of support, shielding the Xuanqing Sect disciples.
"You actually noticed."
Jin Biao's lips curved into a playful smile, drawing glares of anger from the Xuanqing Sect disciples.
Because the real Jin Biao would never wear such an expression.
"You finally admit it, you are not Senior Brother Jin."
Long Haotian's face was stern, his gaze like poisoned daggers.
Jin Biao chuckled, "When did I admit it? I am Jin Biao, and Jin Biao is me."
As he spoke, he took out Jin Biao's natal artifact from his storage bag and casually swung it.
Long Haotian stared intently at the long saber.
That was Senior Brother Jin's natal artifact. If touched by an outsider, it would undoubtedly resist with all its might.
But to his surprise, the long saber was exceptionally calm in Jin Biao's hand, as if acknowledging that its owner was indeed the one wielding it.
This was impossible.
Long Haotian couldn't understand until Wang Yi'an revealed the truth.
"You erased the artifact spirit within the long saber!"
Wang Yi'an stared at Jin Biao with fury, his eyes flashing with grief and helplessness.
"What?"
Upon Wang Yi'an's reminder, the Xuanqing Sect disciples also noticed the anomaly, their faces instantly showing righteous indignation.
The artifact spirit Wang Yi'an mentioned was not a true artifact spirit, but a faint wisp of consciousness born within the natal artifact.
It required hundreds or even thousands of years of nurturing to potentially evolve from consciousness into an artifact spirit.
However, because this wisp of consciousness was in sync with the cultivator's intent and could help the cultivator better utilize the artifact's efficacy, most cultivators preferred to call it an artifact spirit.
Jin Biao's natal artifact had accompanied him for over two hundred years before a wisp of consciousness was born. Jin Biao had carefully nurtured it, and apart from Hong Shengyi and a few elders, he was unwilling to hand the saber to anyone.
But now, the consciousness within the saber had been ruthlessly erased by the person before them, destroying Jin Biao's two hundred years of effort. How could they not be enraged?
"It's merely a lowly wisp of consciousness; there's no need for you to make such a fuss."
Jin Biao casually tossed the long saber aside, his dismissive action drawing more hostility from the crowd.
"I'm done playing with you. Once I break this turtle shell, you will all become my food."
Jin Biao grinned sinisterly and unleashed a punch.