"What will it take for you to let him go?" Zang Xu asked calmly. At this moment, he couldn't let Qi Hong die. Xiao Man was right; Qi Hong was key to their plan. Any slip-up would only bring trouble upon them!
"That depends on you. How can you let us out?" Xiao Man asked calmly. She knew the answer was here, which was why she had come. However, the cultivation of the person before her was too high, giving her a sense of oppression. With such cultivation, no one in this secret realm was likely an opponent!
"If you want to get out, you'll have to see if you have the fate for it!" Zang Xu stomped his foot. Xiao Man felt the ground shake, nearly losing her balance. Zang Xu instantly appeared before Xiao Man, seizing the hand holding the dagger. With a twist, Xiao Man cried out in pain and let go. Seizing his freedom, Qi Hong quickly put distance between himself and the two.
"Kid, you've got guts. It's been many years since anyone dared to threaten me."
A slight curve formed on Xiao Man's lips as a small venomous snake lunged directly at Zang Xu's face. Zang Xu raised his hand to block, while Xiao Man used the opportunity to break free from Zang Xu's grasp. She produced something, pressed it to the ground, and then rapidly retreated.
Zang Xu threw the attacking snake aside. Looking around, he was still on the ice plain, but everyone else had vanished, as if they had disappeared in an instant.
Zang Xu sneered repeatedly.
"A mere trick, and you think you can trap me."
Zang Xu gathered all his strength and unleashed a palm strike. He had expected to forcefully break through the barrier before him, but it didn't work.
Xiao Man stood outside the ice plain, watching Zang Xu struggle within the illusion array. She couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from her forehead. Just then, Jun Fei'er and the others arrived.
Bai Chen's gaze fell upon the person trapped in the illusion array. "Who is this?"
"Zang Xu, the Sect Master of the Five Poisons Sect." Fang He's single sentence revealed the other's identity, his face showing undisguised shock, as if Zang Xu's presence here was utterly impossible!
"Can't people with less than Golden Core stage cultivation enter? Why did he get in?" Bai Chen was filled with shock. He had assumed the highest cultivation within would be late Foundation Establishment, and they might have a chance if they fought. He never expected them to have a peak Golden Core expert hidden here!
"Let's leave here first." Jun Fei'er made a decisive call. Zang Xu's presence here meant this was indeed a trap, and they didn't know what else awaited them.
"Wait, we have to take this kid with us." Xiao Man walked towards Qi Hong. Qi Hong was crucial to the Five Poisons Sect's plan. If they took Qi Hong, no matter how capable the Five Poisons Sect was, they wouldn't be able to execute it.
"What use is this kid?"
"Although I don't know his exact use, the Five Poisons Sect's plan revolves around him. Furthermore, their target is Yu Ju."
"Yu Ju?" As soon as Xiao Man spoke, everyone looked bewildered. "Who is Yu Ju?"
"You don't know?" Xiao Man was somewhat surprised. Although the matter of Yu Ju was a top secret, these people were still pillars of their sects. Had they never even heard the name?
"Is Yu Ju the Demon King from ten thousand years ago?" Bai Chen asked cautiously.
Xiao Man looked at Bai Chen. Although this kid was a bit foolish, he actually knew about Yu Ju.
"You know?"
"I once flipped through an ancient book in my sect's library, and it mentioned this person. It said he was an utterly wicked devil, a butcher who killed without remorse. At that time, the Sect Masters of the Four Great Sects sacrificed their lives to save the common people and slew him." Bai Chen recounted what he had read in the ancient text to everyone.
"A dead person, what is there to worry about?" The others were confused.
"The problem is, the record Bai Chen saw was half true and half false. At that time, the Sect Masters of the Four Great Sects joined forces, and even at the cost of their lives, they couldn't kill Yu Ju. They could only seal him."
"Yu Ju is sealed in this secret realm?" Elder Fang He asked, surprised.
Xiao Man shook her head. "That's what puzzles me. The place where Yu Ju was sealed is not here, yet the Five Poisons Sect forcibly opened this secret realm. I suspect this secret realm is related to the place where Yu Ju is sealed."
"Then what does this kid have to do with it?" Bai Chen was a diligent student and wasn't ashamed to ask questions about things he didn't know.
Xiao Man glanced at Qi Hong, whom she was holding, and shrugged. "I don't know what he has to do with it either. I'm guessing, perhaps he's related to opening the seal."
"Xiao Man, don't slander me. I'm just an ordinary person."
Xiao Man raised her hand and struck Qi Hong, knocking him unconscious. She didn't need to hear his rebuttal. She then looked back towards the ice plain. "Bai Chen, how long can your illusion array hold him?"
"Half an hour at most."
"Half an hour..." Xiao Man's brow furrowed. Time was too tight. If they stayed together, they could easily be caught in one fell swoop. She immediately stopped. "We'll split up. I'll take him. Master, Little Seven is entrusted to you."
Jun Fei'er trembled with excitement, her eyes shining brightly. "Don't worry, unless I die, no one will snatch Little Seven from my hands."
"I'm going with you," Ze Fang immediately retorted.
Xiao Man reached out and stroked Ze Fang's head. "You must be good and obey your Master. I'll come back to pick you up."
"Daddy, don't leave me." Ze Fang clutched Xiao Man's hem. For some reason, he felt that if Xiao Man took Qi Hong, she intended to lure Zang Xu away. But Zang Xu's cultivation was too high; no one present was an opponent, not even Xiao Man. He was, after all, a peak Golden Core expert.
"Trust me, I won't leave you," Xiao Man said, looking into Ze Fang's eyes with certainty. "We're just separating temporarily; we'll reunite soon."
Ze Fang tightly held Xiao Man's sleeve, refusing to let go. Xiao Man kissed Ze Fang's forehead, tore her sleeve, and quickly departed with Qi Hong.
"Daddy!"
"Be good, Little Seven. Your father will be fine." Jun Fei'er didn't hesitate and immediately hugged Ze Fang, heading in another direction. She had to distance herself from Zang Xu as much as possible and protect this child.
"I'll go with Uncle-Master Jun," Bai Chen quickly pursued Jun Fei'er.
Fang He also chose a direction. Zang Xu was considered an outstanding figure among the Seven Sect Masters. After so many years, his cultivation must have advanced by leaps and bounds. Moreover, he was skilled in poison. Going up against him, none of them stood even a sliver of a chance. The best strategy was to retreat; preserving life was paramount.
Zang Xu broke through the illusion array. Seeing that Xiao Man and her group were gone, and Qi Hong was also missing, he couldn't help but let out a cold smile. Once they entered this secret realm, they were like birds in a cage; no one would be able to escape his grasp!
Xiao Man moved with extreme speed, taking Qi Hong to a swamp she had discovered by chance. Using the treasure artifact Bai Chen had given her, she set up a formation in the swamp and trapped Qi Hong within it.