Bai Chen glanced at Jun Fei'er, who resembled a wrathful god, and quietly stepped back. Though Jun Fei'er outwardly forgave him, she still resented him deep down. If he hadn't left Xiao Man to fend for herself, Xiao Man wouldn't have fallen prey to the Five Poisons Sect.
"Martial Uncle, are we still going to hunt down the disciples of the Five Poisons Sect?" a disciple from the Hundred Herbs Hall asked timidly. The Five Poisons Sect specialized in poison. While it didn't pose much of a threat to them, their combat strength was weak. They could only team up with other sects; the Blazing Sun Sect and the Mechanical Sect handled offense, while they provided healing.
"Kill them, until not a single one is left."
"It seems Martial Uncle Jun is truly furious," the disciples muttered amongst themselves.
"Wouldn't she be? She finally found a disciple she took a liking to, someone with great talent and good looks, only for them to be killed in the blink of an eye. Our Martial Uncle isn't one to swallow insults. I fear that even after this, she'll still seek trouble with the Five Poisons Sect!"
"Putting that aside, the Five Poisons Sect's flagrant sneak attacks on the Seven Sects' disciples clearly show malicious intent. Our killing them is purely for self-preservation, with no selfish motives," a disciple asserted righteously.
"Yes, we are doing this for self-preservation!"
The Five Poisons Sect had originally planned to ambush the disciples of the Seven Sects in secret. However, because of Xiao Man, they had become public enemies of the Seven Sects. Forget sneaking attacks; as soon as the Seven Sects saw them, they drew their swords and charged. This forced the Five Poisons Sect to flee and hide everywhere, unable to even carry out their original mission.
Outside the secret realm, Elder Lü watched as the elders of the Seven Sects slumped onto their chairs. His smile was exceptionally sinister. "Gentlemen, I advise you not to forcefully circulate your energy. Otherwise, the poison will enter your internal organs, and even the mightiest gods cannot save you."
"Lü Yuan, what exactly do you want?"
Elder Lü's expression was calm. "City Lord Yan, everyone present holds significant positions within the Seven Sects. Are you sure you want to remain holed up in the City Lord's mansion and not come out?"
"I'll go in and apprehend them," Liu Han declared, preparing to charge in.
"Stay calm, for now." Elder Lü sat by the entrance of the City Lord's mansion. "Give the order to capture Yan Yan."
Inside the City Lord's mansion, the City Lord calmly instructed the guards to prepare for defense. Currently, their mansion only had his father, a Golden Core expert. The Five Poisons Sect, on the other hand, had Liu Han and Lü Yuan, both skilled in poison, and they held many hostages. A direct confrontation would be suicidal.
"City Lord, just as Young Master Xiao Qin predicted, the Five Poisons Sect has made their move," Fan Ting said, unable to help but admire Xiao Man's foresight. If they hadn't been on guard, the vast City Lord's mansion might have already fallen.
"Now, there's nothing we can do," the City Lord said, looking at the old City Lord. "Father, if the people from the Five Poisons Sect break in..."
"They won't dare," the old City Lord stated with certainty. The Five Poisons Sect only had two Golden Core cultivators in Wuji City, and the people from the Seven Sects might not surrender. Their only bargaining chip was the disciples of the Seven Sects within the secret realm.
"Yan'er is in the secret realm..."
"With Xiao Qin there, Yan'er will be fine," the old City Lord said calmly, like a meditating monk.
Elder Xia glanced at the old City Lord and couldn't help but chuckle. He was clearly panicking but put on an act of being in control, as if he feared being seen through.
"Xiao Qin's cultivation has now dropped to the early Foundation Establishment stage. I fear..."
"Although that brat's cultivation has fallen to the early Foundation Establishment stage, don't forget she can fight three and kill three mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators. Have you ever seen an early Foundation Establishment cultivator this arrogant?"
The City Lord pursed his lips. Yes, Xiao Man was indeed powerful, but even the best fighter couldn't fend off multiple attackers. The Five Poisons Sect had likely planted many helpers inside. Even with Xiao Man's might, she couldn't possibly take down all of them by herself.
"The people from the Seven Sects should also help him," the old City Lord said slowly. They had already communicated with the Seven Sects, warning them that someone intended to provoke conflict between the Seven Sects for their own gain and had repeatedly pointed the finger at the Five Poisons Sect. The Seven Sects should have been prepared.
"Although the Seven Sects were prepared, they weren't sufficiently so," Elder Xia interjected. "Otherwise, they wouldn't have been wiped out by the Five Poisons Sect in one fell swoop."
Upon hearing this, everyone sighed. It seemed they couldn't rely on the Seven Sects and could only hope that Xiao Man could resolve the situation.
"What if Xiao Qin loses?" the City Lord suddenly asked.
Everyone looked at the City Lord in unison. After a moment, the old City Lord spoke, "If Xiao Qin loses, it means we also lose. The wicked people from the Five Poisons Sect outside will not let us off easily."
"Right, Father. Lü Yuan asked me to open the barrier to the Land of No Return. What's the reason for that?"
"In that case, their target is the Land of No Return."
"The Land of No Return?" the City Lord seemed confused. Although he was the City Lord, he didn't know much about the Land of No Return. He immediately looked at his father. "Isn't the Land of No Return a place where criminals are banished?"
"You didn't tell him?" Elder Xia looked at the old City Lord in surprise. Since Yan Yu had taken over as City Lord, he should have been told the secret of the Land of No Return. Yet, judging by Yan Yu's bewildered expression, he clearly didn't know.
"The Land of No Return suppresses a great demon," the old City Lord sighed. "If this person is released, the consequences will be endless."
"A demon?" The City Lord's expression grew even more confused. A desolate land suppressing a great demon? Then why send a group of wrongdoers there? Were they not afraid these people would help the demon escape?
"The Land of No Return was not always called that. It was only after the demon king Yu Ju was suppressed there that the entire area became barren, hence it was called the desolate land," the old City Lord explained. "As for why criminals were banished to the Land of No Return, it was merely a cover-up. After all, only a handful of people knew that Yu Ju was suppressed there."
"Then how did the people from the Five Poisons Sect find out that Yu Ju was suppressed in the Land of No Return?"
The old City Lord slowly shook his head. He didn't know how the Five Poisons Sect found out. Furthermore, he had sensed anomalies in the magic formation some days ago, likely probing attempts by the Five Poisons Sect.
"The magic formation in the Land of No Return cannot be shaken by just anyone. After all, the place where the formation's core is located is not accessible to everyone," Elder Xia said calmly. On the current Cang Xuan Continent, there was likely no one left who could enter the formation's core of the Land of No Return, as the direct descendants of the Qin family were all dead.
"No one can enter?"
"No one can enter *now*," the old City Lord said with relief. He himself could not approach the formation's core of the Land of No Return. In Yangming Valley, poisonous creatures were rampant. Even those skilled in poison could only wander the periphery and could not enter the center of Yangming Valley. Moreover, the formation's core was guarded by multiple poisonous beasts. To enter would be akin to a fool's dream.
"Father, you also said back then that no one could retrieve the Dragon Spirit Bamboo, yet Xiao Qin managed to bring it back."