Ye Bufan cultivated in the cave, absorbing spiritual energy from the spirit ore, and gradually entered a state of meditation, almost forgetting the passage of time outside.
Days passed, and Ye Bufan's injuries had long since healed. However, once he entered meditation, his focus shifted from healing to cultivation.
Song Mingqin spent several days searching and finally detected spiritual energy fluctuations outside a cave. Song Mingqin intended to enter the cave to find Ye Bufan, but Ye Bufan had set up an array outside. Song Mingqin narrowly avoided falling into Ye Bufan's trap and had to exert considerable effort to break free from the formation.
The more this happened, the more certain Song Mingqin became that Ye Bufan was indeed inside the cave.
Song Mingqin, already blaming himself for not keeping a better eye on Ye Bufan, immediately dispatched his disciples to guard the cave entrance, waiting for Ye Bufan to emerge.
Seven days later, Ye Bufan opened his eyes from cultivation, finally exhaling a long breath of turbid air. With a slight movement, the bones in his body made cracking sounds.
"Hm?" Ye Bufan became alert. Upon sensing that the people outside the cave were disciples of the Scarlet Sword Sect, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Ye Bufan checked the time and realized he had been cultivating for a week, intending to return to Jinhe but now delayed by another week.
He walked out of the cave. Upon seeing Ye Bufan, the Scarlet Sword Sect disciples clasped their fists in greeting.
"Mr. Ye, you are finally out. We will report to the Grand Elder immediately," one disciple said, crushing a jade slip.
"Has Senior Song not returned to the sect yet?" Ye Bufan asked.
"After you left, the Grand Elder couldn't contact you or the traitor who escorted you. So, he ordered people to use tracking to locate that vehicle and the traitor. They were found in the forest," the Scarlet Sword Sect disciple explained to Ye Bufan, then recounted the subsequent search for Ye Bufan.
"Is Senior Song alright?" Ye Bufan asked, touching his nose sheepishly after hearing about Song Mingqin's ordeal.
"Of course, he's fine," Song Mingqin's voice rang out from the nearby forest. "You brat, you have such great fortune. To have survived three cultivators from Sakura Island and even managed to kill them in return. If anything had happened to you, I wouldn't know how to face Senior Lin Xiaoyao."
"How does Senior Song know it was three cultivators from Sakura Island?" Ye Bufan asked Song Mingqin, puzzled.
"The traitor's phone had chat records," Song Mingqin replied. "It's not like the old days. Technology is advanced now. Things that could only be done with formations or magical artifacts before can now be accomplished with a phone or computer. Our Scarlet Sword Sect has invested in a technology company, and with skilled IT experts, cracking phone passwords is a breeze."
Ye Bufan finally understood.
"Mr. Ye, you may not know, but after your incident, the Grand Elder was furious. Using the traitor's phone, he located one of their strongholds and, with our Scarlet Sword Sect disciples, annihilated it. Furthermore, not only did we find all the remaining spies from Sakura Island within our sect, but we also helped sects like the Overlord Saber Sect and the Palace of Light find their hidden operatives," the disciple guarding the entrance said.
"Oh?" Ye Bufan looked at Song Mingqin, feeling deeply moved.
"So, are Sakura Island's hidden operatives completely gone now?" Ye Bufan asked.
Song Mingqin nodded proudly and said, "This is all thanks to you. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to follow the leads and uproot them."
"Let's go. I've set up a place in this forest. We can rest there," Song Mingqin said. "After you've rested, we'll head back to Jinhe. Miss Chu from your family has called me several times."
When Song Mingqin mentioned Chu Mengyao, a mysterious smile appeared on his face.
"What is it?" Ye Bufan asked Song Mingqin, puzzled.
Song Mingqin, however, kept him in suspense, saying, "It's nothing. I can guarantee it's good news. But you'll find out when you get back."
"So mysterious." Ye Bufan and Song Mingqin exchanged glances, and Ye Bufan followed Song Mingqin to a bamboo house he had built in the forest.
"Hahahaha!" As they approached the bamboo house, Ye Bufan heard a hearty and familiar laugh. The owner of the voice was Qu Fei, the Grand Elder of the Overlord Saber Sect.
"Senior Qu?" Ye Butan entered the bamboo house and saw Qu Fei inside Song Mingqin's dwelling. Besides him, there were Song Xinghai, the Sect Master of the Scarlet Sword Sect, Ying Yao, the Sect Master of the Overlord Saber Sect, Yan He, the Sect Master of the Heavenly Star Sect, and Yan Yuzhu, the Palace Master of the Palace of Light.
In addition, there were a few people Ye Bufan didn't recognize. Upon seeing Ye Bufan, they rose and clasped their fists in greeting.
"What is all this...?"
Ye Bufan looked at Song Mingqin, bewildered. It seemed like there were even more people here than when they went to the Grand Unity Divine Sect's secret realm.
"Let me introduce you. This is Luo Feng, the Hall Master of the Xuan Yun Hall. This is Tang Shanhai, the current Sect Master of the Tang Sect."
Song Mingqin introduced the unfamiliar faces based on their proximity to Ye Bufan. Among them were Ding Lan, the new Sect Master of the Heavenly Origin Sect; Qiong Yuan Shizui, the junior sister of Qiong Ying Shizui from the Azure Falling Nunnery; and Kong Jue, a scholar from the Shaking Heaven Academy.
Ye Bufan greeted each of them according to Song Mingqin's introduction.
"Earlier, Senior Sister Qiong Ying Shizui brought back a disciple from Jinhe, saying she encountered a monstrously talented genius. Seeing you today, it's indeed true that we old cultivators can only gaze at your dust," Qiong Yuan Shizui said with a smile to Ye Bufan.
"You flatter me, Shizui," Ye Bufan replied with a slight smile.
"When we went to the secret realm before, the Azure Falling Nunnery, the Tang Sect, and the Xuan Yun Hall were in another secret realm, so they couldn't make it," Song Mingqin explained to Ye Bufan.
"Another secret realm?" Ye Bufan looked at Song Mingqin incredulously.
"The shackles are loosening, and the secret realms of those lost sects are reappearing," Song Mingqin said. "Because the people of Sakura Island have always coveted the inheritance of the ancient sects of our Nine Provinces, this time, various families and sects are going in different directions."
"Then, was the inheritance of the sect in that secret realm obtained?" Ye Bufan asked.
Everyone exchanged glances and sighed, saying, "Regrettably, the sect's inheritance was ultimately obtained by a newly risen genius from the Demonic Sect in recent years."
"What?" Ye Bufan frowned, surprised that the inheritance of that secret realm had fallen into the hands of someone from the Demonic Sect.
"Why haven't I heard much about the news of the inheritance being obtained?" Ye Bufan continued to ask Song Mingqin.
"According to the information we received, the sect in that secret realm was a second-rate sect in historical records, and the Grand Unity Divine Sect had some connection with the ancient Kunlun. Therefore, most sects focused their efforts on the Grand Unity Divine Sect's secret realm."