153: Mystery on the way home, Lu Yuan disappears

Card Continent.

Light flickered at the spatial rift, and figures stumbled out, looking disheveled.

Medical personnel were already on high alert, pushing stretchers, holding emergency equipment, looking for potential clients.

The three major families, as well as government liaison personnel, also gathered around the perimeter, craning their necks and looking around anxiously.

Provincial Governor stood at the very front.

With each Card Master who emerged, Provincial Governor's brows furrowed a little deeper.

Was the difficulty of this New Realm so great this time?

It couldn't be... Most of the Card Masters who came out were injured, some with severed arms, some blind, and even more, supported by companions, were already on their last breath.

And they were all his Provincial Government's people!

"Good... No, quick! This way! Seriously injured first!"

"Weak vital signs, immediate CPR!"

"Source Power overdrawn, quickly inject him with a Tier 3 Source Power recovery potion!"

"Medical card! I need a high-tier medical card!"

The shouts of the medical personnel rose and fell.

Compared to the somber mood of others, they seemed a bit excited.

More achievements!

Yao Tianbi squeezed to the front of the crowd, his eyes anxiously watching the spatial rift.

"Why hasn't he come out yet?"

"Where's Lu Yuan?!"

He grabbed a Yao Family disciple who had just been helped up by medical personnel. The disciple's face was covered in mud, and his eyes were unfocused.

"Have you seen Lu Yuan?! How is he?!"

The Yao Family disciple blinked blankly, seemingly not yet recovered from the terrifying moment in the secret realm.

"Lu... Deacon Lu Yuan?" he stammered, "We... we separated as soon as we went in... couldn't find him at all..."

"Then what happened later?! Is there any news of him?! Where did he last appear?!"

The man stammered, "Sh-should have gone to the deepest part of the secret realm... the volcano... over by the volcano... many people went there..."

The deepest part of the secret realm!

Yao Tianbi's face instantly turned pale.

Now the spatial rift had closed, and Lu Yuan and the others had not appeared for a long time!

What did that mean... it was already self-evident!

He let go, staggered back two steps, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Lu Yuan... Lu Yuan he..."

He muttered to himself, his heart sinking to rock bottom.

Just then, a shrill scream came from not far away.

"Zhou Wanhe!!!"

Zhou Wanhe, carrying two people, barely opened one eye, saw the person coming, and his lips moved.

"Big brother..."

"Zhou Wanhe! How are you?! Where are Wanjiang and Wanhai?! Where are they?!"

Zhou Wanxiong looked at the two corpses on his shoulders, unwilling to recognize them.

A trace of pain flashed in Zhou Wanhe's eyes, and he weakly shook his head.

"They... they all..."

Before he finished speaking, he was already sobbing uncontrollably.

Zhou Wanxiong felt as if struck by lightning, his whole body stiffening.

"All... all gone?"

"Pfft—!"

Zhou Wanxiong suddenly spat out a mouthful of old blood, his vision went dark, and he fell straight backward.

"Patriarch!"

"Quick! Patriarch Zhou fainted!"

The medical personnel reacted instantly!

"Quick! Purple... No! Orange medical card!"

"We're going to make a fortune today!!!"

The crowd stirred.

Provincial Governor's face grew even uglier.

He turned to Zhang Yue and Duan Kong, and asked in a deep voice, "What exactly is the situation inside?"

Zhang Yue took a deep breath, still with lingering fear in his eyes: "Provincial Governor, this secret realm anomaly far exceeded expectations. The heart of rules appeared in the core area, triggering a frantic scramble among various forces."

Duan Kong interjected: "Our people discovered it first, but suffered heavy losses. The most terrifying thing is that an Old Flame Spirit, with at least Tier 7 strength, awakened in that volcano!"

"Preliminary judgment is that it should be an aboriginal!"

"The intelligence given by the Ten Thousand Frontiers was wrong! The people from Ten Thousand Frontiers released the news without clarifying it! What a damn mess!"

"That Old Flame Spirit collected all the rule fragments, its strength... unfathomable! Our people were no match at all, and it's a miracle we escaped alive!"

An Old Flame Spirit of Tier 7 or higher?!

Provincial Governor gasped.

How could a Tier 4 fight that? Just sending themselves to their deaths? Even he was no match!

This operation not only gained no benefits but also lost so many people!

How could he explain this to his superiors?!

A look of determination flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly raised his voice:

"Everyone listen up!"

"Seal off the scene! All participants in this secret realm operation are temporarily forbidden from leaving the camp! Cooperate with the Alliance Investigation Team for questioning!"

"No one is allowed to leave the camp without authorization, violators will be dealt with according to Alliance law!"

Provincial Governor's voice spread throughout the entire camp.

The bustling camp instantly fell silent.

Things... had gotten serious!

In the Deyun Hall team, the Hall Master looked at De Xiner, who was disheveled but thankfully alive, and let out a slight sigh of relief.

"Xin'er, it's good that you're alright."

"Let me tell you some good news, Lu Yuan hasn't returned, he's probably in serious trouble!"

De Xiner's eyes lit up, as if hope had reignited... "Yao Tianbi, where are you going?!" A startled cry broke the silence of the camp.

Yao Tianbi, with bloodshot eyes, was seen leading several Yao Family experts, rushing directly towards the spatial rift that was slowly shrinking and whose light was becoming extremely unstable.

"Stop him!" Provincial Governor's face darkened, and he shouted sternly.

Several soldiers in Alliance standard combat uniforms immediately stepped forward, surrounding Yao Tianbi and his group.

"Yao Tianbi! Calm down!" The leading officer said in a deep voice, "The secret realm entrance is about to solidify completely, going in now is just suicide!"

"Get out of the way!" Yao Tianbi pushed the officer away, "My Yao Family's people cannot die in there so inexplicably!"

Source Power surged around him, as if he intended to force his way through.

"Yao Tianbi!" Provincial Governor quickly stepped forward, blocking his path.

"Provincial Governor! Get out of my way!" Yao Tianbi glared at him, his chest heaving violently.

Provincial Governor looked at his frantic appearance, and his tone also deepened: "Yao Tianbi, I understand your feelings. But the Lost Water Realm has been completely regulated! The spatial structure inside is extremely unstable right now, and it will take at least a week to solidify! The power of rules is rampant, even a Tier 7 Card Master going in would have a nine-in-ten chance of dying!"

He paused,

"Moreover, there are many suspicious points about Lu Yuan's matter! I've already heard from my subordinates that the events inside the secret realm this time are not that simple. All of this requires time to investigate thoroughly!"

"I don't care about any suspicious points!" Yao Tianbi roared, "I only know that he is a member of my Yao Family! He was brought by me, Yao Tianbi!"

"Alive, I want to see him! Dead, I want to see his corpse!"

"My Yao Family's people cannot disappear so inexplicably!"

The surrounding Card Masters looked at this scene, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

Most of them had heard the name Lu Yuan.

That young man who rose abruptly in the grand competition and won the provincial genius title!

Unexpectedly, this trip to the secret realm ended up like this.

Provincial Governor frowned, looking at Yao Tianbi who was unyielding.

He could understand Yao Tianbi's anxiety, but as the overall person in charge of this operation, he had to prioritize the bigger picture.

"Yao Tianbi, it's not just Lu Yuan, there are many others who haven't come out! The Alliance will organize a specialized search and rescue team later. But until the secret realm is completely stable, no one is allowed to enter without authorization!"

"What if Lu Yuan was lucky and wasn't regulated?"

"Anything is possible, we might as well wait a bit longer."

"Stable? How long do we have to wait for that?!" Yao Tianbi roared, "Until it's too late?! Until Lu Yuan doesn't even have a bone fragment left?!"

"Ten years ago! My fifth brother was also like this!"

"The Old Man personally intervened! He broke through the spatial barrier and forcibly pulled him out, and at that time, he wasn't dead yet!"

"It's just that the regularization was irreversible, and he was eventually slowly dragged to his death!"

"It's still not too late, Lu Yuan is not beyond saving!"

"This is the rule!" Provincial Governor's voice also carried a hint of anger, "If you insist on breaking through, don't blame me for disregarding our past relationship!"

"Provincial Governor!" Yao Tianbi clenched his fists, his knuckles white from the effort, "If you dare to stop me today, my Yao Family will not let you off!"

"Guards!" Provincial Governor stopped wasting words and directly ordered, "Temporarily 'invite' the Yao Family members to the resting area! They are not allowed to leave half a step without my command!"

"Yes!"

Several powerful Alliance soldiers stepped forward, subtly surrounding Yao Tianbi and his group.

The faces of the several Yao Family experts behind Yao Tianbi changed, and they all took a step forward, confronting the Alliance soldiers.

The atmosphere was tense, on the verge of breaking out.

"Third Uncle! Don't be impulsive!" A slightly weak voice came.

Yao Yong and Yao Cheng, the two brothers, squeezed out from the crowd.

They also had minor injuries, but compared to others, they were lucky.

"A-Yong, A-Cheng?" Yao Tianbi saw them, and the madness in his eyes receded slightly.

"Third Uncle, Provincial Governor Duan is right." Yao Yong said, panting, "This secret realm is different from before! It's too dangerous inside, we would only die in vain if we went in."

Yao Cheng also advised: "Yes, Third Uncle, Brother Lu Yuan is a lucky man, perhaps... perhaps he's just trapped somewhere, and once the secret realm stabilizes, he'll be able to come out."

He himself didn't quite believe these words.

But there was no choice, this secret realm was indeed unusually dangerous, and they couldn't let Third Uncle go to his death!

Yao Tianbi looked at his two nephews, then at the menacing Alliance soldiers around him, and the anger in his heart was gradually replaced by a sense of powerlessness.

He knew that Provincial Governor was telling the truth.

However, he couldn't bear to watch Lu Yuan's fate remain unknown!

"Lu Yuan... How can I explain this to Nickname..." Yao Tianbi's voice was choked with emotion.

Provincial Governor's expression shifted slightly upon hearing this.

He sighed, his tone softening: "Yao Tianbi, I know you're worried about Lu Yuan. Don't worry, as long as there's a glimmer of hope, the Alliance will not give up on the search and rescue. But right now, what we need is calm and patience."

"I have already reported it immediately! I presume Old Man Yao has already set off."

"Why not listen to their opinions before making a decision? It's not too late."

"I..." Yao Tianbi opened his mouth, but eventually dropped his arms in frustration.

He knew that continuing to make a scene would be of no avail and might even cause greater trouble for the Yao Family.

"Alright... I'll wait..."

Time passed quickly, and finally, under everyone's gaze, that rift flickered a few times and completely disappeared into the air.

The Lost Water Realm, both inside and out, was closed!

And Lu Yuan's fate remained unknown...