196: Chapter 196 The Last Moment

Just as Chu Yunmeng was chattering to Chu Xingwen about everything she had seen and heard in the Cloud Spirit Secret Realm, the Yao Beasts she had encountered, and the gains she had made, several Green-Robed Disciples from the academy emerged in a disheveled state.

A moment later, the closing time for the Cloud Spirit Secret Realm was approaching. However, since the academy's enrollment began, the five young Disciples of the Ling Family, who had made a name for themselves and shocked everyone, had not yet emerged from the Secret Realm.

For a time, Chu Xingwen, the current King of the Great Chu Dynasty, couldn't help but secretly worry.

"Could it be that Ling Yong, Ling Zhong, and the others are all buried in this Cloud Spirit Secret Realm? With their cultivation and strength, it shouldn't have come to this, with all of them dying."

"If all five of these Ling Family Disciples perish in the Cloud Spirit Secret Realm, how will I explain it to the Ling Family?"

"Although the Great Chu Imperial Family also has its own foundation, according to the information gathered by my shadows, the Ling Family is not as simple as it appears on the surface."

"The Great Chu Imperial Family has built its current foundation over hundreds of years, and it does not want to inexplicably establish such a mysterious force as an enemy."

At this moment, if Ling Feng knew Chu Xingwen's thoughts, he would undoubtedly scoff. For the current Ling Family, annihilating the Great Chu Imperial Family would be effortless; he simply felt it was unnecessary.

As time passed, the blue portal of the Cloud Spirit Secret Realm in the Void Realm began to gradually waver.

Clearly, this was a sign that the time was up and the Cloud Spirit Secret Realm was about to close.

Seeing this, Chu Xingwen's heart immediately turned to ashes, and he kept muttering.

"It's over, it's really all over..."

However, just as Chu Xingwen's mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts and his heart had turned to ashes, contemplating how to deal with the situation, within a few breaths as the blue portal in the Void Realm was about to dissipate, several white lights flashed, and a sound of rushing air directly rang out.

"Swish... Swish..."

"Swish..."

At the same time, the blue portal in the Void Realm also directly disappeared, transforming into countless Spiritual Qi that scattered between heaven and earth. The piles of Spirit Stones on the array foundations around the square, which had been providing spiritual power to the grand array, now lay like a pile of ordinary stones, their Spiritual Qi long since completely extracted by the grand array.

The figures of Ling Yong, Ling Zhong, and the other three immediately appeared in the center of the square.

"Good thing we made it."

Ling Yong, who was at the front, let out a heavy breath and murmured with emotion. Ling Zhong, Ling Jun, and the others beside him, hearing Ling Yong's murmur and sensing their surroundings, also relaxed their previously tense mental state and each let out a long sigh of relief.

"Ling Jun, I told you not to provoke that Yao Beast at the end, but you wouldn't listen. As a result, the four of us not only almost got dragged into trouble because of you, but we almost couldn't even get out of this Secret Realm."

Ling Zhong, who had just let out a long sigh of relief, immediately complained to Ling Jun beside him.

Ling Jun, hearing Ling Zhong's complaint, explained with an apologetic expression.

"Dealing with that Yao Beast with my strength wasn't a problem; I could have resolved it quickly. No one expected it to successfully Breakthrough at the last moment."

"Alright, this isn't Ling Jun's fault. That Yao Beast was on our unavoidable path, and even if we hadn't actively provoked it, it definitely wouldn't have let us pass. It's just that our strength has surged during this time in the Secret Realm, making us arrogant. We didn't go all out at first, giving that Yao Beast an opportunity to advance and Breakthrough."

"If we had used our full strength from the beginning, or even attacked it together, the situation just now wouldn't have happened. So, this matter cannot be blamed on Ling Jun; rather, each of us is responsible."

"This incident also warns us that in the future, no matter how powerful our own strength becomes or what kind of opponent we encounter, we must not be arrogant or conceited. We must treat every opponent with high importance, otherwise, what happened today is very likely to occur again."

Listening to the conversation between Ling Jun and Ling Zhong beside him, Ling Yong immediately responded, and after thoroughly analyzing the situation, he sternly warned them.

Looking at Ling Yong and the others conversing in low voices in the center of the square, Chu Ming immediately gave a light cough, reminding them.

"Cough cough..."

Hearing this, Ling Yong, Ling Zhong, Ling Jun, and the others immediately reacted. Realizing their impropriety, the few of them quickly approached Chu Xingwen and Chu Ming, cupping their fists and bowing respectfully with apologetic expressions.

"Disciple Ling Yong greets the King, greets the Dean!"

"Greetings, Elders."

... "Disciple Ling Zhong greets the King, greets the Dean!"

"Greetings, Elders."

... "Disciple Ling Jun greets the King, greets the Dean!"

"Greetings, Elders."

... "Disciple Ling Fei..."

Ling Yong, Ling Zhong, and the other five successively bowed respectfully to Chu Xingwen, Chu Ming, and the several Elders present.

Seeing this, Chu Xingwen immediately snapped out of his daze. Looking at Ling Yong, Ling Zhong, and the other five, who were perfectly intact and in excellent condition, Chu Xingwen, who had just been deeply worried about them, was instantly overjoyed and slowly spoke to them with a smile.

"Haha, dispense with the formalities, quickly dispense with the formalities!"

Hearing this, Ling Yong, Ling Zhong, and the others, despite their many doubts about Chu Xingwen's sudden extreme happiness upon seeing them, did not delve deeper and quickly cupped their fists in gratitude.

"We thank the King."

At this moment, Chu Xingwen and Chu Ming also began to carefully observe Ling Yong, Ling Jun, and the other three who had emerged at the last moment.

It was fine not to look, but once they did, Chu Xingwen and Chu Ming were both startled.

Ling Yong, Ling Jun, and the other three were filled with an extremely strong Killing Intent and a bloody Qi. How many Yao Beasts must one kill to accumulate such a degree? Moreover, even more shocking to the two of them was the five's Martial Dao cultivation. One must know that when they first entered the Secret Realm, the highest cultivation among the five was only at the Earth Martial Realm.

Now, even the one with the lowest cultivation among the five had reached the Early Stage Heaven Martial Realm, and Ling Yong, who had the highest cultivation, had already reached the Late Stage Heaven Martial Realm; it was likely that Heaven Martial Realm Perfection was not far off.

For a time, Chu Xingwen and Chu Ming's hearts were stirred with massive waves.