77: Sleep, sleep...

"Not found!"

"Not here either!"

The crowd was in a state of chaos, fanning out, but they still couldn't find any sign of the three.

"Saint, there is no need to worry."

"The Dragon Abyss Secret Realm is about to close. Let's go wait outside the Secret Realm first; I don't believe they won't come out!"

"As long as they step out, they are dead for sure!"

A Disciple of the Taiyi Immortal Sect made the suggestion, and it was quickly adopted by the Holy Son.

The group gathered together and headed toward the Secret Realm exit.

At the same time, the Holy Son also withdrew the remnant will of the great emperor. After all, it consumed too much spiritual energy; he couldn't sustain it for long.

More importantly... there was still a Dao-protecting Elder of the Supreme Realm waiting for them outside the Secret Realm.

With this Elder protecting them, what was there to worry about?

He immediately sent a transmission to the Dao-protecting Elder: "Elder Chen, everyone coming out of the Secret Realm—except for those from the Nanli Sword Sect, Linglong Treasure Pavilion, Zixiao Sect, Spirit Imperial Sect... all of them... kill without mercy!"

"Pay special attention to two men and one woman..."

..."Phew—"

"Damn, we finally escaped!"

"Crap, why are we still in the Secret Realm?"

"Two Senior Brothers, this Small Transfer Teleportation Array can only teleport us a short distance, and it's a random teleportation. It's already a blessing that we didn't teleport directly in front of them."

"Uh... can't we just make a Great Transfer Teleportation Array and teleport directly back to the Wending Sect?"

"Senior Brother Xiao must be joking. That would take at least several months to set up. Even if I had the time, I couldn't do it!"

"You talk too much. Junior Sister saved you, and you're still nitpicking!"

"Hehe!"

Three figures appeared out of thin air within the Secret Realm. Before them was a gloomy, desolate scene, but not a trace of poisonous mist could be seen. It was clear the three had teleported out of the abyss and temporarily escaped the crisis.

After each taking a few Healing Pills, their injuries recovered quickly. One moment they were severely wounded, and now they were full of vitality, with no sign of ever being injured... If anyone saw this, they would surely cry out in shock, but for the three of them, they had long since grown accustomed to it.

"Let's get out of here quickly."

All three knew very well that they weren't safe yet. Only after leaving the Secret Realm would they be completely out of danger.

Immediately, they turned into three streaks of light and headed for the Secret Realm exit.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey!"

"This Emperor is about to suffocate! Is no one going to do anything?"

"Quick, quick, quick, let this Emperor out!"

"Help!"

"Dog slaughter!"

As the three were moving, a dog's urgent barking suddenly came from the Spatial Ring.

"How could I forget about it?"

Su Muhuang slapped her forehead and released the dog.

Once outside, the dog breathed in huge gulps of air. It took a long time for the dog's face to regain its color. With lingering fear, it muttered, "Saved, I'm saved!"

A moment later, it barked angrily, "Are you trying to murder this Emperor?!"

While inside the Spatial Ring, the dog could actually sense what was happening outside. It had been extremely dangerous, and it was scared to death, not daring to breathe, thinking for a moment that it was going to meet its end there. It never expected these three to have so many life-saving trump cards that they could actually escape.

But that was one thing; the fact that they had been out for so long and had completely forgotten about it was another!

Simply unforgivable!

"...No... that's not it."

Su Muhuang tried to explain, but Xiao Bufan scolded, "If you say 'this Emperor' one more time, believe it or not, I'll beat you up!"

"...This... this wang..."

The dog suddenly started stuttering.

Then Shi Tian spoke up: "Stop bickering, let's get out first!"

As soon as he spoke, even the dog became well-behaved.

The three people and the dog stopped talking and rushed on. The dog's speed was too slow, and it wanted to rub against Su Muhuang's arms, but she looked at it with disdain and was absolutely unwilling to carry it.

Xiao Bufan also looked at it with disdain.

In the end, it was Shi Tian who grabbed the scruff of its neck, dangling it in mid-air as he flew through the sky.

The way back was much smoother than the way in. Coupled with the fact that the location where the three had teleported was not far from the Secret Realm exit, it wasn't long before the sky gradually brightened and the ground began to show signs of green. From a distance, they saw the Secret Realm exit.

"We're here!"

Joy appeared on their faces, and with a 'swish, swish, swish,' they plunged out without hesitation.

However... as soon as they came out, they realized something was wrong.

They saw grand and magnificent warships blocking the entrance to the Secret Realm, with flags fluttering on them.

Taiyi Immortal Sect, Nanli Sword Sect, Linglong Treasure Pavilion, Zixiao Sect, Spirit Imperial Sect... it seemed all other forces had been cleared away by them, leaving only these Sects.

"Aren't these all the Sects on the Holy Son's side?"

The three muttered to themselves. Glancing around, they didn't see Su Muhuang's figure; instead, on the Taiyi Immortal Sect's warship, they saw a middle-aged man with a short beard who exuded an air of authority without being angry, clutching the neck of a Void Refining Realm Cultivator with one hand.

That Cultivator was kneeling on the ground, his face purple, his whole body trembling with fear, and his expression distorted.

He was one of the Cultivators who had luckily escaped from the abyss earlier. As soon as he came out, he was snatched from the air by the middle-aged man, forced to watch his companions die one by one before him. Now only he remained, and his prospects were grim.

As soon as Shi Tian's group of three emerged, the middle-aged man's eyes lit up, and he asked grimly, "Is it these three?"

"...Yes... yes..."

The kneeling Cultivator had just managed to choke out the words when a 'crack' was heard. His neck was instantly snapped. Before he could even scream, he was casually tossed off the warship by the middle-aged man, falling straight down.

The middle-aged man smiled, his gaze like a hawk's as he looked at the three and said coldly, "Hand over the netherworld blood lotus, and I shall spare your lives!"

The pupils of the three people and the dog contracted simultaneously!

These words... why did they sound so familiar?

Oh no, we've been discovered!

This person's Realm... they couldn't see through it at all! Without even thinking, they knew his Realm must be far higher than theirs.

Just as they were about to run, a terrifying pressure suddenly descended. The circulation of the three's spiritual Qi immediately became difficult. At the same time, the middle-aged man stepped into the Void Realm, a cold smile on his face as he walked toward them step by step.

"You brats actually dared to snatch the Holy Son's netherworld blood lotus. Who gave you the courage? Heh, which Sect are you Disciples of, to even hide... no... wait, you haven't hidden your cultivation...?"

Under the investigation of his Divine Sense, the middle-aged man was also shocked.

Three peerless Prodigies!

Each of them could fight across a major Realm; it was truly unheard of. If not the last of their kind, they were at least unprecedented.

The Saint was already a peerless Prodigy the likes of which the Cangxuan Realm hadn't seen in many years, but these three—each was many times stronger than the Saint. Heavens, how was this possible?!

"Which Sect do you actually come from?"

The middle-aged man felt an inexplicably ominous premonition and asked coldly.

"Our Sect is not something you are worthy of knowing!"

Shi Tian was not overwhelmed by the other's Aura. His mind raced, thinking of how to stall for time.

Running was definitely out of the question; he could only see if he could stall until Fairy Nansheng arrived.

He secretly sent a transmission to Fairy Nansheng, but there was no response.

"Heh, since you're unwilling to speak, then... die!"

The middle-aged man grew impatient.

Regardless of which Sect they came from or how monstrous their talent was, as long as they died here, there would be no proof. No matter how powerful their Sect was, they wouldn't know he was the one who did it... moreover...

Among the five top powers of the Imperial Continent, including their Taiyi Immortal Sect, he had never heard of such monstrous Disciples.

In that case, there was nothing to fear.

With this thought, the middle-aged man moved, taking a step forward.

To a powerhouse at the Middle Stage of the Supreme Realm like him, killing three Void Refining Realm Cultivators was easier than drinking water.

He was relaxed and at ease, feeling no pressure at all.

However... when he arrived before the three and raised his hand halfway, he suddenly froze.

An ethereal sound of a flute appeared in his mind. His surroundings slowly vanished, night descended, and a calm, tranquil ocean slowly appeared. He found himself above the ocean, solitary and helpless.

A bright moon rose slowly from the sea level.

A Fairy-like silhouette appeared before the moon, her long sleeves fluttering as she played a flute. The sound of the flute was as gentle as water.

A wave of warmth wrapped around him; it was very comfortable.

"Sleep!"

"Sleep!"

It was like a mother's gentle voice, lulling him to sleep.

He felt his drowsiness growing heavier and heavier, his eyelids barely able to stay open. Before long, he finally couldn't hold on any longer. He slowly closed his eyes and gently fell below the surface of the sea.

So warm!

His consciousness gradually blurred until... he sank into permanent darkness...