410: Chapter 410 He slipped away

The moment the Sand-Devouring Rat finished speaking, a bone-chilling aura suddenly swept through the surroundings, and the air seemed to freeze.

The Sword Qi originally held in the White-Haired Youth's palm suddenly erupted, transforming into a condensed, ink-like gray sword shadow. Carrying a world-destroying power, it tore through the air and struck back fiercely at Zhuang Ruoheng!

Zhuang Ruoheng felt the shadow of death instantly envelop her whole body; her hair stood on end, and a piercing chill rushed straight to the crown of her head.

In that life-or-death moment, she instinctively held her sword across her chest, pushing the Spiritual Qi in her body to the limit. The sword blade erupted with a layer of pearly white protective shield, barely resisting that terrifying pressure.

“Junior Sister!”

Wang Guan’s eyes nearly split from strain as he cried out in alarm. Without time to think, he lunged forward, forcefully blocking the path in front of Zhuang Ruoheng.

“Boom—!”

A deafening roar exploded as the gray Sword Qi slammed heavily into Wang Guan's back.

He let out a muffled groan, and a large mouthful of blood sprayed out. His body flew backward like a broken kite, crashing heavily to the ground. His aura withered instantly; he was clearly severely injured and on the verge of death.

Fortunately, he possessed a Body Refining physique equivalent to the Mahayana Stage. Had this strike landed on Zhuang Ruoheng, she would likely have perished on the spot.

“Senior Brother?!”

Zhu Lang and Zhuang Ruoheng cried out in shock, their faces pale. They hurriedly harnessed their Spiritual Qi and flew urgently toward where Wang Guan had fallen.

“I didn't expect the Demon Abyss Pavilion's sect conduct to be quite decent,”

Chen Xuan commented simply; that foodie girl truly had good luck.

Watching this soul-stirring scene, Pavilion Master Shen couldn't help but swallow hard, cold sweat seeping from his temples.

He had dealt with those two from the Demon Abyss Pavilion before; in a one-on-one fight, their levels were roughly equal. But since this White-Haired Youth could so easily wound Wang Guan, his identity was naturally self-evident.

“It really is a Clone of a Yao Sovereign.”

Beside him, Dongfang Li's pupils shrank as she cried out in surprise.

Gu Yunshen's expression was grave, his Spiritual Qi circulating secretly. He immediately sent an urgent reminder via telepathy: “While that Yao Sovereign's attention is drawn by them, let's escape quickly!”

The four didn't dawdle. They reached a silent agreement instantly and, without the slightest hesitation, transformed into a brilliant streak of spiritual light and sped away, vanishing into the distance in the blink of an eye.

In such a life-or-death moment, it was naturally a case of 'better a Fellow Daoist dies than I'.

Besides, they had no relationship with the Demon Abyss Pavilion and even had some conflicts; Chen Xuan felt no psychological burden whatsoever.

The White-Haired Youth watched the direction the four fled, a cold smirk curling his lips: “Quite decisive. This must be what people call 'when disaster strikes, each flies their own way'.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he slowly turned around. His gaze landed on Zhu Lang, Zhuang Ruoheng, and the heavily injured Wang Guan, his eyes suddenly becoming sharp and cold.

He then ordered the two members of the Yao Race beside him: “Take these remaining ones into custody. I will go and bring back the four who fled first; not one shall escape.”

“As you command, Revered Master!”

The two Yao bowed in unison, their voices filled with immense respect.

“Are we going to rendezvous with Qingyan and the others now?” Dongfang Li turned to look at Chen Xuan.

She might not have noticed it herself, but under such a crisis, her instinct was not to consult her two sect-mates but to ask for Chen Xuan's opinion.

“Let's split up first. If a battle accidentally breaks out, we won't have any lingering concerns.”

“Alright.”

...

On the other side!

On the other side, within the speeding light of the escape flight, Mu Wanqing turned her oval face and couldn't help but ask, “Revered Master, what exactly happened? I was almost about to cut down that Dog Demon, why the sudden retreat?”

Yun Xuanxuan and Xiao Lingxian also pricked up their ears, wanting to know why.

They had always treated Chen Xuan's orders as absolute. Even if they had doubts, they would follow them without hesitation—Revered Master had his own considerations and arrangements, and there was no need for them to ask.

Chen Xuan's expression was indifferent, and his tone was calm as he said, “This Secret Realm is far less simple and far more interesting than we imagined. There's no need to be obsessed with tangled fighting right now. We'll explore elsewhere first; perhaps we can find an even greater Opportunity.”

He didn't directly say that Camel Bell Ferry was dangerous.

Firstly, it wasn't necessary. With his Disciples' current Realm, knowing these things would serve no purpose other than increasing their anxiety.

Secondly, if he told the truth, what if these Tiangong Pavilion Disciples worried about their Revered Master? In a moment of youthful passion, they might draw their swords and insist on standing or falling with their Revered Master.

Wouldn't that just be Chen Xuan making trouble for himself?

Since they had formed an alliance, Chen Xuan still had to fulfill his duties as an ally.

Beside him, Yu Qingyan couldn't suppress the concern in her heart and asked softly, “Senior Chen... may I ask if my Revered Master and Junior Martial Uncle have also left?”

“As long as you are safe and sound, we naturally have no lingering concerns.”

Mu Wanqing patted her modest chest: “Don't worry, with Revered Master here, everything will be perfectly safe.”

Yu Qingyan's gaze quickly swept over the faces of Yun Xuanxuan and the others. Seeing that they were all relaxed and not worried in the least, the weight in her heart gradually lifted.

It made sense; with four Mahayana Stage experts traveling together, what true danger could they encounter in this Secret Realm?

“Then where are we going now?” Yu Qingyan followed up.

This question actually stumped Chen Xuan.

Right now, in the vast desert, everywhere was the same monotonous scene of swirling yellow sand. Where would be considered safe and convenient for a later rendezvous?

Just as Chen Xuan was deep in thought, Yun Xuanxuan's eyes suddenly flickered, and she spoke up to remind him:

“Revered Master, there's movement ahead!”

Chen Xuan looked in the direction she indicated and saw a Sand-Devouring Rat rushing toward them. Though small in stature, it exuded a fierce aura, standing directly in the path of their flight, striking a pose of 'one rat blocking the pass'.

“A-Qi...”

Xie Xingchen's gaze narrowed, recognizing the rat's identity at a glance.

Mu Wanqing turned to look at him, her almond eyes blinking: “Junior Brother, how did you tell it apart?”

“Just use your heart!” Xie Xingchen smiled slightly.

Seeing this, the Tiangong Pavilion Disciples were about to strike and kill this ignorant rodent, but Chen Xuan raised his hand to stop them.

A-Qi's gaze quickly scanned everyone, and it spoke with urgency: “Fellow Daoists, whatever you do, do not go to Camel Bell Ferry! Inside, there is that Ferry...”

At the very moment it was about to reveal the key information, Chen Xuan's mind moved, and he instantly used Spiritual Qi to isolate an independent space, locking the sound firmly inside to prevent it from leaking and causing unnecessary trouble.

“You've recovered your memory?”

Chen Xuan looked at its normal expression, no longer in its previous state of Chaos, and asked directly.

A-Qi nodded heavily: “Thanks to Fellow Daoist's... Medicinal Pill, I have finally remembered many things from the past.”

When mentioning the words 'Medicinal Pill', the corners of its mouth twitched slightly, and it almost couldn't help gagging; it clearly had a vivid memory of the pill's taste.

“This is not the place for a conversation,” Chen Xuan decided immediately and asked in a deep voice, “Is there a safer place to stay nearby?”

A-Qi pondered for a moment, its gaze sweeping over the surrounding sand dunes, then said solemnly: “Fellow Daoist, please follow me!”