446: Chapter 446 Evacuation

"The world is changing?"

Dongfang Li's expression instantly turned solemn as she urgently pressed, "What do you mean by that, Senior Brother? What exactly is happening outside?"

Gu Yunshen slowly sat down against a stone pillar, his eyes filled with the lingering fear and exhaustion of a narrow escape. He gave a bitter laugh and spoke, "We all underestimated this Secret Realm."

"This is no Opportunity; this is clearly a dragon's pool and tiger's den."

He raised a hand to wipe the blood and filth from his face, his voice sinking, "This Secret Realm is not some place of Opportunity that can be entered at will; it is a cage firmly controlled by the Three Great Yao Venerables. The entire Secret Realm is divided into three layers, with a Yao Venerable guarding each one."

Dongfang Li's heart tightened; it was indeed just as Peak Master Chen had speculated.

"The glacier lands we stepped into appeared to be an ice field, but in reality, there is a hidden world beneath it. It is a Deep Sea Dragon Palace connected to the four seas, guarded by a Sea-Overturning Dragon Venerable."

As Gu Yunshen spoke, his expression became increasingly grim.

Dongfang Li couldn't help but recall when they had first entered those glacier lands. If they had truly followed the guidance of that token, they would likely have collided head-on with that Sea-Overturning Dragon Venerable.

Thanks to Peak Master Chen's reminder, who would have thought that Number Eight was actually one of the Yao Race.

"The third layer is hidden within the continuous mountain ranges, guarded by the Heaven-Shaking Monkey Venerable. Previously, the Sect Master of the Dao Seeking Sect personally slayed the Desolate Night Wolf Venerable, but that was only a brief glimpse."

"Now, the remaining two Yao Venerables are leading their elites throughout the Secret Realm, hunting down all factions. As long as it is the Human Race, as long as they are encountered, they are killed without exception."

Dongfang Li's eyelashes trembled. "Could Gu Senior Brother's injuries be..."

Gu Yunshen shook his head. "My luck was considered good; I took detours all the way to these ruins and didn't encounter a Yao Venerable. I only encountered three Mahayana Stage Yao Race members and barely managed to break through with my life. But Yan'er and the others..."

His Adam's apple bobbed as he let out a heavy sigh. "Our Tiangong Pavilion has suffered heavy losses this time."

The younger generation of Disciples from the Sect who had boarded the boat together had now lost more than half their numbers. Among them was the Personal Disciple of this East Pavilion Master; one could only imagine how that felt.

Dongfang Li's face was clouded with worry as if she were processing this information. After a long while, she said in a trembling voice, "Then... does that mean Qing Yan also..."

Gu Yunshen raised a hand to rub his throbbing temples, his voice raspy, "Qing Yan was not with me. After that Thunder Pool dissipated, I appeared on the glacier with the other Disciples."

"Currently, the Secret Realm is overrun by the Yao Race. If she is alone, I'm afraid she is... likely in grave danger."

Dongfang Li slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"The Red Immortal Pavilion, Wanchen Sect, Tianyan Valley, Xingluo Cult, and other forces have already met with misfortune."

Gu Yunshen reminded her, "Junior Sister, the priority now is that we cannot stay here and wait. The Yao Venerables will eventually search the entire Secret Realm. We must first mask the heavenly secrets and find a way to escape this place."

This was the only way to survive right now.

There was an insurmountable chasm between the Tribulation Transcendence Realm and the Mahayana Realm, not to mention two Yao Venerables joining forces. Such a lineup would be a massive battle even back on the Nine Provinces Continent, let alone here.

Dongfang Li sighed, silently praying for a few moments before asking again, "What about Senior Brother Shen? He was Undergoing Tribulation with us; where is he now?"

Gu Yunshen reached into his robes and pulled out a message talisman. The spiritual light on the Talisman had already dimmed. He explained, "After I broke through, I immediately informed him via message talisman. He is currently leading the remaining few Disciples toward the ruins of this Yuquan Void Palace. We will wait here for a moment for them to regroup."

Dongfang Li nodded, her heart heavy. "It seems the factions of the Nine Provinces will suffer a great blow this time."

...

On the other side!

On the second layer of the black-and-white guixu immortal ferry boat, the flowing light was like silk.

Chen Xuan had finally reached a cooperation agreement with this Xu Muchen.

He scanned with his gaze; this future Disciple was far too sharp, so he would have to put in more effort.

Xu Muchen also took a peek; this Man in White Robes certainly had ill intentions, so he would have to be more cautious.

Beside them, Shen Mutao was like a tranquil orchid, obediently standing by Chen Xuan's side without making a sound. It was as if as long as she could stay by Chen Xuan's side, even just standing quietly was the most perfect thing in the world.

She had a completely different personality compared to that Little Girl Shu Shichan.

Chen Xuan looked around at the flawless surroundings. It seemed the path to the third layer was definitely unrelated to any Formation.

As his thoughts shifted, he turned toward the young girl beside him and spoke in a gentle voice, "Tao Tao."

"Revered Master, please give your instructions."

The Little Girl immediately straightened her small frame and performed a formal salute with her hands. Her serious expression, combined with her fair skin and adorable, jade-like appearance, made her look even more charming and endearing.

"You once said you had been here for ten thousand years. In all these years, have you ever seen anyone board this guixu immortal ferry boat? Or have you seen anyone successfully reach the third layer?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Muchen immediately pricked up his ears to eavesdrop.

At the same time, he was incredibly surprised. This Little Girl had been here for ten thousand years? This... could it be that time flows differently on the immortal ferry boat?

Hearing this, Shen Mutao tilted her little head in deep thought. Only after a long while did she look up, "Reporting to Revered Master, your Disciple only remembers seeing people board this boat four times in total. But... but among them, not a single person was able to successfully reach the third layer."

"Hmm?"

Chen Xuan's brow couldn't help but furrow slightly.

Those who could board the guixu immortal ferry boat were by no means ordinary; they must have been individuals with high cultivation bases and profound Opportunity.

If even such figures could not step into the third layer, one could see how high the threshold for that layer was. Now it seemed that the Ancient Book was truly something that could be sought but not easily found.

Mu Wanqing and the others had already begun their trials to compete for a god-rank magic treasure. If he remained unable to find the path to the third layer and the Ancient Book, he could only settle for the next best thing and take a god-rank magic treasure as a fallback, which would still make the trip worthwhile.

Just as Chen Xuan's thoughts were churning, a familiar and mysterious ripple quietly spread across the lake of his heart without warning.

It was a movement coming from the Chaos Void Jade.

After hearing Tao Tao's answer, Xu Muchen smiled and said, "Senior, in this Junior's opinion, the three layers of this immortal ferry boat must each have their own mysteries—the first layer focuses on items, the second on laws, and the third on the Dao. Since that is the case, the method to reach the third layer must be hidden in some corner of this second layer; it won't just appear out of thin air."

'Fine, fine, the antidote must be within seven steps, right?'

"I suspect the Opportunity of this immortal ferry boat is also tied to 'proximity'. Senior, I will go investigate that area first. Let's split up for now to expand our search area and achieve more with less effort."

Chen Xuan had no objection upon hearing this, "Very well, then I shall be responsible for this area."

Boarding the guixu immortal ferry boat was a rare Opportunity. Since Xu Muchen had his own plans, there was no harm in letting him try. Chen Xuan wasn't worried that this Disciple would leave and never return or take the chance to slip away.