The Secret Realm Exit is Blocked

Four days later, Song Wen emerged from his meditation and stood up.

The sudden movement jostled the Storage Ring embedded within his heart, and a sharp, stinging pain made the corner of his mouth twitch.

He recalled the two Beetle Gu and two Black-bellied Beetle Gu that had been keeping watch along the perimeter. With a wave of his hand, he summoned his flying boat, controlling its altitude to skim just above the treetops as he made his way toward the exit of the secret realm.

Given his cautious nature, Song Wen would normally never choose to travel by flying boat so openly. However, with a Storage Ring hidden inside his heart chamber, every single step brought excruciating pain. It was utterly impossible for him to trek over two thousand li across rugged mountains and rivers to reach the exit on foot.

With his current cultivation level, even while maintaining a low altitude along the treeline, his flying boat was significantly faster than the evasion techniques of most late-stage Qi Refining cultivators. He was not particularly worried about missing the closure of the secret realm.

After flying for several hours, the sky began to darken. Song Wen was only two to three hundred li away from the exit when the very situation he had dreaded occurred.

Robber cultivators.

With his current strength and methods, Song Wen naturally had no reason to fear rogue thieves.

However, as the hour of the exit's closure drew near, cultivators from all the various sects were converging on this area. Song Wen's primary concern was that if he killed these robbers, his hidden strength might be inadvertently witnessed by passing cultivators, exposing his trump cards.

Fortunately, the two robber cultivators he encountered were not particularly powerful-merely two individuals at the seventh layer of Qi Refining.

Both wore the robes of the Crimson Blood Sect. Spotting Song Wen's flying boat from afar and sensing that his aura was only at the middle stage of Qi Refining, one of them summoned a ghost while the other drew a sword. They charged directly toward him without the slightest attempt at concealment.

To avoid drawing unwanted attention, Song Wen pressed down on the bow of his vessel and descended into the dense forest below.

Yet, the two robber cultivators mistook his caution for a cowardly attempt to flee. The last shred of vigilance in their minds vanished completely.

When the pair closed within three to four hundred meters of his position, eight Black-armored Gu suddenly erupted from the brush.

The thieves instantly fell into a panic. Before they could even mount a proper defense, the Black-armored Gu silently ripped through them, ending their lives in a flash.

Within half a quarter of an hour, Song Wen had thoroughly cleaned up the corpses and traces of the battle, then boarded his boat to continue his journey.

In less than half an hour, the exit of the secret realm finally came into view.

The exit was situated atop a mountain peak several hundred meters high.

A pitch-black spatial vortex hovered suspended in midair above the summit.

However, entering this vortex would be no easy task. Seven cultivators from the Profound Yin Cult stood arrayed across the mountain peak directly beneath the opening, completely blocking the path.

Among these seven, there was one ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivator-Chen Xiuming, whom Song Wen recognized-along with three at the eighth layer and three at the seventh layer.

'Just seven of them dare to blockade the exit?'

Song Wen felt a pang of suspicion. He released all of his Black-armored Gu to scour the surrounding mountain slopes.

As he expected, another nine Profound Yin Cult disciples were concealed amidst the ridges-four at the ninth layer of Qi Refining and five at the eighth layer.

'Is the Profound Yin Cult planning to wipe out the other two sects entirely?'

Previously, at Falling Eagle Chasm, Song Wen had noticed that the Profound Yin Cult's top experts were strangely absent. It appeared this faction had been orchestrating this grand ambush from the very beginning.

Song Wen looked up to judge the hour. He estimated that there were still roughly six hours remaining before the exit closed at noon tomorrow, meaning time was still on his side.

He lowered his altitude and settled quietly into the lush canopy of a massive tree.

At the same time, he deployed his Black-armored Gu to monitor the movements of the Profound Yin Cult disciples while ensuring no other cultivators could sneak up on him.

Half an hour later, a group of eight cultivators utilizing light-body techniques arrived, halting a few hundred meters away from the mountain.

This party of eight was a mixed group containing both Corpse Demon Sect and Crimson Blood Sect disciples.

They had clearly caught wind of the Profound Yin Cult's blockade, which was why they had banded together before daring to approach the exit.

"What is the meaning of this, Profound Yin Cult? Do you intend to slaughter every single disciple who entered this realm? Are you not afraid of igniting an all-out war between our three sects?" an inner disciple of the Corpse Demon Sect demanded sharply.

Chen Xiuming replied in a booming voice, "Fellow Daoists, do not misunderstand. We have no desire to take your lives. So long as you hand over half of the gains you collected within the secret realm, we will allow you to pass through the exit unharmed."

"In your dreams!" a Crimson Blood Sect disciple spat venomously.

"We risked our lives in bloody battles to harvest these spirit herbs! With a few casual words, you expect to take half? Do you take our Crimson Blood Sect and Corpse Demon Sect for helpless fools?"

Chen Xiuming smiled coldly. "Whether you are fools or not will be decided by our blades."

As he spoke, a torrent of ghostly qi erupted from Chen Xiuming's body. His robes billowed violently despite the absence of wind, giving him the imposing aura of a single warrior capable of holding off a massive army.

The eight cultivators from the Crimson Blood Sect and Corpse Demon Sect exchanged glances, their eyes filled with hesitation.

They were merely a temporary alliance with absolutely no foundation of trust, even among disciples of the same sect. Facing the seven Profound Yin Cult members blocking the path, they lacked the confidence to coordinate effectively.

Without warning, someone silently took two steps backward.

This simple retreat triggered a swift chain reaction. All eight cultivators immediately fell back, retreating several li away in the blink of an eye.

They understood the situation clearly: since they lacked a guaranteed path to victory against the seven Profound Yin Cult disciples right now, they would simply bide their time. Once more cultivators arrived and their numbers swelled, the Profound Yin Cult would naturally be forced to back down.

Finding an open clearing at a distance they deemed safe, the eight sat down to meditate and regulate their breathing.

Little did they know, the nine Profound Yin Cult cultivators who had been lying in ambush had already begun creeping toward them through the shadows.

Just as Song Wen focused his attention, preparing to watch the impending clash and perhaps reap some rewards from the chaos, a streak of light cut through the distant night sky.

The approaching figure wore the robes of an inner disciple of the Corpse Demon Sect and possessed a ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivation. However, his aura was wildly erratic and his face was twisted in sheer panic as he fled desperately toward the exit.

His sudden arrival immediately drew the attention of the waiting cultivators and disrupted the Profound Yin Cult's planned ambush, forcing the hidden attackers to remain frozen in the dark, waiting for a better opportunity.

"Senior Brother Chai Bin, why are you in such a panic?"

A Corpse Demon Sect disciple recognized the runner and shouted up at the sky while he was still two li away.

Hearing the shout, Chai Bin looked down. When he spotted the eight cultivators on the ground, a look of joy flashed across his face. Yet, he did not descend; instead, he altered his trajectory slightly and flew right over their heads.

Chai Bin's bizarre behavior instantly set off alarm bells for the group below.

The eight quickly extended their Divine Sense to sweep the surroundings, but they detected nothing. One of them leapt into the air, looking back toward the direction Chai Bin had come from.

In the distance, the dark forest was swaying violently. It looked as though a massive entity was charging madly along the ground, tossing the trees in its wake and snapping heavy trunks like twigs.

Soon, the thunderous crashes of falling trees echoed through the night.

The cultivator hovering in the air went pale. "Not good! Something is hunting Chai Bin, and it's heading straight for us!"

With that, the man shot out horizontally. He knew that regardless of what was pursuing Chai Bin, as long as he put distance between himself and the runner, he would remain safe.

Seeing this, the remaining seven cultivators also leaped into the air, preparing to scatter and flee.

"Roar!"

A massive, towering figure shrouded in an incredibly dense aura of Corpse Fiend Qi burst into their field of vision.

It was none other than that pseudo-Tier 2 Bronze Corpse.

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