Elsewhere.
In a turbulent stretch of the Chaos Void, Gu Chen and the others emerged from a spatial rift.
"Cough, cough..."
Gu Chen clutched his chest and coughed violently. His face was as pale as paper.
The clash of Great Luo True Realm powers had injured him badly despite the talisman's protection. Even its aftershocks had been terrifying.
"M-my lord, did we... did we escape?" a Saint asked between gasps, relief at surviving written across his face.
"We escaped..."
Gu Chen looked back at the spatial rift, which had already sealed itself, but he felt no relief.
"They were too powerful," another Saint said, still shaken.
"Those fifty-odd Hunyuan Infinite experts were only their subordinates. Who were the people leading them?"
"And they had a treasure capable of countering Senior's talisman."
"We're in trouble now."
Everyone talked at once, their faces heavy with worry.
Their greatest trump card had failed. The blow was devastating.
"Enough!"
Gu Chen's sharp shout cut through their discussion.
"This isn't the time for that!"
"We must leave at once, return to the Azure Spirit Realm, and report what happened here to Lord Liu Yuan!"
Gu Chen knew this had gone far beyond what they could handle.
The enemy had mobilized such a vast force and brought a treasure specifically meant to counter the talisman.
That meant the Ten Great Dao Realms were taking them seriously now.
The pursuit that followed would be fiercer still.
"My lord is right. Let's go!"
No one dared say more. They forced themselves to focus and prepared to activate their Teleportation Tokens again.
But just then, Gu Chen's expression changed.
He seemed to sense something. His head snapped up, and he looked behind them.
A spatial rift appeared in the silent Chaos Void. From within came the auras of Luo