♂,
The entrance to the underwater sanctuary had been built along the ridge behind the Inksea Sword Sect. It did not reach the deepest waters. When we flew down, Zhao Qian and the others had already withdrawn the grand formation, then flew over to greet us.
"Are you hurt?" I asked softly. Aside from looking somewhat exhausted, Zhao Qian did not seem to have suffered any injuries.
"No. Luckily, Brother Tian, you had me capture Wen Gongyu early on, and Junior Sister Xiao Mengtong had us choose to hold the underwater sanctuary. If we'd been any later, we might have been caught completely off guard." Zhao Qian glanced at the group of women behind us, then said with an ambiguous smile, "Don't worry. Not a single one was left behind."
I coughed lightly. Shao Zi, Xiang Ling, and the others flew over one after another. Shi Lehao had met Zhao Qian before, so he naturally took the opportunity to show how familiar they were and said, "Elder Zhao, seeing you safe and sound puts my mind at ease. It was all due to my negligence. Wen Gongyu was completely insane—he actually colluded with the Anti-Divine-Character Alliance! I truly regret being so blind, and for putting all of you in danger. As the leader of the Azure Ink Sea, I've been utterly unfit for the position..."
The moment he finished, Yue Lingqing, who felt an opportunity had arrived, hurriedly said, "Sect Master Shi, as the leader of the Azure Ink Sea, you truly have been unfit. You were completely unaware that the Inksea Sword Sect intended to betray our Azure Ink Sea Alliance. Hehe, who knows how you'll handle things if something else happens in the future? Fortunately, Elder Zhao was powerful enough to escape the consequences of your negligence this