Xu Taiping was greatly surprised to hear this.
He had not expected Jiang Fu, the sect master of the Ziyang Sect, to call out a response directly.
But after the surprise came gratification.
It was the gratification of having his goodwill reciprocated.
Lin Buyu beside him felt the same.
Xu Taiping immediately replied in a clear voice:
"Thank you, Sect Master Jiang."
Just then, Jiang Fu spoke again in the Spirit Mirror's image:
"Fellow Daoist Taiping, please visit the Ziyang Sect if you have the opportunity in the future. You certainly won't find the trip wasted."
Xu Taiping did not take Jiang Fu's invitation too seriously. After all, the other man might merely have mentioned it out of courtesy.
So he cupped his fists and said:
"Thank you for your kindness, Sect Master Jiang. This junior will certainly pay you a visit someday."
Yet no sooner had Xu Taiping spoken than the Lotus Eye in his left eye suddenly became unbearably hot.
Alarm shot through Xu Taiping's heart, and he shouted to Xiaohei:
"Xiaohei, take all of us to the Bamboo Sea!"
He immediately added:
"As fast as you can!"
Although Xiaohei did not know what had happened, his trust in Xu Taiping led him to reveal his Heavenly Hound form with a boom, hoist Xu Taiping, Lin Buyu, and Xu Mu Yao onto his back, and shoot away.
Boom-!!
Amid an ear-splitting blast of displaced air, Xiaohei carried Xu Taiping and the others more than a hundred li toward the Bamboo Sea Grotto-Heaven in a single instant.
Almost simultaneously, Jiang Fu's voice rang out:
"Fellow Daoist Taiping, leave that Seal Land at once!"
At almost the exact moment those words ended, an enormous hole into the void split open in the sky overhead without any warning.
At the same