Leaving the Secret Realm

After more than half a day, Lu Shang finally reached the vicinity of the secret realm's exit.

Afraid that Nangong Wan might wake up along the way and cause trouble, he had set her down en route. Whatever happened afterward was none of his business.

Now I just have to wait until it's time to leave.

However, Lu Shang discovered that someone near the exit seemed intent on looting while the fire raged.

Some disciples had ventured farther in and never made another sound.

But Lu Shang had no fear of these Qi Refining Stage brats.

Before dawn on the fifth day, Lu Shang had already arrived at the formation by the secret realm's exit.

As expected, there were indeed people trying to loot while the fire raged.

Quite a few other disciples had gathered there besides Lu Shang, including Han Yunzhi, whom he had saved that day.

Han Yunzhi spotted Lu Shang as well and immediately approached him.

"Senior Brother! You're here too!"

"Yes. It looks like these people have conspired to fight a big battle here."

"That's right. Although they're all disciples of the Seven Sects, they seem completely unconcerned about whether their fellow disciples live or die," Han Yunzhi added.

"Never mind. It's dangerous here. Find somewhere to hide while I go take a look." Lu Shang did not want to wait any longer. The sky was gradually brightening, and waiting would only bring more people into the slaughter.

Han Yunzhi urged him anxiously, "Senior Brother Lu, let it go. Once the fighting starts, we can find an opening in the chaos."

With that, she grabbed Lu Shang's left arm.

Lu Shang moved her hands away.

"Don't worry. I do have some strength. Just wait here!"

He gave her a firm look as he spoke.

Then Lu Shang swiftly approached the melee at the secret realm's exit.

As he drew closer, he unconsciously rolled his neck.

When he stood a hundred feet from the group of more than twenty people, someone noticed his arrival.

"Fellow Daoist, join us in resisting these people! They're all spies sent by the Demon Sect!"

"Hmph!"

Lu Shang smiled disdainfully.

"Everyone, get out of my way at once! Otherwise, don't blame me if my hand moves too fast to spare your lives!" His voice boomed so loudly that even the sounds of fighting could not drown it out.

Everyone turned to look at Lu Shang in unison, as though staring at an idiot.

Some mocked him, while others hurled insults.

Seeing that no one moved aside, Lu Shang felt reassured.

Now I can slash to my heart's content.

Lu Shang immediately summoned the Frost Dragon Halberd.

Frosty menace spilled from his eyes, and a wave of cold swept outward.

"Something's wrong! Attack him first!" Someone noticed something strange about Lu Shang and turned the others' hostility toward him.

"Hmph!"

As Lu Shang's contemptuous snort fell, a dragon's roar rang out.

The instant the halberd swept down, white frost blanketed everything ahead.

Every cultivator blocking Lu Shang's path became an ice sculpture in that instant.

A moment later, all those ice sculptures snapped apart at the waist.

But Lu Shang was hardly in good shape either. This was the result of pouring most of his spiritual power into his Life-Bound Magical Treasure for the first time.

Lu Shang was now short on spiritual energy. Behind him, Han Yunzhi, who had witnessed everything, could not calm herself for a long time. This surpassed everything she knew about the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Lu Shang remained standing where he was, though some spirit medicines had appeared in his hand.

Having depleted so much spiritual energy, he had to replenish it and rest briefly.

After swallowing the medicinal pills, Lu Shang circulated his spiritual power a little to hasten his recovery.

"I'm never showing off like that again. I didn't expect it to feel this awful," Lu Shang muttered, so quietly that only he could hear what he said.

After recovering for a while, Lu Shang turned to Han Yunzhi and said, "From now on, remember to be more vigilant on your cultivation journey. Don't trust outsiders easily. Understood?"

With that, Lu Shang raced toward the exit.

Left standing where she was, Han Yunzhi finally regained some composure at Lu Shang's reminder.

"Only someone at the Core Formation Stage could withstand that halberd strike!"

She was right. Had it not been his Life-Bound Magical Treasure, channeling his power like that would probably have exhausted Lu Shang's spiritual power and sent him collapsing long ago. How could he have remained standing?

"Look, there's movement! I wonder which sect's disciple will be the first to emerge."

As they spoke, several Core Formation cultivators turned toward the secret realm's exit.

A moment later, a man wearing the robes of a Spirit Beast Mountain disciple emerged from the secret realm, half his face covered.

It was none other than Lu Shang.

He had not originally intended to cover half his face, but after some thought, he had decided to do so for the sake of what he planned next.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist of Spirit Beast Mountain! To think your disciple would be the first to emerge," the other elders called to Spirit Beast Mountain's elder.

That elder immediately beckoned for Lu Shang to return to their side.

Lu Shang walked over without haste.

After all, something else was visible before his eyes.

Congratulations, host, on completing the mission. Your reward has been issued!

So brief this time? Lu Shang had not expected the announcement to end after merely telling him the reward had been issued.

The rewards this time were a Concealment Art and a sword technique manual.

Truthfully, Lu Shang would never have bothered with this mission if there had been no penalty.

Lu Shang immediately took out a pill bottle containing medicinal pills that replenished spiritual energy.

Opening the bottle, Lu Shang brazenly grabbed a handful, then pulled open a gap in the cloth covering his mouth and swallowed them.

During this, several burning gazes had fixed on him without his knowledge.

Those gazes naturally could not escape Lu Shang's notice, and he revealed a faint, enigmatic smile.

"Forget it. I might as well stop pretending."

At once, Lu Shang stopped concealing his cultivation.

The aura of middle Core Formation spread outward.

Sensing the change in Lu Shang's aura, every elder present grew wary.

"Fellow Daoists, please don't strike and spoil our friendly relations!" Lu Shang called out.

"Who are you? Why are you wearing the robes of a Spirit Beast Mountain disciple?" several elders demanded in unison.

"I'm merely an insignificant rogue cultivator from the Heavenly South."

As he spoke, Lu Shang swiftly flew away, leaving only a streak of crimson light in his wake.

The elders had intended to pursue him, but the people from the Covering Moon Sect persuaded them to stop.

"Let's see to the disciples coming out first! He's at middle Core Formation. We might not gain anything by pursuing him."

"Old Monster Qiong, what do you mean? Could he be someone your Covering Moon Sect arranged to send inside?" Li Huayuan asked.

"Hmph! I had no such scheme. Given those Spirit Beast Mountain robes he was wearing, perhaps Spirit Beast Mountain is the thief crying 'Stop thief!'"

And so these Core Formation cultivators argued for a while.

"Enough! Another disciple is coming out. We'll know what happened in the secret realm once we ask. How did someone unknown to all Seven Sects sneak inside? And from what I saw, that man seemed to be a demonic cultivator."

From the first disciple's emergence until the exit closed completely, they discovered that the number of disciples who came out this time was actually ten percent greater than last time. It was truly strange.

Not only that, when questioned about what had happened inside, the disciples knew almost nothing. They only said that an enormous area near the secret realm's exit had been sealed in frost, with at least fifteen or twenty corpses inside.

Although Lu Shang had no idea what they would say, he did not care. Even if someone told the others, it would cause him no trouble.

Ordinary cultivators at his level posed no threat to Lu Shang, and he did not believe a Nascent Soul cultivator would come looking for trouble over Qi Refining disciples with whom they had no connection.