Outside the Jialan Secret Realm, the Golden Core Ancestors of the Four Sects of Great Ming Prefecture and a dozen or so Foundation Establishment disciples sat cross-legged in meditation below the realm's entrance.
Suddenly, space rippled above Heaven Toad Ancestor's shoulder. A phantom Golden Toad appeared, letting out several soft croaks.
Heaven Toad Ancestor's expression shifted slightly at the sound.
"Tian Chan, what happened?" Lie Guang of the Setting Sun Sect asked in puzzlement from nearby.
"One of the heaven toad incarnations I raised seems to have perished inside the Secret Realm," Heaven Toad Ancestor replied, his expression darkening.
"Your Tian Chan is a third-tier spirit beast. Its incarnation should have at least second-tier strength, shouldn't it? How did you sneak it into the Secret Realm?" Lie Guang asked, taken aback.
"Hmph, how else? Naturally, I followed a certain great monk's example and used a secret technique to strip away part of its cultivation, forcibly lowering its realm. Even so, it wasn't something an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator could kill." Heaven Toad Ancestor glanced at the old monk Guangfa on the other side and snorted.
"Amitabha," the old monk Guangfa intoned, his expression unchanged.
"That Tian Chan incarnation was hidden on the girl in palace attire, wasn't it? She seems to be Tian Chan's descendant. Since something has happened to the incarnation, her situation probably isn't looking very hopeful either," Azure Elderly Woman said slowly.
"Little Mei is indeed the most outstanding of my grandchildren. I hope she can turn calamity into good fortune. But if even my heaven toad incarnation has met with disaster, an opponent above Qi Refining has most likely appeared in the Secret Realm," Heaven Toad Ancestor replied with a sigh.
At these words, the other three Golden Core Ancestors' expressions also became uncertain.
In