It was over!
The grade-reduction penalty really did increase exponentially. If Ren Ye sent another unlucky bastard into the Ancestral Land, he would be suppressed to early second rank. In a Secret Realm with competition this fierce, that would make him no different from a useless cripple.
His limit was sending three unlucky bastards inside at most. Suppressed to early third grade, he would have some of his Star Source Power sealed, but his individual combat strength and mystical abilities would not actually suffer much. That offered the best value.
Once Ren Ye made his decision, he immediately reined in his purple fortune and stopped battering the Grand Formation, letting the great "door" to the Ancestral Land close.
With everything settled, he abruptly stood up and said calmly, "The Heavenly Dao patched it. The plan has changed. We can only sneak three people in at most..."
"I'll go with you," Ai Fei volunteered.
"No!"
Ren Ye waved her off without hesitation. "Infiltrating the enemy is bound to be a near-suicidal job. We can't put all our eggs in one basket, or we might get wiped out. Brother Huang would get an Empire for free. I can't let him get away with that..."
He swept his gaze toward Daoist Chu and Lü Ji. "You two come inside with me, and everyone else goes back. How about it?"
Daoist Chu had originally decided to go with Ren Ye, but after hearing his conversation with Xu Qingzhao, he suddenly felt contrary. "Benefactor, what exactly do you mean? I don't even count as a rotten egg? I'm someone you can send to die first?"
"Quit yapping. Are you going or not? If not, go back to the Ancestral Land." Ren Ye immediately raised an eyebrow.
"If you put it that way... then of course