"What?"
Qingxuan flew into a rage.
He did not want a war, but that did not mean he feared one.
Everyone else instantly grew tense as well.
They began considering which side to take.
Where one sat determined how one thought.
The atmosphere instantly became one of drawn swords and bent bows.
Just then, Luo Chen appeared before them.
"Academy Master, I'm late!"
Luo Chen spoke guiltily.
That day, once his wounds had healed, he had rushed back without stopping.
But from the looks of things, he had still arrived too late.
"No, someone beat us to the Wuya Secret Realm!"
Qingxuan looked at Shangguan Hai, his expression grave.
Luo Chen froze, clearly not having expected something like this to happen.
He was just about to ask more when Qingxuan spoke again. "A battle is about to break out. Find a chance to escape back to the academy!"
"No, don't go back to the academy. Leave Azure Province and hide."
For some reason, he kept having a bad feeling.
The Shangguan Lineage and the academy were comparable in strength. If they truly went to war, both sides would surely suffer.
Coupled with Shangguan Hai's brimming confidence just now.
Every bit of this was far too abnormal.
Hearing this, Luo Chen followed Qingxuan's gaze toward Shangguan Hai.
His expression grew grave as well.
The relationship between the academy and the Shangguan Lineage was extremely delicate. He had never expected them to go to war today.
The atmosphere gradually grew stifling.
The people from the other factions retreated one after another, running to the perimeter.
Seeing everyone from the academy braced for battle, Shangguan Hai sneered.
"A cornered beast still fights!"
Just then, a gust of wind swept through the area.
Four burly men then appeared on the Shangguan Lineage's side.
Each had a skull tattooed on his arm, and their faces were covered in scars, hideous and terrifying.
"Yama Hall!"
Qingxuan was shocked. After sensing the terrifying presence of the four men, his heart sank to the bottom of a valley.
Three of the four possessed Middle Shattering strength, while the man in the middle was a Late Shattering expert, likely comparable to him in strength.
By contrast, aside from himself, the academy's side had only one Early Shattering elder.
Even without the Shangguan Lineage, these four could wipe out everyone from the academy.
"Run!"
Qingxuan transmitted his voice to every academy disciple.
Then he charged forward alone, preparing to hold back the opposing experts and give the academy disciples time to escape.
The battle erupted at the slightest touch.
Knowing they were no match, the academy disciples scattered and fled.
Luo Chen glanced at the academy master, who was being beaten back again and again, endless fury filling his heart.
He clenched his fists tightly, then finally loosened them.
He took one long look at the academy master's back, then turned and fled.
He was too weak to help at all. It was better to escape, lest the academy master have to divert his attention for him as well.
However, Shangguan Hai noticed Luo Chen trying to escape and told an elder under him, "Take a few people and chase that brat! Don't let him escape, or he'll surely become a great menace in the future!"
"Yes!"
The gaunt elder took several disciples to pursue and kill Luo Chen.
In the blink of an eye, they reached the outermost perimeter of the secret realm.
By now, Luo Chen was covered in wounds and on the verge of collapse.
Just then, his eyes lit up as he spotted a familiar figure in white.
Is... isn't that the Saint from Black Mountain that day?
Overjoyed, he flew toward the figure in white and shouted.
"S-Senior!"
The figure in white was none other than Ye Chen.
He had just left the secret realm with Ye Yan and intended to visit Azure Province City to investigate what had happened back then.
Hearing the commotion behind him, he turned and spread his divine sense to see what had happened.
Instantly, everything happening within a radius of ten million li appeared before his eyes, down to the smallest detail.
Ye Yan also turned and looked at Luo Chen in puzzlement.
By now, Luo Chen had reached Ye Chen.
"Senior, p-please save our academy, just this once!"
Luo Chen fell to his knees before Ye Chen and pleaded.
Ye Chen was about to refuse. He did not want to meddle in other people's affairs.
Just then, the elder and several disciples pursuing him arrived.
Seeing this, one disciple shouted, "Get lost if you don't want to die..."
Before he could finish, his head exploded.
The one who had acted was not Ye Chen, but the elder.
Seeing Ye Chen's extraordinary bearing, coupled with Luo Chen kneeling before him for help, the elder concluded that Ye Chen must be an expert.
At this critical juncture, he did not want new branches growing out of the issue, so he decisively killed that disciple.
"Senior, this lowly one failed to discipline his disciple and allowed him to offend you. My sincerest apologies!"
He spoke earnestly.
"Mm."
Ye Chen glanced indifferently at the elder, then turned to leave with Ye Yan.
Seeing this, Luo Chen immediately grew anxious.
For a moment, he had no idea what to say to persuade the senior to act.
Just then, one of the Shangguan Lineage's disciples ran up and whispered to the elder, "Elder, according to the disciples who investigated, before the secret realm opened, a young man in white suddenly appeared on its outskirts with another person, then suddenly disappeared. He didn't appear again for several hours, then reappeared just before the secret realm opened!"
"Are you saying..."
"It's just somewhat suspicious!"
The elder fell silent for a moment, his brows tightly knitted, then a sharp gleam flashed through his eyes.
He first sent a message to Shangguan Hai, then said respectfully, "Senior, why not wait here a moment? Our Shangguan Lineage head wishes to behold your distinguished bearing!"
Hearing this, Ye Chen turned and said, "Are you trying to keep me here?"
Instantly, the elder felt as though he were suffocating, cold sweat streaming down him. "N-no, I wouldn't dare, I only..."
Before he could finish, he exploded into a cloud of blood mist.
At that very moment, a furious roar came from the horizon.
"Bastard!"
In the blink of an eye, Shangguan Hai appeared where the elder had exploded.
The other four experts from Yama Hall then arrived as well.
Clearly, Qingxuan had already been defeated.
Seeing this, Luo Chen's eyes nearly split at the corners, and he gritted his teeth fiercely.
Seeing the elder killed, Shangguan Hai's heart bled.
That was a Shattering Realm expert, part of the lineage's foundation, gone just like that.
He glared viciously at Ye Chen and was about to attack when a palm came sweeping toward him.
At that moment, it seemed as though this palm was all that remained in the world.
He was frightened out of his wits, a chill shooting from his head to his feet.
Failing to dodge meant death!
But he could not even move, let alone dodge.
In the blink of an eye, Shangguan Hai also became a cloud of blood mist.
Everyone present, including those watching from the perimeter, was scared witless on the spot.
A single slap had instantly killed a Peak Shattering expert!
Could... could this be a King Realm mighty figure?
After killing Shangguan Hai, Ye Chen casually turned his gaze toward the four from Yama Hall.
The four from Yama Hall instantly turned deathly pale and trembled in fear.
"S-Senior, w-we're from the Azure Province branch of Yama Hall..."
Before he could finish, Ye Chen delivered another palm strike.
The four instantly became a cloud of blood mist as well.