Hearing that all three agreed, the ruthlessness in Eldest Brother's eyes grew ever denser.
"Good! Second Brother, how are the various ambushes, traps, and reinforced defenses you prepared over the years? Do they need another inspection?"
Eldest Brother nodded, then stared straight at Second Brother. The various ambushes, traps, and defenses were all Second Brother's responsibility; they were their strongest backing.
To set up these traps and defenses, they had used nearly all the resources left after refining the grand formation. Second Brother, whose mind was the strongest, had personally overseen the arrangements throughout the entire secret realm.
"No need. Every so often, I personally verify them. I can guarantee there are absolutely no problems!"
"Good! Then now we—"
Upon hearing this, Eldest Brother immediately gave a low shout and was about to arrange the next steps. Yet something suddenly stirred in his mind. With a flip of his palm, a small object resembling a piece of withered tree bark appeared in his hand.
The instant this bark-like object appeared, yellow light flickered continuously across it. Fine lines spread outward over the dry bark, like ripples on a pond.
Just as Eldest Brother looked over, two of those rippling lines abruptly spread outward. Then, ring after ring of tiny ripples began spreading from the center in succession.
This bark-like object was the control artifact for the hidden door at the secret realm's entrance. It had been left behind by the ancestors of the Radiant Gold Blood Earthworm clan and was safeguarded by each generation's controller.
"This... these people have left! And... and why have so many Spirit Transformation and Void Refinement Realm cultivators left as well?!"
Eldest Brother merely glanced at it, but as his expression rapidly changed, he could not help crying out.
"They left?"
"How many people left?"