Did the Leader Go In Too?
Everyone in the Azure Cloud Sect knew what Yi Xuan meant, since it was common knowledge within the Azure Cloud Sect Yi Xuan was Rootless Person.
But Elder Qi heard a completely different story. He recalled the rumors circulating in the Southern Frontier about the conflict between the Gazing Immortal Sect and the Azure Cloud Sect. It was said that the Gazing Immortal Sect had mobilized its entire strength to invade the Azure Cloud Sect, and that it had three Nascent Soul Ancestors among them.
Although the news that the Azure Cloud Sect has three Nascent Soul has spread throughout the Southern Frontier, the Gazing Immortal Sect's Golden Core experts far surpass those of the Azure Cloud Sect. Therefore, many cultivators in the Southern Frontier are saying that the reason the Azure Cloud Sect was able to repel the Gazing Immortal Sect's attack was because the Azure Cloud Sect had an unknown Nascent Soul ancestor.
Elder Qi was somewhat misled by this rumor, and in addition, according to his perception Yi Xuan only had the Qi Refining Realm. He did not believe that Artifact Ruins Azure Cloud Sect would send a Qi Refining Realm person as the leader of a secret realm like the Artifact Ruins, unless the higher-ups of the Azure Cloud Sect had all gone mad.
Therefore, in Elder Qi's imagination, Yi Xuan became the unknown Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Azure Cloud Sect, and the way he looked at Yi Xuan was full of respect.
On the other hand, Yi Xuan was completely unaware that Elder Qi had misunderstood him. Seeing the way Elder Qi looked at him, Yi Xuan couldn't help but think to himself, "The Azure Cloud Sect and the Azure Thunder Hall are indeed old friends. I didn't expect Elder Qi, the team leader, to be so friendly to me."
Thinking of this, Yi Xuan gave Elder Qi a friendly smile.
Seeing that Yi Xuan, this low-key Nascent Soul ancestor, actually smiled at him, Elder Qi was deeply moved and immediately began to show even more respect.
The subtle expressions on their faces went unnoticed by the others. Seeing that the secret realm had not yet opened, Yi Xuan led the Azure Cloud Sect members to rest in an open space next to the Azure Thunder Hall.
He Hongfei glanced at Yi Xuan, who was resting with his eyes closed against a large tree, and a resentful expression appeared on his face. He laughed and said to the others, "Hmph! What kind of Sect Protector he? What kind of team leader is he? He's nowhere to be seen when we need him. We've been humiliated, and we have to rely on Elder Qi of the Azure Thunder Hall to save face!"
"Junior Brother He! Keep your voice down!" This time, Yan Siruo didn't defend Yi Xuan, but simply reminded He Hongfei to be careful so that Yi Xuan wouldn't overhear.
As for the others, although they didn't say anything, their expressions clearly showed that they were also utterly disappointed in Yi Xuan.
Yi Xuan was resting with his eyes closed, was of course not asleep; every word He Hongfei said reached his ears.
However, Yi Xuan did not argue with the others, because what He Hongfei said was true, and Yi Xuan did not appear when it was necessary to protect everyone.
Of course, this was intentional on Yi Xuan's part. Since handing over the leadership to Yan Siruo Yi Xuan had never appeared again, but he had kept track of Yi Xuan group's situation.
The reason why Gazing Immortal Sect made provocative remarks was not because Yi Xuan was afraid of them.
In the end, Elder Liu was just a Golden Core Elder. Back then, the number of Golden Core from the Gazing Immortal Sect who died at Yi Xuan's hands was countless.
Yi Xuan felt that others Non-Self weak as he was.
Just like this time when Elder Liu of the Gazing Immortal Sect provoked him, the most he could do was try to gain the upper hand verbally. If he were really asked to take action, he would absolutely not dare to.
After all, he still vividly remembered the scene when the three Supreme Elders of the Azure Cloud Sect descended upon the Gazing Immortal Sect after the last retreat.
Given the current strength of the Gazing Immortal Sect, they really don't have the courage to fight the Azure Cloud Sect. In addition, at the request of the three Supreme Elders, the Gazing Immortal Sect signed a number of unequal treaties. Under the constraints of these treaties, the gap between the Azure Cloud Sect and the Gazing Immortal Sect will only widen.
Yi Xuan could have certainly made a move then, but what good would it have done? It would have been nothing more than a cliché scenario of being slapped in the face or being slapped in the face, bringing no benefit whatsoever to Yi Xuan or the people of the Azure Cloud Sect.
Although Yi Xuan was a scientific researcher, he was also an egoist at heart.
It's best to avoid intervening in something that's clearly pointless. If a conflict breaks out, it might trigger a desperate counterattack from the Gazing Immortal Sect, which has signed numerous unequal treaties. A lose-lose situation is not the outcome the three elders of the Azure Cloud Sect desire.
Furthermore, after Elder Liu the Gazing Immortal Sect provoked them, many sects present now sense the Azure Cloud Sect's restraint, and they unconsciously regard the people of the Azure Cloud Sect as a weaker group.
When there are only two opponents, the weaker party is indeed in great danger. However, in the current situation with many forces, people generally choose to selectively forget about the weak, eliminate the strong first, and then deal with the weak last.
Yi Xuan had this in mind from the beginning, which is why he didn't show up.
However, He Hongfei and the others were clearly unaware of Yi Xuan's good intentions; perhaps they would only be able to understand them after entering the secret realm!
Just as the various factions were resting, a group of people entered the valley.
This group of people was no different from other sects, but as they entered the valley, the maps in the hands of many sect leaders suddenly began to shake violently.
Yi Xuan, who was resting against a big tree, was also startled by the shaking in his arms. He took out the map from his arms, and suddenly, a strong ball of light gathered on the map, and then the ball of light shot into the sky.
Yi Xuan looked around and found that not only his map, but also those of other sects, were in the same situation.
Although the sect leader had explained this situation to Yi Xuan beforehand, Yi Xuan still found it quite amazing after seeing it with his own eyes. It seems that the methods in the Cultivation Realm are indeed endless.
The occurrence of that situation just now indicates that the secret realm is about to open.
Furthermore, what Yi Xuan had been worried about didn't happen: what if only 29 out of 30 maps arrived? That would have been quite a spectacle for everyone present.
When the leaders and elders of other sects saw that the secret realm was about to open, they all handed over the maps they had to their disciples.
Yi Xuan, however, was different from the others. He took out belt-like objects from a Storage Bag at his waist and handed them to everyone.
Yan Siruo looked at the belt in her hand, somewhat confused about Yi Xuan's intentions. The others also looked at Yi Xuan with puzzled expressions.
Yi Xuan didn't explain anything, but instead said, "Tie these belts around your waist, and you'll know their purpose once you go inside!"
Because Yi Xuan had his back to the people of the Azure Thunder Hall, Elder Qi did not see whether Yi Xuan handed the map to the disciples below.
But what happened next completely stunned Elder Qi. A burst of light enveloped the Azure Cloud Sect members, and then Yi Xuan and his group of ten disappeared from his sight.
Elder Qi glanced at the disciples behind him who hadn't yet activated the map, and asked incredulously, "Did you see that? How come even the leader of the Azure Cloud Sect went in?"
His disciples were also bewildered, but seeing that other sects had entered one after another, they had no choice but to activate the map, leaving Elder Qi alone in a state of confusion.