Chapter 1795: Full Evacuation

Just then, several bird demons flew over in a hurry, reporting one after another: Illusion Sect disciples suddenly appeared on the shore of Kidney Lake, and their numbers were increasing, now reaching two or three hundred!

The Illusion Sect sent people to the shore of the Upside-Down Lake to pick Silver Pearl Fruit branches and send them to Kidney Lake! Illusion Sect disciples are holding Silver Pearl Fruit and jumping into the lake!

It sounded like the Illusion Sect intended to retreat to the real world via Kidney Lake. Bai Ziqi's heart tightened; had it finally begun? "As you expected," the gray parrot couldn't help laughing, scaring a four-legged snake that had just emerged from the ground back in. "Good, good, Qian Huan really can't wake up!"

If Qian Huan could wake up, would the Illusion Sect still need to jump into the lake to escape? Kidney Lake is a one-way trip, but as long as Xiao Wencheng and the others had a glimmer of hope, they wouldn't be gambling with their lives like this.

Its laughter was extremely cheerful.

"The Illusion Sect timed their jump into the lake well. Shall we pursue?"

"No rush; we are not far from Kidney Lake, and there is still plenty of time." While commanding the battle, Bai Ziqi didn't relax his research on Kidney Lake. Since Miaozhantian also judged that it was a path to the real world, Bai Ziqi keenly captured a hidden trap encountered during this invasion of the Upside-Down Sea: a time limit.

The Silver Pearl Fruit only glows for one night.

The glowing Silver Pearl Fruit is the pass to traverse Kidney Lake.

Once this night is missed, the Silver Pearl Fruit will no longer glow, and they will miss the opportunity to return to the real world!

The next time the Silver Pearl Fruit glows will be in a month.

However, the Storm Wall will close again in nine days! In other words, if they don't leave now, they will have to wait five years for the Storm Wall to reopen before they have a chance to leave.

Of course, Bai Ziqi wasn't sure if Miaozhantian could find other ways to leave the Upside-Down Sea.

But he felt the hope was slim.

However, Bai Ziqi didn't rush to jump into the lake; he wanted to wait for the Illusion Sect's reaction to judge whether Kidney Lake was another trap.

Immortals have such temperaments; how could they trap themselves in a desperate situation? Sure enough, the Illusion Sect began to evacuate at sunrise.

Miaozhantian praised them for timing their evacuation well, which meant he saw through the Illusion Sect's little tricks, knowing that Xiao Wencheng and the others wanted to trap them in this illusion realm.

At this moment, a trace of hesitation actually flashed in Bai Ziqi's heart. If Qian Huan had already woken up and was pretending not to take action, then would there still be risks for the Illusion Sect disciples jumping into Kidney Lake? But this assumption was ethereal and impossible to deduce, and from various signs, it didn't seem very likely.

The possibility was too small, so decision-makers usually didn't consider it.

Moreover, if they wanted to leave the Upside-Down Sea, they would eventually have to go to the real world through Kidney Lake.

This road had to be taken.

So Bai Ziqi also gave the order: "The whole army advances toward Kidney Lake."

Soon, the White Guard randomly captured dozens of prisoners, selected one, and twisted him to Bai Ziqi.

This was a wolverine, very large, with not low cultivation, but it was tied up like a zongzi.

Its right front leg was broken, dragging on the ground at an awkward angle; clearly, the White Guard had used some torture during the interrogation.

It also drooped its ears, and the look it gave Bai Ziqi was more fear than hatred.

Bai Ten said on the side: "Envoy, other prisoners identified this wolverine as the sixteenth disciple under Elder Liu. It has been by his side during the battle and knows quite a bit about sect affairs. I have already asked; its mission is to transport the Silver Pearl Fruit from the Upside-Down Lake to Kidney Lake, because Stone Dragon Peak has issued an evacuation order, limiting everyone to enter the lake with the fruit within two hours."

"Within two hours, why?"

The wolverine answered honestly: "Once the time limit passes, Kidney Lake will close. This lake bottom actually glows until two hours after sunrise."

Bai Ziqi sneered slightly; sure enough.

"What are the risks of Kidney Lake?"

"The Upside-Down Sea cannot be exited, but in the past few decades, four grand-uncles in the sect disappeared without a sound. Rumor has it that they went into Kidney Lake and haven't returned yet." This wolverine, as a disciple of Elder Liu, knew more inside information and true and false news than ordinary disciples. "I heard that the superiors ordered us to jump into Kidney Lake, and those who knew were very afraid; some disobeyed orders and fled."

Bai Ten had promised leniency for confession, and besides, the image of the sect and the immortals had already fallen to the bottom, and it looked like the building was about to collapse, so the wolverine couldn't find a reason to die without yielding, so it confessed; why be stubborn? "Several people who spread rumors were beheaded on the spot. Later, some junior brothers who swam across the lake swam back, and nothing happened, so others felt relieved to go down the lake." The key was that they couldn't not enter; the Tiangong team had already gained the upper hand, and everyone knew that jumping into Kidney Lake might still have a glimmer of survival, but staying behind would definitely mean death.

"The sect didn't say what would happen to you after crossing the lake?"

"The Sect Master ordered that the gate of life of the Upside-Down Sea is at the bottom of Kidney Lake, and we will be safe once we cross the lake, but ordered an orderly evacuation. The fellow disciples of Stone Dragon Mountain go first, and Elder Liu leads us to fight while retreating."

"How many people are left on the mountain? What about the wealth?" Stone Dragon Peak was covered by a barrier, and the bird demons of the Tiangong would be discovered as soon as they approached, making it difficult to scout.

"I don't know, but the last time I transported the Silver Pearl Fruit, I saw a Yaotao Wu by the lake. This behemoth had been guarding outside the bottom treasure vault of the Immortal Light Cave. In the past thirty years, I only saw it come out to stroll twice. But this time it was also sent to the lakeside, probably to escort the wealth of the Immortal Light Cave away."

"Fighting while retreating..." Bai Ziqi's eyes flashed, remembering that the Tiangong team was indeed chasing the Illusion Sect disciples all the way here, which was really strange. "How much manpower did the Illusion Sect arrange to transport the Silver Pearl Fruit?"

"About two hundred or so, all must be nimble-footed or proficient in escape techniques."

Nimble-footed means they have to take the land route for transport. "Why not use the Haoyuan Golden Mirror to transmit directly?"

Previously, the Illusion Sect team used the Haoyuan Golden Mirror to come and go directly; why were they fighting while retreating this time?

"The sect only issued this order and didn't state it clearly. But I asked my master in private, and he said the sect's Profound Crystal reserves are insufficient and must be saved to deal with you, so everyone has to move their legs more."

"Insufficient reserves?" Is this the reason? Bai Ziqi's eyes rolled. "Then, how did the people on the mountain come down?"

The Illusion Sect disciples on the shore of Kidney Lake appeared in large numbers suddenly, and the bird demons circling above the lake didn't discover their southward journey in advance.

The wolverine said: "They said themselves that they were transmitted."

In other words, the Illusion Sect could still transmit instantly, just because the Profound Crystal reserves were really insufficient, so they saved a bit? After all, Wu Shidao sneaked into the Immortal Light Cave and stole more than 60,000 jin of high-grade Profound Crystals for Bai Ziqi, greatly reducing the Illusion Sect's inventory.

Was it suddenly so strapped for cash?

Bai Ziqi asked a few more questions, and seeing that this demon couldn't give any useful new intelligence, he waved his hand to have people take it away.

Then he turned to ask the gray parrot: "God, what are the current locations of the marked targets?"

God's Gaze was not just cast on one or two targets; the Heavenly God had quietly marked several major figures.

"Either on the shore of Kidney Lake or moving toward Kidney Lake," the gray parrot replied. "There are several who disappeared as soon as they reached the lakeside."

Jumping into the lake, so the targets disappeared? Looking at it this way, the Illusion Sect really jumped into the lake to retreat, not playing tricks.

Bai Ziqi asked again: "What about the spider demon beside He Xiao?"

This was a target he begged the Heavenly God to mark emphatically.

"It also reached the lakeside," the gray parrot clearly knew what he was worried about. "It left the shore of the Upside-Down Lake earlier and headed north all the way to Stone Dragon Mountain. Twenty breaths ago, it was still more than twenty miles away, but suddenly it turned to the side of Kidney Lake."

"Then, He Xiao probably transmitted over together."

The Illusion Sect left, and He Xiao also wanted to escape together.

"Disappeared," the gray parrot looked toward the shore of Kidney Lake. "Just now."

"They also entered Kidney Lake." Bai Ziqi subconsciously pressed his knuckles. "It's our turn. Seventeen, pass my order, the whole army speeds up!"

Entering Kidney Lake must have other risks. But so what?

Didn't they come to the Upside-Down Sea for the greater the risk, the greater the profit? They had already come this far; were they afraid of adding a little more risk?

The Tiangong team advanced rapidly.

The Illusion Sect's evacuation was ultimately too hasty; the Silver Pearl Fruit transport was not timely, and the Tiangong team intercepted them, causing more than a hundred Illusion Sect disciples to be unable to enter the water and be beheaded on the spot.

The Tiangong occupied Kidney Lake.

The sky was getting brighter and brighter, and there was less than an hour before Kidney Lake closed. And this was based on the brightness of the Silver Pearl Fruit; the actual time limit should be even shorter.

If they didn't leave now, it would be too late.

A new batch of Silver Pearl Fruit on branches was transported, and several demons were the first to take the fruit into the water.

The crowd gathered on the shore, watching them dive deeper and deeper, disappearing into the sparkling waves.

Nearly a quarter of an hour later, these few demons poked their heads out of the lake surface again and reported to Bai Ziqi:

"It can be traversed! That side is safe."

Only then did Bai Ziqi wave his hand: "Enter!"

Each tribe distributed the Silver Pearl Fruit and entered the water in an orderly manner.

Bai Ziqi himself also took a Silver Pearl Fruit in his hand and took a deep breath.

Just as he was about to jump into the lake, Bai Ten suddenly ran over to report: "Envoy, Cave Infant found Xutuo's whereabouts in Qinggang. He seems to want to come here too, but was blocked by our men at the lakeside."

The Illusion Sect only had three great elders left; besides Xiao Wencheng and Liu Qingdao, there was only Xutuo. But this guy was nimble, and just now he killed a tribal leader in the Tiangong team.

However, he acted sneakily and had good luck, always not being gazed at by the Heavenly God, and there was no golden thread on him.

It was not easy to track his whereabouts.

"Just him alone?"

"There are three disciples beside him."

At this time, going to pursue the Illusion Sect elder was very tight on time. Bai Ziqi pondered slightly, and the gray parrot had already spoken: "Jinna, Chita, you go find the vulture to lead the way, and after dealing with Xutuo, cross the lake as soon as possible."

"Yes." With one response, two gray shadows flew into the sky and disappeared in a blink of an eye.

Bai Ziqi looked at their backs. Excluding Miaozhantian, their side only had six immortals and demons left, and now two were sent to pursue Xutuo, leaving only four to pursue across the lake. If it were him, he might not have bothered with Xutuo. But this was Miaozhantian's arrangement, so he couldn't say much.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1796 =====