Chapter 342

342. Chapter 342: Troubles on the Return Journey

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Protagonist:

Yu Zhangsheng

After slaying Linglong Zhenren, Zhu Zhengping finally let out a breath, turned his head to look at everyone, his expression solemn, and cupped his fists as he said:

"The Spirit Dragon Sect Master plotted treason; his death is not worth pity. As for the remaining disciples, you may each handle them as you see fit; I will not participate."

"Right now, the border is in urgent straits — not only the Southwest, but the other border defenses also face the risk of being taken advantage of; precautions must be strengthened."

"My Profound Yin Gate will naturally bear the brunt; the Violet Rainbow Gate and Seven Stars Gate shall also reinforce their border defenses. As for the Six Sects, apart from the Spirit Dragon Sect, they shall wait for the opportune moment and obey orders for the time being……"

After Zhu Zhengping finished his swift instructions, he did not linger; with a sweep of his wide sleeve, he rolled up his own disciples and sped off toward the sect.

The remaining people of the Violet Rainbow Gate and Seven Stars Gate likewise dared not delay; with grave expressions, they hurriedly departed without even bidding farewell.

In the Wu Zhou Three Gates and Six Sects, border affairs are mainly handled by the Three Gates; the Six Sects only play a supporting role, which is why the Three Gates enjoy more abundant resources — occupying their positions, they naturally must fulfill their duties.

And now, with an unexpected turn of events and a critical situation, there is naturally no room for further delay.

Left behind were the Six Sects… no, accurately, the people of the Five Sects, looking at each other in dismay, their faces complex, digesting the news.

There were also the remaining Spirit Dragon Sect disciples, looking at this scene with faces full of terror, huddled together trembling.

The originally bustling Tian Sha Cheng, for a moment, actually took on a solemn air of an impending storm.

"Turbulent times, ah……"

After a long while, Lu Ruikai lightly shook his head, his gaze complex, and let out a light sigh.

Ruan Hao was the same; he patted Yu Zhangsheng's shoulder, gave him a reassuring look, and after pondering, cupped his fists toward the other sects' people and said:

"Fellow Daoists of the various sects, now Wu Zhou is in turmoil, the border situation shifting; we cannot keep to ourselves either. Let us part ways here; each of you go back and prepare well."

"As for these remaining Spirit Dragon Sect disciples… I see most are innocent. My Wanxiang Sect and the Spirit Dragon Sect have never gotten along, but these disciples — if no one objects — I will take charge of them."

A stretch of silence; after a good long while, the Wunian Sect's leading Elder, a middle-aged woman of beautiful and dignified bearing, lightly nodded:

"Then it will trouble you, Wanxiang Sect."

"Many thanks, Dao Friend Hua."

Ruan Hao cupped his fists and lowered his head, saying with a trace of gratitude.

With the Wunian Sect's stance expressed, the remaining sects also unexpectedly had no objections; harboring complex thoughts, they nodded to Ruan Hao one by one, and finally departed one after another.

Before long, only the Wanxiang Sect people remained on the square, along with the leaderless, trembling Spirit Dragon Sect disciples, each glaring furiously at the Wanxiang Sect crowd. A streak of light cut across the horizon; the Spirit Dragon Sect's guardian spirit beast, the Black Wind Spirit Dragon, roared, its massive body blocking the Spirit Dragon Sect disciples, facing Lu Ruikai.

Lu Ruikai pondered slightly, ignored the Black Wind Spirit Dragon's intimidation, looked at Ruan Hao and asked: "Ancestor, how should these people be handled?"

As he finished speaking, killing intent flashed in Lu Ruikai's eyes; the meaning was quite clear.

Ruan Hao pondered slightly, lightly took a step forward, and instantly his full cultivation aura pressed down with complete force; Resource Great Power pressure, completely unreserved, tilted down.

And the Spirit Dragon Sect disciples, having already suffered many deaths inside the Tian Sha Secret Realm, now those remaining — apart from the Black Wind Spirit Dragon — the strongest was merely a Golden Core. Facing Ruan Hao, an old-established Resource Great Power, they were naturally unstoppable; with a *pu-chi*, basically all of them could not resist this pressure and knelt on the ground.

"Senior, spare our lives! The Spirit Dragon Sect's betrayal has nothing whatsoever to do with us; we knew absolutely nothing!"

"These matters were all the sect leadership's affairs; we are merely ordinary disciples inside the sect — how could we participate in them?"

"We beg Senior to show mercy and give us a chance; we will certainly keep our eyes open and reform ourselves!"

In an instant, pleas for mercy resounded; the Spirit Dragon Sect people wept bitterly, their hearts and minds completely filled with fear.

Although they had the Black Wind Spirit Dragon's protection, in their hearts they knew clearly: the Black Wind Spirit Dragon was merely at Golden Core Peak; facing Ruan Hao, this kind of Resource Great Power, it naturally had not the slightest chance.

And what they said was indeed their true thoughts; the Spirit Dragon Sect's betrayal was too sudden — let alone them, even Xuan Long Zhenren probably did not know.

Seeing this, Ruan Hao's face did not change; he spoke blandly, his voice not loud, yet accurately conveyed to everyone's ears.

"Submit, or die."

"We are willing, we submit!"

The words barely fell, and with almost no hesitation, all remaining Spirit Dragon Sect disciples prostrated themselves and chose submission.

"Mm."

Ruan Hao nodded in satisfaction, his gaze sweeping over the disciples, finally settling on the Black Wind Spirit Dragon, a strange color flashing through his eyes.

"What about you — submit, or die."

"Ang!"

The Black Wind Spirit Dragon looked mournful; its huge dragon head turned back to glance at the kneeling mass of Spirit Dragon Sect disciples behind it; a trace of human-like sorrow flowed from its dragon eyes; after a moment of silence, it nodded and lowered its head.

"Good, a wise choice."

Lu Ruikai smiled lightly, rose, his hands constantly shifting; streak after streak of strange Dao Wen flew out, carrying sealing power, imprinting on the foreheads of the Spirit Dragon Sect people.

The Spirit Dragon Sect people's bodies trembled, their faces complex, yet they still chose to accept.

As for the Black Wind Spirit Dragon, due to cultivation reasons, Ruan Hao easily made a move and controlled it with a special method.

"This Black Wind Spirit Dragon is a rare high-grade spirit beast; bringing it back to the sect as a guardian beast would be not bad…… or as a loose beast of the Beast Taming Peak, it could also add some prestige."

Lu Ruikai chuckled, turned his head to look at Yu Zhangsheng, his face full of smiles.

"Changsheng, what do you think?"

"The Sect Master is wise." Yu Zhangsheng said with a smile.

"A pity." Lu Ruikai, however, lightly sighed, shook his head and smiled, "Given the Black Wind Spirit Dragon's bloodline, its strength should not stop at merely this; it's just a pity — its origin damaged, that is why it has stalled at this Third-Order Peak, unable to advance."

Lu Ruikai turned the thought again and smiled: "But, who can say clearly about the matters of this world? If not for its damaged origin, it would not have lowered its status to become the Spirit Dragon Sect's guardian spirit beast."

Hearing this, Yu Zhangsheng's heart stirred; his expression became somewhat thought-provoking, as if pondering, he murmured in his heart.

"Origin damaged, Xuan Gui's injuries are also because of this…… If it were me, would there be a possibility to repair it……"

As Yu Zhangsheng thought thus, his heart could not help but grow somewhat feverish; he raised his head and glanced at the Black Wind Spirit Beast, now shrunk into a small snake by the seal and perched on Ruan Hao's shoulder; a sharp light flashed in his eyes, vanishing in an instant.

"Forget it, these matters, we'll figure something out once we're back at the sect. Breaking through to Golden Core, I can start working on the next spirit beast……"

Yu Zhangsheng shook his head, suppressing the myriad thoughts in his heart, and finally exhaled a breath, saying no more.

"Now, there's no time to lose, let's hurry back to the sect as well."

Ruan Hao nodded, and with a wave of his sleeve, the Wanxiang Sect's massive flying boat appeared, shimmering with radiant light. "All disciples, board the flying boat, return to the sect!"

At Lu Ruikai's command, instantly, figure after figure boarded the flying boat without hesitation, and Yu Zhangsheng did the same.

The Linglong Sect matter was settled, and it didn't take too much time. Suddenly, Ruan Hao and Lu Ruikai's complexions changed simultaneously, they looked up toward the western sky, frowning as they gazed.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh……"

In the western sky, not far from Tian Sha Cheng, a shocking blood-colored long rainbow could be seen tearing across the horizon, rushing toward the southwest direction with unstoppable momentum and rumbling thunder.

The speed was so fast it was invisible to the naked eye, and even divine sense could hardly grasp it. If not for the overwhelmingly astonishing aura it emitted, without any deliberate concealment, Lu Ruikai and Ruan Hao would not have detected it.

This blood-colored long rainbow, like a meteor tearing across the horizon, carried ring after ring of ripples, spreading layer by layer. Where it passed, the air roared, the void seemed on the verge of shattering. Words like "wind-driven lightning-fast" couldn't describe it; one could only faintly perceive a thing or two from its undisguised aura.

Such aura far exceeded Golden Core, even Sub-Talisman couldn't compare. Just a distant glance made Yu Zhangsheng feel heart-pounding fear, his heart palpitating uneasily.

"This is……"

Lu Ruikai and Ruan Hao's complexions changed simultaneously, they exclaimed in low voices, ripples stirring in their hearts: "The Xuan Yin Gate's Huashen Ancestor…… Blood Xuan True Venerable, has emerged from seclusion!"

"And he's carrying the Xuan Yin Gate's ultimate Huashen supreme treasure—— the Blood Xuan Bell! Truly earth-shaking! Judging by his direction, he's heading to the Southwest Border battlefield to stabilize the situation!"

Lu Ruikai and Ruan Hao looked at each other, took a deep breath, their expressions grave.

Hearing this, Yu Zhangsheng narrowed his eyes, his Golden Core Peak divine sense condensed into a cluster, resisting the palpitations in his heart, sensing the long rainbow at the sky's edge, a human figure's outline faintly appearing in his mind.

This was a figure shrouded in blood-colored robes, radiant light all over, features hazy and impossible to discern, an earth-shaking aura, completely undisguised, even giving a sense of flamboyant swagger.

One glance, and Yu Zhangsheng's mind and spirit felt a swelling pain. His traveling speed was indescribable in words. He stood on a blood-colored Xuan Bell over three meters tall, its surface covered in Xuan Huang patterns, gleaming, exuding a heavy heaven-and-earth feeling, radiant light flowing down, suppressing the void, displaying this object's extraordinariness.

It was precisely the Xuan Yin Gate's Huashen supreme treasure, the Blood Xuan Bell! And the one standing on the Blood Xuan Bell was precisely the Xuan Yin Gate's, Huashen Adults, Blood Xuan True Venerable! "Hoo……"

After three breaths, Yu Zhangsheng withdrew his divine sense, drops of cold sweat sliding down his forehead, his heart full of palpitations, faint ripples rising.

"A Huashen powerhouse, every move they make naturally invokes the mighty power of heaven and earth……"

After a long while, Yu Zhangsheng suppressed the palpitations in his heart, exhaled a breath, his gaze once again regaining calm.

A Huashen powerhouse, this was still the first time Yu Zhangsheng had seen one. Just a silhouette alone left a deep impression on Yu Zhangsheng.

"When will I, if I also reach Huashen, truly have the qualifications to roam this heaven and earth."

Yu Zhangsheng murmured in his heart, while Lu Ruikai and Ruan Hao also withdrew their gazes, suppressing the waves stirred by the Huashen powerhouse. Ruan Hao turned back and spoke in a deep voice: "It seems the situation is indeed urgent, even Blood Xuan True Venerable has come out of the mountains. No time to lose, long nights bring many dreams, we should hurry back to the sect."

"Good."

Lu Ruikai nodded, hurriedly forming hand seals to cast a spell. Thus without further delay, the flying boat surged, rising slowly with mana sweeping out. The protective barrier rose, keeping the gang wind outside, then tore across the horizon, speeding forward.

Tian Sha Cheng, bit by bit, grew smaller behind them.

"It's over……"

Yu Zhangsheng felt a surge of emotion in his heart. Zhang Tianwen and Li Minghan walked over, looking at Yu Zhangsheng, a trace of complex color flashing in their eyes, smiling: "Congratulations, this Secret Realm trip, the gains are profound. The next step is preparing for Golden Core, right."

"Congratulations, this trip to the Secret Realm yielded quite a harvest; the next step is to prepare for Golden Core, right?"

Yu Zhangsheng collected his thoughts, nodded to the two, smiling: "After returning to the sect, I can start preparing."

"Then I'll congratulate you in advance on everything going smoothly. After returning to the sect, I also need to start preparing for Golden Core formation."

Zhang Tianwen laughed heartily. Li Minghan scratched his head, his gaze dimming slightly, but then immediately echoed with a hehe laugh: "I'm close too, close…… This trip to Tian Sha, though there were many dangers, fortunately the gains were equally astonishing."

"Mm, safety first, hope everything goes smoothly."

Yu Zhangsheng nodded, replied with a sentence, then his gaze looked toward the sky outside the cabin. Clouds raced past behind them, the sun was just right, gang wind unceasing, his gaze deep and distant.

"In my heart…… I always feel an inexplicable unease…… Let's hurry back to the sect."

After a sigh in his heart, Yu Zhangsheng and Zhang Tianwen exchanged a few more words, then each returned to their own rooms, waiting for the flying boat to return to the sect.

Tian Sha Gate is located in the far west, the distance to Wanxiang Sect is vast. Even with Lu Ruikai deliberately speeding up on this return trip, reaching the sect still requires about ten days. This is already the limit.

Everything seemed calm and peaceful. Just like that, time passed slowly. Five days passed in a flash.

Until this day at noon, the sunlight was bright……

The Heavenly Fiend Gate is located in the far West, far from the Wanxiang Sect; even though Lu Ruikai deliberately sped up on this return journey, reaching the Sect still requires about ten days — this is already the limit.

A huge sound suddenly reverberated across the sky, followed by the flying boat violently shaking and trembling. Inside the cabin, everything was in disarray.

"What happened?!"

Yu Zhangsheng abruptly opened his eyes, waking from cultivation, slapping a palm on the floor, his complexion somewhat ugly.

A huge sound suddenly reverberated above the Tian Qiong, followed by the Flying Boat's violent shaking and trembling; inside the cabin, everything was in chaotic disarray.

Not waiting for Yu Zhangsheng to understand, the shaking of the surrounding cabin continued to intensify and crack. Outside, it was as if countless missiles exploded, endless shocking thunder crashing down, rumbling sounds unceasing. The flying boat instantly swayed on the verge of capsizing.

"All disciples! Enemy attack, protect yourselves!"

The change on the flying boat quickly alarmed all the disciples. Without waiting for questions, Ruan Hao's vast voice carrying fury rapidly spread across the entire flying boat, enveloping all disciples.

Before Yu Zhangsheng could understand, the shaking of the surrounding cabins continued to intensify; outside, it was as if countless missiles exploded, endless Hong Lei fell, boom sounds incessant, the Flying Boat instantly swaying on the verge of capsizing.

"What a joke, we're almost back at the sect, how can this kind of thing still happen?!"

"Judging by the sound, the comer seems not simple……"

A group of disciples exclaimed, voices carrying doubt and a trace of panic. For a moment, inside the flying boat, there was some commotion.

Yu Zhangsheng frowned, his heart growing somewhat uneasy and restless. Palm pressed on the floor, eyes closed, his vast divine sense spread to the deck and outside the flying boat.

On the deck, Ruan Hao and Lu Ruikai's figures stood at the very front, complexions gloomy and ugly, continuously forming hand seals to cast spells, reinforcing the flying boat's protective formation. (Chapter End)

A disciple cried out, his voice tinged with confusion and a hint of panic; for a moment, inside the flying boat, there was some commotion.

Yu Zhangsheng frowned, feeling a growing unease in his heart; he pressed his palm against the floor, and with his eyes closed, his vast Divine Sense spread out to the deck and beyond the flying boat.

On the deck, Ruan Hao and Lu Ruikai stood at the very front, their expressions grim and unsightly, constantly casting spells and forming hand seals to reinforce the flying boat's protective array. (Chapter End)