Chapter 99

The time until the secret realm’s closure was drawing nearer.

On the square, disciples kept suddenly appearing.

But the number of those suddenly appearing grew fewer and fewer.

After all, no one would wait until the last moment to exit.

When the secret realm’s closing time arrived, eighteen guards clad in golden dao robes stood at the entrance of the realm’s array gate.

“All of you… the secret realm has ended—depart quickly!”

Dozens of sects, hundreds of clans, each boarded their own flying vessels and left.

Tianfu Mountain was no exception.

In the end, the entire square held only one vessel still unactivated—the Tai Xu Gate’s ship.

“My dear nephew Yude,” said the Jin Dan Elder Xuan Yang, looking at Yude, “it’s time we left! Everyone who entered this realm faces unforeseen mishaps—Linglong’s accident is understandable, but you can’t keep me waiting here forever!”

“Master, you go ahead—I’ll wait here myself!”

Yude still refused to give up.

He knew perfectly well that Linglong was gone—he was waiting for He Pingsheng.

Yet from start to finish, he had seen no trace of He Pingsheng.

“Fine!” Xuan Yang waved his hand and activated the flying vessel, departing.

The vast square was now empty except for Yude alone.

He believed He Pingsheng was too afraid to emerge.

Not daring to show himself was fine—but you must emerge eventually. If you don’t, these patrol guards will enter the realm, and you’ll be dead for sure.

But Yude waited here for two full hours and still saw no He Pingsheng.

“This is strange—where could that brat have gone?” Yude frowned tightly. “Did he sneak aboard another sect’s vessel?”

“Impossible—another sect suddenly gaining a new disciple would surely investigate!”

“Then… could he have died inside the realm?”

That was a possibility.

After all, Yude had been here for many days already.

Who knew what had happened in those days?

He Pingsheng dying wasn’t surprising.

“Huh…” Yude felt a tightness in his chest, took a deep breath, then stepped onto his flying sword and headed toward Tai Xu Gate.

He would go to Yuning Palace to find out whether He Pingsheng was alive or dead.

An hour later, Yude arrived at Tai Xu Gate, flying his sword straight down to land at Yuning Palace’s entrance.

“Brother?” Yu Ning stepped out of the palace, confused, staring at Yude.

Yude asked: “Sister, is He Pingsheng’s life jade tablet still intact?”

Yu Ning replied: “It’s perfectly intact. Why?”

“Why?” Yude snapped. “That brat killed Linglong! I waited for days at the realm’s exit and never saw him emerge—his jade tablet remains intact, yet he never left the realm!”

“What do you mean, why?”

Yu Ning’s face darkened instantly. “Brother, don’t make baseless accusations! Linglong was murdered—how can you be certain it was my disciple?”

“Besides, what cultivation level does He Pingsheng have? Only Qi Refining Seventh Layer. Your own disciples are all at Qi Refining Peak—even if he had the chance, how could He Pingsheng possibly have done it?”

In truth, Yude wasn’t certain He Pingsheng had killed Linglong.

It was all speculation.

With Yu Ning’s rebuttal, he had no counterargument, so he merely said: “I’ll check whether He Pingsheng’s jade tablet is intact.”

Without waiting for Yu Ning’s reply, he stepped forward, entered Yuning Palace, walked a few steps to the back, and seized He Pingsheng’s flawless jade tablet in his hand.

“What are you doing?” Yu Ning’s face turned grim.

Yude said: “Sister, don’t be alarmed—it’s merely He Pingsheng’s life jade tablet. Even if I crushed it now, it wouldn’t harm him at all!”

Yu Ning nodded.

Yude was right—the life jade tablet, if deliberately destroyed, had no effect on the original body; it merely served as an indicator.

An indicator of the original’s life or death.

“I’ll explain all the karmic ties to you later!”

“I’m leaving now!”

With that, Yude departed, taking He Pingsheng’s life jade tablet with him.

Yu Ning instantly sensed something was wrong—but by the time she stepped out of the palace, her brother Yude had already vanished into the sky as a streak of light.

“No good… no good…”

Yu Ning broke into a cold sweat.

Although the life jade tablet didn’t harm the original, if used as a focus with certain secret techniques, it could swiftly lock onto He Pingsheng’s location.

Why would Yude seek my disciple’s whereabouts?

He must be seeking revenge for his granddaughter Linglong.

Then isn’t my disciple He Pingsheng in mortal danger?

“Swoosh…” At that moment, Yu Ning also mounted her sword and soared into the sky, chasing after the direction where Yude had vanished.

She couldn’t stand by and let her brother kill her disciple.

…

“Thank you, Elder Qiao!”

“Thank you, Sister Qiao!”

The Tianfu Mountain flying vessel hovered in midair.

He Pingsheng stood on the vessel, bowing to Qiao Hui Zhu and the Jin Dan nun: “Your protection is a debt I’ll never forget!”

“I take my leave!”

Qiao Hui Zhu remained silent, but the Jin Dan nun spoke: “No need for thanks—you saved our Tianfu Mountain disciples; shielding you was nothing.”

“If you ever have nowhere to go, come find me at Tianfu Mountain!”

The nun was generous.

He Pingsheng bowed again: “Thank you, Elder. I take my leave!”

Then He Pingsheng pulled out his paper crane, mounted it, and shot into the sky, leaving the vessel.

Qiao Hui Zhu’s eyes flickered several times as she watched He Pingsheng depart, then said: “Set course!”

The great vessel stirred again, rumbling steadily toward Tianfu Mountain.

On his end, He Pingsheng rode the paper crane through the void for about half an incense stick’s time, then felt dizzy and nauseous.

There was no help for it—his spiritual sense was too fragile.

Riding the crane required spiritual sense to control.

To prevent further damage to his spiritual sense, he had no choice but to land the paper crane on the ground.

This was a remote, uninhabited stretch of endless mountains.

What now?

He Pingsheng’s brow furrowed slightly.

Originally, his plan had been simple: go to Mount Matou Market, buy some [Soul-Recovering Pills], restore his spiritual sense, then leave Daoxuan Alliance territory and find a new place to cultivate slowly.

Becoming a lone cultivator wasn’t out of the question.

After all, he possessed the Treasure Basin—so long as he was cautious and hid well, he’d one day achieve great power.

But now his spiritual sense couldn’t even support a journey to Mount Matou Market.

“Enough… enough…” After much thought, He Pingsheng carved a cave into the mountainside and stepped inside.

First, restore his spiritual sense.

Cultivate and nurture his soul here for a month, then take a carriage to Mount Matou Market.

Step by step, plan slowly.

Yude was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but He Pingsheng wasn’t afraid of him now.

After all, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s spiritual sense barely extended a few dozen zhang—perhaps a hundred zhang at most.

Could he possibly find me here?