Chapter 28: All or Nothing
Dongyuan Sect, Dragon Head Peak.
Purple Cloud Hall.
The atmosphere in the hall was exceptionally solemn.
“…”
“Elder Xu and the elders from the other two sects are still at Silent Valley managing the situation. They sent disciples back to report on the matters here.”
“To think such a thing would happen…”
The elders looked at each other in dismay.
One elder sighed lightly and said, “At this point, worrying is useless. If it’s an ownerless secret realm, there should be a time when it reopens.”
Lu Ziye wanted to speak but held back.
“What about the disciples from the other two sects?”
“Our sect’s disciples, besides Song Yan, also have Shao Sichao missing. The Lingfu Sect has two disciples missing, and Xuanyuan Sect… it seems only Wang Xi was caught up in it.”
“Hm?”
Several elders subtly turned their heads, exchanging glances.
“Wang Xi…”
Foreign Affairs Elder Zhang Guangyuan furrowed his brow, pondered for a moment, then said:
“The Sect Master and several Grand Elders are still in seclusion. These matters will be decided by me.”
“Lu Ziye, when you returned to the sect, did you check if there were any anomalies with these two outer disciples’ life lamps?”
“Reporting to Elder Zhang, I have already verified it. Currently, these two disciples’ life lamps have not gone out, but…”
“But what?”
“But… among them, Song Yan’s life lamp is extremely faint…”
“…”
Zhang Guangyuan took a deep breath.
“I’m not at ease leaving Xu Ziqing alone over there. That boy fears not chaos in the world.”
“…”
“Lu Ziye, you will carry my orders and, together with your Senior Sister Qin Ying, head to Silent Valley to assist Elder Xu Ziqing in handling the relevant matters.”
“Disciple receives the order!”
“Old Li.”
“Speak!”
“You will specifically arrange for a disciple to guard those two outer disciples’ life lamps. If there are any changes, report immediately.”
“Good!”
Among the elders, a gaunt-faced old man said, “Old Zhang, they’re just two outer disciples. There’s no need for such a big fuss, is there…”
Zhang Guangyuan gave Yang Wenxuan a deep look and shook his head.
“Elder Yang, the Sect Master has said that our Dongyuan Sect cannot compare to great immortal sects like Xuanyuan Sect or the Lingfu Sect. The safety of every disciple must be carefully protected.”
“If they fight fiercely and die while clashing with others outside, that’s because their skills were inferior, and naturally there’s no need to worry.”
“But this time it was for a sect mission. Not only does it involve a new ownerless secret realm, but it also involves disciples from the other two sects. We must respond carefully.”
Yang Wenxuan nodded. “Very well.”
The elders weren’t fools either. Just these two outer disciples—it was fine to just say polite words. There really wasn’t much to worry about.
But with the involvement of the secret realm and disciples from the other two sects, the relationships and interests were truly complex. Elder Zhang’s words about responding carefully were not unreasonable.
“Sister Huang, if circumstances permit, please keep an eye on the casualties of the disciples from the other two sects. Just let me know when you have news.”
“Good.”
…
Silent Valley, Liaoran Hall.
“Elder Xu, Elder Zou… why worry so much? It’s not like such ownerless secret realms haven’t appeared in the Chu State before…”
“That’s not the reason.”
Xu Ziqing and Zou Yong exchanged a glance.
“It’s too coincidental…”
The spiritual energy fluctuations around Silent Valley had appeared for about four or five months.
And just when the disciples from the three sects were conducting a joint exploration, a connecting passage appeared.
Right near the Hidden Moon Stream Valley.
It was almost as if demonic cultivators were lying in wait here.
But the casualties among the disciples from each sect were clearly not significant—only a few had been drawn into the secret realm.
“It’s fine. Our sect’s inner disciple Wang Xi is also inside. He should be able to keep the other disciples safe.”
Shen Yu’s face showed not a trace of worry, only an inexplicable calm, as if he were restraining something.
“Why was Wang Xi drawn in?” “Ah, the other disciples said that on that day, he drove his own spiritual energy to protect them, but had no time to care for himself, which is why…”
The Wang Xi that Shen Yu spoke of was indeed a talented young prodigy who valued his fellow disciples’ bonds.
“Though it was a noble and righteous act, he was truly too eager for merit…”
Zou Yong comforted Shen Yu a few words, but Xu Ziqing just watched him calmly, feeling that this man was very false.
At that moment, Shen Huai suddenly walked into Liaoran Hall.
“Elder Shen, there is an important matter to report!”
“What important matter? Just say it directly.”
Shen Yu glanced at this Heavenly Chosen Daughter of the Shen family.
Shen Huai’s face was solemn, her small face pale.
“A disciple from the sect reports that Senior Brother Wang Xi’s life lamp… has gone out.”
“What?!”
Shen Yu slammed the table, looking at Shen Huai in disbelief.
Xu Ziqing did not care about the news of Wang Xi’s death, but rather was very interested in Shen Yu’s reaction.
Hmm…
This doesn’t seem like an act.
…
Nameless Valley.
Traversing through the mountains, Song Yan’s body was already somewhat unstable, and at treacherous points, he even needed to use the dry branch in his hand to support himself.
Half a day had passed since he escaped from the secret realm.
Song Yan had no interest in discerning his location. The urgent priority was to find a secluded place away from people to recover from his injuries.
He found a mountain stream, and on the northern cliff face was a natural cave, though it wasn’t very deep.
Song Yan casually selected a flying sword from the pile of items from the two deceased, and drove his already depleted spiritual energy to push the cave space several zhang deeper.
Now he was truly at the end of his rope, exhausted and destitute.
He had no ability to set up any formations, so he merely used the surrounding vegetation to provide some concealment before summoning Xiao He.
“Xiao He, I will be in seclusion for several days. During this time, I need you to guard this cave entrance and ensure no one disturbs me.”
Song Yan estimated that with Xiao He’s strength at the third or fourth level of Qi Refining, she should have no problem blocking nearby villagers, children who might wander into the mountains, or early-stage Qi Refining cultivators passing by.
“Good!”
Xiao He patted her chest and nodded.
The snake baby made a silent resolution—usually he couldn’t be of much help, but this time he would definitely let Yan Yan rest and recover in peace!
Song Yan walked deep into the cave and sat down to meditate.
Spiritual qi entered his body, slowly repairing his injuries.
But the thoughts in his heart were incredibly chaotic.
“According to what Wan Songran said, that secret realm originally belonged to the Xuanyuan Sect. They just couldn’t control it stably, and could only barely manipulate the timing of its opening and closing with some kind of spiritual object…”
“The Xuanyuan Sect’s main goals were, firstly, to frame the disciples of the other two sects, making it convenient to use this as a pretext to seize spiritual vein resources later. Secondly, to damage the promising new talents of the other two sects…”
“But now both Wang Xi and Wan Songran are dead, and as the primary target of their frame-up, I’m still alive…”
“They went through all that trouble but lost an inner disciple. Those in the Xuanyuan Sect who know about this will surely intensify their accusations and make outrageous demands…”
Song Yan’s eyes flickered, as if he were struggling with something.
“If I were completely unharmed, that would truly arouse suspicion…”
“I’m afraid even the sect’s elders would find it difficult to protect me…”
In truth, he wasn’t even certain whether the sect would care about the life or death of an outer disciple like him.
In this world of cultivation, the strong were revered, and the weak were prey to the strong.
Even if he eventually returned to the sect, it would be within expectations for the sect’s elders, under pressure from the Xuanyuan Sect, to abandon him.
Without strength, everything was empty talk.
Compromising to survive, hiding his head and showing his tail—even if he could live long, what would it matter?
If he could be like the ancient sword cultivators, displaying his full brilliance, even if he died after a single sword strike, it would still be called magnificent.
After a moment, his eyes slowly closed, as if he had made some momentous decision.
A desperate gamble.
The scripture of the Sword Planting Technique slowly surfaced in his mind…
“Perhaps now is the best opportunity!”