Silence.
Xiao Chen stared at Cao Yan, feeling as though the man before him had suddenly become a stranger.
Ever since he had first met Cao Yan, Cao Yan had always been an attentive listener who wore an easy smile no matter who was speaking.
Even when they discussed serious matters and Li Guanqi asked for his opinion, Cao Yan would merely rub his nose like a boy and say he would follow whatever his eldest brother decided.
Xiao Chen did not truly understand what Li Guanqi and Ye Feng meant to Cao Yan, nor did he know what trials they had endured together in the past.
Now, Cao Yan's fury—roaring like a lion king—commanded a genuine, chilling authority.
Xiao Chen could sense it clearly: even if he insisted on turning back to rescue the others, Cao Yan would walk away without a moment's hesitation.
Yet the cost of such a choice would inevitably be an unspoken rift between them from then on.
Xiao Chen fell silent. Deciding to defer to Cao Yan, he said in a low voice, "I'll listen to you, Third Brother."
Cao Yan nodded. Without delay, he set off with Xiao Chen on the journey back.
The distance between the Shenbao Domain and the Great Xia Domain was far from short; they no longer had time to wait for Meng Jiangchu and the others to arrive.
Leaving their spatial coordinates behind, the two departed immediately.
When Meng Jiangchu received word of what had occurred, his fury erupted.
Li Changqing and Ye Feng were in dire peril, while Cao Yan and Xiao Chen were racing desperately back toward the Great Xia Sword Sect.
Wreathed in surging flames and his face darker than thunder, Meng Jiangchu vanished into the void in a single stride.
"The Lu clan... How dare they!"
*Hum!*
In the Northern Region of the Qingyun Continent...
Countless cultivators flew through the air, all eager to witness the very first wager arena match across the Six Domains—a momentous gamble where both sides staked foundations honed over ten thousand years!
The sky was densely packed with cultivators. To prevent chaos, the Great Xia Sword Sect had prepared dozens of massive floating viewing platforms.
The Lu clan, naturally, welcomed this spectacle even more; they intended to crush the Great Xia Sword Sect before the eyes of the powerhouses of the Six Domains!
As a result, the cultivators suspended in midair naturally split into two camps.
On the left of the Great Xia Sword Sect stood cultivators floating freely in the void, while to the right hovered dozens of massive cloud boats belonging to the Ancient Clan!
Not only that, but Zhao Xianglu, the Lord of Qingyun, and Min Jiuzhou, the Lord of Lingxu, were also present.
Min Jiuzhou was a mighty cultivator who had stepped into the Body Integration Realm long ago. He rarely appeared in the outside world, dedicating himself entirely to cultivation.
In contrast to Zhao Xianglu's worldly polish, Min Jiuzhou was clad in a deep indigo robe, his resolute features marked by calm detachment.
"Fellow Daoist Min, it has been many years since we last met," Zhao Xianglu said with a pleasant smile, dressed in green robes as he stepped up beside him.
Min Jiuzhou merely glanced at him. Tucking his hands into his sleeves, his eyes remained placid as he gave a cold sneer.
"Zhao Xianglu, after five hundred years apart, your cultivation has progressed at such a crawling pace. No wonder even a mere Northern Heavenly King dared to harbor treasonous thoughts. You would do well to spend less time fussing over social pleasantries."
Zhao Xianglu paid little heed to Min Jiuzhou's mockery.
Every man walked his own path; even if the other did not approve of his ways, he had nothing to argue.
"Which side does Brother Min favor?"
Min Jiuzhou gazed at the heavy barrier surrounding the Great Xia Sword Sect and let out a soft sigh. "After all, this is the very first match of the wager arena. Whatever the reasons may be, I hope the Great Xia Sword Sect wins. Even if Mingchuan vanished because of him."
Zhao Xianglu's pupils shrank almost imperceptibly. He was naturally aware of what had happened in Mingchuan.
Resting one hand behind his back, he swept his gaze toward the Great Xia Sword Sect and murmured, "Indeed. Everyone's eyes are on this battle. Victory and defeat... carry immense consequences. If the Great Xia Sword Sect wins, it will rouse everyone's spirits! But if they lose, I fear every participant will bear eternal infamy... Let us wait and see. It is about to begin, and the arena has already been erected."
The two each conjured a throne out of thin air and slowly took their seats without another word.
Within the grand hall of the Great Xia Sword Sect, all the upper echelon had gathered, each person wearing an exceedingly grim expression.
Inside the hall, a pin drop could be heard; the atmosphere was stiflingly oppressive.
Suddenly!
The jade slip in Li Guanqi's hand trembled faintly. He shot to his feet, glaring furiously into the distance!
"Those bastards... using underhanded tricks!"
Lu Kangnian hurriedly rose and asked, "Guanqi, what happened?"
Li Guanqi briefly relayed Cao Yan's voice transmission. At once, everyone's expressions changed.
If only Cao Yan and Xiao Chen returned, they would be short two whole combatants for the five bouts!
After a long silence, a man with a saber at his waist slowly rose from his seat.
His aura was deep and fathomless as an abyss. Cupping his fists, he said in a low voice, "If there are no candidates, I, Dong Songqing, am willing to fight for the sect!"
Following Dong Songqing's gesture, several others in the hall stood up one after another.
"Wu Bing is willing to fight for the sect!"
Wu Bing, who had only just stepped into the Void Refining Realm and had not even stabilized his foundation, rose with resolute determination.
Li Guanqi looked at his senior brother, their eyes meeting, his own filled with profound respect.
Perhaps only Li Guanqi truly understood how much effort Wu Bing had poured into the sect over the years!
Yet even so, he had only barely broken through to the Void Refining Realm, and by force at that...
Setting aside the others, Lu Tao alone would be more than enough to slaughter him!
Therefore, Li Guanqi's standard for this arena battle was crystal clear.
Anyone below the late Void Refining Realm would not even be considered as an alternate.
Li Guanqi picked up the jade slip and said in a heavy voice, "Third Brother, Fourth Brother, hurry back as fast as you can. You don't need to worry about Second Brother."
He then retrieved his Tianji jade pendant and spoke deeply into it: "Elder Gu, please help me locate Ye Feng and lend him a hand."
Gu Yong's voice quickly returned through the pendant: "I'm already on the way and will rendezvous with your father-in-law shortly."
Li Guanqi breathed a slight sigh of relief, raised his head toward the entrance, and said firmly, "Everyone, let us head outside! Leave the rest... to me."
***
Meanwhile, within the Six Ancient Sacred Sect, an old man's furious roar echoed out.
"Zhou Shiyu!! You listen to me!
"Now that Ye Feng and the others from the Great Xia Sword Sect have vanished without a trace and haven't returned, you are going to fight whether you want to or not! You're going up there even if I have to drag you!"
Immediately following his shout came a flurry of panicked, flustered commotion.
"Sect Master, Sect Master, don't lose your temper, don't get angry! Shiyu surely has his own reservations."
"That's right, Sect Master, put down your sword first!"
Several white-robed elders held back Gu Huai, who brandished his sword, pleading desperately with him.
Gripping the blade, Gu Huai pointed exasperatedly at Zhou Shiyu in the distance and cursed, "You little bastard, if you don't go today, I won't acknowledge you as my disciple anymore! Did you hear me?! Speak up! Did you hear me?!"
Zhou Shiyu, who had his eyes closed and was feigning focused meditation, furrowed his brows. He had never expected such a massive crisis to erupt at a moment like this!
At most, only an incense stick's worth of time remained before the arena battles commenced, and the branches of the Lu clan were already showing up one after another.
Yet Ye Feng and the others still had not appeared.
Just as the room was descending into complete disarray, a disciple rushed in frantically and blurted out in haste:
"Reporting to the Sect Master, latest news—Cao Yan and Xiao Chen have returned to the Great Xia Sword Sect!"
With his eyes still closed, Zhou Shiyu finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
Chapter 786