Chapter 441 - 327: Stunning the Crowd (Part 2)

Chapter 441: Chapter 327: Stunning the Crowd (Part 2)

The earth trembled as if struck by an Extraterrestrial Meteorite. Zhao Xiaodong, Zhang Tianwen, and the others gulped. They stared at Yu Changsheng, who was now withdrawing his imposing aura and shaking a fist drained of strength. Their expressions were no longer just ones of shock.

Below, in the massive crater, was a scene of utter devastation. Of the four men, not even bones remained.

Hooo...

Yu Changsheng’s body went slack, the exhaustion on his face impossible to hide. As the tension finally drained from his mind, he suddenly staggered and let out a long sigh.

Li Minghan reacted instantly, catching Yu Changsheng and holding him steady.

Yu Changsheng gave a slight nod, casting a grateful look at Li Minghan.

"You’re safe now."

Yu Changsheng spoke softly, suppressing his mental fatigue. He shook his head and descended, his gaze falling upon the other shocked disciples of the Wanxiang Sect.

"You..."

Zhao Xiaodong’s eyes darted about. He swallowed hard again, finally coming to his senses. He pointed at Yu Changsheng, and after a long pause, he managed to speak, his voice filled with concern:

"Are you okay? I have some Healing Elixirs. Want some?"

’Zhao Xiaodong never would have imagined it. The ones to solve this crisis were the very group he had dismissed—even scorned—from the very beginning.’

Yu Changsheng and his friends shone too brightly in the Wanxiang Sect. While some admired them, it was only natural that many others were filled with jealousy and resentment.

As one of the sect’s few prodigies expected to reach the Golden Core realm within a century, Zhao Xiaodong had never been particularly fond of Yu Changsheng and his group. In fact, he was even a little contemptuous of them.

This attitude, though not overtly displayed, had been evident from the start. He’d said nothing when Yu Changsheng and his friends volunteered to go out. He’d also remained silent despite knowing four Golden Core cultivators from the Spirit Dragon Sect were lying in wait for them, instead just sending a message for them to come as reinforcements... effectively sending them to their deaths. It revealed his true thoughts. He could tolerate geniuses, but he didn’t much like geniuses who were more dazzling than himself.

But whatever his previous thoughts had been, they were now completely shattered by the power Yu Changsheng had just displayed. He was utterly convinced.

’After all, judging by that performance, if I were to fight him... I’d probably be defeated in no time.’

Yu Changsheng wasn’t bothered by Zhao Xiaodong’s petty scheming. Absolute power was the only persuasion needed.

Zhao Xiaodong’s complex feelings of frustration were hard to put into words. He finally just pressed his lips together and shook his head. A sincere smile appeared on his face, his feelings coalescing into words of concern:

"Thank you so much for this. You went through a lot. Please, hurry and take these Healing Elixirs."

As he spoke, Zhao Xiaodong didn’t hesitate. He pulled several bottles of Healing Elixirs from his Storage Pouch, and a faint Pill Fragrance drifted through the air.

"No need," Yu Changsheng said, slowly shaking his head. He glanced at the elixirs in Zhao Xiaodong’s hand. Most were Second Grade, with a single Third Grade elixir among them. He was secretly a little amused but still refused. After a moment’s thought, he said:

"I’m a Tier Three Alchemist myself. I don’t lack for elixirs. As for these..."

Yu Changsheng paused, turning his head to look at Zhang Tianwen and the others.

"You should give them to them. They put in a lot of effort as well."

Zhao Xiaodong froze, Yu Changsheng’s words making him realize his oversight. A flash of embarrassment crossed his face, and he scratched his head with a sheepish grin. "Ah, you’re right. Okay, then."

He then handed the elixirs to Zhang Tianwen, Shen Xingchen, and the others, his expression a mixture of gratitude and restrained admiration.

’In Zhao Xiaodong’s eyes, even if these three weren’t on Yu Changsheng’s level, they still possessed combat strength near the Golden Core realm. They were definitely people worth befriending.’

If that’s what Zhao Xiaodong was thinking, it went without saying for the other Wanxiang Sect disciples. A moment of collective silence was broken by an uproar of discussion, which eventually coalesced into words of gratitude.

Those able to enter the Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm were all top disciples from their respective peaks, each with a measure of pride and arrogance. Only Zhao Xiaodong, with his seniority and Golden Core cultivation, had been able to keep them in line.

They were often at odds with their peers, Yu Changsheng included. But now, no matter what they truly thought, their perception of him had been forced to change.

Some felt a bitter taste in their mouths, but most were filled with admiration and gratitude. Each mind was a whirl of different thoughts.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Changsheng, for coming to our rescue."

In the Cultivation Realm, strength is respected. At this moment, even though Yu Changsheng was much younger and had joined the sect much later than them, they called him ’Senior Brother’ with complete and heartfelt conviction.

Some disciples secretly compared Yu Changsheng to Zhao Xiaodong. The conclusion made them shake their heads, but it also left them even more astonished.

Putting everything else aside, just based on the two Tier Three beasts he had revealed—the Red Purgatory and the Colorful Star Deer—no one from the Wanxiang Sect on this trip to the Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm could surpass him.

And this was merely Yu Changsheng’s performance as a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

’Perhaps... he’s the one who can truly contend with the chosen of the Profound Yin Sect. Even their prodigies would likely feel inferior in comparison.’

This thought arose in everyone’s hearts at the same time, and thus, the fervor in their eyes as they looked at Yu Changsheng grew even more intense.

Yu Changsheng smiled. After he had a moment to recover, the power of the Boundary Pearl completely dissipated. The Sealing Power that had enveloped the area vanished, and the Teleportation Power of their Evil Qi Tokens could once again be accessed.

The dissipation of the Boundary Pearl also exposed several others who had been closely watching the outcome of the battle.

Among them were people from the Overlord Sect, people from the Cang Lei Sect, and other powers as well. Some had been drawn by the fluctuations from the battle, while others had been there from the start, secretly watching and waiting to see the Wanxiang Sect make a fool of themselves.

As these onlookers took in the scene, they first froze, then their expressions shifted to utter disbelief.

The Boundary Pearl blocked all scrying, so they hadn’t seen the details of the fight. However, the sight of Yu Changsheng and his friends standing there unharmed while Cheng Hong’s group was nowhere to be seen told them everything they needed to know.

"What happened? Where are those people from the Spirit Dragon Sect? How did they all just vanish?"

"Are you kidding me? I know Yu Changsheng, but there’s no way they could have killed all those people from the Spirit Dragon Sect on their own."

"There were Golden Core cultivators among them! How did he manage that?"

...

Sharp gasps could be heard one after another as the crowd broke into a flurry of discussion. They watched Yu Changsheng’s party from a distance, their eyes filled with a mixture of fear and disbelief. Not a single one of them dared to approach.

Ignoring the prying eyes, Yu Changsheng shook his head and stretched lazily. He glanced at the other disciples and spoke after a moment of consideration.

"I was their target this time, so you all were just dragged into this. You don’t need to thank me. We’re all from the same sect. In the Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm, we represent the sect, so we should be working together."

At his words, the disciples fell silent, all of them just staring at Yu Changsheng, waiting for him to continue.

After a moment’s thought, Yu Changsheng turned to Zhao Xiaodong and spoke bluntly.

"The second level of the Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm is fraught with danger. If you can help it, you Golden Core cultivators shouldn’t split up. Try to stick together. That’s my advice. As for everyone else, it’s best they remain on the first level."

Zhao Xiaodong looked embarrassed, but inwardly he completely agreed with Yu Changsheng’s assessment, so he nodded.

"Alright. I don’t think they’re very eager to press on, anyway."

Zhao Xiaodong gave a wry smile and an almost imperceptible sigh. "Also," he added, "I need to report that the people from the Spirit Dragon Sect were using the Qingzhou Army Array in this Secret Realm. For us, this trip is over."

"Good." Yu Changsheng had no objection.

Zhao Xiaodong turned his gaze to the other disciples and said thoughtfully:

"Those of you who are seriously injured or don’t want to stay in the Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm any longer should teleport out. For those who want to stay, I suggest you either go to the first level or wait here for Ling Tianyi and Lin Wang to return."

The Wanxiang Sect disciples hesitated for a moment. Hearing his words, some of them waved, bowed once to Yu Changsheng and his friends, and then chose to teleport out of the Secret Realm.