Chapter 405 - 411: Memory Stone

A long string of curses followed, making Song Wanning frown.

Whether it was Jiang Cen or Xiao Heyun, both of them had incredibly foul mouths.

It was grating to listen to.

But seeing Jiang Cen on the verge of a breakdown made her feel extremely pleased.

As for those unusable treasures, she would find a place to dispose of them later. Anyway, with her inner world, not even Jiang Cen’s father could find them if he came looking himself.

The moment Zhang Shuning saw Jiang Cen emerge, her fists clenched tightly.

The killing intent in her eyes flowed out, impossible to conceal.

’She’s actually still alive. Jiang Cen’s luck is really something else!’

Liu Xingzhi took in the silent exchange of glances between the two, but since their relationship had always been poor, he wasn’t surprised.

He stood there impassively, ready to lead the disciples on their return journey as soon as the Secret Realm closed completely.

The disciples from the various sects had calmed down considerably by now, and everyone was discussing Xiao Heyun.

Suddenly, someone brought up the matter of Xiao Heyun giving a Memory Stone to Yue Lin.

"Yue Lin, I remember that guy was the one who gave you the Memory Stone. He said it was proof of your Ancient Cold Sect disciples killing each other..."

"How come we haven’t seen you take it out?"

A group of people, who loved nothing more than watching a good show, shouted it out brazenly.

It wasn’t their Sect’s business anyway, so they were all happy to watch the drama unfold.

As soon as they spoke, everyone’s gaze fell upon Yue Lin. Even Liu Xingzhi looked over, the chill emanating from him growing even more intense.

’Killing each other inside the Secret Realm?’

Hearing this, Jiang Cen’s heart inexplicably tightened. For some reason, she had a feeling this matter had something to do with her. After all, she had attacked Zhang Shuning, so she couldn’t help but feel a guilty conscience.

However, she had already come up with a countermeasure. As long as she denied it to her death, there was nothing they could do to her!

She could even turn the tables and falsely accuse Zhang Shuning of colluding with an outsider to steal the Storage Ring...

Yue Lin: "..."

’Damn it, why do these people have to stick their noses in everything!’

His tense face twitched, and he was speechless with frustration.

Seeing that he still wouldn’t take it out, the crowd started clamoring again.

"What, Yue Lin, are you trying to cover for them? Don’t tell me the person in there is close to you, are they?"

"Hiss... To think the Ancient Cold Sect would so brazenly shield someone who harmed their own. What an eye-opener!"

They weren’t from the Ancient Cold Sect, so naturally, they weren’t afraid of them causing trouble.

Besides, Liu Xingzhi was not one to bully juniors, so they weren’t worried about being harmed. Naturally, they were happy to enjoy the show.

Backed into a corner by the crowd, Yue Lin’s face flushed red as he ground out through clenched teeth, "I am not!"

"This is an internal matter for the Ancient Cold Sect! I will report it myself after we return to the Sect. What business is it of yours, you outsiders?"

He shot the group a glare, then immediately bowed to Liu Xingzhi.

"Elder Liu, this disciple would never cover for anyone. It’s just that with so many people here, it’s not appropriate to show it. Once we return to the Sect, I will naturally present the Memory Stone!"

At this point, the only option was to hand the Memory Stone over to Liu Xingzhi.

Yue Lin was irritated, but there was nothing he could do.

Liu Xingzhi gave a slight nod upon hearing this. He glanced at the crowd, who still wanted to watch the drama, and they instantly fell silent, not daring to act up again.

...

The exit to the Secret Realm finally closed. Those who didn’t make it out were already dead inside.

The losses for every major sect were significant. Even the Ancient Cold Sect had lost eleven disciples.

Everyone’s expressions turned grim, and the atmosphere grew much more somber.

They had all entered the Secret Realm together, never imagining that in such a short time, some would be eternally separated from the living. It was hard not to feel a sense of sorrow.

But this was the path of cultivation; a moment of carelessness could lead to one’s demise. After a while, one simply got used to it.

Just then, the several elders returned one after another, all of them wearing extremely ugly expressions.

A group of Divine Separation Stage elders, and they had let a single, heavily injured person escape!

It was an utter humiliation!

They returned with dark faces, and seeing that the Sect had lost so many disciples only deepened their foul mood.

The Canglan Sect had suffered the worst, losing as many as twenty-seven people. Wu Zongyuan was so furious his eyelid twitched, and the killing intent radiating from him was terrifying to behold.

No one dared to speak, deeply afraid of getting on the elders’ bad side.

"Ancient Cold Sect disciples, board the Spirit Boat!"

Liu Xingzhi was the first to break the deadlock. Unlike the petty Wu Zongyuan, he had no intention of kicking someone while they were down.

As soon as his disciples were on the Spirit Boat, he took the lead and flew off.

The disciples from the other sects also boarded their Spirit Boats one after another. On the way back, they were still discussing Xiao Heyun.

After all, just one look at the elders’ expressions told them that they had failed.

It was hard to imagine that Xiao Heyun could actually escape the pursuit of Divine Separation Stage experts. No wonder he was able to take care of Song Lan Tian and her group all at once.

Thus, Xiao Heyun’s name spread throughout the entire Southern Domain, but he also became the public enemy of the Southern Domain’s major sects.

Outside the Secret Realm, Wu Zongyuan, his face dark, brought out his Spirit Boat.

The thought of this failure made his heart burn with rage.

He was in charge of leading the group, yet he had failed to notice Xiao Heyun hiding among the disciples, causing the sect to lose more than ten of them.

For such a huge blunder, he would definitely be punished upon his return.

More importantly, if word of this got out, where would he put his old face?

Wu Zongyuan was wreathed in killing intent, looking absolutely terrifying.

"Xiao Heyun, is it? If I don’t kill you, my surname isn’t Wu!"

Yun Yunzhou glanced at him before turning to board her Spirit Boat, her mind filled with the image of Liu Xingzhi’s heroic bearing from moments ago.

Her heart swelled with motivation, and she focused her entire being on cultivation.

’Sooner or later, I’ll be as outstanding as Senior Liu Xingzhi!’

...

On the journey back, Song Wanning was completely at ease.

Zhang Shuning didn’t stay in her own room; instead, she simply moved into Song Wanning’s.

She often sought out Song Wanning with questions, using it as a way to close the distance between them.

At first, Song Wanning had thought Zhang Shuning was the gentle, quiet, and easily embarrassed type, but after getting to know her, she discovered her personality was actually quite open and generous.

She would even occasionally tell a few jokes that made Song Wanning laugh out loud.

The two of them gradually grew closer.

Jiang Cen grew even more dissatisfied upon seeing this. Zhang Shuning had received a fortuitous opportunity and would advance in her cultivation after returning.

That bitch Song Wanning was even more outrageous—she had actually advanced while still inside the Secret Realm!

"Which fucking idiot ambushed me from behind?"

To this day, she still didn’t know who had viciously attacked her. After all, anyone capable of injuring her so directly was definitely no ordinary person.

Moreover, they had even taken her Storage Ring. The other party’s cultivation must be very high.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t suspected Song Wanning, but Song Wanning’s cultivation was only at the Late-stage Void Refining. It was highly unlikely she could have done something like that!

The more Jiang Cen thought about it, the more frustrated she became. Her only thought was that after she returned, she absolutely had to get her dear father to back her up and find the person who had harmed her.

As for Yue Lin’s Memory Stone, she wasn’t worried.

Even if it really was evidence of her guilt, her father would take care of it. No one could touch her!

At this thought, a scornful smirk lifted the corners of Jiang Cen’s mouth.