The cultivators from the World Prefecture Academy and the Thousand Snow Sect, have followed the traces left by the students and disciples to come here, yet they've lost their traces.
Gan, the elder of the Thousand Snow Sect, wanted to take great pleasure in the misfortune. The World Prefecture Academy just recently admitted a genius elixir master, but now he has disappeared. However, considering his own disciples are also trapped somewhere, he finds it impossible to laugh.
The Lord Hu from the Emerald Smoke Valley has also personally inquired about this. He hopes that both sides can bring back Gu Yao unharmed. He has a bunch of questions he wants to discuss with Gu Yao. Neither the World Prefecture Academy nor the Thousand Snow Sect could refuse his request.
"Let's split up and search. If anyone finds something, immediately signal the other party." Elder Gan suggested.
At the World Prefecture Academy, it is Elder Yi who personally leads the team. He immediately responded: "Good, let's mobilize separately!"
He already found Elder Gan to be a drag. If it wasn't for the people from the Thousand Snow Sect, he would have pursued earlier. Maybe he could have found Chi Changye already. Now he's gone missing and he is deeply worried. This young man certainly cannot have an accident. All his hopes are on Chi Changye. As far as he knows, Chi Changye has already unlocked the restriction on the jade slip; he just doesn't know how he's been learning.
Inside the secret realm.
Lu Qiusheng, pretending to be weak, put his head on Jiang Yan's shoulder and refused to stand up to speak. The whole person clung to Jiang Yan like a koala bear. He has to take this opportunity of being injured to make his senior brother care for him.
Jiang Yan helplessly patted his head: "Speak, others are waiting." Everyone is giving them the chance to discuss first.
Lu Qiusheng didn't care and said, "Let them wait. With a quick glance over, you think I'm going to reincarnate?" Of course, this sentence is just in his belly. "Senior brother, I am ill. Do you care about me?"
Jiang Yan was vexed. Even with his good temperament, he was ground to the point of anger. He patted hard and said: "Speak!"
"Senior brother doesn't care about me anymore." Lu Qiusheng lifted his head with a pitiful expression. It made Jiang Yan shiver, goosebumps falling all over the place. Lu Qiusheng stopped taking things too far. He knew better than to anger his senior brother. "I had a dream. After waking up from this dream, I found that there's more in my head, such as... the Illusion Demon Clan and Illusion Demon Vine."
While speaking, Lu Qiusheng cautiously watched his senior brother's reaction. Jiang Yan only slightly furrowed his brows, relaxing them again quickly, and said, "You should have encountered an opportunity, awakened your bloodline, and received inherited memories. It's currently unknown whether this is a good or bad thing."
With just a few sentences, he guessed what happened to Lu Qiusheng. If outsiders, especially those from the Ten Directions City knew, Qiusheng would be controlled by them. Regarding the World Prefecture Academy and the Tianlin Continent, what he knows is much more than Qiusheng.
"Don't worry, senior brother. Once I awoke, I felt much stronger than before. In the future, I can protect you better," Lu Qiusheng quickly declared.
Jiang Yan smiled: "Tell me the whole process in detail." After listening to him, he will remind Qiusheng of what can be disclosed and what should be hidden.
"Okay." For Jiang Yan, Lu Qiusheng had no secrets. Whatever his senior brother wanted to know, he would try his best to satisfy.
Jiang Yan discovered they had entered a secret realm, a place left by the ancient Illusion Demon Clan. The reason why Lu Qiusheng and his companions survived was that Qiusheng had a bit of the Illusion Demon Clan's bloodline. Everyone else was immersed in their own illusions while Qiusheng was absorbing some inheritance from the Illusion Demon Clan.
"But something was trying to take over my body, it was almost successful. Afterwards, I felt your presence, senior brother. I knew you came to rescue me, and sure enough, I saw you as soon as I woke up."
"Actually, it was not me, it was Mount Hua brother Gu Yao and Chi...," Jiang told Lu Qiusheng about the situation after they entered the small secret realm, not wanting his junior brother to appear ungrateful. Moreover, Chi Changye is a person with an unusual background, and his significance for the World Prefecture Academy is also considerable.
"So, who do you think is stronger, senior brother, him or me?" Lu Qiusheng could not bear his senior brother praising others.
Jiang Yan sighed, kissed Lu Qiusheng's forehead and then patted his head and said, "Don't mess around. In the eyes of senior brother, Qiusheng is of course the most important. But in terms of real strength, you are indeed still slightly behind him."
Lu Qiusheng did not know whether he should be happy or annoyed, but he chose happiness. After all, his senior brother was finally acknowledging his importance so he let it slide this time.
Jiang Yan and Lu Qiusheng discussed for a while before coming out to inform Gu Yao and others, "Qiusheng and others accidentally ventured into a small secret realm and obtained some opportunities. But if it had not been for Chi Ge's timely action, Qiusheng might not have woken up, so we need to thank Chi Ge and Gu Yao for their help. In the next few days while Qiusheng and others need time to recuperate, Gu Yao can take a look around here and see if anything interests him, he can collect whatever he likes."
There was nothing of more interest to Gu Yao than this. Seeing that Chi Changye had no objections, he immediately agreed.
Lu Qiusheng saw that Gu Yao consulted with Chi Changye before agreeing, a measure of amusement flickering in his eyes. Since that was the case, he did not mind his senior brother treating little Gu Yao better. He did not want to be ungrateful in the eyes of his senior brother.
Jiang Yan felt guilty towards Gu Yao and Chi Changye, for not revealing that the secret realm was now under Qiusheng's control. But perhaps they could guess some things, since the crisis in the secret realm was now resolved.
In the next few days, Lu Qiusheng and his newly awakened brothers and sisters were busy recovering their cultivation, Gu Yao and Chi Changye wandered around, collecting various unseen plants and other specimens. Jiang Yan also collected the bodies of the cultivators who had died in the secret realm, including their storage bags.
While collecting, Gu Yao listened to Xu Chen ranting in his mind, "Don't you mind your senior brothers hiding the truth from you? They certainly didn't tell you the truth. This secret realm is probably in their hands now. Your brother Lu, can be certain that he's of the phantom race, his bloodline should not be low."
Gu Yao collected a spirit grass, ostensibly putting it into his storage bag, but actually transferring it into his spatial dimension, asking Senior Xu Chen to plant it in the Spirit Field. Some spirit grass plants, once removed from the soil, will gradually lose their energy. He was grateful to have a spatial dimension that could grow anything, it was the best treasure to him.
After watching Xu Chen furiously help him plant the spirit grass, Gu Yao replied leisurely in his mind:
"It's not deception, but a well-intentioned concealment, just like I am hiding your existence from Brother Ye. Brother Jiang and Brother Lu may also have reasons they can't share. I understand that if this secret leaked out, it would probably have very bad results. If Brother Jiang had told us, it would have made us more burdened, so it's better to act ignorant."
"What are you thinking about, Xiao Yao?" Chi Changye noticed that Gu Yao had zoned out again. His eyes sharpened. Gu Yao mentioned having a master, but Chi Changye felt as if this master was right by Gu Yao's side.
"Huh?" Gu Yao snapped back to the present, sweating, hurriedly saying, "I was thinking about what brother Jiang and brother Lu would do after we leave. How will they face the outside situation?" The higher ups in the academy, and in the Qianxue sect, how would they explain? Those who died were not few, and it can't go unaccounted for.
"They should be prepared, Xiao Yao doesn't need to worry." Chi Changye soothingly patted Gu Yao's head.
Gu Yao nodded, continuing to pick lingzhi.
Chi Changye looked at the center of the small secret realm, where Lu Qiusheng and others were. Considering the situation of the Illusory Vine and changes inside the secret realm, he guessed somewhat. He looked at Xiao Yao, who seemed to understand something, too.
The Ling Qi in the secret realm was a lot denser than the outside so after completing his recovery, Chi Changye simply broke to the next cultivation stage here. The higher his cultivation, the more beneficial it would be to him and Gu Yao.
He successfully built Qi base because it was the second time, and when he came out, he had become a Qi base sword repairman. This aroused the envy of Gu Yao and including Tian Feirong. Even Zhou Li was not spared such envy.
"What's wrong, you even built your Qi base without using any Qi base pills? How is this possible?" Zhou Li suddenly realized. Considering Gu Yao hadn't reached the ability to refine Qi base pills, the conclusion was that Chi Changye had built his Qi base without using any Qi base pills. Wasn't this aptitude just too heavenly?
Tian Feirong proudly declared: "Just look at who Chi Ge is, he doesn't need Qi base pills! Brother Chi wants to build a base, he builds a base. If he wants to form a pill, he forms a pill. He's not someone you can compare yourself to!"
On the other side, Jiang Yan, Lu QiuSheng and others who came hurriedly to congratulate Chi Changye on his successful foundation building couldn't help but laugh. Looking at Gu Yao, as they had predicted, he had also become a Qi refining Seventh-Level cultivator. It seems that coming out for experience truly has its benefits.
"We should leave now, I'm worried that someone outside might be looking for us. QiuSheng is more familiar with the environment here, he can lead us out," Jiang Yan said.
Everyone agreed with no objections. They had everything with them, ready to leave at any moment.