At that very moment, four silhouettes glided on beams of sword light, ascending into the sky above.
The Mage Tower's collapse had nearly concluded, with the majority of trial challengers having safely descended to the ground. Despite being mortals, their array of superpowers ensured that a plummet from hundreds of meters wouldn't prove fatal.
The remaining seven mentors stayed grounded.
The four trial challengers now aloft were those who had recently transitioned to Sword Immortals and acquired the art of sword control. Yet their mastery of the skill was shaky at best, their flight erratic as they had focused primarily on survival and rescue.
Once the chaos had subsided, they took to the skies to survey the aftermath.
"Where's Boss Guangcheng?"
"Was it Boss Guangcheng who slew the Demon Commander?"
"Huh... Where did Boss Guangcheng go?"
After a full circle, the absence of the storied Boss Guangcheng left them bewildered.
Chen Guo, witnessing their confusion, kept his identity secret and explained, "After Boss Guangcheng vanquished the Demon Commander, he vanished. As you know, his speed is incredibly fast, almost like teleportation. He's obviously a loner, not keen on mingling with us."
"I see. Boss Guangcheng truly lives up to his reputation. He arrives and departs in the blink of an eye, as elusive as a dragon."
"Boss Guangcheng single-handedly destroyed two villages and was the first to speak with me. Now, having defeated the Demon Commander Kidan, his combat achievements are legendary. He's my hero. It's such a shame I couldn't meet him; I would've loved his autograph!"
"What a pity!"
All four trial challengers wore looks of disappointment.
Clearly, they had ascended with hopes of conversing with the legendary Jutrelian, the world's foremost powerhouse, the enigmatic warrior who came and went like a shadow, the adept of Mount Maoshan Dao Arts, the man who single-handedly laid waste to two villages, and the first to speak with them—Guangcheng, their idol.
To their dismay, Guangcheng had appeared and disappeared even more swiftly than anticipated.
"Let's head back to the ground," suggested Yim Chixia, suspecting that Guangcheng might be another alias of Chen Guo. He marveled at Chen Guo's audacity to assume the revered title of the Great Immortal Guangcheng.
Yim Chixia held Chen Guo in high regard, his esteem for him quite evident. Therefore, he had no intention of calling out his fib. Instead, he prompted the group to head back to the surface.
"Let's head back up..."
Chen Guo said, leading the way as they all made their way to the ground.
The crowd on the ground eagerly awaited Boss Guangcheng's arrival, yet he was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Boss Guangcheng? Why don't we see him?"
"Didn't Boss Guangcheng come?"
The questions multiplied.
The four trial challengers had left after defeating the Demon Commander Kidan.
Everyone simply had to accept that Boss Guangcheng truly lived up to his reputation. They were a bit disappointed, sure, but not overly so.
Boss Guangcheng was known for his distant demeanor, treating everyone with a cool detachment. Not even the trial challengers from his own Beginner Village could get close to him. It was expected that they would not be able to bridge that gap.
"Young Heroes, we are grateful for your assistance. Your valor will not be forgotten," Yim Chixia addressed the crowd. "Our task is complete, and we must now return to the Middle World. All gatherings must come to an end, but the green mountains will remain, and the rivers will continue to flow. Until we meet again."
"Until we meet again!" echoed the crowd, bowing and bidding farewell to Yim Chixia and the others. The professional mentors from the Middle World had fulfilled their roles and couldn't be expected to linger as caretakers.
Yim Chixia added, "Shortly, the Ancestral Master of the Mountain Shu Sect, the Long-browed Taoist, will reclaim the City of Pain, Haines. You will be teleported out forcibly, so there's no need for alarm."
With his final advisory, Yim Chixia recited an incantation, opening a portal of light, and departed with the mentors.
"Damn, what are the trial challengers supposed to do about their job missions if the professional mentors are gone?"
"Right, are the job missions just a one-off?"
"The Middle World... What kind of place is it, and when will we get the chance to enter it?"
These were the concerns voiced by some of the trial challengers.
Wang Mingze chuckled, "Clearly, the Whole Heaven Battlefield has more than just ten professions, and there are certainly more than ten mentors. I can't imagine that out of billions of people worldwide, only we few are eligible for these professional missions. Undoubtedly, new events will unfold, and fresh mentors will arrive from the Middle World. After all, we're living in a real world!"
Everyone concurred with Wang Mingze's perspective.
"This time, by joining forces to overcome the Anti Jutrela Alliance and tackling our professional mission, we've forged a bond. Our paths may diverge now, but the future could bring us together again. Why not add each other as friends?" Wang Mingze proposed, noting that the system had just introduced a friend-adding feature.
At Wang Mingze's urging, the group eagerly exchanged friend requests. Chen Guo emerged as the favorite, with nearly everyone seeking to connect with him.
Chen Guo, however, only accepted Wang Mingze's request. He saw potential in Wang Mingze's abilities as a reliable tank and thought he might come in handy later, so it made sense to keep him on the friend list.
"So Lee Xiaoyao's real name is Chen Guo," Wang Mingze realized upon seeing the accepted request. Yet, he didn't make the connection between Chen Guo and the elusive Guangcheng, whose true identity remained a secret.
Suddenly, an immense presence filled the sky. A spectral figure of an elder clad in white materialized above, his hand reaching out to envelop the City of Pain in a colossal grasp.
"The Mountain Shu Sect's Long-browed Taoist is reclaiming the City of Pain's Haines. It will soon vanish, initiating a forced teleportation countdown: 10, 9, 8..."
"Fellow Daoists, may our paths cross again if destiny wills it!"
"The green mountains will remain, the rivers will forever flow. Until we meet again!"
"Farewell..."
With the countdown ticking, the group exchanged their final goodbyes and were swiftly teleported away from the City of Pain's Haines.
Chen Guo felt a tremendous force envelop him, and in an instant, he was whisked away from the City of Pain's Haines to a crimson region.
As he looked back, the once-massive City of Pain's Haines shrank into nothingness, finally disappearing into the palm of the Long-browed Taoist, who vanished along with it.
Now, the crimson region lay deserted, the demons gone. The shattered green earth bore silent testimony to their past fury.
"From this day forth, I am a Sword Immortal! Riding the winds with my sword, vanquishing demons across the land! With wine, I revel in joy; without it, I'm still elated. I'll drink the rivers dry, then swallow the sun and moon! A thousand cups can't fell me, for I am the wine-soaked Sword Immortal... Haha!"
Chen Guo's spirits were high as he tallied up the spoils from his victory over the Demon Commander, Kidan.