Yuantian Pidao

Chapter 333 Times have changed
Outside Wind Valley, the three Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered, their eyes fixed on the entrance to the secret realm, the atmosphere solemn.

With the secret realm's entrance sealed and the Qi Refining cultivators from various families failing to return, the three Foundation Establishment cultivators finally couldn't sit still any longer. They knew that most of the Qi Refining cultivators who entered the secret realm were at the peak of Qi Refining and were essentially the core seeds of their respective families, with the potential to reach Foundation Establishment. If something really went wrong, it would be a significant loss for each family.

"It seems there's a serious problem with this secret realm. I tried before, but I couldn't open the portal at all."

With a solemn expression on his round face, Qu Shize spoke first.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Lian and Chen Yongling's expressions also turned grim. The power sealing the secret realm was extremely strong, far beyond their ability to shake. Perhaps only by using their family's resources could they forcefully open the secret realm.

“This secret realm probably holds secrets we don’t know about. This change may not necessarily be a bad thing. However, Fellow Daoist Wuhai is really calm and not worried at all.”

Looking back at the sea of ​​clouds on the horizon, where he could vaguely glimpse the shadow of a dragon, Chen Yongling shared his thoughts.

Seeing this, Qiao Lian and Qu Shize also turned around and looked back. Since the opening of the secret realm, this person had been living high above the sea of ​​clouds, cultivating himself in seclusion. Even when a huge change occurred in the secret realm, he did not care at all.

“Sects and families are different. Families have blood ties that bind everyone together, while sects are much more scattered. Those few are not Fellow Daoist Wuhai’s personal disciples, so Fellow Daoist Wuhai may not really care about their lives.”

His voice was low, and a dark look appeared on Qiao Lian's face.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yongling and Qu Shize exchanged a glance but said nothing. Sects and families are indeed different; it's hard to say which is better or worse, only that each has its advantages and disadvantages.

Just then, the portal to the secret realm opened, and figures were sent out one after another.

Noticing this change, the three immediately lowered themselves.

"What's going on? Only a few people have returned, and some of them are even mentally unstable."

With their spiritual senses extended, Chen Yongling and the other two gained a clear understanding of the state of the people before them, and their expressions all changed.

In previous expeditions to the secret realm, although there were conflicts among the various factions, they all maintained restraint. Precisely because of this, there were very few casualties, and all the struggles were within the rules. But this time it was completely different; the overall casualties had exceeded half.

"What exactly happened in the secret realm? Why were the losses so severe?"

"In this trip to the secret realm, the Chen family and the Taiping Sect each got three spots, while my Qiao family and the Qu family each got six spots. Why is it that in the end, the Taiping Sect was in the best condition?"

Realizing something was wrong, Qiao Lian turned his gaze to Jiang Chen, Fu Ling Sanren, and Shu Tianjiao.

When they were vying for the secret realm, the three major families joined forces to counter the Chen family. In order to suppress the Chen family and prevent them from gaining too much benefit from the secret realm, they deliberately reduced the number of Chen family members allowed to enter the secret realm. Faced with the alliance of the three major families, the Chen family eventually chose to back down. After all, the Chen family already controlled a secret realm and could not be too greedy.

So the four families finally set the rules: the Chen family would get three spots, and the Qu family, Qiao family, and Qingmu family would each get five. However, because the Qingmu family was weak, two spots were allocated to the Qu family and the Qiao family respectively.

Feeling Qiao Lian's gaze, Fu Ling Sanren's heart skipped a beat. This time, their Taiping Sect had indeed gained considerable benefits from the secret realm. If it were discovered by other Dao Foundation cultivators, accidents would inevitably occur.

After all, the rules were established jointly by several major families, and the reason they were followed in the past was simply because there were no interests that made it worthwhile for them to break ties.

Just then, the clouds surged, and the figure of the Mist Dragon quietly appeared. It stood on the cloud, silent, just watching Qiao Lian. At this moment, most of Jiang Chen's consciousness had been transferred to the Mist Dragon, while his real body pretended to be seriously injured, protected by Rat Prodigy and Fu Ling Sanren.

Sensing the mist dragon's gaze, an unspoken aura of power emanated from it, making Qiao Lian feel as if a mountain was pressing down on his heart. "This guy..."

Looking up at the mist dragon, Qiao Lian felt a deep sense of apprehension.

Just as Jiang Chen and Qiao Lian were confronting each other, the portal to the secret realm changed again and disappeared completely.

Upon seeing this scene, everyone present changed their expressions drastically. The portal to the secret realm was not closed, but disappeared, which was completely different from before.

"The portal to the secret realm has truly disappeared."

Realizing something was wrong, Chen Yongling immediately used a secret technique to investigate, but could no longer find any trace of the secret realm.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Lian and Qu Shize's hearts sank. The disappearance of the secret realm portal meant that they might have lost the Hundred Fruit Garden Secret Realm forever.

"This trip to the secret realm has not only resulted in heavy losses for each family, but even the entrance to the secret realm has disappeared. There must be something hidden here. Our top priority is to find out exactly what happened in the secret realm."

After glancing at the three Foundation Establishment cultivators, Chen Yongling shared his opinion.

Upon hearing this, Qu Shize was the first to respond, followed closely by Qiao Lian. Seeing this, Jiang Chen, who had transformed into a mist dragon, also nodded.

As the four Dao Foundation experts reached a consensus, the investigation quickly began. The result was that a remnant soul of a demon king was suspected to have revived in the secret realm. The reason why each family suffered heavy losses was due to the interference of the remnant soul of the demon king. Most of those who survived were just lucky.

As for the disappearance of the secret realm portal, it is highly likely that the remnant soul of the Demon King took control of the secret realm and actively erased it.

"The resurrection of the Demon King's remnant soul is no small matter; I need to return to Fire Element City as soon as possible."

With a solemn expression, Chen Yongling exchanged a few words with Qiao Lian and the others, and then left first with Chen Jingshu, the only remaining member of the Chen family.

Currently, there are no Purple Mansion cultivators in the Southern Kingdom. The emergence of a demon king is enough to cause great trouble. She must discuss countermeasures with her family as soon as possible. The only thing to be thankful for now is that this resurrected demon king is only a remnant soul, and things have not yet reached the point of being out of control.

In some ways, this might not necessarily be a bad thing; perhaps they have the opportunity to further explore the secrets of the Purple Mansion from the remnant soul of this demon king.

With Chen Yongling gone, the Qu family, the Qiao family, and the Taiping Sect naturally had no intention of lingering any longer and soon dispersed.

According to past practice, each family would have a process of collecting their harvest. Most of the resources obtained by cultivators entering the secret realm would be handed over to the family, with only a small portion left for themselves. However, due to the urgency of the situation, the families were not concerned with any formalities.

"Times have truly changed. First, there was the Dragon King resurrected in the Qingyuan River, and now there's the Demon King resurrected in the secret realm. My luck..."

After glancing in the direction the Taiping Sect cultivators had left, Qu Shize couldn't help but sigh. He had initially had some doubts about the identity of the Dragon King in the Qingyuan River, but now he was even more certain.

Soon, having composed himself, Qu Shize and the Qu family cultivators disappeared. This time, the Qu family cultivators suffered heavy losses and gained very little. As the leader of the team, he was also embarrassed and would face a lot of trouble when he returned.

(End of this chapter)