Returning to the Secret Realm entrance, it was already late into the night. Because the elders and sect leaders of the major sects had gone off in pursuit of Liangchen, the remaining disciples had stayed behind to wait in place.
Just as Wan Rentu and his entourage returned to the campsite, the other sect leaders hurried out to meet them. Seeing only two unconscious elders and a bound Luoyu, Canglan Sect Leader Xiao Shilin asked:
"Where is my disciple? You didn't bring him back?"
Wan Rentu let out a cold huff, his gaze sweeping over Luoyu as he said:
"He is no longer your disciple; Long Lie came personally to fetch him. Sect Leader Xiao truly knows how to teach his disciples! And Sect Leader Fan, this esteemed disciple of yours gravely injured two elders the moment she struck."
Fan Guangchuan had never imagined that the two injured elders were the work of Luoyu. How could she possibly have managed that? Fan Ni was still unconscious to this day, and no one was clear on what exactly had happened inside the Secret Realm, but obviously it could not be explained in just a few words.
"Let's go inside and talk first. I must trouble Sect Leader Xiao to bring your sect's Fu Yuanbo over as well—there are some matters this lord wishes to question him about thoroughly!"
Those spat out by the Secret Realm were scattered at random locations. Although Xiao Shilin had been busy inquiring about Liangchen and had heard that Fan Ni was severely injured with her appearance ruined, he had not yet had time to pay attention to anything else. However, judging by Fan Guangchuan's words, the matter seemed connected to Fu Yuanbo, which made him feel even more uneasy.
Among the younger generation of disciples, Liangchen was the most outstanding. Aside from him, only Fu Yuanbo could shoulder the responsibility of a sect leader's successor. Now that Liangchen had fallen into demonic ways, Fu Yuanbo absolutely could not afford any more mishaps! With Fan Ni heavily injured at present, this matter would likely not end easily—what a troubled autumn indeed!
"Someone come, summon Third Elder and Fu Yuanbo."
Wan Rentu stepped into his tent first. It was a tiny tent, looking no larger than a cubic meter from the outside, but inside was an entirely different universe: winding streams with floating wine cups, pavilions and terraces, flowers, plants, fish, and insects—everything was fully equipped.
Wan Rentu took the main seat, while Yun Mofeng, Sect Leader of the Yunlan Sect, and Xiao Shilin, Sect Leader of the Canglan Sect, sat on the left and right sides below. Fan Guangchuan settled in beside Xiao Shilin, and Fu Potian, Sect Leader of the Talismans Sect, walked briskly two steps past Xu Yu, Sect Leader of the Array Sect, to sit beside Yun Mofeng.
Xu Yu gave a disdainful, cold chuckle, the wrinkles on his face nearly tight enough to crush a fly, thinking to himself: *It's just a seat, what are they fighting over like a bunch of fools? They really get more childish the older they get! If your sects have the ability, why don't you produce an Immortal Lord Qingchen of your own instead of being a bunch of scum!*
To his left was the hypocritical old fox Fan Guangchuan, and to his right was the arrogant, overbearing, and combative Fu Potian—not a single good person among them! Xu Yu simply took a seat at the very last row to avoid ruining his mood.
The remaining elders successively took their seats, paying him no mind. The people of the Array Sect were notoriously unreasonable and fiercely protective of their own. No wonder Immortal Lord Qingchen had always suppressed his cultivation and dared not ascend; otherwise, the balance of these six great sects might truly undergo a shift.
Once everyone was seated, their gazes turned toward Luoyu, who was kneeling in the center of the hall.
Wan Rentu asked: "Luoyu, do you know your crime?"
"This disciple knows her crime."
Wan Rentu: "???"
Was she not even going to defend herself?
"Then do you know what punishments await those who assist a fallen demonic disciple in escaping and gravely injure their fellow practitioners?"
"At best, one's cultivation is crippled and one is expelled from the sect; at worst, one pays with one's life to erase the karma."
"Heh, to commit a crime knowingly is a double offense! Sect Leader Yun, Sect Leader Xu, your sect's two elders were injured—in your view, how should this female be dealt with?"
Xu Yu said: "The decree of the Immortal Lord is that her life must not be harmed." With that, he glanced sideways at Yun Mofeng and continued: "To be a dignified Void Training stage expert, yet get injured by a tiny female disciple at the Nascent Soul early stage—in this lord's view, rather than sitting here making things difficult for a little girl, you'd all be better off going back and cultivating properly!"
Fu Potian immediately couldn't sit still, pointing straight at Xu Yu and firing back:
"Don't you forget, your Array Sect had an elder injured as well!"
"Indeed, if your skills are inferior to others, you ought to bow gracefully in defeat—unlike some people, who start lecturing on reason the moment they lose a fight!"
"Xu Yu! If you aren't convinced, let's fight a match right now!"
"Ha! Fight then! My family's Immortal Lord is the most protective of his own, and we'll just have to see if his venerable self flattens your Talismans Sect!"
"You! Have you no shame at all? Aside from pulling out Immortal Lord Qingchen to intimidate people, what else can you do?!"
"I have an Immortal Lord backing me, I don't need to do anything else!"
Fu Potian suffered internal injuries: *You are so utterly shameless, does your family's Immortal Lord even know about this?*
Third Elder arrived with Fu Yuanbo. Watching Luoyu kneeling on the ground and confirming that she was alive and well right before his eyes, Fu Yuanbo's previous days of decadence and despair were swept away completely. As long as she lived, there was still a chance of turning things around!
"Junior Fu Yuanbo pays respects to all senior predecessors."
"Fu Yuanbo!" Fan Guangchuan gnashed his teeth, staring fixedly at him. Thinking of Fan Ni's severe injuries, he wished he could rip out his flesh and devour him raw!
"How on earth did my daughter provoke you?! For you to treat her like that!"
Fu Yuanbo sneered inwardly. If he weren't afraid of Fan Guangchuan finding out that Luoyu possessed the Glazed Pure Fire, he really wanted to make Fan Ni's actions public for all the world to see just how despicable the so-called sect leader's daughter truly was!
"Senior Liangchen, Senior Sister Fan, Junior Sister Luoyu, and I, the four of us, accidentally strayed into a desperate perilous realm. Senior Brother Liangchen was contaminated by Demonic Qi in order to save Senior Sister Fan. My abilities were limited, and though I desperately fought to bring Senior Sister Fan out with me, my mind was chaotic, and I had no choice but to strap her to my back. As for how we later returned to the sect campsite, I am not entirely clear either—perhaps it was driven by the obsession in my heart."
"According to what you say, should this lord thank you instead?!"
"This is what junior ought to do."
Fan Guangchuan had a breath trapped in his throat, unable to go up or down.
Third Elder stepped out to smooth things over, asking with concern:
"Sect Leader Fan, how is your esteemed daughter doing now?"
"Her appearance is utterly ruined, and she remains unconscious!"
"Sect Leader Fan, your beloved daughter originally had intentions of marrying into our Canglan Sect as well. It is a pity Liangchen lacked that fortune, and moreover, my disciple truly failed to protect her well, bearing a share of the responsibility. Why not have him marry your esteemed daughter? What do you all think?"
Xiao Shilin looked at Third Elder with dissatisfaction. Within the Secret Realm, life and death were up to fate. Although the two sects had always cooperated and would help protect one another when encountering danger, one could not simply pin the blame for the Alchemy Sect disciple's death on the Canglan Sect, could they? Furthermore, Fu Yuanbo had just stated that he had risked his life to bring people out and had even sacrificed his own disciple, Liangchen, for it.
Xiao Shilin thought of his sect's grand ancestor. At present, there were three cultivators in the Great Vehicle stage throughout the cultivation world: Immortal Lord Qingchen of the Array Sect, Demon Lord Long Lie of the Demon Race, and the other was Immortal Lord Muyun Cang of the Canglan Sect, who was also Xiao Shilin's junior granduncle.
After the previous Canglan Sect Leader ascended, Xiao Shilin, as the sect leader's primary disciple, had succeeded to the position of sect leader. At that time, Muyun Cang had not yet reached the Great Vehicle stage and was dedicated solely to the Dao. Once he entered the Great Vehicle stage overnight, however, he gave Xiao Shilin no end of trouble, and even his disciple—Third Elder Pan Sheng—had cultivated quite a substantial faction of power through both open and covert means. Although Xiao Shilin felt dissatisfied, he was helpless since the cultivation world respected the strong, leaving him no choice but to turn a blind eye to many matters.
That Muyun Cang had been able to smoothly step into the Great Vehicle stage was entirely thanks to an eighth-grade miraculous pill gifted by Fan Guangchuan. Ever since then, he showed even more favoritism toward the Alchemy Sect in all matters. If not for the childhood bond between Liangchen and Fan Ni, and the fact that Fan Ni truly looked down upon Fu Yuanbo, this marriage match would never have fallen to Liangchen. Now that something had happened to Liangchen, Pan Sheng was so impatient to jump out—truly dragging the face of the Canglan Sect through the dirt without even realizing it! Yet he could do nothing to scold him; he could only watch Fu Yuanbo's reaction, hoping this young man would not disappoint him.
Fu Yuanbo said: "Master, this disciple already has someone dear to his heart. Furthermore, Senior Brother Liangchen and Senior Sister Fan grew up as childhood sweethearts—this disciple begs your forgiveness for being unable to obey!"
Pan Sheng looked at Fu Yuanbo in disappointment, thinking to himself: *When did my good disciple become a fool? Turning down such a fine marriage alliance—does he expect to ascend to the heavens and marry the Queen Mother of the West instead?*
"Disciple, have you thought this through carefully?"
"This disciple's mind is made up. Whatever medicinal ingredients Senior Sister Fan's injuries require, my Fu Family will lend our utmost support, but as for taking her in marriage, I must ask Master to speak of it no more."
More furious than Pan Sheng was Fan Guangchuan. Although the Fu Family had been passed down for a thousand years, Fu Yuanbo as a person usually lacked opinions and possessed an introverted personality, entirely failing to catch Fan Guangchuan's eye. And yet he actually dared, actually dared to refuse to marry his precious daughter!
Fan Guangchuan said: "I wonder who has captured the heart of Junior Disciple Fu? Or could it be that this is merely an excuse to brush this off?"
"Junior's heart is set on Junior Sister Luoyu."
Luoyu, who had been waiting to hear her sentence, was suddenly called out. She looked guiltily at Fu Yuanbo and sent a voice transmission to him:
"Senior Brother Fu, Liangchen and I..."
Before she could finish, Fu Yuanbo cut off her voice transmission. In front of so many powerful masters, voice transmissions had no privacy whatsoever. He could only send a brief transmission back to her, saying:
"Junior Sister, you must never return to the Alchemy Sect!"
Possessing the Glazed Pure Fire, Fan Guangchuan would never let her go—he would definitely kill her to seize the treasure!
The rest of the words remained unsaid. After a brief moment of thought, Luoyu understood Fu Yuanbo's intentions, and the guilt she felt toward him grew even deeper. If she and Liangchen had not shared the intimacy of husband and wife, and if she had not kept Liangchen deep within her heart, perhaps her best destination in this life would have been to marry him. Unfortunately, there were no "ifs."