Chapter 830: Time's Up

The matter had not officially ended.

All kinds of possibilities still remained.

There was little point in thinking themselves in circles. They could only wait and continue waiting for the final result.

The people from the sects connected to this gathering remained outside Tiangu.

Mr. Yucang remained there as well.

Although he had already seen Niu Youdao emerge and produce an enormous quantity of Spirit Seeds, he still could not truly relax until he personally saw the final result.

It was better to remain here.

If anything happened, he would know immediately.

In the blink of an eye, another day passed.

Setting aside the few people who had emerged individually, only two major groups had actually come out.

It was already the third day.

The deadline for the Secret Realm exit was approaching.

Why had no one else appeared?

Outside Tiangu, the people from the various relevant sects grew uneasy.

The closer the ending came, the greater their unease became.

Bai Yulou paced outside the exit with his hands behind his back, glancing up at the sky from time to time.

The exit had opened at noon three days earlier.

That meant the three-day period would expire at noon today.

The sun was already nearing its highest point.

At most, about one hour remained.

The gathering was almost over.

Why had the others still not emerged?

One day inside the Secret Realm equaled two days outside.

Bai Yulou refused to believe that the people inside could not even calculate the deadline correctly.

Those who had already emerged were also watching the exit from within Tiangu.

Standing at the mouth of a cave in the cliff, Niu Youdao waited as well.

Zijin Cave's people still had not come out.

He had instructed Yan Li that once the Four Seas group escaped, Zijin Cave should find a way to withdraw as quickly as possible to avoid further accidents.

Of course, he had given that instruction before obtaining Jin's Spirit Seeds.

Now that Jin's share was already in his hands, even if Zijin Cave were wiped out, it should no longer have much effect on the final result.

So he was not particularly worried.

Even so, he still did not want anything to happen to Yan Li.

By now the two of them had developed some friendship, and Niu Youdao understood Yan Li's temperament to a certain extent.

If he joined Zijin Cave in the future, Yan Li would be a good person to cooperate with.

A sect as enormous as Zijin Cave could hardly avoid internal factions and cliques.

...

Inside the Secret Realm, the deadline was also drawing near.

To make withdrawal convenient at any moment, and to concentrate their strength against anything unexpected, the people of Yan, Wei, and Qi had completely contracted their positions.

All three states had gathered their manpower around the exit and sealed it off under intense vigilance.

In truth, they were relatively composed.

The Four Seas people had already gone out.

Only Han, Song, and Jin's supposed remnants remained inside.

None of those three forces should have had many people left.

Even if all three joined forces, they would still not be stronger than Yan, Wei, and Qi together.

At this point, the three states had enough strength to suppress any other force near the exit.

Yan Baoru had already crept into the vicinity.

After noticing the heavily guarded blockade around the exit, she ground her teeth again and again.

The end was almost here.

She did not dare force her way through recklessly.

She could only wait for an opportunity.

Then a group of figures came flying from the distance.

The hidden forces of Han and Song had finally been unable to endure any longer and revealed themselves.

The deadline had truly arrived.

If they did not appear now and leave, they would lose the chance entirely.

The moment they arrived, a confrontation with Yan, Wei, and Qi was unavoidable.

Misty Pavilion personnel on the nearby trees watched coldly, treating the scene as entertainment.

Baichuan Valley Elder Shi Ru of Han cupped his hands and said heavily, "Gentlemen, the gathering is almost over. Why fight until one side lives and the other dies?"

Qian Fucheng sneered. "There's naturally no need to fight to mutual destruction. We don't want to trouble anyone either. As long as no one provokes us, we won't provoke anyone."

It was empty talk.

They were blocking the exit.

Anyone who wanted to pass inevitably had to provoke them.

Cheng Mantang of Song said, "There's no point trading words now. I ask you to make things convenient and open a path for us!"

Qian Fucheng replied, "Easy enough. Leave the toll behind, and we'll let you pass!"

What he meant by "toll" hardly required explanation.

Naturally, he meant the Spirit Seeds in their possession.

The people of Han and Song could never agree to such a condition.

If they truly knelt down and begged for their lives like that, then after returning they would be finished for the rest of their lives.

They could forget ever raising their heads inside their sects again.

Dao Wufeng of Han shouted, "Don't push people too far!"

Cao Bing said, "When we helped you deal with Jin earlier, why didn't you say that?"

And so the two sides locked horns.

One side held the exit and refused to move.

The other knew it was weaker and did not dare act lightly unless absolutely forced.

In truth, at this final stage, neither side wanted another battle with massive casualties.

In the end, they compromised.

Han and Song might be weaker, but there was no possibility of them kneeling for survival.

Instead, they offered this: if Jin appeared, Yan, Wei, and Qi could take all the Spirit Seeds Jin carried.

Han and Song would help attack Jin, treating it as repayment for the aid they had received earlier.

Yan, Wei, and Qi, confident in their superior position, gladly accepted.

They agreed that if they succeeded in obtaining Jin's Spirit Seeds, they would let Han and Song leave.

This side was also worried that Han, Song, and Jin might join forces to compete for the rankings.

The three together were estimated to control roughly ten shares, more than the seven shares held by Yan, Wei, and Qi.

As long as they prevented Han, Song, and Jin from joining together—if they could block even one of the three—then Yan, Wei, and Qi would still have hope of taking first place.

So the two sides remained locked in place, waiting.

Waiting for Jin's people to appear.

Yan Li could not resist raising a hand from time to time to scratch his neck while looking around.

He appeared somewhat impatient.

That was because he knew perfectly well that Jin could never appear again.

Waiting was completely pointless.

Yet he still had no choice but to remain here and continue the performance.

Niu Youdao had told him to leave early.

Yan Li would have liked to.

But running off alone at this point truly would have looked inappropriate.

They waited and waited.

Even at the final moment, no Jin cultivators appeared.

Everyone found it increasingly strange.

Yan Li smiled bitterly to himself.

Then a Misty Pavilion man spoke.

He pointed toward an hourglass that had just been turned over again and warned solemnly, "The final measure of sand. One quarter-hour remains!"

Xuanbing Sect Elder Liu Xinggao waved a hand and dispatched several disciples to scout the nearby area.

The disciples returned at speed after making a circuit.

They reported that there was no trace anywhere around them of Jin personnel.

They had, however, discovered Yan Baoru.

At this point, no one was going to waste precious time on Yan Baoru.

The deadline was almost upon them.

Yan Baoru had not fled either, and no one from this side went to attack her.

Everyone found the situation baffling.

Jin still had people left.

If they were nearby, how could they possibly remain hidden?

Not nearby?

Impossible.

At this hour, could they truly have decided not to leave?

Yan Li, never afraid to stir up more trouble, suddenly shouted, "Jin's people wouldn't already have been killed by you, would they? You didn't swallow everything they were carrying, did you?"

The people of Yan, Wei, and Qi instantly became alert.

Fu Juyan of Song immediately cursed, "Yan Li, you old dog! Open your damned eyes and look! We still have the same number of people as before. If we'd really fought Jin, how could we have suffered no losses?"

Yan Li shot back, "Who can say?"

"If we swallowed Jin's things, may Heaven strike us down..." The people of Han and Song grew desperate.

One after another, they began swearing vicious oaths.

Some even swore in the name of their own sects, all to prove they had done nothing of the kind.

Once they were willing to stake their sects on such poisonous vows, the people of Yan, Wei, and Qi looked at one another.

They might lose face, but they would never concede the field.

If they were willing to swear such oaths, then perhaps Jin's disappearance truly had nothing to do with Han or Song.

While all this delayed them, the last grains in the final hourglass ran out.

Every Misty Pavilion cultivator stationed inside the Secret Realm flashed down from the trees and began walking toward the mist.

The moment everyone saw that, no one dared delay another instant.

Once Misty Pavilion's people left, it meant the gathering was over.

Misty Pavilion would seal the outside immediately.

Anyone emerging late would receive no mercy.

The people of Yan, Wei, and Qi turned around all at once and rushed out first in a swarm.

Han and Song no longer cared about anything else either.

They fought to be next, rushing out ahead of Misty Pavilion's personnel.

Yan Baoru flashed from hiding and followed them through.

All because of an inexplicably absent Jin, the remaining time had been wasted away.

A final battle that should have been difficult to avoid somehow never happened at all.

One group after another burst from the exit and once more saw the light of another world.

Then they all turned back.

At last, Misty Pavilion's personnel emerged.

Still, not a single Jin cultivator appeared.

The moment the Misty Pavilion personnel from inside came out, large numbers of Misty Pavilion cultivators immediately flew down from the cliffs on both sides and formally sealed the exit.

The current Tiandu Secret Realm expedition was officially over.

Anyone who violated the rules and emerged afterward would only be coming out to die.

The cultivators looked at one another.

Even though they already knew the result, it still felt strange.

Jin, which had taken first place again and again in previous gatherings, had not produced even a single survivor this time?

Outside Tiangu, heads packed the area.

When a huge crowd suddenly emerged at the final moment, every sect widened its eyes and carefully counted how many of its own people had returned.

Qiyun Sect Leader Taishu Feihua's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.

Until Misty Pavilion's people emerged and sealed the exit, not one Qiyun Sect disciple appeared.

The string in his heart snapped.

The hand stroking his beard trembled with it and tore out several hairs.

His eyes reddened.

His chest rose and fell sharply.

His breathing turned rapid.

Most people were still focused entirely on their own sects and had not yet paid attention to Qiyun Sect.

For the moment, few had noticed the anomaly.

After emerging, Yan Li looked around.

He saw Niu Youdao standing at the mouth of a cave on the cliff, sword planted before him, a faint smile on his face.

Yan Li finally let out a deep breath of relief.

That bastard had actually survived the furious bombardment of a Heavenly Sword Talisman.

At last Yan Li could return to Zijin Cave and give the Sect Leader a complete account.

He had even rendered great merit.

Dong Jinhuan, An Miao'er, and Lin Feiyan looked around cautiously.

Yet the very thing they feared was what they found.

They too saw Niu Youdao standing there with a faint smile.

In truth, Niu Youdao had not even noticed them.

More precisely, he did not regard them as important enough to pay attention to.

But the image of him standing calmly at the cave entrance with his sword planted before him was exactly like the figure they remembered from Maolu Villa.

That sight alone was enough to make all three women tremble with fear, their legs weakening beneath them.

The three immediately rushed toward three different men and drew close to the men they had given themselves to, hoping to find security there.

They understood their situation far too clearly.

If those three men proved unreliable, then the moment Niu Youdao left Tiangu alive, all three women were doomed.

With Niu Youdao's overwhelming power in Nanzhou, their own sects would certainly make them die miserably.

Otherwise, how could those sects possibly explain themselves to him?

After Dong Jinhuan reminded him, Zhao Dengxuan looked back and saw Niu Youdao as well.

He too was somewhat surprised.

That fellow was actually still alive.

Even a Heavenly Sword Talisman had failed to kill him.

He turned back and patted Dong Jinhuan on the back, murmuring something to reassure her.

Whatever he said, Dong Jinhuan obediently nodded again and again.

Like a timid little woman, she followed closely at his side and did not dare leave him by even half a step.

She was sunk in overwhelming panic and unease.

There was not the slightest trace of relief or happiness at having escaped the Secret Realm alive.

[End of Chapter 830]