After being escorted back into the Qingxu Temple formation by Mu Qingfeng and Liu Yun, Xiao Qi finally relaxed his tense nerves slightly. Intense exhaustion and injuries surged like a tide, almost making him unable to stand steadily. He could barely stand upright only with the support of a fellow disciple beside him. He quickly scanned the team and found that originally a team of ten people, now including himself, only seven remained. Everyone was injured, their qi withered and weak. It was clear that the collapse of the hall and the breakout had resulted in another devastating loss.
"Treat the injuries first!" Mu Qingfeng did not hesitate to stuff a bottle of healing pills into Xiao Qi's hand. He, along with Liu Yun, rushed to the front of the formation again. Sword lights flew horizontally and vertically as they fought against the demonic cultivators and out-of-control demon beasts attempting to charge the formation. Elder Xuan Lin floated above the formation, waving his dust whiskers to scatter streaks of clear radiance, like a stabilizer, blocking most attacks from the air and protecting the disciples below.
Xiao Qi did not dare delay. He immediately swallowed the pills while operating the "Wooden Heart Convergence Technique" and the faint purification source within his body to fully recover. The pills transformed into a warm current, nourishing his damaged meridians. The purification source slowly expelled the demonic energy and hidden injuries that had invaded his body. The source mark on his chest was also independently breathing and exhaling the thin spiritual energy around him. Although slow, it steadily replenished his almost depleted spiritual power.
However, the situation at the entire exit area was continuously deteriorating. The collapse of the secret realm entrance was accelerating. The huge spatial rift was like a black hole constantly expanding, wildly devouring everything around it—rocks, trees, and even some cultivators and demon beasts that couldn't dodge in time, all were pulled into it and instantly annihilated. Even more concentrated and pure demonic energy poured out from the depths of the rift, polluting this heaven and earth, making the out-of-control demon beasts even more frenzied, and the demonic cultivators were like chickens injected with stimulants, their attacks becoming increasingly crazy.
"All disciples, listen! Form the 'Seven Star Space Escape Formation'! Prepare to force a breakout!" Elder Xuan Lin's steady voice rang across the entire field, carrying an unquestionable determination. He could see that they couldn't wait any longer. They had to take advantage of the entrance not yet completely collapsed and the demonic cultivators' outer defense line still being restrained, concentrate their strength and break through!
Upon hearing this, the Qingxu Temple disciples immediately changed their formation. The seven people took positions according to the Big Dipper's seven star positions. Spiritual power connected as one, and a hazy formation diagram with spatial fluctuation energy slowly lit up beneath the disciples' feet. This was the sect's trump card survival escape formation. It required at least seven disciples working together to activate. It could break through spatial barriers for a short distance and perform group instantaneous movement, but the consumption was enormous and extremely unstable.
Seeing this, other sects also began preparing their final breakout methods. The Xuanji Holy Land disciples, led by Mu Xue and Ice Soul Elder, had their cold aura intensify greatly, condensing into a huge ice phoenix phantom, ready to strike. The Lieyang Sect, under the roars of the Flame Ancestor Elder, transformed into a huge fire cloud, the scorching heat repelling the surrounding demonic energy.
The demonic cultivators also realized the intentions of the righteous cultivators. Their attacks became more desperate. Various venomous spells and self-destructing puppets rained down on each sect's camp like a storm, trying to interrupt their casting.
"Formation rises!" Elder Xuan Lin spotted a gap in the demonic cultivators' attack and abruptly threw his dust whiskers into the air. The whiskers transformed into thousands of silver threads, like an inescapable net under heaven, temporarily blocking most attacks!
"Go!"
Mu Qingfeng roared and simultaneously injected his spiritual power into the Seven Star formation diagram beneath his feet along with Liu Yun!
"Hum—!"
The starlight surged! Xiao Qi only felt a powerful spatial tearing force arrive. The scenery before his eyes instantly became blurred and distorted! He tightly held the rabbit spirit in his arms, gritting his teeth to resist that nauseating dizziness.
The next moment, the sensation of heaven and earth spinning suddenly disappeared! Fresh air flooded into his lungs. Although still mixed with the smell of blood and demonic energy, it was no longer the despair-inducing oppression of that collapsing secret realm!
They... had gotten out!
Xiao Qi stumbled one step and stabilized his body. Looking up, he saw they had already appeared on a hillside several li outside the secret realm entrance. Behind them, the huge secret realm entrance was accelerating its collapse and shrinking, like a dying giant beast making its final wail. The terrifying suction still came from that direction, pulling everything around it.
Near the hillside, many cultivators who had successfully broken out had already gathered. Each one disheveled and unsettled. Elders from various sects were urgently counting personnel, treating the wounded, while vigilantly watching the collapsing secret realm entrance and any potential lurking demonic cultivator remnants in the surrounding forests.
On the Qingxu Temple's side, Elder Xuan Lin's face was pale. It was clear that supporting the formation and executing the space escape had consumed a great deal. He quickly scanned the disciples under his care. When he saw Xiao Qi was safe and sound, a trace of barely noticeable relief flashed in his eyes, but when he saw the obviously reduced team and everyone's injuries, his expression darkened again.
"Count casualties, treat injuries on the spot, be vigilant!" He gave orders concisely.
Xiao Qi sat cross-legged as instructed and continued treating his injuries. Only at this moment, truly escaping that death trap, did the intense fear like ice water pour over his entire body. The hall collapsing, the demonic entity roaring, his father dissipating, racing against death... scenes flashed through his mind, making his heart surge and difficult to calm.
He unconsciously touched his chest. The source mark merged with the jade pendant gave a warm touch. The true owner of the inheritance, his father's gift and entrustment, the demonic entity Void Illusion's scheme... all of this weighed heavily on his heart.
He knew that leaving the secret realm did not mean the end. On the contrary, this might just be the beginning of a more magnificent and dangerous prelude.
His gaze crossed over the chaotic crowd, looking toward the gradually shrinking secret realm entrance, as if he could penetrate space and see the group of demonic shadows still roaring within.
Void Illusion... Shadow Snake Pavilion...
He tightened his fist. His eyes flashed with determination and coldness that did not match his age.
Just then, Mu Qingfeng finished handling the miscellaneous affairs and walked over to sit beside him. Looking at his pale face and obviously changed temperament, he asked in a low voice: "Xiao Qi, what exactly happened in there? You..."
Xiao Qi raised his head, looking at his senior brother's concerned and exhausted eyes, and also at the fellow disciples around him who were treating their injuries but also casting curious looks. He knew some things could no longer be hidden, nor did they need to be hidden.
He took a deep breath, about to speak, to share some truth.
Suddenly—
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Several extremely hidden, yet swift as lightning, black light beams shot out without warning from the dense forest below the hillside. Their target was not any person, but directly at the top of everyone's heads, the residual spatial fluctuation nodes of the just-stabilized Seven Star Space Escape Formation!
It was the assassins from Shadow Snake Pavilion! They had actually lurked so close, and their intention was to disturb space and cause formation backlash?!