"Ah..." That was all Wu Huang could manage as he stared at the black halberd buried deep in his chest. "This... is unexpected," he murmured. His legs buckled, and he collapsed heavily to the ground.
"WU HUANG!" The screams of his senior sisters and the Sect Leader tore through the air.
The Sect Leader descended in a flash, landing right beside him. Her hands—trembling for the first time—reached out to rip the cursed weapon from her disciple's body.
"Don't! That will only hasten his end," an elder warned, firmly catching the Sect Leader's arm to restrain her.
Instantly, an aura of absolute frost emanated from her. Her eyes, now frigid and brimming with suppressed killing intent, locked onto the elder. "Release me," she commanded, her voice sounding like the cracking of ancient ice.
"Your emotions are clouding your judgment," the elder countered, refusing to back down. "Pulling the halberd now will cause his life force to extinguish in an instant."
The Sect Leader stared at him for a heartbeat before sighing and pulling her hand away from the weapon. Instead, she took Wu Huang's hand and began to scan his internal state, only to be struck by pure astonishment.
Though the halberd was buried deep within his chest, it didn't seem to have caused any vital damage at all. The weapon was there, yet his life force remained steady, refusing to fade.
"Is it trying to change hosts?" she wondered silently. She glanced to the side; the previous corpse lay completely inert, devoid of any trace of energy.
"Investigate his origins; there must be a direct connection to this strange halberd," the Sect Leader ordered, pointing at the remains. A pair of elders approached and sealed the corpse within a small runic formation before storing it in a spatial ring.
"I will retrieve my trapped disciples. Prepare everything for our departure," she commanded with authority. "The Third and Fourth Elders will remain with the Grand Elder; explore the Secret Realm and extract every useful resource for the sect. The rest of you return with me to the main headquarters immediately."
"We obey!" the elders responded in unison, bowing deeply.
Without wasting a second, the Sect Leader ventured into the Secret Realm. Accustomed to the nature of these places, it took her only a moment to locate Su Feng and Lin Xian, who had reunited shortly after the exit appeared.
"Master, how is everyone outside?" Su Feng asked, relieved to see his mentor. "Everything is under control. For now, let's get you all out of here."
However, her gaze immediately snagged on the figure accompanying them. "And you are...?" she asked, her eyes piercing "Luo Tian," who was actually Gu Tian.
"Master, this mortal is Luo Tian. She is the one who held the key to this Secret Realm," Su Feng explained quickly.
The Sect Leader observed her for a moment, her eyes narrowing as she sensed something unusual. A disguise treasure? she thought. With a mere flick of her will, she forced her perception through the deception. The illusory veil unraveled before her eyes, revealing the girl's true face.
Her brow furrowed deeply as she saw that half of the girl's face was disfigured—a sight difficult to process. But immediately, a memory surfaced: This girl... I recognize her. Wasn't she my disciple's fiancée? What is she doing in a remote place like this?
Despite the countless questions racing through her mind, the Sect Leader wasted no time. She took Gu Tian and her disciples and returned swiftly to the rest of the group.
At the same time, Luo Tian's expression grew complex. Hearing Su Feng's words, she realized she was standing before the Sect Leader of the Tian Yun Sect, so it was no surprise her cover had been blown. Although her disguise could fool someone at the Golden Core stage, a Nascent Soul cultivator was on an entirely different level; a simple treasure could never hope to baffle their divine sense.
After being ushered out of the secret realm, Luo Tian remained indifferent. She had already obtained what she sought; the remaining treasures didn't matter much to her. The Gu Clan was no low-level family and didn't rely on such resources, even if having them was always a plus. However, with the intervention of the Tian Yue Sect, things were about to get complicated.
The moment they emerged, Su Feng began looking around insistently. "Where is Senior Brother?" he asked.
Immediately, the faces of his senior sisters darkened with discomfort. Before they could speak, the Sect Leader intervened: "He sustained some minor injuries and is resting at the moment," she stated, clearly closing the subject.
Gu Tian noticed instantly that they were hiding information from outsiders and understood that something grave had occurred. As an outsider to the sect, she knew she couldn't press for answers.
Considering the level of that strange entity that suddenly appeared in the secret realm and escaped, it wouldn't be surprising if he were injured, she thought, a pang of unease stirring within her.
Though their relationship was superficial, almost non-existent, she couldn't deny she was alive because of him. While Su Feng had held the assassins off long enough, it was Wu Huang who had finished the job. Technically, she owed him a debt of gratitude.
Furthermore, the release of that creature was partly her responsibility since she had opened the seal. If he was hurt because of her actions, the guilt would be hard to ignore.
"I'll have to send someone to the Tian Yun Sect to ensure he's alright," she decided, performing a slight, formal bow.
"It has been an honor to meet you today. I hope that if the opportunity to meet arises again, it is in a more pleasant setting," she declared with elegance.
Su Feng was surprised by the sudden departure, but before he could protest, the Sect Leader nodded with composure, accepting the gesture.
Gu Tian turned immediately and descended the mountain path rapidly. Once she was far enough from the eyes of the Tian Yue Sect, a presence appeared out of thin air beside her.
She watched the newcomer for a moment before nodding coldly. "Did the Elder die?" she asked, noting that this protector was different from the one who had accompanied her initially.
"He fulfilled his duty to the very end," the man replied with a deep bow of respect for the fallen.
Gu Tian nodded solemnly, showing no more emotion than necessary. The man carefully took hold of her to protect her, and in the blink of an eye, both vanished from the spot, leaving not a single trace of their presence behind.