Jing Zhan was clearly smiling, yet Chu Mingwei felt a chill in that smile.
A sharp, overwhelming aura surged forward. Gritting his teeth, Chu Mingwei bore the pressure head-on. Spiritual energy within his body began to circulate wildly, and the seven great swords that had been absorbed into him suddenly burst out again, lining up in front of him. Lightning crackled around them, thunder roared, and their presence stood equal to Jing Zhan’s.
Standing behind the swords, Chu Mingwei’s connection with them grew stronger and stronger. His aura rose steadily, until it felt as though he and the seven swords had become a single, complete entity. Not only did he withstand Jing Zhan’s pressure, he even forced Xiao Lingyu and Qing Ming—who had intended to step forward—back to the very edge of the forbidden ground.
Xiao Lingyu watched him with worry. Qing Ming silently observed the standoff before suddenly asking, “Did Chu Mingwei previously consume some kind of lightning-attributed heavenly treasure?”
Xiao Lingyu glanced at him in surprise and nodded. “The Source of Thunder.”
Even Qing Ming, who possessed the Chu Tian Secret Realm, was visibly shaken upon hearing those words. “The Source of Thunder… no wonder.”
“What do you mean?” Xiao Lingyu asked anxiously.
Qing Ming studied Jing Zhan as he spoke, “The Nine Heavens Thunder Sword Formation is one of the ten great divine artifacts that dominated ancient times. Every one of its previous masters was a true god. Although it has acknowledged Chu Mingwei as its master, it only did so out of necessity. With his current Nascent Soul cultivation, he shouldn’t be able to unleash even a tenth of its power.
“But now, under Jing Zhan’s pressure, the formation must resonate with its master to withstand the force. With Chu Mingwei’s cultivation, he should never have been able to last this long. Yet not only has he endured, his aura is even rising. It must be because he never fully absorbed the Source of Thunder—it remained stored within him. This time, misfortune has turned into fortune. His cultivation will surely rise to a new level.”
At this point, a strange look flickered through Qing Ming’s eyes. Jing Zhan’s actions… almost seemed intentional. Suppressing his doubts, he refocused on the confrontation ahead.
Xiao Lingyu did not notice Qing Ming’s suspicion. Hearing that Chu Mingwei was fine, the tension in his heart finally eased. Chu Mingwei’s aura surged outward, clashing with Jing Zhan’s sharp presence—neither side giving ground.
Then suddenly, Jing Zhan withdrew all his pressure.
Caught off guard, Chu Mingwei was struck by the backlash of his own surging energy. He let out a muffled groan, forcing down the metallic taste rising in his throat.
“Senior brother!” Xiao Lingyu’s expression changed drastically as he rushed to his side.
Chu Mingwei smiled reassuringly. “Lingyu, I’m fine.” Then he turned to Jing Zhan, his expression solemn. “Mingwei thanks Senior for your assistance.”
At those words, Qing Ming immediately understood.
Jing Zhan let out a cold snort, his gaze complicated as he looked at Chu Mingwei. “Though you unintentionally subdued the Thunder Sword Formation, my escape is an undeniable fact. Tens of thousands of years ago, I was imprisoned by disciples of the Yun Tian Sect. Now, I am freed by another disciple of the same sect. Cause and effect has come full circle. The grudge of my imprisonment ends here. But in the future, disciples of the Yun Tian Sect had best not appear before me again.”
His words stunned everyone.
Chu Mingwei had been worried Jing Zhan might pursue the matter of his imprisonment. He had even considered whether he and Qing Ming could join forces to suppress him if necessary. Hearing this, he couldn’t help but feel relieved.
After speaking, Jing Zhan didn’t spare them another glance. He simply tore open space with one hand.
Qing Ming hurried after him. “Jing Zhan! Where are you going? The lower realm is about to collapse—come with me into the Chu Tian Secret Realm!”
Jing Zhan paused mid-step at those words. Slowly turning, he looked deeply at Qing Ming.
“You and I were brothers. You went to such lengths to free me—I will remember that. As for the collapse of the lower realm…” He gave a faint smile. “Do you really think I still care about life or death?”
With that, he stepped into the void and vanished, never looking back.
Qing Ming stood there, his expression lonely as he watched Jing Zhan disappear into nothingness. After a long moment, he turned to Xiao Lingyu and Chu Mingwei.
“The matter here is settled. I will travel the lower realm with Qingyi. If you need anything, Xiao Lingyu knows how to find him.” He paused briefly before continuing, “The situation in the lower realm is worsening. You should make your preparations early.”
Chu Mingwei nodded. “Thank you, Senior.”
Qing Ming said nothing more. He tore open space to leave, but before stepping through, his expression shifted slightly. “Someone is coming.” Then he departed.
Xiao Lingyu glanced at the devastated forbidden ground and immediately guessed it must be Ling Xiaozi approaching. His eyes darted, and he suggested, “Why don’t we leave too?”
Chu Mingwei chuckled, reaching out to ruffle his hair. “What? Afraid of being scolded by Master?”
Xiao Lingyu nodded without hesitation.
Chu Mingwei looked at him gently. “Rather than letting Master guess blindly, it’s better we explain everything clearly. That way, if we encounter Jing Zhan in the future, Master won’t act rashly. Besides, there’s also the matter of the Thunder Sword Formation—we need to inform him.”
In other words, they couldn’t leave.
Xiao Lingyu had only suggested it on a whim. Thinking of what Qing Ming had said earlier, he asked, “Senior brother, can you now fully control the Thunder Sword Formation?”
Chu Mingwei smiled and nodded. “If Jing Zhan hadn’t forced it, bringing out the Source of Thunder within me, I could only have used a tenth of its power. In a way, I owe him a karmic debt.”
Xiao Lingyu was about to reply when the barrier of the forbidden ground suddenly broke apart. A surprised voice rang out:
“Mingwei? Lingyu?”
They turned to see Ling Xiaozi standing at the edge of the barrier, clearly not expecting to find them here. Behind him stood Meng Fan, equally shocked—but beneath the surprise was unmistakable excitement.
In the days Chu Mingwei had been gone, Meng Fan had been overwhelmed by one revelation after another—ancient secrets, news of the lower realm’s impending collapse. He had tried his best to handle the responsibilities given to him, but he couldn’t shake his unease. If anything went wrong, it would affect the sect’s survival.
He couldn’t help but think again and again—if Senior Brother were here, he could simply follow behind him. Even if he had to act, with guidance, he would feel far more at ease.
And now, the very person he had been thinking about stood before him.
Chu Mingwei showed no surprise at Ling Xiaozi’s reaction. Calmly, he brought Xiao Lingyu forward and bowed.
Ling Xiaozi sensed his aura and grew even more astonished. “Mingwei… you’ve reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage?”
Chu Mingwei nodded respectfully.
“What happened to you?” Ling Xiaozi glanced at the collapsed mountain and raging lava. Though he had already guessed much of what occurred, his first concern was his disciple.
Understanding this, Chu Mingwei began from their journey to the Illusory Demon Realm, recounting everything in detail—Zhu Yuruan’s identity, Qing Ming’s appearance, Jing Zhan’s escape—though he glossed over the relationship between Qing Ming and Jing Zhan.
As he spoke, even Ling Xiaozi’s expression shifted repeatedly. Meng Fan, on the other hand, was completely dumbfounded.
When he finished, Ling Xiaozi fell silent for a long time before taking a deep breath. “Since the Illusory Demon Realm has chosen to ally with us, we must begin preparations. As for Jing Zhan… since he has escaped, we will discuss that later.”
As he spoke, his gaze flicked briefly toward Xiao Lingyu. He trusted Chu Mingwei—but he could tell there were omissions. Thinking of Zhu Yuruan’s ten years by Xiao Lingyu’s side, Qing Ming’s special regard for him, and the method Xiao Lingyu had used to enter the forbidden ground before, Ling Xiaozi sighed inwardly.
Sometimes, it was better not to know too much.
Fortunately, Xiao Lingyu was simple-minded and held no ambitions toward the sect. With Wu Yunzi and Chu Mingwei keeping watch, Ling Xiaozi felt reassured—though he couldn’t help but feel a bit vexed that his most dependable disciple was hiding things from him for Xiao Lingyu’s sake.
His gaze dropped to their clasped hands. After a moment’s thought, he decided not to tell them that Wu Yunzi had already come out of seclusion.
With matters clarified, Ling Xiaozi began planning rapidly—how to explain the forbidden ground incident to the hidden elders, how to coordinate with the Illusory Demon Realm, how to respond to other sects, and how to contact reclusive Nascent Soul experts.
Snapping back to the present, he saw Meng Fan crowding around Chu Mingwei.
“Senior brother, is the Illusory Demon Realm really an ancient remnant? Can spiritual energy condense into water there?”
“Senior brother, in ancient times there were demon and beast races too? It’s not just legend?”
“Senior brother, is Zhu Yuruan really the legendary Spirit Insight Pig? Did he find any treasures all these years?”
Ling Xiaozi had been about to call them to leave, but upon hearing that last question, a sudden thought struck him—the long-unsolved mystery of the sect’s missing spirit fields.
The more he thought about it, the more certain he became that it had something to do with the Spirit Insight Pig.
Thinking of all the worry—and hair loss—this had caused him, he snorted coldly. “Speaking of which, the sect’s spirit fields have been mysteriously plundered for years. Mingwei, do you have anything to say about that?”
Meng Fan immediately caught on, looking at Chu Mingwei and Xiao Lingyu with a strange expression.
Chu Mingwei remained calm. “This disciple is also puzzled.”
Ling Xiaozi stared at him suspiciously for a long time, then turned to Xiao Lingyu—only to find an even more innocent expression.
“Does the Sect Master have any leads?” Xiao Lingyu asked.
After examining them both and finding nothing, Ling Xiaozi finally turned and led them away.
Xiao Lingyu barely suppressed his laughter as he glanced at Chu Mingwei. Chu Mingwei looked at him with indulgence, holding his hand as they followed behind.
Watching their silent exchange, Meng Fan became completely certain—the spirit field theft had to be Zhu Yuruan’s doing.
Walking behind them, he suddenly forgot to mention that Martial Uncle Wu had already emerged from seclusion.
Thinking of Wu Yunzi’s expression when he would see traces of Chu Mingwei living at Yilan Peak, Meng Fan silently prayed:
Senior brother… take care.