The moment those words were spoken, a boundless torrent of Demonic Qi erupted, making Su Duo feel as if he had plunged into an abyss. He felt like he would die the very next second. His entire body was locked in place by the other man, leaving him utterly unable to move.

Su Duo had clearly crossed a line by mentioning the Yan Demon Venerable’s wife.

The Yan Demon Venerable’s face was as cold as ice:

"Seeing as this is your first offense, and you did me a great service, I will let it slide this time. Remember, I don’t like it when people mention my wife."

Only then did Su Duo see the man retract his Demonic Qi, and control returned to his own body.

He was filled with a mix of lingering fear and excitement. ’He really is a Nascent Soul Realm expert! Such power is simply unfathomable, far beyond the reach of the likes of me! With my level of Cultivation, I couldn’t even think of resisting. I definitely didn’t save the wrong person!’

Beside them, Elder He and Elder Gu were just starting to process what was happening.

’Could there be a turn of events here?’

They just couldn’t understand why a Demon Venerable would act like this.

’Aren’t Demon Cultivators supposed to be cruel and tyrannical? Shouldn’t he have started a massive slaughter the moment he appeared?’

It was understandable that he wouldn’t kill Su Duo, the one who had freed him.

But as for Elder He and Elder Gu, two Golden Core Cultivators of the Righteous Dao, even they didn’t believe they had any chance of being spared.

Yet now, it seemed he had no intention of killing them. He’d even said he wouldn’t get involved in the conflict between the Righteous and Demonic paths.

I’ve seen it all now!

The Yan Demon Venerable held his palm up. The bead floated there, pulsing as if it were alive, inhaling and exhaling Demonic Qi.

He strode through the air, slowly approaching Elder Gu and moving the bead right in front of her face.

The color drained from both Elder Gu’s and Elder He’s faces.

’Just when I thought things were turning around... It seems he’s going to kill us after all.’

The two had no intention of surrendering without a fight and wanted to mount some futile resistance, but they discovered they were in the same state as Su Duo had been—completely paralyzed.

And so, they both closed their eyes, awaiting their tragic fate.

Su Duo, however, was ecstatic.

’Hah, so that’s the kind of man you are, Demon Venerable!’

’Your actions speak louder than your words. You talk a big game about not fighting, but when it comes down to it, you’re still going in for the kill, aren’t you?’

Thus, under Su Duo’s expectant gaze, a plume of ink-black Demonic Qi seeped from the bead in the Yan Demon Venerable’s hand and coiled around Elder Gu’s body.

Then, just as quickly, it returned to the bead.

The Yan Demon Venerable sighed in disappointment at this. He shook his head, put away the bead, and with a flicker, vanished without a trace.

"???"

The three of them, completely bewildered, had no idea what had just happened.

Elder Gu had only felt a chill wrap around her body, and then nothing else.

After opening her eyes and seeing that the Yan Demon Venerable was gone, she immediately began to inspect her own body.

But to her utter disbelief...

...despite using a dozen different Investigation techniques, she couldn’t find a single thing wrong with her body.

Other than the injuries sustained during her Magical Combat with Su Duo, there was nothing else out of the ordinary.

It was as if the man had done nothing at all.

A cool breeze swept through, carrying away the dust of ages and the heavy atmosphere.

Since the Yan Demon Venerable had absorbed all the Demonic Qi, the sky in the Secret Realm was now bright and clear.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds, bathing the area in a bright and serene light.

The three of them stood there, just as they had when they first entered the Secret Realm. It was as if Su Duo’s attack and the Yan Demon Venerable’s appearance had all been a phantom-like illusion.

But sadly, it was only a fleeting illusion.

The current situation was simply the result of Su Duo’s misjudgment; he had never imagined that a Demon Venerable wouldn’t be bloodthirsty.

Now, with the Yan Demon Venerable gone to who-knows-where, the three of them were back to their original standoff.

Except now, Elder Demon Su had lost the protection of his Array.

His two-in-one Yin Yang Tai Chi Five Elements Array had been expended against the Tier Four Seal, so he could no longer use it against the two Golden Core Cultivators.

However, Elder He and Elder Gu weren’t in great shape either.

Elder He’s combat strength was greatly diminished because Su Duo had taken his Magical Array Plate.

Elder Gu, on the other hand, had been injured when Su Duo shattered her Divine Power.

But even though both were injured, they were still two Golden Core Cultivators. They were more than capable of handling Su Duo.

The only problem was that Su Duo appeared to be in perfect condition. If the three of them were to truly fight to the death, they would have to be prepared for mutual destruction.

Normally, given their hatred for Elder Demon Su, they would have gladly perished together with him.

But they were the first witnesses to the Yan Demon Venerable’s return. If they died, who would warn the world that a Demon Venerable had been unleashed?

Wouldn’t Dinghai State be in danger? Wouldn’t their Sects be in danger?

As for Su Duo, he was incredibly resentful.

He had spent decades of painstaking effort to unleash this Demon Venerable.

He hadn’t even had a chance to properly appreciate his work before the Demon Venerable vanished without a trace, and for no discernible reason. He had no idea why he left, or where he had gone.

This left Su Duo feeling an unbearable, suffocating frustration.

Su Duo now felt an urgent need to find the Yan Demon Venerable and persuade him to return to the great mission of resisting the Righteous Dao.

Because of this, Su Duo had no time for anything else. His interest in dealing with the two Golden Core Cultivators, Gu and He, had waned considerably.

And so, without a single word exchanged, the three reached a tacit understanding.

A fight was inevitable.

But now was not the time.

The matter of the Yan Demon Venerable was the top priority; everything else would have to wait.

And so, with just a single glance, the three of them silently went their separate ways.

Su Duo set off to find the Yan Demon Venerable.

As for Elder He and Elder Gu, they wanted to leave the Secret Realm to report this matter to their Sects.

Before that, however, they needed to gather all the other disciples from the Secret Realm and lead them out.

...

"Brother Zong!"

Meanwhile, Jiang Xu and Qin Muxian finally found Zong Ziqi in the middle of a battle.

"Master! Brother Jiang!"

Zong Ziqi flicked the blood from his sword and hurried to greet them.

Zong Ziqi noticed that Qin Muxian was avoiding his gaze and seemed uncomfortable. Confused, he asked:

"Master, what’s wrong?"

At Zong Ziqi’s question, Qin Muxian stiffened. His face flushed red with guilt, and he stammered, unable to get the words out.

But the more Qin Muxian acted this way, the more curious Zong Ziqi became, and he started to press him for an answer.

Seeing Qin Muxian’s state, Jiang Xu sighed, stepped forward, and began to explain on his behalf.

"It’s like this. A short while ago, Elder Qin risked his life to find a Treasure Medicine that could heal the injury to your Qi Sea, but..."

Jiang Xu then recounted the entire story to Zong Ziqi.

He told him everything: how Qin Muxian risked his life to break a Tier Three Array, how he fought a Frost Giant Wolf, and how he finally obtained a Tier Three Nine-Turns Essence Firming Grass, only to hand it over to the two Elders because of the news Jiang Xu had brought.