His thoughts on Su Qingyu and Bai Chen were just an estimation of the worst-case scenario. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

But here in the Glazed Immortal Palace, one had to be thoroughly prepared for any eventuality. The slightest misstep would mean a fate beyond redemption.

Fortunately, Zou Feng was well aware that, among the First Grade Powerhouses, at least the Sword Saint Jing Huaisong had not been ensnared, and it seemed unlikely he would be.

’If we had the Sword Saint’s help, we wouldn’t need to fear even the worst-case scenario...’

Having mentally prepared themselves, the group continued toward the Glazed Immortal Palace.

Along the way, they still encountered no more Immortal Slaves.

They did, however, meet up with many other unaffected Martial Artists.

The vast majority of people still had their priorities straight. Anyone who seemed normal was tacitly considered an ally, and they all stuck together for survival.

In this temporary party, some still kept their distance, while others grew friendly, laughing and joking with one another.

Some Evil Cultivators even started openly putting their arms around Righteous Dao Martial Artists, acting as if they were long-lost friends who regretted not meeting sooner.

An outsider witnessing this would probably think they were hallucinating.

Their party, now over twenty strong, was a testament to the security found in numbers.

The tension from being forcibly teleported here and subsequently isolated had been greatly alleviated.

This relatively relaxed and secure atmosphere lasted until they walked into the square before the main gate of the Glazed Immortal Palace.

The square was incredibly vast, its end out of sight.

Looking into the distance, they saw Martial Artists who had arrived earlier, in even greater numbers than Zou Feng’s group.

Uncertain of the other party’s status, a tense standoff immediately ensued between the two groups.

Only after people who recognized each other from opposite sides began calling out did they gradually confirm that everyone was an unaffected Martial Artist, and the tension finally dissipated.

Naturally, the two groups then merged.

The party exploring the Immortal Palace suddenly grew much larger. This bolstered most people’s confidence, making them feel that their chances of successfully escaping the Glazed Immortal Palace were now quite high.

The newly combined party, including Zou Feng, now had six Second Grade members, as well as the Supreme Elder of the Xuanhuang Sect, the First Grade Wang Guquan.

Although his title was Supreme Elder, Wang Guquan did not look old at all.

He looked to be a middle-aged man of about forty. His eyes, like bronze bells, were bright and piercing, and he possessed a natural air of authority.

With a respected First Grade expert like him presiding over the group, most people now felt they had a backbone.

Thus, the Second Grade experts naturally began to gather around Wang Guquan, quickly seizing control of the group’s leadership.

Zou Feng, however, no longer put himself forward. He quietly retreated to the side, resuming his role as the aloof Poison Cultivator.

In reality, the previous, smaller group had implicitly looked to him as their mainstay.

After all, many in the original group had been brutally beaten by Zou Feng’s Friendship Face-Breaking Palm until the clarity returned to their eyes.

But of course, Zou Feng had no desire to continue leading. Not only does the nail that sticks out get hammered down, but if real danger arose, he fully intended to use the others as human shields.

The only person in the current group worth protecting was Teng County.

However, even though Zou Feng had suddenly turned cold and aloof, hiding out at the edge of the group, several people still gathered around him.

Teng County was a given. Besides her, Liang Shunan of Biyou Palace and Leng Jing of the Rakshasa Sect also still wanted to cling to Zou Feng’s powerful coattails.

To Zou Feng’s slight surprise, Lu Wei—the woman he’d met once before, who had tried to show off her cleavage to save her own skin—had also been in the other group.

However, the woman came over to greet him and show her goodwill, and afterward, instead of staying near Wang Guquan, she just hung around nearby, making awkward small talk and refusing to leave.

Teng County sized up Lu Wei with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, the look in her eyes strange.

"Alright, is everyone ready? Let’s move out!"

Having finally finished his rousing speech, Wang Guquan waved his hand and took the lead, heading for the main gate of the Glazed Immortal Palace.

But before they could even approach the Glazed Immortal Palace’s magnificent gate, which stood over ten meters tall and shimmered with gold, it swung open on its own.

Then, three men in deep cyan robes with disheveled hair and eerie smiles on their faces slowly walked out.

"You... Baili Qiu!?"

Although his clothes and appearance had changed, Wang Guquan, at the front of the group, recognized him instantly.

Of the three men who walked out of the Glazed Immortal Palace, the one in the middle was none other than the Vice Alliance Leader of the Central Plains Martial Alliance, Baili Qiu.

He was also a major figure on Zou Feng’s list.

Baili Qiu hadn’t originally been on the list, but his name suddenly appeared after he entered the Glazed Immortal Palace. Zou Feng had concluded at the time that the man must have been corrupted.

’Now this guy is reeking of a sinister aura, and he’s obviously had a bath and a change of clothes here in the Glazed Immortal Palace. It’d be a miracle if he *hasn’t* become an Immortal Slave.’

"None of you have found your exclusive fated opportunity. You are not worthy of entering the Glazed Immortal Palace!" Baili Qiu declared, surveying the crowd with the air of the Lord of the Immortal Palace.

At this point, how could anyone fail to see that Baili Qiu had been corrupted? Shocked, they also wondered why even a First Grade Expert had failed to resist the false Immortal Venerable’s bewitchment.

So far, Baili Qiu was indeed the only First Grade expert they had seen fall victim.

Wang Guquan snorted coldly. "Baili Qiu, your will was weak, and you allowed yourself to be bewitched by an evil entity! Don’t blame us for disregarding our past connection!"

Hearing this, Baili Qiu shook his head repeatedly. "Bewitched by an evil entity?"

"It seems you lot have completely misunderstood the situation. Here in the Glazed Immortal Palace, if you fail to find your own fated opportunity, you will become nothing more than... food!"