DOOM!!!
Hengsheng stared at the collapsing Golden Pillar. Its rate of collapse was accelerating—clearly, those Wu Gods on the surface were desperate to unseal the Lord of All Senses.
'Too bad for them,' Hengsheng thought mockingly.
'The Lord is already dead.' Of course, they had no idea.
After a brief moment of thought, he turned his gaze back to Jian Zixuan and said—
"I had to confirm something," Hengsheng replied evasively. There were things he couldn't reveal—not yet.
"I heard you said earlier. So, what's your plan now?" he asked, his gaze steady on Jian Zixuan. He wanted to know whether the other side had a concrete way out of this collapsing place.
Jian Zixuan's eyes turned serious while he gazed at the collapsing Golden Pillar, the same way as Hengsheng did earlier. It was a sign that they didn't have much time left.
DOOM!
"There's a Realm Teleportation Formation within the pagoda, but it was damaged during the traitor's attack. I'll try to repair it. If it succeeds, I can use it to bring us all to the Immortal Realm," Jian Zixuan explained.
Then, turning to Hengsheng with a serious expression, he asked, "Will you come with me, Fellow Daoist Lan?"
"Immortal Realm… the legendary realm from the world's creation myth?" Hengsheng murmured.
"Yes. It's the realm that all True Immortals across countless realms must enter in order to progress further in cultivation," Jian Zixuan replied.
"You seem to know quite a lot, Fellow Daoist Jian," Hengsheng remarked, though inwardly, his thoughts were already asking Blue to send him information about this topic; he remembered from the system's quest that the Wu God must know a lot about the Immortal Realm since they were enemies.
Moreover, this realm was likely the one the True Immortal of the Blossoming Sword Sect had traveled to—the very place where Hengsheng might one day reunite with his Clan.
A second later, information about the Immortal Realm flowed through his mind, leaving Hengsheng momentarily stunned when he reviewed it.
"Sorry, Fellow Daoist Jian… I already have my own plans," Hengsheng said calmly.
DOOM!
Jian Zixuan's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure, Fellow Daoist Lan? The situation is dangerous—the secret land could collapse at any moment."
Hengsheng nodded and replied, "I've already noticed the Astral Web Rift in the north. I plan to try my luck on it."
Jian Zixuan was stunned by how insane that sounded. "I see… You can look for me if you ever make it to the Five Phase Immortal Sect's territory in the Immortal Realm. That's where my sect originated."
Hengsheng nodded. He wasn't surprised to learn that Jian Zixuan's Golden Sword sect branched from the Immortal Realm. After all, the Overlords were on a completely different level from the rest of the realm—it was clearly abnormal.
DOOM!
"Then, I shall take my leave," Hengsheng said, offering a respectful nod.
"We'll meet again in the Immortal Realm," Jian Zixuan replied, turning his back as he rejoined the juniors who awaited him.
The reason Hengsheng didn't want to follow Jian Zixuan to the Immortal Realm was simple—it was far too dangerous.
From the information he'd obtained from the Wu God's memories, the Immortal Realm was filled with cultivators whose strength was on par with or even surpassed Vishnu's Incarnation—the Lord of All Senses!
He remembered that overwhelming power all too clearly, since he had just experienced it firsthand a moment ago.
If he dared to step into a place like that while still weak, the secret of his system power would be exposed in no time. And once that happened… his destiny would no longer be in his own hands.
DOOM!
Even being a member of the Heavenly Court might not help him. He had no idea what the Court was truly like, and more importantly, he had no connections there at all.
He'd be better off betting his luck on a lower realm through the Astral Web, and slowly cultivating his strength before stepping into such a dangerous place.
A cultivator's life is long—being apart from his family for a hundred years would pass in the blink of an eye. Sooner or later, he would get used to it.
DOOM!
The ground trembled constantly, and the sound of the Golden Pillar crumbling echoed like a doomsday clock ticking toward the end of everything. Yet somehow, everyone here seemed to be getting used to it.
Hengsheng's gaze shifted to a group of people approaching him—it was Lan Xiaorong's group. Behind them was another group from the Wang Clan, led by Wang Dalong. Two more groups followed: one led by a woman with ice-blue hair, and the other by a muscular man with long red hair.
DOOM!
Lan Xianrong approached with a serious expression and said to Hengsheng, "Hengsheng, you heard what that guy said, right? Do you really believe it?"
Hengsheng gave him an unbelieving look before raising both hands and pointing toward the collapsing Golden Pillar.
Lan Xianrong's face flushed with embarrassment—Hengsheng had just insulted him without saying a single word.
"It's not a matter of believing," Hengsheng said calmly. "It's already happening. You'd better decide quickly—we don't have much time left."
Lan Baixing curiously turned to Big Brother Hengsheng, asking, "Big Brother Hengsheng, then what are you going to do? Follow them?"
Hengsheng shook his head. "I have another plan. included, saving those who are still in the Lan Clan cave."
Lan Xuanyan, who had been listening quietly, spoke up when Hengsheng mentioned the other clanmates. "Big Brother Hengsheng… wasn't it already too late? It would take a month to return to the cave. We don't have that kind of time."
DOOM!
Hengsheng answered mysteriously, "I have a method."
Then he looked at all of them and continued, "Now is the time to decide. I will tell you this… The Golden Sword Sect's group is planning to travel to the Immortal Realm. It's an opportunity—but also dangerous. I have a different plan. If you want to follow me, be ready. If you want to go on your own, head north. There's an Astral Rift there—it can take you to another realm."
When the thirty young cultivators heard Hengsheng mention the Immortal Realm, the stress and worry in their eyes shifted, replaced by a gleam of greed and ambition.
Hengsheng narrowed his eyes and thought to himself, 'Tch. A cultivator is easy to predict.'
Without hesitation, the woman with ice-blue hair and the muscular man with long red hair quickly led their respective groups to join Jian Zixuan. Neither offered a word before turning away.
DOOM!
'Uncivilized,' Hengsheng thought, while he tried to recognize their face.
Wang Dalong hesitated for only a moment before trying to follow them—but Hengsheng raised a hand to stop him. "You can't go."
"What?!" Wang Dalong's eyes widened as he suddenly noticed thick vines coiling up from the ground, wrapping around his legs.
"What are you doing, Lan Hengsheng?!" he shouted, struggling. At the same time, The rest of the Wang Clan soon realized they were trapped as well—vines binding their limbs before they could react.
Hengsheng didn't answer. With a subtle gesture, a faint green mist emerged from the vines. Before they could react, all seven members of the Wang Clan group slumped to the ground—unconscious from the super sleeping gas.
Hengsheng made a simple gesture, and the vines that had coiled around the Wang Clan members tightened, completely enclosing each of them.
In an instant, they were transformed into wooden orbs—each about the size of a person.
DOOM!
Lan Xiaorong stared in shock, for him Wang Dalong may be a rival, but he's not an enemy!
"Why are you doing this?" he demanded, his tone turning cold.
"Don't worry. I didn't hurt your boyfriend," Hengsheng replied casually.
"…Boyfriend?" Lan Xiaorong blinked in confusion.
Hengsheng paused, realizing the term might not even exist here. He waved it off. "Forget it. I don't have time to explain. There's a reason, but they have to come with me. Now, are you coming or not? Decide quickly—I'm about to move."
Lan Xiaorong and the other three looked grim. It was a life-changing choice, one wrong decision could end their path.
Lan Xiaorong clenched his fists and asked, "Before I decide—I need to know… what exactly are you planning?"
Hengsheng said. "You may not know this, but our clan has already fled the disaster on the surface."
"What…fled?" Lan Xiaorong muttered, confused.
'Fled?' Lan Xianrong thought. 'If the surface was as devastated as they'd been told… then how could the Lan Clan have possibly escaped?'
Hengsheng smiled. "And of course, I'm going to find a way to bring all of us back to our clan."
Hearing his confident answer, Lan Xiaorong and the others exchanged a glance—then each of them nodded. They had made their choice.
DOOM!
Crack!!!!
Hengsheng gazed above and saw that a space crack began to appear, showing the sign of dimensional collapse!
"Then I will move now. Don't… resist," Hengsheng said calmly.
As his words faded, a swirling purple substance bloomed beneath their feet. In the blink of an eye, it enveloped them all, including the seven wooden orbs, and vanished without a trace.
From a distance, Jian Zixuan witnessed the scene unfold. His eyes narrowed slightly in surprise. "…What a mysterious man," he murmured.
DOOM!
DOOM!
…
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