Chapter 75: Departure

Xu Zhe nearly forced his thoughts back ten thousand years. Scenes of his interactions with those ninety-nine people flashed through his mind. But after all, so much time had passed that, aside from a dozen or so classmates, his impressions of the others were faint and indistinct, making it impossible to judge. Among the ninety-nine, four were flight attendants from that plane, with whom Xu Zhe had interacted even less.

After pondering over and over, he found no one whose manner matched that voice, not even a single person to suspect.

“Sigh, Qi Ming, you seemed to have died a bit too early.” Xu Zhe looked one last time at Qi Ming’s corpse and sighed with a hint of regret. This would be his final farewell; from this moment, there would be no more Qi Ming in his world. The quiet, introverted boy who used to go to class and work alone, hesitating in front of the canteen with an almost empty meal card, had vanished forever.

“Enduring hardship and striving upward are admirable qualities. But in this new world, brimming with opportunities, you chose the wrong path.” Xu Zhe shook his head and turned to leave.

Soon, he walked out from the poisonous fire mist, arriving once again at the periphery of the secret realm. By now, the number of people in the realm had dwindled—many had died, others had left early. Xu Zhe walked on without encountering anyone; all around him was silence.

He saw the exit to the secret realm in the distance but did not approach. Instead, he turned in the opposite direction, transforming into a streak of light and swiftly vanished.

Night gradually deepened.

Xu Zhe watched the Universal Jade Tablet in his hand, constantly adjusting his direction. There was a message for him within the tablet, sent by Zhu Chongli.

Zhu Chongli had relayed important news: many people had gathered at the exit of the secret realm—experts from major powers across the four continents had all mobilized. The Holy Land of Jade Lake had even sent several Nascent Soul stage cultivators. Chu Xiaotong herself led a Vermilion Bird army on a long march to arrive, but was intercepted by an order from the Four Continents Council. The order was delivered by the Carrion Crow Legion, and the two armies clashed en route, nearly breaking into a full battle.

The Azure Cavalry of East Qian Continent had also mobilized to block the Vermilion Bird army from crossing the border. As a result, Chu Xiaotong was stuck halfway, unable to arrive.

Therefore, Zhu Chongli advised Xu Zhe not to appear at the exit under any circumstances. Nearly everyone was there for his magical treasures, and many were now alarmed by his rapidly growing power, intrigued by the secrets he possessed.

Xu Zhe was not afraid at first, but one sentence from Zhu Chongli made him pause.

If Xu Zhe appeared, regardless of the outcome, a great battle would erupt. Given Chu Xiaotong’s temperament, she would almost certainly lead the Vermilion Bird army into combat, provoking war between the four continents.

This reminded Xu Zhe of what that Jade Lake disciple had said earlier—someone was orchestrating chaos in the South, seemingly targeting the Southern Heaven Continent. Considering Chu Xiaotong’s explosive nature, Xu Zhe decided to heed Zhu Chongli’s advice and avoid the encirclement.

According to Zhu Chongli, the major powers had, years ago, covertly set up teleportation arrays within the secret realm to protect their disciples, each leading directly to their own territory. Zhu Chongli’s Taiyi Sect, of course, did not have such privileges. However, over the years, some great sects had perished in various conflicts, leaving their arrays unused and abandoned.

Zhu Chongli happened to know the location of one such hidden teleportation array, which could help Xu Zhe escape.

Following Zhu Chongli’s instructions, Xu Zhe hurried on his way and finally found the long-abandoned array before midnight.

In truth, it was little more than a patch of tangled weeds; the array patterns on the ground were mostly worn away by time and weather, barely recognizable.

Yet it could still be used, if only just.

With his mastery of arrays, Xu Zhe could have carved a new teleportation array easily. The difficulty was that he could not set a corresponding landing point outside. Thus, all he could do was reinforce this existing array as much as possible.

He then quickly activated the formation and stepped inside.

With a whoosh, a powerful force swept him away, and Xu Zhe vanished from the array.

He left the secret realm silently.

When his feet touched solid ground again, he was standing in a wasteland of ruins under the dark of night. Zhu Chongli waited nearby, his face tense, surrounded by several dozen guards, scanning the darkness on high alert.

Seeing Xu Zhe appear, Zhu Chongli let out a long breath and rushed over.

“Xu Zhe, thank goodness you listened and came out here. Chu Xiaotong has really caused trouble this time. According to the latest news online, she slaughtered the entire Carrion Crow and Azure Cavalry legions who tried to block her,” Zhu Chongli said with lingering fear.

“She really is hot-tempered!” Xu Zhe replied with an awkward laugh. He couldn’t help worrying for Chu Xiaotong as well—did this woman care nothing for her reputation? With such ruthlessness, was she not afraid of never finding a husband?

“Hot-tempered? You think that’s all? Do you know how many she killed? A hundred thousand!” Zhu Chongli exclaimed. “The Carrion Crow and Azure Cavalry legions won’t let this go. Still, it’s fortunate you didn’t appear at the exit, or things would be far worse.”

A hundred thousand dead at Chu Xiaotong’s hands?

Xu Zhe was stunned; he’d thought perhaps a few thousand, but this was far more brutal than he imagined.

Clearly, the Carrion Crow and Azure Cavalry legions harbored ill intent—one delivered the order, the other blocked the path, but did they really need to send a hundred thousand just to stop Chu Xiaotong?

It seemed someone had deliberately sent those hundred thousand as sacrificial pawns for Chu Xiaotong to kill.

“That fool walked right into their trap. As the saying goes, big-breasted and brainless—she’s as foolish as ever.” Xu Zhe shook his head helplessly.

He glanced at Zhu Chongli. “Old Zhu, where are we now?”

“We’re still in East Qian Continent, not far from the secret realm exit. We need to leave quickly, or it’ll be bad if we’re spotted,” Zhu Chongli answered, his face grim.

“I’ll message Chu Xiaotong and tell her to return at once. You should take your men and leave, too. If we travel together, the risk is too great—if we’re discovered, you’ll be implicated,” Xu Zhe said, patting Zhu Chongli’s shoulder.

“Damn it, implicated my ass! If you put it that way, I’ve been implicated since I gave you the secret realm jade. Enough talk. I came to fetch you because I wanted to. With your talent, there’s no reason I wouldn’t follow you, class monitor,” Zhu Chongli retorted, rolling his eyes.

“Old Zhu, you have no sense. Follow me, and you’re only headed for disaster. I suggest you go home to your wife and kids and stay out of this mess,” Xu Zhe said, adding, “I mean it, Old Zhu.”

Zhu Chongli paused, hesitated, then forced a smile. “Don’t say that, class monitor. Don’t forget your old friends when you make it big. Give me the chance to fight by your side, so that when you soar to greatness, you can help me, too.”

“Drop the act. Go home to your wife and kids—you need to stay alive so that I’ll have the chance to help you in the future.” With that, Xu Zhe turned and soared into the sky, disappearing swiftly.

“Damn it, Xu Zhe, get back here! There are killers everywhere outside, even Nascent Souls are out hunting you. Don’t run around!” Zhu Chongli shouted, about to give chase.

But as soon as he took a step, Xu Zhe vanished from sight.

Zhu Chongli stopped, stunned where he stood.

“Damn it, I am afraid! I do want to go home to my wife and kids! I just don’t want to see you all die, one by one…” Zhu Chongli gazed at the direction where Xu Zhe had disappeared, his face colored with sorrow.

“I really hate this place. It’s worse than that deserted island all those years ago. Every one of you changed after you woke up—so unfamiliar, so terrifying…”

“Why? Why did it have to turn out this way…”

“If only time could turn back, I wish we’d never taken that graduation trip.”

“Class monitor, you must not die, and you must never become like them.”

“I, Old Zhu, whether back then or now, have never amounted to much. All I can do is do my utmost to help you avoid danger—so for heaven’s sake, don’t die on me.”

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