Barren Town.
Crowds of people gathered in an old and decaying hall. Many of them were familiar faces to Qin Shi, such as his grandfather Qin Yongfeng, his father Qin Tianqing, his uncle Qin Tianyu, Ling Xiao, Pu Quan, Su Ming, Yin Mo, the Blood Paragon, and many of his old friends.
All of them wore nervous expressions on their faces. The sound of their joints rubbing against each other could be heard from time to time, making the already heavy atmosphere even more serious.
"Mo Chen, has Felling Sky Sect done anything for the past half a month?" Ling Xiao sat on a square chair, straightened his back, and asked in a low voice.
Mo Chen considered for a moment, then said, "Yes, Felling Sky Sect's army is currently stationed in the ancient city. The Left Guardian, Zhao Yan, has led three thousand King Spiritual Realm disciples and has surrounded Barren Town. I think they will attack us in less than three days."
"It's Zhao Yan?"
Ferocious expressions appeared on many people's faces. This was not the first time they had met Zhao Yan. Putting aside the fact that Zhao Yan had forced the Lihuo Sect into a dead end in the Burning Sky Arcane Realm two years ago, Zhao Yan had been the leader of Felling Sky Sect's attack on the ancient city not long ago. The ruthlessness of Heaven Realm martial artists still sent chills down their spines when they thought about it.
"Looks like Luan Muhua can't wait any longer. Three thousand King Spiritual Realm disciples … they really think highly of us!" Ling Xiao muttered in a daze.
When they heard about Felling Sky Sect's terrifying power, many people began to feel uneasy. A few disciples who used to belong to the Lihuo Sect complained, "If you ask me, we shouldn't have stayed in Barren Town. The Qin family doesn't want to live anymore. Why do we have to stay and die with them?"
"Shut up! Don't talk nonsense!"
Ling Xiao's expression changed and he scolded the disciple who had spoken. Only then did he turn and say apologetically to Qin Yong Feng, "Old Master Qin, the disciple below is not sensible. Please do not take it to heart."
Qin Yongfeng, who had closed his eyes for a long time, slowly opened them. He shook his head and said, "Elder Ling Xiao, you can't blame them for this. It is indeed because of our Qin family's stubbornness that you have been dragged into this mess. It is not too late for you to leave Desolate Town before the Burning Sky Sect launches their attack."
"Grandpa Qin, don't be so polite. Three thousand enemies have surrounded Barren Town. I'm afraid we won't have the chance even if we want to."
Helplessly shaking his head, Ling Xiao continued, "Moreover, if we really abandon the Qin family, I'm afraid that our final outcome will not be any better than being massacred by the Burning Sky Sect."
As soon as he finished speaking, a familiar black-robed figure appeared in many people's minds, causing them to reveal bitter smiles.
That's right. If Qin Shi knew that they abandoned the Qin family at the last moment of danger, with Qin Shi's personality, he would chase them to the ends of the earth to find them.
Qin Yongfeng declared, "Everyone, if that's the case, then all of you don't have to worry. Before all of you leave, this old man will leave behind a letter. If Shi Tou really returns one day, just hand the letter to him, and he will definitely not make things difficult for all of you."
In truth, after hearing Qin Yongfeng's promise, many people began to waver, especially the new disciples who had just joined the Qin Clan. They did not have a deep relationship with the Qin Clan, so they would definitely not be willing to risk their lives and die.
When Su Ming saw the hesitant looks on the crowd's faces, he repeated the word 'good' three times and mocked them. "Good, good, good. You're really good. If it wasn't for Qin Shi, you wouldn't have been able to enjoy such glory in the past year.
Now that the Qin family is in trouble, you are all hitting them when they are down, right? "
His voice was like the morning bell in an ancient tomb, ringing fiercely in everyone's hearts.
Ignoring the silent crowd, Su Ming suddenly took a step forward and said, "No matter what the others do, my brother's home is my home. I, Su Ming, will definitely not leave. Besides, so what if it's Burning Sky Clan?
I have people above me!
I have people above me!
I will forever be the Clan Leader of the Qin Clan!
Qin Shi! "
Amidst the indifference, the oppressive atmosphere eased up a little. Yin Mo, Qin Shang, and the people from the Su family looked at each other and stepped forward. "We are not leaving either!"
"Hehe, you brat, you're right!"
The Blood Paragon yawned and patted Su Ming's shoulder with a carefree expression. He said calmly, "I'm not leaving either. Even if we leave today, once Burning Sky Clan dominates the northern region, they will definitely not let us go. Why don't we stay and fight to the death with them? Even if we can't win, we can at least drag a few of them down with us and let Burning Sky Clan know that we, the Qin Clan, are not pushovers that anyone can pinch as they please."
Ling Xiao nodded his head in agreement. "The Blood Paragon is right. Instead of living under the shadow of Burning Sky Clan, why don't we do our best and fight to the death with them!"
As Ling Xiao spoke, Mo Chen and the other Founding Elders naturally followed suit. Now, among those who had some status, only Pu Quan had not expressed his opinion. Under the crowd's gazes, Pu Quan spread his hands and said nonchalantly, "Don't look at me. I'm not from the Qin Clan."
"Senior Pu, are you saying that you want to leave?"
The moment he said those words, those who had just made up their minds were immediately shaken again. Pu Quan was the strongest among them. If he left, they would definitely lose this battle. "Nonsense.
"Nonsense, what I meant was that from the start to the end, only your Qin Sect wanted to leave. I'm not a member of your Qin Sect, there's no way I would leave. Also, my precious disciple is still here, I can't bear to part with her. I still have to wait for that stinky brat Qin Shi to return and see how powerful his elder sister is now. I'll let him know how regretful he is for not taking me as his master back then." Pu Quan rolled his eyes as he spoke unhappily.
The tense atmosphere relaxed.
The hearts of the disciples who had been shaken just now also sank. It was not that they were willing to leave, but without Ling Xiao and the others, how could they leave Barren Town alone?
That was just a fool's dream.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Yongfeng faintly smiled and said, "Hehe, that brat Stone, to have friends like you despite the difference in age, I wonder how many lifetimes of good fortune he has accumulated."
Ling Xiao bitterly smiled and said, "Old Master Qin, since things have come to this, there's no need to say more. Next, we should think about how to fight against the Burning Sky Sect. Doesn't that mean that with Zhao Yan's Heaven Realm cultivation, just the three thousand King Spirit Realm disciples alone is not something we can fight against?"
Expressing their stance was one thing, but once it came to the real battle, many people became dispirited again. Qin Yongfeng's murky eyes turned and he said, "How many King Spirit Realm disciples do we have right now?"
"Less than two thousand."
"Less than two thousand?"
Qin Yongfeng nodded, not surprised. He then turned around and said to Pu Quan, "Mister Pu Quan, how is the matter I asked you to do three months ago?"
"It's all thanks to Private Rain. In these three months, with her help, we've prepared about three thousand two-lined Devil Charms, two thousand three-lined Devil Charms, and eight hundred four-lined Devil Charms," Pu Quan said faintly.
However, this calm voice caused a huge uproar down below. There were more than five thousand Devil Talismans in total?
Wasn't this number a little too exaggerated?
Qin Yongfeng nodded in satisfaction after getting a response, "Very good. Distribute the Devil Charms below three lines to those in the Spirit Breaking Realm and above, and leave the four-lined Devil Charms for the King Spirit Realm, especially the Late King Spirit Realm. As long as we can have one more Cryptic Spirit Realm cultivator, our army will have one more hope."
His cracked lips paused for a moment, then he continued, "Also, recall the disciples who are on guard outside. Tonight, we will evacuate from Desolate Town to the Secret Realm in the back of the mountain. There is a barrier outside the Secret Realm, so it's easy to defend and hard to attack. I've already arranged for people to store a lot of food and spirit stones in the Secret Realm, enough for our army to last for half a month."
Listening to the orderly arrangements, Ling Xiao was shocked, "So, Old Master Qin, you've already prepared for this?"
Qin Yongfeng nodded with a smile and said, "Three months ago, when the nine bolts of lightning fell, I knew that Burning Sky Sect was going to do something, but I didn't expect it to be so fast."
Hearing this, Ling Xiao suddenly realized that when Qin Yongfeng asked them to leave, it was just a test. It could also be said that he was testing people's hearts. When he thought of this, he felt inexplicably lucky, "The older, the wiser."
With a plan in place, all the departments began to move step by step. Su Ming, Yin Mo, and the other juniors were in charge of guiding the disciples to the back of the mountain, while Ling Xiao and the others were in charge of recalling the disciples who were on guard and bringing up the rear.
When dusk fell, the seven thousand people of the Qin Clan all gathered in the Secret Realm in the back of Desolate Town. The crack in the barrier was guarded by Ling Xiao, Pu Quan, the Blood Paragon, Qin Yongfeng, the second generation of the Qin family, and Su Ming and the other juniors.
Whoosh!
A shadow flew through the air. Mo Chen's body was covered in hard feathers, and his golden eagle eyes were sharp. He landed in front of them.
When he saw Mo Chen, Ling Xiao took the lead and asked, "How is it?
Did you find out the strength of their elite team? "
"I did. This time, it's all thanks to Senior Pu Quan's Nighthawk Talisman. I didn't expect that even Zhao Yan didn't notice me under the talisman."
"Of course. The Nighthawks are the tyrants at the top of the food chain in the night. Even when the empires scout each other, it's just like this." Pu Quan smiled proudly.
It was obvious that the people were not interested in the Nighthawks. All their attention was on the strength of the enemy team. Ling Xiao asked, "How many Cryptic Realm cultivators do they have?"
When this was mentioned, Mo Chen's face fell. He clenched his Nighthawk Talisman and said with a trembling voice, "30 … 30."
"What?" Ling Xiao and the others were shocked and said in disbelief, "30?
They have 30 Cryptic Realm cultivators? "
This news was, without a doubt, a great nightmare to the people. Qin Yongfeng clenched his fists so tightly that cracking sounds could be heard. He gradually lost his confidence and swept his old eyes across the people by the side. As of then, the only people who could reach Cryptic Spirit Realm in Qin Clan were Ling Xiao, Mo Chen, Elder Xun, the Paragon Blood, Su Ming, Yin Mo, and the former leader of the eight Purple Ranked Disciples, Shao Yang and the others. As for the Qin Family, there were six people: Qin Yongfeng, Qin Tianqing, Qin Tianyu, Xu Daoyan, Qin Yueling, and Qin Yiyu. Even if Pu Quan was added, there were only fourteen of them.
After all, the Cryptic Realm was the true deciding factor on the battlefield. Would they really have a chance of winning when the difference in strength was almost double?
Boom!
What was even more horrifying was that before the first bad news subsided, another bad news arose one after another. Suddenly, a firework exploded in the sky. The firework was like a blooming fire lotus, spreading in all directions and illuminating the pitch-black night sky.
"It's the signal from the Burning Sky Sect!"
In an instant, the crowd led by Qin Yongfeng rushed out of the secret realm. They lifted their heads and looked at the lotus of fire in the sky. The color of blood faded away, and they looked pale.
Soon after, a familiar voice resounded in the sky like thunder. "The Qin family of the Qin Clan will be destroyed today. Kill them!"