Throughout the night, Gong Yunji and others couldn’t sleep, waiting for news from the Secret Realm.

Recapturing the resources originally belonging to them by capturing Purple Sun City was urgently needed by the Gong Family.

However, what the Gong Family wanted more was the news of Chen Guan and Zi Donglai being killed.

The joint task force dispatched, equipped with diverse talents, should not have any issue killing a seventh awakening Chen Guan.

The power that was invincible within the Grotto Heaven was not so unbeatable in the Great Cave Heaven.

As long as it was confirmed Chen Guan was in the Ji Family’s Great Cave Heaven, they should be able to find and kill him, as the team was specifically organized for them.

Throughout history, it is extremely rare to organize a Ninth Awakening team just to kill a Seventh Awakening.

Nonetheless, for absolute certainty, the Gong Family spared no effort in their preparations.

"Family Head... Purple Sun City... Purple Sun City..." Gong Xueyi hurried in to relay information, so flustered he couldn’t speak clearly.

"What on earth happened?" Gong Yunji felt something seemed off.

If the Purple Sun City battle was a grand victory, Gong Xueyi wouldn’t be in this state.

"The joint army attacking Purple Sun City... completely obliterated..." Gong Xueyi’s voice trembled, his body shook, the whole person quivering, knowing well what this meant for the Gong Family.

This time, the Gong Family sent out the Pocket World Army, although just a mere sixty thousand, far less than the numbers in past Purple Sun City battles.

However, these sixty thousand were cultivated with the Gong Family’s utmost efforts, each could be considered elite talents worthy of being the pillars even in prominent families, some even revered as prodigies.

They were the future and hopes of the Gong Family.

Once these individuals grew, the Gong Family would indeed enter its most glorious era.

Now, a single battle has cost the Gong Family sixty thousand elite minds, just like that. Gong Xueyi knew the huge blow this inflicted on the Gong Family’s strength, and likely within the Grotto Heaven, they would lose competitiveness completely, unable to sustain even existing interests.

"What did you say?" Gong Yunji abruptly stood, hands pressing on the meeting table as he stared incredulously at Gong Xueyi, demanding fiercely.

He couldn’t believe the joint force would lose, let alone face total annihilation.

Purple Sun City’s military strength was strong, but the joint force was comprised of the cream of the crop, each one capable of facing a hundred.

Even against a Demon Army of the same level, it should at least deal a crushing blow to cause it to collapse.

Attacking Purple Sun City now, how could they be wiped out entirely?

"Chen Guan... Chen Guan didn’t go to the Great Cave Heaven... He is still within the Grotto Heaven..." Gong Xueyi couldn’t control his tears: "He obliterated a hundred thousand joint army with one sword in Southern Heavenly Kingdom, then proceeded to Purple Sun City, annihilating our elite and the joint forces together... none... survived..."

"None... survived..." The Gong family members felt their minds go blank, Gong Yun Yin fell into the chair, as if the strength inside him was drained away in an instant.

"It’s... a trap... this bastard Chen Guan set a trap... he never went to Great Cave Heaven at all... he deliberately set this trap... to lure those opposed to Southern Heavenly Kingdom and Purple Sun City out... to completely obliterate... such a venomous heart... such ruthless intent... such decisive means..." Gong Yunji’s hatred rose with each word.

Who in the Gong family could not hate, this disastrous defeat had already severely damaged the foundations of the Gong family, it seemed likely the Gong family would face a decisive break in continuity.

Moreover, with someone breaking the barrier between the Divine Land and Secret Realm, the Gong family’s control over the Secret Realm has significantly decreased; without these individuals, the Gong family’s interests within the Grotto Heaven may be constantly reduced, possibly losing most of their resource points.

Gong Yunji sat dejectedly, unable to vent his hate for Chen Guan, more than that, he hated himself.

How could he believe such an absurd notion that Chen Guan and Zi Donglai were the same person, when their capabilities were fundamentally different?

Although both were strong, each Secret Hidden Strike unimaginable in terror, their Hidden Powers were different, how could the same person possess entirely different Hidden Powers?

At this moment, Gong Yunji felt he must have been blinded before, falling for Chen Guan and Zi Donglai’s trick, sending so many prodigies of the Gong family to their deaths.

"Foolish indeed... Gong Yunji... such folly..." The resentment in Gong Yunji’s heart couldn’t be vented, only hate himself for falling into such a vile trap.

"Family Head... bad news..." Gong Tiangang rushed into the meeting room.

Seeing Gong Tiangang’s appearance, Gong Yunji’s heart, already burdened, sank as he stared at him, asking, "Something happened to Xiangqian?"

"Before Xiangqian and the others left, all their life lamps extinguished." Gong Tiangang’s lips quivered as he spoke.

He was responsible for meeting Gong Xiangqian and the others at the Ji Family’s Great Cave Heaven, before they departed, Gong Tiangang set their life lamps, a power Gong Tiangang possessed.

If a person dies, the lamp extinguishes; if something happened to Gong Xiangqian and the others, Gong Tiangang would know right away.

Seeing the life lamps of Gong Xiangqian and others extinguish one after another, he was nearly frozen in shock.

"Impossible, the team Xiangqian was in was full of various talents to counter any situation, even if they accidentally encountered Secret Spirits, it’s unlikely they all died there, someone should have been able to return alive."

"In the Tear Luo Desert, Secret Spirits are rare, their chances of encountering Secret Spirits are low, moreover, they had information on Tear Luo Desert, shouldn’t have ventured into areas that easily provoke Secret Spirits."

"Chen Guan wasn’t at the Ji Family’s Great Cave Heaven; their targets weren’t there, why would they enter the desert?"

"Since Chen Guan isn’t at Great Cave Heaven, there’s only one possibility: they discovered traces of Zi Donglai, which led them to the Tear Luo Desert for a kill. So Chen Guan and Zi Donglai are indeed two different people."

"Zi Donglai has just advanced to Great Cave Heaven, now certainly only a Seventh Awakening, without the ability to kill Ninth Awakening experts; surely they encountered some unforeseen at the Tear Luo Desert, perhaps met the Evil Luo King?"

The Gong family members were discussing, most believed Gong Xiangqian and the team met some accident.

It was long before the discussions ceased; they hadn’t heard any word from Gong Yunji, naturally, their eyes turned towards him.

Just to see Gong Yunji sitting there, silent and somewhat oddly flushed.

While Gong Yunji kept silent, they were all watching him, a brief silence enveloped the meeting room.

Some couldn’t bear the stifling atmosphere, intending to speak up, yet suddenly noticed blood seeping from Gong Yunji’s mouth. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Chen Guan... Zi Donglai... how ruthless you are... so ruthless... blurt..." Gong Yunji spoke, blood filling his mouth, toward the end, a mouthful of blood accompanying his pent-up wrath burst forth.