Just one ancient hour before the Secret Realm was due to close, Song Changsheng, having finished his meditation, unhurriedly made his way over to rendezvous with Song Luping and the others.

The moment they saw him, the members of the Qiu Clan and the Earth Fire Sect shot to their feet with a RUSTLE, their eyes filled with disbelief and astonishment.

Joy appeared on the faces of Song Luping and his group, and they quickly gathered around him.

"Where did you go? We tried to contact you, why didn’t you answer?" Song Luping asked with concern, pulling him aside.

"That’s right. I noticed the Earth Fire Sect and the Qiu Clan are missing people. Does it have something to do with you?" Song Luyue whispered, glancing into the distance.

Song Changsheng gave an almost imperceptible nod and said in a low voice, "It’s not convenient to discuss the details right now. I’ll tell you after we get out."

The others understood and tacitly agreed not to bring it up again. Only Song Lutong was completely in the dark. He slung an arm around Song Changsheng’s shoulder, grinning from ear to ear as he asked animatedly, "Changsheng, do you know who got the Stalactite Spiritual Liquid this time?"

The man was an open book. Seeing his excitement, Song Changsheng already had a good idea of the answer, but he played along. "Who?"

"Look no further than who’s right in front of you," Song Lutong said, puffing out his chest with a confident expression that all but screamed the answer.

Song Changsheng decided to tease him, feigning surprise. "Oh, so it was Aunt Luyue!"

Song Lutong’s face fell. He hooked a thick arm around Song Changsheng’s neck and grumbled, "What’s wrong with your eyes, you brat? It was me! Can’t you see your own uncle standing right here in front of you?"

"Oh, so it was you, Uncle!" Song Changsheng said, feigning a sudden realization as he cupped his hands in congratulations.

"Damn, that was so half-hearted," Song Lutong said, glaring at him in dissatisfaction.

Song Changsheng just smiled faintly. ’His congratulations were actually sincere. Even though I didn’t get the opportunity myself, as long as it didn’t fall into an outsider’s hands, it’s a good thing.’

Song Changsheng found a spot and sat down cross-legged, joining the others in waiting quietly for the exit to open.

’How could he have come back alive? How is this possible?’ Among the three remaining members of the Earth Fire Sect, the oldest, a middle-aged Cultivator, stared at Song Changsheng, his heart filled with shock and doubt.

The Qiu Clan disciples also kept glancing toward the Earth Fire Sect. They were all aware that Qiu Wenwei had left with the Earth Fire Sect’s Young Sect Leader.

The disciples from the other clans were also whispering amongst themselves, occasionally pointing at the members of the Earth Fire Sect and the Qiu Clan.

"Master Zhong, Senior Brother and the Young Sect Leader still haven’t returned. Could they have...?" one of the Earth Fire Sect disciples asked, his face pale as he looked at the middle-aged Cultivator in the lead.

Master Zhong’s eyes widened as he snapped back in a low, angry voice, "What nonsense are you spouting? With Nephew Zhang’s and the Young Sect Leader’s strength, who could possibly harm them?"

The two Earth Fire Sect disciples shrank back and didn’t dare say another word.

As time passed, the three from the Earth Fire Sect grew increasingly restless, as if sitting on pins and needles. They constantly tried to contact Chang Tianhua and Zhang Zhiyuan with their Communication Jade Tokens, occasionally peering toward the cave entrance, hoping to see the two of them arrive late.

But they were doomed to be disappointed.

The minutes and seconds ticked away. By the final half of the ancient hour, the other three had still not appeared, and they remained unreachable.

All signs indicated that the three of them had likely met with disaster.

The people from the Earth Fire Sect finally lost their patience. Master Zhong stood up, his eyes fixed on Song Changsheng, and roared, "You brat from the Song Clan! What did you do to our Young Sect Leader?"

The Qiu Clan members also stood up. "And Qiu Wenwei, one of our Qiu Brothers," one said coldly. "We hope the Song Clan can provide an explanation."

The actions of the two clans instantly drew everyone’s attention. The crowd immediately stopped their discussions and speculations, backing away to watch the drama unfold from a safe distance.

Faced with their questioning, Song Changsheng didn’t even lift an eyelid, showing no intention of acknowledging them.

Instead, it was Song Lutong who shot to his feet with a RUSTLE, pointing at Master Zhong’s nose and cursing, "You dogs from the Earth Fire Sect, watch your damn mouths! Your little whelp goes missing, and you try to sling mud on my nephew?

It’s not like those two of yours are a couple of young maidens. Are you suspecting they went on a date with my nephew or something?"

Master Zhong was so enraged he saw stars. No one had ever dared to insult him like this before.

"Song Lutong, your words are a bit too harsh. People are missing. We are merely asking for an account of what happened," a square-faced, middle-aged man from the Qiu Clan said in a grave voice.

"An account? Are you all blind, deaf, or dead? Someone goes missing and you come to us for an account? Have you no shame?" Song Lutong was on a roll, his expression unchanging even as he faced multiple opponents.

Master Zhong’s face was as dark as ink. He ignored the frenzied Song Lutong and stared at Song Changsheng behind him. "Brat from the Song Clan," he said, seething with anger, "I’ll ask you one more time. Where is my Young Master?"

Song Luping took a step forward and said coldly, "You keep insisting that your Young Sect Leader’s disappearance is related to my nephew. May I ask what evidence you have?"

"Exactly! Don’t make accusations without proof. How old is my nephew? You think he could take care of all three of them by himself? What a load of bullshit!" Song Lutong cursed, crossing his arms and showing them no respect whatsoever.

"I think the Fellow Daoists from the Song Clan make a good point. To our friends from the Qiu Clan and the Earth Fire Sect, accusations require evidence."

From the Wang Clan’s camp, a young woman in a dark-colored long dress stood up and said calmly.

"Wang Qianqian, don’t go looking for trouble where there is none," a Qiu Clan disciple shot back, glaring at her.

Wang Qianqian glanced at them and said nonchalantly, "I was just speaking a word of fairness. What’s there to get so worked up about?"

"Indeed. Your two clans’ Medicinal Gardens are so far from the Song Clan’s, not even in the same direction. They wouldn’t have even run into each other," said Li Hengzong from the Li Clan’s camp, stepping forward while lightly fanning himself with a folding fan.

The faces of the Earth Fire Sect disciples flushed red. One of them blurted out, "The Young Sect Leader and Senior Brother went specifically after Song Changsheng! Now he’s back perfectly fine, but the Young Sect Leader has vanished. If he didn’t do it, who did?"

His words were like a stone tossed into a calm lake, sending ripples through the crowd. Everyone’s gaze fell on the disciple who had spoken. For a moment, the entire cavern fell silent.

The Earth Fire Sect disciple instantly realized his slip of the tongue, and panic flooded his heart.

Master Zhong shot him a savage look, wishing he could slap this loose-lipped fool to death. ’Is this the kind of thing you can say out in the open?’

"Fellow Daoist Zhong, I believe it is *you* who owes the Song Clan an explanation! For all these years in the Secret Realm, we have always held back from dealing lethal blows. Yet you sent people to hunt down and kill my nephew. Do you truly think the Song Clan has no one to answer to?!"

Song Luping’s cold, harsh roar shook the cavern.

Song Lutong and Song Luyue immediately stepped forward and summoned their Magical Artifacts, looking ready to fight at a moment’s notice. Although Song Chang’an remained motionless, the sword he held clinked out of its sheath by an inch, radiating Sword Light.

"Fellow Daoist Zhong, you broke the rules," Wang Qianqian and Li Hengzong said as they also moved forward with their people. The air was thick with tension.

"Fellow Daoists, please calm down. There must be a misunderstanding here. Why don’t we let the elders decide after we leave?" A member of the Yu Clan stepped out to smooth things over and de-escalate, while also giving Master Zhong a meaningful look.

"Hmph!" Master Zhong snorted coldly and fell silent. The current situation was not in their favor. If a fight really broke out, they would be at a great disadvantage, especially since they were missing three of their main combatants.

"The exit is open!" someone suddenly shouted.

"Everyone, the exit will only be open for a quarter of an hour. Don’t miss your chance. Settle any grudges after you get out."

The tense atmosphere in the cavern eased slightly, and people began to leave in the order they had arrived.

As soon as Song Changsheng was out, he immediately gave Song Xianyun a full, unvarnished account of what had happened in the Secret Realm. After all, the three he had killed were no small-time characters.

"What?" Song Xianyun was shocked, his joy over Song Lutong obtaining the Stalactite Spiritual Liquid completely washed away.

"We need to leave now. Chang Wudao is probably on his way," Song Xianyun said in a low, grave tone. ’Chang Tianhua was Chang Wudao’s only son; now that he is dead, how could his father possibly let this go?’

With a wave of his hand, he summoned a Flying Ship. After beckoning the others to board, Song Xianyun prepared to depart.

But unexpectedly, a figure appeared at the most inopportune time, blocking the Flying Ship’s path.

Song Xianyun was anxious, but his expression remained as placid as an old well. "Fellow Daoist Li, what is the meaning of this?"

Li Tiancheng had already heard the whole story from Master Zhong and the others. Knowing that the Sect Leader was on his way, he naturally couldn’t let Song Xianyun and his group leave. He said with a smile:

"I’ve heard there were some misunderstandings among the juniors inside. Our six clans are all one body. It’s best to resolve misunderstandings quickly to avoid hurting our harmony, wouldn’t you agree, Fellow Daoist Song?"

Song Xianyun’s face darkened. "Move!" he said coldly.

"I must ask you to stay and resolve this misunderstanding, Fellow Daoist," Li Tiancheng said, still smiling, but the hand hidden in his sleeve was already secretly gathering Magic.

"Get lost!"

Song Xianyun struck first, engaging Li Tiancheng in a fierce battle in mid-air. For a moment, dust and stones flew as Spiritual Qi churned relentlessly.

Although Li Tiancheng’s strength was considerable, Song Xianyun had the upper hand in terms of Cultivation. He quickly gained the advantage and began to overwhelm him.

Seeing this, the Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Yu and Qiu Clans wanted to step in and help, but they were discreetly blocked by the Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Wang and Li Clans.

Soon, Li Tiancheng was defeated, spitting blood as he was forced to retreat. Song Xianyun had no intention of pursuing him and quickly maneuvered the Flying Ship to depart.

Less than half an ancient hour after they left, Chang Wudao descended upon the Wutong Mountain Range, wrapped in an astonishing aura that sent flocks of birds scattering in terror.

Master Zhong recounted the course of events, his body trembling. When he looked up, he met Chang Wudao’s eyes, which were cold to the extreme.

"S-Sect Leader, please forgive me," Master Zhong stammered, his heart seizing with fear.

Chang Wudao placed a hand on his Celestial Spirit fontanelle. With a gentle jolt, Master Zhong’s heart meridians were shattered, and his life was extinguished instantly.

The remaining two were so terrified they nearly died of fright. They immediately fell to their knees, kowtowing and begging for their lives with tears streaming down their faces...