On the side, the high-ranking members of the Misty Sacred Ground in the Northern Wilderness were urgently transmitting messages to Zhangsun Fengye and Zhangsun Qian, urging them to return immediately, their anxiety palpable.
“Wu is my friend; I can’t just stand by and watch him fall into danger,” Zhangsun Fengye declared loudly, deliberately making his stance known to everyone. “This is my personal action and has nothing to do with the Sect.”
“I feel the same,” Zhangsun Qian immediately echoed.
Why was Zhangsun Qian so determined to follow Wu Junyan?
In the past, she was beautiful, exceptionally talented, and held a high status, with countless suitors. Later, she encountered a mishap in her cultivation, drastically changing her appearance, making her extremely ugly.
Only Wu Junyan looked at her with calm eyes, without a trace of disdain or rejection.
In that moment, Zhangsun Qian felt she still had dignity, her heart trembling.
Wu Junyan never cared about others’ appearances. To him, no matter how beautiful a woman was, she was just a skeleton covered in flesh.
“Hurry back, there’s no room for your nonsense.”
Seeing the situation, an Elder of the Misty Sacred Ground extended a giant hand, directly grabbing Zhangsun Fengye and Zhangsun Qian, sealing their bodies so they couldn’t move.
“Release us!” Zhangsun Fengye looked coldly at the Elders, clearly angry.
“Holy Son, now is not the time for impulsiveness. Please forgive our rudeness,” the Elders said, refusing to lift the prohibition and instead strengthening it to prevent Zhangsun Fengye from breaking free.
It wasn’t that the Elders wanted to act this way, but the situation was too complicated to do otherwise.
Anyone with eyes could see that Wu Junyan was already targeted by a group of powerful figures. Anyone who sided with him now would be implicated.
Given the foundation of the Misty Sacred Ground, getting involved could lead to its destruction.
For the sake of the Sacred Ground, they had to stop Zhangsun Fengye and Zhangsun Qian’s actions to prevent disaster.
“Girl, come back,” an Elder from the Song Family of the Ancient Clan transmitted to Song Ningyan, his tone urgent.
“I will stand with my Senior Brother,” Song Ningyan glanced at Chen Qingyuan, showing no intention of leaving.
“This is an order; you cannot push the family into danger.”
The next moment, the high-ranking members of the Song Family forcibly pulled Song Ningyan back, sealing her body just like Zhangsun Fengye’s, rendering any struggle useless.
Even though they stood at the pinnacle among their peers, they couldn’t withstand the methods of the older generation, being suppressed with a flip of the hand.
No matter how talented an evildoer was, without growth, it was useless.
“Young Friend Chen, this matter is serious. I advise you to step aside,” an Elder from the Song Family transmitted to Chen Qingyuan, kindly reminding him.
“I have my own plans, thank you for the reminder,” Chen Qingyuan replied calmly.
Since Chen Qingyuan was not a member of the Song Family, the Elder couldn’t forcibly stop him.
Regarding Chen Qingyuan’s identity and background, only the Old Clan Leader of the Song Family knew, leading to a secret alliance with the Academy. Even the current Clan Leader was unaware, and naturally, the Elders didn’t understand the stakes. If they knew, they would protect Chen Qingyuan at all costs, ensuring he came to no harm.
In an instant, only Chen Qingyuan and Daochen Buddha’s child remained with Wu Junyan.
It wasn’t that others didn’t want to face the danger together, but they were forced to retreat.
“I can understand the actions of the Misty Palace and the Song Family. If I were in their shoes, I’d do the same,” Chen Qingyuan said softly.
“Are you two really not leaving?” Wu Junyan, understanding, turned to Chen Qingyuan with a worried look. “Whether you’re here or not, the situation remains the same.”
“That’s nonsense,” Chen Qingyuan laughed and rolled his eyes at Wu Junyan.
In his heart, Chen Qingyuan thought, “With me here, you still have a chance to escape. If I leave, you’ll be at their mercy.”
At worst, he would use all his trump cards to protect Wu Junyan’s life.
Daochen Buddha’s child had only one task: to protect Chen Qingyuan’s Dao.
So, no matter what choice Chen Qingyuan made, the Buddha’s child would follow him. At critical moments, he could even sacrifice his own life to ensure Chen Qingyuan’s safety.
On the Misty Palace’s warship, Zhangsun Qian struggled, tears glistening in her eyes, unwilling to watch Wu Junyan step into the abyss.
If she could, she would stay with Wu Junyan, even if it meant certain death.
The high-ranking members of the Misty Sacred Ground had too many concerns to let the younger generation act recklessly.
Even if they were resented or even retaliated against by the Holy Son and Holy Daughter afterward, the Elders had to act this way.
“Are you Wu Junyan?”
A few breaths later, an Old One crossed millions of miles of void, arriving in an instant.
“Yes,” Wu Junyan looked up at the Old One, his face calm, without a trace of panic. He had long prepared himself to face death, his heart at peace.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
More and more ancient figures revealed their true forms, afraid of falling behind.
In the vast sea of stars, over five hundred old fellows appeared, all Mahayana cultivators. The number of those hidden in the dark was likely even greater.
Most were powerful figures from the Imperial Province, as this was their home ground. Those from the Western Border and other regions were relatively fewer but equally tempted.
Hundreds of powerful figures under the same starry sky was a sight that terrified the young cultivators, their lips turning pale, bodies trembling slightly, unable to hide their fear.
Wu Junyan seemed doomed.
Anyone could see Wu Junyan’s dire situation. Some watched with schadenfreude, some were indifferent, while most watched the spectacle, feeling it had nothing to do with them.
Without enough strength, even the greatest fortune would be a death sentence.
“I heard you obtained a fragment of an Emperor’s weapon. Is that true?”
An old man with a black face, leaning on a cane, looked frail but was actually a core Elder of the top Sect, No-Dao Cliff, with immense strength.
Wu Junyan looked up at the group of old fellows, silent, without a trace of fear on his face.
“Old One asked you, can’t you hear?”
The old man from No-Dao Cliff squinted his eyes, releasing a trace of Mahayana pressure, trying to intimidate Wu Junyan.
Boom—
A wisp of a powerful figure’s pressure was not something a young person could withstand.
Wu Junyan was directly pushed back a hundred meters, his body suddenly heavy, feeling as if countless mountains were pressing on his shoulders, nearly making him kneel in the void, struggling to support himself.
Chen Qingyuan and Daochen Buddha’s child were unaffected, clearly the pressure was aimed at Wu Junyan.
However, Chen Qingyuan wouldn’t stand by idly, immediately taking out an item.
A golden prayer bead the size of a fist, engraved with ancient Sanskrit, exuding a strong Buddhist aura, filling the sky with Buddhist light.
This was a relic given to Chen Qingyuan by the Old Monk from the Eastern Land, possessing supreme Buddhist authority, capable of subduing all evildoers and intimidating powerful figures from all directions.