In less than ten minutes, the afterglow from the sky had become dimmer and the surrounding Spirit Qi had grown denser. It was as if someone had poured large amounts of Spirit Qi into the Upper Azure World. There were even faint wisps of Spirit Qi lingering in the horizon.

　　Could what the immortal said be true? Everyone felt a shiver of fear. That glow they saw earlier must have been the sign that the Heavenly Gate was open. Were those beams of light really… the immortals who were coming to annihilate the world?!

　　Why did the immortals from the upper realm want to attack those in the lower realm?

　　“Sect Master, what should we do now?” asked Yu Hong sombrely, trying to suppress her apprehension.

　　Shen Ying pondered for a while before replying, “Which sect has the most people now?”

　　For a moment, there was silence as everyone was baffled by her question. It was Yi Qing who stepped forward and answered, “Master, as the date for the recruitment of sect disciples has just passed, the various sects are now probably in the process of conducting the qualifying tests. The place with the most people should be… the three great aristocratic families!”

　　Nodding her head, Shen Ying was about to say something when a disciple carrying two pieces of jade tablets rushed in to report, “Sect Master, we’ve just received a message from the Yin and Xuan Yuan Families. They have met with strong adversaries and request our help.”

　　Everyone sucked in their breaths at the news. They now understood that if the immortals intended on annihilating the world, the first thing they would do was to head for the place with the most people.

　　Shen Ying hurriedly gave out orders to her sect members.

　　“Chef, go to the Vegetable Family. If you meet the immortals there don’t pit yourself against them, get away if you can. If that’s not possible, delay them, I’m going to the Yin Family, but I’ll join you as soon as I can.”

　　“OK, Master,” replied Yi Qing with a nod. As time was short, he summoned his sword and was about to leave when he suddenly turned around, having thought of something. “Master, bring Radish along with you.”

　　“… Got it.”

　　Reassured, Yi Qing flew off.

　　Shen Ying’s mouth twitched. Turning to Yu Hong, she continued, “Little Hong, take Father Niu and the other disciples to the Rabbit’s place immediately. Don’t leave the Demon Realm until I come back.”

　　“Yes, Sect Master,” Yu Hong paused in thought for a moment before adding. “What about the Yi Family?”

　　“The Director has the long worm to back him up, they should be all right for the moment.”

　　Long… worm. What the hell was that?

　　“Radish, let’s go!” Shen Ying called out.

　　“Ji!” Whirling his body, Radish immediately transformed back into a radish and held onto her leg.

　　Shen Ying pondered for a while, then she turned and stamped her leg on the lifeless body on the ground to check if he was truly dead. Only after that did she turn to leave. In a flash, she was gone.

　　This looks like it will be a big project. What a bother.

　　——————

　　Five minutes later.

　　A girl and a radish looked in perplexity at the dense forest in front of them.

　　“Radish… I thought you said you knew the route?” Where the heck is this place?

　　“Ji…” He did know the route, but the afterglow in the sky had caused the surrounding scenery to change, what could he do? “Ji ji ji ji ji…”

　　“Speak the human language.”

　　“Maybe I should ask… the spirit herbs? They should know this place?” Radish immediately hopped down from her leg and jumped into the grass patch by the side. Before long he returned and reported, “They told me to get lost.” The spirit herbs outside are so unfriendly.

　　Shen Ying’s mouth twitched, feeling suddenly agitated. If she had known this radish was so unreliable, she would not have arranged for Chef and herself to go on separate missions. Now what to do? This was not like the other time where she had met with a kind little…

　　Huh?

　　Shen Ying could not believe her eyes for a moment. Elated, she dashed forwards, waving her hands forcefully, “Little Brother!”

　　The person she was calling out to continued on his way as if he had not heard her. Shen Ying had no choice but to raise her voice, “Little Brother, the one dressed in green and white like a radish!”

　　The “white radish” in the sky braked suddenly, almost falling from his sword.

　　“…” What the hell?

　　It was only now that the man realized that he was the one being called. Looking puzzled, he scanned his surroundings for a while before he finally spotted a familiar-looking figure waving at him.

　　He reflexively descended to take a closer look. “You… Aren’t you the one who lost her way the other time. Shen…?” Shen something or other.

　　“Shen Ying,” Shen Ying introduced herself. She stepped forward happily and said, “Little Brother, long time no see.”

　　“Not long, just a few months. Miss Shen, are you…” As he looked at her, a thought crossed his mind. “You haven’t… lost your way again?”

　　“You’re right!” replied Shen Ying, nodding her head vigorously.

　　“Hmm….” His mouth twitched. “Lost your way twice in the same forest?”

　　“Huh? Is this the same forest?” She really had no idea.

　　“Yeah, this is Cang Nan Forest, it’s a forest right outside the Yin Skycity,” the man explained.

　　“Didn’t I tell you I’m a disciple of the Scarlet Sun Sect? My sect happens to be located at the Yin Skycity border, so I have to pass by here often.”

　　“Oh.” Nodding her head, Shen Ying asked, “Then can I trouble Little Brother to lead me again? This time to Yin Skycity.”

　　“I’m afraid I can’t this time!” Frowning, he apologized, “I’ve received an urgent directive from my sect, all disciples are to head back to the Scarlet Sun Sect immediately, so I’ve no time to take you there.”

　　“Oh…” Shen Ying’s face fell.

　　Feeling sorry for her, the Little Brother added, “Why don’t you follow me out of this Cang Nan Forest first. It’s close to Yin Skycity, anyway.”

　　“OK, thanks Little Brother,” Shen Ying nodded. “Which direction?”

　　“Just keep north.” He pointed to his right and was about to mount his sword to lead the way.

　　Suddenly, he felt a tug on his hand. Grabbing his arm, Shen Ying said, “I’m rushing for time, let me take you there this time.”

　　Everything seemed to whizz past him in a blur. Within moments, they had left the forest and were standing on a wide stretch of road.

　　They… were out of the forest!

　　(⊙_⊙)

　　That was incredibly fast!

　　He looked in wonder at the person beside him. Did she possess some high level transposition technique? He viewed her with a sudden respect. No wonder he was unable to tell her cultivation level. Hurriedly saluting her, he said, “Thanks Senior, follow this road and head south. You’ll soon reach Yin Skycity.”

　　“OK.” Nodding her head, Shen Yin patted the radish on her leg, hoping that it would remember the directions. “Thank you, Little Brother.”

　　“No problem, Senior.” He smiled, then remembering his sect’s directive, he hurriedly added, “My sect’s transportation array is in front. I’ll take my leave.”

　　“Bye!” replied Shen Ying, waving her hands.

　　The Little Brother saluted once again. Then he turned and headed towards the transportation array nearby. Turning his head again, he saw that the girl had disappeared. His respect for her grew. She must be an elder from some sect who had come out on a tour. It was incredible that he had met her twice. Moreover, he cannot tell the depth of her cultivation at all. She must either be a Soul Formation cultivator or a traveling immortal senior.

　　Abandoning his thoughts, he immediately activated the transportation array, in the blink of an eye he was transported to the Scarlet Sun Sect’s mountain summit. The next moment, he froze in horror at the sight before him.

　　How could this be?