Chapter 767: Wait A Little Longer

　　For the first time, Shangguan Jing felt a little sorry for the Heaven-Wrecking Holy Seed. It hadn’t been easy for it to break the seal. Freedom is just so near, yet Liuyue appeared out of nowhere, snatching the force it gathered not only once but several times. I don’t know where it managed to get its hands on that ball of force, but it ended up getting snatched by Liuyue again. It’s only natural that it’d get angry, although it seems a little wary of her.

　　He believed that Chu Liuyue would be no match for the Heaven-Wrecking Holy Seed if she didn’t have the water curtain’s protection, but the reality was that she had it.

　　Speaking of which, the Heaven-Wrecking Holy Seed is the one that pulled her down to this place right from the start. By the look of things, it was just finding trouble for itself! The ancestor slipped his hands into his sleeves as he laughed. The probability of it breaking out of that crystal has gotten even lower, and it’s hard to tell who will eventually emerge as the winner!

　　Chu Liuyue’s aura was still intensifying. Meticulously and patiently, she refined that force and converted it into her own, her flesh and bones slowly becoming stronger in the process.

　　Time slowly trickled past.

　　All of a sudden, Chu Liuyue’s aura intensified considerably. A soft cracking sound was then heard coming from her body—her cultivation base had reached the intermediate fifth stage!

　　Isn’t she breaking through a tad too quickly?! Shangguan Jing subconsciously glanced at the hourglass in shock. Although he had already made some mental preparations in advance, he still couldn’t help feeling incredulous at Chu Liuyue’s smooth and fast breakthrough. While her Dijing Yuan meridian can’t be compared to a Tianjing Yuan meridian, her cultivation speed is significantly faster than that of an average cultivator with a Dijing Yuan meridian.

　　When she was still Shangguan Yue, her cultivation base was at the advanced eighth stage, which was only a step away from reaching the ninth stage. That experience will indubitably save her a lot of time and effort in her current cultivation journey. Besides, she has Lady Luck on her side. Putting his hands behind his back, the ancestor quietly stared at Chu Liuyue with excitement and appreciation shining in his eyes. Although it’s regrettable that she no longer possesses a Tianjing Yuan meridian, she’s capable enough on her own. I wonder which stage her cultivation base will be when she leaves this place.

　　…

　　Nobody knew what was happening underground.

　　Presently, Shangguan Wan was facing a dilemma of leaving this dangerous place immediately as advised by Mu Qinghe or risking her life and the others to get her hands on the Dancing Lotus. She found it a pity to leave just like that.

　　Everybody turned to look at Shangguan Wan quietly, and even the excited disciples that had been marveling at the Mirror Lake’s beautiful scenery began to feel nervous. Nobody took Mu Qinghe’s warning to heart at first, but Elder Qiuxi’s bizarre death made them instantly realize that this place was completely different from what they had initially expected and that Mu Qinghe wasn’t being an alarmist. In fact, the latter had most likely put it lightly.

　　Most of them had come to Dahuang Swamp in search of the treasures here, but they had to be alive in order to do that. While the Dancing Lotus was indeed a rare treasure, nobody wanted to lose their lives while trying to get it.

　　Shangguan Wan had also realized this point by now. Regardless of who she sent, it would be an unwise decision as that would be akin to sending them to their deaths. However, she truly wanted to get her hands on that Dancing Lotus.

　　When Jiang Yucheng saw how conflicted she looked, he could roughly tell what was running through her mind. “Wan’er, we saw that earlier scene for ourselves. There’s indeed something strange about Mirror Lake. We’ll only suffer heavier casualties if we continue to stay here, so it’s best if we leave now. The Dancing Lotus will be right here anyway, and its flowering period is a few years. Let’s go back to Xi Ling and think of a way to get it before coming back again.”

　　Shangguan Wan remained somewhat unconvinced though. “But… What if something happens to it during our absence?”

　　“You saw how difficult it was to deal with the Dancing Lotus—not even Elder Qiuxi’s life was spared. It won’t be so easy for anyone to take it.”

　　Shangguan Wan gave Jiang Yucheng’s words some thought. That’s true. There aren’t many cultivators who are stronger than Elder Qiuxi in the entire Tianling Dynasty. As long as we keep quiet about the Dancing Lotus, there shouldn’t be much of a problem.

　　Jiang Yucheng spoke to her in a gentler voice. “Besides, we need to get you back to recuperate as soon as possible. We can always come again after you’ve recuperated enough. It won’t take much time anyway.”

　　That finally convinced Shangguan Wan, for her face and body were in serious need of proper healing.

　　Oh well, I doubt I’d get a chance to lay my hands on anyone else. I might as well return to Xi Ling first. Who knows? I might be able to find someone suitable and an opportune time to act. After giving it much thought, Shangguan Wan finally nodded. “Okay.”

　　The deaths of the two elders from the royal family were proof of how dangerous Dahuang Swamp was. If they were any unluckier, they might very well be the next ones to die. Hence, everyone heaved a sigh of relief when they heard Shangguan Wan agreeing to go back.

　　Everyone thus doubled back under Mu Qinghe’s leadership, looking disappointed and demoralized—which was a far cry from the thrill and excitement they felt on their way here. They had come here with high hopes. However, not only did they return empty-handed in the end, but they had also almost lost their lives.

　　Zhu Hong and the rest of the Dragon Teeth Mountain disciples stayed at the back of the group due to them having many injured members. That said, their survival rate was fortunately much higher compared to the other clans since nobody died. This alone was enough to make people envious.

　　The disciples who came on this trip were famous for being geniuses of their respective families and clans. Any one of them dead meant a great loss to the families and clans, but it wasn’t Tian Ji Residence or the other weaker clans that suffered the greatest loss—it was the Purple Xiao Sword Sect!

　　They came with ten people, but only three had survived. Among the three, one was the Purple Xiao Sword Sect’s young master, Song Qingnian. Although the other two had luckily survived, their injuries were so serious that their future cultivation might be affected. Who would’ve thought that the vigorous Purple Xiao Sword Sect would end up in such a state?

　　The sky had completely darkened, and the moon was hanging high above it.

　　After walking for some time, the group finally returned to the Gray Triangle, feeling completely different than when they first stood here.

　　On their left, the lush Mystic Forest had turned into a piece of wilderness land, where the uneven ground was littered with dead branches, leaves, tree trunks, and festering roots. Even from afar, one couldn’t help but shudder at the sight of this piece of ghost land that was shrouded with an eerie atmosphere.

　　Zhu Hong couldn’t resist looking at Mu Qinghe to ask, “Lieutenant Mu, Hong Yu and the others are still inside the Mystic Forest. Can we wait for them a little longer?”