Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lin Heng casually observed the others.
The Purple Void Sect had sent an elder in the early stages of Returning to Void, accompanied by twenty disciples.
The Ballad of the Clear Moon was led by a woman in white, her face covered with a white veil, showing only a pair of phoenix eyes. She was followed by about thirty disciples, most of whom were female.
The sect Ballad of the Clear Moon was very mysterious, having stood on the Tianxuan Continent for thousands of years without ever revealing any sensational secrets.
To the world, they seemed reclusive, yet their presence was often seen at many important events.
It was rumored that the Sect Master of the Ballad of the Clear Moon had already broken through to the Integration stage, and the five great elders within the sect all possessed half-step Integration power.
Since this sect had hardly ever shown its strength, no one knew how high its overall combat power was.
Even so, no major sect on the Tianxuan Continent was willing to oppose them.
Others might not know the details of the Ballad of the Clear Moon, but that didn't mean Lin Heng was completely in the dark.
This woman in white was only known by the single name "Qiu," and no one knew her full name. Even other sects could only address her as "Friend Qiu."
Lin Heng speculated that she must be listed in the Beauty Registry, perhaps even ranked above Meng Yutong, as at their level, beauty was a given.
The higher one's cultivation, the less likely one was to encounter someone unattractive.
Just as Lin Heng was surveying the scene, there was a sudden disturbance from Unfallen Mountain.
Piao Fangyuan, the Ghost Algorithm Core, immediately tossed the Calculation Disc into the air, forming a seal with one hand. With a loud boom, the entire mountain seemed to be enveloped by a fine mesh.
Under the halo of light, the formation seal appeared before everyone.
In that instant, a mysterious dark blue gate emerged on the formation seal.
Piao Fangyuan shouted, "Fellow Daoists, the gate to the secret realm is open. Follow me inside!"
Soon, under his lead, more than 200 people from various sects entered the secret realm.
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Within the secret realm, spiritual energy was abundant, and mist swirled around.
The first thing that caught the eye were two broken horizontal walls, resembling the main pillars of a grand hall, supporting a void that seemed endless.
A skeleton lay against the wall, casting an ominous shadow over the entire realm.
It was oppressive.
That was Lin Heng's first impression.
Perhaps it was due to the gloomy color scheme.
Not long after entering this realm, someone suddenly pointed to a giant pit in the distance and shouted, "Look over there."
Everyone followed her finger.
The pit was vast, filled with a large number of white bones, exuding a chilling aura.
"Hiss~ I can feel the power of Integration here; there are remains of an Integration-level master!"
"Indeed, this place resembles an execution ground in a mortal kingdom." An elder from a major sect pointed to an execution platform not far from the pit, "To have killed so many people at once, including an Integration-level master, shows how prosperous this realm once was."
An Integration-level cultivator would be considered a giant in today's cultivation world, yet this sacrificial ground, which stored the remains of executed criminals, had once slaughtered an Integration-level cultivator.
Compared to elders from other sects, Piao Fangyuan and his group appeared much calmer.
"Fellow Daoists, this is just the outermost part of the Nation-Destroying Secret Realm. The real opportunities lie further inside. Let's continue."
Piao Fangyuan, holding the Calculation Disc, continued to lead the way.
[Ding! System Plot Hint!]
[Seven Stars Six Positions Array: Formed by seven people, combining the power of six...]
The sudden system prompt left Lin Heng momentarily stunned.
Especially the subsequent plot developments, which almost made him exclaim in surprise.
[This formation is quite formidable. It turns out Meng Yutong was severely injured, her cultivation fell, and it was all related to Ye Tian.]
A stray thought in his mind startled the three women, Meng Yutong included.
Meng Yutong: "Formation? My cultivation fall is related to Ye Tian?"
Yun Yao: "Oh my! Lin Heng is saying that Master will be severely injured and her cultivation will fall?"
Mu Liuxi: "Master's strength is extraordinary. Could there be some deadly danger in this secret realm?"
The three women were immediately intrigued, but after waiting for a long time, Lin Heng's mind went silent.
As the person involved, Lin Heng hadn't realized that the three women had moved a little closer to him.
"How annoying, can't you be a bit clearer? What exactly happened to Master?"
Yun Yao wanted to roll up her sleeves and make him spill it all out.
After carefully reading the plot hint, Lin Heng continued to mutter to himself, "No wonder, no wonder!"
[It turns out the Heavenly Mechanism Sect had long known the location of the Nation-Destroying Secret Realm. They had sent people here before, but the secret realm was filled with barriers that they couldn't break on their own.]
[The Purple Void Sect and the Ballad of the Clear Moon were their first choices for cooperation. The Heavenly Mechanism Sect wanted to use the Seven Stars Six Positions Array to break the barriers, but they needed someone to act as the formation core.]
[It's obvious that being the formation core is the most dangerous role. Any backlash would affect the person in the core, while the other six would remain unharmed.]
[My foolish master was brought in as a tool...]
Lin Heng shook his head slightly, feeling a bit regretful.
From what he knew of Meng Yutong, she was definitely unaware of the dangers of the Seven Stars Six Positions Array, and she might not even know she was the formation core.
But that was just the first step in her cultivation decline.
Now, Meng Yutong's severe injuries were a certainty, and Lin Heng naturally wouldn't intervene.
His main quest was to follow the plot and turn Ye Tian into a rebel disciple.
And then receive the supreme reward.
As Lin Heng thought about this, he couldn't help but smile, unaware that his little schemes had already been overheard.
Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi frowned slightly, their expressions complex. Since Lin Heng could predict what would happen, he refused to give even a slight warning, choosing instead to watch as their master walked into the fire pit.
The two initially thought of sending a message to their master, but then reconsidered how they would explain it.
Should they say Lin Heng said it, and they could hear his thoughts?
Clearly, that wasn't the best explanation.
Even if they said it, Meng Yutong would certainly not believe it.
They believed Lin Heng knew more, and if they alerted him, they couldn't just tie him up and interrogate him.
Ultimately, after much deliberation, they couldn't find a suitable excuse to speak up.
With Lin Heng around, at least there wouldn't be any life-threatening danger.
Meng Yutong's hand, hidden in her sleeve, clenched the fabric tightly, her eyes filled with anger. If not for her remaining rationality, she would have wanted to hang Lin Heng up and give him a good beating.
Ye Tian's coercion of their master into misconduct was unforgivable.
But knowing and not reporting, aiding and abetting, allowing her, their master, to fall into a trap, shouldn't he be equally guilty?
Seeing herself being schemed against, he was still smiling so happily.
In all fairness, up to this point, as a master, apart from punishing him for not being diligent in his duties, she hadn't particularly bullied him!
She decided that once they returned, she would find an excuse to teach him a lesson and let him feel the master's love.
But just as this thought emerged, she suddenly paused.
'Wait a minute! Just because I can hear his thoughts doesn't mean he knows I can. Without his thoughts, even if he said it, I might not believe it!'
After calming her anger, Meng Yutong realized her previous thoughts were a bit absurd. Ultimately, their master-disciple relationship hadn't truly solidified yet.
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