Ye Qingchenâs words caused a sinking feeling in the hearts of Li Chunsheng and the other two.
He was right. The other party had already broken the rules so blatantly. If they truly aimed to target him, they would only need to delay his teleportation from the Secret Realm slightly. Even if the four major academies raised objections, they wouldnât have much to say.
Thinking of this, Li Chunsheng grew even more worried and said to Ye Qingchen, "Junior Brother Ye, if thatâs the case, youâre in grave danger. As your senior brother, I advise you to leave the Secret Realm immediately. No matter how our academy ranks this time, your performance so far is more than enough to qualify you for the Demon Clan battlefield."
Ye Qingchen shook his head. "Senior Brother Li, donât worry about me. Since those people want to target me, I have no reason to be afraid. Besides, given the current situation in the Secret Realm, theyâll come after me sooner or later. Itâs better to resolve this now and prevent any future troubles!"
In truth, Ye Qingchen wanted to do more than just expose the mastermind. There was something else he couldnât bring himself to tell Li Chunsheng and the others. Elder Yang had emphasized that if Central Celestial Academy didnât win the championship, Ye Qingchen would not be granted the qualification to go to the Demon Clan battlefield.
Without access to the Demon Clan battlefield, I canât enter the Ten Ancient Clans, and Iâll never find Qin Yue.
For Qin Yueâs sake, Ye Qingchen feared no danger. He absolutely had to stay here.
Li Chunsheng and the other two senior brothers exchanged glances and finally nodded. Since Ye Qingchen was so determined, it wasnât right for them to insist.
Moreover, they all understood.
With our current strength, staying by Ye Qingchenâs side would likely make us a burden if heâs ambushed. Heâs already in enough danger. If we stay, it would only make things worse for him!
After considering for a moment, Ye Qingchen said to Li Chunsheng, "Senior Brother Li, weâve traveled so far together. I suggest you head back the way we came, find a place to use these Spirit Pills to break through, and leave the rest to fate."
Without waiting for a reply, Ye Qingchen left the vault and turned to depart.
If my guess is correct and the Saint Heir really wants to deal with me, it wonât be long before other teams find me. The longer I stay here, the more dangerous it will be for Li Chunsheng and the others. As for the opportunities within the Secret Realm, I canât hold out any hope for those anymore. If the Saint Heir is really watching me in secret, he wonât let me have the leisure to search for them.
Ye Qingchen wasnât wrong. After he left the vault, his location was once again updated within the sea of consciousness of the other participants in the Secret Realm.
Seeing how much the Saint Heir cared about Ye Qingchenâs life or death, the students allied with the Saint Heir grew even more fired up.
If I could personally take down Ye Qingchen, I would definitely leave a profound mark in the Saint Heirâs mind! I might even get the chance to follow him in the future and reap endless benefits!
Instantly, the students closest to Ye Qingchenâs location rushed toward him with even greater frenzy. Meanwhile, those who were farther away began frantically slaughtering the disciples of Central Celestial Academy, fuming with annoyance.
After all, even if we canât kill Ye Qingchen, killing disciples from Central Celestial Academy will still earn us a reward from the Saint Heir!
As Ye Qingchen departed, Li Chunsheng and his two companions ran in the opposite direction. Shortly after they left, disciples from the other three major academies arrived at the vault. Finding it empty, they did not linger and instead continued to pursue Ye Qingchen. Some noticed the tracks of Li Chunshengâs trio, but the three of them seemed insignificant compared to the prize of hunting down Ye Qingchen.
Ye Qingchen constantly zigzagged, changing directions and keeping his Dual Pupil Martial Soul activated at all times. This allowed him to sense that he was being continuously followed.
So, my location really is being tracked. If I keep fleeing blindly, Iâll only attract more enemies and put myself in even greater danger.
After some contemplation, Ye Qingchen stopped running.
Instead of facing more unknown enemies, itâs better to deal with the ones whoâve already caught up. There are only so many people in this Secret Realm. As long as I kill enough of them, and do it quickly, my chances of surviving until the end will be much greater.
It wasnât long before two groups arrived. From their attire, Ye Qingchen could tell one group was from Dengtian Academy. It consisted of seven people, with the strongest at the peak of the third layer of the Martial Emperor Realm. The other group was from Qitian Academy. It had nine people, and their strongest had reached the Martial Emperor Realm Fourth Layer.
Clearly, both groups had experienced battles on their way here, which was why they werenât at full strength. Still, facing sixteen Martial Emperor Realm opponents at once was overwhelming for Ye Qingchen, especially since one of them was a fourth-layer Martial Emperor.
After the two groups caught up with Ye Qingchen, they didnât rush to attack. Instead, they exchanged glances, seeming to want to discuss who had the right to kill him.
But at that moment, Li Ruiâs voice reached the minds of both parties simultaneously. "Attack together. As long as Ye Qingchen is killed, your contributions will be the same!"
Li Ruiâs words instantly made the two teams put aside their mutual caution. Rubbing their hands eagerly, they encircled Ye Qingchen.
Disciples from two different academies collaborating... Iâd never believe there wasnât someone pulling the strings. Now Iâm certain. The one targeting me has to be the Saint Heir. No one else has this kind of influence.
As Ye Qingchen contemplated how to break free of this predicament, his heart couldnât help but worry about Qin Yue. The Saint Heirâs sudden move against him made Ye Qingchen most anxious about whether Qin Yue would be harmed.
Knowing that the Saint Heir was monitoring him and could hear him speak, Ye Qingchen shouted, "You can send people to deal with me, but if you dare harm a single hair on Qin Yueâs head, I will utterly obliterate your Ten Ancient Clans!"
Not only did the Saint Heir hear him, but so did Qin Yue. Her nose tingled, and her beautiful eyes couldnât help but moisten with tears.