Chapter 197

Chapter 197: Lu Shi Qing Leaves the Team

Bai Mu Mu kept smiling at the silent projection, knowing the audience on Fengling Terrace could not hear their voices. She said lightly: “Fourth senior brother, do you need me to remind you that I am the Flying Cloud Sect’s Young Sect Master? Since when do you make decisions for me?”

Luo Chu, who had never been mocked like this, snapped: “You…”

Lu Shi Qing pulled him back and stepped right in front of Bai Mu Mu. He asked in a level tone: “I will ask only once. Are you going to find her or not?”

Bai Mu Mu met his eyes and toyed with the Score Token as she asked: “Third senior brother, is that a threat? If I say no, what can you do? They will not follow your orders.”

Lu Shi Qing let out a cold, short laugh and said: “Then I will go by myself.”

He turned and strode away.

No one expected Lu Shi Qing to be so reckless as to leave the team on the spot. In the Secret Realm, teams traveled together for a reason. Everyone knew how dangerous it was to move alone. Lu Shi Qing’s move was a public slap to Bai Mu Mu’s face, seen by people both inside and outside the Secret Realm. In all past Sect Grand Tournaments, when had a team’s inner conflict driven someone to quit the team?

Even Bai Mu Mu, who was good at acting, could barely hold her smile now.

Luo Chu’s voice went high with shock as he turned to the others: “Senior brothers, are we just going to watch him act alone?”

Bai Mu Mu’s patience was gone. She said with a cold edge: “If you want to go with him, go. I will not stop you. But I will say it now: bear the consequences yourselves.”

Feng He Yun, Wen Xuan, and Luo Chu all wanted to run after Lu Shi Qing to look for Shen Sang Ruo, but after a moment of thought they held back. Shen Dao Chen, Master Ling Xiao, and many others were watching from Fengling Terrace at this very moment. If they also went rogue, how much damage would it do to the Flying Cloud Sect, and what punishment would they face? They were not as wild as Lu Shi Qing, not ready to ignore the cost.

Bai Mu Mu’s face sank as she gave her order: “If he wants to die, why stop him? Everyone else, follow me.”

The Flying Cloud Sect team moved on to keep seizing points.

After leaving, Lu Shi Qing summoned countless gu insects until they formed a dark cloud around him. He gave a single command: “Find her.” The gu insects scattered in all directions. Keeping so many gu insects active took a huge amount of spiritual power. Sweat beaded quickly on his forehead. But he had to find Shen Sang Ruo in the Secret Realm. Only here did he have a chance. He tightened his grip on the item in his hand. [I must reach her.]

This chaos left the spectators on Fengling Terrace stunned.

Someone exclaimed: “What is the Flying Cloud Sect doing? How can their inner conflict be this bad?”

Another said: “They were first place last time, yet now a member walked out. That is rare.”

A third pointed at the image and said: “It looks like he had a fight with Bai Mu Mu. He spoke to her, then left. He is her senior brother and a disciple under Master Ling Xiao.”

One more spectator sighed: “Is she not the Young Sect Master? Can she not mediate? She just let him go? I had just praised her.”

Team contests prize teamwork most of all. A team that split like this would be judged unfit by the crowd.

Countless probing gazes turned toward the Flying Cloud Sect’s viewing platform, to see how they would react. Immortal Lord Chang Li and his companions watched as if enjoying a show.

Shen Dao Chen kept his expression steady, still looking like the master of a great sect. But under his sleeve his hand clenched tight. He cast a sidelong look at Master Ling Xiao, as if blaming him for teaching such undisciplined disciples.

Master Ling Xiao’s brows knitted, a thin anger in his eyes. [Good. Very good.] His gut told him that Lu Shi Qing’s reckless choice had everything to do with Shen Sang Ruo. He had spoiled his disciples too much, making them forget their place. When Lu Shi Qing came out of the Secret Realm, he would be punished. Master Ling Xiao even considered expelling him.

Shen Dao Chen’s first reaction was deep displeasure toward Lu Shi Qing. Then his look toward Bai Mu Mu also shifted. Doubts about her ability finally started to affect him. [If Shen Sang Ruo were leading…]

A cultivator stroked his chin while scanning several projections and said: “The Heavenly Sword Sect, Beast Taming Sect, Red Desert, and Jiang Clan are almost at the Earth-tier Zone.”

Someone asked with surprise: “What about the Ninghua Sect? Weren’t they also heading straight for the Earth-tier Zone, and not slowly either?”

Another answered: “They seem to be held up by a demonic beast in the Mystic-tier Zone.”

A skeptic frowned: “Huh? Demonic beasts in the Mystic-tier Zone only have early to mid Golden Core strength. How could they delay the Ninghua Sect?”

People knew the five from the Ninghua Sect could handle more than a dozen Late Golden Core cultivators without trouble.

A voice spoke up from the back: “I remember a strange tree in the Mystic-tier Zone of this Secret Realm.”

Someone immediately followed: “Do you mean…”

Many cultivators who had been here the last time this Secret Realm opened remembered at once.

Another groaned: “No way. If so, their luck is terrible.”

Shen Dao Chen’s eyes moved slightly. It seemed Shen Sang Ruo’s team in the Ninghua Sect was not doing so well either. He felt relief. [My judgment was not wrong.]

Inside the Secret Realm, Shen Sang Ruo and her group passed through one forest and stepped onto a flat stretch of grassland. Not far ahead, a small patch of woods stood out, looking especially strange on the open grass. The trees were not tall and looked ordinary.

Shen Sang Ruo glanced back. The forest behind them had shrunk to a deep green line at the edge of sky and earth. They had come far.

She looked ahead. The leaves and the vines on the branches swayed gently in the wind. Beyond the overlapping green, black and white flashed faintly. The scene felt peaceful, but a hint of eeriness ran through it. She narrowed her eyes and raised a hand to stop the others.

She said softly: “That grove is not right. We will go around it.”

Ye Huai and the others did not think anything in the Mystic-tier Zone could threaten them, but since Shen Sang Ruo had spoken, they trusted her judgment and said: “Alright, we will listen to you.”

They were about to skirt wide when, in the next heartbeat, countless branches shot out from the grove and wove themselves into a giant net that fell over them. The leaves on the branches were black and white. The wood itself mixed black and white as well, wrapped by thin green vines. That was the hint of color Shen Sang Ruo had glimpsed through the green a moment before.

It was called the Yin-Yang Tree.

The branches of this tree were extremely flexible. Ordinary blades could not harm them at all.