Chapter 122 The Truth Revealed — Harboring Remnants of the Demon Race

White Tiger Mirror Domain.

After clearing out the Azure Profound Sect’s formation team, dawn broke, and Tang Wuxun led his people back to the White Tiger Mirror Domain.

The journey went remarkably smoothly. For some reason, Azure Profound Sect’s chief team never found them.

When the plan to encircle the Azure Profound Sect’s formation team was first put into action, Tang Wuxun had been worried, but soon enough, all that remained was exhilaration.

Though risky, they could now say they had gained the upper hand over the Azure Profound Sect.

“Captain, what do we do now?” Yuan Wuxu asked.

Tang Wuxun said, “We’ll take it one step at a time. Azure Profound Sect will discover us sooner or later. When that happens, there’s no point struggling—better to go down decisively. But before that, we must get the others into the second realm. After that, it’s up to them.”

A Clear Thought Sect disciple behind him said, “Captain, don’t worry. We’ll fight with everything we’ve got! We won’t disappoint you!”

Tang Wuxun smiled faintly. “Just do your best. If it’s hopeless, don’t force it—protect yourselves first.”

The Azure Profound Sect would never spare them. If they ran into them, only the chief team could hold them off.

Tang Wuxun knew that relying on the formation team alone wouldn’t win Clear Thought Sect a ranking, but he couldn’t have them and the chief team eliminated together. He had to leave a way out.

“We’re almost at the White Tiger Bronze Platform. Everyone, get ready to enter the second realm.”

Just as Tang Wuxun finished speaking, a group dressed in white flew down from the sky—clearly Azure Profound Sect’s chief team.

The Azure Profound Sect’s chief team landed not far from the Clear Thought Sect’s group. The two sides finally faced each other head-on. Tang Wuxun immediately raised his hand, signaling the talisman cultivators to take the formation team to the White Tiger Bronze Platform.

Gu Qingyu blocked their path. “Trying to run? Do you even see who’s in front of you?”

Ying You stepped forward, blocking the way. “Chief Tang, what a pleasure.”

Tang Wuxun closed his eyes briefly. “…Captain Ying, let’s talk.”

Ying You said, “No need to stall. We only want your lives.”

He didn’t draw his sword. Instead, Jiang Yuechen stepped out beside him, smiling. “To dare lay hands on Azure Profound Sect’s people—you must not be ordinary. I’ve long heard Clear Thought Sect’s talisman cultivators are the best in the world. Let me test that today.”

Tang Wuxun sensed trouble. His fingertips moved slightly, and Yuan Wuxu shot out like an arrow toward Jiang Yuechen.

Seeing this, Gu Qingyu didn’t hold back either. Picking out Clear Thought Sect’s chief sword cultivator, he immediately launched an attack.

The clash erupted instantly, plunging the scene into chaos. Azure Profound Sect had only one chief team, but they were more than enough to suppress everyone on the opposing side. Clear Thought Sect was completely overwhelmed, unable to fight back.

Amid the chaos, Tang Wuxun quickly sent the alchemy cultivators and artifact refiners away. He had the body cultivators and sword cultivators hold the enemy back while he led the team to slip away from the side.

Fengyun Yi spotted them. Feng Huanyin turned back, and their eyes met.

Fengyun Yi fell silent for a second, then shouted sharply, “Feng Huanyin! You can’t escape!”

“…”

Feng Huanyin froze for a moment, frowned slightly, said nothing, and stepped onto Tang Wuxun’s silver kite to fly away.

The Clear Thought Sect members didn’t hold out for long before they were all taken down. Azure Profound Sect’s chief team was swift and ruthless—captured one, eliminated one, no mercy at all.

Yuan Wuxu was pinned by Gu Qingyu. Gong Rumei tried to fight back, but Ying You rested his sword on his neck. “Hand over everything you have.”

Feeling the cold blade at his throat, Gong Rumei glanced down and saw the blade etched with a wild goose motif. His face stayed blank as he said calmly, “I can’t beat you. But don’t ever think you’ll take anything from me.”

The next moment, he rammed himself into Ying You’s blade.

“Clear Thought Sect’s chief sword cultivator Gong Rumei eliminated, about to be expelled from the illusion realm…”

Ying You glanced at the blood on his sword and said coldly, “Catch Tang Wuxun. Leave none alive.”

Yuan Wuxu was searched and stripped of all he carried, then Gu Qingyu knocked him out with a punch and expelled him.

At the White Tiger Bronze Platform, Tang Wuxun was almost there—just a short distance from the White Tiger Mirror.

He planned to send the alchemy cultivators and main force of the formation team into the second realm to hide. But the moment he jumped off the silver kite, he froze on the spot.

On the White Tiger Bronze Platform, the White Tiger Mirror that should have been glowing was already shattered. Only a small shard of the mirror remained, the larger surface completely gone. Messy footprints dotted the nearby sand.

For an instant, Tang Wuxun’s mind went blank. “?”

“What happened?” Feng Huanyin looked puzzled too. “Who was here… How could the Four Symbols Mirror be smashed? The sect leader never said it could be destroyed.”

Tang Wuxun knew they couldn’t escape anymore. He took a deep breath, turned around, and saw the Azure Profound Sect catching up.

He cursed, “Azure Profound Sect is outrageous! You were the ones who wanted to encircle us first—we only fought back!”

The newly arrived Azure Profound Sect chief team: “?”

Gu Qingyu retorted, “Who encircled you first? Lying through your teeth! You think Clear Thought Sect is worth our time? We didn’t even care about you.”

If Clear Thought Sect hadn’t meddled with the Azure Profound Sect this time, they wouldn’t even have remembered its existence in the illusion realm.

To get to the bottom of who made the move, they’d even been forced to strike a deal with Crimson Sky Sect and sacrifice all their spiritual plants and materials for the next round.

“What do you mean?” Tang Wuxun was stunned. “You didn’t join hands with Returning Immortal Sect?”

Ying You’s eyes glinted. “So it really is connected to Returning Immortal Sect.”

He sheathed his sword. “What did you learn?”

Tang Wuxun spilled everything he knew. Seeing the expression on Azure Profound Sect’s chiefs, he finally realized he’d been tricked.

“Impossible. Returning Immortal Sect’s chief team was in the second realm the whole time—they couldn’t have touched Shen Wuxie…” Feng Huanyin said. “Crimson Sky Sect didn’t do it, you didn’t do it—then who eliminated Shen Wuxie?”

Fengyun Yi suddenly guessed, “Could it have been Returning Immortal Sect’s Lian Mu?”

Everyone fell silent for a moment. “…”

Jiang Yuechen: “…”

That familiar habit of stirring up trouble did sound like Lian Mu.

“I see.” Ying You’s face was calm, betraying no joy or anger. “But regardless, you’re all getting eliminated now.”

…

…

“Clear Thought Sect’s chief alchemy cultivator Feng Huanyin eliminated, about to be expelled from the illusion realm…”

“Clear Thought Sect’s chief artifact refiner Tang Wuxun eliminated, about to be expelled from the illusion realm…”

“Clear Thought Sect’s formation team…”

When Tang Wuxun emerged from the Pangu Illusion Realm, his face was utterly blank. He gave the Clear Thought Sect disciples just a fleeting glance before heading to the sect’s resting area.

The other chiefs came out with him—unsurprisingly, a total wipeout.

The moment they clashed with Azure Profound Sect, Tang Wuxun knew escape was impossible. But he hadn’t expected Azure Profound Sect to strike so mercilessly, leaving no room at all.

Clear Thought Sect disciples tried to console him. “Captain, this isn’t your fault.”

“It’s all Returning Immortal Sect’s doing—they’re despicable, tricking us again and again!”

“If Shen had been more careful, we definitely would have beaten Returning Immortal Sect this round.”

At the mention of Shen Wuxie, Tang Wuxun’s head ached. Because the chief talisman cultivator was so gullible, believing anything anyone said, their sect had been humiliated on their own turf. It was too shameful to speak of.

“Where is Shen Wuxie?” Tang Wuxun asked coldly.

A disciple whispered, “Um… the chief said it was too boring here, so he went back to the Shen family. He’s badly injured and needs to recover properly.”

“…”

He didn’t need to think twice—knowing Shen Wuxie’s nature, he was probably living comfortably at home right now.

Tang Wuxun pressed his lips together, finally unable to hold it in and cursed under his breath.

None of the Clear Thought Sect disciples dared make a sound. It was their first time seeing the leader lose his temper—Tang Wuxun had never lost composure in front of so many people before.

“Since he likes staying home so much, then let him rest until the Immortal Sect Grand Competition is over,” Tang Wuxun snapped. “From today on, the position of Clear Thought Sect’s chief talisman cultivator is no longer his.”

“Ah?”

Tang Wuxun said coldly, “I’ll speak to the sect master myself. He’s out of the chief team—if he doesn’t leave, then I will.”

Yuan Wuxu and Gong Rumei said nothing at the side. Feng Huanyin seemed lost in thought, head lowered the entire time.

“Where’s Baili Yu?” Tang Wuxun asked.

A disciple handed over the recording stone. “He’s still in the second realm.”

Tang Wuxun let out a breath of relief. “As long as he’s still there, that’s good.”

Though Baili Yu was reckless, compared to Shen Wuxie, at least he had real strength and could protect himself. As long as he stayed in the second realm, the Azure Profound Sect’s chief team wouldn’t find him for now.

It was a pity that the White Tiger mirror had been smashed—Clear Thought Sect’s passage to and from the second realm was destroyed, so Baili Yu couldn’t get out. Now, they could only bet that if the Fire Core Flower bloomed in the second realm, Clear Thought Sect would still have hope…

Tang Wuxun asked, “Did you watch the recording? Who smashed our Four Symbols Mirror?”

“It was someone from the Returning Immortal Sect.”

Tang Wuxun’s eyes darkened. “Them again… damn it. What’s wrong with the Returning Immortal Sect this year, always pulling these underhanded tricks?”

“It was their second-seat sword cultivator,” a Clear Thought Sect disciple said meekly. “This second-seat isn’t simple. She killed the mirror guardian beast alone. The elders say she might be a hidden Heavenly Spiritual Root…”

At these words, the chief disciples of Clear Thought Sect were all stunned.

“What?”

Tang Wuxun suddenly recalled the flame he had seen in the illusion realm. “Could it be… no wonder the Returning Immortal Sect’s chief team got out of the second realm—it was her.”

“Doesn’t that mean the Returning Immortal Sect is about to turn things around? With a Heavenly Spiritual Root sword cultivator, their sect will directly—”

“You don’t need to worry.” From above, a senior Clear Thought Sect sword cultivator descended, landing among them.

All the disciples looked at him, waiting for what he would say next.

“Her identity is suspicious. She might be a demon race member.”

“Demon race!?”

The Clear Thought Sect sword elder said, “The sect master has already decided to investigate her personally. But if we can’t confirm it fully in a short time, just to be safe, she won’t be allowed to participate in the next illusion realm.”

Tang Wuxun didn’t quite catch on immediately. The elder patted him on the shoulder. “Go rest. The Returning Immortal Sect won’t be causing trouble anytime soon—they won’t threaten us.”

“And if that sword cultivator really is demon race, then there’s no need for the Returning Immortal Sect to compete at all. Harboring a demon race remnant and even bringing them into the Immortal Sect Grand Competition—just that alone is enough to get the Returning Immortal Sect kicked out of the Four Great Sects.”