Top-tier Unruly Master-Chapter 1684 - 1721: Leng Jian Alive
At this moment, Ding Fan inadvertently noticed the elders around him looking at Long Ren with eyes full of gravity and worry. The smile on Ding Fan’s face gradually faded, and he stopped chatting with Guo Linn and Ah Du. The three of them had been in the Xuantian Secret Realm for a while and could only communicate with each other through Divine Sense, so they were very happy to finally speak freely now.
But at this moment, Ding Fan turned to an elder beside him and asked:
"How many disciples who entered the Thirty-Six Caves have come out?"
The elder heard Ding Fan’s words, and his original smile immediately disappeared, becoming more somber as he replied to Ding Fan:
"Three."
"Just the three of us?"
Ding Fan asked with a bad premonition in his heart.
The elder nodded, looking at Ding Fan, who couldn’t smile at all, instead having a very somber expression.
At this moment, Ding Fan understood as he heard the elder’s words. At the same time, he felt discomfort in his heart, knowing that there were originally three of them who entered those Thirty-Six Caves in the Xuantian Secret Realm, but now that it was time to return, only the three of them had come out alive.
This was obviously not a good thing for the Thirty-Six Caves, and Ding Fan could understand the gravity everyone felt. After all, the disciples who entered this Xuantian Secret Realm were the best among the entire Thirty-Six Caves, selected through layers of screening.
These disciples were the elite among the young generation of the Thirty-Six Caves, outstanding individuals who had the potential to become a Famous Sect Master or an elder of the Thirty-Six Caves in the near future. The loss of such a group of disciples would not just mean the loss of the elite young generation of the Thirty-Six Caves but also a significant loss to its future backbone.
The loss to the Thirty-Six Caves is indeed substantial. At this moment, Ding Fan understood why, apart from Guo Linn and Ah Du, everyone’s expressions were so grave. Originally, entering the Xuantian Secret Realm was considered a huge opportunity for the Thirty-Six Caves.
It was a great chance for the Thirty-Six Caves to enhance their disciples, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be a disaster for the Thirty-Six Caves, which is why the elders and sect leaders of the Thirty-Six Caves felt so heavy-hearted.
Although Ding Fan had anticipated before that the danger level this time in the Xuantian Secret Realm was indeed not something an average cultivator could handle, he also knew that if not for his Frost Toad and Pure Thunder Pill, it seemed like it would have been impossible to bring Guo Linn and Ah Du out alive from that Xuantian Secret Realm.
Moreover, Ding Fan had been worried about the safety of the other Thirty-Six Caves disciples who entered the Xuantian Secret Realm this time. Now it seems Ding Fan’s judgment was correct, and most of the disciples who entered the Xuantian Secret Realm likely cannot make it out. After all, the time for their return had long since arrived.
However, Ding Fan noticed that his brother Long Ren over there hadn’t closed the Teleportation Array yet, clearly still hoping that some disciples could come out of the Xuantian Secret Realm alive. But Ding Fan knew they had missed the best timing for teleportation; even if there were surviving disciples in the Xuantian Secret Realm, it wouldn’t be easy for them to be teleported back.
"I’m afraid this journey to the Xuantian Secret Realm might just end with the three of us..."
Ding Fan couldn’t help but mutter to himself, feeling a sense of heaviness in his heart, knowing that Long Ren would certainly be in a bad mood at this moment...
But there was nothing Ding Fan could do right now, other than waiting and hoping more disciples from the Thirty-Six Caves could come out from the Xuantian Secret Realm. Still, he knew that the longer it took, the lesser the chances of any disciples coming out.
Ding Fan knew that Long Ren was more aware of these things than anyone else, but Long Ren was still persisting. There was nothing Ding Fan could say at this point, so he could only wait. Ding Fan was somewhat curious, wondering whether the Xuantian Secret Realm had always been this perilous, or if this was just an unusual instance.
Following that, Ding Fan asked the elder beside him:
"Has the Xuantian Secret Realm always been like this?"
The elder sighed helplessly at Ding Fan’s question:
"The Xuantian Secret Realm is indeed very dangerous, but it has never reached this level before. I’m not very clear about the specifics, but usually, the survival rate in the Xuantian Secret Realm can reach about fifty percent, but this time it probably didn’t even reach a fifty percent survival rate..."
Ding Fan understood something from the elder’s words. It turned out the danger level in the Xuantian Secret Realm this time was extraordinarily high, an unexpected occurrence. Ding Fan believed that not even his brother Long Ren could have predicted this, causing Ding Fan to sigh lightly as well.
After all, losing so many excellent disciples at once was no small loss to the Thirty-Six Caves and undoubtedly a major blow to Long Ren as well...
At this moment, Guo Linn and Ah Du also felt the somber atmosphere around them, feeling a bit unsure themselves. Quickly, after Ah Du inquired around, they realized what had happened and couldn’t help but feel grateful once more.
The two exchanged glances and then looked at Ding Fan. They understood that given how perilous the Xuantian Secret Realm was, they owed their survival to Ding Fan. They were acutely aware that if it weren’t for Ding Fan’s care, they might have perished in the Xuantian Secret Realm as well.
After all, they were the first to enter the Xuantian Secret Realm. Initially, they didn’t realize that this time, the secret realm was abnormally dangerous. At this moment, they understood why it was so perilous—the uncommon fluctuations in the secret realm, happening once every few hundred years.
For a moment, Guo Linn and Ah Du found their hearts heavy. They were not sure whether this would be a blessing or a curse for them personally. If they were the only disciples to return from this secret realm, one can imagine their future development in the thirty-six caves would be very smooth.
However, considering the whole thirty-six caves, it was clearly not a good thing. Losing so many excellent disciples this time would definitely be a devastating loss for the thirty-six caves.
...
At this time, everyone was quiet, their eyes fixed on the teleportation array by Lake Master Long Ren. However, a long time had passed, and no other disciples emerged from it, which made everyone feel even more tense. Long Ren, naturally, had no time to tend to Ding Fan, as he was fully focused on maintaining that teleportation array.
Long Ren felt the most pained. He hadn’t expected such a prolonged period to pass with still no disciple coming out. For him, it was undoubtedly very bad, because the longer the time, the less likely it was for disciples to emerge from the Xuantian Secret Realm...
At this moment, Long Ren felt relieved that he had initially sent his elder brother into the realm to take care of a few disciples. Otherwise, Long Ren believed this venture into the Xuantian Secret Realm would result in total loss, with no disciples returning...
A moment later, an elder approached Long Ren, his expression troubled, and advised with difficulty:
"Lake Master, too much time has passed; no more disciples will come out."
Upon hearing the elder’s words, Long Ren felt another sting of pain in his heart. He couldn’t accept this conclusion, but the facts were there right in front of him. Even if he didn’t wish this to happen, it had still occurred. Just as Long Ren was about to stop the teleportation array, he suddenly sensed a fluctuation within the array. Joy surged in his heart, and he loudly alerted the elders setting up the teleportation array:
"A disciple is coming out! Everyone, be careful!"
Upon hearing Long Ren’s words, the other elders immediately and cautiously manipulated the crucial parts of the formation in their hands, knowing this was not the time to be careless.
Boom!
With a faint noise, another disciple emerged from the teleportation array.
Seeing this scene, Long Ren was overcome with excitement. Having even one more disciple was an addition, considering they were the most outstanding disciples among the thirty-six caves. Seeing the disciple come out, Long Ren wanted to ask about the situation inside the realm.
However, the disciple’s condition was grim, covered in wounds, and his breath was weak, showing he was gravely injured and wouldn’t last long. Long Ren, seeing his condition, couldn’t help but shout to those around him:
"Quick, heal him! I want him alive!"
"Yes, yes, yes..."
...
Several elders quickly agreed upon hearing Long Ren’s words, running over to the disciple. They administered a medicine pill and sat around the disciple, continuously transferring True Qi into him. Soon, the disciple’s face became less pale, and his breathing improved significantly.
Subsequently, a few maidservants carried the disciple into a room, and a few elders followed them in.
As the disciple passed by Ding Fan and others, Ding Fan caught sight of him, and his heart skipped a beat. It was him. Ding Fan had really not expected that despite the long delay, a disciple would still come out.
Moreover, Ding Fan was even more surprised it was him—Leng Jian, who had some past grudges with him. Ding Fan truly hadn’t expected it to be him. He wasn’t particularly familiar with every disciple from the thirty-six caves who entered the Xuantian Secret Realm. But Ding Fan remembered one of them, noted as the top amongst them in strength, named Lu Ferng.
Initially, Ding Fan thought it would be this Lu Ferng who emerged, but unexpectedly, it was Leng Jian. Ding Fan recalled that this disciple seemed unfriendly towards him. Down at Giant Peak, he had defeated him and offered some advice, which had apparently caused the disciple to hold a grudge against him.
However, Ding Fan hadn’t paid much attention to it, seeing no need to concern himself with a disciple of the thirty-six caves. But now, Ding Fan was genuinely taken aback that the disciple who managed to come out happened to be him. Ding Fan realized that it seemed this person had indeed gained significant opportunities in the Xuantian Secret Realm.
Otherwise, there was no way he could have survived the perilous Xuantian Secret Realm. Judging from his injuries, it was clear his time there hadn’t been smooth. Ding Fan was somewhat aware of his previous strength, as he had examined the opponent during the previous thirty-six caves selection competition.
Therefore, Ding Fan deduced that the disciple had indeed received some opportunities in the Xuantian Secret Realm; otherwise, he wouldn’t have come out alive.
