UGB Chapter 112: The End of Gao Zhang’s Ambitions
Chapter 112: The End of Gao Zhang’s Ambitions
As Gao Zhang grappled with his confusion, the swirling vortex suspended in the sky above—the gateway to the Cave Heaven Secret Realm—suddenly shook again.
Whoosh!
Almost immediately after the portal trembled, several disheveled figures appeared. Their clothes were torn, their auras weakened, and their previously proud stances were now slouched and exhausted.
A closer look revealed these were the same cultivators who had competed for the mysterious giant egg—what was left of them, at least.
Among the groups vying for the mysterious giant egg, the Purple Bamboo Spirit Mountain and the Azure Jade Sect were utterly devastated.
In sharp contrast, the Heavenly Blade School, the Beast Emperor Mountain, the Water Cloud Sect, the Bright Sun Sect, and the Divine Wind School, despite mourning the loss of their chief disciples and a few others, managed to come through with a significant number of their members unscathed.
At that moment, a figure shot out from the Heavenly Blade School’s flying artifact, as swift as a missile. It was Sect Master Xia Hou, his face marked by deep concern. He hadn’t spotted his son among the disciples who had returned from the secret realm.
Overwhelmed by a grim feeling, he grabbed one of the surviving true disciples and urgently asked, "Where is he? Where is he?"
The disciple, fully aware of whom Sect Master Xia Hou was asking about, found it difficult to convey the somber news. Avoiding his sect master’s gaze, he lowered his head, his expression laden with sadness and remorse.
Witnessing the silent, sorrowful reply, Xia Hou’s darkest fears were realized. Tears streamed down his face as he looked up to the skies and let out a heart-wrenching scream of anguish, "No!"
Suddenly, the intense atmosphere and the high tension from the standoff between Jiang Chen and Gao Zhang faded, replaced by a solemn mood.
The news of Xia Hou’s loss overshadowed their conflict, evoking mourning and sympathy, especially from the Floating Spirit Sect and the Ice Heart School. These sects, too, had suffered the agony of losing many valued disciples to the blood-colored monsters inside the Cave Heaven Secret Realm.
Simultaneously, as a new group of disciples emerged from the Cave Heaven Secret Realm, the leaders of the Beast Emperor Mountain, the Water Cloud Sect, the Bright Sun Sect, the Divine Wind School, and the Azure Jade Sect were also eager to check on their disciples. Much like Sect Master Xia Hou, many of them had family members among those who had entered the secret realm.
He then summoned Duan Ziming, assigned him several tasks, and began to explore his newly acquired top-grade flying artifact of the Mysterious Platform rank.
As he contemplated the Purple Bamboo Spirit Mountain’s wealth, known to be the richest sect across the three continents, Jiang Chen couldn’t help but be impressed. "It’s really true," he mused, "nothing rivals alchemy in its power to accumulate wealth."
...
As time progressed, unfazed by the emotions and concerns of those it encompassed, the leaders of the nine sects eventually became aware of the dangers their disciples had faced inside the Cave Heaven Secret Realm.
This knowledge left them not just shocked but also filled with deep regret over their own greed and hasty decisions. They realized they should have assessed the level of risk within the secret realm before sending their valued disciples.
Then, even if losses occurred, they would have been due to competition for opportunities against rival sects, an outcome they could have accepted.
Now that everything had already transpired, and as the saying goes, there’s no pill for regret.
Yet, the members of the Heavenly Blade School, the Beast Emperor Mountain, the Water Cloud Sect, the Bright Sun Sect, the Divine Wind School, the Starry Abyss Sect, the Ice Heart School, and the Floating Spirit Sect found a somber solace in the more severe misfortune that struck the Azure Jade Sect, which suffered the loss of all thirty of its disciples.
Naturally, the Sect Master of the Azure Jade Sect felt that there was more to the disaster than what was being disclosed, but he encountered a barrier of silence. Everywhere he turned, he found only repeated mentions of deadly encounters with blood-colored monsters, leaving him with more questions than answers and a deep sense of helplessness in the face of the pervasive silence.
After a while, the large gathering of cultivators at the entrance to the Cave Heaven Secret Realm started to disperse. Having asked their questions and learned about the events inside, they gathered their fellow sect members and moved back to their respective flying artifacts to wait.
Although there was a strong curiosity to approach the Starry Abyss Sect for more details on Jiang Chen’s remarks after leaving the Cave Heaven Secret Realm, caution was the order of the day.
No one wanted to provoke the ire of the young Heavenly Origin realm powerhouse, especially after witnessing the dreadful fate of Gao Zhang and his followers from the Purple Bamboo Spirit Mountain.
The memory of their excruciating demise acted as a harsh deterrent against provoking Jiang Chen’s displeasure.