Usually, Wen Yan would have left immediately if she had said such words. However, she was not in a rush to leave today. She looked at Gan Ru Yan, taking pleasure in her misfortune. Currently, Gan Ru Yan had been injured by Jiang Qin, the Vice Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall, so her strength was limited. Due to this reason, Wen Yan was not afraid at all.
"Elder Sister." Zi'er's, the purple-clad young lady, had a worried and helpless expression on her face as she carried Gan Ru Yan. She was worried about her elder sister, Ke'er, and Si Ling, and she felt helpless because she was too weak to do anything.
"Wen Yan, I'll remember what happened today! Don't ever fall into my hands in the future. Otherwise, you'll wish you're dead instead!" Gan Ru Yan snarled as she glared at Wen Yan coldly.
Initially, she was confident the most dangerous place would also be the safest place to hide in. It did not cross her mind that Wen Yan would spend two years just to investigate the situation before reporting it to the Enforcement Hall due to the enmity between them.
She was unaware that Wen Yan hated her to such an extent. It was over two years! If it was not because the enmity was deep-seated, who would have the time and patience to plot against another person?
If she knew Wen Yan was like that, she would not have brought her sister back to the Fire Worship Sect. The moment Gan Ru Yan thought of this, she was washed by a sense of guilt. She felt responsible for putting her sister in this situation.
When Wen Yan heard Gan Ru Yan's words, she threw her head back laughing and continued to say mockingly, "Gan Ru Yan, you can't even save your own ass now, and yet, you think you'll be able to seek revenge from me? How naive! I'll just wait for that day to come!" Wen Yan was still laughing as she left after she finished speaking
"Elder Sister, what should we do now? Sister Ke'er and Si Ling will die!" Zi'er's face was filled with worries.
"I didn't expect this to happen either. If I've known Wen Yan hates me so much, I would've long killed her! Now that things have escalated to this extent, we can only take one step at a time! I won't let anything happen to Ke'er! I only have one biological sister after all!" Gan Ru Yan's eyes gleamed coldly. "It's time for me to return to the clan and tell mother and the others about Ke'er. After that, I'll look for Master. Hopefully, she'll be able to plead for and save Ke'er and Si Ling's lives."
She left the Fire Worship Sect and returned to her own clan as soon as she made up her mind.
Her clan was the Gan Clan in the Upper Province of Dao Martial Saint Land. Although it was only a second-rate clan, those powerful first-rate sects did not dare to simply look for trouble with them because of the complicated relationship they had with the Fire Worship Sect.
Gan Ru Yan was the biological granddaughter of the current Clan Leader of Gan Clan, and she was also a lineal disciple of the Gan Clan. Ke'er was Gan Ru Yan's twin sister, naturally, she was also a lineal disciple of the Gan Clan.
…
Naturally, Duan Ling Tian was unaware of the calamity that had befallen Ke'er and their daughter, and they were on the verge of death.
Although he was unaware of such things, he still inexplicably felt anxious. He was immersed in reading the books in the Main Mansion's library when he was overwhelmed by a sense of panic. It caused him to be unable to maintain his composure.
'What's going on? Did something happen?' Horror dawned on Duan Ling Tian when he thought of this.
He believed it was not an ordinary incident if it was capable of rousing such a sense of panic in him. Moreover, it had to be someone close to him.
'Is it Ke'er or Tian Wu?' Due to the fact that he knew Li Fei was by his parents' side, he did not take her into consideration. His first thought immediately went to his fiancée, Ke'er, and Feng Tian Wu.
Duan Ling Tian took a deep breath, and with great difficulty, he suppressed the panic in his heart.
After the panic had faded, it did not appear again. However, Duan Ling Tian had lost the mood to read the books. Coupled with the fact that he had learned almost everything he wanted to know and there was not much time left for him to stay in the Main Mansion, he decided to leave.
After he left the library, he went to register again before he left.
When the disciple on guard helped Duan Ling Tian to register, he noticed Duan Ling Tian's face was pale. Since he thought Duan Ling Tian was a decent person, he casually asked in a chatty manner, "Junior Brother Ling Tian, you look a little pale… Did something happen to you?"
"It's nothing. Thanks for your concern, Senior Brother." Duan Ling Tian shook his head. After he forced a smile on his face, he bade him farewell and left.
The few disciples on guard looked at Duan Ling Tian's disappearing silhouette until it had completely vanished before they regained their senses. At the same time, they began to whisper among themselves.
"Hey, do you think someone picked on Junior Brother? Otherwise, why would he look so pale?" One of the disciples on guard could not help but speculate.
"It's possible." Another disciple on guard nodded in agreement.
"Hurmph! I really wonder which blind person actually dares to pick on Junior Brother Ling Tian… Perhaps, he might not be extremely strong now, but how old is he currently? Given enough time, who among the disciples in our Mystical Sky Mansion can compare to him?"
"That's right! No matter who that person is, he's definitely going to get in trouble in the future for picking on Junior Brother Ling Tian."
"Junior Brother Ling Tian is so nice, and yet, someone still looked for trouble with him. I'm certain the other party started it first!"
"Isn't it obvious?"
…
Duan Ling Tian was, naturally, unaware that his pale countenance had caused the few disciples on guard at the Main Mansion to imagine so many scenarios.
After leaving the Main Mansion, Duan Ling Tian returned to the Heaven Palace and his own residence.
'There's still more than a month before the Saint Martial Secret Zone opens. The competition to determine one's qualification to enter the Saint Martial Secret Zone, on the other hand, will be held ten days before the Saint Martial Secret Zone opens,' Duan Ling Tian thought to himself on his journey back as he tried to change the direction of his thoughts.
However, he still felt a little worried in the depths of his heart. Naturally, no matter how worried he felt, he could only feel helpless since there was nothing he could do.
"I hope this is just a coincidence, and nothing bad happens to both of them." Duan Ling Tian could only reassure himself.
"You're finally back!" The moment he returned to his own residence, he immediately heard a delicate cry. When he regained his senses, he instantly saw a delicate figure standing in his courtyard.
The owner of the delicate figure was none other than Wang Fei Xuan.
Duan Ling Tian descended from the sky and landed firmly in front of her before asking with a frown, "You're looking for me?"
"Where have you gone in over twenty days?" Wang Fei Xuan did not reply Duan Ling Tian's question. Instead, she pulled a long face and asked in return, "Do you know I've been looking for you for more than twenty days? These twenty days disrupted the progress of my cultivation!"
"You've been looking for me for more than twenty days?" Duan Ling Tian frowned deepened. "Is there a purpose in you looking for me?"
"Of course!" Wang Fei Xuan nodded. "Why would I look for you without a purpose? Tell me, how are you going to make it up to me for holding up my cultivation progress for over twenty days?"
"I held up your cultivation progress?" Upon hearing her words, Duan Ling Tian could not help but feel strange. "Great Young Miss Wang, it's you who didn't cultivate whole-heartedly, and yet, you still want to put the blame on me? And I find it really hard to believe you would put your cultivation on hold for my sake. Your fame for cultivating in a frenzy did not only spread in the Tyrannic Saber Mansion's district, but it has also spread to the Mystical Sky Mansion, you know!"
Wang Fei Xuan did not expect Duan Ling Tian would know so much about her. She was momentarily stunned, but she began to act shamelessly as soon as she regained her senses. "I don't care. You still have to make it up to me no matter what! Otherwise, I'll… I'll bother you every day so you can't cultivate!"
"This again?" Duan Ling Tian was speechless. At the same time, his expression turned grave. "Great Young Miss Wang, do you think it's fun playing like this?"
"I'm merely cracking a joke so why are you being so serious?!" When Wang Fei Xuan saw Duan Ling Tian's grave expression as though he was beginning to get angry, she stuck out her tongue cheekily before adding, "Alright, fine. I won't tease you anymore, and I'll stop pestering you to make it up to me! How petty!"
Petty?
Duan Ling Tian was rendered speechless. However, after he heard her words, his expression gradually returned to normal again as he asked, "Please tell me why are you looking for me."
Perhaps it was because she was scared by how solemn Duan Ling Tian was this time around, she no longer beat around the bush and answered bluntly, "Saint Martial Secret Zone!"
"Saint Martial Secret Zone? Isn't the opening of the Saint Martial Secret Zone in a month's time? Why did you come to me with this matter?" Duan Ling Tian was baffled.
"Naturally, I know the Saint Martial Secret Zone will only open in a month's time. However, I'm looking for you regarding another matter even though it has something to do with the Saint Martial Secret Zone as well," Wang Fei Xuan replied.
"Please say what you have in mind then," Duan Ling Tian said indifferently.
Wang Fei Xuan looked at Duan Ling Tian and asked, "Before that, I want to ask you… How much do you know about the Saint Martial Secret Zone?"
"I only heard there are many good items inside, and if we manage to stay longer inside, our cultivations will benefit from it. I don't really know much apart from that," Duan Ling Tian replied.
"Do you know why only a quasi third-rate force possesses the Saint Martial Secret Zone in the Lower Province of the Dao Martial Saint Land?" Wang Fei Xuan asked again.
"No." Duan Ling Tian shook his head without any hesitation. He had only heard from other people that the Saint Martial Secret Zones were something only quasi third-rate forces possessed in the Lower Province of the Dao Martial Saint Land. As for other information, he was completely unaware of it.
"Think about it… What's it that a quasi third-rate force has but not the other forces in the Dao Martial Saint Land have?" Wang Fei Xuan asked.
"What other forces don't have?" Duan Ling Tian frowned. After pondering for a moment, his frown eased up. "If we don't take powerhouses into consideration and merely take items into consideration, I only know the reserves that quasi third-rate forces possess are different. The quasi third-rate Saint Stones reserves are only possessed by quasi third-rate forces alone. Don't tell me the formation of the Saint Martial Secret Zone is actually related to quasi third-rate Saint Stones reserves?"
When he finished speaking, he looked at Wang Fei Xuan
"Exactly." Wang Fei Xuan nodded. "The Saint Martial Secret Zones that quasi third-rate forces control are built on the quasi third-rate Saint Stones reserves. And the Saint Martial Secret Zones have existed for a long time. It's something that was found by powerhouses from quasi third-rate forces a long long time ago, and it's passed down generation to generation."