Cannon Fodder Cultivation Guide

Chapter 62 - Unstoppable

Driven by an inexplicable impulse, Xu Mu ended up asking the question directly in front of Zhang Yiyi.

He remembered that earlier, Yuan Ying had casually referred to her as "Yiyi," but was she actually "Zhang Yiyi"?

After the fierce battle in this secret realm, it would be difficult for her not to become famous, and investigating her identity would be an easy task. However, when Xu Mu thought of the serious tone with which this female cultivator had rebuked Liu Ming earlier, and how proud she had looked when boasting about her master's prowess, he inexplicably wanted to hear the answer directly from her.

When Zhang Yiyi heard that someone was specifically speaking to her, her first reaction was: someone's hitting on me?

However, recalling that Senior Sister had mentioned her name earlier, Zhang Yiyi quickly realized that this was likely about her master. After all, when she had boldly confronted that vile man from Wandan Valley, she had confidently declared that her master was the most powerful.

Well, she almost thought no one had taken her seriously, but it turned out someone had.

"You're too kind, Daoist Xu," Zhang Yiyi responded. "My name is Zhang Yiyi, and my master is the True Saint Jiang Heng of the Yunxian Sect."

Since this wasn't a secret, and anyone could easily find out if they wanted to, she didn't hide anything and directly revealed her name and her master's identity.

Today's battle had indeed earned her some fame, albeit a fierce and ruthless one. There were both advantages and disadvantages to this. So she figured it was best to drop her master's prestigious name to intimidate others a bit.

As soon as Xu Mu heard the name "True Saint Jiang Heng," his expression changed slightly, and his gaze toward Zhang Yiyi grew more complex. However, this emotion quickly subsided, and after another gesture to everyone, Xu Mu didn't linger and swiftly left.

The others, upon hearing the conversation between Zhang Yiyi and Xu Mu, were relieved to learn that the fierce and ruthless female cultivator was none other than the last disciple of True Saint Jiang Heng from the Yunxian Sect. Since she was his disciple, it made sense for Zhang Yiyi to be exceptional. In fact, this was the only way it could be explained logically, given that her master couldn't be measured by common standards.

However, considering True Saint Jiang Heng's well-known protective nature, if they ever encountered Zhang Yiyi again, they wouldn't dare act so impulsively as they had today. Whether they could beat her or not was one thing; even if they could, they couldn't do it openly. It would have to be done in secret. Otherwise, if they harmed the disciple, her powerful master would come for them, and none of their elders could match him. In the end, they would be the ones to suffer.

Perhaps because they were about to leave the secret realm, the previously restless hearts of the crowd finally began to settle down.

Yuan Ying and the others exchanged communication talismans, as they would be important allies for each other in the future. Over the coming decades or even centuries, they would undoubtedly maintain contact.

"Once we leave the mystic realm, our sects will provide protection, but Chen Fan's situation is unique, so we need to be especially careful," Senior Sister said thoughtfully.

Chen Fan was a rogue cultivator, and with all the Jiuling Sect disciples dead and no sign of the immortal weapon, Chen Fan now possessed a bronze shard, the origins of which no one knew. This put him in a precarious situation, not only with the Jiuling Sect but also with other sects eyeing the shard, making him a prime target.

Yuan Ying didn't want to see a promising and talented teammate like Chen Fan meet an early demise before they even made it to the Yingtai trial grounds.

After all, according to Yiyi, having a strong and reliable teammate in such a dangerous place greatly increased their chances of survival.

"Don't worry, Senior Sister. I've already prepared an escape plan; I'll be fine. If I didn't have the ability to protect myself, I wouldn't be qualified to be your companion," Chen Fan replied to Yuan Ying, though his gaze fell on Zhang Tongtong's face, deep and confident.

Zhang Tongtong felt uneasy under Chen Fan's sudden gaze and instinctively glared at him, unsure of why she felt so flustered.

Chen Fan, however, wasn't bothered by her glare. Instead, he chuckled quietly, amusement flashing in his eyes.

This silent yet subtle interaction between the two didn't go unnoticed by the others, but in an odd display of understanding, no one pointed it out.

Zhang Yiyi didn't care what others thought, but she did pay special attention to Senior Sister's reaction to the "flirtation" between Chen Fan and her cousin. Seeing that Senior Sister remained calm and even had a hint of teasing in her smile, Zhang Yiyi's heart was finally at ease.

Whether there was a difference between the book and reality or it was due to the early meeting of the three of them, Zhang Yiyi was confident in what she saw with her own eyes. She believed that Senior Sister's fate would no longer follow the path described in the book.

...

When the surviving individuals were finally transported out of the secret realm by the tokens they carried, the massive Cloud Mist Immortal Stream, which had hovered over the area for fifteen days, disappeared without a trace following the closure of the Luoxian River.

The vast plains stretched endlessly, as if nothing had ever existed there.

The elders leading the various sects, along with powerful figures and sect leaders who had rushed here in the past couple of days, all waited anxiously for the final outcome.

A total of twenty-one people made it out alive, and while the survival rate wasn't great, it wasn't the worst.

Of those, five were rogue cultivators, three were from the Yunxian Sect, two were from the Lishan Sect, and the remaining eleven were from various other sects. This meant that five sects, including the Jiuling Sect and Tianya Secrr, had no surviving disciples.

According to the rules, once the disciples emerged, they would be taken away by their respective sects immediately, and no one was allowed to communicate with them until they boarded their sect's flying boat and officially returned. Even to prevent secret communication via divine sense, artifacts that interfered with such methods had already been set up to ensure there were no breaches.

Such formality was necessary to prevent a fair competition for the immortal weapon from turning into a bloody inter-sect war.

In a way, it ensured the safety and interests of all parties involved.

For the sects that didn't retrieve any disciples, no amount of regret could change the fact. They had known the risks of the secret realm from the start, and it wasn't the first time that entire sects had lost all their disciples.

When the three excellent disciples of the Yunxian Sect emerged safe and sound, Elder Third and the sect leader, Dongfang Bohong, who had rushed over, couldn't hide their joy. While they couldn't say anything yet, the smiles on their faces were unmistakable.

Regardless of whether they had acquired the immortal weapon, having their three promising disciples return unharmed was already the best outcome, making them the biggest winners.

Moreover, since they had the most people and the greatest strength, Dongfang Bohong was confident that if the immortal weapon did appear, it would be theirs for the taking.