Rolling, Walking Slowly

All the cultivators who were supposed to fight in the Great Death Realm had returned to their own sects and were now in their own family sects.

Every cultivator had the same expression.

Simply confusion.

Some cultivators were injured, their whole bodies covered in blood. After the initial confusion, they heaved a sigh of relief at having survived, and almost collapsed to the ground.

What had happened in the Great Death Realm was truly horrifying. If they hadn't experienced it themselves, they could never have imagined participating in such an event.

In this Great Death Realm, Quasi-Saints were slaughtered like pigs and dogs, Saints didn't fare much better, and even Great Saints didn't dare claim they had the power to protect themselves.

Perhaps only Zhun Di could barely withstand it, but whether they could survive was another matter entirely.

Even ordinary Great Emperors who came would only meet their end.

For the Heaven Mending Realm, this kind of battle array was far too terrifying, with far too many major figures appearing and perishing.

And now they had abruptly departed without knowing what had happened in the depths of the Great Death Realm, or why they had suddenly left.

Could it be that the Dao Ancestor in the sky had succeeded, so he no longer needed to kill people and benevolently set them free?

Although they knew this idea was laughable, it was the only way the cultivators could reassure themselves and calmly accept what had happened.

The various major sects also immediately received their disciples back and began asking about what had happened in the Great Death Realm. Only the most senior elders and sect leaders could know.

The questioning process was very detailed, from entering the Great Death Realm to subsequent developments, to the specific experiences of each sect's disciples, some sects even used soul-damaging interrogation techniques to thoroughly investigate everything that had happened in the Great Death Realm.

Things seemed fine before they looked into it, but after learning the details, it was too much to take. Just Dao Ancestor alone was enough to shock them.

He was a legendary figure from hundreds of thousands of years ago who had lived almost as long as the Supreme Beings. His cunning plans could reach the heavens. Why would he send all these cultivators back?

Of course they didn't know about the Martial Emperor incident, because that memory was missing from all the cultivators' minds. So they all thought it was Dao Ancestor who had sent them back.

This was no small matter. The returned cultivators may harbor many cunning plans, even jeopardizing the entire sect.

All the major sects knew the gravity of the situation this time, and classified the incident as top secret. They even locked down the returned cultivators' minds, forbidding other cultivators from probing them, and not allowing them to speak of it themselves.

So even though over a thousand cultivators had returned, very few people knew exactly what had happened in the Great Death Realm. This became the deepest secret amongst cultivators, one that no one dared mention.

If Dao Ancestor had really become the spirit of the Great Death Realm, then all words would reach his ears. Perhaps these returned cultivators still harbored other techniques left by Dao Ancestor...

In short, it was better not to think too much about it, otherwise one's Dao Heart would be thrown into chaos first.

In addition, some people had counted the total death toll in this Great Death Realm, and the resulting number chilled the world.

90% of the Heaven Mending Realm cultivators had died. Only a few proud children of heaven had survived under the protection of Great Saints from their sects, but they had also suffered injuries to varying degrees.

As for the Quasi-Saints who had gone, almost all were annihilated. Only one Quasi-Saint from the Divine Realm had lived, entirely thanks to luck rather than personal ability.

Not many Saints had gone, but many died. A total of 36 Saints, with only 6 surviving their return.

Well, at least they accounted for a fraction.

But the Great Saints had suffered particularly miserably. 17 Great Saints in total, with only 5 living, 2 of whom were heavily injured. Their respective sects were making every effort to treat them, but it was expected that even if healed, their cultivation levels would fall dramatically along with their former power and prestige.

2 Zhun Di had also fallen, which was an extremely heavy blow to their sects.

This was shocking news that could have rocked the world, yet it was kept under extremely strict control by the major sects of each realm, with only a few top figures being aware.

In the Immortal Realm,

Xu Zhen blankly looked around at the sight of Fuyao Immortal Sect, her expression incredulous. She began anxiously looking around, crying out helplessly,

“Brother Xia... Brother Xia, where are you? Don’t scare me! Where are you? Where are you?!”

Her cries grew smaller and more powerless, as if she had lost all hope. She just stood there in a daze, the light gone from her eyes.

Many nearby cultivators had gathered to watch, all disciples of Fuyao Immortal Sect. They looked at Xu Zhen in bewilderment from a distance. The more senior cultivators recognized her and quickly informed the elders that Eldest Senior Sister Xu had returned.

All the elders of Fuyao Immortal Sect instantly appeared, led by the Patriarch. They brought the dazed and empty-eyed Xu Zhen inside.

They really couldn't figure out why the usually confident and overbearing Xu Zhen would become like this now, not even responding to questions, as if she had lost her soul.

Only after asking cultivators from other parts of the Immortal Realm did they learn of the terrifying events that had transpired in the Great Death Realm. Then they understood a little.

After going through that kind of event where even Great Saints were powerless and Saints died in misery, it was no wonder her mind and spirit were so disturbed.

It was worth noting that Fuyao Immortal Sect’s Great Saint Chen Xi had returned as one of the 5 surviving Great Saints. Although injured, her life was not threatened.

As a cultivator who had fought and returned from the Great Death Realm, Great Saint Chen Xi took a nice sunny day to have a heart-to-heart talk with Xu Zhen.

Great Saint Chen Xi brought a sunflower as comfort. Perhaps due to her own Grand Dao, she was very fond of these flowers that faced the sun. She entered Xu Zhen’s room, looking inside.

Xu Zhen sat numbly by the window, not looking at the scenery outside, just staring blankly.

Since returning to Fuyao Immortal Sect, she had been in this state for three months.

Great Saint Chen Xi walked over slowly and smiled bitterly. “You didn't used to be like this.”

Xu Zhen's empty expression changed slightly as she glanced briefly at Great Saint Chen Xi and shook her head.

“It doesn't matter what I used to be like, this is what I'm really like now.”

“What exactly happened?” Great Saint Chen Xi sat on a nearby stool and asked again, “Why not tell me about it?”

Xu Zhen pursed her lips and didn't intend to speak.

“Maybe I can help you resolve it?” Great Saint Chen Xi said again.

Xu Zhen's expression changed slightly as she spoke softly.

“I thought I was powerful enough to prop up my own sky, but watching the most important person collapse in front of me while I was powerless to do anything, I realize I'm worthless.”

“You can’t talk like that. Everything should be taken step by step. You can’t expect to defeat Great Saints with just Heaven Mending Realm cultivation. That’s obviously impossible.” Great Saint Chen Xi consoled.

Xu Zhen shook her head without replying.

The weather today was very nice, with sunlight, clouds, blue skies, and birds crowded together tightly.

But her heart was empty.

And her eyes saw no distance.

Since then, Fuyao Immortal Sect’s Xu Zhen had fallen from leading heaven's proud daughter into obscurity, though none knew.

Time passed away slowly.