Chapter 89: Leaving the Valley of Hidden Shadows

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After traversing the long tunnel, Shen Wan and the others emerged from the cave entrance, only to feel the ground beneath them tremble. Instinctively, they turned their heads. Although the interior of the ancient site remained unseen, everyone knew that the disturbance must be coming from within.

“Hurry up and leave,” Shen Wan said in a low voice. The more the situation worsened, the less time they could afford to waste.

The group marched resolutely toward the entrance of the ruins. Along the way, they encountered many sect disciples rushing toward the valley. Upon seeing Shen Wan and his companions, their steps faltered briefly. However, this was hardly the time to provoke the Qianxuan Sect.

The commotion inside the valley grew louder, but the disciples hesitated only momentarily before continuing their rushed pace. Without interference from outsiders, the elders of Qianxuan Sect smoothly exited the ruins.

Lin Bufan was the first to take out a jade slip, immediately sending a telepathic message to his master. Wei Zhen sat restlessly, anxiously awaiting Elder Wen’s response. The moment the jade slip chimed, he hurriedly opened it. Seeing it was his disciple, a slight sense of relief washed over him.

“Where are you?” he sent mentally, careful not to be overheard.

“Just exited the ruins, currently registering with the disciples of the Gu You Sect.”

“Good. Finish the registration swiftly and meet me at the main gate of Gu You Sect. I will arrive shortly.”

“Understood, Master.”

After storing the jade slip, Wei Zhen took a deep breath and discreetly glanced around. He sensed several gazes lingering on him. A cold snort rose in his heart. Rising slowly, he feigned casualness and waved to some Gu You Sect disciples nearby.

“Where’s the restroom here? I’ve had too much spirit tea and need to take a quick break.”

The disciples hurriedly saluted and led Wei Zhen straight out of the resting hall.

Some elders from various sects paid little attention when the Qianxuan Sect’s Grand Elder stepped out, while others frowned slightly and ordered their disciples to follow discreetly. After all, the news had only been reported internally within each sect. The Gu You Sect remained unaware of Qianxuan Sect’s acquisition of the Five Tower inheritance. Though many of the top disciples had entered the ruins alongside Yun Tianchen, the news had yet to spread promptly.

Similarly, Xie Jingtian of the Dayan Sect had not received any news; his disciples were still wandering inside the ruins.

Seeing Wei Zhen head to the restroom, Xie Jingtian sneered disdainfully, “Old mule, all he does is piss and shit.”

Wei Zhen, however, did not hear the red-haired troublemaker’s muttering.

Inside the restroom, he listened carefully to the sounds outside. The guiding disciples did not linger and soon returned to the resting hall. To be safe, Wei Zhen dispersed some of his spiritual senses.

Sure enough, several suspicious auras were skulking in the corners, seemingly watching him.

“Hmph.”

He snorted contemptuously and immediately performed a breath-holding escape technique, vanishing from the spot in an instant. By the time these spies realized, he had already appeared at the main gate of Gu You Sect.

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At present, many sects were leaving Gu You Sect. Registration was simple, and no one obstructed them.

Wei Zhen anxiously scanned the sect, still unable to spot Shen Wan and the others. There was no choice; before entering the ruins, hundreds of sect disciples had traveled for over an hour to reach the destination. Though they could quicken their pace upon exiting, with Shen Wan dragging behind, the group would not arrive much faster.

Fortunately, Yun Yi had summoned a carriage. Vehicles were forbidden within Gu You Sect’s grounds, but with the young lady seated at the front, no one dared cause trouble.

Having the carriage sped up their progress considerably, though it wasn’t pulled by horses.

Wei Zhen paced back and forth, and finally, Shen Wan and the others appeared in his sight.

He strode over briskly. Lin Bufan greeted him first, followed by the rest.

“Master.”

“Grand Elder.”

Wei Zhen waved them off; this was not the moment for conversation.

“Is everyone present?”

He scrutinized the group, finding none missing—in fact, there were two extra people.

“Huh?”

Just as he wondered, Yun Yi stepped forward and bowed.

“I am Yun Yi, greetings to the Grand Elder.”

Wei Zhen’s brow furrowed. Yun? That was the surname of Gu You Sect’s main family.

He examined the young girl carefully before asking, “What is your relation to Yun Shengkun?”

“That is my father.”

Her body trembled slightly. No wonder the name sounded familiar; he had attended her full moon banquet when she was born.

Years had passed in a flash, and this girl had grown so much.

He glanced at his junior disciple and then at the distance between the two.

“Damn, there’s something going on!”

His curiosity piqued; he still held a grudge about Shen Wan sneaking into the ruins and planned to give him a good scolding later. Now it seemed the troublemaker’s reputation was well-earned.

Of all people to provoke, he had managed to entangle the cherished daughter of Yun Shengkun. This complicated matters.

Before he could dwell further, Gu Zhiping strode forward and bowed deeply at ninety degrees.

“I am Gu Zhiping, son of Gu Daobian, Sect Master of the Ancient Beginning Sect. Greetings, Grand Elder.”

“Huh?”

Wei Zhen’s thoughts were interrupted. He turned his gaze to the youth before him.

Gu Zhiping rose with a sly grin and continued, “I have left the Ancient Beginning Sect and, from today onwards, am a disciple of Qianxuan Sect.”

His tone was bold and familiar, without any formality.

“What did you say?”

Wei Zhen was stunned. Hearing the names Ancient Beginning Sect and Gu Daobian sparked surprise within him.

Before him stood two heirs from great powers—one the princess of the Yun family, the other the young master of the Gu family.

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Since when did Qianxuan Sect get mixed up with these two mighty clans?

But when Gu Zhiping finished speaking, Wei Zhen almost choked on his breath.

He shot Shen Wan a fierce glare.

“What’s going on?”

Shen Wan shrugged helplessly.

“He acted on his own accord. What can I do? He’s been with me all along; I can’t just shake him off.”

Seeing Shen Wan undermine him, Gu Zhiping cast him a sorrowful look, thinking, “What happened to brotherhood? What happened to being loyal to the death? What happened to sharing fortune and hardship? Have you forgotten our oath?”

Shen Wan returned a sarcastic glance.

“Get lost. Stop fantasizing about those disgusting scenes.”

Wei Zhen pressed a hand to his chest. It seemed that the internal cleanup needed to be expedited.

He took a deep breath and looked toward the main gate, where many sects were still registering. Time could not be wasted.

He shot Shen Wan another glare.

“We’ll talk once we’re back!”

The old man was furious, Shen Wan hesitant.

The group followed Wei Zhen to the registration point at Gu You Sect’s main gate. Thanks to Yun Yi’s backdoor connections, there was no need to queue, and they exited smoothly.

As they parted from Yun Yi, the young girl’s eyes were filled with reluctance.

Shen Wan thought for a moment and hastily asked Lin Bufan to bring out a small jar filled with cola.

“Here, this is all my cola. Now you can’t say I’m stingy, right?”

Yun Yi’s heart tightened upon receiving the jar.

“You… still remember?”

Her voice was soft, but her eyes spoke volumes.

Shen Wan smacked his lips. Actually, after spending so much time with the girl, he had grown somewhat fond.

But there are no everlasting banquets in this world. He sighed helplessly and softly said,

“I’ll have someone send you the recipe for making cola when we return. Then you can make it yourself whenever you want.”

Yun Yi nodded silently.

The two exchanged glances but no words.

Wei Zhen stood beside them, startled by the scene. Though he had never watched those melodramatic dramas, he knew that if no one intervened, the next moment these two might just kiss.

That simply wouldn’t do!

He quickly stepped forward, tugged Shen Wan’s sleeve, and urged in a low voice,

“Let’s go. The elders have been waiting for us outside the city for a long time.”

His deep voice broke the moment.

Shen Wan finally snapped out of it, giving Yun Yi a mischievous smile.

“Let’s go. Until we meet again.”

With that, he left without looking back, following the Grand Elder and the others toward the city outskirts.

Yun Yi watched Shen Wan’s retreating figure long after, unable to calm herself.

“Maybe… I should join Qianxuan Sect too…”