"I cannot go, I still have disciples to instruct!"
Elder Long shook his head, refusing outright with the excuse of needing to teach the Death Squad.
Seeing Hao Tian's displeased expression, Elder Long quickly smiled and said, "Don't be anxious, don't you trust their abilities?"
Hao Tian was stunned for a moment by his words, but his expression did not improve much.
The abilities of the two were naturally beyond doubt.
Dongfang Mingyue had managed the Hidden Group for many years without any major issues, even leading to its steady development and growth.
Ye Cangtian was even more remarkable. In a short period, he not only became a Heavenly-level expert but also led the Hidden Group to thrive, repelling enemies from all directions.
These were the greatest manifestations of their capabilities.
However, no matter how strong their abilities were, if they were to truly fall out with the Blazing Fire Academy and try to break out, it would still be extremely perilous.
Thinking this, Hao Tian spoke again, "Elder Long, you should be very clear about what they mean to the Hidden Group, they cannot afford any mishaps!"
"I know naturally, they are the future of the Hidden Group."
Elder Long glanced at him and continued, "But don't you think they have had too smooth a journey thus far? This is not beneficial for them, they need more tempering!"
"You!"
Upon hearing Elder Long's words, Hao Tian's face immediately turned red.
He admitted that Elder Long had a point, but he was still uneasy. Just as he was about to say something more, Elder Long's voice came again.
"Hao Tian, they have already grown up, it is time to let go and hand everything over to them."
"What we need to do now is to guard their homes, so they can venture out without any worries..."
Hearing Elder Long's words again, Hao Tian fell silent.
He understood that no matter what he said, it was unlikely to persuade Elder Long to act.
With that, he snorted lightly and said, "Alright, I will listen to you this time. I hope they can return safely from this endeavor..."
As he spoke, Hao Tian had already turned and left.
Looking at the surging river, Elder Long sighed. Although he spoke so casually, he was also very worried about Ye Cangtian and the other two in his heart.
"Alas! You two, don't blame this old man for being heartless! Jade must be polished to become a treasure..."
...
In the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed.
The carriage galloped south, and in a flash, they had arrived at Martial City.
According to Yan Biao, the Blazing Fire Academy was located in the southern region of the ruins, near a dormant volcano, approximately six to seven days' journey from Martial City.
Although Ye Cangtian had been to the southern region before, he was unaware of the existence of a dormant volcano in this area.
At that time, he had only acted on the connections between the Four Great Seals, moving almost in a straight line between two points.
Therefore, he was still not entirely familiar with the specific circumstances of this region.
Now that they had entered Martial City, as the southernmost city inhabited by humans, Yuan Biao decisively stopped for a day to replenish supplies such as water and dry rations.
Taking advantage of this time, Ye Cangtian and Dongfang Mingyue, leaving a note, quietly detached themselves from the group.
...
The area around Martial City was home to the Dugu family.
The Dugu family had always maintained cooperation with the Hidden Group, and their relationship was very close.
Now that they had returned to Martial City, it was only natural for the two to pay them a visit.
Soon, the two arrived at the bamboo forest where the Dugu family resided.
However, when Ye Cangtian saw the Dugu family's courtyard, his heart sank.
The once tall walls were riddled with holes, half their height, and still stained with much dried blood.
The houses within the courtyard had also become dilapidated, bearing traces of fighting everywhere.
"This..."
Dongfang Mingyue looked at Ye Cangtian with some confusion and asked, "Is this the Dugu family? It looks abandoned!"
The Hidden Group had a certain connection with the Dugu family and had never received a plea for help from them. Therefore, seeing the current scene, she thought they had come to the wrong place.
Ye Cangtian glanced over and nodded, but said nothing.
His mood was exceptionally heavy and angry. He directly strode towards the courtyard.
He hoped to infer what had happened here from some of the traces.
Arriving in the courtyard.
Ye Cangtian's heart sank further, and then his rage was completely ignited.
The courtyard was filled with shriveled corpses of venomous insects. This already indicated the identity of the perpetrator: the Five Poisons Sect had attacked again!
"Little brother, it seems we are too late. Let's go back!"
"As for avenging the Five Poisons Sect, there's no rush. Sooner or later, we will make the Five Poisons Sect pay their blood debt!"
Seeing the boundless killing intent emanating from Ye Cangtian, Dongfang Mingyue quickly stepped forward to persuade him.
Everything had already happened, and the Five Poisons Sect had disappeared. Under such circumstances, no matter how angry Ye Cangtian was, it would be of no use!
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian was silent for a moment, and then said in a low voice, "Sister Mingyue, don't be anxious. Perhaps there are still survivors in the Dugu family!"
"Ah? What do you mean?"
Dongfang Mingyue looked at Ye Cangtian with confusion. The courtyard looked so abandoned, how could anyone still live here?
Logically speaking, if such a situation occurred, and there were indeed survivors, they would at least have been relocated to a nearby city!
Ye Cangtian heard her and said, "There are no bodies on the ground!"
With this sentence, Dongfang Mingyue was slightly stunned, and then she understood Ye Cangtian's meaning.
As the perpetrators, the Five Poisons Sect, after destroying the Dugu family, would they bother to collect the bodies of the Dugu family members?
Besides, even if those venomous insects had gnawed on the corpses, there should at least be some skeletal remains left, yet they found nothing!
Under such circumstances, coupled with the fact that the Dugu family was relatively remote and rarely visited, it could only mean that there were still survivors in the Dugu family.
Upon deducing this, Ye Cangtian immediately thought of a place: the Dugu family's Sword Tomb!
The Dugu family's Sword Tomb was a forbidden area for the Dugu family, and usually only the family head could enter and exit.
If the Dugu family members had indeed relocated, they would definitely have moved the Sword Tomb.
After all, the Sword Tomb contained countless treasures, as well as the Dugu family's cultivation techniques.
These were things the Dugu family would not leave to outsiders.
Therefore, Ye Cangtian wanted to go to the Sword Tomb to see if the Dugu family members had relocated.
Soon, behind the courtyard, they found a cemetery. Ye Cangtian's eyes swept over it, and amidst his sorrow, there was also a hint of relief.
From these tombstone inscriptions, he did not see the names of Dugu Changfeng and Dugu Ling. The highest generation represented was only Dugu Lianyu.
Thinking this, Ye Cangtian's gaze shifted to behind the cemetery, where a raised cave was located, with a stone tablet in front of it inscribed with the words "Sword Tomb."
Upon seeing this, Ye Cangtian and Dongfang Mingyue walked towards it.
Before entering the cave, Ye Cangtian stopped Dongfang Mingyue and handed her a detoxification pill.
"Sister Mingyue, be careful, there are poisonous substances lingering in the air."
With his super strong mental power, Ye Cangtian immediately detected these and quickly warned her.
On the other side, with Ye Cangtian's reminder, Dongfang Mingyue also took a detoxification pill before entering the cave with Ye Cangtian.
Inside the cave, poisonous substances were pervasive, and the corpses of venomous insects were visible everywhere.
Ye Cangtian and the two went directly to the innermost part of the cave, where a secret realm teleportation gate was located.
The next moment, the two stepped into the secret realm.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
As soon as they entered the secret realm, before they could even get a clear view of everything in front of them, faint sounds of air being broken through entered their ears.
Without a word, Ye Cangtian immediately pulled Dongfang Mingyue and began to dodge.
These were sharp flying swords, not only incredibly fast but also numerous. At a glance, there were at least several thousand of them.
The most crucial point was that these flying swords cooperated with each other seamlessly. If someone were to be entangled by them, it would be difficult to escape.
"You brat, although these flying swords are a bit numerous, with our strength, breaking through them shouldn't be difficult, right?"
Watching Ye Cangtian lead her in a frantic escape without any intention of counterattacking, Dongfang Mingyue could not help but speak.
After all, they could not keep dodging indefinitely, could they? When would it end!
"It's not possible."
Ye Cangtian shook his head and said, "Sister Mingyue, this is likely a protective formation within the Sword Tomb. If we were to break it, what other safe haven would the Dugu family have?"
"This..."
With this sentence, Dongfang Mingyue was immediately rendered speechless.
What the other party said was not unreasonable. They could not stay here forever, and the Dugu family's future self-preservation would likely rely on the formation within the Sword Tomb.