Chapter 182: Warmth and Guilt

In the Yishi Dadian.

Ye Xiaotian was sweating profusely, yet the two world passages remained perfectly steady without any tremor.

Shortly after the worlds connected, one of the passages began to glow, and a figure emerged from it.

“They’ve come out!” Zhao Xidong said joyfully.

Following closely, a second and third figure appeared.

The dizziness from crossing the world passages was intense, and it took the three of them a while to recover.

As soon as they opened their eyes and saw several hundred black-clad figures under the old locust tree in front of them, their legs went weak.

“What is this…”

What kind of lineup is this? Is it specially for welcoming us?

But we can’t handle this!

The three of them racked their brains trying to recall any misdeeds they had committed at Tianxuan Gate, but nothing stood out. How could this be happening?

Glancing back, they saw the dean and Qiao Qianzhi staring intently at them.

“Hello, Dean!”

“Hello, Qiao Zhanglao!”

“Uh… hello, Zhao Zhishi!”

They greeted them one after another, their expressions uneasy.

Even Zhao Xidong, who was on the steps, was included in the greetings. If the middle-aged man and the veiled woman nearby weren't familiar, they probably would have been greeted too.

“Heh!” Zhao Xidong responded to these repeat offenders with his usual cold laugh.

Little did he know, that meaningful smile took on a different tone in the ears of the three.

Qiao Qianzhi said displeased, “Why is it you three?”

In his view, even if the world was on the verge of collapse, at least the younger siblings should have come out first.

This was not just about order—it was about attitude!

The three were thrown into a panic upon hearing this. The leader looked tearfully at Zhao Xidong and said innocently, “It wasn't us! Tianxuan Gate wasn't blown up by us!”

Zhao Xidong nearly burst out laughing. These cowards, blowing up Tianxuan Gate?

They wouldn’t even qualify for the spy candidate list!

Qiao Qianzhi was at a loss for words and decided he didn't want to talk to them anymore.

The world passage glowed again, and Mo Mo stepped out, also feeling dizzy and taking a moment to recover.

The others reacted fine, but Zhao Xidong furrowed his brow.

“That strange feeling… it’s gone?”

He wasn't sure if it was because he’d dated so many women, but his sixth sense was spot-on, rarely wrong.

Back in the small thatched hut, when Sang Lao asked who the spy was, his first answer was Mo Mo, based on that intuition.

Now…

“Was I mistaken?”

“No, according to Sang Lao, there are two spies—one is confirmed as Luo Leilei, and the other… if it’s not Xu Xiaoshou, then it has to be her!”

His gaze locked on Mo Mo. Once she recovered, Zhao Xidong narrowed his eyes and subtly shifted his gaze elsewhere.

But his heart was shaken.

Mo Mo’s first glance had been at him!

Why?

He’d only met her once before. Why look at the most unremarkable person first, instead of the dean, Qiao Zhanglao, or the hundreds of black-clad figures?

In the past, such special attention would have thrilled him, but now, with all his judgments, it didn't.

“Damn it, it’s better to live carefree and oblivious…”

Zhao Xidong pushed his thoughts aside. If the sky falls, the vice dean will hold it up—what’s the point of his pointless worrying?

Not far away, the passage flashed again.

Mu Zixi and Chao Qingteng emerged, and the world passage fell quiet for a moment before a girl in purple gauze stepped out.

Luo Leilei!

She was the only one unaffected by the world passage’s dizziness, clearly well-prepared.

The moment she appeared, her gaze fell on the hundreds of black-clad figures, and her heart sank.

No one spoke, and no one made any subtle movements, but everyone clearly felt the atmosphere change.

It grew stagnant and heavy, like dark clouds looming over a city about to be destroyed.

“Is it her?”

Yu Zhiwen suddenly spoke up: “This woman is very strong!”

Jiang Bianyan shook his head: “She’s not Sang Lao’s disciple. If I remember correctly, she should be that one…”

His gaze shifted to the side, where a green-clad girl with twin ponytails stood, her big eyes still darting around.

Is it really her? Jiang Bianyan began to doubt.

She was one of only two people who hadn't fully recovered from the dizziness…

The other was Chao Qingteng…

Yu Zhiwen's face under the veil turned odd; she felt her fighting spirit rising a bit too soon.

Yuan Court Realm, peak?

Is this the person Sang Lao took an interest in?

Uh, maybe… she has some hidden talents!

Ye Xiaotian was still maintaining the world passages, and Qiao Qianzhi’s gaze remained fixed on Luo Leilei. Only after seemingly breaking down her mental defenses did he smile and say:

“Leilei, what about the others?”

Luo Leilei had braced herself for a fight to the death, but she never expected this question.

She looked into Qiao Qianzhi’s eyes and, to her surprise, found not a trace of coldness—only the same warm encouragement as always.

“He knows…”

“But why is he still looking at me like that…”

Luo Leilei unconsciously clenched her fists, suppressing the surge of guilt and pushing away fragments of memories from the outer academy’s playful days.

Her lips parted, but no sound came out.

“Damn it, he's just an old man who nitpicks over every bit of cultivation allowance…

Her nails dug into her palm, and Luo Leilei finally managed to say, “Xu Xiaoshou went to the other side and hasn't returned. The other two… are missing.”

“The two…” Qiao Qianzhi sighed, “Yuan Tou and Zhou Tianshen, right?”

He didn’t know much about the former, but he had a rough idea about Zhou Tianshen.

Based on the “Da Ban Tian Jing” images, that guy had overdone it in the “Killing Corner” training. Originally, he should have woken up naturally after three days at Tianxuan Gate, but now…

Killing Corner?

Qiao Qianzhi vaguely felt something was off, but he couldn't pinpoint it.

He followed the logic… Xu Xiaoshou and Zhou Tianshen seemed to get along okay. If Xu Xiaoshou was on a mission, he might head toward the “Killing Corner.”

And for the “Cheng Tian Mu” seed to emerge, it would have to touch the seal of the town boundary treasure there…

“That’s it—the town boundary treasure?!”

Qiao Qianzhi’s pupils dilated, his shock growing.

He suddenly turned to Ye Xiaotian.

“If Xu Xiaoshou went to Killing Corner… A Jie?”

Ye Xiaotian was completely baffled by this abrupt statement. The next second, both world passages trembled violently, as if about to explode.

Everyone was terrified!

“Damn it, don’t panic—steady it first!”

Qiao Qianzhi shouted in alarm, watching as the passages gradually calmed down, his heart pounding.

Hopefully, no one was in them just now…

The several hundred people in the hall looked at Ye Xiaotian, stunned.

This dean, who hadn’t even flinched when sweat dripped into his eyes, was supposed to remain unflappable like a mountain collapsing before him. Yet, just because of Qiao Qianzhi’s words, he nearly destroyed the world passages.

“A Jie… what is that?”

This strange term caught many people’s attention.

Jiang Bianyan frowned in thought, as if trying to recall something, but after a long while, he drew a blank and gave up.

Once Ye Xiaotian stabilized the passages, he took a deep breath and murmured to himself, “Xu Xiaoshou… it won’t be that bad. Things shouldn’t turn out that horribly!”

Qiao Qianzhi’s face turned bitter. Before, he had faith in that diligent young man, but now…

He looked up at the sky, his eyes filled with a newfound weariness.

“Let’s hope not!”