Since that heart-pounding battle for the treasure at the realm's core, the entire atmosphere of the "Small Cave Heaven" became even more bizarre and oppressive. News that Tang Xiaoqi had stolen the treasure (the golden jade slip) spread among the surviving cultivators like wildfire, accompanied by all sorts of rumors about his ghostly movement technique. This made Xiaoqi's three-person team the target of public scrutiny, with peeping and pursuit never ceasing, day or night.
However, Xiaoqi, having initially comprehended the first turn "Emerging Dragon from the Abyss" of the Swimming Dragon Nine Turns, handled things with much more ease than before. Instead of merely relying on counter-hunting, he fully utilized his movement technique's advantages, playing hide-and-seek with various pursuers across the vast realm along with Li Mo and Wang Zhong.
They would sometimes use complex terrain to conceal their movements, sometimes deliberately leave false traces to mislead pursuers, and sometimes, when the enemy dispersed, rely on Xiaoqi's explosive speed and combat power to swiftly strike isolated small groups of enemies. After seizing jade talismans, they would flee thousands of miles away. That mysteriously elusive wok, combined with his increasingly uncanny movement technique, became an inescapable nightmare in the hearts of many pursuers.
Yan Feng and others organized several large-scale encirclements, yet Xiaoqi always detected and avoided them through his keen perception of the environment and extraordinary mobility. Occasionally when they encountered each other, the enemies could only watch helplessly as they slipped away like slippery eels, accomplishing nothing but losing some of their own men. This infuriated Yan Feng to no end.
During this period, Xiaoqi also attempted to actively search for Zhao Tiezhu and Third Sister Liu Yun. With the convenience of his movement technique, his search scope expanded considerably. Hard work pays off—by the evening of the second day in the realm, he finally heard Zhao Tiezhu's familiar booming voice at the edge of a region filled with toxic marshes.
At that time, Zhao Tiezhu was leading his several independent cultivator companions in a fierce battle against a group of cultivators trying to steal their jade talismans. Zhao Tiezhu was covered in blood, swinging his stone staff like a madman. His companions were all injured, yet they fought desperately without retreating. Clearly they had harvested many talismans, which had attracted covetous eyes.
Xiaoqi immediately appeared, not even using his wok. Relying solely on his recently breakthrough movement technique, he cut into the battle like a ghost. His fingers flew, sword qi burst forth, and in an instant he took down three main enemies. The remaining few, seeing the situation turn against them, fled in panic.
"Little Seven brother!" Zhao Tiezhu, seeing Xiaoqi, nearly threw away his stone staff in excitement. He rushed over for a bear hug, the force so great it made Xiaoqi stagger. "I knew you were okay! Hahaha! Those moves just now were awesome! Your movement technique is faster than an rabbit spirit!"
The independent cultivators behind him, like Pang Hong, looked at Xiaoqi with profound respect, coming forward to pay respects one after another. Their attitudes were extremely respectful. They had heard countless times from Zhao Tiezhu about this "Brother Tang's" legend, and seeing his moves today firsthand made them sincerely convinced.
The two groups merged smoothly, greatly increasing their strength. Xiaoqi introduced Li Mo and Wang Zhong to Zhao Tiezhu. Zhao Tiezhu slapped his chest: "We're all family! Following my Little Seven brother guarantees good food and drink!" His honest and bold nature quickly made him close friends with Li Mo and Wang Zhong.
The merged team numbered seven people. With Xiaoqi as the core who had both strength and mobility, Zhao Tiezhu as the fearless powerful body cultivator, and experienced cultivators like Li Mo and Wang Zhong, they (had become) a force not to be underestimated. They no longer merely hid, but began selectively clearing some threats, or "exchanging" jade talismans with weaker teams, ensuring everyone had at least three jade talismans.
During this time, they also glimpsed Third Sister Liu Yun's sword light flashing in another region, seemingly fighting a strong enemy. But by the time Xiaoqi rushed over, the battle had ended, leaving only a battlefield in ruins. They failed to reunite. Xiaoqi worried but knew the realm was vast; forcing a reunion was impossible.
In this state of chase, evasion, searching, and occasional conflicts, three days flew by.
When the setting sun on the third day was about to sink into distant mountains and the sky turned yellowish, the entire "Small Cave Heaven" realm suddenly vibrated slightly. In the sky, the originally stable spatial barrier began rippling like water, and a huge exit emanating soft white light slowly condensed and appeared in the center sky of the realm.
At the same time, an invisible repulsion force began acting on all cultivators, reminding them the time was up.
"Time's up! The exit opened!"
"Hurry!"
Survivors scattered throughout the realm, whether fighting, hiding, or recovering from injuries, all looked up and then transformed into streams of light rushing toward the exit in the sky without hesitation.
Xiaoqi's group was no exception.
"Let's go!" Xiaoqi shouted, his form taking the lead, shooting into the sky like green smoke. Zhao Tiezhu roared, feet stomping (on void), less elegant than Xiaoqi but powerful as he followed closely. Li Mo, Wang Zhong, Pang Hong and others also deployed various means, flying vigorously toward the exit.
Passing through that layer of soft white light, after brief dizziness, his feet touched solid ground again. Boisterous voices instantly flooded his ears.
They had returned to Heavenly Axis City's central plaza.
On the plaza, earlier-exited cultivators gathered in groups. Most were tired, their robes stained with blood, but their eyes carried varying degrees of relief. Senior elders and executives responsible for monitoring were already waiting here, beginning to count numbers and register jade talismans.
Xiaoqi's gaze swept across, seeing many familiar figures. Yan Feng, Shui Wu Hen and others had just emerged, staring at him with dark faces, their killing intent undisguised. Mu Xue had somehow already emerged, standing alone in a corner, still cold. He also saw Third Sister Liu Yun, seemingly lightly injured but her aura still sharp. She slightly nodded to him, clearly having seen him too.
Registration quickly came to their turn. Xiaoqi submitted all the jade talismans from his seven-person team. When the executive counted the talismans he personally submitted, a soft gasp of shock rose from around.
"Twenty-two?! He actually has twenty-two jade talismans by himself!"
"Hiss... How many people did he rob?"
"No wonder he could snatch treasure from the tiger's mouth at the core region..."
Even the executive responsible for registration glanced at Xiaoqi several times, recording it down. In the end, Xiaoqi's seven-person team not only passed in full, but their average jade talisman count far exceeded three. Their comprehensive ranking was undoubtedly among the top!
"Hahaha! I told you! Following Brother Little Seven is never wrong!" Zhao Tiezhu excitedly waved his fist, his gaze toward Xiaoqi filled with adoration, absolutely revering him. "From now on, Old Zhao follows you! You point east, I absolutely won't go west!"
Li Mo, Wang Zhong, Pang Hong and others were honored, faces flushed with excitement. They knew achieving such results was almost entirely due to Xiaoqi single-handedly turning the tide and precise command.
A faint smile appeared on Xiaoqi's face. Although the second round of realm survival was fraught with dangers, the harvest was also enormous. Not only did his movement technique break through, he obtained the jade slip seemingly recording ancient movement techniques, and consolidated companions centered around Zhao Tiezhu. More importantly, through continuous bloody battles, his combat experience and mindset had grown tremendously.
His gaze passed over the boisterous crowd, looking toward the toweringly tall buildings of Heavenly Axis City. The upcoming final tournament for ranking would definitely be more intense. Yan Feng's revenge, other celestial talents' challenges—all awaited him.
However, he had no fear.