The instant the teleportation gate shut, Palace Master Danchi's heart sank to rock bottom. Elder Yunnie's face turned paper-white, his lips trembling slightly—clearly unable to accept this reality.
Mu Gaoqi clutched his head with both hands and squatted down in agony.
Had Palace Master Danchi not been quick on his feet, Ling Bi'er would have fainted clean away and hit the ground.
"Brother Danchi, my condolences…" Lord Tianming stepped forward with a soft sigh, offering a word of comfort.
Over at Sacred Sword Palace, Elder Chen hadn't made it out either. Wang Jianyu cursed under his breath, but there was nothing he could do. As for what had actually happened inside, he had no way of knowing.
Logically speaking, Elder Chen should have calculated the timing perfectly.
If he had succeeded in hunting down Jiang Chen, he would have exited immediately.
If the hunt had failed and time was running short, he should have come out early. For a powerhouse of his caliber, miscalculating the time was absolutely impossible.
That meant something had gone wrong inside—something catastrophic!
Otherwise, how could an Earth Saint like Elder Chen fail to make it out?
Over at the Great Sage Hall, Xiang Qin stared blankly in the direction of the teleportation gate, speechless for a long time. He had genuinely admired Jiang Chen.
Seeing that Jiang Chen hadn't emerged, he felt a pang of disappointment.
However, the rest of the Great Sage Hall—and Elder Xiang Qian in particular—having witnessed the full extent of Jiang Chen's monstrous talents, secretly felt a twinge of schadenfreude.
A monster like Jiang Chen failing to come out? That was hardly bad news for the Great Sage Hall. Especially since Jiang Chen had been carrying so many Heaven-grade spiritual medicines on him!
His absence was, in effect, a blow to Dan Qian Palace.
As the foremost sect in the Myriad Elephant Region, the Great Sage Hall's members were never eager to see their rivals grow stronger.
The Carefree Sect needed no further explanation—they were practically gloating out loud.
The only one who seemed perturbed was Elder Wuhen, who had long held a grudge against Jiang Chen. He frowned slightly, sensing that something was off.
He had a nagging feeling that Jiang Chen was not a man of thin fortune. How could someone like that be trapped inside Illusory Ripple Mountain with no way out?
But once the teleportation array closed, it could not be opened again for another thirty years.
If that Jiang Chen and Elder Chen had not left the area of the Ancient Medicinal Garden, it would be three thousand years before the gate could be reopened.
Three thousand years…
That number was staggering.
The Three Star Sect, because of Ding Tong's involvement, couldn't even muster the heart for schadenfreude. Under Sect Master Zhu's lead, they offered a perfunctory farewell and were the first to withdraw.
Next came the Carefree Sect. Having lost Wei Qing, their morale had clearly taken a hit.
Xiang Wentian of the Great Sage Hall called out in a resonant voice: "Everyone, before you go, this old man has one last word. Keep what happened in the Ancient Medicinal Garden to yourselves. After all, you all swore an oath on your sect's fortune. If even a hint leaks out, you could be inviting utter annihilation."
One by one, the groups departed, until only Sacred Sword Palace, Dan Qian Palace, and the Beiming Sect remained.
The Beiming Sect genuinely had a good relationship with Dan Qian Palace. Their decision to stay was plainly motivated by concern that Sacred Sword Palace might move against Dan Qian Palace.
However, Sacred Sword Palace had lost both Elder Chen and Du Lihuang. Their combat strength, compared to Dan Qian Palace's side, no longer held a significant advantage.
The Sacred Sword Palace members lingered for quite a while. Seeing that the Beiming Sect showed no signs of leaving, they realized that causing trouble for Dan Qian Palace this time would be difficult.
Wang Jianyu was a formidable figure in his own right. Recognizing that the situation was no longer in his favor, he led his people away with a bitter scowl.
Elder Chen was important, of course—but now there was nothing to do but return in thirty years.
The Beiming Sect was grateful to Jiang Chen. Not only had he provided them with the antidote, but he had also returned all of their Earth-grade spiritual medicines. This had undeniably deepened the friendship between the two sects.
After staying with Dan Qian Palace for several days and confirming that the Sacred Sword Palace members were not coming back, the Beiming Sect finally took their leave.
Palace Master Danchi let out a quiet sigh, knowing that standing guard any longer was futile. With a heavy heart, he led the Dan Qian Palace team away.
Along the journey, Elder Yunnie told him about how Jiang Chen had handed over half of his spiritual medicines, which cut Palace Master Danchi to the core all over again.
The more outstanding Jiang Chen proved to be, the harder it was for Palace Master Danchi to bear.
Moreover, Jiang Chen was someone he had personally brought to Dan Qian Palace. If anything happened to the boy, he would truly have failed Treasure Tree Sect and Elder Shun.
"Palace Master, think of it this way—Jiang Chen is a man blessed with extraordinary fortune. Perhaps in thirty years, when we enter Illusory Ripple Mountain again, we'll be able to rescue him," Elder Yunnie sighed.
Palace Master Danchi nodded. "Indeed. That boy Jiang Chen does not seem like someone destined for an untimely end. I believe he will find a way out. When we return, do not cancel his cave dwelling. And do not disturb the people from Treasure Tree Sect—everything stays as it was!"
Although Jiang Chen hadn't made it out, Danchi was not the kind of man to pull the rug out from under someone. He issued these instructions in advance. He himself would never do such a thing, but he worried that his subordinates might—so he put the warning out early.
…
Jiang Chen drifted in and out of consciousness, unsure how long he had lingered in that chaotic void.
Suddenly, the suction force vanished without warning, and control over his entire body returned. He opened his eyes and found himself in a space completely sealed off from the outside world.
All he could see, as far as the eye could reach, were rows upon rows of graves.