Chapter 672: Dan Chi Retreats
The situation was perilous, and Huang’er didn’t continue her advice when she saw that Dan Chi was hesitating. “It will be easiest to break through in the southeastern corner. I can hold things off for about fifteen minutes. I won’t be able to do anything after that.” Her figure blurred after speaking, and the mysterious cloaked person vanished into the air.
Everyone’s attentions were on Dan Chi at the moment, and they were all slightly surprised to see the mysterious person suddenly disappear. The speed with which she’d disappeared was a bit beyond everyone’s imagination.
“Palace Head Dan Chi, is that one of yours?” The Sacred Ape family head of the Great Cathedral asked out of curiosity.
Palace Head Dan Chi laughed wryly and shook his head, “My Regal Pill Palace doesn’t have this kind of fortune.” He was quite anxious at this moment. His instincts were telling him that the cloaked person wasn’t telling him false, but he just couldn’t find it within him to leave the young geniuses behind. However, the person had said that he only had fifteen minutes. Their attitude had been very clear, and if the Regal Pill Palace missed this best timing, the consequences were theirs to deal with.
What to do? Dan Chi was feeling quite conflicted. The younger generation were the future of the sect, and if they couldn’t protect the young, then there wasn’t much of a meaning to them retreating. But there was also the fact that if all of them perished here, then that pretty much meant that the entire sect was pretty much done for as well.
“Ole brother Dan Chi, what did that person say to you just now that made you react so strongly?” Xiang Wentian was more curious about this.
Dan Chi no longer hesitated when he heard Xiang Wentian ask about this. He responded solemnly with a grave look, “Ole brother Xiang, this is a dire situation.”
“What do you mean?” Xiang Wentian frowned.
“We’ve been surrounded.” Dan Chi’s expression was full of portent. “The mysterious friend told me just now that large numbers of experts have already surrounded us.”
The crowd erupted when they heard this.
“What did you say?”
“Palace Head Dan Chi, jokes like these can’t be made lightly.”
“Right, surround us? Who would be so bold? No way!”
Loud censures sounded for a while. Although no one called out ugly insults, it was obvious that no one believed Palace Head Dan Chi. However, some who were more astute didn’t say anything. They looked at Dan Chi solemnly, trying to determine if what he said was true or not. When they saw that Dan Chi seemed serious, those in a uproar gradually calmed down, because they saw that the heavyweights of the various sects all had extremely serious expressions on their faces. Have we really all been surrounded?
Xiang Wentian’s face was exceedingly frosty, “Ole brother Dan Chi, these words are not to be spoken lightly.”
“Ole brother Xiang, you know that I’m not one to speak frivolously. Besides, the mysterious person has told me that he can help me buy fifteen minutes of time.”
“What do you mean?” Xiang Wentian asked lowly.
“He means that we can still break through in these fifteen minutes, and we’re responsible for what happens afterwards if we remain.”
Xiang Wentian’s facial muscles spasmed slightly as a complicated expression crept onto his face. “Fifteen minutes? Are things really that serious?”
“Family Head, why don’t we send someone to find out if this is true or not?” Elder Xiang Gan snorted coldly. He was obviously not putting much stock in Palace Head Dan Chi’s words. Having been played by Jiang Chen in the ancient herb garden last time, he was still holding some grudges against the Regal Pill Palace. He felt that this could be another one of their tricks again.
Dan Chi’s expression changed, “We absolutely cannot. If we send people now, that’d be alerting the enemy. That would put us in an even more disadvantageous position.”
Elder Xiang Gan sniffed. “I’m rather curious, who is that mysterious person? Why would he be so kind as to warn us? I’m not being paranoid, Palace Head Dan Chi, but your Regal Pill Palace is really too much of an alarmist.”
He’d thought that Dan Chi would argue and debate with him, but who knew that the other wouldn’t pay any attention to him? Dan Chi turned to Xiang Wentian, “Ole brother Xiang, I’ve done all I need to do in speaking of this. I choose to trust him, and won’t interfere in whether or not you choose to believe him.” He then turned to speak to the others in his sect, “Everyone, danger has arrived and it is unpredictable. We must break through.”
Elder Lian Cheng was faintly surprised. With his understanding of Palace Head Dan Chi, he wasn’t the sort who would abandon those of his own sect. Was he going to leave the youngsters behind to their doom?
“Palace Head, then Shen Qinghong and the others…” Elder Lian Cheng asked purposefully.
“They won’t be in any trouble for now in the Paramount Realm. This is also a chance to test them.” Although these were Dan Chi’s words, they weren’t his thoughts. He just wasn’t at liberty to speak of the mysterious person’s identity. However, since the mysterious person was Elder Shun’s kin and had helped the Regal Pill Palace before, then their strength would certainly not be ordinary. With the protection of this mysterious person, Dan Chi was naturally full of confidence. Besides, Jiang Chen was no pushover either. He was more worried about the sect. If the Grand Ceremony had been surrounded, then their sects would surely be under siege as well. With these thoughts in mind, he decided to break through first and return to the sect.
Fifteen minutes was a very short amount of time, and there was no further time allotted to him for hesitation. Dan Chi arched his eyebrow at Honored Master Tian Ming, “Ole brother Tian Ming, what do you say?”
Tian Ming was a bit hesitant, “Ole brother, although I know you’re steady and dependable, what if the mysterious person is being an alarmist?” He cast a glance in the direction of the Paramount Realm. “Not to mention that the younger generation is all in there. It doesn’t seem to be right if we just leave like this.”
He didn’t really want to leave, not because of the younger generation, but because he felt that the mysterious person was likely toying with Dan Chi.
Dan Chi continued, “Ole brother Tian Ming, we’re friends. Time is of the essence, if we don’t leave now, we’ll have to hack our way out in blood when the other side finishes their preparations. At that time…”
Tian Ming smiled ruefully, “I can understand your feelings ole brother, but I think I’ll stay here. I say old friend, aren’t you overreacting a bit?”
Dan Chi sighed softly and shook his head. He knew there would be no convincing them now. He raised his hands in a cupped fist salute, “Then, I hope our paths intersect again in the future.” He immediately took to the air with Elder Lian Cheng and the others, heading for the southeast. Five minutes had already passed, if they didn’t hurry, they might very well miss out on the best timing to escape. His heart was afire with anxiety, and the elders following behind him were completely baffled. Was this the palace head they were familiar with? He’d always been the coolly composed sort, never in such a panicked frenzy like today, as if facing a tremendous enemy.
“Palace Head, are there really enemies out there?” An elder couldn’t help but ask.
Dan Chi responded lowly, “Absolutely. Everyone, there will be a hard fought battle to break through this time, you must be ready to charge out at the cost of everything else. The sect might be in a worse situation than us right now.” His heart grew even more anxious at the thought of the sect. A young genius like Jiang Chen had great fortune, and Dan Chi didn’t believe that he would perish. But the sect had to do with the Regal Pill Palace’s legacy, so Dan Chi was even more worried about it. He’d wanted to convince the Dark North Sect to break through with him, but who would’ve thought that Tian Ming would refuse to leave?
Dan Chi would’ve explained with patience if in ordinary times, but how did they have that luxury now? Every breath taken was precious when they only had fifteen minutes to spare.
As those who remained behind saw the Regal Pill Palace draw further and further away, they all looked at each other silently. Elder Xiang Gan laughed ruefully, “Has Palace Head Dan Chi gone mad? Or is he possessed?”
Xiang Wentian however, frowned, “Ole brother Dan Chi isn’t someone like this. How strange. Just what did that mysterious person say to him to make him believe it so wholeheartedly?”
Elder Xiang Gan speculated viciously, “Family Head, is the Regal Pill Palace really colluding with outside enemies and putting on this act?”
Honored Master Tian Ming couldn’t accept this. “Family Head Xiang Gan, you’re really being unfair there. I am well aware what kind of person ole brother Dan Chi is. Even if ninety nine percent of the Myriad Domain has gone over to the enemy, he might still hold out.”
Xiang Wentian frowned, “Elder Xiang Gan, some things shouldn’t even be joked about. Dan Chi has an immense amount of self pride. Although the Regal Pill Palace only possess mediocre strength, Dan Chi has grand ambitions for our region. I would never believe that he’d gone over to the enemy.”
Xiang Wentian and Dan Chi was the same kind of person at the end of the day. Both had the ambitions to unite the Myriad Domain. They naturally had a mindset of fellow heroes relating to each other. Suddenly, someone from the Walkabout Sect side ran out and spoke to the sect leader, “Sect Head, why don’t we retreat along with the Regal Pill Palace?”
The person speaking was Elder Wu Hen. Wei Wuying looked at the elder in utter incomprehension. “Elder Wu Hen, you believe that tripe as well?”
Complicated emotions flickered rapidly over Elder Wu Hen’s face as he suddenly raised his hands towards Wei Wuying in a cupped fist salute, “Sect Head, time waits for no one. I’ve decided to follow the Regal Pill Palace, my apologies.” He immediately transformed into a gust of wind and swiftly followed the Regal Pill Palace, ignoring all of the stunned expressions on the Walkabout Sect’s face.
Had he gone mad?
Elder Wu Hen had just left them all, right in front of the sect head?
“Sect Head, what do we do now?” Elder Wu Hui had always depended greatly on Elder Wu Hen. Now that the elder had left just like this, he could feel a sense of danger descending upon them as well.
Wei Wuying bit off his words, “What? Do you want to leave as well? So what if we’re surrounded? We have strength in numbers if we stay here, and we might die earlier if we try to break free just by ourselves!” He had started to believe the notion that they were indeed surrounded.
