What was supposed as a grand battle ended as nothing more than a ploy to escape. Linghun Gong's senses were probably even sharper than the slightly more advanced Ran Shao's ones. And so, even before the battle began, he was aware that his elites were not even close to meeting the forces from the [Great Forest Region].

And while Linghun Gong could only ask himself why such an elite relief force had arrived or who notified them, finding the answers was something to be left for later.

An emergency measure, a set of formation flags allowed the [Seven Souls Sect] forces, who matched only one to two enemy Kings and Emperors, as nearly 400 of them were Warrior Lords or low-level Kings, to remain unscathed during the first attack. But the set was entirely a defensive one, and it would break sooner or later.

But Linghun Gong did not plan to wait for the unexpected enemies to break the defenses but ordered his men to form up and, using the flags' most prized quality, mobility, began retreating at full speed, all while not trying to attack back.

And how could he dare to? Any attack from inside meant a breach in the formation. As well a general weakening as formation flags were fueled by all the ones inside their effect.

"Get out and fight, you bunch of cowards."

"Don't think it will help you reach your sect in safety!"

"It's a question of time for you to be left undefended!"

Shouts, curses, and other similars accompanied each skill, royal technique, or weapon attack of the [Southern Forest] group, but Ran Shao did not lower himself to either.

Calmly following after his men and vassals, he monitored every movement and even expression of Linghun Gong.

But, for now, no one knew what would happen.

Was Ran Shao's vision of Linghun Gong accurate?

Was all this a planned retreat to lead the [Great Forest] region's forces into a trap?

Had the [Seven Souls] Sectmaster prepared even for what he should have believed impossible?

Or was it, plainly put, a last-resort prepared but never intended to be used?

And could the elites of the [Seven Souls Sect] continue fueling the formation flags with their aura for enough time to either escape or reach that trap?

The answer would only be known after the two groups left the snowed lands of the [Lands of the Ice Exalted]. And for that, nearly two days of such pursuit would be needed.

An [Astral Devourer], a Scourge, Chun Hua. Coming from a race that depended entirely on qi for their existence and could grow in strength and cultivation simply by absorbing qi, her advantages over normal cultivators were absolute. But as always, a great advantage leads to a great disadvantage, and for Chun Hua, it was the same.

While she could minimize her expenditure to levels even lower than a human, the moment the [Mortality Formation] activated entirely and started seeping qi, she lost any semblance of life or strength, falling down to the ground, unable to even breathe.

And while it left her close to death and absolutely unresponding, this disadvantage turned out as a benefit. Ignored by friend and enemy alike, for the last few hours, she had simply laid on the ground, undisturbed and unchecked alike.

But the apparent death was replaced by a sudden surge of strength after all the formations, the [Mortality] one included, shattered. Unaware of the reasons behind it happening and not caring about anything else, Chun Hua did not even control herself, wildly absorbing every strand of the returning to normal qi flow.

The more she absorbed, without even acknowledging the crazed pace in which she did so, the quicker her cultivation returned. Far quicker than anyone else. And as a being whose' cultivation depended on pure qi, it did not only return but also advanced. And without any harm to her.

*Click* *Click*

Two breakthroughs, although they could not be called even as such when the quickness, and lack of any preparation or requirements, were taken into account, happened, and only then did Chun Hua regain her full senses.

Was her first thought, followed by one soberer, although more somber as well,

"Bai Qi!" But it was all quickly replaced by a name that she even unwillingly shouted off before running towards the place she sensed, felt, or even somehow knew he would be.

A hundred events passed almost simultaneously, and some individual efforts may never be discovered, with a single person overshadowing all else. Be it by status, strength, or deed, no one could surpass the actions of Kongbai Meili, the Head of the [Void Palace], and someone who, just fifty breaths after the formations shattered, had started and, in just an hour, successfully cleared the entire [Ice Phoenix Ravine] of each and every hostile.

But different from the flashy, overly destructive Royal Techniques of any other similar realm cultivator, Kongbai Meili's manner was silent, stealthy, and somehow beautiful.

A jade-white hand, draped in black robes, emerging from the void... And with a simple touch of it, the besieging Warrior Lords, not to mention the Yellow Realm cultivators, fell breathless, dead.

***

Having decided on something, Kongbai Meili saw to it entirely, without doubting, stopping, or caring for anything but finishing every hostile that had invaded and brought so much grief to her [Void Palace].

The sun had just begun raising, and the strongest of all the [Void Palace] Sectmasters, one that had surpassed even the so-renowned founder of the [Gazing into the Void], her own great grandfather, had already accomplished her goal.

Except for 31 cultivators, all the remaining uninvited guests were killed. No quarter. No offer to surrender.

These 31 were no one else than the [Brave Wolf Gang] members. While Kongbai Meili was unaware of their interactions with Tao Xuegang, Bai Qi, and He Delan, she still agreed to let them go. The reason for such a deal was nothing but another of the prepared plans of the not even present Brave Wolves leader.

The [Brave Wolf Gang] had previously captured two [Void Palace] members, but as instructed even before their arrival, they did not kill them. And while they had thought of letting them go before, along with the elder, He Delan, whom they captured later, Qiao Guiying had actually ordered them to be moved outside before Bai Qi's arrival. Not on his own, but having checked on one of the several [Memory Holding Orb], which contents had been to retain at least one disciple, to negotiate their safe passage in case of the [Seven Souls Sect] defeat.

And as unsurprising it may be, Chihong Lang the [Brave Wolf] had been right once again.

As he would convey several days later, in their home base, he had suspected the defeat of their temporary allies since the start. But as he had no choice but comply with the promise of help, he had sent the group with all those orders to limit, if not avoid losses.

***

From the sunrise and until the deep night, Kongbai Meili, and all the elders that were in condition to do so, concentrated on a task far more gloomy, surveying each nook and cranny of both ravine and towers, recovering the wounded and dead.

And while the Palace's head could easily avoid such a task, Kongbai Meili would never do so. Thus, it was already night when she, at last, visited Tao Xuegang, who as a Warrior Emperor, was the first one of Bai Qi's group to awake. And who had stayed in the healing formation only because he had no other choice but to do so.

"Keep recovering, Vice-head. Everything has been resolved, at least what could be." Kongbai Meili's voice denoted nothing but sadness as she admonished Tao Xuegang's intention to leave the grand healing formation set up directly in the main hall of the Palace's central building.

Tao Xuegang knew about the Head's special and unique cultivation method, so he wasn't surprised for her to show neither tiredness nor exhaustion, even though she had not rested in over a week. And so, he did not mention or ask anything about Head Kongbai's condition, but neither did he comply with her command.

{Xuegang, you should listen to my commands, at least when there are so many of our members around.} Slightly amused by the old man's usual stubbornness returning right away, Kongbai Meili sent him a transmission.

{I am sorry, but I need to see how is he doing. The serious damage has been healed, and these minor wounds you see? I can perfectly take care of them myself. And if I leave, the formation will be more effective for the weaker cultivators.} But Tao Xuegang would ignore anyone right now, at least if that someone was blocking him from moving into the small private room in the basement, where Bai Qi had been moved. Not that he omitted giving at least some reasons, out of respect for the name, Kongbai, or maybe for the current holder of it as well?

{There are no changes. And don't forget who helped to set up this formation, you think I did not take into account that an Emperor would be inside? So stay put, and don't leave until you are entirely healed. And that's an order from me, Kongbai Meili.} Aware that nothing but invoking the Kongbai name would make Tao Xuegang reconsider, she directly ordered.

{And what about He Delan's disciple?} Tao Xuegang abruptly changed the topic to one that would make Kongbai Meili leave and free him to as he himself called it.

{Oh, that girl? I restrained her but allowed her to remain near your new protege, Bai Qi.} Kongbai Meili transmitted, but just a moment later, added, {Speaking of which, I think it's time to go and speak with her. I never expected for someone of her race to appear on the plane...}

{Then go. I will remain here, as ordered.} Tao Xuegang lost interest in the topic right away, as the thought of crossed his mind.

"Heh." Kongbai Meili lightly chuckled, perfectly aware of what was Tao Xuegang thinking, but her somber mood quickly returned as a message stone appeared from a suddenly opened void crack and fell into her hand.

"What it is?" While Head Kongbai was always shrouded in a void-infused aura that prevented anything but her silhouette to be seen while she wasn't inside the void, Tao Xuegang had learned to sense her emotional state years ago.

"A group of several Warrior Lord and King level cultivators just crossed the outer formation." With the rebuilding taking not a single week, Kongbai Meili had decided to spend all of their effort on healing first. But that meant that except for a simple alarm formation set up around the ravine, the entire [Void Palace] was absolutely open for anyone to enter.

"Only Lords and Kings? Could they be patrols of the [Seven Souls]? Or other groups that weren't notified?" Tao Xuegang immediately offered.

"I don't know." Kongbai Meili considered the Vice-head's words for a few moments before adding, "Yet." Then, she waved her hand and disappeared into the void, having decided to take a look herself and not risk the few remaining combat-able elders of hers.

After a few moments, Tao Xuegang rose up, and with a quick seal, opened a void passage towards the enclosed and sealed room where Bai Qi was floating in a restorative formation, meant to at least mend the body of a cultivator whose mind and soul was damaged to an extent that no healing formation could solve.

Bai Qi regained his senses and found himself on a vast plateau in black and crimson hues. Black was the stone under his legs, and black was the sky above his head. It looked almost as if his, or Kui Mulang's inner world, if not for the lack of the crimson bolts from the last time, or that Bai Qi felt no one's presence, not even his own.

"Where am I?" He muttered, expecting to hear his voice. And he did, although not only his but another three voices as well.

"Where am I?" A deep and raspy voice asked from the left, where a white smoke that covered the entire horizon, from ground to sky, suddenly appeared.

"Where am I?" A hoarse and rumbling voice asked from the right, where a crimson shadow did the same, although to a lesser extent, being no bigger than half of the white smoke.

"Where... am I?" A young and shaky voice asked from the front, as a small, not bigger than an apple, greenish orb suddenly emerged.

Having a bad feeling, Bai Qi tried to look down to examine his body, one that he could not sense. And he gasped, finding that there was nothing but a puff of purplish haze.

*Gasp* *Gasp* *Gasp*

And as he gasped, the other three followed suit...