Their clothes' colors clearly marked them as students of the Azure Dragon Academy.
Xin Ci, however, was slightly taken aback. He knew these two – weren't they Liu Mu Ming and Bai Ting?
Moreover, their clothes were tattered, and their faces were covered in dust, making them look quite disheveled.
Upon seeing that they were from the Azure Dragon Academy, Li Jian Xing and the others immediately grew grim.
It was well-known that the Azure Dragon Academy was largely controlled by Na Lan Wu Xia.
If these students were appearing here, it was possible that Na Lan Wu Xia and Ke Fei were also nearby.
Liu Fu Yao immediately drew her sword and pointed it at the suddenly appearing Liu Mu Ming and Bai Ting, coldly demanding, "What are you Azure Dragon Academy people doing here? Speak! Are Na Lan Wu Xia and the others nearby?"
Liu Mu Ming and Bai Ting looked bewildered, instinctively replying, "What do you mean, Na Lan Wu Xia and them are nearby?"
"You still dare to play coy! Did Na Lan Wu Xia send you to snatch our Crimson Sun Fruits!"
As Liu Fu Yao's words fell, the other three also drew their swords, regarding the two with hostility.
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Sensing the unfavorable situation, Xin Ci quickly stepped forward to explain, "Senior Brother, Senior Sister, I know these two. They are friends of mine. They mean no harm. I believe you might have misunderstood."
Although Liu Fu Yao and the others were inclined to trust Xin Ci, they remained wary of the two.
"Tell us, why are you here? Are you just passing by?" Xin Ci asked Liu Mu Ming and Bai Ting.
"Something like that. We accidentally got separated from the Azure Dragon Academy group and saw a light here, so we came to investigate," Liu Mu Ming replied, scratching his head with an awkward smile.
Bai Ting, however, grabbed Liu Mu Ming's ear and said fiercely, "It's all your fault, you idiot! As soon as we entered the secret realm, you ran off everywhere, not even minding the group. You're so stupid."
With his ear in Bai Ting's grip, Liu Mu Ming replied with a pained expression, "It's not bad getting separated from the Azure Dragon Academy group. I don't want to be with scoundrels like Na Lan Wu Xia anyway."
Looking at the two, Liu Fu Yao and the others couldn't help but smile, but at the same time, they felt relieved.
Based on Bai Ting and Liu Mu Ming's words, Liu Fu Yao and the other two somewhat believed that the pair meant no harm and didn't seem to be looking for trouble.
"So, Brother Liu Mu, you knew about Na Lan Wu Xia colluding with other academies long ago?" Xin Ci asked curiously.
"Yeah, I found out early. That Na Lan Wu Xia has ill intentions. We shouldn't have chosen the Azure Dragon Academy back then," Liu Mu Ming said, shrugging his shoulders.
Looking at the two, Xin Ci had an idea. He said to Liu Fu Yao, "Senior Sister Liu, in this Sky Pit Secret Realm, besides us, everyone else has chosen to join Na Lan Wu Xia and the others."
"And now we are few in number. Why not form an alliance with Brother Liu Mu and his companion?" Xin Ci continued.
Upon hearing this, Liu Fu Yao pondered for a moment and then said, "Alright, we can form an alliance. But you two must remember, if you betray us, I will deal with you on the spot!"
"That's for sure!"
Liu Mu Ming nodded. Then he turned to Xin Ci with a cheeky grin and said, "But Little Xin Xin, are you showing such concern for me because you have feelings for me?"
"Feelings for who! You're ignoring your beautiful fiancée and like men? You're a pervert," Bai Ting glared, looking jealous.
Hearing Bai Ting's words, Liu Fu Yao and the other two couldn't help but stifle their laughter.
Xin Ci, who had initially found Liu Mu Ming's behavior somewhat repulsive, now felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.
"Alright, no more joking," Xin Ci said with a chuckle. "Since we've all decided to form an alliance, let's rest tonight and continue our journey tomorrow."
"Mhm," Liu Fu Yao and the other two agreed.
...
The next day, in the early morning.
A group of seven walked across a desolate grassland.
After refining the Crimson Sun Fruits last night, Liu Fu Yao and the others' cultivation had greatly improved, and they had all successfully broken through to the Heaven Realm.
Liu Mu Ming and Bai Ting had joined the group.
Xin Ci had also given the remaining two Crimson Sun Fruits to them.
After consuming the Crimson Sun Fruits, both of them had successfully broken through to the Heaven Realm. Their current strength was at the peak of the Earthly Grade initial stage.
As for Xin Ci, due to having two Qi vortexes in his body, he required more spiritual energy.
The Crimson Sun Fruits only allowed him to break through to the peak of the Earthly Realm, but he was still only one step away from the Heaven Realm.
Soon, the group passed through the boundless grassland and arrived at a flat expanse of land.
This area was already approaching the depths of the vast sky pit, getting closer to the central area.
Along the way, they had to remain vigilant of the movements of the Azure Dragon Academy members.
"Look ahead, there seems to be something," Lin Yan Er suddenly stopped and said.
Xin Ci and the others also immediately ceased their advance and looked in the direction Lin Yan Er was pointing.
Ahead, they saw a vast expanse of white mist, layer upon layer, like clouds.
The mist was so dense that it was impossible to discern what lay beneath it.
Xin Ci attempted to probe with his soul power, but this mist was peculiar; it actually blocked his detection, preventing him from sensing anything below.
"What kind of mist is this, that it can block soul power detection?" Xin Ci frowned, puzzled.
Han Lao transmitted to Xin Ci, "This white mist is not ordinary smoke; it is formed from condensed souls."
"Condensed souls?" Xin Ci was somewhat shocked.
"Yes, this white mist is very strange. It's best not to approach it rashly, or you might risk your soul being controlled and getting lost within it," Han Lao warned.
"I understand," Xin Ci nodded, daring not to be careless.
Just as he was about to explain the mist to Liu Fu Yao and the others,
Suddenly, the white mist surged outwards in all directions like monstrous waves, engulfing them in an instant.
Everyone couldn't help but feel a surge of panic, and they all channeled their spiritual energy to resist the encroachment of the white mist.
"What on earth is going on!" Xin Ci's expression changed drastically.
Liu Fu Yao and the others were also equally solemn.
"This white mist is extremely strange. We must leave this place as soon as possible," Liu Fu Yao said with a grim expression.
"Exactly, let's leave here immediately!" Li Jian Xing and the others immediately agreed.
After speaking, the seven attempted to unleash martial techniques to blast away the surrounding white mist, trying to disperse it.
However, no matter how hard they tried with all their might, the white mist only continued to increase and could not be dispersed.
Instead, the white mist grew thicker and thicker.
"This is bad, we're trapped," Liu Fu Yao's face turned grim as he said.
Upon hearing this, everyone else's expressions also changed drastically.
"Did something happen again?" Mu Qing Qing, who had just recovered her senses in the consciousness space, saw that the male lead and the others were in a bad situation.
"Eh, what's going on with this white mist?" Mu Qing Qing asked curiously.
Although she was in the consciousness space, Mu Qing Qing could still sense that this white mist was unusual.