“Master.” Zhi Guan wasn’t one to waste time. Seeing the person he wanted to see, he directly walked up to him while also waving at the person behind so they could proceed to explain their plan and get onto making it into a reality.

Baili Chao whirled around as soon as he heard the familiar voice, his eyes widening when he not only saw Zhi Guan but even saw him almost completely uninjured. Sure, there were a few cuts here and there but … there really was nothing that could truly be called a wound. Not when it was on Zhi Guan’s body, at least. If this was Fen’er, he might think differently and fuss about it but … his first disciple was tough. He probably didn’t even feel those cuts.

“Ah Guan … you’re alright.” He didn’t even know how to continue after that. Whether it was his thoughts or his emotions, neither seemed to have caught up to this newest development. Too much had happened today. He had thought that he would have to say goodbye to his oldest disciple forever but now, the person was hardly even injured. He just … couldn’t quite reconcile reality with his assumptions for a moment.

Zhi Guan nodded but didn’t seem to catch on to his Master’s complicated mood. He simply strode over, his gaze dropping to the spirit beast his Master was holding but he didn’t mention anything. While Yun Bei Fen’s situation was worrisome, they first had to discuss their next steps. After they had done so, they could speak about the rest if there was any time to spare.

Elder Diao and the group they had chosen before also made their way over to the gate after seeing Zhi Guan motioning for them.

Baili Chao looked at the people following behind his oldest disciple and raised his brows. Obviously, with the robes they were wearing, there wasn’t any doubt about who they were. He just wanted to greet them when Luo Lin squeezed past one of the disciples, Shen Lei trailing directly behind.

Seeing his third disciple, Elder Baili heaved a sigh of relief. He hadn’t been as worried about him since Shen Lei was with him and they were only supposed to inform the other sects. Still, after everything else that had happened today, it was good to have him where he could see him.

“Ah Lin also made it back and I see you managed to get in touch with the Li Ren Sect as well.” He stepped closer and patted his shoulder before turning back to Elder Diao. “Elder Fa and Elder Ximen from the Zhen Yan Sect are also here.”

Fa Ai Jun actually only stood a few steps away and had already nodded in greeting.

As for Ximen Chang, after hearing them talk, he also stepped out of the room with the bodies so they could discuss their next steps. Seeing Zhi Guan he gave a faint hum. “Since Elder Baili’s oldest disciple is back, he should be able to shed some light on to what happened here.”

Zhi Guan naturally nodded. “Yes, but we should focus on what to do next.” He gave the quickest recap of what they had experienced that he could do and then went on to explain the idea Mu Qing had come up with regarding how to deal with the people that the demonic faction would certainly send toward them after they had dared to kill their elite disciples.

The Elders listened quietly, their faces solemn. This really wasn’t the kind of plan they liked to enact but … with the disparity in numbers they’d face and without knowing more about this place, plus the threat of Feng Bai Xiao maybe returning, they didn’t have many options.

Elder Fa pursed her lips and then clicked her tongue. “Well, let’s do it. It’s the most convenient way and right now, we hardly have a choice. I’d also prefer fighting head-on but we have to take the big picture into consideration.”

Elder Ximen inclined his head. “Yes, Ai Jun is right. The question is whether we have everything on hand to make this work.” For this kind of thing, it would have been great to have the help of the Jian Chu Sect but so far, they were the only ones missing. Even though they shouldn’t be far behind, there was no way to make sure and he’d rather not risk it by waiting for them.

The other Elders thought the same. It had been some time since they had dealt with the last people who had been stationed in the underground palace so the demonic faction’s reaction should be close as well. They couldn’t risk being only halfway through their preparations by the time it arrived.

“We should probably decide where to flee to and from where and then prepare the area around the respective array first.” Elder Xing’s brows furrowed tightly as he tried to imagine the exact situation they’d face. “This way, we can ensure that the plan will work in general at least. The rest of the palace can still be added later on if we still have more time and resources. In the worst of cases, we’ll have to just use spiritual energy.”

Of course, that way had a lot of drawbacks, the main one being that it was simply too obvious. They were all aware of it but … with limited time and resources, this might be the only option they had.

Elder Diao hummed and picked up his spatial bag. “Let’s all check what we have. Maybe we can get a few things together that will be helpful. As long as they are concentrated in one part of the building and we have a clear idea of what to do, we might not actually need as much as we feared.”

The others nodded and checked but they couldn’t come up with much. The two Elders from the Teng Yong Sect had already pretty much emptied out their spatial bags to help Mei Chao Bing explore his constitution. Elder Diao wasn’t one to carry many things around and Elder Fan usually carried ingredients for refinement she felt the disciples might want. So, finally, the one who had doubted whether they had the right resources or not was the one who actually pulled out the most. Although, admittedly, it was still a lucky coincidence for the most part.