Chapter 342: This Is Not the Way Out

An enormous tree root, like a collapsing pillar from the heavens, came crashing down.

Shen Daoxing frowned, preparing to strike.

"You beast!"

At that moment, a sharp cry suddenly rang out from the sky.

In the next instant, a flash of white light appeared, and the enormous, descending tree root boomed as it shattered to pieces.

Everyone quickly turned toward the sound. There, on the crimson earth not far away, an old man was approaching at a slow pace. He had flowing white hair and the ethereal bearing of an immortal.

The old man’s face was solemn, betraying no emotion. His white Daoist robe billowed around him. After he appeared, he simply flicked his sleeve.

The giant withered tree suddenly let out a pitiful, whimpering cry.

The next moment.

"BOOM!"

With a deafening crash,

the giant withered tree suddenly exploded from its core, shattering into innumerable fragments that vanished into the air.

In a mere moment, the old man had reduced a demon beast of the Earth Profound Realm to dust.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Chu Guifeng’s face lit up with joyous recognition. He stepped forward, clasped his hands, and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for saving us, Elder Qin."

The old man gave a placid nod, his expression unchanging. "Chu Guifeng, the Red Land Demon Realm is rife with danger. It is a place of no return, not somewhere you should be."

Chu Guifeng sighed, then stepped forward and explained to the old man how they had ended up here.

’Elder Qin!’

Beside them, a curious Shen Daoxing turned to Qian Gui. "Who is he?"

Qian Gui paused before answering. "That’s Elder Qin, Qin Muhe, the Grand Elder of the Azure Dragon Sect from Tuocang Mountain. Rumor has it he’s over two hundred years old, a master at the Sixth Layer of the Earth Profound Realm. I’d heard Qin Muhe disappeared a long time ago. I can’t believe he’s actually here."

Meanwhile, after listening to Chu Guifeng’s explanation, Qin Muhe nodded impassively. "Indeed. The Red Land Demon Realm has been acting strangely of late, and it seems to be constantly expanding. It’s no surprise that your encampment outside the Demon Realm was devoured by it."

Chu Guifeng hesitated for a moment before venturing to ask, "If I may be so bold, Elder Qin, how can we get out of the Red Land Demon Realm?"

Qin Muhe gave Chu Guifeng an indifferent look, then let his gaze sweep over the others. "The Red Land Demon Realm is volatile and mysterious," he said calmly. "Its entrances and exits are in constant flux. Without sufficient strength, leaving is harder than ascending to the heavens."

Chu Guifeng was taken aback. He pointed at himself. "Elder, is my strength enough?"

Qin Muhe shook his head impassively. "Obviously not. One requires a cultivation level of the Earth Profound Realm at a minimum."

Qin Muhe’s words struck them like a bucket of cold water, and their hearts sank.

But no sooner had the words left his mouth than Qin Muhe’s tone shifted. "No matter. Our meeting here today must be fate. If you wish to leave, I will escort you out. Consider it a good deed performed for our Azure Dragon Sect."

Hearing this, Chu Guifeng quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Elder Qin, for your help. We will surely repay this kindness in the future."

The others were overjoyed, and they all stepped forward to bow respectfully.

Qin Muhe gave a slight nod. "Keep up. If any of you fall behind, I won’t be coming back for you."

Everyone nodded eagerly.

Then, Qin Muhe took a casual step onto the crimson earth.

Without any discernible movement from him,

"RUMBLE RUMBLE!"

A deep rumbling sound echoed.

The crimson ground beneath them actually began to shift on its own.

In a daze, the surroundings became hazy and indistinct.

A new path appeared before their eyes.

’So the land itself is constantly shifting! No wonder we couldn’t find a way out.’

The group followed Qin Muhe forward. As they passed, the slender roots extending from the withered trees on either side seemed to sense something terrifying in the old man. With a great RUSTLE, they all burrowed back into the ground and vanished from sight.

As they continued forward, the strange withered trees at the sides became fewer and fewer, until they disappeared completely.

What appeared before them next was a rugged mountain path, treacherous and flanked by bizarrely shaped rocks.

Qin Muhe walked onto it without any hesitation, and the group followed closely behind.

Suddenly.

"RUMBLE RUMBLE!"

With a massive boom,

Chu Guifeng and the others felt the ground tremble and the mountains sway, as if they were being slowly lifted into the air.

When they looked down, they saw that the massive rock under their feet had actually stood up, revealing a menacing, crimson rock giant.

"ROAR!"

A terrifying, soul-shaking roar erupted from the stone giant’s mouth.

Immediately after, a giant stone fist the size of a cottage cut through the sky, smashing towards them.

"Watch out! It’s a Red Rock Demon Stone, at the Earth Profound Realm!" Chu Guifeng cried out in alarm.

However, in the next instant,

Qin Muhe gave his sleeve a gentle shake, and a small Peach Wood Sword shot out.

The Peach Wood Sword looked completely ordinary, as if it would shatter on impact.

Yet, a golden light began to glow from it.

On the body of the giant crimson stone man, a golden thread appeared, running from its head to its heel.

Immediately, the golden thread erupted with brilliant, radiating light.

With the golden thread as the dividing line, the massive crimson giant split in two and crashed to the ground on either side.

With a flick of his sleeve, Qin Muhe calmly recalled the Peach Wood Sword and strode forward. "Keep moving."

The group stared, stunned, at the Red Rock Demon Stone that had been reduced to a pile of rubble, before hastily catching up.

With a master of the Earth Profound Realm watching over them, the bizarre and terrifying monsters of the Red Land Demon Realm posed no real threat. Qin Muhe dealt with them all with an air of effortless indifference.

Led by Qin Muhe, Chu Guifeng and the others pressed onward. They walked for what felt like a very long time, until the Celestial Yang in the sky began its descent in the west.

Yet their surroundings remained a crimson wasteland of bizarre, jagged rocks.

When they turned to look at the towering Demon Mountain in the distance, they realized they were no farther from it than when they had first started.

Puzzled, Chu Guifeng couldn’t help but step forward and ask, "Elder Qin, it seems we haven’t made any progress in leaving the Demon Realm."

Qin Muhe replied calmly, "The Red Land Demon Realm is mysterious and unpredictable. Its paths are in constant flux. You cannot measure it by ordinary logic."

Chu Guifeng nodded. ’That’s true,’ he thought. ’The Red Land Demon Realm is exceptionally mysterious. We don’t even know how we got in here, so we definitely can’t judge it by normal standards.’

The group continued on as the sky grew dark. Chu Guifeng and the others noticed the color of the surrounding earth deepening to a rich, blood-like hue, while the black mist pervading the air grew ever thicker.

It seemed they were heading deeper into the Red Land Demon Realm.

’But with Elder Qin leading the way, he must have his reasons.’ So, no one questioned him further.

At that moment, however, Shen Daoxing’s brow furrowed. The scent of blood he’d noticed was growing stronger and more cloying with every step they took.

"This isn’t the way out."

Suddenly, a clear, silvery female voice spoke up.

Everyone immediately turned toward the voice. The speaker was the woman from the carriage—the one who had been veiled and silent the entire time.

At this moment, supported by an old servant, she slowly walked out.

Qian Gui gave a faint smile and turned his head. "Miss Tao, Elder Qin has been studying the Demon Realm for many years. How could he possibly take a wrong turn?"