Twelve people stood in front of the statue of a dragon whose scales were scarlet red.
One of them was the powerful figure of Qing Shuyin next to the curvaceous silhouette of his daughter, Qing Ruyan.
Next to them were another elder and disciple of the Serene Cloud Sect, along with the two elders and then disciples of the Burning Heart Sect.
Qingyi and Qingxue were on the left of the group, next to the elder Chen Wutian and the direct disciple Feng Zhenhai from the Ascending Dragon Sect.
In total, there were six disciples from the peak of the Golden Core realm and six elders from the peak of the Iron Body realm.
That was a power big enough to take down a medium-sized sect, but it seemed small compared to the figures surrounding them.
"You look beautiful today, elder Qingxue," Wutian smiled at the silver-haired beauty, but she didn’t even turn towards him, her eyes focused straight ahead, cold and serene.
The old man could only focus on the statue in front of him as well, gritting his teeth.
Qingyi obviously realized this, his fists clenched tightly, but soon relaxed.
That damned old man was obviously begging for death, but Qingyi couldn’t go around killing everyone for a simple compliment.
As long as the old man didn’t cross the line, he wouldn’t either.
Hiding the anger in his heart, he turned to the figure of the leader of the scarlet dragon elders.
"Greetings, young disciples and respectable elders," he spoke, imbuing his voice with Qi and causing it to spread throughout Scarlet Dragon City.
His speech was short, brief words of encouragement followed by a few instructions.
With a big smile on his lips, he snapped his fingers.
The next moment, the statue moved, seized by an intense Qi as its huge head lowered and its mouth opened, revealing a blood-red portal.
Shuyin was the first to step forward, Ruyan following soon after.
Only when their bodies disappeared into the portal did the others follow.
"Let’s go," Qingxue spoke as she took a light, elegant step forward, her hand resting on the hilt of her swords.
The moment they passed through the portal, they felt the air around them change.
Qingxue’s long, silky silver hair fluttered as she was hit by a strong, humid breeze.
She took a step back, her head hitting Qingyi’s broad chest and making her shiver and blush softly.
"That’s a hell of a view, hahaha," one of the elders of the Burning Heart Sect, a burly and honest man, smiled as he looked at the horizon.
They were at the top of a rock formation, high above the clouds.
A waterfall fell above them, descending into a green abyss.
No one there could deny that it was a beautiful sight, their eyes lost in the great forests that stretched to the horizon of clouds made golden by the setting sun.
"We have to run," Qingyi said, activating his draconic vision.
"Uh? What do you mean? Junior Brother Qingyi-" Ruxue stopped her own words, her eyes twitching.
Just ahead of the sun, she saw a small dot rapidly approaching.
This small dot soon turned into dozens and then hundreds.
They were flying beasts.
The sheer number didn’t frighten any of the elders, but the moment they felt the cultivations of those creatures, they couldn’t help but feel their hearts sink.
Each of those beasts was at the Iron Body realm, with their leader, an eagle with a wingspan of more than twenty meters, only a single step away from the Burning Blood realm.
"Run!" One word and all those proud elders abandoned their dignity.
Chen Wutian was the first to run, activating his movement technique at maximum speed as he passed under the waterfall.
"There’s a door over there!" He said, without even realizing that Qingxue and even Qingyi had already passed him.
The silver-haired beauty passed through the door, waiting for everyone to enter. The last to arrive were Chen Wutian and his disciple.
The old man was forced to grab Zhenhai by the collar of his shirt and throw him towards the living room.
Zhenhai couldn’t hide a startled cry as he was thrown, but that cry was soon replaced by a bright look as he realized where he was going.
That route... would Elder Qingxue catch him?
He closed his eyes, hoping to reach the elder’s soft, snowy peaks, but unfortunately for him, Qingyi stepped aside at the last moment.
What Zhenhai hit was a masculine chest, broad and firm.
With Qingyi contracting every one of his muscles, the sensation Zhenhai experienced was not unlike hitting a concrete wall.
"Is everything all right, young master Zhenhai?" Qingyi flashed a broad smile.
Honestly, as well as defending his wife’s dignity, he had also saved Zhenhai’s life.
He was pretty sure that idiot would be cut into a thousand pieces if he came into contact with Qingxue.
"Y-yes," Zhenhai stood up hastily, unable to hold back a silent curse.
"Close the door, quick!" Chen Wutian roared as he passed through the steel door.
Shuyin acted quickly, his powerful muscles almost jumping out of his shirt as he closed the door with a bang.
At that moment, they finally had time to look around.
They were in an armory of sorts, surrounded by shelves full of ancient weapons and armor.
Qingxue picked up a sword curiously, but to her surprise, the blade fell apart in her fingers.
Everything there seemed to have been consumed by time.
"You’ve got good eyesight, kid, and fast feet, hahaha!" Shuyin finally relaxed, not feeling the creatures outside anymore.
They seemed to have given up following them as soon as the door closed.
"The marriage proposal with my daughter still stands," he smiled, slapping Qingyi hard on the shoulder.
"Dad!" Ruyan called out, blushing deeply.
Qingyi was about to reply when he felt his master’s piercing gaze on his back.
’Is that woman jealous?’ he thought, unable to stop himself from smiling softly at the possibility.
After a moment’s thought, he just ignored the other men’s envious glances.
This was no time for jokes, they had to continue with the secret realm.