Back in the cavern where the other disciples of the Teng Yong Sect, as well as those of the Zhen Yan Sect, had gathered, there was the soft murmur of the groups exchanging information to make sure that everyone knew what exactly was going on.

Originally, Mei Chao Bing wanted to keep to the side but before he could take a step back, Shen Lei had put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him forward to where Zhi Guan and the others stood. His group had long informed Zhi Guan since they had been traveling part of the way together but Shen Lei didn’t even think about that. In any case, this guy had not only worked quite well before, but he was also the fiance of Zhi Guan’s little junior. He really didn’t see a problem with bringing him around.

Mei Chao Bing looked mortified at first but hurriedly put his expression away. He didn’t know if Shen Lei had somehow missed that matter with his Master but it really wasn’t something he should bring up right now. Maybe he could advise him later. He really didn’t want Shen Lei to get into trouble because of him.

A couple of the other disciples also looked over but to Mei Chao Bing’s surprise, nobody made a fuss. It seemed that these disciples who were mostly of an older generation didn’t care as much as the ones from his. That thought was quite shocking to him.

The disciples listened to what the other groups had found one by one and noted everything down similarly to how they had done before. This time, they also made a copy on a jade slip since there was a lot of information altogether that wouldn’t fit a small paper crane and handed it around so each of the groups could have one copy with all information.

Once they had finished, Zhi Guan wrote another message, as did the disciples of the Zhen Yan Sect, and then they sent somebody out to inform the Elders, bringing one of the jade slips along. Now, there was still the question of what to do next.

Zhi Guan had pretty much taken the lead so he started with a proposal. "The relevant information has been sent back. Now, we know the layout of this place and also how it works. What we don’t know yet is where some of the arrays lead.

"For some of them, we have an estimation of the general direction and distance at least but even for them, we don’t know what kind of places lay there. Judging from what we know about the border region, we can have some guesses but I’m afraid it will not be enough for the future. If we want to make sure that we are one step ahead, we need to make sure that not only would we be able to disable this place fast, we would also need to know what kind of attack we have to expect.

"My suggestion is to form groups again to check out these places. As we don’t know what exactly to expect on the other side, it would probably be best to form larger groups. So two groups together should be for the best. Since we sent some disciples back, it could be that some groups will need to form anew because they are missing too many members. Now, any other ideas?"

The disciples discussed for a moment but, in the end, everyone was of the same opinion as Zhi Guan: This matter was too big to leave it alone. They had to find out more and this was the only way to go about it.

Zhi Guan nodded when everyone had agreed and took out the map that they had done which had annotations on which arrays had already been investigated. "Now, I think one group should stay behind and find out more about the other arrays that we don’t know as much about yet. The others should find together in their groups and then everyone decide on one array that they want to take.

"After you’ve investigated what is on the other side, we will reconvene here and once again exchange information. If you arrive back here fast, look for the group that has been stationed here all this time. Try not to run into demonic practitioners as hard as that may sound. Keep your own safety your highest priority. Now, find together in your groups." He folded the map back up and looked to Shen Lei who pulled at Mei Chao Bing’s shoulders in return.

"I think we worked together quite well just now. Let’s just go with them again. You don’t have a problem with that, do you?"

Mei Chao Bing shook his head. "Of course not, senior martial brother Shen." In fact, he actually felt flattered. He didn’t know if this was thanks to his relationship with Yun Bei Fen or if Shen Lei actually had a good impression of him but he would take what he could get. In all these years since his Master’s betrayal, he had never been treated so well. Why would he reject the offer?

Zhi Guan also nodded and Shen Lei waved for the others of the group to come over. The other disciples also found the members of their groups and finally, everyone had one person take a look at the arrays and then distributed them according to the groups’ strength.

Finally, everything had been taken care of. It had only been a matter of minutes, showing that there was a reason why these disciples were the elites of the sect. There was none of that scheming and backstabbing that was going on with the group that Yang Wu Huang was currently leading. These disciples were too far ahead in their cultivation and had made too many experiences out there to even think about something like that. Instead, they knew what was at stake and they were willing to give everything including their lives to make sure that whatever the demonic practitioners had planned wouldn’t come to fruition.