Chapter 122: Loss of Contact

"I'm taking Fatty to gather some supplies. We need at least enough food and bedding. My injuries do indeed require a period of recovery, and the same goes for Fatty and Cheng Zhi. If we return to the base now, we'll be assigned missions immediately, and we won't be able to adjust our state in such a short time."

Zhou Yi waved his hand. "Let's split up. I'll take Cheng Zhi to prepare firewood and tools; you just prepare the food. Fatty is good at that. We'll meet here in an hour and then depart."

The group sprang into action and returned quickly with the supplies. Seeing Sophia’s dark expression, Zhou Yi was a bit surprised.

"What's wrong?"

Sophia glanced at Fatty with disdain. "He even brought four or five pots, claiming that although we're going away to recover and improve, our quality of life cannot decline."

Zhou Yi glanced over, and Fatty quickly conceded. The group set down the teleportation disk, took one last look at Mount Qingcheng, and left.

The next day, just as dawn broke, a troop of riders galloped from afar. Upon reaching the mountain gate, the leader jumped off her horse—it was Ye Qing. She looked travel-worn, but her eyes were bright. Having avenged her master and returned to Mount Qingcheng, her state of mind was now different. She hurried toward the main hall.

Those following her lagged behind a few steps. However, the sight of the empty hall caused Ye Qing’s heart to tremble. She gestured to those behind her. "Go check if the Sect Leader and the others are resting in the back."

Someone immediately went to check and returned shortly after, bowing to Ye Qing. "The Sect Leader is not in the back; there is no trace of them anywhere on Mount Qingcheng."

As the man spoke, Ye Qing’s gaze fell upon a desk nearby. She hurried over to find a letter lying flat upon it. The others gathered around. The letter was short and stated two things:

First, with the Martial King ascended to the throne, Mount Qingcheng would henceforth focus on the study of medicine; cultivation would no longer be the primary focus for recruiting disciples.

Second, Zhou Yi had taken the three of them away to travel across the various nations and did not know when they would return. He was never one to be tied down, so he had handed the position of Sect Leader to Ye Qing, with the Sect Leader’s token left inside the meditation cushion.

To the outside world, they were to say that the new Sect Leader, Zhou Yi, had perished in a decisive battle against the Sect Leader of Nether Mountain. This would put the Martial King at ease, and the imperial court would no longer pay attention to Mount Qingcheng.

Holding the letter, Ye Qing found her face covered in tears before she even realized it. Initially, when Zhou Yi took over as Sect Leader, she had never understood why her master had made such a move. But from subduing the disciples to persuading the Martial King to stage a coup in the capital, and finally settling the score with Nether Mountain to avenge her master, she realized along the way just how wise her master’s decision had been.

Yet, she hadn't even seen them one last time before they were gone. Ye Qing’s heart was filled with a complex mixture of emotions.

The older disciple sighed and bowed to Ye Qing. "Junior Sister, please follow Sect Leader Zhou’s instructions and take charge of Mount Qingcheng. If we manage the mountain well, perhaps Sect Leader Zhou will return one day and be pleased to see it."

Ye Qing folded the letter, wiped the tear stains from her face, and shook her head slightly. "In accordance with Sect Leader Zhou’s command, from this day forth, this sect will no longer recruit cultivation disciples. We shall establish ourselves as a medical sect. Send word to the capital: Sect Leader Zhou has passed away. Mount Qingcheng will hold a funeral and remain closed for three years of mourning."

All the disciples knelt in unison. "As you command!"

...

One month later, at the summit of the Five Elements Tomb.

Sophia had placed the teleportation disk, and the group stepped onto it. One could tell by their complexions that they had fully recovered. Fatty ran up from behind, waving at Zhou Yi. "Boss, look! How is this?"

Following the direction of his finger, a rock the size of a tea table hovered at the edge of the cliff. As soon as Fatty spoke, it seemed to lose control and plummeted down the cliff with a thud.

Zhou Yi rubbed his forehead. Fatty still hadn’t found a proper way to use earth-based attacks. The techniques he’d learned from books were all lackluster, and his own attempts usually resulted in just throwing rocks. This time he had managed a large one, but what was the point? To smash a city gate?

"Not bad, there's progress. Let's go, we can't delay any longer!"

Fatty grumbled as he ran over, looking dissatisfied, though he looked a full circle rounder than he had a month ago. "Too perfunctory. You don't put any heart into your praise. You all are improving so fast—not to mention Sophia and the Boss, even Cheng Zhi’s wooden arrows and vines are so powerful. Mine is just playing with mud. Sigh, I’m holding everyone back!"

Sophia didn't smile; she glanced at Fatty, who hurriedly scrambled onto the teleportation disk.

"Time to go back!"

Fatty pursed his lips, knowing Sophia was not to be trifled with, and followed suit onto the disk.

The vulture in the sky called out to Zhou Yi twice. Zhou Yi looked up at it without making any move. He could leave, and the silly bird would be free; if they were destined to meet again, he hoped he would still see it.

Sophia tapped the control panel. White light flashed, the protective dome closed instantly, and after a flicker, the dome vanished. The teleportation disk on the ground shrank and fell into Sophia’s hand.

Zhou Yi looked around. This was still Hall No. 3, but to his surprise, there was no one here. Where was everyone? Usually, Carter acted like a guard dog, staring at them constantly; why wasn't he here now?

Before he could think further, Sophia grabbed Zhou Yi’s arm, looking at their surroundings with extreme vigilance.

"What's wrong?"

Sophia shook her head and raised the terminal on her wrist. A map resembling a starry sky appeared, with many stars marked in red and blinking incessantly. One of the red dots displayed a label: Base 72 is under attack by an unknown system.

A progress bar at the bottom showed that the red portion had already reached 79%.

"The base is being attacked. I assume Carter and the others have gone to defend it. I don't know if everyone has left, but at this point, going to a mission world is the safest option. After all, the base is just a transit point; if it’s destroyed, we can just build another."

Zhou Yi had no experience with this and had no voice in the matter, so he nodded quickly at Sophia. "Then let's go!"

Sophia waved her hand, and the door to Hall No. 3 opened instantly. Only then did they realize that all the lights in the entire corridor had turned red, and the air was filled with piercing alarms.

Natasha appeared immediately, still wearing that professional smile. "Vice Commander, please lead all Chosen Ones and slaves to leave Base 72 immediately. Currently, only Group Eight remains in the base. Please hurry and leave, please hurry and leave!"

Sophia narrowed her eyes. "Did the Lord leave any message?"

"No, this is a notification issued by the Spacetime City, ordering personnel from all bases to evacuate quickly. You are the last group to return, and because the mission world was shielded, we couldn't send the message. Vice Commander, please select the nearest mission world to take temporary refuge. Once the invasion reaches 90%, the base will initiate its self-destruct sequence. Please hurry and leave!"

Fatty grew anxious. "Ms. Sophia, let’s go! Isn't this place about to be destroyed?"

Sophia nodded and waved her hand. Natasha vanished, and three mission worlds appeared. Sophia looked at Zhou Yi, who shook his head. "Whatever, as long as we can avoid the attack!"

Sophia clicked on the first mission world. This was a physical transfer. As the teleportation disk appeared, the entire ground began to shake. The four of them jumped on quickly. The shaking intensified, and the lights in Hall No. 3 turned blood-red. Sophia tapped the control panel, and with a flash of white light, the shaking beneath their feet ceased.

However, this transmission took a long time—more than twice as long as usual. Zhou Yi squinted slightly, and Fatty, standing nearby, shivered. "This thing won't be impacted, will it? Did we end up in the wrong place?"

*Smack!* Zhou Yi’s palm landed on Fatty’s back. Fatty was so startled he shivered and quickly covered his mouth. He looked at the others with an apologetic expression, but with that smack, the teleportation disk stopped.

The dome opened, and a wave of scorching heat left them momentarily dazed. It was hot—the kind of heat that made you feel like your internal organs would ignite with every breath.

Observing their surroundings, they seemed to be in a jungle, deep at the bottom of a valley. Mountains surrounded them, and towering trees blocked out the sky, leaving nothing else visible.

With a sharp *snap*, Fatty raised his hand and crushed a beetle the size of a thumb. A bite mark remained on his neck. As sweat washed over it, Fatty grimaced and stomped his feet. "What is this thing? It itches so much!"

Zhou Yi took a look and quickly cleaned it with an alcohol swab. "It doesn't look poisonous. It shouldn't be too serious!"