Upon returning to Jadeborough, Jared could not help becoming emotional. He realized he had been away for quite a long time. Initially, Jared had planned to go directly to the Divine Quest Sect’s secret realm to check on Josephine and the others, but the moment he arrived at Jadeborough, Astrid brought him straight to the Gunderson residence.
Jared was utterly shocked when he arrived at the Gunderson residence and laid eyes upon Chester, Evangeline, and the rest of the Gundersons residing in Fernando’s mansion. It was unusual for them to venture out of the secret realm unless faced with an urgent situation.
“Great Elder, why did you guys leave the secret realm? What happened?” Jared asked in disbelief. The fact that Chester led the Gundersons out of the secret realm meant they would face the repercussions of defying the Heavenly Law, greatly affecting their powers and abilities..
Upon noticing Jared, Chester was overcome with emotions, his tears flowing uncontrollably. “Mr. Chance, we, the Gundersons, have lost our land…”
“What exactly happened?” Jared knitted his brows. “Lamar Macall from Zahrin Sect suddenly launched an attack on us. Not only did they target our Gunderson family estate, but The Adamantine also suffered heavy casualties. Lamar turned out to be a purple-robed emissary from Evil Heart Sect. In fact, he and his men had long allied with Evil Heart Sect years ago, Chester explained.
Jared’s mind buzzed with disbelief. He had never expected Evil Heart Sect’s influence to infiltrate the Eight Major Secret Realms! Lamar is also a purple-robed emissary?
“Did that only happen to the Gate of Fire? How about the other secret realms?” Jared asked. His foremost concern was his mother, who resided in Violet Cloud Palace within the Gate of Thunder. It would be troublesome if the Gate of Thunder also falls into chaos, or if Santiago, too, is a purple-robed emissary from Evil Heart Sect.
“I’m not entirely certain about the other realms, but it’s highly likely that Lamar isn’t the only one from the Eight Major Secret Realms that are in cahoots with Evil Heart Sect. They might have other allies in the other realms too. Evil Heart Sect is formidable. I can’t believe they had begun their scheming several decades ago.” Chester sighed.
Jared fell into deep silence, realizing the gravity of the situation. If his suspicions were true, it would be an arduous task to eradicate Evil Heart Sect.
He contemplated the situation deeply, acknowledging his own considerable increase in power. However, he could not ignore the stark reality of the limited number of skilled allies by his side. If Evil Heart Sect had indeed infiltrated the Eight Major Secret Realms and taken control, it would present an even more formidable obstacle for them to confront. “Great Elder, how many disciples does your family still have?”
Jared inquired, seeking to assess the remaining manpower at his disposal. Chester appeared dejected as he responded, “Only a few of us were able to escape. The situation is similar for The Adamantine. However, even if we join forces, it would be an incredibly challenging task to reclaim the Gate of Fire.”
Jared’s mind raced as he contemplated the dire situation. A throbbing headache intensified as he grappled with the reality that his loyal followers from the mortal realm would be ill- equipped to contend with adversaries from the secret realm.
“Jared, if you need assistance, we’re willing to lend you a hand.” Suddenly, Cecilia arrived with a group of women. After receiving guidance from Arthur, they underwent a remarkable transformation. Their strength had grown to a point where they could provide significant assistance to Jared.
“You?” Jared gazed at Cecilia and the others with a hint of confusion, “Well, girls, I suppose we’ll have to show him what we’ve got so that he’ll quit underestimating us,” Cecilia exclaimed, leading the other girls to demonstrate just a fraction of their power to Jared.
Jared was left speechless as he witnessed the strength of Cecilia and her companions. However, upon discovering that they had been guided by Arthur, Jared immediately understood where their confidence came from.. After all, Arthur was the one person who remained an enigma to Jared.
To this day, Jared remained clueless about Arthur’s level of cultivation. Whenever Jared felt his own power expanding and his confidence growing, Arthur would ruthlessly suppress him, serving as a constant reminder of his limitations.
