Yang Han knew he was gambling with his life. If the other party truly intended to protect him, he would be safe; but if this was just a ploy to trick him into unsealing, then he was in real trouble.
But right now, Yang Han had no choice—he could only keep unsealing the remaining locks. When the last seal was undone, all the water in the area stopped, a gentle breeze swept through, and the water flowed back toward the cave entrance.
This was no natural phenomenon. The one controlling it was the man with closed eyes. He slowly opened them, and Yang Han, sitting across from him, was startled by the intensity of his gaze.
That gaze seemed as if he hadn’t opened his eyes for years, and the very first thing he saw was Yang Han.
On the other side, Master Skybrow and his two companions were overjoyed. In unison, they exclaimed, "Congratulations, Saint King James!"
"You’ve worked hard," the man turned to the three and said.
"It’s nothing, this is what we should do," Master Skybrow replied. Saint King James smiled, "With you three here, what does years of being sealed matter?"
"Saint King, don’t say that. Whatever was lost back then, we’ll help you reclaim it," Master Skybrow said.
"Enough, we’ll talk about this later. For now, escort this young brother out. I need to recuperate. Remember, don’t touch a single hair on him. If I find out, whoever it is will die!" The man instructed Master Skybrow and his companions, warning them not to act recklessly or face severe consequences.
Master Skybrow and his companions were stunned. They hadn’t expected Saint King’s first order upon waking to be this. Yang Han was also surprised that such a major figure really kept his word.
Yang Han bowed respectfully, "Thank you, senior."
"Go on," the man smiled. Yang Han nodded and started to leave. Master Skybrow added, "Saint King, if you need anything, you can always come find us."
"Alright, go ahead," the man said.
So Master Skybrow and his companions took Yang Han out of the cave.
Once outside, Master Skybrow curiously looked at Yang Han, "Did Saint King say anything to you?"
"No," Yang Han replied.
"Strange, why would Saint King suddenly order your release?" Master Skybrow muttered.
"What, were you planning not to let me go?" Yang Han asked curiously.
"No, we'll take you out, and then we'll each go our own way," Master Skybrow said. After leaving Heaven’s End Gorge, they tossed Yang Han aside and left.
"Am I still inside Heaven’s End Gorge or outside?" Yang Han muttered, sensing the area was still eerily quiet. He knew the three had deliberately made things difficult for him—otherwise, they could have just escorted him all the way out instead of splitting up here. Helpless, he could only search for a way out himself.
As they left, Master Skybrow said, "Leaving him just outside Heaven’s End Gorge should be fine, right?"
"Even if something happens, it’s not our fault. Besides, he’s always been a hidden danger," said the purple-haired man.
The green-haired youth nodded, "Exactly, he’s a threat. If one day he uses the same sealing method to bind us, wouldn’t that be trouble?"
Master Skybrow nodded, "Yeah, true. I really don’t know why Saint King decided to let him go."
"Saint King’s always been sentimental and loyal. Wasn’t he betrayed by his best friend back then? Sigh, after all these years, he still hasn’t changed," the purple-haired man sighed.
"Yeah, if Saint King hadn’t been meditating and trusted his best friend to guard him, he wouldn’t have been sealed like this," Master Skybrow sighed.
"Forget it, Saint King must have his reasons. Let’s go," said the purple-haired man.
Master Skybrow and the other two nodded and left. Yang Han, however, was still outside Heaven’s End Gorge. The real exit was still some distance away, and all sorts of dangers lurked along the way.
Yang Han had only walked a few steps when he heard a strange sound, sharp as a freezing wind—yet not quite. When he saw the source, he froze: a swarm of unknown insects flew in from above, surrounding him.
They let out strange cries. Yang Han didn’t know what these things were, so he could only reinforce his defenses to guard against a sneak attack.