Yuan Bai

They fear discovery by principal Hong Xuan Ji, and judge his investigative methods weak enough that the academy has not already found what lies below. ^{ch. 680}

Zhi forest clash

Inside the forest he touches lingzhi branches and envies that such a treasure land did not appear in his own valley. Fang Yuan takes the lingzhi king’s heart while they are still distant; when they reach the king he is already gone, and the earth horses turn their fury on the two intruders. The battle draws academy Gu Masters. Hong Xuan Ji arrives, drives Yuan Bai and Fan Yi away after an intense fight, and expects them to gather other sects to pressure the academy over the forest. ^{ch. 680}