With her body following the sword, almost without any hesitation, Luo Qingxuan forged ahead using Sword Qi, breaking into the relic.

"Stand here and don't move, wait half a quarter of an hour before entering the relic."

Glancing at Wang Junze, Su Yuwei softly instructed, and as she spoke, she patted Wang Junze, causing the surrounding Spiritual Qi to gather towards him, forming a fine mist that lingered around him.

After doing this, Su Yuwei then stepped into the relic herself.

Slightly sensing the fine mist around him, Wang Junze quickly realized that just like the jade pendant Su Yuwei had given him earlier, this too was a spell left by Su Yuwei, and half a quarter of an hour was likely the duration this power could sustain.

Within this time, even if a Heaven-Stepping powerhouse from the Deserters tried to kill Wang Junze, it wouldn't be easy, providing maximum security for Wang Junze.

After all, the relic's entrance required seizing every second, and falling behind even slightly could affect the final outcome. Unless the Deserters decided to abandon the current competition for the relic, they wouldn't waste such a long time trying to kill Wang Junze.

Not far away, envy flashed in Lin Tong's eyes, but he ultimately dared not linger, supporting himself as he retreated swiftly.

Su Yuwei didn't care about him; if he continued to stay there, being conveniently killed by an approaching Desert powerhouse would really be an unjust death.

In fact, in no more than a few breaths, two figures from the Deserters side almost simultaneously reached the relic's entrance. One of the Desert powerhouses even casually struck Wang Junze, but the force was quickly dissolved by the fine mist surrounding him, leaving Wang Junze unharmed.

The other party wasn't interested in staying, merely giving a casual strike before stepping into the relic as well.

Watching them enter the relic, Wang Junze couldn't help but feel a sense of fear. Even with Su Yuwei's spell for protection, that palm strike just now left a tremendous sense of oppression. It's no exaggeration to say that if it weren't for Su Yuwei, that strike alone would have been enough to easily kill him, without giving him a chance to resist.

This is the difference between a Heaven-Stepping powerhouse and a Refining Spirit practitioner; it leaves no courage to oppose.

On the other side, Jing Yuan naturally saw this scene as well, sighing with regret in his heart.

Compared to Luo Qingxuan, Su Yuwei's careful consideration was much more evident, and she clearly valued Wang Junze more, cutting off any chance to kill him by seizing the opportunity.

However, for Jing Yuan, this was not an unacceptable outcome. Shaking his head, he directly ordered, "Everyone, enter the relic immediately, speed is crucial, make sure to get ahead of the Human Race."

Su Yuwei leaving a protective spell for Wang Junze also meant he would miss the initial opportunity. In this scenario, allowing the Deserters to enter first and seize advantageous positions to occupy the initiative was evidently a better choice.

In terms of execution capacity, the Deserters here were far superior to the complex alliance composition of the Human Race.

Noticing the Deserters' actions, almost no one on the Human Race side dared to compete, immediately yielding the position for the Deserters to enter the relic first.

Almost all the Deserters had entered when Tang Mo and others reached Wang Junze's side, and they asked in a low voice, "Young Master Wang, shall we head in now?"

"Wait a bit longer!"

Shaking his head, Wang Junze replied gravely.

Having lost the initiative, rushing in hastily now was no longer a sound choice. It would be better to wait a bit longer, reconfigure the formation, and then enter.

Moreover, Su Yuwei had also advised him to wait half a quarter of an hour before entering, preventing a scenario where a Deserters Heaven-Stepping powerhouse might deliberately wait after entering the relic, for Su Yuwei's spell would lose its effect once inside.

The half a quarter of an hour was just right to eliminate that possibility.

"Wait for what, all the Deserters are in, and we are still dawdling like this, isn't this just wasting opportunity for nothing! Wang Junze, if you're too cowardly to enter last, that's fine, but why are you stopping us?"

Someone in the crowd immediately voiced dissatisfaction.

After Su Yuwei and Luo Qingxuan left, their deterrent force on others greatly reduced, and with Wang Junze's strength, he was far from capable of coercing everyone.

"Exactly, opportunities are rare, one should be decisive at times like this, still too young, lacking experience!"

Once someone spoke out, others naturally chimed in their agreement.

In fact, this was also a kind of test; if Wang Junze couldn't hold the situation, it would naturally be harder to command others after entering the relic. After all, if only one or two sects rebelled, Wang Junze could still complain; but if many ignored Wang Junze, no one would care.

"Fine, anyone not afraid to die can go scout ahead first."

Facing these challenges, Wang Junze didn't blink, sneering, "You all are already in disarray like scattered sands without even entering the relic yet, and how do you plan to counter the Deserters? If you're dissatisfied with me, you can leave now, but later, if you encounter a Desert attack, don't expect us to save you."

"I've said my piece, those not afraid to die can go now, go on ahead."

Wang Junze didn't pamper these people, snapping back with a retort.

From the start, he had made it very clear in his mind that these people couldn't be pacified. If there were troublemakers, it would be better to send them away, leaving only the obedient ones and concentrating strength, perhaps instead allowing their full potential to be realized.

Instantly, silence descended over the scene; even those who incited earlier quieted down.

Nobody expected Wang Junze to respond with such assertiveness to doubts and challenges. If they left now, it truly would mean tearing the facade apart. Only if a large number of people leave would it be fine; otherwise, would they not trap themselves in isolation? After all, the Deserters wouldn't care much, and they wouldn't show mercy to anyone they encountered.

"Not leaving? Then listen to my orders."

Glancing at everyone, Wang Junze continued, "Since the Commandery Princess and the Saintess left me in charge, I will do my utmost to keep everyone alive and seize more resources, so... from now on, there will be only one voice allowed. If you can't comply, you can leave as well. Again, I won't force anyone, but I won't aid or protect those who leave and act alone."

"Young Master Wang is right; we need to work together to resist the Deserters. Our Divine Blade Sect will follow Young Master Wang's instructions completely."

Tang Mo spoke up proactively once more, standing firmly on Wang Junze's side.

Having already made the choice before, there was no reason to play both sides now.

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