Chapter 22

"King of Martial Arts, Tang Qiong, you have not let down your title as the Butcher of the Northern Region. Not bad, not bad at all!!" Uncle Hua stood in mid-air, a bone-chilling icy aura spreading around him, as if the temperature of the world had dropped a few degrees.

Pacing in mid-air, a powerful skill only those who had reached the level of King of Martial Arts could possess!

Tang Qiong's slightly reddened gaze swept around, and he took a step forward. A powerful shockwave quickly spread out, and in an instant, the ground below rumbled, as if several rivers were surging.

For those who had just experienced the intense battle, this scene was all too clear.

Lava!! There was lava surging beneath the ground!!

Zhou Linglu and the others' expressions changed slightly, but they quickly steadied their minds. Everyone exerted their strength together, and the icy aura spread out and quickly connected, forming a huge ice shield, ready to act at any moment.

Uncle Hua stood proudly in mid-air, the dense ice crystals around him accumulating more and more, like storm clouds about to pour down, ready to combine with the ice shield below.

"Did you kill Arno? And did you capture the students from Juxiang Academy?" Tang Qiong slowly floated up, facing Uncle Hua from a distance. The air around him stirred and distorted, and the lava underground was also being pulled, becoming more active.

Uncle Hua remained noncommittal, coldly saying, "When did Juxiang Academy become so close to the Tang family? Losing a few students can actually alarm you, Tang Qiong?"

"So... it really was you?"

"So what if it was, and what if it wasn't? Tang Qiong, let me give you a piece of advice: best not to meddle in other people's affairs."

"I'm really going to meddle in this today! Is Tang Yan in your hands? Hand him over immediately!"

Huh? Tang Yan? Not here? Uncle Hua's heart stirred slightly, but he said indifferently, "What Tang Yan? We don't know him."

"Don't know? You chased him for so long, how could you not know!!" Tang Qiong deliberately asked, but in his heart, he felt somewhat helpless. He knew his young master best. Even if this group was targeting Juxiang Academy, they wouldn't care about the unfinished Tang Yan, and they might not even know his name.

"Unfortunately, we don't know any Tang Yan. But today, we can give Tang Yanshan some face. You can take your young lady and that boy away, but this female mentor... must stay."

Tang Qiong frowned slightly, and after a moment, he said sarcastically, "What kind of scum are you? Going to such lengths just to kidnap a civilian? Shame on you, a King of Martial Arts!"

"We don't need your interference. Your strength is great, but you can't kill me in a short time. But my subordinates can kill everyone around you in a short time. Then, can you withstand our combined attack?" Uncle Hua silently sensed two rapidly approaching auras in the distance, feeling a bit anxious but not showing it. "Take the people away, we only want her. A fair trade, and we'll give the Tang family some face. What do you say?"

Tang Qiong was slightly moved. The other party was right; they couldn't decide the battle in a short time, but the many Martial Masters and Martial Spirits around could kill Ailinda, Rachel, Tang Yan, and Du Yang in that short time.

His mission was to rescue Tang Yan and Tang Ying, especially Tang Yan. Other matters were not his concern.

Rachel's face changed slightly, and she called out urgently, "Tang Qiong, don't listen to their nonsense. The commotion here will definitely attract the attention of other mentors. They will come soon. We promise to protect Tang Ying before they arrive!"

He knew what kind of person Tang Qiong was. This guy was completely inhuman, a ruthless executioner. If Tang Qiong felt the deal was reasonable, he might really leave. What about her and Ailinda then?

Uncle Hua said coldly, "Just you? Plus an injured First Rank Martial Master, can you withstand their attack? You can't even protect yourself, let alone others. What a joke!"

Rachel called out again, "They must have some ulterior motive. Don't be fooled. If they could kill, they would have done it already. They are being cautious!"

Uncle Hua frowned slightly and said coldly, "I'll give you three seconds. Leave or die?!"

Tang Ying shouted, "Uncle Tang Qiong, don't give up on Mentor Ailinda! We know where Tang Yan is!"

Huh? Tang Qiong glanced at Tang Ying.

Tang Ying nodded firmly, "If Tang Yan isn't in their hands, he must still be in the original place. We can find him!"

Tang Qiong landed in front of Tang Ying and the others, looking proudly at the sky, "I'm here. Who dares to take a step forward?!"

"Really think we can't kill you?" Uncle Hua's face turned cold.

"Try it!" Tang Qiong's aura surged, and cracks spread rapidly from his feet, the ground trembling, and a faint rumbling came from deep underground, like a wild beast roaring.

"Master, we might know where Tang Yan is," two white-clad figures suddenly appeared beside Zhou Linglu, speaking in low voices.

"Huh? Where?"

"Earlier in the valley, we faintly sensed life energy under the waterfall. We were about to check when... we discovered the target here and thought it might be some kind of beast, so... we didn't mention it." The two steeled themselves.

"Why didn't you say it earlier! I'll deal with you later!" Zhou Linglu glared at them and quickly moved forward, making a gesture to Uncle Hua in mid-air.

Uncle Hua paused, glancing at Zhou Linglu, who nodded firmly.

"Tang Qiong, you can protect her for a while, but you can't protect her from leaving the Illusion Forest. We will never let this woman go! This is the end for today. Be careful in the future..." Uncle Hua made a gesture and quickly disappeared into the distant forest. Zhou Linglu and the others moved in the same direction, remaining vigilant.

"How did you offend them?" After they left, Rachel looked curiously at Ailinda. From the tone of those people, it seemed they had a deep grudge against Ailinda.

"I don't know." Ailinda had some idea but didn't show it. After all, if her judgment about that girl's identity was correct, this kidnapping incident was definitely extraordinary, not something a new mentor at a small academy could "talk nonsense" about. She needed to report directly to the dean.

"Where is Tang Yan? Take me to him!" Tang Qiong stared directly at Ailinda. He didn't care about her life; he only cared where Tang Yan was and what condition he was in.

"We got separated from him in a valley. He mentioned he might go back." The smart Tang Ying spoke for Ailinda, as the statement was somewhat ambiguous, and if Tang Qiong got angry, he might cripple her.

Sure enough, Tang Qiong's eyes turned cold, but he didn't lose his temper, saying coldly, "Lead the way!"

In a forested area, Zhou Linglu explained the situation and said, "Tang Yan is likely still near the valley. With his strength, he can't have escaped far."

Uncle Hua pondered, "The problem is Tang Qiong. He seems very anxious about Tang Yan."

"I have a suggestion. Uncle Hua, you stay and distract Tang Qiong. I'll take a team to find Tang Yan. Once we activate the Water Curtain, we should find him quickly."

"That's the only way. I'll give you three Martial Masters. Find Tang Yan as soon as possible. Don't waste time, kill him immediately! I'll try to hold off Tang Qiong for three hours."

To activate the Water Curtain, at least four Martial Masters needed to work together without strong interference. Their team now had only 24 people, with six Martial Masters and the rest being Martial Spirits. To distract Tang Qiong and protect the captured students, Uncle Hua could only give Zhou Linglu three.

However... Tang Yan was just a lowly Martial Artist. Facing four Martial Masters, the outcome was predictable.

Tang Yan used the water's current to move far from the valley, swimming cautiously along the lake bottom, only surfacing when he couldn't hold his breath. Even underwater, there were dangers. If he encountered a beast, exposing his position was the least of his worries; being swallowed whole was terrifying. So, Tang Yan remained vigilant, being as cautious as possible.

After four hours, Tang Yan swam into a tributary and landed in a shallow area. Confirming there was no danger, he waded into the forest, finding a relatively hidden spot to hide.

Roars echoed through the forest, a mix of roars and howls. At dawn, many nocturnal beasts were ending their hunts, while many diurnal beasts were waking up.

The most dangerous time of dawn made the Illusion Forest even more perilous.

Time passed, and occasionally, terrifying beasts slowly walked past where Tang Yan was hiding. There were giant, pale spiders, golden centipedes, crocodiles with hard scales, blue wolves with lightning, and even trees that opened their eyes and stretched their branches.

Tang Yan hid deep in the treetops, trying to remain as hidden as possible, watching the occasional passing beasts with horror. Danger and tension enveloped him like a flood.

Some beasts' auras were not dangerous, but Tang Yan still didn't dare to expose himself. If a battle broke out, it could attract other beasts, which would be the most dangerous situation.

Only when the sun rose and bright sunlight illuminated the forest did the danger slightly ease.

Tang Yan went to the river to catch some fish and shrimp to fill his stomach, then returned to the dense forest.

Now, he faced two problems: one, he was lost and didn't know where the baptism altar was; two, the forest's dangers were becoming more apparent, and while he could survive for a few days by luck, he couldn't survive forever.

So...

"Kill beasts, practice techniques!" Tang Yan made up his mind. Hunting beasts not only provided him with spirit source liquid but also enhanced the power of his Nirvana Eye by absorbing their evil intentions. Most importantly, it allowed him to familiarize himself with and use spirit energy in life-and-death battles, solidifying his cultivation.