Chapter 21

(Third update, everyone! Where are the clicks and red tickets? Do you still want a fourth and fifth update today?)

Chen Xun reined in his breath and approached the hiding place of the two Canglan youths.

Although they were skilled at concealing themselves, they lacked patience. If not for their conversation in the dark, Chen Xun might have approached within thirty to fifty meters before discovering them, which would have led to a fierce battle.

Chen Xun had obtained two pills from Gu Lei, but the excessive use of the Reverse Scale technique had drained his qi and blood. The two pills were far from enough to replenish his losses.

His body was still weak. He could勉强 kill Gu Shan, but if Gu Shan had two more fresh helpers, it would be extremely difficult.

Although the two Canglan youths were not as powerful as him, they wore precious armor and held magical bows, making them unpredictable.

To kill these two Canglan youths, he had to catch them off guard, sneak up, and strike suddenly, leaving them no chance to react.

The Wuyang and Heishan tribes were already mortal enemies. Chen Xun felt no guilt in killing the Heishan warriors Gu Shan and Gu Lei, nor did he fear retaliation from the Heishan tribe.

However, these two Canglan noble youths had significant status. Killing them would have serious consequences.

Not to mention the green-armored general and the black Peng bird, even the six armored warriors from yesterday could destroy the Wuyang tribe.

If he were to kill them, he must leave no survivors and destroy all evidence, ensuring the Canglan people could not trace anything.

After much consideration, Chen Xun still lacked confidence in leaving no trace, so he quietly retreated to a distance.

Just as Chen Xun returned to the bushes by the stream and crouched to observe the downstream, three figures emerged from the northern bushes. The leader was Ge Yi, the Canglan warrior who had given him the pills last night.

Chen Xun was secretly alarmed, grateful he had not rashly attacked. Otherwise, he would have no chance of survival against Ge Yi and the other Canglan warriors.

Although Ge Yi did not seem as terrifying as some, his overall combat strength was certainly far superior to Zong Sang and Nan Liao.

Ge Yi and the other Canglan warriors emerged from the bushes, glanced at Gu Shan sitting by the stream, and then walked to the hiding place of the two youths. He pulled back the vines and sternly said, "Thirteenth Master orders you to return immediately."

The two Canglan youths, with faces full of resentment, tore off their camouflage and angrily said, "That boy ambushed and killed the Heishan warriors. Since our Su clan is allied with the Heishan tribe, how can we stand idly by?"

It turned out these two youths were from the Su clan, the rulers of Canglan. Chen Xun was relieved he had not acted rashly, as killing them could bring catastrophic consequences to the Wuyang tribe.

However, the broad-browed youth's words made Chen Xun suspicious:

The Su clan ruled the Canglan wilderness, which spanned three to four thousand miles. All tribes were under their control. Not to mention the green-armored general, even Ge Yi and his companions could flatten the Heishan tribe. How could the Su clan ally with such a small tribe like Heishan?

Something strange was definitely afoot!

Ge Yi exchanged glances with his companions.

"What do you want to do?" the broad-browed youth asked, seeing Ge Yi's unusual expression.

"Thirteenth Master has given orders. If you don't return with us, we will have no choice but to apologize," Ge Yi said.

"Let's go back first," the other youth suggested, knowing it was unwise to anger Thirteenth Uncle.

"What about Gu Shan?" the broad-browed youth asked.

Chen Xun hoped they would leave Gu Shan behind, but Ge Yi, seemingly alert, glanced at the stream and gestured for someone to carry the crippled Gu Shan away. They ignored Gu Lei, who had not returned from the forest.

Gu Shan was silent, knowing that Gu Lei's absence likely meant he was dead. With his legs crippled, staying behind would be futile.

However, Ge Yi's glance alarmed Chen Xun. He was surprised that Ge Yi could detect him, even though he was hiding in the bushes several hundred meters away.

Although Ge Yi had been friendly to him yesterday, if the Su clan was indeed allied with the Heishan tribe, it was hard to guess the intentions of Ge Yi and the other Canglan warriors.

Chen Xun was no match for any of the Canglan warriors, so he quietly retreated north, not lingering by the stream.

A Canglan warrior, seeing Ge Yi frown and look toward the stream, asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure if it's that boy," Ge Yi shook his head. The aura he sensed was brief, and he was not certain if it was human or beast. "It might be a wild animal passing by."

The Canglan warrior looked up and saw Chen Xun's figure darting into the dense forest, disappearing from sight.

"Impossible! Gu Lei and Gu Shan, both formidable warriors in Canglan, were defeated by that boy! He killed Gu Lei and then sneaked back. What for?"

The Canglan warrior could guess what the Wuyang youth was doing, but found it hard to believe.

Gu Shan, hearing the conversation, looked toward the stream but saw nothing. He believed Ge Yi's senses would not fail and was filled with shock and anger. His eyes bulged with rage, realizing that Gu Lei had been lured into the forest and ultimately killed by the Wuyang youth. With his legs crippled, how could he face the clan leader?

The broad-browed youth, hearing that the Wuyang youth might be hiding by the stream, was also alarmed. They had set a trap to ambush the boy, but he had turned the tables and spied on them.

What was he planning? To kill them?

The thought made the broad-browed youth break out in a cold sweat, his heart filled with fear. He wanted to order Ge Yi to pursue the boy, but knowing Ge Yi would not follow his command, he gave up, his resentment growing.

Ge Yi glanced at the broad-browed youth, thinking that these two boys were lucky. If they had not arrived in time, things would have been troublesome.

Although these two boys were from a lesser branch of the Su clan, their deaths in the deep mountains of Wuyang would be a serious matter.

Ge Yi also resented their arrogance, thinking that they relied on their inferior magical armor and a magical bow, believing themselves to be as strong as upper-level warriors. But how many upper-level warriors had not emerged from battles and bloodshed?

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Yema Stream is one of the main rivers on the northern slope of Wuyang Ridge. At the mountain pass, the water rushes like a thousand horses, with cliffs on both sides stretching three to four hundred meters, jagged and uneven. The Heishan tribe's village is on the west bank of Yema Stream.

Although the Heishan tribe has only two or three upper-level warriors, it has a population of five thousand, making it one of the largest tribes on the northeastern slope of Wuyang Ridge.

Continuing south from the Heishan village, Yema Stream forms a vast lake in the lowlands at the foot of Wuyang Ridge, spanning nearly ten miles.

The lake is horseshoe-shaped.

The northern slope of Wuyang Ridge is home to various legends about the horseshoe-shaped lake. The most popular one is that an ancient celestial horse once landed on the northern slope of Wuyang Ridge.

Thus, the elders of the Heishan tribe have passed down the name "Heavenly Horse Lake" for this horseshoe-shaped lake.

Su Qingfeng squatted by the lake, his spiritual senses extending thousands of meters deep into the lake, revealing the terrain of the surrounding cliffs and the lake bottom. It was indeed a massive horseshoe-shaped imprint.

At the bottom of the imprint, there was a faint trace of heavenly qi.

The horseshoe alone was nearly ten miles wide. Su Qingfeng stood tall, gazing far to the north, thinking: Could it be that in ancient times, a celestial horse with a body nearly two hundred miles long descended, and its hoof landed on the northern slope of Wuyang Ridge, with the next step landing a thousand or ten thousand miles away?

The setting sun cast golden light on the lake, creating shimmering waves. In the sunset, a large fish leaped from the center of the lake, shining brightly.

"Tiger-striped fish!"

Su Qingfeng's eyes glowed with a green light, and he could clearly see the fish leaping from the center of the lake, despite the sunset.

The fish was enormous, nearly ten meters long, with a wide mouth and sharp teeth, a king's mark on its forehead, and golden whiskers and scales that shimmered in the sunset.

Ge Yi dismounted from his scaled horse and saw the tiger-striped fish leap from the center of the lake, exclaiming in amazement:

"Even the Heavenly Horse Lake has such a rare creature!"

"The Heavenly Horse Lake might indeed be where the ancient celestial horse landed. Although it is only ten miles wide, it cannot be compared to the vast lakes that span a thousand miles. However, the lake is exceptionally deep, nearly seven to eight miles. The lake bottom even contains Dao essence, and I can faintly sense some heavenly qi from the cliffs. It's not surprising that some rare creatures have been dormant in the lake, absorbing spiritual energy for a long time," Su Qingfeng said.

"Seven to eight miles deep!" Ge Yi was surprised.

Wu cultivators who have not reached the Rebirth stage have limited spiritual senses, so Ge Yi did not doubt what Thirteenth Master said. However, he was amazed that such a deep lake existed in the mountains of the northern slope of Wuyang Ridge. If the vast lakes were that deep, it would not be surprising, but the small Heavenly Horse Lake, only ten miles wide, was truly strange. He remarked:

"Could the Heishan tribe, relying on this Heavenly Horse Lake, still be so impoverished..."

The lake bottom is home to rare creatures. Although the lake is teeming with fish and insects, the Heishan tribe gets no benefit from it and must constantly guard against the creatures coming ashore to eat people. Their hard life is not surprising.

Su Qingfeng turned to look at his two incompetent nephews, who were standing at a distance, and asked Ge Yi, "Have they caused any trouble?"

"No," Ge Yi replied, "Two Heishan warriors, one injured and one dead. When I arrived, the boy was hiding nearby. I startled him when I got there..."

"Hmm," Su Qingfeng asked, "The two warriors we sent, weren't they too weak?"

"They were both at the late stage of enlightenment," Ge Yi said.

"Late stage of enlightenment, comparable to the sixth level of True Yang Foundation. In this mountain range, they are not weak. It seems I misjudged the situation yesterday. Even in the Su clan, there are few who can reach the sixth level of Foundation at thirteen or fourteen years old. I thought the Wuyang lineage was broken and had no chance of revival. It seems I underestimated them!" Su Qingfeng played with his crystal-clear nails, gazing at the fish leaping in the sunset, and said calmly, "Tomorrow, we will visit Wuyang..."

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