Chapter 59

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Zuoqiu walked into the mountain hollow where the clan members were hiding. His half-body felt stiff and cold, almost causing him to fall off the cliff.

The slender Qianlan saw her brother staggering, his face pale and showing signs of shock. She quickly stepped forward to support him, "What happened?"

"That boy Wupang is really formidable! His spiritual senses are even sharper than yours. Even from over ten miles away, he can sense the aura of the trial iron badge where you are hiding," Zuoqiu sat on a rock to rest.

"Could he have been born with a spirit sword heart?" Qianlan asked in surprise. In the dim light, she saw that her brother's right rib was torn, revealing a ghastly white wound, as if it had been frozen.

"It doesn't seem so. It's like he's cultivated some profound technique. I was hiding three hundred meters away when he shot me with an arrow, nearly freezing half of my body," Zuoqiu recalled the terrifying arrow, still feeling the lingering fear. He was afraid that Wupang and the Black Mountain tribe would team up to chase them, so he urged Qianlan and the other clan members to quickly follow him down the mountain, "We need to leave quickly. If they come after us, you won't be able to stop them."

Zuoqiu led the group across the Wild Horse Creek, over several mountain ridges, and only after confirming that no one was chasing them did they take a short rest.

At a critical moment, he had moved his body to the side, and only his left rib was pierced by the iron arrow. The wound wasn't too severe, but the extremely cold and mysterious energy that penetrated his body was excruciating, eroding his flesh and bones. He had no idea what profound technique his opponent had cultivated, but it was truly remarkable.

Zuoqiu spent most of the night, and by the time the dawn broke, he had managed to purge the cold energy from his body. He was secretly alarmed; if he hadn't reacted quickly and escaped in time, another arrow would have been fatal.

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To minimize conflicts with the North Mountain tribe, Chen Xun, Gu Jianfeng, Zong Ya, and others traveled at night and rested during the day.

The wild beasts in the mountains didn't deliberately conceal their auras, and with Chen Xun's superior spiritual senses, he could avoid the nests of fierce birds and beasts at night. During the day, they would find a cave to hide in.

As long as they didn't encounter fierce birds and beasts, Zong Ling and Nan Xi, despite their young age, had reached the peak of the fourth level of the Savage Martial realm. They moved through the mountains and valleys at night with the agility of apes, and wouldn't slow down Chen Xun and Gu Jianfeng.

In four days, they safely crossed the eastern foothills of the Python Tooth Ridge and entered the edge of the Canglan Wilderness.

The North Mountain tribe's young men were constantly fighting and killing each other for the trial iron badges. Along the way, Chen Xun and his group saw dozens of corpses scattered in the wilderness, mutilated by wild beasts.

Seeing the dismembered limbs and bones of those who hadn't fully grown, Chen Xun's heart turned to iron.

Entering the Canglan Wilderness, although they were less than two thousand miles from Canglan City, the dangers were truly beginning. Chen Xun had no time to mourn the North Mountain tribe's young men who had died in the mountains.

Spring came much earlier in Canglan City than in the North Mountain of Python Tooth Ridge.

By now, the rivers that had been frozen for months were beginning to thaw. Larger streams and rivers were filled with floating ice from upstream, and the ice jams caused floods to break through the natural mud dikes, flooding the area.

Even the edges of the hills and forests were muddy.

In addition to the fierce birds and beasts in the hills and forests, the venomous insects, snakes, and dragons that had hibernated all winter were now emerging from their mud holes, ready to attack.

The spirits of the wild beasts trapped in the trial iron badges not only attracted the tribe's young men to fight to the death but also served as tempting prey for the venomous insects, snakes, and dragons that were starving after a long winter.

The toxic mists that arose from the swamps after spring were also deadly traps.

Chen Xun, Gu Jianfeng, Zong Ya, and others moved against the wind, avoiding a strange pink fog that covered an area of several hundred meters. They walked on wooden planks made from tree trunks, crossing a muddy swamp, and entered a dense forest.

At the edge of the forest, there were several skeletons, their flesh completely corroded by the toxic mists. Nearby, several heavy spears were severely rusted, as if they had been exposed to the humid air for many years. Gu Jianfeng was secretly alarmed; they had seen these people pass by the night before, but the toxic mists had claimed their lives.

"By circling around to the upwind side, we can avoid these toxic mists!" Zong Ling said excitedly, seeing that they had successfully bypassed the fog.

"The terrain of the wilderness is varied, and the wind can change direction at any time. Be cautious of changes in the wind," Chen Xun warned Zong Ling, not wanting him to become complacent over a small discovery.

The barbarian tribes, even those with a tradition of martial arts, passed down their knowledge orally. They had almost no other knowledge.

Chen Xun originally planned to separate from Gu Jianfeng and Zong Ya after entering the Canglan Wilderness, carrying the conspicuous trial iron badge, and meet up with them in Canglan City. However, he hadn't expected that despite their usual maturity, they would be so unprepared upon entering the Canglan Wilderness.

Chen Xun had to change his plans and continue with them, exploring the edges of the swamps and forests.

Gu Jianfeng had been hunting and fishing with his clan since he was young and was already a key member of the tribe. However, leaving the familiar mountains and entering the unfamiliar wilderness was a whole new experience.

He had heard from his father that Chen Xun had been gathering herbs and cultivating in the depths of Python Tooth Ridge with his father four years ago, and had accidentally become separated, ending up in Wupang. He was two years younger than Gu Jianfeng, but his cultivation and mental maturity were already impressive. He hadn't expected that Chen Xun's survival skills in the wilderness would far surpass his own, and he felt even more admiration.

He couldn't imagine how they would cross the wilderness and reach Canglan City without Chen Xun.

As Gu Jianfeng was lost in thought, he saw Chen Xun suddenly signal for everyone to be quiet. Chen Xun squatted down, his eyes fixed on the dense forest ahead, and whispered, "What's wrong?"

"There are people ahead, and it seems there's a conflict," Chen Xun whispered.

Throughout the journey, Chen Xun's sharp spiritual senses had helped them avoid most dangers. Gu Jianfeng held his breath and tried to sense the abnormalities in the dense forest ahead.

However, the conflict was happening far away, and all he could hear was the wind rustling through the trees and the sounds of animals moving.

"It's stopped..."

Chen Xun warned Gu Jianfeng and the others to be cautious. He took out his iron bow and moved through the forest toward the conflict. He found five bodies lying by a swamp at the edge of the forest.

"Gu Fu!" Gu Jianfeng's eyes nearly bulged out of his head.

He had been worried about the seven members of the Black Mountain tribe who had split off, but he hadn't expected to see their bodies exposed in the wilderness. His right arm was trembling, almost crushing the bone spear in his hand.

There were footprints by the swamp, and Gu Jianfeng picked up his dual spears, ready to chase after the killers.

Chen Xun held him back, "The enemy is very strong..."

"They killed Gu Fu!" Gu Jianfeng's forehead veins bulged, and he growled.

"The enemy is very strong," Chen Xun repeated. Gu Jianfeng would only be sending himself to his death if he pursued them.

Gu Jianfeng used his heavy spear to break a massive tree, but the anger in his heart couldn't be relieved:

The bloodshed on the trial path was expected, but who could he blame?

The people who killed Gu Fu, or the stubborn Gu Chen and Gu Shan who refused to ally with Wupang?

What would Uncle Gu Chen think if he knew his only son was lying dead in the wilderness?

Chen Xun squatted down and examined the wounds on the necks of the bodies. They were very small, cut by an extremely sharp blade, and the wounds looked as if they had been burned, with very little blood.

The enemy must have cultivated a technique like Flame Slaughter, and the bodies of Gu Fu and the others were not scattered, indicating that they had all died almost simultaneously. The enemy was indeed very strong.

Although Chen Xun had the strength to fight, he had no obligation to avenge the Black Mountain tribe. His primary goal was to protect Zong Ya and Nan Xi and ensure they safely reached Canglan City...

"It's not good, they're coming back. We need to leave quickly..." Chen Xun sensed several people rushing toward them, likely because Gu Jianfeng's anger had caused him to break the tree, drawing their attention.

He immediately pulled Nan Xi, who was about to dig a hole to bury the bodies, and together with Gu Jianfeng, Zong Ya, and the others, they fled into the forest, running west.

However, the enemy was like a leech, impossible to shake off, and they were getting closer.

"Zong Ya, give me the iron badge. You don't wait for me, just head to Canglan. We'll meet there," Chen Xun took the iron badge and hid it on his person, then said to Gu Jianfeng, "You can protect Zong Ya and the others. Even if you don't have the iron badge, there will be other ways to repay you!"

"Don't talk nonsense. If I can't protect Zong Ya, I have no face to see you alive!" Gu Jianfeng didn't say more, knowing that staying would only distract Chen Xun. He immediately fled south with Zong Ya and the others.

Chen Xun leaped onto a tree and saw three figures chasing him from a distance, about seven or eight miles away, but they were closing the gap quickly.

Chen Xun sensed that these three were as fast as galloping horses, and their cultivation was not inferior to his.

Holding his bow, Chen Xun knew that with the iron badge on him, he couldn't hide his presence. He concealed his aura, drew an iron arrow, and waited for the leading youth to approach. As the youth transformed into a falcon and dived, Chen Xun shot the arrow.

The arrow moved silently, and Lou Shiyi, sensing the danger, used his profound technique to stop in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the deadly arrow.

Lou Shiyi was furious. He had sensed the intense aura of the iron badge, but he hadn't expected the person carrying it to conceal his aura, making him seem weak. He hadn't even activated his Adamantine Armor, and the arrow nearly pierced him.

"Lou brother, this one is tough. Should we let our brothers practice on him?" The two others arrived instantly.

One of them stepped on the iron arrow Chen Xun had shot, and with a suction force, he stuck the arrow to his foot. He then cast a spell, shooting two Flame Arrows.

The Flame Arrows, initially just two fiery symbols, transformed into a massive Flame Arrow in the air, shooting straight at Chen Xun's face.

Chen Xun swung his bow, and the black iron bow emitted a mysterious aura, striking the Flame Arrow.

The Flame Arrow, filled with intense fiery energy, shattered instantly, scattering into countless sparks.

The air was filled with the smell of burning sulfur, and the trees hit by the Flame Arrow were scorched. Chen Xun realized that the two who followed were not weaker than the youth, and they had cultivated legendary spells.

The Lou family was a major clan in the Gui Xi tribe. Chen Xun hadn't expected that the three pursuers were not from the same tribe but a collaboration between the Gui Xi tribe and other powerful clans, hunting other tribe members carrying the trial iron badges in the Canglan Wilderness.

Chen Xun could sense that these three had at least five trial iron badges, indicating that at least three groups had been killed by them.

Chen Xun no longer hid his presence, leaping onto the treetops and laughing, "Lou brother, if we join forces to kill these two, the two trial iron badges they carry will all be yours. I won't take any. How about it?"