Chapter 712

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Ye Wushuang’s gaze fell upon wave after wave of people beginning to move into the mountain range. Leading the way were naturally Ling Zhongxiao, Lou Ge, and Gu Qingyi. All three were prodigious disciples of the Tianji Pavilion, yet they were not walking together. Not all prodigies from any faction traveled in pairs. Each was a standout talent, and even within their own sects, they competed with one another—none would willingly submit to another. Unless faced with a common enemy, they would never join forces. It was clear that all three had the map and were leading their respective groups with nearly identical objectives.

Xu Wen, the bald one, seeing that more than a dozen groups had begun to move, immediately said, “Brother Ye, let’s get going too. We’ll follow them. This is what you call… the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!”

However, Ye Wushuang glanced back and slowly remarked, “Be wary that behind the oriole, there might be a sly fox.”

Xu Wen looked behind them, scratched his bald head, and chuckled, “So what if there is?”

At that moment, the more than a dozen groups, following Ling Zhongxiao, Lou Ge, and Gu Qingyi, entered the mountain range ahead. The three leaders naturally commanded their own teams, maintaining a close distance from each other.

Lou Ge looked around and couldn’t help but lament, “What a mess. Originally, we were the big shots from our pavilion. We had this crucial information, and we were supposed to uncover the secrets of the Li Yun ancient tomb during this Hundred Nations Martial Contest. Now, it’s common knowledge.”

To his left, Ling Zhongxiao coldly remarked, “That fool Qi Ying… even collaborating with people from the Tianyang Empire and the Gufeng Empire.”

“Collaborating is one thing, but sticking his neck out for others and losing his own life in the process,” he added.

Originally, before the Hundred Nations Martial Contest, the higher-ups of the Tianji Pavilion had summoned the four of them. These four prodigies represented the future of the Tianji Pavilion. The information about the Li Yun ancient tomb that they had obtained was deemed absolutely genuine by the pavilion’s elders. They were all prepared to make a significant move.

After all, the sect had placed great hopes in them for this opportunity. In the contest, finding the secrets of the Li Yun ancient tomb could potentially lead to a major stroke of luck, significantly boosting their strength and allowing them to overshadow the prodigies from the other six major sects and various empires.

But now, things had gone awry.

Qi Ying had been killed by Ye Wushuang.

The matter of the map had spread.

The three of them worried that Ye Wushuang, with the map, might have taken the lead. They could only gather the disciples of the Tianji Pavilion and come directly to this place to explore the Li Yun ancient tomb.

But who would have thought that the news would leak again?

Now, it seemed the news had legs and spread far and wide. The Li Clan’s Li Xinhen and Li Xinyue siblings, Yan Xuan from the Shengdan Sect, the nineteenth prince Tian Xu from the Tianyan Dynasty, and Chi Yu Tian from the Chiyan Empire—all these formidable figures had arrived.

At this point, even if the three of them didn’t lead these people to the Li Yun ancient tomb, they would likely join forces and force them to show the way.

“There’s no point in talking about this now…” Gu Qingyi said with a faint smile, “At least we should be relieved that not all the prodigies have rushed here upon hearing the news.”

“Who knows about that!” Lou Ge replied with a grin, “Maybe some of them are lurking in the shadows, playing the role of the oriole.”

“That depends on whether they have the qualifications to be the oriole,” Gu Qingyi said calmly, “In the past, no matter how we competed within the sect, it was fine. But this time, since it involves the high expectations of the sect’s elders, let’s join forces.”

Ling Zhongxiao taunted, “Then you can bring Yan Xuan into the fold!”

“What do you mean by that, Ling Zhongxiao!” Gu Qingyi’s face darkened as she humphed, “Stop listening to rumors.”

Seeing the tension between the two, Lou Ge tried to mediate, “Alright, alright, let’s not argue. Ling Zhongxiao, speaking of which, where is your sister? If she were here, we’d have a bit more assurance.”

Hearing this, Ling Zhongxiao sighed, “You all know my sister. She wouldn’t give face to me, her brother, let alone the elders of the pavilion.”

Upon hearing this, Lou Ge and Gu Qingyi were left speechless. While others might not be aware, the three of them understood clearly. Within the Seven Great Sects, there were always prodigies. They were called prodigies, but in reality, each sect had a few secret figures. And those secret figures were the true prodigies, the seeds of greatness.

“Stay alert, we’re approaching,” one of them said.

“Okay,” the others responded.

The three stopped their discussion and led the Tianji Pavilion disciples deeper into the mountains.

*Whoosh, whoosh…*

However, as they crossed a series of closely connected peaks and reached the summit, a gust of wind blew fiercely towards them. The strong wind stung their cheeks, forcing them to summon their spiritual energy to protect themselves.

Looking down, they saw hundreds of spiritual beasts with fur as tough as steel needles gathered at the foot of the mountain.

“Blue Ridge Hair Wolves!” many people’s faces changed.

Blue Ridge Hair Wolves were among the top-tier second-stage spiritual beasts, with peak Yuan Fu strength. These beasts were known for their tendency to gather in large packs. Even some third-stage spiritual beasts would flee upon encountering a pack of Blue Ridge Hair Wolves.

But now, there were two to three hundred of them at the foot of the mountain, clearly indicating that this was their den.

“What do we do?” Lou Ge asked.

“What else can we do?” Ling Zhongxiao replied helplessly, “We charge down. Our destination is the valley ahead.”

Lou Ge sighed, “What about those people over there?”

Hearing this, Gu Qingyi adjusted her clothes, looked around, and then raised her voice to speak…