Upon hearing Lin Feng's question, Loong Tian nodded. "Junior Sister Chang Gong and Junior Brother Zhang did come. In fact, we're heading to a rendezvous point to meet others from our sect. We noticed disturbances nearby and decided to investigate—only to find you! By the way, what happened here just now?"
His gaze swept the surroundings, sharp eyes catching traces of battle and two piles of ash. His brow lifted slightly as he pieced together the likely scenario: Lin Feng had clashed with enemies who were now dealt with, their remains erased.
"Just two cultivators who tried to ambush me," Lin Feng brushed off casually. Shifting focus, he asked, "Brother Loong, Chang Gong Xiaojing and Zhang Fangzhou are friends of mine. I'd very much like to see them. Might I join you?"
Loong Tian grinned. "Of course! You wouldn't believe how delighted Junior Sister Chang Gong was when we told her about you after returning to the sect. Your appearance now will be a wonderful surprise."
...
Night had deepened, an ill-advised time for travel. Yet Lin Feng's eagerness to reunite with friends overruled caution. He suggested leaving immediately. Knowing Lin Feng's capabilities, Loong Tian and Loong Xin raised no objections. While nocturnal beasts were indeed more numerous and aggressive, many wouldn't attack unprovoked. Any foolish enough to block their path proved no match for Lin Feng's flying sword. Only a detour around an early third-grade beast caused minor delay—wisely avoiding unnecessary conflict.
Conversation along the way revealed updates: Chang Gong Xiaojing and Zhang Fangzhou were now inner disciples of Biquan Sect, apprenticed under two Elders. Chang Gong Xiaojing shared the same master as Loong Tian and Loong Xin—the Golden Core female cultivator Lin Feng had encountered, gravely wounded, in the Great Python Mountains.
Lin Feng learned that both Chang Gong Xiaojing and Zhang Fangzhou, only at the seventh layer of Foundation Building, had narrowly qualified for this trial. Their inclusion was partly due to Lin Feng's earlier rescue of the Loong siblings—a deed that earned his friends "special consideration."
The Biquan Sect group had entered the Black Mist Medicine Valley four days prior, two days after Lin Feng. His three-day seclusion in the cave meant many later arrivals had now reached this area.
Scattered upon entry, disciples from each sect headed for designated rendezvous points. Given the valley's vastness, multiple meeting locations existed. Routes were planned to allow exploration and herb gathering while progressing toward potential reunions. Paths naturally converged deeper into the valley, where the terrain narrowed, making encounters with comrades—and rival sects—increasingly likely.
So far, only Loong Tian and Loong Xin had found each other. Their current destination was a major hub likely hosting many fellow disciples.
...
By the following afternoon, the trio emerged from a dense forest. Loong Tian pointed toward a hundred-meter peak about three miles ahead. "Almost there. Just beyond that mountain."
A flicker of anticipation crossed Lin Feng's face. "Then let's hurry."
They quickened their pace. But when the mountain was still a mile and a half away—
Whoosh… BOOM!!
A streak of deep blue light shot skyward from behind the peak and exploded high above. It hung suspended—a small, brilliant azure sun refusing to fade.
Loong Tian and Loong Xin paled simultaneously. "Our sect's distress signal!" Loong Xin gasped. "Someone's in grave danger!"
"What?!" Lin Feng's expression hardened instantly. "Move!" he shouted, surging forward. The siblings raced after him as they sprinted toward the mountain.
...
On the mountain's far side, a broad plain unfolded. Chaos reigned there now—a violent clash between a group of figures and three ferocious beasts. Though outnumbered, the beasts held the upper hand. Seven cultivators fought desperately, two or three against each creature, barely holding their ground amid flashes of steel and claw.
Chang Gong Xiaojing and Zhang Fangzhou were among the seven. Together, they battled a beast resembling an oversized wolfhound—twice the size of its mundane kin. Despite their combined efforts, their seventh-layer Foundation Building cultivation proved inadequate against the beast's ninth-tier Grade 2 power. Their attacks seemed mere annoyances to the creature, while its every strike forced them into frantic, clumsy retreats.
To their right, two male cultivators and one female fought another Phantom Wind Wolf. One ninth-layer and two eighth-layer Foundation Building cultivators faced a peak Grade 2 beast. Though faring slightly better than Chang Gong and Zhang, victory seemed distant.
The fiercest battle raged elsewhere—a confrontation dwarfing the other two combined. Here, two cultivators jointly attacked a single Phantom Wind Wolf. Both wielded flying swords—undeniable proof of their Golden Core cultivation (second-layer and first-layer). Their foe, however, dwarfed the other two wolves combined. Its dark grey fur rippled with subtle golden streaks, radiating power—a clear sign of a Grade 3, fifth-tier beast!
The stalemate here had persisted, but the tide was turning against the humans.
Tch! Frustration flashed in the eyes of the handsome young man in deep blue robes—one of the Golden Core cultivators. Clenching his teeth, he drew a third-grade top-quality Golden Sword Talisman and hurled it. A blinding golden arc, meters wide, forced the wolf back. Yet the beast seemed prepared, conjuring an armor-like spiritual barrier that absorbed the strike with minimal damage.
The blue-robed cultivator's expression tightened with regret. He risked a glance at the other battles. "Hold on!" he shouted, voice straining. "Help is coming! The signal's out!"
He turned urgently to his companion—a lanky young man in golden robes. "Brother Wang! Do you have any more third-grade top-tier talismans? We need to—YOU!!"
His words choked into disbelief. Without warning, the man beside him—Wang Licang—had slammed a vicious palm strike into his left shoulder!
THUD! Utterly unprepared for betrayal, the blue-robed cultivator was sent sprawling backward.
Wang Licang landed smoothly, a cold smirk twisting his lips as he leaped backward, putting distance between them. His voice cut through the din, aimed at the trio fighting the peak Grade 2 beast: "Go!"
On his command, the two male cultivators battling alongside the Biquan Sect woman exchanged a glance. They instantly abandoned their posts, disengaging from the beast and retreating swiftly toward Wang Licang.
The betrayal struck like lightning, shattering the Biquan Sect's defense. The blue-robed cultivator, injured and isolated, scrambled to activate his defensive barrier against the renewed onslaught of the Grade 3 beast roaring toward him. Simultaneously, the sudden withdrawal of her companions left the female cultivator exposed. Stunned, she failed to evade a sweeping claw that struck her chest hard. A choked gasp escaped her as she was flung backward, blood spraying from her lips.
"Wang Licang!!" The blue-robed cultivator—Surnamed Yan—roared, fury and shock warring in his voice as he barely parried the beast's strikes. "What is this?!"
Wang Licang paused, his smile chillingly placid. "My apologies, Brother Yan. Better that you perish holding these beasts back... than we all die here." His gaze swept dismissively over the embattled Biquan Sect disciples. "You sacrifice grants us time to escape." He gestured to the two men now beside him. "Move!!"
Without a backward glance, the three turned and fled, abandoning the four Biquan cultivators to face the three enraged beasts alone.
...
At precisely that moment, Lin Feng rounded the mountainside, emerging onto the battlefield from the eastern slope a hundred meters away.
His eyes instantly found Chang Gong Xiaojing and Zhang Fangzhou locked in desperate struggle. He saw the other disciples, the savage beasts, and in that same heart-stopping instant, he witnessed Wang Licang and his accomplices fleeing the fray.
White-hot fury ignited Lin Feng's soul!!