Chapter 2050: Chapter 89: Huang (Part 3)
Li Zhongping’s face was haggard and exhausted, yet his brows remained tightly knitted. He casually echoed Lu Shifu’s words twice, then subconsciously glanced in Wang Ba’s direction with his peripheral vision, suspicions arising in his heart.
The expression on the big man’s face, others may not have noticed, but he saw it clearly. It was precisely when seeing the Taiyi Mountain Master that it changed.
This made him grow quite a number of doubts.
However, the appearance of the big man ultimately disrupted many of his previous perceptions, so at this moment, his mind was a mess.
Yet, he quickly realized a more critical question:
“Could there be others in this Immortal Mansion?”
Upon these words, everyone stiffened.
Even Wang Ba, who was pondering the peculiar look in the big man’s eyes, felt a slight chill in his heart hearing Li Zhongping’s words.
This nameless big man was probably a servant-like figure. Even so, he almost sent all the cultivators present into the cycle of reincarnation. It’s unimaginable what would happen if another such being appeared.
However, among the Outer World Cultivators, someone shook their head and said:
“If there really were others, they wouldn’t have stood by and watched the ancient cultivator fall just now, and we wouldn’t have escaped.”
Upon hearing this, many still had traces of fear in their eyes, yet a hint of eagerness emerged.
When the big man appeared earlier, nearly half of the cultivators had already entered the courtyard.
By the time he acted, he directly caused nearly thirty percent casualties!
The Jade Pot Realm and the Double Body Realm suffered particularly severe losses, with most of their members dying at the hands of the big man.
They had already lost too much. If they were to back down due to fear of potential dangers, their losses would only deepen.
Unless they obtained a remarkable opportunity, the heavily damaged factions here would struggle to sustain themselves further.
Thus, the question was no longer whether it was dangerous, but that they must gain something!
Standing at the doorstep of opportunity, it was impossible for them to watch it slip away without taking action.
After all, this place was likely the residence of an immortal, with unimaginable opportunities within!
“Then let’s try it.”
Lu Shifu was the first to speak out.
He wasn’t afraid of death, nor adventure. Among those present, only their Double Body Realm, despite some losses, hadn’t suffered as severely as others.
So he made the decision and immediately sent the puppet-like cultivator into the courtyard.
Everyone quickly moved far away.
Before long, the puppet-like cultivator walked out of the courtyard unscathed.
Seeing this, the cultivators exchanged glances, and soon a figure swiftly rushed into the courtyard.
Witnessing this scene, the crowd couldn’t hold back either, and chaos broke out as they all charged in.
Wang Ba mused, recalling the gaze the big man cast at him earlier. His thoughts shifted, and he softly instructed Yu Wuheng and others before following suit.
However, this time, although the cultivators rushed in, they no longer dared to be as reckless as before. Instead, they were cautious, even those at the front from the Outer World Cultivators didn’t venture far.
From the outside, the courtyard seemed small, but entering within revealed a whole other world.
Upon entering the gate, a pond shrouded in a faint mist came into view.
But here, only withered lotus leaves covered the water’s surface.
Even so, some cultivators cautiously waded into the water, picking the withered and yellowed lotus leaves.
Soon, sounds of joyous exclamations echoed.
Wang Ba glanced once and withdrew his gaze.
Although not well-versed in spirit plants, he could tell that if these lotus leaves were alive, they would be at least Seventh Tier, possibly even Eighth Tier spirit plants. But now, the leaves and their roots were dead, diminished in value despite retaining some spiritual energy. They may be valuable to Outer Realm Cultivators, but he had little interest.
The pond was quite large, and its water seemed to be a treasure. Some cultivators’ eyes lit up, starting to scoop the water greedily as if scraping the ground.
Wang Ba, with Yu Wuheng and others, cautiously walked deeper along the gravel path by the riverside.
The artificial mountain soon caught his attention, his gaze flickered with a hint of tension:
“Seventh Tier spirit mine!”
The group following him immediately stared with shining eyes.
Though surprised, Wang Ba didn’t linger, collecting some before heading deeper.
The cultivators behind couldn’t resist the lure, seeing Wang Ba uninterested, they started chiseling the artificial mountain.
Along the way, they saw several unknown spirit plants. Even the longest-lived ones appeared vibrant, but inside, their vitality had long since depleted.
Shaking his head slightly, these items were indeed precious, but not overwhelmingly so, falling short of his perceptions of the Immortal Mansion. Thus, he continued walking forward.
By now, he vaguely confirmed that aside from the nameless big man, there likely weren’t others here.
Yet, just as this thought arose.
He suddenly heard a crisp ‘clink’, ‘clink’ sound of stones falling on a chessboard at the end of the gravel path in the pavilion!
Misty and indistinct, the surroundings seemed both real and unreal, dreamlike.
Wang Ba felt a chill in his heart!
Where did the sound of a chess game come from in this place?!
Yu Wuheng and Wu Monkey King behind him also looked grim, while among the following Outer World Cultivators, some faces turned pale with fear, some even ready to turn and flee.
Wang Ba, however, narrowed his eyes.
After a moment’s hesitation, he began to walk straight towards the end of the gravel path.
Seeing Wang Ba’s action, even Yu Wuheng and Yu Yu hesitated, but only Wu Monkey King followed without hesitation.
Seeing this, they had no choice but to follow suit.
Before long, the pavilion shrouded in mist gradually became clearer.
The laughter and whispers finally reached Wang Ba and the others.
“… Haha, marvelous! This move has truly turned the tables, Brother Lu’s skills are remarkable!”
“Brother Ti Bo’s move counters me in every way, blocking my last gasp, leaving me helpless… Huang, fetch some wine…”
A slightly familiar voice, hearty and pure, came from the pavilion:
“Yes, Master.”
Hearing this, a flash of disbelief crossed Wang Ba’s eyes!
The others were as if they’d seen a ghost!
Soon, a burly man with an ancient and honest face, protruding forehead like two bumps, wearing gray linen robes, hunched out of the pavilion, hurriedly ran past Wang Ba and his group…