Chapter 247: Chapter 244: Siege_1
「An hour later,」 the satisfied non-human tribe, having finished their meal, left with a noticeably stronger aura than when they had arrived, leaving behind only dozens of stark white bones. The elite disciples of the Purple Cloud Sect, who had emptied their stomachs at the sight, followed at a distance, their faces a sickened pallor; clearly, the previous actions of the tribe had left them deeply disgusted. After a while, the three figures arrived at the remnants of the battlefield.
"Your Majesty, these are all human remains, and there are traces of teeth marks. They must have been devoured by the non-human tribes!" Wu Ming examined the scene and said angrily. Qin Wudao stepped forward, squatted down to investigate, his brow furrowed. With his keen eye, he discovered that many of the bones bore the marks of sharp weapons, and the surrounding battlefield showed clear remnants of swordplay.
"Someone has allied with the non-human tribe!" Qin Wudao stood up and stated firmly. The non-human tribes were not skilled in using weapons; judging from the battlefield remnants, humans had undoubtedly participated. The main concern was identifying which power they belonged to.
"That can’t be!" Wu Ming exclaimed, slightly surprised. The humans of the Eastern Continent shared a blood feud with the non-human tribes, an irreconcilable enmity. Who would dare to risk worldwide condemnation and the scorn of millions to collude with the non-human tribes?
"Let’s go. We need to be more careful from now on!" Qin Wudao said, offering no further explanation, and continued towards the large mountain at the heart of the Mystic Realm.
Shortly after they left, Wei Wuyang arrived with a team at the site of the bones, his expression grave. "Someone has colluded with the non-human tribe!" After inspecting the bones, Wei Wuyang reached the same conclusion.
"Who would dare to collude with the non-human tribe? Could it be Qin Wudao?" a Kylin Holy Land disciple asked angrily. Three of his martial brothers, with whom he often discussed martial arts, had perished. Since they had been pursuing Qin Wudao, he was naturally the disciple’s primary suspect.
"No. There are only three of them. Qin Wudao and Wu Ming use swords, and Feng Yangzhi uses a staff. However, there are traces of Sabre Qi here as well. The culprit is someone else!" Wei Wuyang shook his head. As a swordsman who had comprehended sabre intent, he was very sensitive to Sabre Qi. Amidst the lingering Sword Qi at the scene, there was also the distinct presence of Sabre Qi.
"Then the culprit must be the Purple Cloud Sect!" the Kylin Holy Land disciple said with certainty after some thought. Besides the non-human tribes, the Kylin Holy Land’s only other enemies were the Purple Cloud Sect. Even if other factions were dissatisfied with the Kylin Holy Land, they wouldn’t dare to assassinate its members.
Wei Wuyang remained silent, neither denying nor confirming.
"Let’s go! We need to report this to the Saint Heir!" another Kylin Holy Land disciple exclaimed. They needed to change their strategy. Who would dare provoke the authority of the Kylin Holy Land? This was outrageous! The team of over forty people turned back, moving with formidable momentum.
Qin Wudao, walking ahead, was still unaware that due to the actions of the Purple Cloud Sect and the Ice Emperor Bear Clan, he had narrowly avoided a deadly battle.
「The slaughter in the forest continued!」
After hunting down a small team, the Ice Emperor Bear Clan and the Purple Cloud Sect grew more confident. After searching for four hours, they found another team from the Kylin Holy Land. Bear Longing and Song Yufeng immediately decided to encircle and annihilate them.
After a fierce battle lasting a quarter of an hour, forty-one corpses lay on the ground. The Ice Emperor Bear Clan members grabbed the bodies and began to feast, a truly bloody and savage spectacle. This time, the Purple Cloud Sect disciples did not leave. They stood to the side, hands on their weapons, eyes filled with anger. Song Yufeng kept his back to the scene, seemingly oblivious to the non-human tribe’s gruesome actions.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
One after another, pillars of light shot into the sky. After devouring the essence and blood of the human cultivators, many members of the non-human tribe broke through to higher cultivation realms. Even Bear Longing smoothly advanced to the mid-stage of the Saint Realm.
"Invigorating!" Bear Longing’s face beamed with joy. The energy gained from devouring the human prodigies far exceeded his expectations. If I could devour another hundred, I might break through to the late-stage of the Saint Realm! At this thought, he subconsciously glanced at Song Yufeng, his reddish eyes glinting with a fervent light. If I devoured everyone from the Purple Cloud Sect...
But when he saw the battle sword on Song Yufeng’s back, he dismissed the notion. That’s an Imperial Armament! Even having reached the mid-stage of the Saint Realm, I wouldn’t be completely confident of victory. Besides, we’re allies. I still need the Purple Cloud Sect’s strength to help contain the Kylin Holy Land’s prodigies. A single pillar cannot support a great structure.
"How audacious! To actually form an alliance with the non-human tribes!"
Sitting on a rock, Shen Youlin visibly seethed with cold, murderous intent after hearing his disciple’s report. He was indignant at Song Yufeng’s actions, considering them a deep disgrace. To be human and yet collude with the non-human tribes... such a person is a degenerate, a humiliation to all humankind!
"Saint Heir, what should we do?" the disciple asked respectfully.
Just then, a panicked voice cried out, "S-Saint Heir! Something terrible has happened!" Another team had returned, and the Kylin Holy Land disciple leading them reported, "Three hundred miles east, I found forty-one bodies! Judging from the remaining belongings, it was Senior Brother Wang Hai’s team!"
Shen Youlin’s body trembled, his eyes blazing with murderous intent! Wang Hai was one of his retainers. He had served Shen Youlin since he was very young and held a significant place in his heart.
"Issue the command! All teams are to abandon the pursuit of Qin Wudao and assemble immediately! We will avenge our fallen martial brothers!" Shen Youlin ordered, his voice grim. His fury erupted, and behind him, a blood-red Kylin materialized, its immense Evil Qi rolling outwards, dyeing the dark night crimson.
"As you command!" everyone bowed. One of them lit the fuse of a signal flare. It shot a brilliant light into the sky, which exploded into the shape of a Kylin, unleashing several beams of arcane light that streaked across the Void.
「Not far from where the flare ascended,」 a group of more than a dozen women in floral long skirts stood. One of them spoke, "Snow Monarch, that’s a signal flare from the Kylin Holy Land. It seems they’ve run into trouble!"
Jade Snow Gentleman raised an elegant eyebrow slightly, not taking it to heart. "It’s none of our concern," she said softly. "We’ll go around. Our destination is the heart of the Mystic Realm. We are here for Kunlun’s Supreme Inheritance; let’s not get involved in the squabbles of the major powers."
"Understood!" The women all nodded and altered their course to bypass the area.
「That night,」 the scattered prodigies of the Kylin Holy Land converged. They began searching for the murderers, pushing thoughts of Qin Wudao to the back of their minds.
In Shen Youlin’s mind, Qin Wudao was already a dead man. Even if he didn’t perish in the Kunlun Mystic Realm, he would never make it back to the Great Qin Divine Court alive. The priority now was vengeance! The authority of the Kylin Holy Land would not be challenged!
「On the other side,」 the Purple Cloud Sect and the Ice Emperor Bear Clan also received news of the Kylin Holy Land’s prodigies gathering. They immediately changed their strategy, going into hiding to wait for an opportune moment to strike.
「As dusk began to fall,」 Bear Longing organized an ambush. However, in the midst of the fierce battle, Shen Youlin suddenly appeared as if a god descending from the heavens, swiftly turning the tide. Seeing that victory was hopeless, Bear Longing ordered an immediate retreat. After sacrificing more than thirty of his clan members, he managed to escape.