A few people's eyes lit up upon hearing Zhang Ergou's words, and their injuries didn't hurt as much anymore.
Under the tree, the four of them discussed with great enthusiasm. Fortunately, no one passed by at that moment, otherwise, their schemes would have been overheard.
After concluding their discussion, the four stood up and saw that there was no one around.
Wang Teng couldn't help but look at Zhang Ergou and ask, "Ergou, are you sure this plan is reliable?"
He had been beaten too many times. In his cultivation journey, the time spent in the inner sect was when he had been beaten the most.
"What if those guys don't fall for it?" Xiao Qingyu also sounded a bit uncertain.
"What's there to be afraid of? Life is but a struggle, at worst we'll get beaten again. I don't believe they'd dare to actually kill us," Lin Yichen said with his neck stiffened, unconditionally supporting Zhang Ergou's proposal. Su Dan Novel Network
Lin Yichen wasn't someone who stayed put. In the outer sect, he had the demeanor of a high and mighty figure due to being the top disciple.
After entering the inner sect, he was repeatedly bullied by Jiang Tian, Zhuge Wen, and others. He had suffered greatly during this period.
He was accustomed to being respected by others, but now he had fallen to such a state. It was impossible for Lin Yichen not to be furious.
"That's right, let's go get 'em! What's there to be afraid of?" The other three were also infected by Lin Yichen's spirit.
"Kid, keep a sharp eye out, don't lead too many people our way," Xiao Qingyu and Wang Teng said, patting Zhang Ergou's shoulder as they left. Then the three of them headed in one direction.
After Lin Yichen and the others were gone, Zhang Ergou slowly walked out of the woods.
Although it was night, the difference between the inner and outer sects was evident.
The inner sect was still bustling with activity. Zhang Ergou, walking nonchalantly, didn't draw any particular attention.
As Zhang Ergou walked, his eyes darted around constantly, even glancing at the people around him.
He wasn't aimlessly wandering but was specifically looking for familiar figures.
The people Zhang Ergou was looking for were naturally Zhuge Wen, Zuo Tian, Jiang Tian, and others. If he found any of them alone, he would not hesitate to lead them towards where Lin Yichen and the other two were hiding.
He meandered slowly for a long time but couldn't spot a single familiar face.
Just as Zhang Ergou was lamenting his bad luck, he suddenly saw a figure emerge from a corner.
The person had fair skin but an incredibly potent aura. Upon closer inspection, it was none other than Jiang Tian.
"Zhang Ergou!" a voice spat out through gritted teeth. Jiang Tian, who was walking over, had also spotted Zhang Ergou loitering.
His face immediately contorted into a fierce expression. He had been mocked mercilessly these past few days, and the source of it all was Zhang Ergou standing not far away.
Seeing Zhang Ergou now, Jiang Tian's anger instantly reached its peak.
Upon hearing Jiang Tian call out to him, Zhang Ergou knew he had attracted Jiang Tian's attention. He immediately turned and ran in a certain direction.
Seeing Zhang Ergou attempt to flee, how could Jiang Tian let him go?
"Where do you think you're going? Zhang Ergou, stop right there!" Jiang Tian's mind was clouded with rage, and he didn't notice Zhang Ergou's unusual behavior.
He followed closely in Zhang Ergou's footsteps, giving chase.
After the training of these past few days, Zhang Ergou's physical speed had reached terrifying levels. With a turn, Jiang Tian could only see Zhang Ergou's retreating back from a distance.
"Bastard, where do you think you're running!" Jiang Tian roared from behind, his pace quickening even further in pursuit of Zhang Ergou.
Unfortunately, Zhang Ergou deliberately ran through areas with dense trees. Jiang Tian, a cultivator at the early Golden Core stage, couldn't fly using his sword and could only chase Zhang Ergou on foot.
Since the beast forest trial that day, Jiang Tian had intended to go into seclusion to cultivate and let the matter cool down.
He figured that if he ignored it, people would gradually forget about the beast forest trial.
Zuo Tian and Zhuge Wen had the same mindset as Jiang Tian. However, it seemed someone who craved chaos suddenly spread the details of how Zhang Ergou had stripped them.
Furthermore, those who enjoyed gossip claimed that the three of them were in seclusion because they feared the newly entered inner sect disciple, Zhang Ergou.
Apart from the inner sect disciples who were sent into the beast forest back then, only Zhang Ergou knew the full details of everything.
Those inner sect disciples would never have spread information that tarnished their own reputation. Therefore, it was obvious that Zhang Ergou was the one who had started these rumors.
Consequently, Jiang Tian and the others believed that Zhang Ergou had not only set them up in the beast forest but had also spread such news in the inner sect.
With their reputations damaged, the three of them couldn't stay in seclusion any longer.
The constant stream of gossip and rumors made it impossible for them to meditate. Some even spread word that their seclusion was an implicit admission of the rumored events.
How could Jiang Tian and the others tolerate this?
Therefore, in the following days, Jiang Tian, Zhuge Wen, Zuo Tian, and others would patrol below Spirit Jade Peak, hoping to encounter Zhang Ergou.
All of them wanted to beat Zhang Ergou up to vent their anger. Firstly, they wanted to prove to the inner sect disciples that they were not afraid of Zhang Ergou.
Secondly, they simply couldn't bear the frustration they felt. The more they thought about it these past few days, the angrier they became.
Now that he saw Zhang Ergou, Jiang Tian could no longer restrain himself and chased after him in the direction Zhang Ergou was fleeing.
He was extremely confident in his abilities. As an early Golden Core cultivator, if he couldn't even handle a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, then Jiang Tian felt he might as well leave the inner sect.
Little did he know, it was precisely this kind of overconfidence in the beast forest that led to his downfall at Zhang Ergou's hands.
"Senior Brother Jiang Tian, stripping your robes in the beast forest that day was purely a misunderstanding," Zhang Ergou shouted back at Jiang Tian as he ran.
His shouting only made Jiang Tian's blood boil even more, and he quickened his pace in pursuit of Zhang Ergou.
If not for Zhang Ergou's agile movements, Jiang Tian would have almost caught him.
Zhang Ergou quickly increased his speed, running for his life. Before descending the mountain, Chi Yu had specifically instructed him not to use his spiritual energy unless absolutely necessary.
Therefore, Zhang Ergou could only rely on his physical strength to run, and he was still wearing armor weighing thousands of pounds.
The fact that Jiang Tian hadn't caught him for so long was mostly due to the complex terrain and dense forest, which allowed him to dart and weave, evading pursuit.
"Bastard, where do you think you're running!" Jiang Tian's lungs were about to explode. Seeing Zhang Ergou's slippery figure, like an earthworm, made him even more enraged.
Zhang Ergou saw that only Jiang Tian was chasing him, and his objective had been achieved. However, he hadn't reached the ambush point of Lin Yichen and the others yet, so he couldn't let Jiang Tian discover their scheme.
He ran with all his might, while Jiang Tian pursued him like a mad dog.
Boom!
With an explosion, a puff of black smoke rose. Jiang Tian, who had been relentlessly chasing Zhang Ergou, was momentarily distracted by the sudden black smoke and inadvertently fell into a deep pit.
"Let's get him!" Then, before Jiang Tian could comprehend the situation, he heard a roar.