"Hey, hey, hey, can you two stop arguing? We haven't even found Zhang Er Gou yet, so what's the point of infighting?"
Zuo Tian, looking at the two arguing, felt speechless. At a time like this, they were still bickering.
It was said that these two had harbored resentment for a long time. People only knew that they were the two most outstanding disciples who emerged from the previous outer sect grand competition.
But they didn't know that these two often competed in private, always striving for first or second place in everything.
"Isn't it obvious? Zhu Ge Wen got here before us, so naturally, he captured Zhang Er Gou and hid him," Jiang Tian glared at Zhu Ge Wen unhappily.
"Jiang Tian, you need evidence to speak. I only arrived here a moment before you and haven't had time to look for Zhang Er Gou. You arrived right after me, so don't falsely accuse good people for no reason."
Zhu Ge Wen's face turned pale with anger.
At this moment, Zhang Er Gou, sitting in a tree, was like any other inner sect disciple, watching the drama unfold. He didn't expect the inner sect disciples to be so disunited.
"Didn't you guys find this whole situation very strange?" Zuo Tian interrupted their argument. "We all heard the signal, but where is the person who sent it?"
"Zuo Tian is right. I didn't feel anything unusual until you mentioned it. Now I do," Zhu Ge Wen frowned, scanning the inner sect disciples around him.
"Why are there only forty-five people? Where did the other five go?" Zhu Ge Wen asked after looking around.
"That's right. The missing ones are Wei Yang's team. Their previous reconnaissance area seemed to be this region," Jiang Tian also frowned.
Finally, these inner sect disciples noticed the anomaly and became vigilant.
*Swish!*
Suddenly, a figure descended from the air, hurtling directly towards Jiang Tian and the others.
"Who?" Jiang Tian shouted, his actions swift. He struck the falling figure with a palm strike.
*Pfft!*
A mouthful of blood spurted out. The person Zhang Er Gou had knocked unconscious earlier, upon receiving Jiang Tian's blow, coughed up blood. Before he could speak, he fainted again.
"No, it's Li Zhi!" someone recognized the person Jiang Tian had struck.
"I say, Jiang Tian, weren't you a bit too hasty? See, you knocked Junior Brother Li unconscious. Now we have no way to get any clues," Zhu Ge Wen retorted at Jiang Tian, annoyed.
"Who told him to pounce on me without a sound? If it were you, you wouldn't have been any slower to react," Jiang Tian naturally disagreed.
Li Zhi had lunged at him directly from the air. If he hadn't reacted in time, he would have been knocked to the ground.
"Hmph!"
Zhu Ge Wen snorted and said nothing more.
Just then, another dark figure swooped down from the air, this time directly at Zhu Ge Wen.
Without a word, Zhu Ge Wen struck the figure with a palm. Blood splattered, and the figure was deflected.
*Bang!*
With a loud crash, the figure hit the ground, making no sound. It was clear that he, too, had fainted.
"What did I say? Zhu Ge Wen, didn't you just say I was too fast? How come when it comes to you, you're not any slower?" Jiang Tian taunted Zhu Ge Wen.
"Now is not the time for you to argue. Didn't you notice that these two appeared without making a sound?" Zuo Tian frowned, gazing up at the towering ancient trees.
The dense canopy obscured any view, but it filled everyone with a sense of foreboding.
*Swish! Swish! Swish!*
Three figures in quick succession descended towards the disciples below the trees. One of them landed directly above Zuo Tian.
*Bang!*
Zuo Tian pushed out a palm, and the figure hit the ground with a loud thud.
"Wei Yang?" Seeing the unconscious person lying on the ground, Zuo Tian exclaimed in surprise.
"Everyone be careful, Zhang Er Gou is nearby." Finally, Zuo Tian discovered the anomaly. How could it be so coincidental that these people suddenly fell from the sky above them?
*Bang!*
Suddenly, with a loud noise, a black sphere fell from the sky just as Zuo Tian finished speaking, exploding with a deafening sound.
"Who's there, playing tricks?" Zhu Ge Wen immediately drew his weapon.
But no one answered. With the explosion, a black mist permeated the surroundings, and a strange fragrance wafted out.
The others paid no attention, only watching the ancient trees vigilantly, worried that another figure might suddenly fall on their heads.
*Swish, swish, swish!*
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Several black spheres descended from the air, one after another, with deafening roars. In an instant, the area within several zhang was filled with smoke.
This was only the beginning.
"Next, I, your grandpa, will treat you to a black mist egg feast, hehe." Zhang Er Gou, hiding in the shadows, chuckled and tossed several more black spheres.
This time, he threw them towards the ground where he had already placed many black mist eggs.
*Bang! Bang! Bang! ...*
Rumbling explosions echoed. The inner sect disciples, whose cultivation was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, were sent tumbling by the shockwaves.
Combined with the black mist and mysterious fragrance emitted by the exploding black mist eggs, their vision was not only blocked, but they gradually lost consciousness.
"Everyone hold your breath!" Zhu Ge Wen was the first to notice the anomaly and shouted it out.
But no one responded. Those inner sect disciples at the Foundation Establishment stage had already passed out if they were going to.
The potency of the soporific agent in the mist from hundreds of black mist eggs exploding was immense. Even a demonic beast with abnormal physical defense would have long since been incapacitated.
If it weren't for his Golden Core stage cultivation, he too would have fainted by now.
At this moment, the only ones who could remain conscious were Zhu Ge Wen, Zuo Tian, Jiang Tian, and two other inner sect disciples at the early Golden Core stage.
Their condition was not much better. They were all like blind people in the dark. The black mist eggs not only caused people to lose consciousness.
The black mist emitted by their explosions was so dense that even Golden Core stage cultivators could not see through it. Even so, with hundreds of them exploding simultaneously, it was a miracle that these few didn't faint on the spot.
Holding his breath, Zhu Ge Wen carefully shuffled under the trees, trying to find the others.
For the first time in his cultivation, he felt a sense of unease.
As he cautiously moved forward, he suddenly heard a rush of wind behind him: "Who? Who's playing tricks there?"
Zhu Ge Wen turned sharply, but all he saw was a blur of blackness.
"Could I be mistaken?" Zhu Ge Wen frowned, nervously surveying his surroundings.
Finding no anomaly, he turned back, preparing to head in the direction where Zuo Tian had been standing.
*Pfft!*
The sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh rang out. Zhu Ge Wen let out a muffled groan...