Zhang Ergou was utterly bewildered. What was happening? He'd only glanced into the distance and now he'd fallen into a trap?
This was too much!
Before he could even voice his complaint, a giant bamboo arrow shot out from the trap. If Zhang Ergou hadn't reacted quickly, he would have been hit.
Just as he dodged the bamboo arrow, another strange sound echoed from beneath his feet. Then, a long, black spear pierced through from the bottom of the trap.
Above him, a massive wire net was descending towards the trap.
"Damn it, no way!" Zhang Ergou flickered out of his original spot, reappearing outside the trap just as the large net landed precisely on it.
"This beast forest is too bizarre, it's a trap everywhere!" Su Dan Novel Network
Zhang Ergou grumbled and turned to leave. As soon as he turned around,
Roar!
A beast's roar, and a monstrous beast with a gaping maw lunged at Zhang Ergou, a foul stench assailing him.
Go!
In the nick of time, Zhang Ergou thrust his Ghost Spear Tianwen forward, its tip piercing the monster's neck.
Instantly, blood splattered. The beast struggled a couple of times and then fell to the ground, lifeless.
The scent of blood quickly attracted the attention of other monsters, and soon, roars echoed through the forest, making the entire area lively.
"Hmph, I don't have time to play with you all." After dealing with another monster that had rushed closest, Zhang Ergou swung his iron spear and smashed it hard onto a beast that had gotten close.
Bang!
The hundreds of pounds of the Ghost Spear Tianwen landed squarely on the monster's head, splattering blood and brains in an instant.
This brutal scene made the monsters arriving behind them halt in their tracks. With abundant spiritual energy in the environment, they had developed some intelligence.
They were no longer mere beasts that knew only to charge blindly. Towards those they could not defeat, they instinctively chose to evade.
Seeing the charging beasts frozen in place, now was the time to leave.
Zhang Ergou flickered, pushing his Shadow Illusion to its limit, his entire body dissolving into streaks of afterimages and vanishing from his original spot.
By the time the monsters reacted, Zhang Ergou's silhouette was nowhere to be seen. They could only roar in frustration and then disperse.
Utilizing the extreme speed of Shadow Illusion, Zhang Ergou ran for nearly the time it takes an incense stick to burn before slowing down. This place was already a considerable distance from the dwarf forest he had been in before.
As soon as he slowed his pace, Zhang Ergou saw a group of five people not far ahead, walking and searching for something.
Judging by the daoist robes they wore, they were clearly not outer disciples.
There was no need to guess; they must be one of the ten groups dispatched by the inner sect.
Could he be this unlucky, to encounter inner sect disciples so soon? Zhang Ergou was speechless.
He quietly turned to conceal himself, but one of them spotted him.
"Kid, stop!" the person shouted immediately.
"Greetings, senior brothers. I am Li Chao, a disciple of Xiayang Peak. I beg for your leniency, senior brothers."
Zhang Ergou meekly walked up to the group, bowing and scraping.
"Xiayang Peak?" The leading disciple, clad in a green daoist robe, scrutinized Zhang Ergou, then took out a scroll.
"Li Chao?" the leading disciple asked, as if to reconfirm.
"Yes, senior brother. This junior brother is indeed Li Chao, a disciple of Xiayang Peak." Zhang Ergou continued his subservient act. To his surprise, these individuals were actually comparing him against a portrait.
Clearly, the most probable scenario was that these inner sect disciples had been bribed and were looking for someone.
Zhang Ergou subtly glanced sideways. The portrait on the scroll was his own!
If he hadn't transformed earlier, he would likely be fighting these people right now.
Seeing this, Zhang Ergou's eyes narrowed. He had already made up his mind; these people were clearly after him.
"What's going on? Why are you here alone?" the man asked, looking at Zhang Ergou suspiciously.
"Senior brother, I was separated from the other four when I was teleported in. After entering the dwarf forest, I got lost." Zhang Ergou put on an awkward smile.
"Hmph! You're really quite foolish. Let me ask you something, have you seen Zhang Ergou?"
After staring at Zhang Ergou for a moment, the man put away the scroll.
"It seems he went in that direction. I saw a large group of monsters chasing him, perhaps that fellow stirred up a hornet's nest." Zhang Ergou pointed in a direction, a hint of schadenfreude on his face.
The disciple in the green daoist robe glanced at Zhang Ergou. "Senior Brother Jiang Tian and the others have instructed us not to cause trouble for disciples of Xiayang Peak, Qiuyang Peak, and the Disciplinary Hall."
"However," the disciple's expression turned slightly playful, "it's not easy for senior brothers to come in here. You wouldn't let us leave empty-handed, would you?"
"Senior brother is right. This is a token of my filial respect for all of you, senior brothers." As he spoke, Zhang Ergou produced a storage ring and handed it to the disciple in the green daoist robe.
These individuals all appeared to be in the late Foundation Establishment stage. If a fight were to break out, Zhang Ergou wouldn't fear them, but he wouldn't be able to resolve it quickly.
A fight would undoubtedly create a lot of noise, which would inevitably attract other inner sect disciples.
If the early Core Formation disciples like Jiang Tian were drawn here, he wouldn't even have time to escape.
It was best for him to use a few spirit stones to avoid unnecessary trouble. He would endure if he could.
Zhang Ergou was no longer the reckless fool he once was.
"Good! You may go." The disciple in the green daoist robe accepted the storage ring, nodded, and gestured for Zhang Ergou to move on.
Then, the group headed in the direction Zhang Ergou had indicated.
"Everyone, be vigilant and stay alert. Senior Brother Jiang said Zhang Ergou is very cunning. Don't let that brat trick us. If we can capture Zhang Ergou, Senior Brother Jiang promised a generous reward."
"Tch, calling themselves inner sect disciples, with this kind of intelligence." Zhang Ergou smirked disdainfully, watching their receding figures.
"If it were always this easy to fool them, entering the inner sect would be like a game for me."
"It's best to leave this place." If those people discovered they had been tricked, they would surely return to settle the score.
With a swift movement, Zhang Ergou vanished from his spot, continuing deeper into the beast forest.
For a period of time afterward, Zhang Ergou encountered several groups of inner sect disciples. Just like the group he had met earlier, as long as he announced himself as a disciple of Xiayang Peak, he would be allowed to pass.
This time, the inner sect was led by Jiang Tian, Zhuge Wen, and Zuo Tian. With their instructions, these inner sect disciples naturally would not make things difficult for disciples of Xiayang Peak, Qiuyang Peak, and the Disciplinary Hall.
Therefore, along the way, Zhang Ergou could easily pass each time by spending a few thousand spirit stones.
Not far ahead, several disciples clad in white daoist robes stood.
Zhang Ergou had already prepared a storage ring and handed it to one of them.
"Senior brothers, I am a disciple of Xiayang Peak. A small token of my esteem." Zhang Ergou said meekly. "Senior brothers, may I pass now?"
As he spoke, Zhang Ergou was already preparing to move forward.
"Did I say you could leave?" a cold voice suddenly rang out.