“Bu Huan, Junior Brother!” Shen Yezhen stepped forward two paces, his face filled with both shock and joy. “You’re still alive. We were worried sick all night.”
Yu Yixiang’s brows furrowed again, her face cold, not even glancing at Qian Duoduo.
“Senior Brother, Senior Sister, the Spirit Beasts in this Chifeng Mountain Range are too terrifying. We searched for Senior Brother Wang during the day, but at night, we still need to find a safe place to rest. For dangerous areas, we must use the Winged Vehicle. Otherwise, before we even find Senior Brother, we might also disappear.”
Qian Duoduo deliberately looked at Shen Yezhen with a pitiful expression.
Letting your opponent think you’re strong is how you get the chance to take him down. This was something Qian Duoduo had learned on the training grounds.
“Senior Brother Shen, it’s better to be careful,” Yu Yixiang did not retort to Qian Duoduo this time.
Shen Yezhen nodded his big nose several times. But in his eyes, Qian Duoduo still caught a glint of coldness.
For the next ten-plus days, they searched deeper into the Chifeng Mountain Range. They crossed one tall mountain after another and passed through one forest after another. The mountains grew taller, the forests denser, and the aura of the Spirit Beasts and Spirit Birds became even more astonishing.
Once, they saw from a distance a black Demonic Ape uproot a hundred-zhang-tall ancient tree, directly leveling a mountaintop. Just one glance from it made the three of them feel dizzy and their ears ring.
This was probably a Nascent Soul-level Spirit Beast.
Intentionally or unintentionally, Qian Duoduo stuck closely to Yu Yixiang, not giving Shen Yezhen a chance to strike. Yu Yixiang’s attitude of advancing and retreating together also made Shen Yezhen full of apprehension. He became increasingly impatient, and his words to Qian Duoduo became even less polite.
Jin Buhuan’s mother had said: endure, endure, endure. No matter how Shen Yezhen provoked him, Qian Duoduo did not refute a single word. Whenever he had time, he silently Cultivated, his cultivation slowly approaching Qi Condensation Level Six Great Perfection.
Shen Yezhen was waiting. Similarly, Qian Duoduo was also waiting.
At noon that day, they arrived at a deep gully. The gully was dozens of zhang wide and a hundred zhang deep, with at least several feet of snow inside.
Shen Yezhen patted his Storage Pouch and took out a compass. The compass needle swung violently a few times, pointing straight to the other side of the gully.
“It’s in this vicinity.” The three of them were greatly invigorated.
Disciples on external missions would regularly send information and their location back to the Sect. The location sent was the best guide for their search. However, the compass’s search range was limited; the closer they were, the faster and more accurately it pointed.
“Should we report to the Sect first?” Qian Duoduo cautiously suggested. That deep gully made him a little afraid. In the forest on the other side, white mist floated over the accumulated snow. Jumping across felt like entering a deep pit.
Shen Yezhen hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. “It’s not too late to report after we find a clue about Junior Brother Longyu.”
He took out the Winged Vehicle, and the three of them boarded it, flying across the deep gully.
Stepping onto the red rock and soil, a strange feeling arose from the bottom of Qian Duoduo’s heart. “This place is not safe!”
“I think—” Qian Duoduo couldn’t help but speak.
“We finally found this place. I think we should hurry and search; Senior Brother Wang’s safety is the most important,” Yu Yixiang looked in the direction the compass needle pointed.
“Junior Brother Bu Huan, when carrying out a mission, we must advance and retreat together. I am responsible for the assessment of this mission, so please don’t make things difficult for me,” Shen Yezhen put away the Winged Vehicle and said with a gloomy face.
After speaking, his figure swayed, and he ran forward. Yu Yixiang followed closely behind.
Qian Duoduo gritted his teeth, holding the red Jade Slip given by Palace Lord Dajiu in his hand, releasing all his Spiritual Awareness, and followed them.
Half an hour later, they arrived at an ancient forest, where even the thinnest trees were too thick for one person to embrace.
“It’s right here,” Shen Yezhen looked at the compass in his hand. The needle pointed to the thickest ancient tree in the forest. That ancient tree would probably require dozens of people to encircle.
“Junior Brother Bu Huan, please go and take a look,” Shen Yezhen suddenly became polite.
Qian Duoduo looked at him, then at Yu Yixiang.
In a group of three, the junior is the one who bears the burden. His request for Qian Duoduo to go was both open and reasonable.
Qian Duoduo activated the Jade Slip’s protection, slowly approaching the ancient tree in a red glow. His Spiritual Awareness spread over the entire ancient tree, and he found a Jade Slip in a snow hole on a tree branch. He took down the Jade Slip, and his Spiritual Awareness flowed into it; inside, there was only one sentence from Wang Longyu—
“The Chifeng Mountain Range is a bit unusual. I’m going to the He Lou Family.”
Qian Duoduo retreated to his original spot and threw the Jade Slip to Shen Yezhen. After reading it, he handed it to Yu Yixiang.
“Junior Sister Yixiang, what do you think?” Shen Yezhen asked after Yu Yixiang finished reading the Jade Slip.
The He Lou Family, like the Zhu Family, was an affiliated Family of the Refining Spirit Sect. However, because the Chifeng Mountain Range was wider and had more resources than the Phoenix Mountains, the He Lou Family was much stronger than the Zhu Family. Not only was the Family prosperous, but the Old Ancestor of the Family was at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, two Realms higher than the Zhu Family.
Core members of affiliated families all had Soul imprints left in the Refining Spirit Sect. If they betrayed the Sect, the Refining Spirit Sect could make their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering with a single thought.
Because of this, on Qian Duoduo’s mission slip, it also stated, “If you encounter danger in the Chifeng Mountain Range, you may seek help from the He Lou Family.”
However, Qian Duoduo thought: If Wang Longyu really went to the He Lou Family, why didn’t he send any more messages to the Sect? There were only two possibilities: one, he encountered danger on the way and couldn’t reach the He Lou Family; two, after arriving at the He Lou Family, he couldn’t send a message for some reason.
“Our mission is now complete,” Qian Duoduo quickly said. “Should we report to the Sect first?”
Along the way, Qian Duoduo realized one thing. His situation was actually more dangerous than Wang Longyu’s; Shen Yezhen could create an accident at any time, making Qian Duoduo disappear from this world, just like Jin Buhuan.
Now that they had found news of Wang Longyu, it was an opportunity to jump out of this deep pit.
“My idea is, since we have news of Junior Brother Longyu, why not continue the search while we’re at it? Not only does it show thoroughness, but with the He Lou Family’s assistance, we can find him sooner,” Shen Yezhen stated his plan before Yu Yixiang could answer.
Qian Duoduo could tell that he didn’t want to complete the mission just like this. If he did, his other mission—killing Jin Buhuan—would not be completed.
Yu Yixiang nodded. “It’s good to rest at the He Lou Family. Perhaps Senior Brother Wang only lost contact after leaving the He Lou Family.”
Qian Duoduo was speechless. “Why must we create extra complications? Isn’t it good to be safe and sound?”
“You can go back by yourself. However, there’s only one Winged Vehicle, and I can’t give it to you,” Shen Yezhen said to Qian Duoduo with a smile.
Without the Winged Vehicle, the time it would take Qian Duoduo to return by himself would increase several times, and it would be extremely dangerous.
Lowering his head, Qian Duoduo explained, “I, I, was just reminding us to be more careful.” Seeing Shen Yezhen’s determination to kill him, a layer of ice formed in Qian Duoduo’s heart. He no longer held any hope of escape, only appearing more cowardly on the surface.
Shen Yezhen smiled brightly. “Senior Brother knows what he’s doing.” After saying that, he strode forward.
The Spiritual Qi in the forest gradually became denser, and traces of human activity gradually appeared in the woods, indicating that they were getting closer to the He Lou Family.
More than two hours later, after crossing a ridge, a black castle appeared before them under the setting sun. High walls, a large city gate, Formations outside the walls, and numerous courtyards inside. It was not much different from the Zhu Family, just much larger in scale and more orderly.
“The He Lou Family, we’ve arrived,” Shen Yezhen and Yu Yixiang both breathed a sigh of relief.
However, in Qian Duoduo’s eyes, the castle was covered in a layer of eerie aura. On the road in front of the city gate, only about three feet of snow had been cleared. At this time, it should have been when cooking smoke rose everywhere, but there wasn't a single wisp of smoke above the castle.
If one were to say it was a tomb, it would not be an exaggeration in the slightest.
Now, they still had to actively enter it! Qian Duoduo’s hands and feet were icy cold. The Jade Slip in the palm of his left hand was covered in a layer of cold sweat.
This feeling was similar to facing that giant crocodile, only much stronger.