The mountain wind howled, and the two Void Realm experts from the Yu Clan Gate, along with a demonic beast known as the 'Wind-Rending Dragon Falcon'—hailed as the fastest in the Nine Provinces—were all fixedly watching Teng Qingshan.
"Roar~~" The six-legged Saber Cicada, also suspended in the air, let out a low, furious growl toward the Yu Clan Gate faction, its blood-red pupils coldly sweeping over the opponents. Teng Qingshan stood calmly atop the Saber Cicada, one hand cradling half a set of deep green divine armor, the other gripping the Mountain-Cleaving Divine Axe, a smile playing on his lips.
"Haha, gentlemen," Teng Qingshan laughed heartily. "Don't you find your questions rather ridiculous?"
"If I truly possessed the Hongtian Divine Armor, why would I have chased that Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Mouse all the way here? Just to claim You Shijin's corpse?" Teng Qingshan spoke fluently, showing no sign of nervousness.
"Hmph!"
Yu Tonghai squinted his small eyes beneath bushy brows, fixing Teng Qingshan with a gaze as venomous as a viper's. "We know nothing about the rest, but we only know this... You Shijin fled underground earlier with two sets of divine armor. And you are the only one who pursued him relentlessly. Now You Shijin is dead, and the Hongtian Divine Armor is gone. If you didn't take it, who did?"
"Jing Yi, hand over the Hongtian Divine Armor immediately, and stop making excuses," Liu Xia said coldly.
The two Void Realm experts were arrogant and domineering, pressuring Teng Qingshan.
"I said I don't have it, and I don't have it," Teng Qingshan's expression darkened.
Yu Tonghai and Liu Xia exchanged a look.
They were acutely aware that the demonic beast beneath them, the 'Six-Legged Saber Cicada,' was capable of burrowing. And the Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Mouse had long since escaped. If they resorted to force, the 'Jing Yi' before them could easily mount the Saber Cicada and vanish underground swiftly. They would be utterly helpless.
Dealing with Jing Yi would require plotting something for later.
That would complicate matters immensely.
"Gentlemen, I shall take my leave now," Teng Qingshan said, executing a slight bow, ready to depart.
"Wait!"
Liu Xia called out sharply.
"Is there something else?" Teng Qingshan paused atop the Six-Legged Saber Cicada's back, turning to look at Liu Xia.
"Jing Yi," Liu Xia said with a smile. "From ancient times until now, since Yu Huang established our Yu Clan Gate, our sect has faced numerous provocations. Far back, there was the Void Realm expert 'Hong Shanshao' over five thousand years ago; more recently, 'Zheng Rong' a few hundred years back. There are twelve recorded Void Realm individuals who dared challenge us. Except for one who fled overseas, the other eleven Void Realm experts all met their demise."
Teng Qingshan’s pupils constricted.
Liu Xia's meaning was crystal clear... Offending the Yu Clan Gate meant death!
"Jing Yi, hand over the Hongtian Divine Armor, and you and our Yu Clan Gate can still be friends," Yu Tonghai also smiled faintly. Liu Xia and Yu Tonghai both watched Teng Qingshan, appearing remarkably amiable.
Yet, the threat was blatant!
"Twelve people challenged your Yu Clan Gate?" Teng Qingshan frowned in feigned confusion. "As far as I know, when the Qinling Heavenly Emperor unified the world, your Yu Clan Gate even lost its mountain gate. It was only after the Qinling Heavenly Emperor passed away that you were able to rebuild the Yu Clan Gate in Yu City, wasn't it?"
Yu Tonghai and Liu Xia's expressions shifted slightly.
When the Qinling Heavenly Emperor unified the realm, the Yu Clan Gate naturally vanished into obscurity. Only after his death could they be re-established.
"Furthermore, the Northeast King 'Hong Tiancheng' conquered the majority of the Nine Provinces back then. Your Yu Clan Gate was holed up in Yu Province, not daring to interfere in the slightest. You simply allowed the Northeast King's massive army to pass right through your territory," Teng Qingshan pondered aloud. "I wonder, when that vast army marched through Yu Province, did that count as a provocation to your Yu Clan Gate?"
Yu Tonghai and Liu Xia’s complexions grew even paler.
Historically, there were indeed challengers to the Yu Clan Gate, but figures whom the Gate could do nothing against—be they peak Void Piercing experts or supreme masters. The Yu Clan Gate could not simply kill them off.
"Jing Yi, what is your meaning?" Liu Xia's gaze turned icy.
Yu Tonghai roared in anger, "The Hongtian Divine Armor—are you handing it over or not?"
"The Yu Clan Gate, I have no intention of becoming your enemy," Teng Qingshan stated coolly. Yu Tonghai and Liu Xia relaxed their expressions slightly, only for Teng Qingshan to continue, "However, let me say this plainly: I haven't even obtained a single component of the Hongtian Divine Armor. Believe it or not! As for whether your Yu Clan Gate wishes to declare war on me..."
Teng Qingshan grinned.
"Suit yourselves!"
"If you push me too far, I will fight you to the death," Teng Qingshan shot a cold glare at Yu Tonghai and Liu Xia. "Gentlemen, Jing Yi takes his leave!"
"Saber Cicada, move."
Teng Qingshan pointed in a direction, and the Six-Legged Saber Cicada immediately shot violently downward into the earth.
Hiss! Hiss!
The mountain stone seemed as fragile as tofu, easily pierced by the Saber Cicada. In the blink of an eye, Teng Qingshan and the beast plunged several miles deep underground, quickly moving beyond the spatial domain range of Liu Xia and Yu Tonghai.
On the Bronze Bell Mountain Range.
Liu Xia and Yu Tonghai exchanged glances, anger simmering in their eyes.
"This Jing Yi is utterly arrogant," Liu Xia said gravely.
"Hmph, if he didn't have that peculiar and powerful beast called the 'Saber Cicada,' we could have slaughtered him just now," Yu Tonghai said unwillingly. "This Jing Yi is lucky to possess a beast that can both fly and burrow so proficiently. However—this matter absolutely cannot be dropped like this."
"Senior Brother Liu, let us return and inform Martial Uncle. Martial Uncle will surely have a solution," Yu Tonghai grumbled.
Liu Xia shook his head. "We cannot rush this... Though we have now broken ties with Jing Yi, at least we haven't yet resorted to blows. If we strike, it must be to kill him, or the future repercussions will be endless! Moreover... this Jing Yi has a very close connection with the Heavenly God Palace."
The Yu Clan Gate also had to proceed with caution regarding the Heavenly God Palace.
"We are leaving," Liu Xia said, flying immediately onto the Wind-Rending Dragon Falcon.
Yu Tonghai gathered the power of the Heavenly and Earth elements, forming a ball of flame that enveloped You Shijin's corpse. Within the fire, You Shijin’s body rapidly turned to ash, leaving behind only the upper body exterior armor.
Yu Tonghai looked down at the piece of outer armor in his hand, snorted with dissatisfaction, gave the ground below a harsh glare, and then flew onto the Wind-Rending Dragon Falcon.
Whoosh!
The Wind-Rending Dragon Falcon streaked across the sky like a ray of light, heading southwest toward Yu City.
...
"Second Uncle, did you see that?" On a mountaintop one or two li away from where the Wind-Rending Dragon Falcon had been stationed in the Bronze Bell Mountains, more than ten hunters watched dumbfounded.
"What a massive divine bird, bigger than our house."
"And those two people can fly too!"
These ordinary hunters were thoroughly electrified.
Deep underground.
Following the markers he had previously laid down, Teng Qingshan easily retraced his general pursuit path.
"Saber Cicada, slow down, don't rush," Teng Qingshan had now dismounted the Six-Legged Saber Cicada. He advanced slowly alongside it underground, constantly scanning the surroundings. While searching, Teng Qingshan mused internally, "That Yu Clan Gate won't make a move unless they are absolutely certain."
Across the Nine Provinces, there existed certain unspoken rules among Void Realm experts.
Generally, between two super sects, both sides possessed Void Realm experts. These experts could clash to settle grievances, but they were strictly forbidden from killing the other side's innate disciples. If they did, both sides' Void Realm experts would retaliate by targeting the opponents' innate disciples, leading to disaster for everyone...
Unless the two super sects engaged in full-scale war, the scenario where one sect's Void Realm experts went about slaughtering the other's innate experts would only occur then. Once war began, the result was always the annihilation of one sect!
Therefore, two super sects either avoided war altogether, or if they initiated it, it was a fight to the death!
Moreover, super sects differed from unattached Void Realm experts.
Unattached Void Realm experts had nothing to lose, making them the sort super sects were most reluctant to provoke. But if they were provoked... the options were either finding a way to turn them into allies or killing them in one decisive strike; otherwise, the long-term troubles would be endless!
"My current status is that of an unattached Void Realm expert. And I possess the Six-Legged Saber Cicada."
"If they want to kill me..."
Teng Qingshan merely sneered internally.
Teng Qingshan was the least intimidated by challenges. Even when he was just in the Innate stage, he dared to fight against the group of Innate masters on Azure Lake Island. Whether in his past or current life, he was not someone who surrendered easily.
...
Teng Qingshan searched carefully beneath the earth.
The search was difficult because components of a divine artifact were themselves physical objects; a Void Realm expert's domain couldn't probe them effectively... If Teng Qingshan had to break open soil and rock inch by inch, finding every piece might take ten days to half a month.
Fortunately—
Void Realm experts were replenished by the power of Heaven and Earth, possessing inexhaustible internal Yang energy.
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"
Teng Qingshan darted through the subterranean layers, the Mountain-Cleaving Divine Axe strapped to his back, while both hands unleashed wave after wave of sword light that pierced through rock and soil. While the power of these sword lights might not be significant against a Void Realm expert, it was overwhelmingly potent against rock and earth, tearing them apart effortlessly.
The half set of divine armor was placed on the Six-Legged Saber Cicada's back. As the beast advanced slowly, its six saber-arms also shot out streams of light in all directions.
"This should be roughly where that leg armor piece landed. I need to slow down and search more carefully." Teng Qingshan reduced his speed, scrutinizing the area with greater detail.
Waves of sword light shot out!
"Clang!" Teng Qingshan heard a distinct sound.
A flicker of joy crossed Teng Qingshan's face.
"Stop," he commanded the Six-Legged Saber Cicada behind him, signaling a halt. Teng Qingshan himself swiftly rushed toward the source of the sound, shattering rock and soil. There, lying amidst the fractured debris, was a leg armor piece, deep emerald green all over.
"Found the first piece!"
Teng Qingshan couldn't help but smile. He returned to the Saber Cicada’s side, tossed the leg armor onto its back, "Finally, a matching pair of leg armor."
"Continue!" Teng Qingshan felt a thrill of treasure hunting.
...
From Hong Tiancheng's location all the way to the Bronze Bell Mountains, the pursuit underground spanned a full thousand li. And from where You Shijin began discarding the armor components to where he stopped, it covered a distance of five or six hundred li. Searching every inch of this distance meticulously would consume an astonishing amount of time.
Fortunately, Teng Qingshan remembered the general locations where those few armor pieces were thrown out.
Once he reached the approximate segments, he searched slowly and carefully; in other areas, he passed through quickly, casually releasing only a few streaks of sword light.
Half a day later.
"Haha... I've finally collected them all." Teng Qingshan looked at the complete set of deep green battle armor on the Six-Legged Saber Cicada's back, including the helmet, inner armor, and battle boots. "Everything except the upper body exterior armor. But normally, one doesn't need to wear the outer armor anyway."
Having acquired nearly a full set of divine armor, Teng Qingshan was immensely pleased.
"But..." Teng Qingshan surveyed the dense, pitch-black rock surrounding him. "Where is the Hongtian Divine Armor?"