The armies of Qinghu Island were encamped around the Bottomless Cave, thousands of military tents scattered about, while patrols of the Silver Flood Dragon Army kept watch; most of the soldiers were resting.
"Island Master, look, the Snow Eagle Cult's Snow Eagles!"
The twelve powerhouses of Qinghu Island, having just cremated Elder Lian and packed away his ashes, were gathered together, eating.
"Snow Eagles?"
Everyone put down their chopsticks and wine cups, looking up. Even with the vision of a Xiantian expert, figures could be seen sitting cross-legged on the backs of the five massive snow eagles circling high overhead. The sheer size of the eagles was evident from the fact that people could sit on their backs.
"They are indeed the Snow Eagles of the Snow Eagle Cult," Gu Yong frowned.
Zhao Danchen’s gaze was sharp, and he sneered, "The people of the Snow Eagle Cult are nothing more than a pack of wild dogs! As soon as news of the Yu Emperor's Treasure spread, they rushed over overnight. The northernmost Yan Province—how did they arrive so early!" It was no wonder Zhao Danchen was furious; the death of Elder Lian and the existence of the Golden Turtle were already troubling the people of Qinghu Island.
Now that the news was known throughout the world, the arrival of the Snow Eagle Cult was just piling frost upon snow!
The five snow eagles continued to circle high above.
"Elders, prepare yourselves. The Snow Eagle Cult people will likely arrive shortly," Gu Yong narrowed his eyes, his gaze as cold and chilling as a python’s.
Suddenly—
"Friends from the Snow Eagle Cult!" A clear, resonant voice echoed from the Great Yan Mountain, "If you don't mind, join us."
"Yo!"
A loud cry ripped through the sky, and the five snow eagles instantly dove down from the heights, vanishing into the forest in a flash. Moments later, the five snow eagles soared up again. This time, however... there was no one on their backs. Evidently, the five experts from the Snow Eagle Cult had already entered the Great Yan Mountain.
Gu Yong and the other twelve Xiantian experts looked grim. They had expected only the Snow Eagle Cult members to arrive, but clearly, other masters had arrived as well.
"Listening to that voice, he should be from Qing Province," the stout man in black robes frowned. "Most likely, it's the contingent from the Carefree Palace of Qing Province!" Across the vast land of the Nine Provinces, although they spoke the same language, subtle differences in articulation allowed one to generally judge where a person was from.
"Carefree Palace!" Gu Yong remained silent, only his frown deepening.
...
Looking across the Nine Provinces, in terms of richness, Yangzhou and Yuzhou naturally stood out.
If measured by sheer geographic size, it would be the sparsely populated Rongzhou, Liangzhou, and Yanzhou, and so on.
The prosperous regions had high population densities but smaller geographic footprints.
Those with vast territories were thinly populated.
In terms of actual total population, Yuzhou and Qingzhou held the most. The Carefree Palace of Qing Province benefited from its large population. Although Qing Province had eighteen commanderies, the Carefree Palace did not fully unify them. However, the fifteen commanderies under its rule provided a multitude of experts.
...
Gu Yong and the twelve stood at the very front of the Silver Flood Dragon Army. In the distance, numerous figures began to appear—some in purple robes, some clad in scale armor carrying long bows and quivers, and others wearing felt hats—sixteen people in total!
These sixteen experts approached side-by-side.
Although Gu Yong and his group were backed by a large contingent of Silver Flood Dragon Army soldiers, the sight of only sixteen people walking shoulder-to-shoulder carried the imposing momentum of an oncoming tide.
"The Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain has arrived too!" Gu Yong and the twelve Xiantian experts all felt a headache coming on.
Yangzhou was located in the southeast, Qingzhou in the direct east, and Yanzhou in the direct south. Thus, the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain and the Carefree Palace could easily arrive early.
"Island Master Gu! Your Qinghu Island is truly lucky to have obtained the Yu Emperor's Treasure Map. Now, excavating the Yu Emperor's Treasure in the Great Yan Mountain... But the Yu Emperor's Treasure shouldn't be so easy to obtain, right? My Carefree Palace, along with the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain and the Snow Eagle Sect, would be delighted to assist. I believe that by joining forces, excavating the treasure will be much easier." The elegant, purple-robed man leading the Carefree Palace contingent laughed loudly, his words seemingly assuming Qinghu Island possessed the map.
A sect sending five or six people; three such groups totaled sixteen!
This was the foundation of the great sects!
Take the Guiyuan Sect, for instance—they would hardly spare five or six Xiantian experts, and the entire sect only had four Xiantian experts in total.
"The Yu Emperor's Treasure?" Gu Yong smiled. "Elder Shi, where did you hear such news? The Yu Emperor's Treasure has been rumored for thousands of years, but has anyone ever actually excavated it? This is pure rumor. It's likely that after Qinghu Island annihilated the Iron-Clad Gate some time ago, some remaining remnants, filled with resentment, deliberately spread this message."
As soon as the words fell—
"Island Master Gu!" A deep, resonant voice came from a lean, bald man belonging to the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain. His gaze was sharp as a knife. "In just one night, the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain, along with the Carefree Palace and the Snow Eagle Cult, have all arrived. Wouldn't it be best if we all teamed up to obtain the treasure? If the Ying Clan, the Mani Temple, and the Yu Emperor Sect also arrive, then..."
"Island Master Gu, one cannot be too greedy! Eating too much can lead to indigestion!"
The rough accent from Yanzhou made the words of this 'Venerable' from the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain sound even more domineering.
"Hmph!"
Gu Yong’s face darkened. Zhao Danchen beside him also let out a cold laugh, surveying everyone: "It is not for you people to dictate how Qinghu Island conducts its business. If you believe the Yu Emperor's Treasure is in the Great Yan Mountain, you are free to search for it yourselves. Qinghu Island will absolutely not interfere! However, we advise you not to interfere in Qinghu Island’s affairs!"
Zhao Danchen was, after all, a powerhouse ranked tenth on the Heaven Ranking.
"Island Master Gu!" The hooked-nose old man wearing the felt hat and silver robes narrowed his eyes. "If you are not excavating the Yu Emperor's Treasure, do you dare allow us to inspect your Qinghu Island encampment?"
"My apologies, Qinghu Island will not entertain you," Gu Yong said, his face grim, turning and walking away with a sweep of his sleeve.
The other eleven powerhouses of Qinghu Island followed Gu Yong, turning their backs completely on the contingents from the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain, Carefree Palace, and Snow Eagle Cult.
Swish!
The Silver Flood Dragon Army soldiers standing at the front were clad in heavy armor, gripping long spears, standing ready in formation.
...
The sixteen Xiantian experts from the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain, Carefree Palace, and Snow Eagle Cult exchanged glances.
"It seems the Yu Emperor's Treasure is real."
"If we force our way in, Gu Yong will clearly fight us without regard for the lives of his Silver Flood Dragon Army soldiers. We should retreat first," said the silver-haired, silver-robed old man wearing the felt hat. Xiantian experts were not invincible; although a Xiantian expert could take command of three armies.
But that depended on what kind of army it was!
The Silver Flood Dragon Army soldiers were all clad in heavy armor. That heavy armor was so formidable that even someone with 4,000 jin of brute strength like Teng Yongfan couldn't pierce it with a spear. It showed how difficult the armor was to penetrate!
A Xiantian expert could certainly kill soldiers in heavy armor, but piercing the armor to kill the person required the expenditure of considerable Xiantian True Essence.
If besieged by thousands of troops, the sixteen Xiantian experts would rapidly deplete their True Essence. If they didn't linger in battle, escaping would not be difficult. But if they refused to flee and insisted on a direct assault, they would exhaust their True Essence and fall into danger.
The sixteen experts from the three major powers and the twelve experts from Qinghu Island stood separated by twenty to thirty zhang, conversing loudly; the sound carried all the way into the Bottomless Cave.
At the bottom of the Bottomless Cave.
Although weakened by the distance, Teng Qingshan heard everything clearly.
"This Qinghu Island is really ruthless, preferring a fight to bowing their heads. But Gu Yong has likely calculated that the others aren't confident enough to strike easily." Teng Qingshan let out a cold laugh. "Gu Yong, you want privacy to obtain the Yu Emperor's Treasure? Humph... Dream on! I'll just add fuel to the fire!"
Others didn't know the way to the underground lake, but Teng Qingshan did.
The Bottomless Cave wasn't limited to just the location where Qinghu Island was stationed.
"Hoo." Teng Qingshan immediately turned around and swiftly re-entered the lake water. This time, Teng Qingshan swam rapidly toward the Bottomless Cave entrance he had used previously.
...
In the dense array of tunnels branching off the Bottomless Cave waterway.
Teng Yongfan was leaning against the wall of a cavern, waiting silently. He had already been waiting for half an hour since seeing a demonic beast pass by.
"I can't waste any more time." Teng Yongfan felt a wave of dizziness again, clearly due to significant blood loss and not having eaten. "Half an hour, that demonic beast has probably reached somewhere else by now." Gritting his teeth, Teng Yongfan moved forward stealthily, soon emerging from the cavern.
Splash, splash~~
A very light sound of water. Teng Yongfan’s body was submerged, the water reaching his neck. In truth, since he couldn't control his lower body, the water depth was enough to completely submerge him. However, using his hands to support the walls, relying on his strong arms, he slowly advanced.
The sound of the water was minimal, for fear of attracting demonic beasts.
"It's still about twenty zhang to the bottom of the Bottomless Cave," Teng Yongfan ground out, moving slowly.
Suddenly—
Pungent, fishy smells drifted over. Teng Yongfan froze in alarm, stopping immediately. Due to the pitch darkness, his vision was severely limited.
"If it had spotted me, it would have attacked already." Waves of dizziness swept through Teng Yongfan's head, clearly warning him—his body wouldn't hold out much longer.
"I must get back, I must! Alan..." Teng Yongfan gritted his teeth and ventured forward slowly again. The icy water caused sharp pain in his wounds. Teng Yongfan stared fixedly ahead, and the rank smell grew increasingly intense.
Teng Yongfan’s pupils constricted—
He could already see the demonic beast: the 'Black Iron Centipede' was resting near the cavern opening, about one zhang away, its eyes closed.
"I must get back, I must!" Teng Yongfan swallowed hard, advancing even more slowly, terrified of making any sound that might wake the beast.
One foot, three feet!
The location of the cavern opening was now parallel to Teng Yongfan. He continued to advance slowly, but his eyes never left the demonic beast.
The distance gradually widened—one zhang, two zhang, three zhang...
He could no longer see the demonic beast in the darkness.
"Alan, wait for me." Teng Yongfan felt a surge of excitement, but he dared not relax. He couldn't see the Black Iron Centipede, but in the dark, the beast could easily see him at a distance of several zhang. However, if he was careful, the greater the distance, the smaller the disturbance, and the less likely he was to be detected.
Forward, forward!
His eyes could now see the faint, dim light at the bottom of the cave in the distance.
"Corpses!" Teng Yongfan saw the bodies of Silver Flood Dragon Army soldiers beside him. Since the water was shallow here, only waist-deep on a normal person, some corpses were clearly visible.
Teng Yongfan's expression of excitement suddenly froze!
About five zhang ahead, a pair of pale eyes were staring at him—it was another Black Iron Centipede! Because the waterway was straight... this Black Iron Centipede had clearly seen Teng Yongfan the moment he entered the channel. But seeing Teng Yongfan’s cautious movements, it waited with interest.
The Black Iron Centipede, as a demonic beast, possessed a degree of intelligence.
It wanted to see the expression of this cautious human—the moment hope turned to utter despair!
"How could..." Teng Yongfan instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
"Roar~~" The Black Iron Centipede let out a soft roar.
Instantly—
About ten zhang behind Teng Yongfan, the resting Black Iron Centipede also woke up, opening its eyes and looking in the direction of the roar.
"Roar~~" That Black Iron Centipede immediately slid down into the cavern and swam into the water.
"The one behind..." Teng Yongfan felt desperate, never expecting that after persevering this long, he would end up in this predicament. Finally, the Black Iron Centipede that swam from behind also entered Teng Yongfan's line of sight. Fortunately, being close to the cave floor where there was faint light, he could see clearly five zhang away.
One in front and one behind, both Black Iron Centipedes, both about five zhang away from Teng Yongfan.
The two Black Iron Centipedes stared at Teng Yongfan.
"Roar~~" "Roar~~~" The two Black Iron Centipedes growled at each other, seemingly exchanging messages.
Teng Yongfan's face turned somewhat pale. He focused intently on both sides while keeping his hands submerged in the water.
Suddenly—
The two Black Iron Centipedes leaped simultaneously from the water and lunged toward Teng Yongfan.
"Die!" Teng Yongfan roared, his face ferocious. With his left and right hands, he grabbed pieces of heavy armor corpses and violently hurled them to both sides! His hands had been prepared all along to throw these heavy armor pieces. With his arm strength, the two corpses smashed toward the two Black Iron Centipedes.
Boom!
The two Black Iron Centipedes easily batted the corpses aside.
...
"Die!"
A faint voice also reached the bottom of the water.
Teng Qingshan, still swimming underwater, instantly changed expression. "Boom!" A fiery red wave of energy erupted from his entire body, his speed instantly increasing several times, moving like an arrow shooting out over ten zhang in an instant.
Splash! A figure suddenly emerged from the edge of the waterway, like a streak of thunder.
"Dad!"
Teng Qingshan’s body suddenly swelled by another size, veins bulging on his forehead like earthworms, his stature reaching eight chi high! He rushed through the waterway like a berserk humanoid monster, causing the channel itself to tremble.
...
"Alan! I'm going first!" Teng Yongfan roared, his face contorted, as he punched at the lunging Black Iron Centipede. A fishy stench filled the air, and its pair of fangs were already snapping towards him.
"Qingshan!"
A loud shout echoed, making Teng Yongfan’s heart tremble.
"Qingshan!" Teng Yongfan turned his head and saw a tall figure rapidly charging toward him with a speed that shook the waterway.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two streams of cold light shot out, instantly piercing the head areas of the two Black Iron Centipedes. The flying daggers arrived almost simultaneously with the demonic, god-like figure.
The entire bodies of the two Black Iron Centipedes exploded with a boom.
"Dad!"
A trembling voice, tinged with a sob, rang out.