For the legendary top-ranked expert on the 'Heavenly Ranking,' Wu Hou, Teng Qingshan held deep admiration.

According to the records of the Myriad Manifestations Sect on the 'Heavenly Ranking,' this Wu Hou belonged to no sect and had no master. He grew up in the countryside near the border of Yan Province, close to the Savage Wastelands. Because of this proximity, Wu Hou loved venturing into the Savage Wastelands from a young age... thus honing a set of peculiar abilities. Rumor had it that the 'Beast King' Wu Hou possessed the power to communicate with birds and beasts. Moreover, his ultimate technique, the Beast King Fist, was entirely his own creation.

“Relying on sheer personal strength, perhaps he acquired some inner strength manuals. But to independently create the Beast King Fist and remain unmovable at the top of the ‘Heavenly Ranking’ for over thirty years—this ‘Wu Hou’ is absolutely a remarkable figure.” Teng Qingshan walked alongside the young man in white robes, ‘Liu Xiu.’

“Brother Qin Lang, this is Elder Brother Wu Hou,” Liu Xiu said.

Teng Qingshan looked at the untamed wild man riding a Black Cloud Leopard in surprise... Truly, one cannot judge a book by its cover. This savage was none other than the legendary number one on the ‘Heavenly Ranking,’ the ‘Beast King’ Wu Hou.

“Qin Lang pays his respects to Elder Brother Wu Hou,” Teng Qingshan cupped his hands.

“Haha, we’ve met once before, haven’t we?” A faint smile touched Wu Hou’s lips.

Teng Qingshan paused slightly, then nodded.

“Haha… Very good, you’ve arrived. Between us wandering Innate experts, we now have six.” Wu Hou smiled faintly and pointed toward the distance. “Over there, the woman in the green dress is called Shui Fei! That old man with completely white hair is Zhong Lin. Over there, the fellow sleeping on the tree branch is my brother, ‘Baili Hong.’ And you already know Liu Xiu here.”

Teng Qingshan looked over. The young woman in green, ‘Shui Fei,’ and the silver-haired elder, ‘Zhong Lin,’ both smiled and gave a gesture, while the youth sleeping on the tree branch casually waved a hand without waking.

Teng Qingshan understood then that judging age by appearance was difficult. But... One thing was certain—if an Innate expert possessed the appearance of a youth, it meant either their strength was exceptionally potent, or their talent was superb! After all, many people only broke through to the Innate realm in middle or old age. Those who achieved the Innate realm in their thirties or forties had far greater futures.

“We wandering Innates total six,” Teng Qingshan’s gaze swept over the sect contingents. Their attire clearly indicated their affiliations: five experts from the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain, six from the Carefree Palace, five from the Snow Eagle Sect, and then... nine figures in black robes wearing golden masks, whose gender couldn't even be discerned by appearance.

“The Ying Clan has sent nine Innate experts?” Teng Qingshan exclaimed in surprise.

The white-robed youth beside him, ‘Liu Xiu,’ chuckled. “The Ying Clan is a power second only to the ‘Mani Temple.’ They are rich in experts and deeply rooted in Yong Province. Everyone along the Three Thousand Li Qinling Mountains wishes to join the Ying Clan. Back in the day, the Qinling Heavenly Emperor left behind many secret manuals for the Ying Clan, naturally cultivating a large number of masters. Sending nine black-clad enforcers is merely a trifle for them.”

Teng Qingshan nodded, sighing inwardly.

The Four Supreme Experts—the Yu Emperor, the Qinling Heavenly Emperor, the Shakyamuni Ancestor, and the Poet Sword Immortal Li Taibai—represented the absolute peak of power. Their comprehension of martial arts had reached the state of perfection. Once one path is mastered, all paths open. They could casually create all sorts of exquisite cultivation methods, some relying on trickery, others on fundamentals.

With numerous profound scriptures available, instruction could be tailored to the individual. Therefore, the Mani Temple, the Yu Emperor’s Gate, and the Qin Clan were the three strongest among the Eight Great Sects, possessing an even more astonishing number of Innate experts. However, the Qinling Heavenly Emperor and the Yu Emperor focused their energy on unifying the realm and governing, unlike the Shakyamuni Ancestor who dedicated his efforts to his sect. Thus... the Yu Emperor’s Gate and the Qin Clan were slightly inferior to the Mani Temple.

As for the Poet Sword Immortal ‘Li Taibai,’ he wandered the world freely, establishing no sect and seeking no dominion, living a life of utter ease. * Teng Qingshan and his large group of Innate experts waited leisurely, but the contingent from Green Lake Island felt uneasy. Hoo~~ Hoo~~~ A cold wind swept by. The patrolling soldiers dared not make the slightest sound, fearing they would incur the wrath of the twelve Innate experts.

“More and more people are arriving.” Zhao Danchen’s sharp eyebrows were tightly knitted. “Island Master, if this continues, with the other major sects joining forces, we won’t be able to withstand so many Innate experts.” Before, when there were only sixteen Innate experts, Green Lake Island could still afford to be stubborn, but if the opposing Innates became too numerous, it would be troublesome.

The other Innate experts remained silent, each feeling vexed.

“The Innate experts the major sects can dispatch are likely all at the Innate Solid Core level at the very least! And there will be a small number of Innate Golden Core experts. With this crowd gathered... there is no other recourse.”

Gu Yong called out indifferently, “Shiyou.”

“Father.” Gu Shiyou, standing not far away, hurried over.

“Take a few soldiers and seal the mouth of the Bottomless Pit with steel first, then seal it tightly with earth. It must be completely invisible from the outside... Finally, place the ground mats over this dirt layer.” Gu Yong commanded. Every military tent had ground mats for the soldiers to sleep on. Originally, the tent merely covered the Bottomless Pit. But now, Gu Yong intended to make this tent look just like all the others. With ground mats and tables present. The only difference was that the ground mat covered the pit entrance.

“Yes, Father.” Gu Shiyou responded instantly and quickly called ten soldiers to begin the task.

“Island Master, what is your intention?” The eleven Innate experts looked at Gu Yong.

“There is no other way; we can only stall!” Gu Yong laughed lightly. “I refuse to believe that dozens of them can find the mouth of the Bottomless Pit. If they come into my main army, dozens of them will be under the constant watch of my forces. Tonight, we will find a moment to sneak back underground. We will do it without anyone knowing.”

Gu Yong truly had no other option, and this method still held a possibility of success. After all, in a massive military camp of tens of thousands, dozens of people could never track Gu Yong’s movements. …… “Brother Wu Hou, it’s been about thirty years since we last met.” A rough voice sounded. A stout man with at least dozens of braids tied on his head approached. He wore a round iron cap and scaled armor.

“About thirty-three years. Wu Ma, your Hongtian City has sent six generals this time,” Wu Hou rubbed his nose. “Including you, that makes thirty-seven Innate experts.”

“Haha, you alone are worth six of us,” Wu Ma said with a laugh.

Teng Qingshan leaned against a tree root, closing his eyes to rest, yet he heard every word of the surrounding conversations clearly.

“One worth six?” Teng Qingshan understood that this was a fact! In martial arts, while literature has no first place, martial arts has no second. The fact that the ‘Beast King’ Wu Hou has held the top spot on the ‘Heavenly Ranking’ for over thirty years proves his strength is undisputed and overwhelming. Perhaps three or four ordinary Innate Golden Core experts would need to join forces to fight him. And the six Innates from Hongtian City might have two Innate Golden Core experts at best. Two Innate Golden Core and four Innate Solid Core experts combined would barely equal Wu Hou’s level.

“To surpass Master and rank first on the ‘Heavenly Ranking,’ I truly don’t know how powerful he is.” Teng Qingshan knew that among the thirty-seven Innate experts present, the majority were Innate Solid Core, with only a few being Innate Golden Core. His own strength, coupled with his physical power, barely counted as one Innate Solid Core! He hadn't managed to defeat ‘Deng Geng’ in their previous battle. Although he had killed Elder Lian of Green Lake Island, that was a sneak attack under absolute darkness. In terms of real strength, Teng Qingshan and Elder Lian were actually quite close.

“Among this group, I am considered one of the weaker members,” Teng Qingshan remained calm.

However, his flying dagger attack had already made many experts present look at him with new respect. Everyone remembered the name ‘Qin Lang.’ No one was eager to offend such a master of hidden weapons, because... a true hidden weapon expert, when launching a sneak attack, would be terrifying. A moment later—

A rustling sound echoed.

“The monks of the Mani Temple have arrived.” All the Innate experts present looked over. A group of monks clad in purple-red robes, all carrying purple-red iron staffs, strode forward. Regarding the Mani Temple, the foremost of the Eight Great Sects, no other sect dared dream of replacing it! Yet, none had succeeded. This was the Mani Temple!

“Twelve Innate experts?” Teng Qingshan was secretly astonished; this was the foremost sect, casually dispatching twelve Innate experts. The Beast King ‘Wu Hou,’ who had been smiling amiably until now, had a cold expression: “The ‘Twelve Arhats of the Purple Staff Hall’ from the Three Halls and Six Courts of the Mani Temple. It seems the Mani Temple is determined to claim the Yu Emperor’s Treasure.” The Arhat positions in Buddhism also corresponded to the Innate realm.

The leading long-browed old monk among the twelve monks smiled faintly. “Five from the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain, six from the Carefree Palace, five from the Snow Eagle Sect, six from Hongtian City, nine from the Ying Clan. Brother Wu Hou brought six people. Plus our twelve from the Mani Temple. A total of forty-nine—a perfect seven-by-seven count... quite a neat number. Gentlemen, the Yu Emperor’s Palace is located in Yu Province, which is closer than Yan Province, You Province, or Yong Province. But they haven’t arrived yet. I suggest... we stop waiting for them. Let us immediately ask Gu Yong of Green Lake Island to lead us to the Yu Emperor’s Palace.”

His words were calm, yet carried an undeniable dominance. This was the Mani Temple! Although Mani Temple monks rarely ventured beyond Liang Province and Qing Province, when they traveled the world, their assertiveness was notorious.

“Yes, the Yu Emperor’s Gate hasn’t arrived yet; we don’t need to wait for them,” the group from the Carefree Palace also rose.

“Twelve Staff Monks. The Mani Temple clearly intends to monopolize the Yu Emperor’s Treasure,” The tallest of the nine black-clad enforcers from the Ying Clan snorted coldly.

“The nine black-clad enforcers should be adept at the ‘Nine-Nine Spear Formation,’ right?” the long-browed old monk said with a faint smile.

Teng Qingshan watched from the side, secretly shaking his head. The Mani Temple and the Ying Clan... before even contending for the Yu Emperor’s Treasure, these two factions were already subtly opposed. But it was understandable... perhaps in the eyes of the Mani Temple and the Ying Clan, they didn’t believe a mere Green Lake Island dared to defy them.

“Let’s go, set off!”

The Beast King ‘Wu Hou’ shouted loudly, taking the lead. The five wandering Innate experts, including Zhong Lin, Teng Qingshan, and Liu Xiu, followed him. Then, the various sects, including Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain and Hongtian City, rose to depart. The Mani Temple and the Ying Clan also set out without hesitation, heading toward the Green Lake Island army camp.