In the chilling cavern, water droplets fell intermittently, obscuring Teng Qingshan’s face in the darkness.
“The Heavenly Flood Palace is closer to the bottomless pit where the Qinghu Island forces are stationed than it is to me,” Teng Qingshan frowned. “The moment Gu Yong returns to the main encampment, he will certainly scatter his troops to search, setting up checkpoints at crucial junctions. They are bound to sweep this bottomless pit of mine. That will cause trouble.”
Teng Qingshan dared not delay.
Immediately, his innate true essence suffused his body, binding the Reincarnation Spear and the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe to his back, while he gripped a stone wine jar in his hands. Glancing down at the two empty cauldrons, a thought stirred in Teng Qingshan’s mind: “Bring these too.” These two cauldrons were also bound to his back by the innate true essence.
“Hurry back to Jiangning Commandery City!”
Teng Qingshan swiftly exited the cave, plunged into the waterway, and then rapidly ascended along the bottomless pit.
With a few powerful leaps, he emerged from the hundred-zhang deep pit.
Teng Qingshan glanced around, a faint smile touching his lips. “I am fast. Even if Gu Yong sends a large army, they won’t reach me in time to intercept. Hmm, I must quickly fashion a wooden stopper for this wine jar. Losing even a drop of the ‘North Sea Spirit’ on the way would be disastrous.” This mountain range offered plenty of wood. In a moment, Teng Qingshan crafted a snug wooden plug and sealed the mouth of the jar.
Teng Qingshan looked around; the sky had completely darkened.
“Heaven aids me!” Teng Qingshan dared not delay, immediately fleeing rapidly out of the great mountain.
…
Within the Qinghu Island military camp in Great Yan Mountain, beside the entrance to the bottomless pit.
Gu Shiyou and several other high-ranking figures from Qinghu Island were gathered there, waiting silently. A large contingent of Golden Scale Guards surrounded the area, weapons gripped, prepared to strike down any masters from other sects who emerged from the opening.
“Hiss, hiss~~~” Torches were being lit one after another.
Gu Shiyou, sitting on the muddy ground to the side, his face vaguely blurred under the firelight.
“Martial Uncle, with the various major sects and Father going in together this time, will there be trouble during the competition for Emperor Yu’s treasure?” Gu Shiyou occasionally clenched and then relaxed his fists, his brow perpetually furrowed. “Ever since Father and the others descended underground, I’ve felt uneasy. It’s all that Qin Lang’s fault! If not for him, none of this trouble would exist.”
“Shiyou, don’t fret.”
A middle-aged man in armor beside him spoke in a low voice. “Too many experts have come this time! It will be difficult for Qinghu Island to monopolize Emperor Yu’s treasure. However… regarding the interior of that treasure vault, no one understands it better than us on Qinghu Island. Trust that the Island Master and the others will secure the lion’s share, if not all of it.”
“Mmm,” Gu Shiyou nodded, then grit his teeth. “Hmph, the treasure should have entirely belonged to us. Now, having to let other sects take a piece of the pie—it’s truly unbearable.”
“Movement?”
The numerous Qinghu Island experts positioned near the bottomless pit entrance suddenly stood up, staring intently at the opening.
“Whoosh!” “Whoosh!”
Silhouettes shot up into the sky, all rocketing out from the pit entrance.
“It’s the Island Master!”
“Elder Zhao!”
The Qinghu Island experts collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
Island Master Gu Yong emerged, followed by four elders. Trailing the five from Qinghu Island were a group from the Ying Clan, and then masters from the various other sects followed one after another, soon filling the area around the bottomless pit with a large crowd.
“Father, where are Elder Yuwen and the others?” Gu Shiyou and some martial uncles and other elders rushed forward to meet them.
“Senior Brother, what about the other elders?”
These Houtian realm experts from Qinghu Island looked somewhat terrified, unable to believe what they saw. Elder Yuwen, Elder Hu, and the others were renowned supreme experts throughout the world! And the other numerous elders had all reached the Xiantian realm. Yet, none of them had appeared.
“All the elders are dead!” Gu Yong stated with a cold expression.
Gu Shiyou and the assembled group turned ashen-faced.
“Shiyou, aside from the ten thousand soldiers in the vanguard, immediately dispatch every other soldier from the Silver Flood Army to search the entire Great Yan Mountain!” Gu Yong’s face was grim. “Also, establish roadblocks on the mountain paths surrounding Great Yan Mountain and at all the major passes. No matter what, Teng Qingshan must be captured!”
“Teng Qingshan?” Gu Shiyou and the other Qinghu Island soldiers were greatly shocked. How was Teng Qingshan involved in this?
Zhao Danchen, standing nearby, spoke with icy coldness. “That Qin Lang is Teng Qingshan. Teng Qingshan is Qin Lang! These elders’ deaths cannot be separated from this Teng Qingshan. Furthermore… a portion of Emperor Yu’s treasure has fallen into this Teng Qingshan’s hands. Remember: at any cost, prevent Teng Qingshan from escaping!”
“It’s Teng Qingshan? I knew he wasn’t trustworthy!” Gu Shiyou’s eyes blazed, and he immediately bit out an affirmation to the order.
“What are you waiting for, go arrange things immediately,” Gu Yong roared.
“Yes.” Gu Shiyou rushed off to rally the troops.
Gu Yong turned his gaze to a high-ranking officer of the Silver Flood Army. “Junior Brother, send word via carrier pigeon… mobilize sixty thousand troops from each of the three commanderies surrounding Jiangning Commandery, and have them enter Jiangning Commandery!”
The people from the other sects present were somewhat taken aback.
“Is this Gu Yong going insane?”
“Perhaps the losses this time were too great. Heh heh, eight elders dead, and not even a single cauldron secured. And the true source of all this points back to Teng Qingshan. How could he not be furious?”
“Ying Haojiang, you underestimate Gu Yong. What Gu Yong is doing now… is swearing to pressure the Gui Yuan Sect into surrendering those two cauldrons. If he can obtain the two cauldrons, what does the death of a few hundred thousand ordinary soldiers matter?” The experts from the other sects were all coldly indifferent.
For a sect, an army like the Silver Flood Army was considered elite. Ordinary city guards, however, numbered far more.
For instance, the city guard force of Gui Yuan Sect in Jiangning Commandery City alone numbered eighty thousand. Adding the city guards from Yicheng, Yanjiang City, and seven others, the total would exceed one hundred thousand. One commandery alone had over a hundred thousand troops… Qinghu Island currently controlled a full twelve commanderies! Except for Chu Commandery, which had suffered wholesale slaughter and had few troops, the other commanderies were heavily garrisoned.
The three commanderies surrounding Jiangning Commandery could easily dispatch massive armies at Qinghu Island’s command.
“Yes, Island Master,” replied a dark-skinned man clad in armor.
“Elder Zhao, personally draft a secret letter, send it back to the island, and inform the Grand Elder of everything that has transpired here!” Gu Yong instructed.
“I’ll go at once.”
Elder Zhao also left swiftly, his face icy, not sparing even a glance for the experts of the other sects.
“Tsk tsk, they are even going to summon the Heavenly Eye Sword Saint. They’ve truly stirred up a hornet’s nest this time.”
“With losses this severe, Gu Yong is absolutely determined to seize those two cauldrons from Teng Qingshan. But the Gui Yuan Sect isn’t easy to provoke either… Rumor has it that the Gui Yuan Sect also possesses a Void Realm expert.”
The experts from the various sects were delighted to watch the spectacle unfold.
“Yoo~~” A sharp cry echoed.
Five colossal shadows descended from the sky—the five Snow Eagles belonging to the Snow Eagle Sect.
“Brother Wan,” Gu Yong cupped his hands towards an eagle-nosed elder from the Snow Eagle Sect. “It is night now, dark. Though there is moonlight, it is not prominent within this mountain range. I know your Snow Eagles can spot figures on the ground from over ten miles up, and possess night vision… I ask Brother Wan, please search the skies thoroughly for Teng Qingshan.”
“Naturally, no problem,” the eagle-nosed elder returned the gesture. “That Teng Qingshan killed my junior nephew, Iron Vulture; we won’t let him go either.”
“Go.”
The eagle-nosed elder waved his hand, and the three surviving experts from the Snow Eagle Sect immediately mounted the eagles. With a few cries, the five Snow Eagles swiftly soared into the dark night sky.
“Senior Brother,” the woman beside Gu Yong frowned, looking at him, clearly uneasy about the Snow Eagle Sect contingent.
“We have no choice. That Teng Qingshan is extremely fast. If we rely only on our Silver Flood Army soldiers… they probably won’t have surrounded the entire Great Yan Mountain before Teng Qingshan escapes. But with five Snow Eagles high above, the moment Teng Qingshan enters an open area, the eagles will spot him instantly! He cannot escape! As for those two cauldrons… Hmph, once they are located, it won’t be easy for the Snow Eagle Sect to carry them away either,” Gu Yong murmured quietly.
Meanwhile, the experts from the other sects were also taking their leave one by one.
“Island Master, to the north of our camp, Zhuge Yuanhong and the Black Armored Army are currently stationed there. This evening, he asked us to withdraw from the Great Yan Mountain, claiming it was Gui Yuan Sect territory,” an old man reported quietly. “However, with a posture suggesting we would fight rather than retreat, we forced them to camp further north.”
“Zhuge Yuanhong?”
Gu Yong’s eyes narrowed, a deep, cold glint flickering within them.
“He still dares to show up! I haven’t even settled accounts with him yet!” Gu Yong commanded, “Let’s go, let’s find Zhuge Yuanhong at the front lines!”
Immediately, Gu Yong led a large contingent toward the front.
…
At this moment, Teng Qingshan grasped the stone wine jar, using vines as a belt to secure the Reincarnation Spear and the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe at his waist. As for the two cauldrons, Teng Qingshan had buried them somewhere deep within the mountains. It was nighttime… Teng Qingshan dared not release his innate true essence; the fiery red essence was far too conspicuous.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Teng Qingshan zipped rapidly through the mountains.
“I didn’t expect Master to bring the army all the way to Great Yan Mountain,” Teng Qingshan felt a touch of emotion deep down. The presence of the Black Armored Army encampment, and the imposing, fluttering military banners, were occasionally spotted by Teng Qingshan while he was fleeing. However… Teng Qingshan did not immediately return to the main army.
“The safest method is to sneak back alone first. While blending in with Master’s army offers some security, there’s still a chance for things to go wrong,” Teng Qingshan understood this well.
After traveling several dozen miles.
“Hmm?”
Teng Qingshan’s gaze swept across the night sky, and his expression instantly changed.
“It’s the Snow Eagles! Damn it!” Teng Qingshan looked at the few tiny specks high in the sky but dared not relax in the slightest. One must know that even in the world of sparse spiritual energy in his previous life, the sharpness of an eagle’s eye was legendary. And the Snow Eagle, being an extremely potent demonic beast, possessed an even more terrifying eyesight.
Snow Eagle: Demonic Beast, extremely fast, capable of covering over ten thousand li in a day. Its eyes can discern human figures on the ground from over ten miles high, making it the most fearsome tracking demonic beast, uniquely tamed only by the Snow Eagle Sect.
Human speed is generally slower than powerful ground-dwelling demonic beasts. And ground-dwelling demonic beasts are slower than aerial beasts. Some specially trained carrier pigeons can outpace the Three Great Dragon Horses, let alone the Snow Eagles, which inherently excel at flight.
“There are forests within the Great Yan Mountain, so I can still be careful and avoid detection. But once I leave the mountains, the surroundings will be open fields. The Snow Eagles will spot me instantly!” Teng Qingshan frowned and halted his pace.