Vol.2-Chapter 172 – Ambushed

They saw two other black-robed elders leading the disciples of the Mysterious Fallen Peak and the Mysterious Strange Peak here. They were like a locust swarm and also landed here.

There were about 60 to 70 new disciples here to participate in the inner sect selection. There was a total of about 100 disciples on the mountain peak, and all of them were completely silent.

Aside from the three black-robed elders who had led them here, there were several old men standing in front, silently observing them.

The person in front was wearing a white robe and gave off an extraordinary aura. He looked a bit old and he had a faint smile on his face. This person was pretty famous among the elders—he was the Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect’s Elder Feng Chen.

He had two black-robed elders on his left and right side. The one on the left was cold and tall and carried a large sword. The one on the right was thin and gentle. He was playing with a crystal jade in his hand.

The three of them were obviously higher up in the Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect. Although they were all elders like Elder Li, not all elders were the same. There were strong and weak elders. Not everyone was qualified to have a say in sect affairs.

When everyone arrived, Elder Li and the other two elders arrived beside Elder Feng Chen.

Looking at all the youths looking at him, Elder Feng Chen smiled and gently said, “I believe you all know why you are standing here today. Although you all have broken through to the Foundation Realm and reached the threshold to enter the inner sect, the inner sect is more than just a title. It relates to how much resources you will obtain and whether you will obtain the favor of some expert. I hope all of you will put your full power on display.”

After Elder Feng Chen finished speaking, the other elders all nodded in agreement and there was a flash of light in their eyes. Then he continued, “I won’t waste time saying pointless things. This mission is very simple and must be completed alone. You will head into the mountain to find a spirit fruit called the Wu Hua Fruit. Remember, this mountain contains many spirit beasts and is filled with dangerous areas. Most importantly, this is a solo mission, so everyone will enter the mountain from a different location.”

After he finished speaking, Zhao Jiuge found something strange about it. Looking for spirit herbs again? Did the Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect only have this kind of test? Wasn’t it a bit too simple?

However, the other disciples all smiled. They were all happy for the mission to be so simple. Zhao Jiuge looked through the crowd and found a lot of familiar faces. Zhang Pingquan, Luo Bowen, and Chen Gang were all here.

Zhang Pingquan gloomily looked at Zhao Jiuge, but Luo Bowen gave Zhao Jiuge a friendly smile and nodded in response.

Elder Feng Chen was covered in spirit force, and a dark yellow spirit force appeared before him. The spirit force turned into a leafless, green spirit herb with a few green fruits hanging off it. The entire plant was only about ? of a meter long.

“This is the Wu Hua Fruit, remember what it looks like. Head out in batches, and I wish you all luck.”

For some unknown reason, Elder Fei Chen’s expression was a bit strange. However, with the inner sect selection at hand, Zhao Jiuge didn’t think too much about it.

He arrived beside Leng Rufeng, Luo Xie, Zhang Sai, and Cai Mengxuan. Zhao Jiuge felt a bit uneasy and said, “Be careful. We’ll meet at the Mysterious Heaven Temple.”

After the inner sect selection, these disciples would head to the Mysterious Heaven Temple. They would then swear a heavenly oath and formally find a teacher to learn the true essence of the Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect.

Zhang Saiu and Cai Mengxuan didn’t speak, they only looked excitedly at Zhao Jiuge, their idol.

Leng Rufeng looked a bit worried and softly said, “You also be careful. We’ll meet at the Mysterious Heaven Temple.”

Zhao Jiuge nodded, but Luo Xie didn’t seem to be nervous at all. “Haha, if we brothers can become disciples under the same expert, that would be great. Then we’ll really be apprentice brothers.”

Leng Rufeng and Zhao Jiuge both glared at Luo Xie. Zhang Sai and Cai Mengxuan both gigled and diluted the tension of the selection that was about to begin.

After a few short exchanges, Zhao Jiuge arrived beside Bai Qingqing. His eyes were filled with worry as he uneasily said, “This time, I won’t be with you. You should be careful.”

“Okay.” Bai Qingqing smiled sweetly. Her gaze was locked onto Zhao Jiuge’s face.

Zhao Jiuge just felt that the inner sect selection was not as simple as it looked on the surface. However, since it was within the sect, there shouldn’t be any danger, so he didn’t think too much about it.

Several black-robed elders urged them and they all separated into batches to enter the mountain to carry out their mission. Zhao Jiuge turned and looked at Bai Qingqing profoundly. He didn’t think too much and walked to the side to wait for the elder’s command.

Soon, Elder Li shouted and it was Zhao Jiuge’s turn to go. He saw Bai Qingqing look at him, and they smiled at each other. Then Zhao Jiuge entered the mountain without looking back.

This mountain in the inner sect that was unknown to Zhao Jiuge seemed to occupy a vast area.

When Zhao Jiuge first entered the sect, he learned that the Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect had more than 1,200 peaks. Outer disciples could only go to 16 of them. More than 300 peaks were connected by chains, and there were 72 peaks that were forbidden areas. All the rest were open peaks.

He tightly held the Big-Dipper Sword in his hand and warily looked around. He had a feeling that this mission was not as simple as it looked.

Looking at the surrounding environment, Zhao Jiuge guessed that not many people had come here. There was a thick layer of branches and leaves covering the ground, and stepping on them created a crunching sound. There was no path that he could see, and he could not see the sky. This made Zhao Jiuge feel a bit lost.

Zhao Jiuge simply decided to move in one direction, but the more he walked, the more desolate the surrounding area became. Even ordinary flowers and plants were rare here, so there was no need to even mention the Wu Hua Fruit.

“Strange, how is this mountain so vast? More than 100 people have entered, but I haven’t seen anyone else.”

Zhao Jiuge muttered to himself deep in the mountain. Even someone like him, who grew up in the mountains, couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous and speak to himself to make a little noise.

Zhao Jiuge walked forward a few kilometers and found some mountain birds that contained a bit of spirit force.

These mountain birds couldn’t be considered spirit beasts. They had just lived in areas filled with spiritual energy and had absorbed some of it, causing their bodies to change a little.

Each mountain bird was one size larger than normal mountain birds. Their bodies were brown-grey, with red beaks.

There were too many plants and animals in the Mysterious Heaven Mountain Range, and Zhao Jiuge didn’t know them all. When he entered the forest, he shocked the countless birds and they all scattered. Some feathers slowly fell to the ground.

On the ground, there was bird poop mixed in with all the fallen leaves and tree branches. Between the branches of the trees were nests with baby birds inside, crying for food. Only after Zhao Jiuge left did the forest become peaceful once more.

The further he walked forward, the more desolate the surroundings became. Zhao Jiuge’s knuckles turned white from clenching the Big-Dipper Sword. The mountain became more barbaric and there were vines everywhere. This caused Zhao Jiuge to become uneasy.

The cries of the birds had disappeared and the atmosphere had become tense. Zhao Jiuge knew from experience that this silence meant that there was something powerful here, so ordinary animals wouldn’t dare to enter the area.

Zhao Jiuge became even more on guard and looked around the surrounding jungle for a Wu Hua Fruit. He wanted to quickly leave this place that was silent enough to make him panic a little.

Looking around, he noticed a spirit herb with similar colors to the Wu Hua Fruit but was disappointed. It was green like the Wu Hua Fruit, but it had several leaves, which meant that this was not the right fruit.

Disappointed, Zhao Jiuge suddenly shivered and all his hair seemed to stand up. While he was looking at the fruit, he saw a figure that had suddenly appeared in the corner of his eye.

Zhao Jiuge was shocked and couldn’t help but look toward that person. He saw a skinny man shrouded by a blood-colored robe and a white mask. This figure gave off a gloomy and bloody aura. His gaze filled with ill intent locked onto Zhao Jiuge, making his scalp go numb.

“Who are you? Why are you here?” Zhao Jiuge swallowed and suppressed the shock in his heart. His voice was very loud, like he was trying to give himself courage.

The person before him wore strange clothes and had a white mask to hide their face. Coupled with the gloomy and bloody aura, Zhao Jiuge felt like this was not a good person.

Since this person could come deep into the Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect, they had to be a member of the sect. With the formation around the sect, there was no way for outsiders to get in so easily. However, seeing such a person suddenly appear in this remote mountain, Zhao Jiuge inevitably panicked a little.

“Hehehe, little brat, you actually ask me who I am?” The skinny man covered in the blood-colored robe suddenly burst out in laughter. His laugh was a bit bleak.

Hearing these words, Zhao Jiuge suddenly felt his skin crawl. This person didn’t look like someone from the Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect, so why would he appear here?