Kong Zhao was dead!

A bizarre silence reigned over the area as the crowd of Emperors were unable to remain calm.

Kong Zhao was the pillar of the core disciple division of Primordial Dao Court, and he was renowned throughout the nebula as the genius who ranked fifth on the All Heavens Saint-King Rankings!

Yet, he had also fallen in the Ancient Immortal Forbidden Zone. Who could even have dreamed of this?

It was known by all that a core disciple like Kong Zhao was often armed with many life-preserving methods, ranging from Emperor-grade treasures to secret arts and more.

Despite all that, he was killed only seven days after entering the Ancient Immortal Forbidden Zone!

This was inconceivable to all the Emperors present, let alone Ultimate Seal Battle Emperor.

Bang!

The desk in front of Ultimate Seal Battle Emperor exploded into a rain of crumbs.

His face was so gloomy that it looked like it could rain. A terrifyingly violent aura surged within him, as if he could go berserk at any moment.

With Kong Zhao’s death, there was no longer a Primordial Dao Court disciple in the Ancient Immortal Forbidden Zone! This kind of blow was too heavy for Ultimate Seal Battle Emperor’s state of mind.

Yet, Xia Xinglie just had to add fuel to the fire with a comforting attitude, “My brother, don't be down. It’s the Ancient Immortal Forbidden Zone we’re talking about, so it’s impossible to avoid danger there, right?”

The crowd revealed strange expressions. These words, which had originally come from the mouth of Ultimate Seal Battle Emperor, sounded completely different when being repeated by Xia Xinglie.

Veins popped up on Ultimate Seal Battle Emperor’s forehead, and his chest was heaving as he glared daggers at Xia Xinglie.

Xia Xinglie seemed oblivious as he proceeded to sigh to himself, “But I have to say that your court has suffered a tragic loss this time. Only twelve of your disciples were qualified to enter the Ancient Immortal Forbidden Zone, but now… All wiped out.”

His voice carried pity, disappointment, and lamentation. Falling into the ears of Ultimate Seal Battle Emperor, they turned into a sharp blade that stabbed at his heart and completely ignited his rage.

His beard and hair flared as he pointed at Xia Xinglie and heavily stressed his words, “Xia Xinglie, I know that you're determined to defend Jin Duyi. I hope you won't regret it when the Ancient Immortal Forbidden Zone draws to a close!”

Xia Xinglie's eyes narrowed.

Sure enough, something is fishy!

Ultimate Seal keeps implying that whoever is involved with Lin Xun will be out of luck. That’s just peculiar.

“Looks like I must do some investigation. The taste of being kept in the dark…is really unpleasant…” Xia Xinglie got up and left.

No one stopped him, and no one blocked his way.

……

Inside the Ancient Immortal Forbidden Zone.

This was a swampy area shrouded in fog. The whole terrain was a display of odd-looking boulders, giving off a mysterious and palpitating vibe.

Lin Xun was holding a black jade disk shaped like a turtle's soft shell. The surface of the disk constantly flashed as the floating pointer on it rotated and guided the way.

This was a treasure that could predict danger and divine a path to survival. He had obtained it after killing the colorfully dressed woman beside Lei Fengque.

It was thanks to this treasure that Lei Fengque and his entourage had been able to avoid various dangers along their way.

Now, it was guiding the way for Lin Xun.

Hmm?

Lin Xun felt a chill and abruptly stopped in his tracks. In the extremely far distance deep in the foggy swampland, the figure of an uncanny mountain appeared.

The mountain had the shape of a devil from hell lurking in the ground. Its bird’s head and beast’s body presented a hideous, savage, and cold demeanor.

It was merely a mountain peak, but the sense of threat it gave Lin Xun was close to suffocating him.

Buzz~

The pointer floating on the black jade disk rotated rapidly, hinting at a great danger in the vicinity!

However, Lin Xun didn't avoid it this time. He contemplated for a while before camping down next to the swamp.

After some mental calculation, he waved his hand. Countless rune diagrams tumbled out and formed a large array that enveloped the area around his foothold.

In an instant, Lin Xun vanished into thin air as his aura was concealed along with that of the entire array.

“Whew…” Lin Xun sat down cross-legged and began recovering his energy.

Half an hour later, only half of his strength had recovered when he quietly opened his eyes and looked outside the concealing array.

……

A line of figures appeared in the foggy swampland. The leader was none other than Huangfu Shaonong.

He wore a bright yellow python robe and a feathered crown. Walking in vigorous strides, his every movement had the domineering momentum of a monarch surveying his land.

“Senior Brother Huangfu, I’m certain that Jin Duyi entered this swamp, but his trail disappears in this area,” reported a black-robed man.

This person had eyes that were as sharp as a falcon's, and as he looked around, strands of arcane symbols drifted around his pupils.

He was Duan Xingxi, a core disciple of Heaven and Earth Dao Court who had been born with a pair of ‘treasure pupils’ that could see past all illusions in the world.

A black copper lamp was suspended in front of Duan Xingxi. It was burning with a ghostly green flame that vaguely reflected a variety of strange visions.

This was the All-Illuminating Lamp, an ancient, miraculous inherited treasure that could capture and shed light onto all disguises and covers.

“Senior Brother Huangfu, the devil-like mountain ahead is anomalous. It’s hiding something extremely dangerous,” analyzed a green-clothed woman quickly.

On her fair wrist was a string of dense purple bells, which were currently buzzing with obscure fluctuations.

The woman’s name was Nie Baoyi. The purple bells around her wrist were Peril Capturing Bells, which were also a secret treasure of an ancient heritage.

Almost immediately, Huangfu Shaonong’s group looked towards the faraway peak that was shaped like a hideous devil. Towering over the swamp behind the screen of fog, it was mysterious and frightening.

Huangfu Shaonong entered a brief silence before he quickly transmitted his voice, “Since Jin Duyi needs to recover his energy, he will definitely choose a safe area to meditate in. And the more menacing a place is, the safer it will be.”

He then ordered, “Duan Xingxi, keep searching for his traces.”

Duan Xingxi's eyes glowed with arcane symbols as he nodded.

Huangfu Shaonong turned to the others and transmitted, “Everyone else get ready to go all out. Also remember that no matter what happens, do not go near that bizarre mountain.”

“Understood!” The others nodded in unison.

“In the Mythical Huang Secret Realm, he was able to break through the siege of Zu Feiyu, Tu Qianjue, and Yan Yurou. Not too long ago, he killed Kong Zhao and a bunch of Primordial Dao Court experts in one go. This time around, I don't want any more accidents.” Huangfu Shaonong's eyes were deep.

Everyone else inwardly put on their guard. At this point, who would dare to underestimate Jin Duyi? They had long regarded him as their number one enemy.

Suddenly, Duan Xingxi imperceptibly transmitted to them, “Pay attention. Thirty thousand feet southwest from us, there is energy of a rune array. If I’m not wrong, then Jin Duyi must be resting there, and he may even have noticed us. Everyone keeps quiet for now.”

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Huangfu Shaonong and the others were elated. However, they remained composed outwardly without revealing a single fluctuation of emotion as if they hadn't noticed anything.

Huangfu Shaonong transmitted a sneer, “This brat is quite crafty to choose this to be his hiding place. Even if he is found, he can still use that menacing mountain to ward off dangers.

“If my guess is correct, then as soon as he is attacked, he will definitely try to damage the mountain to surround us with a dangerous environment.”

Many people gasped in their hearts, their eyes flickering.

“Nie Baoyi, are you able to deduce the ferocity lurking in that mountain?” asked Huangfu Shaonong in a rapid voice transmission.

Nie Baoyi stroked her purple bells and made a quick prediction, “That mountain is extremely bizarre, and I suspect it is hiding a force of destruction. Although it’s impossible to know the specifics, I reckon that we can avoid any threat it may pose as long as we stay fifty thousand feet away from it.”

“I see.” Huangfu Shaonong revealed a thoughtful look. After a long time, he suddenly said, “Since he wants to trap us, we might as well use it against him. What do you say we trigger that destructive power in that mountain first?”

The group was first stunned and then filled with excitement.

Use his plan against him? Definitely feasible!

Seeing that everyone had no objections, Huangfu Shaonong transmitted his conclusion, “Very well, then, let's pretend that we haven't detected him and leave this place. I’ll handle the rest.”

The crowd nodded.

Right at this moment, a wave of rune array fluctuation suddenly rose in the distance, followed by the emergence of Lin Xun.

Huangfu Shaonong’s group was stunned as they had not expected him to take the initiative to reveal himself.

It made it difficult for them to execute their plan.

“Since you’ve just come, why are you leaving already? It can't be that you are harboring evil intentions and planning to do something despicable, can it?” said Lin Xun indifferently.

From the first moment he had discovered Huangfu Shaonong’s group, he had thought of borrowing the destructive power in the bizarre mountain to divert the attention from himself while dealing a fatal blow to the enemies.

To his surprise, the other party had shown no signs of taking action, and instead had been talking via voice transmission the whole time. It had instantly let Lin Xun know that something was amiss.

This was similar to when he had been tracking Lei Fengque’s group. He hadn’t slipped up once, but in reality, Kong Zhao had already seen through his concealment.

This was why Lin Xun couldn't help but suspect that Huangfu Shaonong’s group had already detected his presence, hence their abnormal act.

Huangfu Shaonong ignored Lin Xun’s question as he commanded, “Attack!”

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

He said to attack, but his companions began teleporting with all their might out of the swampland like they were fleeing.

Lin Xun narrowed his eyes. Without hesitation, he also teleported after them as if he wanted to give chase.

However, both sides were well aware that this was not pursuit at all, but an attempt to escape a calamity!

Only after reaching the periphery of the swampland that Huangfu Shaonong abruptly stopped and turned to Lin Xun, who was actively approaching them this time, and revealed a sneer. “Jin Duyi, without that mountain to shelter you, what do you have to fight us when your energy has yet to be fully replenished?”

Duan Xingxi and the others also laughed coldly.

Trying to create a dangerous trap for us?

It’s impossible now!

Lin Xun, however, laughed, “In that case, then we can just suffer together, no?”

At the same time, he suddenly summoned the No-Nonsense Bow and fired an arrow toward the mountain situated deep in the swamp behind him.