Zhaang Ye had ventured over a hundred yards into the canyon when he suddenly noticed several figures darting out from among the rocks on the side. He glanced over and immediately understood. ’These people must be like me. They found the small caves on the side of the canyon to hide in and escaped the strange birds’ attack.’

Taking a closer look, Zhaang Ye realized that among them was none other than Situ Houtu, the one with a Fifth Layer Peak Martial Arts cultivation.

Besides Situ Houtu, there were four others: three men and one woman.

The one closest to Zhaang Ye was a youth in a tight-fitting blue outfit. He had a sturdy build, thick eyebrows, and large eyes, and his gaze carried an imposing air. What caught Zhaang Ye’s attention most were the two large hammers on his back. The hammers were massive, looking to be at least five or six hundred pounds. Just a single glance told Zhaang Ye that this person definitely possessed extraordinary strength.

A little farther from Zhaang Ye was a pale, scrawny youth. He exuded a sinister aura. Even from dozens of yards away, Zhaang Ye could still feel that bone-chilling cold, and he had no idea what strange and powerful technique the youth cultivated.

What Zhaang Ye found strange was that this scrawny youth seemed to be paying special attention to him. As Zhaang Ye was sizing him up, the youth was also sizing him up, his gaze faintly carrying a trace of resentment and provocation.

’This guy... I don’t even know him. Why is he glaring at me like that?’ Zhaang Ye felt a little annoyed. However, he couldn’t be bothered to dwell on it and turned to observe the others.

The third youth was a tall young man carrying two sabers on his back. His skin was dry, coarse, and dark, making him look like an old man who had tended fires for decades, blackened by soot and smoke. But his hands were surprisingly white and pristine, appearing as translucent as jade. Even some women’s hands could not compare.

Despite his strange appearance, Zhaang Ye didn’t dare to underestimate him. The aura emanating from the double-sabered youth was as grim as iron and as chilling as ice. He was clearly an extremely powerful expert.

The person farthest from Zhaang Ye was a petite woman of about eighteen or nineteen. She was quite pretty, with picturesque dark brows, and her shifting gaze held a hint of allure that made it hard for anyone to look away after just one glance.

Situ Houtu and the other four sized each other up, a grave look appearing in their eyes.

The small caves on the canyon’s side were an excellent refuge from the strange birds, but they were incredibly small. Anyone who could instantly spot these caves in a crisis and immediately duck inside to escape was undoubtedly a leader among their peers in both cultivation and intelligence. Such people, possessing both strength and intellect, were natural competitors.

Situ Houtu and the other four seemed to know each other. After exchanging a glance, they all turned their gazes to Zhaang Ye. After giving him a long, deep look, they each executed a Body Technique and headed into the dense forest.

Zhaang Ye shook his head slightly and followed close behind.

Inside the canyon, Zhaang Ye took the Heavy Saber from his back and held it in his hand, proceeding cautiously through the dense forest.

The dense forest within this canyon held all sorts of dangers. Besides the terrifying Blood Vines he had seen earlier, there were also various dreadful poisonous grasses. For instance, there was a needle-like grass with exceptionally sharp leaves. If you stepped on it, it would pierce through your shoe. The moment the venom on the leaves touched the sole of your foot, your entire foot would turn black and throb with excruciating pain.

There was also a beautiful flower that grew amongst the grass, looking completely harmless while emitting waves of a fresh fragrance. This fragrance was also highly toxic. If one carelessly inhaled it, those with shallow cultivation would immediately fall unconscious. Even a person with profound cultivation would become dizzy and disoriented after a few whiffs, their combat prowess greatly reduced.

There were also some ordinary-looking trees that, upon sensing someone approaching, would immediately extend their branches, snatch the person up into the canopy, and were terrifying to the extreme.

Although these plants and trees were extremely dangerous, one didn’t need to worry too much as long as they were careful. The biggest concern was the various terrifying Fierce Beasts within the dense forest. These Fierce Beasts had lived in the forest for years, and each one possessed unique abilities and bizarre methods of attack. A single moment of carelessness could lead to an exceptionally tragic end.

In the blink of an eye, Zhaang Ye had been trekking through the dense forest for three days.

During these three days, Zhaang Ye was attacked more than ten times. It seemed as if these Fierce Beasts held a deep-seated, irreconcilable hatred for humans, attacking on sight. Moreover, the Fierce Beasts had exceptionally sensitive noses, making evasion impossible. Some Fierce Beast would always appear out of nowhere and launch a ferocious assault.

Every day in the dense forest, the tragic screams of the youths could be heard, with no way of knowing what the Fierce Beasts had done to them. Even someone as capable as Zhaang Ye had faced danger several times and had accumulated several new wounds.

「At noon on the fourth day, Zhaang Ye arrived at an area covered in stones.」

Here, the canyon narrowed considerably, and the dense trees disappeared. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but bare rock. Behind several huge boulders stood dozens of youths. Their eyes were all fixed on something deep among the stones, as if they were staring at something terrifying.

Zhaang Ye strained his eyes to look and couldn’t help but gasp.

Several hundred zhang away, there were hundreds of huge hives. Flying around these hives were strange, thumb-sized bees that glittered with golden light. As these strange bees flew, they produced a sound like muffled thunder. The stingers protruding from their abdomens glinted with a faint golden light, and the mere sight of them was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.

Seeing these strange bees, Zhaang Ye finally understood why the youths had stopped here. Although the canyon was over ten miles wide, it suddenly narrowed to just a couple of miles at this point. Hundreds of massive hives blocked the middle of the canyon, and countless strange bees swarmed and circled overhead. Anyone trying to pass through here would surely be attacked by them. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The youths stopped here were all waiting for someone else to go first. But every youth here was a leader among their peers, with minds far superior to ordinary people. Faced with these inscrutable strange bees, not a single one was willing to be the vanguard.

Zhaang Ye observed the strange bees for a while before pulling his gaze back to look at the youths behind the boulders. He saw that the powerful youths he had met at the canyon entrance were also standing behind some rocks. And behind one large boulder, a young woman was pacing back and forth, glancing at the swarm of strange bees every few steps, a look of anxiety on her face.

Zhaang Ye recognized her at a glance—it was the red-clothed woman he had encountered in the small cave at the canyon entrance.

Just then, the red-clothed woman also noticed Zhaang Ye. Her brow furrowed slightly, but she quickly turned her head back to observe the strange bees.

The red-clothed woman’s frown was very, very slight. Even Zhaang Ye only noticed it because he was paying close attention. But this subtle movement was caught by another person’s eyes.

Zhaang Ye moved behind a rock, intending to regulate his breathing, when he heard footsteps. A scrawny youth was slowly walking toward him. It was the same sinister youth Zhaang Ye had met at the canyon entrance.

"Hm?"

Zhaang Ye sensed that this youth’s intentions were not friendly. He was slightly taken aback but secretly raised his guard and said in a low voice, "Who might you be?"

"You don’t need to know who I am," the scrawny youth said coldly. "Kid, just answer me honestly. Did you do something to displease her at the canyon entrance?"

The question came out of nowhere, but Zhaang Ye immediately thought of the red-clothed woman. He mused inwardly, ’Could this kid be one of her suitors? Don’t tell me he saw that the girl was upset and now wants to stand up for her?’

As the thought crossed his mind, the scrawny youth suddenly raised a hand. A sinister aura surged forth. Wherever this terrifying energy passed, even the rocks froze into lumps of ice, emitting a strange SIZZLING sound. A large boulder not far from the scrawny youth made a strange noise and instantly developed dozens of cracks.

’Hm? What kind of True Qi is this?’ Zhaang Ye was alarmed. He instantly executed the Cloud Stepping Technique, and his body simply floated up and drifted several zhang away in less than the blink of an eye.

Seeing Zhaang Ye’s rapid retreat, a dark glint flashed in the scrawny youth’s eyes. His body shot forward in pursuit, his hand tracing a profound trajectory as it aimed for the top of Zhaang Ye’s skull.

The top of the skull is the most vital spot. If it were struck, Zhaang Ye would be dead, no matter how skilled he was. What’s more, the True Qi this youth cultivated was clearly no ordinary kind. Even being grazed by this strange True Qi would be troublesome. If the blow landed, his entire body would probably turn into a block of ice.

Seeing the scrawny youth pressing him so relentlessly, a flash of anger appeared in Zhaang Ye’s eyes. He thought, ’This kid attacked without a word. Does he really think I’m afraid of him?!’

Zhaang Ye had only retreated for one reason: to create distance and draw his Heavy Saber. As the scrawny youth closed in, Zhaang Ye had already successfully drawn the Heavy Saber from his back. He raised it high, then unleashed Sword Performance: Reverse Flow Slash, slashing toward the scrawny youth’s palm.

Zhaang Ye’s Heavy Saber weighed nearly 770 pounds. Driven by his Dragon Elephant Power, a single slash contained the force of over eleven thousand pounds. Faced with Zhaang Ye’s thunderous, wind-backed slash, the scrawny youth, however arrogant, didn’t dare block it with his bare palm. With a flick of his sleeve, a thin Short Sword suddenly appeared in his hand, just in time to block Zhaang Ye’s saber.

CLANG!

Zhaang Ye felt a sinister chill suddenly travel up from the opponent’s Short Sword. A thin layer of ice instantly formed on the hand and arm holding his Heavy Saber. Startled, Zhaang Ye hurriedly circulated his Dragon Elephant Skill to suppress the cold energy.

Although Zhaang Ye’s previous slash was casual, it was incredibly powerful when fueled by the Dragon Elephant Skill. The scrawny youth’s Short Sword was light and thin. By taking such a heavy blow head-on, he immediately suffered a small loss. Zhaang Ye’s slash forced him back several steps, and the qi and blood in his body churned slightly.

"Hm? Someone’s fighting?" The sound of Zhaang Ye’s saber clashing with the scrawny youth’s sword immediately attracted the attention of several youths. Soon, dozens of people had gathered around.

Seeing so many people gathering, the scrawny youth shot Zhaang Ye a cold look and walked away without another word.

Zhaang Ye’s expression remained unchanged, but the trace of killing intent in the scrawny youth’s eyes as he left put him on high alert. ’This guy’s aura is sinister, just like a venomous snake. Being targeted by him is definitely not a good thing. If I get the chance, I need to strike first and get rid of him...’

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)