Chapter 143: Crisis Arrives

The next day, in the dimly lit mountains, as a ray of sunlight pierced through the dense jungle, the entire Ten Thousand Great Mountains seemed much quieter, with only the rustling of leaves and the occasional bird soaring through the air, stirring up a gust of wind.

On an open patch of ground, a dozen or so figures sat cross-legged. Before long, a shadow appeared in the sky—a handsome young man riding a jade gourd, speeding over from the horizon.

Gu Qi cast a gloomy gaze over the ground. After a night of searching, covering nearly a million li, he had found nothing.

“Why are six people missing?” Scanning the figures around him, Gu Qi’s pupils contracted slightly. Suddenly, a sense of unease rose in his heart, and he hastily asked.

“Don’t know. Probably dead,” the others replied, shaking their heads as if they had already agreed on it, with a hint of mockery in their eyes.

“What… dead!” Gu Qi’s face changed drastically, and he let out an involuntary exclamation. Although elite disciples held a low status in the Holy Land, the loss of six people would still implicate him.

“Gu Qi, cousin, I think we should report this to the elder.” Few dared to lay hands on the juniors of the Ancient Holy Land; some suspected Yang Tian was responsible.

Hearing the remarks, Gu Qi’s expression shifted between uncertainty and anger. After pondering for a while, he finally gritted his teeth and directly crushed a jade slip.

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Gu Ba arrived from afar riding a fiery red beast. His face was somewhat pale, clearly his injuries had not yet healed.

“Speak. Have you found Yang Tian?” The beast descended slowly, and Gu Ba’s gaze fell on the figures ahead. His expression darkened as he barked.

Gu Qi steadied himself and walked forward respectfully. Although Gu Qi held great prestige among the younger generation, he dared not show the slightest disrespect toward the elders of the Holy Land.

“How dare you!” After hearing their report, Gu Ba’s face was filled with rage. He hadn’t expected that while he was recovering from his injuries, such a major incident would occur—six elite disciples dead.

“Forgive me, Elder. I was too anxious yesterday and chased after him directly, forgetting to inform you,” Gu Qi said, lowering his head in a soft voice.

Gu Qi’s unhurried demeanor made Gu Ba glance at him with a hint of gloom in his eyes. He simply flicked his sleeves, his expression turning unpleasant. Gu Qi held a high status in the Holy Land, so he could do nothing about him.

“All of you, spread out and search the surroundings. If anything happens, crush the jade slip immediately.” Gu Ba patted his mount and charged forward.

On a vast expanse of land, two shadows sped forward. Yang Tian ran for several hours before finally stopping.

“Uncle Xiao, when do we leave here?” After looking around, Yang Tian asked.

“We’ll leave when your cultivation is about to break through to Tongxuan. My secret cave should be inside the Ten Thousand Great Mountains,” Yang Xiao replied after a moment’s thought, then said calmly.

“Inside!” Yang Tian was startled. The interior was mostly filled with spirit beasts; any one of them could crush him. Going in now would be suicide.

“There are two people ahead. Let’s go check them out,” Yang Xiao suddenly said as Yang Tian’s thoughts shifted.

Hearing this, Yang Tian grinned and concealed his aura completely. With his current strength, facing ordinary Tongxuan cultivators posed little pressure, but if they had Dao artifacts, it would take more effort.

A man and a woman were patrolling ahead. The woman was scantily clad in black leather, with large areas of skin exposed, giving off a seductive vibe. She was extremely alluring, her peach-blossom eyes occasionally exuding a coquettish charm. The young man beside her felt a surge of heat, his fingers constantly rubbing against her neck.

“Disciples of the Joyous Union Sect,” Yang Tian observed with a smile as he walked over. Both of them were at the Tongxuan realm, but these disciples were far inferior to those from the Ancient Holy Land.

The sudden appearance of a person startled the flirting couple. When their eyes fell on Yang Tian’s face, a burst of ecstasy surged across their faces. A mere Martial Artist was easy prey for them.

“Haha, isn’t this Yang Tian? A mere Martial Artist dares to show up here?” The young man, kneading the woman beside him roughly, laughed heartily, his eyes burning with greed.

“Didn’t expect him to be a virgin,” the seductive woman licked her lips, her flirtatious eyes fixed on Yang Tian. Her face suddenly became as delicate as if it could drip water, a lascivious aura swirling around her.

“Haha, today your uncle will show you what a real man is.”

The young man laughed loudly. A five-colored longsword appeared in his hand, its blade sharp. He swung it down, and a five-colored sword aura, a full zhang long, sliced through the vacuum, hurtling toward Yang Tian’s head.

Yang Tian’s gaze turned cold. A red light arc appeared in his palm, and he struck out through the air.

Bang! A clang resounded in the void. The five-colored longsword hummed and was knocked back. The young man’s face showed terror. Just as he panicked, hundreds of light arcs shot out from Yang Tian’s palm, like a violent storm, slashing at all the vital points of the young man’s body.

“Not good!” A fierce gust of wind hit his face. The young man’s expression changed drastically. Just as he tried to escape, a terrifying surge of blood energy burst from the ground, directly dispersing the blood energy throughout his body.

“Pfft, pfft…” The light arcs danced, stirring up a rain of blood. The young man let out a miserable scream as his body flew backward, pierced through by the light arcs, turning into a pile of flesh.

“Ah—” The seductive woman was terrified. She let out a sharp scream and fled in panic.

Yang Tian’s figure flickered. With a flash of dazzling silver light, he appeared directly in front of the seductive woman, his cold gaze fixed on her terrified face.

“Pfft…” Without hesitation, Yang Tian struck down with his palm. Surging blood energy roared out, directly smashing the beautiful woman’s head to pieces.

A black light shot out, directly capturing the two souls.

Yang Tian collected the two void rings and, guided by Yang Xiao, headed deeper into the mountains.

Slaughter. Yang Tian roamed the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, leaving none of those who sought his death alive. This continued for three full days, and the families that had entered the mountains suffered heavy losses.

The Ancient Holy Land activated the Heaven-Surveilling Seal again, but they could not detect Yang Tian’s location, nor did they know who the mysterious person was. Finally, when Yang Tian was careless, a disciple who had a Turtle Breath Pill escaped—a disciple from the Ancient Li Family.

The identity of the mysterious person was exposed. It was someone they refused to accept: Yang Tian! A mere Martial Artist who had just broken through. The Joyous Union Sect, the Ancient Li Family, and the Ancient Holy Land—three major superpowers—had lost many disciples.

In an antique room, Gu Ba sat in the seat of honor, his face extremely gloomy. Just now, two more disciples had died. By the time they reached the scene, Yang Tian’s trace had vanished without a trace.

As Gu Ba was silent, a knock came at the door.

“Come in.”

A disciple of the Ancient Holy Land entered, followed by a handsome young man with a very weak aura. Seeing the person on the platform, his face immediately became respectful.

“Elder, this man is called Wang Mo. He says he has a way to lure out Yang Tian,” the disciple said to Gu Ba. Today, he had happened to meet this Wang Mo on the street, who claimed to have a grudge against Yang Tian and knew where his friends were.

“Your humble servant Wang Mo pays respects to the Elder,” Wang Mo said, walking over respectfully.

“Speak,” Gu Ba said indifferently, glancing at Wang Mo. Even he couldn’t find Yang Tian, let alone a mere Martial Artist. He didn’t hold much hope.

“Reporting to the Elder, I know where Yang Tian’s girlfriend is,” Wang Mo said, a trace of malice flashing in his eyes. He recounted the matter of Yang Tian and Hong Ying in detail…

“Good… good…” Hearing Wang Mo’s account, Gu Ba laughed heartily. “If we catch Yang Tian, you will be a disciple of the Ancient Holy Land.”

“Thank you, Elder. I will follow you to the death,” Wang Mo said, his heart trembling as he knelt on the ground.

Seeing this, the disciple beside him showed a faint sneer. The clansmen of the Ancient Holy Land all had family bloodlines. How could a mere cultivator enter the Ancient Li Family just because an elder decided it?

“Let’s go.” Gu Ba was in a good mood. It seemed his previous injuries had healed. He strode out the door with a vigorous gait.