Volume Three: Rising Fame - Chapter Eighty-Six: Such a Lively Scene

What is this?!

Within the dead silent, subterranean limestone cavern, save for the lifeless pool of water, only the island at the very center commanded attention.

After carefully scouting the surrounding area, the three groups led by Ning Ankang, Xiang Yadan, and Ying Feiguang cautiously stepped onto the half-shattered island.

These plants... Haven't I seen them somewhere before? Xiang Yadan asked, looking puzzled as she turned her gaze toward the young people beside her.

These individuals hailed from various clans, and their breadth of vision was extraordinary.

Companion plants!

Ying Feiguang spoke up calmly from the side. They are quite famous; you should all have read relevant records about them.

They had all read about them?!

Xiang Yadan thought to herself. Although she had no particular impression of them, seeing how certain Ying Feiguang was, she felt a trace of doubt.

I know! These are the companion plants of the Soul-Devouring Tree Sprite!

Beside her, a young man who followed her seemed to remember and spoke up.

This was indeed a mandatory piece of knowledge that everyone had to learn, but the last time one heard of this creature was more than twenty years ago. It was completely normal not to recall such a near-extinct entity immediately.

Prompted by the young man, everyone had a sudden flash of realization, and instantly shifted their gazes toward the low, broken, and tilted giant tree at the very center.

This is a Soul-Devouring Tree Sprite?!

Someone asked in disbelief.

What kind of creature could have shattered this Soul-Devouring Tree Sprite to this extent?

A more observant person thought of this and asked with a trembling voice.

Indeed, what kind of creature could pummel the notorious Soul-Devouring Tree Sprite into such a state? Could the abnormal activity of the mountain just now have been caused by this?

Could it be that young man?!

Could it be that Thunder Bloodline?

Some did not know Li Yu's identity, but others had already guessed it.

Take Ying Feiguang, for instance. When he first met Li Yu, he had already figured out the latter's identity.

Naturally, since they could find a way into the mountain, there was no reason Li Yu would miss the opportunity to enter this bizarre little mountain. Knowing that Li Yu was the first to leave, he might very well have been the first to enter the mountain interior.

Their three groups had bumped into each other only after the anomaly occurred, and each understood that none of them had caused it. That left only one possibility: Li Yu, who had been missing all this time.

It is indeed Li Yu. I can sense the power of thunder here! Ying Feiguang stated.

The other two fifth-rank cultivators present nodded in agreement. Clearly, their spiritual perceptions were sharp enough that they could not fail to react.

Could it be that this Soul-Devouring Tree Sprite's cultivation level was simply too low?

Someone voiced their doubt.

As soon as these words were uttered, many people chimed in to agree.

After all, having earned the moniker of a demon hailing from hell, the Soul-Devouring Tree Sprite naturally possessed a formidable reputation, causing everyone to subconsciously refute the possibility that a peer of theirs could handle such a fierce Soul-Devouring Tree Sprite.

Impossible! Ning Ankang shook his head instinctively. Look at this over here; this is a tree puppet at the fifth rank of cultivation!

Following the direction of his finger, the crowd saw a half-corpse floating up and down in the nearby water. The sparse green fur on it was enough to let them know that this corpse had previously been a tree puppet.

And a Soul-Devouring Tree Sprite capable of controlling a fifth-rank tree puppet had to be at least at the fifth rank itself; otherwise, commanding a fifth-rank tree puppet would be impossible.

Upon seeing this, everyone fell silent.

Who goes there? Ying Feiguang shouted fiercely as if he had noticed something, and a sharp attack flashed outward.

Boom!

The pool water parted, and then the churning water crashed heavily back down into the pool with a tremendous roar.

Amidst the splashing water, two figures flew out from within.

What are you all gathering here for?! one of the figures demanded.

Fifth-rank cultivation?! Ying Feiguang was somewhat surprised.

After flying out of the pool, the two figures hovered in the air. Although it was evident their cultivation was somewhat unstable, they undoubtedly possessed fifth-rank cultivation.

Oh?

Wen Xiangxuan did not deny it. In fact, revealing her fifth-rank cultivation upon flying out of the pool was precisely to deter the people before her.

She was also feeling rather anxious; Li Yu was nowhere to be found, and so many people were gathered here. Weighing her options, she ultimately decided to take the risk and emerge.

The external foggy region still existed, and they could not hide forever. Moreover, Xiang Yadan and the others were already aware of their existence.

Where is your leader? Seeing the familiar woman among the two, Ning Ankang's expression darkened as he barked the question.

It's you?! Upon seeing him, Wen Xiangxuan felt as though she were meeting an arch-rival and immediately prepared to strike.

This reaction played right into Ning Ankang's hands. He had noticed earlier that the woman's cultivation was unstable, clearly having just broken through to the fifth rank without enough time to consolidate her power.

If he could strike now, it would be an excellent opportunity. Since the three of them had formed an alliance and were facing subordinates of Li Yu—who might have just killed the Soul-Devouring Tree Sprite—surely the other two would not miss this chance to clip their enemy's wings.

Unfortunately, his carefully laid plans fell through.

Calm down! We still need to find the Young Master! Xing Chengping grabbed Wen Xiangxuan, shouting in a low voice while frantically signaling with his eyes.

Interrupted thus, Wen Xiangxuan recovered her composure, realizing they were currently in a weaker position and that a rash attack would likely draw a coordinated assault from the crowd.

Where is Li Yu? Weren't you following him? Xiang Yadan asked at this moment.

We are also looking for the Young Master, Xing Chengping said, surveying the environment. Although he did not understand why the opposite party kept pressing for Li Yu's whereabouts, he understood his current predicament. Since he could not tell whether misfortune or fortune awaited them, it was better to be vague and see if he could extract some information. What are you all gathering here for...?

How could they not know? I bet they are just out here stalling for time to cover for Li Yu while he regulates his breath and recovers! Ning Ankang sneered from the side.

At these words, sharp glints flashed in the eyes of both Xiang Yadan and Ying Feiguang.

This was indeed a highly probable scenario.

What kind of nonsense are you spouting?! Wen Xiangxuan couldn't help cursing softly.

We truly do not know the Young Master's whereabouts. We only came in to investigate when we sensed the mountain anomaly, Xing Chengping said in a deep voice.

Their sincere demeanor made the others hesitate once more: Could it be that they really didn't know?

After pondering for a long time, the group ultimately abandoned the idea of attacking. It would be fine if they could genuinely force out Li Yu's whereabouts, but if they failed, none of them were willing to make an enemy of a formidable powerhouse who might have single-handedly dealt with a Soul-Devouring Tree Sprite.

Even if that person would soon become a rival for their interests.

Unwillingness to make an enemy did not mean they would step forward to flatter them, either.

Could this... be the Soul-Devouring Tree Sprite?

Wen Xiangxuan and her companion also stepped onto the ruined island, her eyes immediately falling upon the fallen, low, and thick tree.

That's right, it is indeed the Soul-Devouring Tree Sprite! Xing Chengping confirmed after observing it for a moment, then hesitated. They keep asking for the Young Master's whereabouts—do they think the Young Master killed the Soul-Devouring Tree Sprite?

This?!

The two exchanged glances, and feeling the faint, lingering thunder power within the cavern, they were utterly astonished.

Didn't the Young Master go after that shadowy beast? Wen Xiangxuan whispered.

That's true... but what is going on here? Xing Chengping was also somewhat baffled, before his peripheral vision caught sight of a somewhat familiar skeleton. Isn't that the very creature the Young Master was chasing...

What he saw was the carcass of the Soul-Devouring Golden-Wave Tiger, which had drifted up from beneath the island due to the destructive aftermath of the battle between Li Yu and the Soul-Devouring Tree Sprite.

Upon seeing the corpse of this exotic beast, the two felt a jolt in their hearts. This matched Xiong Xiuer's description with absolute precision.

The bewildered and shocked expressions of the two did not escape the notice of the crowd. Although they did not know what the pair was whispering about, it no longer mattered.

Their reactions had already given everyone their answer.

Just then, a stealthy attack was launched from the ground toward Wen Xiangxuan.

Boom!

Reacting swiftly, Wen Xiangxuan thrust out a palm, neutralizing the attack into the ground. Before she could say anything, someone suddenly shouted:

These two are indeed covering for Li Yu! Capture them and force out Li Yu's whereabouts!

Take advantage of the fact that Li Yu hasn't recovered yet to root them out completely!

The already tense atmosphere was instantly pushed to the extreme. The spiritual domains that Wen Xiangxuan and her companion had deployed defensively were interpreted at that moment as an aggressive gesture.

Most importantly, the call to uproot them entirely struck a chord of agitation within the crowd.

The battle erupted just like that, inexplicably.

What are you people doing?! Wen Xiangxuan cried out angrily.

No one answered her.

Everyone launched fierce attacks. Fortunately, they did not intend to kill them outright, forcing the pair into a continuous retreat.

Boom!

Spiritual domains collided with spiritual domains.

Neither Wen Xiangxuan nor Xing Chengping had consolidated their cultivation yet, and facing three fifth-rank cultivators put them at an immediate disadvantage, let alone with more than a dozen other cultivators assisting on the sidelines.

After holding out for only a brief moment, their spiritual domains shattered.

Swoosh!

At that instant, a hidden attack blasted fiercely out from the crowd.

Ning Ankang, what are you doing?!

Xiang Yadan and Ying Feiguang shouted furiously; this attack naturally hadn't escaped their notice.

However, the attack was extremely swift and utterly unexpected, leaving them no time to intercept it.

Bang!

Wen Xiangxuan's body flew backward like a kite with a broken string.

A streak of blood traced through the air.

A hit!

Joy flashed across Ning Ankang's eyes.

How could he not know what the others were worried about? However, he knew more than the other two; having personally ambushed Wen Xiangxuan previously, he naturally knew these two had no deep ties to Li Yu.

Therefore, compared to the Li Yu that the other two feared, he was much more concerned about Wen Xiangxuan, who had advanced to the fifth rank. After all, he knew very well that the woman would seize any opportunity to exact revenge.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to instigate a fight between both sides, nor would he have risked a covert, lethal strike against Wen Xiangxuan.

He was simply eliminating any threats to himself.

As for Li Yu's revenge? If one carefully counted the three participating factions, they encompassed a full dozen or more clans. Would Li Yu really seek vengeance for these two people?!

Her graceful figure cut through the air, and just as she was about to plummet into the water, she was caught by a pair of lean arms reaching out from the pool.

A gentle voice rang out: What is all this commotion about?