Myriad Dragon Divine Sovereign

Liu Jingwen averted her gaze and stared forward. "Let’s go check it out," she said slowly. "I feel like whatever was so strange just now is up ahead."

Pei Yuan hurriedly said, "Let me go instead—"

"No. I can’t let you go alone. If we’re going, we go together. I’ll take the lead. That’s final." Without giving anyone else a chance to argue, Liu Jingwen moved to the front of the group.

Resigned, the group had no choice but to let Liu Jingwen lead them onward toward the mountain peak.

Although Wen Qingye stayed at the rear of the party, his perception of their surroundings was several times more acute than that of Liu Jingwen, who was at the very front.

Suddenly, the scene ahead gave Wen Qingye pause.

Ahead, trees were toppled, the air was thick with dust, and rubble littered the ground. Moreover, the Primordial Qi was still dense and hadn’t dispersed—a clear sign that a great battle had recently taken place.

The ground was littered with torn scraps of clothing, large bloodstains, and even a few mangled corpses. The sight made everyone’s stomach churn, save for Wen Qingye; the others nearly threw up yesterday’s dinner.

"COUGH, COUGH... HACK..."

Just then, a violent coughing fit erupted from a nearby bush.

"Someone’s still alive! Let’s go see," Liu Jingwen said, already walking toward the bush. "As the saying goes, saving a single life is a greater deed than building a seven-story pagoda."

Pei Yuan opened his mouth to stop her, but she had already hurried over.

’These robes are from Baoling Temple.’ Wen Qingye, who had been quietly examining the clothes on the ground, realized they were identical to the ones Jieming wore.

The rest of the group hurried after Liu Jingwen. Pushing aside the bushes, they found a bald monk leaning against a rock. His entire body was covered in blood and his expression was one of extreme exhaustion, yet a bright, spiritual light shone from his eyes.

"You... You’re Jieling," Liu Jingwen said, stunned.

Hearing this, the others behind her were stunned. The monk before them was actually Jieling of Baoling Temple.

Jieling was one of Baoling Temple’s most outstanding disciples, a renowned figure in the central region of the Eastern Profound Domain. He was a prodigy, ranked sixty-sixth on the Cyan Cloud List.

It was rare for them to even see someone on the Cyan Cloud List, let alone a prodigy ranked in the top one hundred. In an instant, they were all overcome with excitement, their eyes fixed on Jieling.

Liu Jingwen took out a pill and offered it to Jieling. "I have a High-Level King Grade Healing Elixir here. Please, take it."

Jieling didn’t hesitate. He swallowed the pill and slowly sat down cross-legged to meditate.

The others pointed and whispered excitedly about the meditating Jieling. Liu Jingwen remained silent, watching him with a worried expression.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, his aura retracted. He slowly opened his eyes, a gentle light within them, and smiled at Liu Jingwen. "Thank you for saving me, miss. I will never forget this immense kindness for as long as I live."

"It was nothing, really," Liu Jingwen said, waving her hands dismissively.

Yanr Yuhuan quickly chimed in, "That’s right, don’t mention it! It’s our duty to help when we see injustice."

Wen Qingye, who had been silent all this time, suddenly looked at Jieling and asked, "What happened here?"

Jieling shook his head with a bitter smile. "For some reason, vile creatures have appeared near the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele—Zombies. And this one’s strength was immense. From what I could tell, it’s close to becoming a Flying Corpse."

"A Flying Corpse? What’s a Flying Corpse?"

Everyone around him was taken aback, completely baffled by Jieling’s words.

Only Wen Qingye’s brow was furrowed in thought. ’Could it really be that Fur Corpse? It actually came to Xuwang Mountain, just like I did.’

Jieling then explained the Zombie’s origins to the group. His explanation was detailed, yet some parts were vague—perhaps because he didn’t fully understand them himself. The others listened, only half-comprehending, before nodding in unison.

"So, Master Jieling, what are your plans now...?" Liu Jingwen asked, watching him.

A sorrowful look crossed Jieling’s face. "My junior brothers have died, but my senior brother, Jiekong, already headed for the summit before me. I want to find him. My injuries aren’t too serious, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Even if I don’t contend for the fortunes of the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele, just seeing so many geniuses gathered in one place would be a blessing."

Pei Yuan couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. "You have a truly broad-minded philosophy, Master."

"Then let’s go together. We can look out for each other on the way," Liu Jingwen said with a nod.

This time, no one objected. Even though Jieling was severely injured, in their minds, he was still leagues above Wen Qingye.

Wen Qingye, however, was filled with suspicion. ’How did Jieling manage to survive an encounter with a nearly-Flying Corpse? And why was he the only one to live while everyone else died?’ It all pointed to one thing: there was more to Jieling than met the eye.

Some thoughts become more terrifying and unbelievable the more you dwell on them. Wen Qingye composed himself and pushed the matter from his mind.

The group then picked up their pace, heading toward the summit of Xuwang Mountain.

The people from Yihai Country were incredibly warm toward Jieling. The difference between their attitude toward him and their attitude toward Wen Qingye was like night and day.

Wen Qingye didn’t mind, walking indifferently at the rear of the group.

As they traveled, the Miasma caused some minor trouble, but the real effort was spent dealing with the Demon Beasts that frequently appeared. Jieling even took action once, and despite his serious injuries, the power he displayed left the people of Yihai Country secretly astonished.

CRASH! THRASH!

A bone-chilling scream suddenly pierced the air from up ahead, sending a large flock of crows scattering from the dense woods.

Pei Yuan, who was at the front, suddenly said, "There’s a large crowd up ahead. I wonder what’s going on."

In truth, he didn’t need to say it; the others could already see something was happening.

Wen Qingye had already seen the situation up ahead through the dense trees, his brow creasing slightly.

The crowd ahead was gathered in small groups of three to five. Their attire was varied, but Wen Qingye recognized quite a few familiar uniforms and figures among them.

There were people from the Asura Sect, the Daoist School of Non-action, and the Glazed Ancient Country... as well as some whose clothes Wen Qingye didn’t recognize, like a group dressed in red standing on the periphery.

In the center was a group dressed in white robes embroidered with what looked like ethereal, misty clouds that held a faint cyan glow. The man leading them held a sword, a savage smile on his face as he stared at the ground before him.

Buried in the ground was a man’s head. His face was twisted in what looked like agony and caked in so much blood that his features were obscured, though it was clear he was male.

Everyone in the surrounding crowd stared at the head buried in the earth. Some looked away, unable to bear the sight, others watched with indifference, and some even had expressions of excitement.

Wen Qingye’s gaze swept over the crowd and found Fang Yu standing behind the members of the Daoist School of Non-action. Fang Yu’s brow was tightly knit, and he looked as though he wanted to say something but was holding himself back.

Another person he noticed was Tu Bai. Tu Bai was shouldering a massive blade, his mouth slightly agape as if he were muttering to himself. Wen Qingye’s heart suddenly clenched. He knew Tu Bai’s strength wasn’t as simple as it appeared to others; the man was concealing his true abilities.

The sword-wielding young man sneered at the head in the ground. "You’ve got guts, kid. Daring to snatch the pelt of a Five Pattern Qiu in front of all these people?"