Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

With a flicker of his Heart Spirit, Ling Fei distinctly overheard the conversation of Liu Yuan and his group in the distance.

"Heh, if Shangguan Wan'Er agrees, that's one less problem for us," Liu Yuan and the others muttered from afar.

"Without a Celestial Spirit Realm expert interfering, everything will be easy." Wang Dongyang smiled, his eyes glinting with the certainty that he had everything under control.

'So what if you're stronger than me for now?' A cold smile touched Liu Ming's lips. After shooting Ling Fei a frigid glance, his gaze drifted to Shangguan Yurou out of the corner of his eye, a possessive desire beginning to emanate from him. He had harbored feelings for the young woman since they were children.

But now, Shangguan Yurou's attention was completely focused on Ling Fei.

This caused Liu Ming's heart to twist with resentment, having been defeated by Ling Fei and stripped of his former glory.

And now, it was clear they had found a way to guide Wang Zhongtian into luring Shangguan Wan'Er away.

Of course, Wang Zhongtian's status was extraordinary and he was incredibly proud. Not even Wang Dongyang could order him around.

This time, they had simply arranged for someone in Wang Zhongtian's circle to make a small suggestion.

As expected, the proud Wang Zhongtian wanted to compete with a genius like Shangguan Wan'Er to determine who was superior.

And so, this scene came to be.

After Wang Zhongtian spoke, all of them paid close attention to the situation over there.

However, they had no idea that Ling Fei, with his powerful Soul Power, had already heard every word of their whispers.

'Trying to lure Shangguan Wan'Er away so you can deal with me?' A cold light glinted in Ling Fei's eyes as killing intent quietly began to build within him.

Then, he carefully sensed the state of the group.

'Fourteen of them in total!' Ling Fei calculated. 'Most of them are at the Late Stage of Innate and the Late Stage Perfection Realm.'

This group included Wang Dongyang, Liu Ming, Liu He, Liu Yuan, Liu Jingyun, Qin Rong, Qin Jinsheng, and a few others from the Royal Academy.

A force like this was more than enough to deal with an ordinary Late Stage Innate cultivator, or even someone at Innate Perfection.

That was why all of them were currently brimming with confidence.

'As long as there are no Celestial Spirit Realm cultivators, I might just stand a chance, even against fourteen people.' After a brief moment of contemplation, Ling Fei withdrew his focus.

His current combat strength was no longer what it was when he fought Shangguan Qingmu just after breaking into the Late Stage of the Innate Realm.

After nearly two months of cultivation, Ling Fei's strength had clearly improved tremendously.

First, his Soul Power had grown stronger.

Stronger Soul Power allowed him to control his Sword Qi and Sword Intent with even greater mastery.

Second, his True Dragon Intent had become more substantial.

A stronger True Dragon Intent could boost his overall combat power.

Besides, didn't he have a trump card up his sleeve?

Withdrawing his focus, Ling Fei looked toward Shangguan Wan'Er.

Now, it was all up to her.

"A competition?" Shangguan Wan'Er's brow arched as she looked at Wang Zhongtian.

"Heh, I wonder if Miss Wan'Er dares?" Wang Zhongtian said with a smile. "We both came here for training. Wouldn't it be rather dull without a little motivation?"

Shangguan Wan'Er's expression shifted slightly.

Indeed, there were many students here, but none who could truly compete with her, which naturally made things less interesting.

Now, having an opponent like Wang Zhongtian might not be such a bad thing.

"It's just..." She hesitated slightly, glancing toward Ling Fei.

"Heh, Miss Wan'Er, you don't need to worry about me," Ling Fei said with a smile. "Although my Realm isn't high, I still have some ability to protect myself."

Seeing Ling Fei's response, Shangguan Wan'Er's hesitation lessened.

She had also heard the story of how Ling Fei, having just entered the Late Stage of the Innate Realm, had forced Shangguan Qingmu to retreat.

Now that nearly two months had passed, it was obvious that his past performance was no longer a good measure of the young man's strength.

"Wan'Er, if you've made up your mind, then go on ahead. I'll be here," Shangguan Qingmu added.

"Alright. In that case, you all be careful. If you run into danger, don't try to be a hero. Your safety is the top priority," Shangguan Wan'Er cautioned.

"Don't worry, Sister. We'll take care of ourselves," Shangguan Yurou said with a smile.

"In that case, let's get moving!" Shangguan Wan'Er's gaze sharpened as she looked at Wang Zhongtian.

"Good!" Wang Zhongtian laughed. "Whoever gets there first and finds any treasures gets to keep the first one. The latecomer is not allowed to snatch it."

"An excellent idea!" Liu Rulong nodded from the side.

"Let's go!" Then, the three of them exchanged a look and shot forward.

Following behind them were several experts at the Late Stage Innate Perfection Realm.

There was even someone among them who had condensed a trace of Gang Qi, clearly an expert at the Half-step Celestial Spirit Realm.

They also wanted to follow Shangguan Wan'Er's group and venture into that region.

"We should get moving too!" Watching Shangguan Wan'Er depart, Shangguan Qingmu looked toward Ling Fei.

"Alright!" Ling Fei nodded. After using his senses to check on Liu Ming's group in the distance, he and Shangguan Qingmu led their people forward.

And so, fifty new students at the Ninth Layer of the Body Tempering Realm headed into the mountain forest under Ling Fei's lead.

In addition, there were also fifty senior students, including Huang Xiaoman and Mu Xue.

"Step one is complete." Seeing this, a sinister smile curved Liu Yuan's lips from his position behind them.

"Next, we wait," Liu He said with a smile. "First, those in the Body Tempering Realm will fall back outside the central region. Most of the others will retreat from the core region, and the few who remain will likely be stopped there as well. That will be our time to make a move against Ling Fei."

Then, they also followed them into the mountain forest ahead.

The mountain forest ahead was dense.

The group headed deeper inside, trying to take a different route from the other students.

This way, they would have a better chance of finding some Spiritual Essences.

Fortunately, the mountain range was vast and continuous, sprawling across the land. Even with 7,600 people from the Three Great Academies entering, it was impossible to explore it completely.

Ancient trees towered ahead as Ling Fei led the group onward.

The air in the forest was crisp and fresh. As Ling Fei released his senses, he could clearly feel that the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi here was much purer than outside.

'If I were to cultivate here, my speed would be much faster than outside. This Essence Qi is even purer than the Essence Qi from the Primordial Vein at Celestial River Academy,' Ling Fei thought. 'The deeper I go into the forest, the denser the Essence Qi becomes. Why is that? Could there be a Primordial Vein in the very depths?'

Ling Fei was filled with anticipation.

As they entered the forest and crossed over the mountains, the Essence Qi inside grew even denser.

After venturing about thirty miles deep, Ling Fei and his group began to discover some Spiritual Essences in the jungle.

However, these Spiritual Essences could only help strengthen one's qi and blood, suitable for those who had just reached the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering or were at the Eighth Layer of Body Tempering.

For Ling Fei and the others, the effects were negligible.

On this day, they had reached a point ninety miles deep into the mountain range.

It had now been two days since they entered this place.

This region was teeming with all sorts of insects and pests. However, since Ling Fei and the others had entered the Innate Realm, their perception was extremely sharp, allowing them to easily detect these venomous creatures. As a result, no one had been injured. Now, a massive pool of water appeared before them. Mist swirled over its surface, and in front of it stood a cliff face.

Vines hung down from the cliff face, bearing fruits that were wreathed in mist.

The fruits were cyan, incomparably pure, and appeared crystal clear at a glance. They were clearly Spirit Fruits.

"These are Cyan Rattan Spirit Fruits! They are formed by absorbing Heaven and Earth Essence Qi. If a Body Tempering Realm cultivator consumes one, they have a chance to break through to the Innate Realm," Shangguan Yurou said, her voice tinged with excitement. The young woman seemed quite pleased, as these were the best Spirit Fruits they had encountered since entering the area.

"There are two hundred and twenty-eight Spirit Fruits up there. It would be quite a haul if we could pick them all," Ling Fei said after a brief scan with his senses.

These Spirit Fruits were of little benefit to him, but for the Body Tempering Realm cultivators behind him, they represented a massive opportunity.

"In that case, let's pick them!" said Shangguan Qingmu.

"Alright!" Ling Fei nodded, then added, "But there's an Innate Realm Demon Beast in this pool, so don't be careless."

"Heh, a mere Innate Realm Demon Beast is no threat to me," Shangguan Qingmu said with a laugh.

"I'll stand guard for you all from the side!" Mu Xue said.

"Okay!"

Then, the senior students enthusiastically stepped up to pick the Spirit Fruits for the new students.

Of course, they were only doing this out of respect for Huang Xiaoman and Ling Fei.

Otherwise, they couldn't be bothered to help these new students.

Then, Ling Fei and the others moved, dashing toward the pool ahead.

Floating grass grew in the pool. They stepped onto it, using the plants as a foothold to leap up and arrive before the cliff face.

Immediately, Shangguan Qingmu reached out a large hand, grabbing for the Spirit Fruits before him.

WHOOSH!

Just as they began picking the Spirit Fruits, the water in the pool erupted. Four giant pythons leaped out, their massive jaws wide open as they lunged for the senior students. With no solid ground for leverage, it was hard to imagine how they would deal with these Demon Pythons.

"Demon Pythons, don't get audacious!" At that moment, a sharp cry rang out as Mu Xue and the others made their move.

SWISH!

They leaped into the air, Long Swords in hand, and slashed at the Demon Pythons.

Then, blood spattered as the Demon Pythons were beheaded one by one.

"Heh, this Demon Python's flesh and blood is highly nourishing. It'll make for perfect food during our time in these ancient ruins." A senior student from the rear dashed over, immediately grabbing one of the Demon Pythons and hauling it to the shore. As for Mu Xue and the others, they paid it no mind, seemingly afraid of getting their clothes stained with blood.

With the Demon Pythons slain, Ling Fei and the others successfully picked all the Spirit Fruits one by one.

Afterward, everyone returned to the edge of the pool.

"We got them just like that." Seeing the fruits, the Body Tempering Realm students were filled with emotion, their eyes burning with excitement.

Without the help of these Innate Realm senior students, they would have had no way of obtaining these Spirit Fruits!

After all, while there weren't many Innate Realm Demon Beasts in the pool, they were still far beyond what a Body Tempering Realm cultivator could handle!

"How about we each take two of these Spirit Fruits?" Ling Fei asked the crowd after they finished picking them.

"Sure, we have no objection," Mu Xue said generously.

"We don't have any objections either." The other Innate Realm senior students all seemed very magnanimous.

After all, they were in the Innate Realm. Consuming the flesh and blood of the Demon Pythons was more beneficial to them than eating these Spirit Fruits.

Besides, many of these new students were their relatives and friends.

They were happy to do them a favor.

Then, everyone began distributing the Spirit Fruits.

"With these Spirit Fruits, I have a chance to break through to the Innate Realm!" Holding two Spirit Fruits, Wu Dapang's face was flushed with excitement.