As Qin Yun put away his spoils of war, the two third-Firmament fiendcelestials stood side by side in midair across from him. Two first-Firmament fiendcelestials were beside them, looking at Qin Yun nastily.
“Who are you?” bellowed the red-robed fiendcelestial coldly. “Which sect do you come from? How dare you kill disciples of my Thousand Saber Fiend Sect?”
“It’s only two fiendcelestials.” Qin Yun scoffed. “Are disciples of large sects the only ones that dare slay fiends?”
“Hmph!” The saber-wielding fiendcelestial scoffed. “You don’t even dare to state your name or sect after killing my Thousand Saber Fiend Sect’s disciples?”
“Perhaps I can’t be bothered to tell you my name? As for my sect? I’m not affiliated with any sects.” Qin Yun scanned the four fiendcelestials in front of him. “That’s enough. I have no time to engage in meaningless banter with you. I’ll be going in first. If you have the guts, feel free to follow.”
With that said, Qin Yun transformed into a stream of light and flew into one of the caves beneath him amid the mountains.
Although the mountains were immersed in clouds, there were many caves inside them. The whole environment was like a massive, cavernous lair. Qin Yun charged into the hole that Lu Fan had previously entered through.
“He entered.” The four fiendcelestials were alarmed.
“He charged in just like that?”
“He did not make any trial-takers scout the area for him?”
The red-robed fiendcelestial exchanged looks with the saber-wielding fiendcelestial. Both of them hesitated.
Fiendcelestials were mostly selfish. They did not care if they sacrificed a billion lives for their own needs.
“Senior Brother, we have only finished probing a small portion of this perilous land. Although one can see the treasure aura surging skyward, it remains extremely dangerous,” said the saber-wielding fiendcelestial with a voice transmission. “Do we continue waiting and enter only when we are more certain?”
“Although treasures are important, our lives are more important.” The red-robed fiendcelestial quickly calmed down and nodded. He said with a voice transmission, “The cultivation path requires caution. We should enter when we are at least fifty percent confident. Hmph… This perilous land is not that easily traversed. Just look, the other two factions are in no rush to enter either.”
…
The dragon and Daoist experts were also hesitating.
“Second Uncle, we have probed the interior for quite some time. Many places have been fully explored. It’s a lot safer than it was when we first came here. Now that that mortal expert has entered, shouldn’t we follow?” asked a dragon lady immediately.
“One must have patience.” the dragon expert leading them said calmly.
“If we delay, he might snatch all the treasures ahead of us.” The dragon lady appeared somewhat anxious.
“The treasures in such a land of peril are not that easily obtained. Besides, so what if he manages to take them away?” questioned the dragon expert calmly. “The Ancient Augury World has developed numerous lands of peril over the years. We will take action when the opportunity arises.”
The trial candidates from these top sects knew well that exploration was very dangerous. This was something they learned from generations of experience…
One had to be careful!
One had to be meticulous!
People only had one life. They would rather capture someone weak to scout the area ahead than risk their own lives.
******
Inside the cave.
Qin Yun flew in and instantly released his Dao domain to probe the area around him. His Misty Rain Sword flew by his side, ready to attack at any moment.
“Those third Firmament Essence Soul disciples from large sects would be perfectly satisfied obtaining an inferior-grade Numinous treasure in the Ancient Augury World. But I’m different. I need to get a superior-grade Numinous treasure,” thought Qin Yun. “Furthermore, a year in the Effulgent Great World is three years in my homeworld. I have to quickly gather the treasures. Entering a land of peril is the fastest method.”
“And this land of peril has been probed by many explorers ahead of time. It’s relatively safer than other lands of peril.”
Qin Yun opened the Eye of Lightning at his glabella.
“Chi! Chi! Chi!”
With a thought, numerous wisps of Sword Qi flew out. They surrounded him and flattened his surroundings.
His Dao domain allowed for a very fine probing several kilometers ahead of him.
The Eye of Lightning allowed him to see treasure light, treasure aura, karma, and the light shined from providence. It was one of the things Qin Yun relied most on during his explorations.
Finally, the countless Sword Qi formed a Sword of Heaven Earth. It destroyed his surroundings completely! Every spot around him was decimated and everywhere he passed, the cave would be shaved, widening greatly.
The three means he employed… allowed him to explore carefully.
One could not be too careful in such a perilous land!
“This gigantic mountain cave is indeed a relic of an ancient battlefield.” As Qin Yun flew, he looked at the damaged runic patterns with his Eye of Lightning. “Some of these runic patterns appear to have been triggered recently. It was probably the scouts from before.”
He did not encounter any danger as he proceeded but he continued flying at a careful speed.
Soon he had traveled hundreds of kilometers. Clearly, he was now deep underground.
“Oh?”
Qin Yun’s expression changed slightly.
A gigantic runic pattern appeared on the ground a distance away from him. Even though it had existed for hundreds of thousands of years, the remnant runic pattern continued to effuse a good amount of might.
A black bolt of lightning sparked as hundreds of black bolts suddenly shot at Qin Yun like winding snakes.
However, they were a distance away.
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!” The bolts were constantly fended off by the Sword Qi.
Qin Yun felt its might and heaved a sigh of relief. He waved his hand as the Green Leaf Flying Sword flew out from his sleeve. It streaked across the air, forming the Cyclic Sword Flash barrier, intercepting hundreds of black lightning bolts. The bolts collectively unleashed a barrage of attacks on the Cyclic Sword Flash barrier but failed to make even a tiny crack.
“It’s been hundreds of thousands of years. The runic pattern is already weakening. My Eye of Lightning long noticed something amiss and it was triggered from afar; yet, it can barely match the power of a third Firmament Essence Soul.” Qin Yun was alarmed. “How strong would it be if it were complete?”
“I have to be careful. Although others have probed ahead, this nest is filled with passageways. The scouts could have only probed a tiny area.”
Qin Yun turned more vigilant.
…
“Phew— Phew—”
Lu Fan sat cross-legged on a red boulder, his azure-colored robe already in shreds. The temperature around him was extremely high but he managed to withstand it.
He had a wound on his abdomen and his face was pale.
“Where is Junior Sister Yan’er? This underground nest is like a huge maze. The deeper I go, the more I struggle to get my bearings.” Lu Fan griped in anxiety. “Perhaps I have gone in the wrong direction? But where could she be?”
He was anxious and also helpless.
“I can’t probe too deep. It’s too dangerous. I should head to other passageways. If they are exploring the area, they would likely leave behind damaged arrays.” Lu Fan tore his clothes and looked at the wound in his abdomen. After eating a pill, the wound gradually healed. “I can’t wait any longer.”
Sou!
He began backtracking.
He returned to the previous crossroads and flew towards the other cave.
…
“Oh?”
Qin Yun’s Eye of Lightning could see five hundred kilometers away. As he had entered the same cave Lu Fan had taken, he finally could see Lu Fan’s aura slightly more than fifty kilometers away.
“It’s Brother Lu Fan.” Qin Yun immediately headed in his direction.
…
“The dragon experts captured a few fiendcelestials to scout the path but Junior Sister Yan’er wasn’t there.” Lu Fan felt a little lost.
In the land of peril that resembled a maze, there was no way he could find her.
What should he do?
“Junior Sister Yan’er, where are you? Where?”
“I’ve used up most of my life preservation items. Even if I find her, I don’t know if I can safely bring her out of here. She might have even died while acting as a scout. I’m really useless. After wasting so much time and resources, I still can’t find her.” The worried Lu Fan blamed himself. All he could do was continue his search in a daze.
“Brother Lu.”
A voice sounded from afar.
Sou!
A figure flew over with raging Sword Qi around him.
Lu Fan was taken aback. He turned back and saw the raging Sword Qi dissipate, revealing a familiar figure. He was none other than one of the five outsiders that the Scenic Jade Palace had sent as trial candidates! He was the mortal sword immortal, Qin Yun.
“Brother Qin Yun, you really came in?” Lu Fan, who was still blaming himself in his confusion, found it somewhat unbelievable. He felt moved as he said with the utmost gratitude, “We met purely by chance but you came in to help me at the risk of your own life. It is difficult for me to repay this debt. However, this place is too dangerous. Brother Qin Yun, it’s best you return. Turn back to the way you came from!”
“I plan on dying with Junior Sister Yan’er. There is no need for you to sacrifice your life for us,” said Lu Fan.