Desolate Mountains and Wild Ridges

Seeing that they were about to make a move.

"To be honest, I actually know about the Thunder Venerable Mansion." Li Tianming's words made Jiang Tao narrow his eyes, and he temporarily stopped his actions.

"Knowing about the Thunder Venerable Mansion, yet you dare to act so recklessly? Are you out of your mind, or do you just want to die?" Jiang Tao asked.

"Neither. I just wanted to say, what is the Thunder Venerable Mansion?" Li Tianming said with a relaxed smile.

"Presumptuous!" Even Jiang Tao didn't dare to say such a thing. He felt that this young man was definitely crazy.

"You're wrong, I'm actually very timid." As Li Tianming spoke, he revealed the jade pendant Princess Qing had given him. If he didn't show it now, they would kill him.

"A royal jade pendant! A green Vermillion Bird, it's Princess Qing's!" Jiang Tao was instantly stunned.

Li Tianming hadn't looked closely yet. Hearing his description, he glanced at it. Indeed, the jade pendant depicted a green Vermillion Bird. It was said that Vermillion Birds, as Companion Beasts, were at least sixth-tier.

This was a truly noble bloodline!

"I am Princess Qing's person. Is there any problem with me taking this Divine Source?" Li Tianming asked.

These people didn't know Li Tianming's true identity. His pretense was actually very effective. To be "Princess Qing's person" meant one's family was either wealthy or noble, definitely not some villagers from the wilderness.

"No wonder you have such combat power." Jiang Tao gritted his teeth, his expression fluctuating.

"I've memorized your appearance. You dare to snatch this Divine Source from me today. When we return to Yandu, let's see what happens?" Li Tianming asked calmly.

"Your Excellency jokes. Since you obtained the Divine Source from the Blade-backed Giant Crocodile, our Thunder Venerable Mansion naturally wouldn't dare to forcibly snatch it. However, may I be so bold as to ask what your father's identity is?" Jiang Tao asked.

"My father? He's a big shot, you definitely know him." Li Tianming said.

"Which expert is he?"

"You guess!" Li Tianming shook the jade pendant in his hand and pushed Jiang Yilin forward, saying, "Girls shouldn't be so wild. Fighting and killing, what kind of demeanor is that?"

Jiang Yilin's face turned pale with anger, but she also dared not speak out. Even her father was wary of this jade pendant, let alone her.

"Goodbye!" Li Tianming swaggered away with the Divine Source.

"Father, we can't let him go! What if he found the jade pendant?" Jiang Yilin said urgently.

"It's impossible that he found it. Princess Qing would never lose something like this. It must be someone she values greatly to be bestowed a royal jade pendant! This kid wasn't afraid of us from beginning to end. If he wasn't so confident, why would he be like this?" Jiang Tao said.

"Then, we're just letting him take the Divine Source for free?" Jiang Yilin said aggrievedly.

"What else can we do? He did snatch it from the Blade-backed Giant Crocodile in the first place."

Although he was filled with anger, he had no outlet for it, feeling like crying but having no tears.

Just then, three more people arrived swiftly, landing beside the lake. The two parties immediately saw each other.

"Jiang Yilin, did you get the Divine Source?" The one who spoke was a refined young man. He was riding a Lightning Leopard and zipped in front of Jiang Tao and the others.

"Uncle Jiang, hello." The newcomer was Liu Qinyang. He intercepted Jiang Yilin, but he greeted Jiang Tao first.

Behind Liu Qinyang, the City Lord of Lihuo City, Li Yanfeng, arrived hand in hand with his new wife, Liu Qing.

"Uncle Jiang, why are you showing yourself so openly?" Liu Qing asked with slight dissatisfaction. Normally, when juniors competed for Divine Sources, it was best for elders not to show themselves, only to protect them from the shadows.

Since the Divine Source was already lost, Jiang Tao was in a bad mood. "There was a bit of a complication. An outsider snatched the Divine Source."

"How is that possible?" Liu Qing sounded skeptical.

"Outsider? In this wilderness, and on Lihuo City's territory, it's impossible for outsiders to come here." Li Yanfeng said.

They had also come upon hearing the sound of the Blade-backed Giant Crocodile. Moreover, Li Yanfeng knew the location of this lake. This was his next destination, and he didn't expect such a huge commotion so close to his arrival.

"It was a young man who claimed to be Princess Qing's person. He got the Divine Source from the lake. My daughter couldn't defeat him, and I wanted to get the Divine Source back before making a decision, but unfortunately, he showed Princess Qing's jade pendant." Jiang Tao sighed. The other party had a powerful background, and Thunder Venerable Mansion's trial for their juniors had essentially benefited someone else.

This Divine Source was discovered by an elder of the Thunder Venerable Mansion, but he didn't take it, letting the juniors compete for it. Unexpectedly, someone from Princess Qing's side appeared halfway.

"Was he strong? What was his Companion Beast?" Liu Qinyang's expression turned a bit grim. He was determined to get that Divine Source. He wasn't afraid of any competitors, but the current outcome was like being doused with cold water.

"He didn't use a Companion Beast. His realm was probably similar to mine," Jiang Yilin said, lowering her head.

"If you don't believe us, you can chase after him. This person just left," Jiang Tao suddenly said.

"Is that so?" Liu Qing and Li Yanfeng exchanged glances. Seeing was believing, so without a word, the three of them set off in pursuit of Li Tianming.

"Father, why did you let them chase? If Liu Qinyang snatches the Divine Source, he'll crush me even more in the future," Jiang Yilin complained.

"There's no other way. I must let others meet this young man. Otherwise, how can I explain myself when I go back? If it was just me, they might not believe my words and might even suspect I hid the Divine Source myself," Jiang Tao said.

"Besides, if we really try to snatch this Divine Source, we'll be offending Princess Qing," Jiang Yilin's uncle said.

"I understand." Jiang Yilin nodded.

"How does that young man's strength compare to Liu Qinyang's?"

"Although he didn't use a Companion Beast, he's definitely not as good as Liu Qinyang. After all, Liu Qinyang is about to break through to the Spirit Origin Realm. As for that person just now, he only defeated me with the strange armor on his left arm. The nature of his Beast Essence was terrifying, but it wasn't particularly potent."

Forced to leave the lake, Li Tianming took a detour to avoid being chased by others.

Relying on the mysterious connection with his Companion Beast, Li Tianming felt that Little Yellow Chicken was approaching. Their lives were intertwined, so they could sense each other's safety.

As expected, Little Yellow Chicken appeared in the jungle, laughing heartily. "Brother, did you get the Divine Source! Let me tell you, I led the dog this time and made that Blade-backed Giant Crocodile bleed from all seven orifices. It couldn't catch me at all!"

"Keep it down." Li Tianming quickly pulled it back, unsure if anyone was still tracking them, and then asked, "How far did you lure the Blade-backed Giant Crocodile?"

"It didn't catch up to me, but it'll probably return to the lake soon. What's up?"

"After I got the Divine Source, I ran into people from the Thunder Venerable Mansion. I escaped thanks to Princess Qing's jade pendant," Li Tianming said thoughtfully.

"Then what are you waiting for? Let's go, back to Lihuo City to hide." Little Yellow Chicken had already spotted the Divine Source in Li Tianming's arms and had been craving it for a long time.

Li Tianming frowned and said, "If we leave now, and you refine the Divine Source, you won't have a chance to see that well again. Fortune favors the bold. Let's go back and take another look."

The situation had changed, but Li Tianming was still reluctant to give up on the well. He had already reunited with Little Yellow Chicken, the Blade-backed Giant Crocodile hadn't returned yet, and it was likely that Jiang Yilin and the others by the lake had already left. There was still a chance to take a risk.

"It's fine. My third eye has an advantage in the lake. As long as we hide in there, they might not be able to find me."

"Then hurry up! Exciting!" This guy was also fearless. It really wanted to see if the Divine Source could open that well.

"Let's take a detour back."

Fearing direct pursuit, Li Tianming and Little Yellow Chicken took a big detour. When they returned to the lake, they found that the Blade-backed Giant Crocodile hadn't come back yet, and no one was around.

"Go in."

They moved quickly and dove straight into the lake water. The lake was vast, and as they submerged, they barely made a ripple.

But just as they broke the surface, Li Tianming suddenly saw a young man riding a Lightning Leopard appear by the lake.

"Liu Qinyang." Li Tianming saw him from underwater, but he definitely hadn't seen Li Tianming.

After that, two more people appeared. As expected, they were Li Yanfeng and his new wife, Liu Qing. This alluring beauty was wearing a tight-fitting outfit, her curvaceous figure fully displayed. Huoling Mountain was already scorching, and her appearance made it even more heated.

"We didn't find that Princess Qing person. Did Jiang Yilin and the others deliberately give us the wrong directions?" Liu Qinyang was agitated. He was naturally anxious about the Divine Source being stolen by an outsider.

"It's possible."

They couldn't find Li Tianming, so they had clearly come back to question Jiang Yilin and the others again. However, Jiang Yilin and the others were no longer there.

Li Tianming secretly thought how close that was. Fortunately, he had started taking a detour as soon as he left, otherwise, they might have really caught him. He wasn't afraid of Liu Qinyang now, but he was afraid that Li Yanfeng wouldn't even fear Princess Qing and would snatch the Divine Source directly.

They hadn't discovered him yet, but if they headed towards the lake, there would still be a certain risk. At this moment, Li Tianming felt he had to try and see if he could open that well.

However, something even more interesting happened.

As Liu Qinyang emerged by the lake, on the other side of the lake, a ferocious and savage giant beast charged back. This was the Blade-backed Giant Crocodile. It had clearly realized that the Divine Source might have been lost.

When it charged out, its first target was Liu Qinyang on the opposite side of the lake.

Liu Qinyang was riding a Lightning Leopard. Lightning Leopards were top-tier Companion Beasts and were quite large, immediately drawing the Blade-backed Giant Crocodile's savage hostility.

At that moment, the Blade-backed Giant Crocodile roared, charged into the lake, kicking up a sky full of water, and rushed towards the Lightning Leopard!