They had thought that after remaining hidden for so long, Shi Wei and the others had appeared again to trigger the final tribulation. They hadn't expected Ling Tian and the others to sense them heading straight for Chi Xue and his companions instead. This left them somewhat puzzled, and a little worried that Shi Wei and the others would attack Chi Xue's group.
It made sense. Since Shi Wei and the others had failed to seize the Phoenix Soul Fruit and some Saint-grade Heavenly Treasures from Ling Tian, they would surely turn their attention to someone else. Aside from Ling Tian and his companions, only Chi Xue's group might have Phoenix Soul Fruits, after all, since they had the Phoenix Soul Fruit Tree.
If this had happened earlier, Xiao Shi and the others wouldn't have been too worried about Chi Xue's group. Chi Xue and Po Tian had both broken through to the Near-Saint Nineteenth Heaven, while only Shi Wei among their opponents had reached that realm. But now Shi Lei and Shi Jia had also broken through to the Near-Saint Nineteenth Heaven. Their side had one more expert at that level than Chi Xue's, and in a three-against-two fight, Shi Wei and the others might well gain the upper hand.
Ling Tian still needed to join forces with Chi Xue and the others to face the final tribulation in the future, so naturally he didn't want anything to happen to them.
Po Qiong, however, wasn't particularly worried about Chi Xue and the others. In his mind, after breaking through to the Near-Saint Nineteenth Heaven, Chi Xue and Po Tian were much stronger than their opponents. They would have no trouble facing Shi Wei and the others, even if three of them had reached the Near-Saint Nineteenth Heaven.
Before Xiao