Rendezvous

Not long after Lin Cheng departed.

The group from the Jingyun Sect Supreme Elder's party arrived fashionably late.

It was precisely because he sensed the arrival of Old Lady Xu and the others that Lin Cheng had felt at ease enough to leave.

Old Lady Xu and her party had set out several days before Lin Cheng, yet they were still a step behind him.

This showed just how fast the latter was.

Let alone Xiantian experts, even ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators would likely find themselves unable to catch up.

After all, other Foundation Establishment powerhouses did not possess the vast, boundless reserves of true energy that Lin Cheng had.

They were far from capable of continuous, high-speed flight for such a long duration.

Not to mention crossing a forbidden zone like the Mist Forest.

Were they tired of living?

Furthermore, if Lin Cheng had not cleared away the dangers first.

Old Lady Xu, a half-dead Xiantian, would have been like a lamb entering a tiger's den, never to return.

To say nothing else, the person from Yin-Yang Valley was a Xiantian Seventh Layer expert, a top-tier existence who had stepped into the late Xiantian stage.

Compared to Old Lady Xu, who was only at the Xiantian Fourth Layer, they were more than just a little bit stronger.

Had they not seen the Black Qilin, also at the Xiantian Fourth Layer, still lying there in a state of near-death and gasping for its last breath?

Seeing the Beast Taming Mountain sect gates close at hand.

Old Lady Xu first came to a halt, holding her cane horizontally to block the two accompanying elders. Under their puzzled gazes, her expression gradually grew grave.

She carefully took a step back and asked, "Do you two sense anything unusual?"

Unusual?

Hearing the Supreme Elder speak, the two Jingyun Sect elders felt their hearts tighten.

One of the elders sensed his surroundings carefully for a moment, then hesitated before speaking uncertainly: "I don't know if it's just my imagination, but why does it feel like Beast Taming Mountain is... a bit too quiet?"

Looking into the distance.

The buildings were grand and imposing, filled with a wild aura. At first glance, the entire sight was enough to shake one's spirit; it was truly worthy of being one of the top ten sects in the Southern Region.

However, compared to this superficial display of prosperity.

In the shadows, there seemed to be a strange, hazy gloom permeating the air, causing one to knit their brows.

Moreover, it was indeed far too quiet.

Not to mention anything else, as a major sect in the Southern Region comparable to the Jingyun Sect, Beast Taming Mountain should have had hundreds, if not thousands, of disciples.

There should have been a massive number of spirit beasts guarding the grounds as well.

Under normal circumstances, it should never have been this deathly silent.

There was not a shred of vitality, only a sense of profound weirdness.

The other elder began to feel a chill in his heart, frowning as he said, "What is going on with Beast Taming Mountain? It doesn't feel like we've arrived at a vibrant, major sect; it feels more like we've stumbled into a massive, desolate graveyard. It's deathly still."

As soon as these words were spoken, Old Lady Xu and the other elder suddenly realized the truth.

They understood where that jarring feeling came from!

Vitality!

Beast Taming Mountain lacked the vitality it usually possessed!

It looked as if the entire sect had been wiped out.

At this thought, even Old Lady Xu, the ancestor of a sect, could not help but be startled by her own sudden realization, finding it somewhat absurd.

Yet, looking at the scene before them, it seemed to be the only explanation.

A major sect like Beast Taming Mountain could not possibly relocate on a whim.

Even if a large number of disciples had been sent out on missions, it wouldn't be to the point where there wasn't a single person left.

There wasn't even a disciple guarding the gate!

Old Lady Xu and the others hadn't even noticed this until just now!

"Something has happened to Beast Taming Mountain, and it is extremely serious; otherwise, they wouldn't be without even a gatekeeper," the first elder sighed, his tone certain.

"Something happened to Beast Taming Mountain."

The other elder became anxious upon hearing this and hurriedly said, "The Young Sect Master is still inside Beast Taming Mountain! If we guessed correctly, isn't the Young Sect Master in extreme danger right now!?"

Having said that, he felt a deep sense of foreboding.

He immediately charged toward Beast Taming Mountain!

The Young Sect Master is in danger; we must rush in to save him!

"I'm telling you, we should at least test whether it's real or a trap, you..."

He ignored the elder's attempt to stop him.

Test?

Test what?

There was no time to test!

The situation was wrong!

"Hey!" Old Lady Xu was also stunned, but the elder was too fast, and given the suddenness of the event, she had no time to intervene.

She could only watch helplessly as the elder drew closer and closer to the gate of Beast Taming Mountain.

He was just about to cross the threshold.

Bang!

A loud crash echoed.

The next second, with a thunderous boom, the elder who had charged out flew backward, colliding with the ground, dizzy and seeing stars.

"Hiss, that hurts like hell..."

"Damn it, it's the Sect Protection Array."

The elder rubbed his forehead, his mouth twitching as he cursed himself for being a fool. How could he have forgotten such a crucial detail? A sect like Beast Taming Mountain would obviously have a Sect Protection Array.

Without breaking the array, there was no way to enter.

As for how Lin Cheng got in...

As a top-tier expert among Foundation Establishment cultivators, possessing both the Eye of Truth-Breaking and the Great Concealment Art, an array of this level could hardly stop him.

To him, it wasn't even as sturdy as a spiderweb.

However, just because it was useless against Lin Cheng didn't mean it was useless against others.

For instance, this impatient elder had just taken a nasty tumble.

"Get up quickly. Look at you, rushing about like that—that's just recklessness!"

His companion hurriedly helped him up, grumbling, "It's a good thing no one is presiding over this array, otherwise it wouldn't have been as simple as just getting bumped. We all would have suffered because of you!"

"My fault, my fault."

The impatient elder rubbed his head, no longer in a rush, and winced, "But this collision did prove one thing: there really is no one left at Beast Taming Mountain. Otherwise, they wouldn't leave a lifeline like the Sect Protection Array completely unmanned."

"Prepare to break the array by force."

Old Lady Xu stopped their bickering and turned her gaze toward the void.

"Understood!"

"Yes!"

The two elders turned serious. Under normal circumstances, even with a Xiantian expert like the Supreme Elder, they would never be able to break this Sect Protection Array.

They might even be injured by the array's backlash.

But things were different now.

It was just an empty shell, operating rigidly with only its most basic instincts, leaving obvious flaws.

To break it, they just needed to spend a little more time.

Just as they were about to take action, another group of people arrived at the gate of Beast Taming Mountain.

Old Lady Xu, who was about to strike, stopped, and the two elders looked on with vigilance. However, upon seeing who it was, they were taken aback.

One of them exclaimed on the spot.

"Zhang Feng??"

"Why are you here?"

The newcomers were none other than Zhang Feng, Liu Yanran, and their group.

"Skinny, Fatty! It's actually you two, and the Supreme Elder!" Zhang Feng was also startled, then immediately overjoyed!

He hadn't expected to run into the Supreme Elder's group here.

While surprised, he also felt a slight sense of awe in his heart.

He marveled once more at the power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. It had taken the Supreme Elder and the others two full days to reach Beast Taming Mountain, yet the Venerable had brought him here in just a few minutes.

This speed—it was nothing until you compared them.

Once compared, it was simply staggering.

The two groups greeted each other upon meeting, exchanged a few brief words, and then turned their collective attention to the Sect Protection Array.

With the addition of Zhang Feng and the others.

And several elites from Beast Taming Mountain who had presided over the sect-protecting formation.

The speed at which they broke through the formation far exceeded expectations.

What was originally supposed to take several days was reduced to less than an hour before a breach was torn into the formation.

The group seized the opportunity to enter.

Having finally broken through the formation, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The thin elder took the opportunity to ask Zhang Feng, "I remember you were still at the sect before we left. How did you suddenly appear here? Did you follow closely behind us? But we didn't encounter you at all along the way."

The fat elder was equally full of confusion.

"That is a long story..." Zhang Feng gave a bitter smile when someone brought it up.

Immediately after, with a look of utter despair on his face, he replied, "It is not what you think. In fact, you might not believe it, but just a few hours ago, I was still at the sect's logistics department, and then..."

Zhang Feng slowly recounted everything.

As expected, the group listened in stunned silence, feeling as if it were a tall tale or that they were dreaming.

Some even suspected that Zhang Feng was deliberately lying to them.