White Tiger Grotto

"This is—"

In a few moments, the Island Nation People had reached the spot where Yang Chen had been. They stared at the Flying Tiger's corpse, crushed into a bloody pulp, their eyes filled with shock.

One of them seemed to be their leader. He stepped forward and poked around the Flying Tiger's corpse. A moment later, his expression darkened.

"This is an S-Class Spirit Beast!"

The leader spoke in a low voice.

He spoke Huaxia's language, though his pronunciation was still rather awkward.

"S-Class!"

The other three also changed expressions.

"Looks like an S-Class Huaxia expert has been here. We need to hurry with our operation, or if we're discovered, none of us will get away!"

The leader turned to face his teammates, his expression grim.

They were no weaklings. The leader had even reached the peak of A-Class, just one step away from S-Class, while the other three were B-Class.

As a group, they could put up a fight even against an S-Class expert.

But this was Huaxia territory, after all. They were Island Nation People, and Huaxia and the Island Nation had long been bitter enemies.

Their enmity stretched back to before Spiritual Energy Recovery.

Even now, they still regarded each other as enemies!

So whenever Island Nation People or Huaxia people entered the other's territory, they had to keep their heads down. The Huaxia people had it easier, though. Huaxia was still one of the world's top powers, with countless experts.

But the Island Nation was different!

The Island Nation simply didn't have as many experts as Huaxia. Even the number of Grandmaster-level experts was far lower than in the three top powers.

So unless Island Nation ability users entered Huaxia through legitimate channels, all they could do was sneak around and engage in underhanded business.

After all, Island Nation ability users were strictly forbidden from entering Huaxia!

Take what had happened with Blood Butcher's disciple. Who knew whether the man had lost his mind or what, but he'd certainly been an idiot, exposing himself outright.

And he'd done it at Number 98's headquarters.

Right under the gaze of Elder Wang, a Grandmaster.

His end had been miserable.

The four Island Nation People understood their situation perfectly. They were in Huaxia, and Jiangnan City was only a hundred kilometers away. If a Huaxia Grandmaster discovered them, a hundred kilometers was only half an hour away.

"The Spirit Beast's core has already been taken. Judging by the state of the corpse, it died not long ago. We need to find the White Tiger Grotto quickly, before anyone from Number 98 discovers us!"

The leader spoke in a low voice.

The four exchanged glances. One of them took an old-fashioned map from inside his clothes. It was covered in dense lines, with one spot among them marked in vermilion ink.

"It shouldn't be far. If the crust hasn't shifted, it's nearby. Let's go!"

The leader barked, then shot off with the other three, as swiftly as swords drawn from their scabbards.

Yang Chen furrowed his brow. "White Tiger Grotto?"

His eyes shifted slightly, and he decided to follow them.

There were two reasons.

First, they were Island Nation People. Island Nation People coming to Huaxia was already bad news, and killing them would be a good thing.

Second, there was the White Tiger Grotto they had mentioned.

This place was called White Tiger Mountain, and the White Tiger Grotto they spoke of was here as well. It greatly intrigued Yang Chen, stirring up an urge to investigate.

Could the White Tiger Grotto be closely connected to White Tiger Mountain?

"Follow them!"

Yang Chen controlled the power of Gale, his body gliding after the Island Nation People like a gentle breeze.

Yang Chen had discovered that the power of Gale was truly useful. Not only could it let him fly, it also made him faster than before. If his old speed had been one, then with Gale boosting him, he could reach five!

Not bad at all!

Before long, the Island Nation People came into view. Yang Chen didn't alert them; he simply followed quietly behind.

After all, Yang Chen couldn't find the White Tiger Grotto on his own. He would have to rely on them to lead him there!

He'd let them live a little longer.

The four Island Nation People still had no idea that their lives had already been marked forfeit. The moment the White Tiger Grotto appeared would be the moment they kicked the bucket!

The terrain of White Tiger Mountain was rather complicated. Without the map, the four Island Nation People would have struggled to find their way through all the fog.

Along the way, Spirit Beasts attacked them, but they were only minor nuisances. The strongest was no more than a C-Class Spirit Beast.

It was even weaker than the python that had ambushed Yang Chen earlier.

Under the Island Nation People's thunderous assaults, the Spirit Beasts fell one after another, and their cores were taken.

Yang Chen was tempted, but he held back. Once they reached their destination, they would all be his anyway. There was no rush!

Before long, as the four continued to speed up, the white mist around them grew inexplicably thicker.

An almost imperceptible pressure began to emerge all around them!

It was exactly like the pressure Yang Chen had felt when he first entered White Tiger Mountain!

Back then, the pressure had been weak, and Yang Chen had quickly gotten used to it. But as they ventured deeper, he was startled to find that it had grown stronger.

Fortunately, Yang Chen's cultivation had also made a qualitative leap. He had successfully advanced to S-Class. The pressure was powerful, but it wasn't enough to shake his strength.

The Island Nation People were another matter. The A-Class leader was holding up, but the three B-Class Island Nation People were already panting.

The drain on their spiritual energy, combined with the pressure bearing down on them, had left them exhausted.

But just as they continued deeper into White Tiger Mountain, dense fog swirled around them. Ahead, they could make out the vague silhouette of an old-fashioned grotto standing before them.

The grotto was built against the mountainside, embedded deep within the mountain itself!

Yang Chen could clearly feel that the pressure was coming from inside the grotto!

"We're here!"

The Island Nation leader stopped, a burning look appearing in his eyes. He muttered something under his breath over and over.

He stared at the indistinct grotto ahead.

"The White Tiger Grotto!"

To be continued!