Chance Encounter

Everyone except Lu Mingzhe belonged to the Mystic Pattern Sect. There was not even a single outsider among them.

Lu Mingzhe studied the area around the cave thoughtfully when someone beside him said somewhat anxiously, "Brother Zhe, its aura has vanished..."

"That thing is gone? We'll all die when we face the sect master! Why aren't you thinking of a solution already?!" Upon hearing his subordinate's report, Lu Mingzhe flew into a rage, his face beginning to twist.

He then said to the others beside him, "The sect master gave us that thing to prevent any accidents. That idiot Lu Sa got himself killed and failed to protect it. Whether we live or die now depends entirely on whether we can find it. If this happens again, I'll kill him myself before we even leave the Ten Thousand Beasts Space!"

"Yes, Brother Zhe!"

Lu Mingzhe looked at the cave. The rock walls were strange, as though they had been scorched, and they still retained some warmth. He muttered, "Heavenly Flames?"

Xiao Yan had not expected the good item he bought to be so troublesome. The three of them gathered around the clump of earth Xiao Yan had brought back. All three could tell that it was extraordinary, but none of them could do anything with it. Xiao Yan pinched it and sent in the slightest trace of Dou Qi. The spot he held immediately turned into dust and scattered in the wind.

Xiao Yan stared blankly at the crumbled clump of earth. He had not expected it to be so fragile. That put an end to his idea of roasting it with Heavenly Flames. Who knew what it would turn into after being burned by the Heavenly Flames? The three exchanged looks, unable to come up with any good solution. After all, it could repel spiritual power, yet Dou Qi could not touch it at all.

Xiao Yan could only shake his head and put it away. He would have to wait for Yao Lao to awaken and see if he had any ideas. Xiao Yan truly had no solution.

"Now that we're done browsing the market, how about we continue competing for the rankings?" Chu Qun asked.

Chu Qun pointed at the rankings in the sky, where the positions were constantly changing.

"First, Xu Yingwu, 8,436 points."

"Second, Wan Qing, 8,129 points."

"Third, Lu Mingzhe, 7,933 points."

"Fourth, Shi Meng, 7,620 points."

"Fifth, Xiao Yan, 7,299 points."

"Sixth, Shi Han, 7,045 points."

"Seventh, Shi Qiandun, 6,453 points."

"Eighth, Han Qianqian, 6,182 points."

"Ninth, Qing Lin, 5,822 points."

"Tenth, Xiao Xun'er, 5,500 points."

Over the past few days, Xiao Yan and the other two had acted together. Hunting magical beasts had become much easier, but Xiao Yan had no intention of making the two work for nothing, so they basically split all gains equally. As a result, his ranking had slipped somewhat. What truly worried Xiao Yan and the others was Lu Zhi, who had completely fallen out of the top ten a day ago. No one doubted Lu Zhi's strength, yet the fact was that his score kept dropping. It was not only Xiao Yan; most people on the rankings shared the same doubt: "What exactly is this guy doing?"

If Lu Zhi had remained firmly at the top as he had on the first day, everyone would have been more at ease. It was precisely this current silence that made people worry even more. After all, the unknown was the most frightening thing of all.

Xiao Yan nodded as he looked at the rankings. In truth, the hardest part of hunting magical beasts was finding them in the first place. With the combat strength of the three of them, ordinary seventh-tier magical beasts were already fairly easy to handle. After all, the magical beasts within the Ten Thousand Beasts Space were not at their peak strength. Their senses and power had been directly weakened, reducing their combat ability by at least twenty percent. After fighting the Green-Eyed Nightmare Toad, Xiao Yan felt that eighth-tier magical beasts might be weakened even more.

"How about this? The three of us spread out and explore while keeping a certain distance between us. That will maximize our search efficiency. If we encounter the strongest among Dou Emperors or a Dou Zong-level magical beast, we'll gather before making our move. What do you think?" Xiao Yan asked.

After thinking it over briefly, Yang Lingyan and Chu Qun nodded as well. This was, relatively speaking, the best response available at the moment.

Having reached an agreement, the three immediately shot off. At its core, the Ten Thousand Beasts Assembly was still a competition of points, and Xiao Yan's goal was first place!

Before long, Xiao Yan found a fifth-tier magical beast. With a single punch, he blasted it into two streams of energy, and the number on his hand rose once more. After collecting the medicinal herb guarded by the beast, he immediately rushed toward another area without stopping for even a moment.

Such battles played out repeatedly throughout the Ten Thousand Beasts Space: battles between people and magical beasts, and sometimes battles between people themselves.

Xu Yingwu, ranked first, stood atop a cliff. The chaos beneath his feet proved that a fierce battle had taken place here, while five or six people behind him were cleaning up the battlefield.

Xu Yingwu wiped the grime from his body when someone immediately flashed behind him and said respectfully, "Congratulations, Young Sect Master. Your score has risen again. It seems Lu Zhi is nothing but a hollow reputation. He cannot even catch a glimpse of your shadow now."

Xu Yingwu looked at the name hanging high at the top of the rankings and smiled. "This isn't my achievement alone."

He had gathered a group of capable experts, some from the Echo Sect and some outsiders. Only by relying on their numbers could he firmly occupy first place.

Xu Yingwu then said, "Besides, quite a few hidden tigers and crouching dragons have appeared in this Ten Thousand Beasts Assembly."

As though responding to his words, a breathtakingly beautiful figure in green appeared. The young woman in green was startled when she saw Xu Yingwu, but after sweeping her gaze around, disappointment was all that remained in her eyes.

The people beside Xu Yingwu were shocked. She had arrived before them without making the slightest sound. This young woman in green possessed terrifying strength!

Even more astonishing was the number on her hand. Four digits, beginning with a five! She was someone famous on the rankings!

Though his subordinates were extremely tense, Xu Yingwu grinned. "Martial Aunt, are you looking for my junior martial uncle?"

The green-clad young woman, whose expression had been as still as an ancient well, immediately blushed at Xu Yingwu's words. She then said, "Unfortunately, he isn't here."

Who else could the young woman be but Xun Er? Unlike Xu Yingwu, however, Xun Er was alone.

"Martial Aunt, how about we join forces for something big?" Xu Yingwu showed his intention to recruit her.

Xun Er gently shook her head. "Sorry, I'm looking for him. I don't have time."

"Hehe, I heard that Shi Han is offering a reward to find my junior martial uncle. Looks like they've had some conflict. How about we go beat him up together?"

At the mention of Xiao Yan, Xiao Xun'er, who had already declined, was somewhat moved. She then said, "Fine, but I have one condition."

"Speak freely, Martial Aunt."

"Leave Shi Han to me." Xun Er's tone was indifferent, without the slightest hint of emotional change.

The people behind Xu Yingwu looked at Xun Er strangely. Although she was a renowned expert on the rankings, everyone knew Shi Han was the number one among the younger generation of the Lion Underworld Sect. His cultivation had reached the seven-star Dou Emperor level, and his combat strength far surpassed opponents of the same level. He was not someone a delicate young woman like Xiao Xun'er could handle, even if she was also a ranked expert.

Yet what surprised them even more was that Xu Yingwu readily nodded and grinned. "Then I'll wait to see Martial Aunt display her might!"