East of the Icefield, Yan Ketao found the charcoal-black mountain country and searched everywhere, yet failed to find a single soul.
Later, he sent another signal and met up with Zuo Zisheng, who had been waiting farther back.
Once he understood the situation, Zuo Zisheng summoned the rest of the waiting men. They turned the whole area upside down, but still found no one.
"No one? What's going on?"
Having found nothing, Zuo Zisheng sought out Yan Ketao in his hiding place to ask.
How could Yan Ketao know? It never occurred to him that he had been deceived. He could only suspect that the people had already moved elsewhere.
What were they to do if they had moved? Where could they look? Their only option was to return to the Exit and discuss it with Wu Jinliang.
After another grueling journey, they returned to the Exit area and approached Wu Jinliang's previous hiding place. Once again, Yan Ketao went over alone.
He wanted to tell Wu Jinliang that no one was there and ask whether they had gone somewhere else.
What he found left him rather stunned. The cave where Wu Jinliang and the others had hidden had actually collapsed. What had happened?
Had they changed hideouts too? He was beginning to sense that something was wrong, but he refused to give up. He searched all around the Exit until nightfall, yet found nowhere in the area where they could have hidden.
Left with no choice, he went up to the mountaintop. After saluting the elders, he steeled himself and asked Jin Guiqi, "Elder, what happened to that cave over there? Why did it collapse?"
He knew this was not quite within the rules. The elders stationed here did not get involved in the competition, but he truly had