"What's the point of strategizing with just Gu Chen!" Zhuge He said loudly, "We only need to block his path to the Heaven and Earth Forest, and everything will be fine."
"Gu Chen has gotten stronger again?" Another voice rang out, saying, "Elder Wei, you're exaggerating. It's only been a few days! Did he take some kind of magic potion? Hahaha."
"Gu Family, I don't know if Gu Chen has taken any magical medicine, but I saw it with my own eyes. His strength is far beyond the thirty-fifth place on the Dragon Ranking!" Wei Fenghua said.
"Hehe, now Wangyue is following him. Elder Wei, no matter if Gu Chen is thirty-five or twenty-five, he can't escape this calamity. Your Wei Family, are you trying to buy time so you can get there first?" Zhuge He's voice rang out again.
Zhuge He finished speaking, several more voices rang out. Presumably, these were the patriarchs of other families second only to the Six Great Families. They all felt that Wei Fenghua was making a mountain out of a molehill, or that he had ulterior motives.
"I know you don't believe me, because even if it were true, I still find it unbelievable and hard to believe." Wei Fenghua swallowed and said, "Zhuge Family, you said Zhuge Wangyue was following him, and I saw it too."
"Oh? They've already stopped Gu Chen?" Zhuge He's spirits lifted.
"No," Wei Fenghua sighed, "I only saw Zhuge Wangyue's corpse, a charred body!"
"What?" After a brief silence, Zhuge He. He said decisively, "Impossible! How could Zhuge Wangyue be dead!"
"This matter is of utmost importance, not a child's play. How could I possibly make something up!" Wei Fenghua said solemnly, "Zhuge Family, please accept my condolences. Brother Wangyue is indeed dead."
"Wangyue, speak, Wangyue!" After calling several times without response, Zhuge He's angry voice came, saying, "Who did it? Wei Fenghua, you saw it, who did it?"
"Who else could it be?"
Just then, another voice rang out.
Everyone gasped in shock. Yin Linquan!
Another big shot has spoken!
Although the jade pendant was usually distributed among the people, it was rare for someone like Zhuge He or Yin Linquan to speak, especially Yin Linquan, who was in seclusion for many years and could not be seen or heard. So when he finally spoke, many people had to think for a long time before they remembered this terrifying figure.
"Of course it's Gu Chen!" Yin Linquan said in a deep voice. "Wei Fenghua, describe the circumstances of Zhuge Wangyue's death."
"This..."
"Speak!" Zhuge He roared.
"Okay." Wei Fenghua nodded, and then described the tragic death of Zhuge Wangyue that she had seen earlier. After listening, no one spoke from the jade pendant; it was as silent as death.
After about a minute or two, a voice broke the silence. It was someone who hadn't spoken before, but whose identity was probably not simple. He said, "Elder Wei, are you saying that Zhuge Wangyue was burned to a crisp? And that Gu Chen used Yang-attribute Inner Breath?"
"That's not right!" another family head said, "I've heard my family's disciples describe Gu Chen's cultivation technique. It shouldn't be of the Yang attribute, but rather follows a light and agile path. When he defeated Gu Mingheng at the Heaven and Earth Palace, he used the technique of using minimal force to overcome great strength."
"You've overlooked the fact that Gu Chen isn't a martial artist; he cultivates a cultivation technique!" Yin Linquan's words immediately silenced the surroundings, his voice tinged with excitement. "Cultivation techniques can harmonize with heaven and earth, and utilize the five elements! Gu Chen's cultivation method isn't yang in nature; he's using magic from cultivation!"
With this explanation, it all makes perfect sense!
Spells, fire spells? Blazing spells? Any of these could produce such an effect, turning Zhuge Wangyue into a charred corpse!
"Elder Wei, Gu Chen must be seriously injured after his battle with Zhuge Wangyue. You should be following behind him, right? Keep up, I'll be there soon!" Zhuge He's voice was filled with barely suppressed rage as he said, "I must skin this brat alive to vent my hatred!"
"Yes, Elder Wei, you must stay close. Even if you can't win, you must buy us time until we arrive!" another family head said. "We're almost at the Heaven and Earth Forest too."
"Gentlemen, I can't keep up." Wei Fenghua couldn't help but smile bitterly. "If Gu Chen were seriously injured and I could keep up, what would be the point of me sending messages through the jade pendant? I might as well have captured him long ago!"
"What do you mean?" Upon hearing Wei Fenghua's words, all the powerful figures present had a sense of foreboding.
"Gu Chen... he wasn't seriously injured, in fact, I suspect he wasn't injured at all!" Wei Fenghua said, "At the scene where Zhuge Wangyue's body was found, although the scene was gruesome, not a single drop of blood belonged to Gu Chen..."
"What!"
These words shocked everyone present!
This is even more astonishing than hearing that Gu Chen knows cultivation techniques! Gu Chen fought Zhuge Wangyue and wasn't injured at all? Not even a drop of blood was shed!
"Impossible!" Zhuge He spoke first, saying, "Wangyue's strength is sixteenth on the Dragon Ranking, Late Grandmaster Realm! No matter how powerful Gu Chen is, he will not get away unscathed after killing Wangyue!"
"Everyone, this is absolutely true. If he were seriously injured, I should have caught up with him by now. But I haven't seen him at all!" Wei Fenghua said bitterly, "Do you think he could be injured?"
"Then... how did he do it?" A head of the household asked, his voice trembling, still unwilling to believe it.
"A sneak attack!" Yin Linquan suddenly interjected, "Gu Chen launched a sneak attack on Zhuge Wangyue!"
In his heart, he didn't really believe that Gu Chen could improve so much in just a few days, Dragon Ranking Dragon Ranking and killing Zhuge Wangyue, who ranked sixteenth, without even getting injured. This didn't make sense in any way!
"Yes, a sneak attack!"
Yin Linquan is Yin Linquan after all, the second-ranked figure on the Dragon Ranking! As soon as he said this, everyone exchanging jade pendants nodded in agreement, accepting this possibility in their hearts.
Zhuge He roared even more viciously, "That damned scoundrel dared to play dirty tricks! I swear I won't rest until I kill him and give my clan an explanation!"
No wonder Zhuge He was so furious. They had lost Zhuge Wangyue, not only an elder, but also a top-ranked figure on the Dragon Ranking! They had lost the initiative in their confrontation with the other Five Great Families!
With Zhuge He's roar, the aura emanating from the jade pendant suddenly subsided. Almost everyone who possessed the jade pendant fell silent, their purpose becoming even clearer: to intercept Gu Chen and kill Gu Chen!
When the jade pendant's luster faded, Gu Chen put it into his pocket.
His face remained expressionless.
Yin Linquan, ranked second on the Dragon Ranking.
Zhuge He ranked fifth on the Dragon Ranking.
On the Heaven and Earth Palace, Gu Chen had seen their rankings and knew their strength. At least these two were both Peak Grandmaster Realm. Even though he had now reached the Qi Refining Stage Fourth Layer, it was hard to say who was stronger.
"This Yin Linquan is not only strong, but also probably has a wealth of practical experience. He guessed that I had ambushed Zhuge Wangyue with just one guess!" Gu Chen thought to himself, finally realizing that he was in trouble.
Elder Liu Jingce of the Heaven and Earth Palace is also known as one of the top three on the Dragon Ranking. His strength is no less than that of Yin Linquan. Gu Chen recalled the aura he had before fighting Yin Linquan a few days ago, simulated it in his mind, and then shook his head.
"It's hard to say who will win."
In a one-on-one situation, Gu Chen wouldn't be afraid even if he wasn't a match; he could leave whenever he wanted. But in a siege, things would be different; there were too many variables.
"We're almost at the Heaven and Earth Forest, let's go in first." Gu Chen quickened his pace, still pondering a question, "But why are they all trying to stop me from entering the Heaven and Earth Forest? Do they think they can't find me once I'm inside? That doesn't make sense. Even with complex terrain, with so many martial artists working together, I'd definitely be exposed. Their tension must have another reason! It's a real shame they didn't mention it in the jade pendant."
Gu Chen sighed.
Soon, a verdant landscape came into view— the Heaven and Earth Forest!
We've finally arrived!