Chapter 140: Because You Are Not As Strong As Us

Leaving aside the two young maidens happily dividing their spoils of war, elsewhere, a streak of light flew from afar toward the peak where Xu Lingzi was meditating. As the light drew nearer, someone could not help but burst into laughter.

The newcomer was Xu Gong, whose vital energy was weak, his hands and face covered in itchy bumps, looking precisely like a pig's head. This comical appearance of his was truly rather amusing.

"Eldest Brother, you must avenge me! Earlier today..."

Seeing everyone laughing uproariously, Xu Gong aggrievedly complained and wept to Xu Lingzi, which instantly caused the previously laughing figures to hastily swallow their mirth.

"Hmm~~ ambushed by a demonic mosquito, and thus reduced to such a state? Could it be..."

Hearing of his younger brother Xu Gong's misfortune, Xu Lingzi furrowed his brows slightly. Someone beside him immediately blurted out, "Eldest Brother Xu, this matter seems somewhat fishy? How could there still be demonic mosquitoes? Could it be that the demonic mosquitoes within the Lingtian Canyon are not just the one we saw earlier?"

Xu Gong claimed that he had been ambushed by a demonic mosquito hundreds of li away, resulting in his present appearance.

Xu Chen and the others did not believe that the demonic mosquito that ambushed him could fly such a vast distance in a short span of time. Therefore, the most likely scenario was that there were at least two identical demonic mosquitoes within this Lingtian Canyon.

Since Xiao Wenzi had been able to approach silently and had nearly injured the Foundation Establishment-stage Xu Lingzi earlier, if there truly were many such demonic mosquitoes in existence, the situation would become somewhat terrifying.

Seeing that everyone wore expressions of concern, Xu Lingzi frowned, pondered for a moment, and shook his head. "That's impossible. Although this is my first time entering Lingtian Canyon, according to the intelligence gathered by the Xu family, there have never been any demonic mosquitoes here before.

If I am not mistaken, the demonic mosquito that ambushed Xu Gong and the one from earlier are one and the same. The reason it was able to traverse such a great distance is entirely connected to that female cultivator surnamed Chu."

In truth, Xu Lingzi still withheld certain details, namely that the Xu family ancestor had disclosed to him the reason why the higher-ups of the Lingtian Sect had suddenly opened Lingtian Canyon this time.

Because the matter was of great importance, among the few people sent by the Xu family this time, only he knew some of the inside information; the likes of Xu Chen and Xu Gong were completely unaware.

In order to search for the long-lost heritage, it was entirely possible that hostile factions had sent people to infiltrate their ranks.

Moreover, ordinary rogue cultivators and disciples of minor or medium sects would certainly not raise mosquitoes as spirit pets. If it were confirmed that she was connected to the self-detonated demonic mosquito earlier, then Chu Xin'er's identity deserved careful scrutiny.

"Does Eldest Brother mean that this demonic mosquito is her spirit pet?"

None of the people around Xu Gong were fools. The moment his voice trailed off, a round-faced youth chimed in.

The others immediately grasped the crux of the matter as well and chimed in successively: "That explains it! No wonder that little tart surnamed Chu returned after leaving; it turns out she intended to..."

"Eldest Brother, Brother Zhang, what are you all talking about? What little tart surnamed Chu?"

Among those present, only Xu Gong was unaware of how the events had transpired, and he could not help asking.

Shortly after, upon hearing the account of Chu Xin'er battling the Luan brothers, followed by Xiao Wenzi's self-detonation which had nearly severely wounded Xu Lingzi, Xu Gong wore an ugly expression as he said, "Eldest Brother, what do you say? Are we really just going to let that wench off like this?"

"What's the rush? There is plenty of time."

The trial would last a full three months, so there was no need to rush into revenge. Besides, Chu Xin'er's combat prowess was not to be underestimated, and she possessed at least two middle-grade magical tools; Xu Lingzi lacked the certainty to defeat her.

As the saying goes, brute force is inferior to resourcefulness. Furthermore, Xu Gong had not suffered any severe injuries, and Xu Lingzi was unwilling to completely burn bridges with Chu Xin'er right now. Besides, fretting over such trivial matters paled in comparison to finding the legacy treasures of their predecessors.

A hundred li away, Chu Xin'er and Lu Yin finished dividing their spoils atop a mountain peak, then sat in cross-legged meditation to regulate their breath for a while before setting off once more to search for Lu Hang's whereabouts.

Boom, boom, boom~~~

This was a valley shrouded by a natural barrier, within which rare flowers and exotic herbs flickered in and out of view. Nearly a hundred people were gathered outside, continuously wielding magical tools to bombard the barrier.

In a corner of the crowd stood a youth with a slightly dark complexion and a very sturdy build. He was none other than Lu Yin's older brother, Lu Fang.

Ever since he had adjusted to the discomfort of teleportation, Lu Fang had begun searching for his younger sister's whereabouts. Along the way, he had encountered and eliminated demonic beasts to earn points, yet he had continuously failed to discover any trace of Lu Yin.

Earlier, when he passed by this valley and saw so many people attacking it, he could not help but investigate out of curiosity.

This valley was merely a few hundred meters in circumference, but the precious spirit flowers and herbs inside were truly numerous, clearly comparable to the hill Lu Yin and her companion had encountered.

Knowing that there were many precious spiritual herbs and plants inside the valley, Lu Fang's initial thought process was much the same as his sister Lu Yin's.

Since they could not find each other in a short period of time, it was better to remain at this bustling valley where the commotion was large. Not only could he snatch some precious spiritual herbs once the barrier was broken, but he might also get the news and wait for his younger sister Lu Yin to arrive.

Nearly a hundred people launched continuous attacks, while streaks of light in the distant sky kept converging upon this place. The protective light barrier enveloping the valley grew thinner and thinner, until finally, with a loud "bang," it shattered completely.

With the barrier no longer obstructing them, every single spirit flower and herb was revealed in meticulous detail. An intoxicating, fresh fragrance rushed toward them, prompting a cheer from the crowd as they surged into the valley to begin digging and harvesting.

Naturally, while rapidly seizing spiritual herbs, they also had to constantly guard against ambushes from others; otherwise, the outcome would be turning joy into sorrow.

The valley was not particularly large, and even a thousand spiritual flowers and herbs were no match for the scramble of over a hundred people, leading them to be carved up and emptied out in no time.

A miserable shriek rang out. A yellow-faced youth who had just harvested a precious spiritual herb failed to dodge in time, and a large mist of blood erupted from his lower back. He turned his head, gnashing his teeth as he glared at the man wielding a blood-dripping long sword.

Elsewhere, a young maiden's shrill, scolding curses were filled with venom, solely because another person had beaten her to the spirit flower she had set her sights on.

Boom, boom, boom~~

Combat and bloodshed played out amidst curses. Lu Fang likewise encountered trouble. Although he kept a very low profile and intentionally chose places with fewer people to harvest spiritual herbs, he was, after all, completely alone. Just as he finished stowing away several materials for refining Foundation Establishment Pills, a few figures closed in around him from all directions.

"Hand them over, or don't blame us for being impolite."

These four men and one woman formed a pincer formation, their cultivation realms mostly hovering around the thirteenth layer. They looked like a team, and as they pressed in on Lu Fang, the leading youth spoke coldly.

With a major part of the day already passed, trial-takers who understood that the ordeal was no easy feat had already begun forming alliances. They formed small groups of three to five, or eight to ten, while those with some charisma had even gathered dozens or hundreds of followers.

Liu Hu's team was not considered particularly strong in this place, so he dared not provoke those powerful groups, even though those groups acquired far more spiritual flowers and herbs.

"On what grounds? These spiritual herbs are all unclaimed goods. Didn't you say from the beginning that whoever grabs them gets to keep them?"

Being treated as a soft persimmon, Lu Fang felt anger swell in his heart, yet he also understood the principle that a wise man submits to circumstances. Instead of immediately launching an attack, he argued his case on the grounds of reason.

In response to Lu Fang's query, Liu Hu merely sneered dismissively. Before he could speak, the purple-clad maiden beside him curled her lip first and retorted, "On the grounds that you are not as strong as us! What, want to be eliminated from the trial?"