Chapter 4: Discovery (Part 2)

Zhu Jiamao said, “This place… well, only professionals at the Grand Sage level or above can fly. Those at the Sage level are responsible for searching. Those above Grand Sage level, follow us!” He flew low to the ground, instantly turning into a streak of light as he rushed toward the Ancient Soul Altar. The enchanting beauty smiled softly and followed closely behind, with eighteen Grand Sage-level experts behind her.

Despite the heavy rain, it had no effect on these twenty people. Twenty white trails appeared in the downpour—water mist created by raindrops torn apart by the airflow from their flight.

The rain lasted for two hours before suddenly stopping. Zhu Jiamao signaled everyone to slow down because he saw a fat man struggling to move. He couldn’t help but laugh and said, “It can’t be this kid who activated the Soul Altar.” The group surrounded Yang Qi with a whooshing sound, while Zhu Jiamao and the enchanting beauty slowly landed in front of him.

Yang Qi trembled with fear. To him, these people were all top-tier professionals. Covered in mud and in a miserable state, he shivered from the cold and hunger, his eyes blurred.

Zhu Jiamao asked calmly, “How many are there in total? Who activated the Soul Altar?”

Yang Qi stared at them blankly, his mouth wide open like a fish out of water, opening and closing without being able to speak a word.

The enchanting beauty laughed and said, “You’ve scared this kid. Hehe, little guy… how many are there?”

Yang Qi thought, “Kid? You’re not much older than me!” But he didn’t dare show any doubt. He said, “We…” Just those two words made Zhu Jiamao and the enchanting beauty frown. His voice was loud, and those two words came out abruptly in a terrifying tone.

“…There are quite a few… Um, seniors… how… how did you get in?”

This guy still had the nerve to ask how others got in. Zhu Jiamao was both annoyed and amused. He shouted, “How many?”

That sentence, laced with spiritual pressure, made Yang Qi sit down in the mud. Pointing in the direction of the Soul Altar, he said, “All… all… are ahead… I… I can’t run… Yes, I’m the last one…”

Zhu Jiamao sighed and said, “Idiot! Send someone to take care of him!” Impatient, he continued to press questions before flying away.

They captured everyone from the team without exception. Chen Zhen Dong and Zhang Yaojin also didn’t escape. They never expected so many professional experts to show up. In their eyes, Sages were nothing at all, let alone the fact that they hadn’t received any inheritance, leaving them no chance to resist before being captured.

The enchanting beauty smiled and said, “I didn’t expect there to be two more fish that escaped. Hehe, they’ve even reached the level of Saint Master… Not bad.” Zhang Yaojin and the others were drenched in sweat, unsure whether from fear or regret. Zhu Jiamao said, “I’m quite curious about the person who activated the Ancient Soul Altar. I can’t figure out how they did it… It really surprises me.” The last to be captured was Zhou Xiaoling. With their team, Zhu Jiamao and the others sped up. After flying for half an hour, these master warriors arrived at the Ancient Soul Altar. Everyone was stunned by the activated altar. The entire altar was semi-transparent, with countless ancient runes flowing within. Within a hundred meters around it, everything was brightly illuminated. Countless ancient runes formed layers of protection, with sparks of lightning flashing from time to time among them. Zhu Jiamao wore a look of disbelief as he exclaimed, “It’s an Ancient Soul Altar that’s completely intact! Unbelievably intact…” The enchanting beauty had an ecstatic expression as she said, “An Ancient Soul Altar in such perfect condition is truly rare… No, to be precise… this is the first intact Ancient Soul Altar I’ve ever seen.” Everyone looked shocked. Zhang Yaojin regretted acting alone. If he had followed Guo Shier, maybe he could have entered this Ancient Soul Altar too. Zhu Jiamao slowly flew into the air and immediately spotted Guo Shier and Eagle Demon. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “Are these the two kids? They’re even asleep… Incredible!” The enchanting beauty also flew up and said in surprise, “This child is so young… She can’t be over fifteen! I wonder which sect’s direct disciple she is.” Zhu Jiamao reached out and grabbed Zhang Yaojin, lifting him slowly into the air. Zhang Yaojin didn’t dare resist, knowing this old man was extremely powerful. At this point, he could only accept his fate. “Do you know the people inside?” Zhang Yaojin replied, “I met them on the way. He’s the leader and has already reached the rank of Advanced Mad Master. His name is Guo Shier. He seems to be thirteen… maybe fourteen. As for which sect he belongs to… I don’t know either.” Zhu Jiamao’s hand trembled, almost throwing Zhang Yaojin away. He said in disbelief, “Advanced Mad Master? Spell Mad Master?” The enchanting beauty was also surprised. “Fourteen? Hehe, they’re really willing… to let such a young disciple go through trials.” Zhu Jiamao said, “Didn’t you hear him say? This child is the leader! That means she has extremely powerful abilities.”

The enchanting maiden smiled and said, “Wait a moment. I’ll go ask which sect his disciple belongs to. If it’s an ordinary sect… we’ll just take him away! Such disciples are highly sought after everywhere…” She giggled nonstop, like a child who had found a fun toy.

If Guo Shier heard this, he would likely feel uneasy. He wasn’t from the Advanced Continent; he had sneaked in here. If anyone discovered him, who knew what disasters might follow.

But Guo Shier and Eagle Demon were deep in slumber, unaware that dozens of top experts stood outside the altar.

Zhu Jiamao said, “Send two people to bring the two children down.” This time, he didn’t say to capture them. Guo Shier had advanced to the rank of Advanced Spell Master at a young age and clearly inherited the legacy of the Ancient Soul Altar, which gave him some status—so he wouldn’t be treated roughly at least.

Hearing this, the two Great Saints flew straight to the top of the altar. As soon as they entered the 100-meter radius around the altar, two loud explosions rang out, and the two Great Saints flew back out. Zhu Jiamao’s pupils narrowed as he said, “The Ancient Spell Array! It’s activated defensively!”

The enchanting maiden shouted, “Come back!”

The two Great Saints flew back, their faces red with embarrassment, clearly unwilling.

Zhu Jiamao said, “It seems… it will take some time to break through. Alright, set up camp! Go back and inform them to send in some experts!”

One of the junior Great Saints replied and flew back the way he came.

Suddenly, a mass of spirit energy flew over, circled briefly around the altar’s perimeter, then rushed in. Strangely, the Ancient Spell Array didn’t block it. That mass of spirit energy landed right on top of Guo Shier’s head and disappeared instantly.

Zhu Jiamao nodded and said, “That eighth-level Spirit Beast indeed belongs to the kid.” When he was in the cave, he had deliberately held back, not destroying the Spirit Beast but instead dispersing its condensed form, preventing it from using its full strength. Although this would injure the Spirit Beast, it wouldn’t be fatal. As long as it returned to its beast talisman, it would recover quickly.

The enchanting maiden said, “An eighth-level Giant Nest Dragon Spirit Beast isn’t considered high-level, but since the kid can control it smoothly, his strength is quite decent.”

Zhang Yaojin and the others were gathered together. A Great Saint ordered, “Set up tents, and also… cook some food.” He treated the team members like servants.

Everyone worked with gloomy expressions. In front of these people, they were just apprentices undergoing training, with no status at all.

Zhang Yaojin and Chen Zhendong exchanged a glance, both showing expressions of despair. They couldn’t even run away here; they could only work obediently.

Guo Shier didn’t know anything. After falling asleep this time, he didn’t even have a dream. However, the talisman in his life talisman ball began to flicker slightly. This talisman had also been modified by ancient runes, and the number of addresses it could record had increased to ten pairs. Most importantly, the coordinate left by Li Ran was glowing faintly. Unfortunately, he was asleep and completely unaware of the changes here.

The two slept for seven days straight and woke up almost at the same time.

Guo Shier stretched widely, raising his arms above his head to elongate his body. Suddenly, his movements froze as he stared in disbelief at the altar below. After a long while, he said, “Uncle Eagle Demon! Look!”

Eagle Demon sat up quickly. At a glance, he was stunned as well and said, “Damn! Who the hell are those?”

Guo Shier felt a slight stir in his heart—he had already figured it out. Because he had come into contact with the spirit of the Giant Dragon, everything the Giant Dragon had experienced flooded into his mind. He knew the other party had been merciful and hadn’t destroyed the Giant Dragon. With a bitter smile, he said, “We’re in big trouble this time. It seems like all of them are experts from the inspection team!”

Both of them were worried, as they weren’t disciples of any high-level sects on the main continent. They couldn’t ask other trial participants for help, but if they encountered the inspection team, a little investigation would reveal their true identities.

As soon as the two stood up, someone reported them to Zhu Jiamao.

Zhu Jiamao and the Fiery Beauty flew into the air. A Grand Sage shouted, “Which sect are you two from? Come out! We mean no harm and won’t punish you. Your sect will be informed, and you’ll receive a great reward!”

Guo Shier couldn’t help but smile bitterly, and Eagle Demon also had a grim expression. They weren’t from the main continent, and if exposed, it would implicate the continent where the Chenxiao Sect was located. This would be a huge problem.

Eagle Demon whispered, “Shier, what should we do?”

Guo Shier replied with a bitter smile, “I don’t know either. We can’t even run away… We’re in trouble now. Ugh, how did they discover us so quickly?”

Zhu Jiamao looked at the two strangely and asked, “What are these two kids hesitating about?”

The Fiery Beauty said, “I don’t understand… It seems like they don’t want to come out.”

The Grand Sage asked, “Can the Soul Altar be shut down?”

Guo Shier whispered, “Let’s buy some time first…” Then he raised his head and shouted, “We can’t come out either! For some reason, we’re trapped everywhere!” Although he shouted loudly, his voice sounded like that of a mosquito buzzing.

Zhu Jiamao listened carefully and said, “They’re trapped inside.”

Guo Shier suddenly felt a stir in his heart. He noticed changes in the talisman gate within his life talisman ball—the coordinate left by Li Ran was actually flashing, which filled him with great joy. He now desperately hoped for some change so that he might have a chance to escape. “We must keep it going! Delay as long as possible!”