Chapter 98: Dare to Ambush Us

The Peak!

Mulan Qingqing lowered her hands, which had been clasped behind her back in an old-fashioned manner. Turning to face her junior disciples, her face betrayed no expression as she asked in a colorless, emotionless tone, "How much do we have today?"

Yan Ji, who appeared rather mature for his age, replied, "After today's count, we have a total of thirty thousand two hundred and seventy Bug Crystals in our possession."

Mulan Qingqing said, "In other words, over seven thousand people have been busy for more than a month, and we don't even have one crystal per person."

Guan Yingjie, whose name matched his heroic and vigorous demeanor, said, "Sister, although that's true, the number we have should still be the highest among all the states."

Chao Zhilin, handsome and exuding confidence, said, "Sister, from what we've learned about the situation in other states, no other state has been able to gather such a large force as ours. So far, we haven't heard of any faction potentially having more Bug Crystals than us."

Mulan Qingqing stated, "The problem lies precisely in our massive influence. The various sects aren't helping us for free; we've made promises to everyone. Not only must our Su Yuan Sect take first place, but we must also exert ourselves to help other sects achieve second, third, and even up to tenth place.

The various sects joined us with hope. If we use everyone's strength to secure first place for Su Yuan Sect but then disregard the rewards for other sects, our Su Yuan Sect will lose credibility. We will be widely condemned in the future, harming our sect's reputation. As the foremost sect of Shenzhou, we must possess the demeanor and responsibility of a leading power. Achieving victory solely for ourselves is useless. If we win the championship but Xuanzhou fails to win the overall total, then our Su Yuan Sect will still have lost. Who among you can guarantee that Xuanzhou's current total will definitely secure first place?"

These words silenced the junior disciples. Indeed, no one could currently guarantee that their total would secure first place.

The reason they were able to unite so many sects this time was precisely because they had promised various sects to pool their strength to secure more rankings. The distribution of benefits for these rankings would be based on each sect's recognized contribution.

As for those who couldn't be allocated a share but still contributed, they would be considered friends in the future. At the very least, they wouldn't have to worry too much about their safety during this competition, as they would have the protection of the collective.

Upon hearing this, the various sects found it quite favorable, especially the stronger ones. They felt that even if they couldn't achieve first place, their chances of securing second or third place would be significantly higher.

This kind of cooperation was only possible due to the reputation and strength of Shenzhou's leading sect.

In other states, which sect would submit to another? Why should you be the leader? Why should my sect listen to you? If a leader showed even a slight bias towards their own sect, or if something seemed even slightly unreasonable, it would immediately make others feel like they were being sent to their deaths, causing an instant rebellion.

When facing trials of profit and survival, this problem persisted even if the Domain Lord had previously spoken to the sects and urged cooperation.

The sects that could gather some forces were those with existing friendships outside of the grand assembly. Even then, it was uncertain whether internal conflicts would arise in the end.

Therefore, Shi Chun, who looked like a serene handsome man, couldn't help but sigh softly at this moment. "Honestly, I don't quite understand the point of the Royal Court creating this kind of competition for the allocation within the Xun Gate. Don't they know many people will die? After this competition, I'm afraid many sects will turn against each other and harbor resentment, causing widespread unrest and endless trouble. What kind of person would come up with such a ridiculous idea?"

Mulan Qingqing replied, "The affairs of the Royal Court are not for people like us to comment on. The Royal Court naturally has its own considerations. What we need to do is focus on the present, give an account to ourselves, and give an account to the sects that are helping us. The rest is not for us to worry about."

Guan Yingjie, full of vigor, asked, "Sister, do you have a plan?"

Mulan Qingqing said, "Before, I only heard that Bug Crystals were hard to find. After arriving here, I realized just how difficult they are to locate—it's like searching for a needle in a haystack. I've been pondering a question: As the leading sect of Xuanzhou and also proclaimed the foremost sect of Shenzhou, can we accept it if we fail to win the championship in Xuanzhou?"

The seven junior disciples exchanged glances. The handsome and confident Chao Zhilin said, "Naturally, we cannot accept that; it would be a complete joke. People would mock us for a long time. Even the slightest misstep in the future would be brought up to ridicule us."

Mulan Qingqing continued, "Can those who claim to be the leading sects in other states accept not being the number one in their own state?"

Shi Chun, with his serene and handsome demeanor, said, "What can they do if they don't accept it?"

Yan Ji, who appeared mature, slowly said, "They might be driven to desperate measures."

The handsome and confident Chao Zhilin scoffed, "So what if they're driven to desperate measures? Are they going to try and steal from us?"

The mature Yan Ji asked, "Sister, do you mean they'll stop at nothing?"

The other disciples exchanged glances, as if to say, "So what if they stop at nothing? In the end, strength speaks for itself."

Mulan Qingqing said, "Our force is huge, yet after sweeping through for more than a month, we've only gained so little. The leading sects in other states are probably even more anxious. I'm thinking, if I were them, unable to find enough and unable to steal enough, what would I do? If there's hope for a comeback, would I take a desperate risk?"

The mature Yan Ji said thoughtfully, "Sister, are you referring to..."

Mulan Qingqing pointed, "The West Extremity Moon Sea."

The junior disciples were all startled, not by the place itself, but by what their Senior Sister meant by mentioning it.

Shi Chun, with his serene demeanor, also lost his composure. "Senior Sister, you're not planning to take everyone to the Moon Sea, are you? That place is marked as a forbidden area on the maps; it's very dangerous. Even 'mother-child talismans' lose their function inside, and even Heavenly Court personnel wouldn't dare enter without thorough preparation."

Mulan Qingqing said, "Would other factions take the risk? If someone ventures successfully and gains a massive harvest, isn't it possible they could instantly surpass the hard work of so many of us? My idea is to send a portion of our people to the Moon Sea. Not to enter, but to observe from a distance if anyone enters. And once we discover someone coming out, immediately organize an ambush to intercept and kill them!"

After hearing this, the junior disciples pondered, then all nodded in approval.

After they reached a consensus, they immediately went to gather the temporary group leaders for a discussion...

"Yang Ying, look, there's movement on the slope in the middle of that campsite."

Wu Jinliang, who was hidden on one side of a rock, observing in secret, suddenly called out softly. The two of them were taking turns observing.

Yang Ying, who was resting against a large rock, heard the call, flipped over, and lay prone on the other side of the rock to observe. He saw quite a few specks of golden sandalwood flame energy concentrating on the slope in the middle, flickering and shimmering, but he couldn't tell what they were doing.

After observing for a while, Wu Jinliang asked, "What if we make a move now? We could find out what's going on."

Yang Ying said, "Are you crazy? Just the two of us, running around aimlessly in the dead of night? That's asking for trouble. Wait, wait until daylight."

As soon as these words fell, both of them simultaneously turned their heads to look at each other. Then, they both reached out and pulled out half of a 'mother-child talisman' that was hot to the touch. On its metallic surface, faint, wavy, shadowy characters appeared: "Xiang Lan'er has left the group alone. If a meeting is needed, we can relay messages for you."

The other half of their mother-child talismans were with Bian Weiying, their team leader. If nothing unexpected happened, this should be a message from Bian Weiying.

The two of them were already accustomed to this; messages would arrive every now and then, seemingly testing if they could be contacted. Both of them would only read but never reply, playing dead.

From the very beginning, they hadn't been optimistic about this cooperation. They had already escaped, and there was no way they would go back.

This time was no different. After the characters disappeared, they put away their half-talismans. Wu Jinliang asked, "What does it mean that Xiang Lan'er left the group alone?"

Yang Ying replied, "What else could it mean? Either she couldn't stay any longer, or the demonic path side has taken action. Considering that they have demonic escorts, nothing bad should happen to them."

So they took turns resting and keeping watch, until before they knew it, dawn slowly broke.

When they could see people clearly from a slight distance, Yang Ying nudged Wu Jinliang's abdomen with his foot, gesturing for him to look in the direction he was pointing. "There's a hidden sentry behind that hillside. Let's go 'bump' into them. That bearded guy's group also circled into the camp from this direction, which means they've established a foothold there. Once we make a move, we should be able to draw them out. Come on, let's get to work."

He had already activated his left eye's special ability to observe beforehand, experiencing the toll that frequent use of his left eye took on his physical body's vital energy.

"Alright then." Wu Jinliang chuckled and reached for his broadsword.

The two of them crouched low and stood up together, then circled around, utilizing the terrain.

After pinpointing the ideal position to act, they suddenly emerged, pretending to know nothing, flitting around.

The outcome was predictable: one of their landings happened to be precisely in front of where the two hidden sentries were concealed.

The hidden sentries lying on the ground stared at the two men standing on the slope, one looking down, the other looking up, big eyes meeting small eyes.

There was no point in the sentries remaining hidden any longer; they immediately flashed up and jumped.

Wu Jinliang immediately roared in anger, "You curs, how dare you ambush us!"

His broadsword, like a bed board, swept forth with a furious gale.

The two sentries immediately dodged, but then saw another blade light strike. Yang Ying, not content to merely watch, had made his move.

As the two had expected, the cultivation of those sent out as hidden sentries was not high; like them, they were merely at the peak of the High Martial realm. Facing Yang Ying, who could contend directly with those at the Grand Completion realm with his Demonic Blade, how could they possibly withstand it? In just a few moves, they were beaten down on the spot.

Early in the morning, such a loud and resonant commotion from the fight instantly alarmed the camp, which was certainly not oblivious. A portion of the personnel flew over like a tide, and even Shi Chun, with his serene demeanor, was startled and came to see.

Yang Ying, who had beaten the two sentries until they coughed blood, paused with one foot on a sentry's body and his blade at the man's throat, poised to cut. He and Wu Jinliang looked up around them, only to see a large group of people descending with a rustle, instantly surrounding the two of them.

A sect leader, seeing his fellow disciples injured, immediately roared, "Stop! Who dares to cause trouble here?"

Yang Ying and Wu Jinliang were not flustered at all. They slowly surveyed their surroundings, looking for familiar faces.

With their psychological fortitude and a hostage in hand, they truly felt they had nothing to fear.

As expected, among the crowd was indeed the bearded man from Su Yuan Sect they had seen yesterday.

Yang Ying and Wu Jinliang were also easily recognizable; as long as Wu Jinliang was present, there would be no mistaking them. The bearded man from Su Yuan Sect was stunned when he saw it was them.

Yang Ying calmly replied, "The two of us were just passing by. We have no grudges or animosity with them, yet they dared to ambush us. I should be the one asking, who exactly is causing trouble here?"

Shi Chun, with his serene demeanor, was somewhat surprised that these two weren't flustered despite being surrounded by so many people. "No, we didn't ambush you! We were just hiding in wait for training. It's a misunderstanding on your part." The sentry with the blade at his throat immediately tried to explain, knowing his life was on the line.

At these words, the bearded man from Su Yuan Sect immediately stepped forward and called out to Yang Ying and Wu Jinliang, "Brothers, it's me! Do you still recognize me? This must be a misunderstanding."

Seeing this, Shi Chun asked, "You know him?" The bearded man immediately nodded, "We met yesterday. They are disciples from Youxia Mountain and also people of our Royal Court."