Chapter 683: Forced to Take Action

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

On the first day of their patrol, there were no problems.

The absence of disciples from the Heavenly Joy Pavilion in their group put Jiang Hao at ease. Otherwise, he would need to remain vigilant at all times, which was quite troublesome.

However, it wouldn’t take long for others to find out that he was outside the sect.

Someone was bound to come looking for him. The influence left behind by Senior Brother Qian Chen was even greater than he had expected.

He had thought that killing Senior Brother Qian Chen would resolve the issues, but it turned out that killing him would have been in vain.

“I can take the first watch,” Jiang Hao said.

The others had no objections.

So, Jiang Hao moved to a more remote location, while the rest of the team meditated in hiding. They didn’t light a fire to avoid being detected.

Suddenly, a light appeared. It emanated from the short-haired woman.

Jiang Hao frowned because this place was outside the sect. The light could compromise their location.

Once someone notices it, they might approach their group.

Jiang Hao walked to her, and Yu Dehong followed suit.

“Junior Sister, may I ask why there is such a conspicuous light here?” Yu Dehong asked.

The woman was from the Ice Moon Valley, and she was fairly young.

“It’s my magical treasure. It helps me enter a state of meditation and enhances my cultivation,” Ximen Ling said.

“Is that the Cleansing Dust Bell? I’ve heard that it can indeed enhance your cultivation, but you should be able to conceal the light. Have you tried that? After all, the light is too conspicuous. If someone notices it, they might approach us and put us at risk. It would also disturb your meditation,” said Yu Dehong kindly.

Jiang Hao could tell that the main purpose of this treasure was the emitted light, which also had functions like warding off insects and dust, as well as creating a pleasant fragrance. Its effect on meditation was minimal.

Ximen Ling glanced at Yu Dehong. With a reluctant nod, she put the magical treasure away. Jiang Hao stepped back and returned to his original position to keep watch.

During the midnight shift, Yu Dehong took over the watch.

“Senior Brother.”

“Thank you, Junior Brother, you’ve worked hard.”

Yu Dehong felt helpless. “I hope you don’t overthink this, Junior Brother. We are all fellow sect members, and it’s normal to have differences due to our different backgrounds.”

“I understand, and I admire you for being so patient, Senior Brother,” Jiang Hao said politely.

He could tell that this senior had some unique abilities.

“We may have to be on this mission for several more days, so be careful, Junior Brother,” Yu Dehong said to him.

Jiang Hao nodded.

After that, he returned to the group.

As soon as he arrived, he saw Ximen Ling take out a sachet. While the fragrance was faint, it was still distinctive. Jiang Hao glanced at Yu Dehong. He had noticed it too.

This time, Yu Dehong didn’t say anything but set up a barrier to prevent the scent from spreading, which resolved the issue.

Jiang Hao had to admit that if someone else led this team, it might have already led to conflicts.

It wasn’t easy to manage people in such circ.u.mstances. If Yu Dehong had been prideful with a powerful technique, it would have been an entirely different story.

The night went by peacefully.

During this time, Jiang Hao had gathered some information about his companions.

Yu Dehong was from the Flowing Waterfall.

Ximen Ling was from the Ice Moon Valley.

Lu Wen was from the Thunder Fire Peak.

Ning Shuang was from the Misty Cloud Peak.

“Let’s go. This time, we will be investigating the western area. It’s difficult to communicate with other sect members in this area, so we must be very careful,” Yu Dehong said.

Jiang Hao saw that Ximen Ling and Lu Wen seemed somewhat disdainful of this senior’s approach.

‘If anything happens, it’ll be because of these two…’

Jiang Hao didn’t underestimate Ning Shuang either. She appeared obedient and meek, but no one knew what she might be thinking.

Last night, he had appraised Yu Dehong and found no issues with him. He was a decent senior.

He hadn’t appraised the other three. He wanted to save his ability in case they ran into some other danger. The Daily Appraisal ability always came in handy, so he couldn’t waste it.

After waiting for some time, Jiang Hao frowned. He waited a bit longer. “Senior Brother Yu.”

Yu Dehong’s heart sank as he looked at Jiang Hao.

Jiang Hao pointed to the left. After a careful scan, Yu Dehong did indeed sense something.

He then looked at Jiang Hao in surprise. Jiang Hao had sensed it even earlier than he had.

Soon after, a figure entered their line of sight.

“Peak of Foundation Establishment Realm?!” Lu Wen exclaimed.

It appeared that the person was middle-aged, with torn clothes and some injuries. It seemed like they had fled to this location.

“We can capture this person and see if they have any information,” Ximen Ling said.

“Wait… This person is a bit unusual. You should Imow that this route is close to the sect, so why would anyone take this path? Why would they do it in such a noticeable way? There’s a possibility that he’s leading us into a trap. We should observe first. Be cautious and suppress your auras,” Yu Dehong said.

Jiang Hao nodded in agreement. He could see that the person seemed to be at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm but was really at the late stage of the Golden Core Realm.

“What do you all think?” Lu Wen looked at Jiang Hao and Ning Shuang.

“I think Senior Brother Yu’s a.s.sessment is correct. This person must be concealing their true cultivation realm,” Jiang Hao said.

Ning Shuang looked around. “I agree. Let’s listen to Senior Brother Yu.”

Since Jiang Hao and Ning Shuang both agreed with Senior Brother Yu’s suggestion, the other two had no choice.

In the afternoon, Jiang Hao and the others kept their eyes on the stranger.

The person leaned against a rock. When he saw no one around, he removed his defensive robe and began inspecting his injuries. He even set his magical treasures aside.

Lu Wen and Ximen Ling didn’t hesitate. Even if the person had concealed their cultivation realm, they believed that at such a close range, they could successfully ambush him.

Yu Dehong tried to intervene, but it was too late.

Jiang Hao had a bad feeling about this.

Lu Wen and Ximen Ling’s swords quickly closed in on the Foundation Establishment cultivator’s back. Just as they thought they were about to succeed, the person turned around and smiled.

“I finally see you.”

At the same time, his aura rapidly ascended to the late stage of the Golden Core Realm.

“Late stage?!” The two attackers tried to retreat, but it was too late.

Even Yu Dehong was astonished.

“Jumor Brotner Jlang and Jumor Sister Ning, you b0tn run and nide. I’ll try my best to stop him. If I can’t handle it, I’ll try to catch up with you later,” said Yu Dehong and rushed forward to provide support.

With one cultivator at the late stage of the Golden Core Realm and two at the middle stage, they should have been able to handle one opponent at the late stage, but…

Jiang Hao looked into the distance. Just as he had expected, it was an ambush.

Other people were coming to a.s.sist the enemy.

Should they flee or not?

The two at the middle stage of the Golden Core Realm weren’t worth saving, but he felt that Senior Brother Yu was decent.

With a sigh, Jiang Hao gave up on escaping.

He took a step forward. He used the Thousand Demonic Tones Technique.

At that moment, the Golden Core cultivator’s palm struck Lu Wen and Ximen Ling.

Boom!

A powerful force struck them and injured them severely.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, Yu Dehong appeared to engage in the fight.

When he saw an opening, he launched a lethal attack. As long as he came into contact with the opponent’s defense, he could quickly close in for direct combat.

However, the opponent seemed to have seen through his plan and dispersed his defense. He narrowly avoided the attack.

Ye Dehong thought that this opponent was highly skilled and had great courage. It was impressive that this person had dared to disperse their defenses.

But just as the opponent felt that he could win, he heard a voice devoid of emotion.

“Demonic Sound Slash.”

Boom!

The demon sound surged, and then, a longsword appeared near the Golden Core cultivator’s neck. It moved with the speed of thunder and severed his neck.

Swish!

It was quick, precise, and ruthless.

Yu Dehong and the others watched as the enemy’s head separated from his body, and Jiang Hao’s figure came into view.

He held the longsword and appeared aloof.

The scene sent shivers down their spines.

Jiang Hao ignored the Golden Core opponent and turned to look at them. “Go quickly! Maybe you can still make it!”

It was too late now. Their reinforcements were arriving.

After taking their storage treasure, Jiang Hao immediately left.

Yu Dehong also rushed ahead with his team.

Jiang Hao had sensed the danger faster than any of them. So, if he said there was more danger, no one disputed it.

However, the sword strike just now was so stunning that it remained etched in their minds for a long time.

The person before them seemed even more remarkable than they had

antic.i.p.ated..