The personalities of this master and subordinate, man and fiend, really came from the same mold. After they realized she was going to Wan Ling Mountain, they made a huge fuss about it.
If she hadn’t stopped them in time, Xue Xue would’ve scratched the door into pieces.
Xue Xue seemed to be very upset about this and whined about it. Thus, Chu Liuyue spent a lot of effort to comfort it.
As for Rong Xiu…
Chu Liuyue’s ears went red, and she closed her eyes. How can there be someone so shameless on Earth?
“Liuyue, why are your ears red?” asked Mu Hongyu curiously.
Chu Liuyue immediately shook her head. “Nothing much. I came here in too much of a rush.”
Mu Hongyu nodded her head in understanding, and she wrinkled her nose. “Hmph, you knew we were setting off early in the morning. How can you come so late? If you didn’t make it on time, I wouldn’t have let you off.”
Mu Hongyu only calmed down after Chu Liuyue promised her that she would not do it ever again.
With Mu Hongyu’s introductions, Chu Liuyue met Liao Zhongshu, Cen Hu, and Gu Mingfeng, respectively.
Like what Mu Hongyu said, these few people were all stage-three warriors, especially Gu Mingfeng—his aura made it seem like he was about to break through to the next stage.
As the team leader, Mu Hongyu joined the queue to collect the items.
The person leading the teams this time was Sun Zhongyan. Under him were a few elders and more than ten teachers, all going with the students.
When everyone had gathered together, Sun Zhongyan—who was standing right in front—said, “Dear students, I believe everyone has been looking forward to this trip to Wan Ling Mountain. This time, I’ll lead the teams. Other than me, Tian Lu Academy has sent three elders, who will each be in charge of one cohort.”
“There are ten teachers under every elder, and each teacher is in charge of three teams. There’s a signal bottle amongst the items passed to you. If you meet with any danger, just pull it to activate it.”
Chu Liuyue looked down at the black bottle and saw two strings below it.
“Pulling one string means you’re asking a teacher for help. If you’re in danger, pull both strings! The elders will immediately locate your position and come and help you,” bellowed Sun Zhongyan clearly. “Do you hear me?”
“Yes!”
Sun Zhongyan paused, and his expression became more stern. “Wan Ling Mountain is a dangerous place, even more so when the Fiend Tidal happens. If you’re not careful, you might lose your life. Therefore, no matter how much you want a fiend you’re satisfied with, you must remember that safety is your priority.”
The crowd answered in unison, “I’ll remember your teachings!”
Sun Zhongyan then nodded in satisfaction. “Let’s go!”
…
There were too many people, and they could not float in the air, so they could only walk. It was good that the academy’s students were all of a certain caliber. Thus, they did not walk at a slow speed.
With the large number of students, the atmosphere was pretty lively, and the entire journey there was a pretty happy one.
Everyone’s topics obviously did not leave Wan Ling Mountain and the Fiend Tidal.
The senior brothers and senior sisters, who had participated before, would regularly talk about the situations they met with in the Fiend Tidals one or two years ago, attracting the freshmen’s attention.
“It would’ve been great if I became a stage-four warrior,” muttered Mu Hongyu as she walked. She had been working hard on her cultivation lately. She had even touched the barrier leading to the next stage, but she always lacked a little something for some reason.
Initially, she planned to choose a stronger fiend she was more satisfied with during the Fiend Tidal if she had successfully broken through to the next stage since her abilities would be greatly strengthened. However, it seemed like this was impossible.
“Hongyu, cultivation can’t be rushed,” reminded Liao Zhongshu kindly.
“I know, but who doesn’t want to break through? Don’t you want to as well?”
Liao Zhongshu did not argue with her and only shook his head.
Mu Hongyu sighed. “Why can’t I be like Liuyue? Even though she’s a stage-one warrior, she has the abilities of a stage-three warrior at least!”
Chu Liuyue smiled and did not say a word. I don’t want this either…
Mu Hongyu looked at Gu Mingfeng. “Oh, right. Weren’t you also going to break through? Why hasn’t it happened yet?”
Gu Mingfeng—who had kept quiet the whole time with his calm eyes—lightly said, “I guess the time hasn’t come yet.”
Chu Liuyue took another look at him in deep thought. Gu Mingfeng… doesn’t seem to be simple too…
A cold and sinister gaze suddenly landed on her.
Chu Liuyue’s eyes moved and coincidentally met with Chu Xianmin’s retracting gaze. The vengeance and hatred in Chu Xianmin’s pair of eyes had not subsided.
Chu Xianmin did not expect Chu Liuyue to be so sensitive and hurriedly turned away. This was a rare opportunity that she had gotten from the Crown Prince, so she must make use of it…
Chu Liuyue chuckled in her heart. Chu Xianmin really has not given up on her weird antics. Rong Jin did not come this time, so the matter’s seriousness is way over her expectations.
She did not know what the Imperial City would be like when she returned.
…
After two days of walking, the crowd finally reached the bottom of Wan Ling Mountain on the third morning.
When they looked up, the many mountains, with their beautiful curves, were covered in lush greenery. It was a beautiful sight to behold.
Chu Liuyue could already feel a weird aura coming from there.
Sun Zhongyan was still instructing the students in detail. “The Fiend Tidal will happen within these two days. Everyone, prepare yourselves and enter the mountains. Please remember to do what you can. Don’t barge into Wan Ling Mountain’s hinterland. You must leave Wan Ling Mountain three days later.”
“Yes!” The students answered with a louder resounding ‘yes’ when they reached the bottom of the mountains, which had a vastly different view.
All the teams went their separate ways, and their figures quickly disappeared into the forest.
“Let’s go too!” Mu Hongyu’s almond eyes sparkled with delight.
Chu Liuyue looked up. The tall mountains were like quiet, sleeping, ferocious fiends, which was unsettling. She took a deep breath in and suppressed her anxiety as she followed Mu Hongyu and the rest into the forest.
…
Wan Ling Mountain was very big, and Chu Liuyue and the others quickly separated from the other teams.
The surroundings became increasingly quiet, and they could only hear the leaves crackling under their feet.
The leaves swayed in the wind, and sunlight shone down brightly.
After walking for about two hours, Mu Hongyu finally could not help but ask, “Mr. Dongfang said that fiends would appear around the mountains when the Fiend Tidal comes. However, why haven’t we seen a single one after walking for so long?”
Chu Liuyue was about to say something when she suddenly felt a cold aura coming towards them. She sharpened her gaze and looked in a certain direction. “Get out of there!”
