Elder Wan Zheng and Elder Bo Yan were aghast when they looked in the direction Elder Shu Yu was pointing.
One mountain peak stood tall and majestically among the undulating mountains. It wasn’t any different from any other peak, but it stood out at this moment with the dark clouds gathered above to form a large vortex that almost seemed connected to it. Not to mention that the howling winds seemed capable of destroying the peak at any moment.
Fiends could be seen everywhere further down the peak. Some were creeping on the side of the rocks, some were standing atop the tree branches, and some were hiding in the ravines. In short, the peak was surrounded by fiends of all sorts.
At a glance, the fiends at the outermost ring were of the ninth grade, which was the lowest grade there. The ones at the innermost ring, on the other hand, were all legendary fiends. The power of one legendary fiend was extraordinary enough, what more a group of them. And they were all looking at the mountain in the middle with cold, greedy, and murderous eyes.
The air seemed to be frozen, and the sight of the numerous fiends could make one’s hair stand on end. In fact, just one glance from afar was stifling enough.
Both Elder Wan Zheng and Elder Bo Yan were appalled, having never expected to see such a scene.
“T-this…” Elder Wan Zheng’s lips grew pale. “Where’s Chu Yue?”
Elder Shu Yu gulped with much difficulty as he pointed in a certain direction. “H-He’s inside that mountain cave…”
Actually, it was easy for anyone to guess Chu Yue’s location based on this situation, let alone the two elders with vast experience. But they simply refused to believe the truth, for it was far too alarming and worrying.
“Why is he there? No, that’s not right… Is he doing okay?” Elder Wan Zheng unconsciously tightened his grip on Elder Shu Yu’s wrist.
Knowing that the former was worried, Elder Shu Yu hurriedly assured him. “Don’t worry. He’s fine for now!”
His words, however, weren’t able to put Elder Wan Zheng’s mind at ease. Even if he’s fine for now, there’s no telling what might happen next since he’s surrounded by formidable enemies.
Elder Bo Yan was a bit calmer in comparison. A flicker of doubt appeared in his eyes after he carefully scanned the surroundings. “Is Chu Yue preparing for a breakthrough?”
There was only one situation that could trigger the current situation.
Elder Shu Yu nodded.
“Isn’t he just an intermediate stage-seven warrior? Even if he’s going to break through, there shouldn’t be so much commotion…”
“No, it’s not so simple.” Elder Shu Yu took a deep breath. “He’s going to break through to the eighth stage in one go!”
Elder Wan Zheng instinctively looked at him with a frown. “How’s that possible?!”
Elder Shu Yu kept quiet and looked at him helplessly. Do I have to lie about this?
“Shu Yu is right. Based on the amount of Heaven and Earth Force here, it’s true that he’s not trying to make it to the advanced stage. In my opinion, this situation will only occur when one is trying to break through to become a stage-nine warrior.” Elder Bo Yan was filled with remorse as he looked at the numerous fiends surrounding the mountain. “It’s my fault. This is happening because I failed to make things clear to Chu Yue…”
“No, I’m the one who failed my duties.” Elder Wan Zheng rubbed his face hard. I told him a lot of things while we were on the way here that day, but I forgot to tell him about this. How could I have forgotten to mention the most important point when I knew that he was a gifted child?!
Elder Bo Yan patted his shoulder in consolation. “Since things have already happened, let’s not blame ourselves for now. Our priority should be rescuing Chu Yue.”
As it hadn’t been long since Chu Yue became an intermediate stage-seven warrior, nobody expected him to break through so soon again. And the thing was that he was aiming to reach the eighth stage. Everything happened so suddenly that it caught the elders off-guard.
“Rescue him? How are we going to do that?” Elder Wan Zheng looked worried. Although those fiends are usually reasonable, the situation is unique now. They won’t listen to us since they’re currently blinded by impulse and greed. It’s also impossible for us to use force. Even if we joined forces, we might not be able to beat them.
When Elder Shu Yu noticed the worried looks on the other two, he added, “Things may still turn around. Chu Yue isn’t alone right now. Can you see what’s in the middle of the mountain?”
The two looked in the direction he was referring to.
“Is that… a steel-ridged fiend?” The corners of Elder Wan Zheng’s eyes twitched.
“That’s right, but that steel-ridged fiend isn’t trying to attack Chu Yue. On the contrary… it’s guarding him.”
As soon as Elder Shu Yu said that, Elder Bo Yan and Elder Wan Zheng looked at him weirdly.
Elder Shu Yu laughed wryly at that. “It’s true…”
Just then, a roar filled with grief and despair could be heard coming from nearby.
Everyone looked over, only to see two fiends fighting at the top of the mountain. No, to be precise, it was actually a one-sided fight.
A golden-cloud leopard with a brown body and golden spots was currently madly attacking a dying steel-ridged fiend lying in a pool of blood. Most of the steel needles on its back had been broken, and it was injured almost everywhere with the majority of its wounds caused by the golden-cloud leopard.
“That’s the steel-ridged fiend’s cub,” Elder Shu Yu said with a resigned sigh. “The mother chose to remain in front of the cave to save Chu Yue instead of going down to save its cub.”
