Even if Shen Qubing really was a new face, with his temperant, he couldn’t pull off a job like that.
As for Lei Jun and Xiao Xueting, it was even more impossible, their portraits had already spread across the world, and they were common sights in the Southern Wilderness.
"Master Lei ca along to help, it’d be wrong to put you at risk, so you can stay behind and cover for us, mainly it’ll be and Xiao Shen going down."
Xiao Xueting ran her palm along her ivory-white chin,
"We’ll do it like this, Xiao Shen walks openly in front, I’ll watch over you from the shadows, that way, we won’t scare off the big fish so easily."
"..." Lei Jun leaned back slightly, eyeing her up and down.
*The first thing she said was warm enough, but hearing the second part—it sounded more and more off.*
*She wanted soone from the Middle Three Heavens to charge out in the open, and she—a cultivator at the Upper Three Heavens—to hide in the dark?*
*Miss, how did such cold words co from such a warm mouth?*
*With that innocent-looking face, how could her plans be so ruthless?*
*Usually, she seed pretty normal, never saw her as this... no, scratch that, never noticed she was this careful, almost exactly how I’d imagined things going at first.*
Alright, to be fair, Xiao Xueting’s plan wasn’t exactly making Shen Qubing cannon fodder on purpose, she genuinely had technical reasons for it.
Martial Arts practitioners refined their essence, energy, and spirit into their flesh, making them extrely sensitive to external danger and killing intent, sotis even more so than many who specialized in cultivating the Spiritual Soul.
But they weren’t strongest when it ca to active exploration and perception.
That’s why Xiao Xueting made this suggestion.
Of course, on the flip side, when a Martial Arts practitioner’s vital energy was entirely locked inside and kept hidden, as long as they wanted to remain low-profile, it was very hard for other cultivators to detect or sense them.
She grew solemn, seriously discussing with Lei Jun and Shen Qubing, "Xiao Shen, keep your guard up, little waves like this you’ll need to handle by yourself."
Shen Qubing himself looked eager to jump in, "Got it, Xueting Sis—just watch !"
Lei Jun said, "Since we’re working together, I’ll be going down too, hope you both can look out for ."
The Star Dragon Abyss was a huge valley, shrouded in misty fog, shimring with dots of light like stars swirling through it.
The depths of the valley varied, its terrain complicated, with mountain streams, flat and dry riverbeds, waterfalls and deep pools, jagged boulders crisscrossed everywhere.
The entire inside of the abyss was cloaked in fog as well.
Such terrain was pretty common across the Southern Wilderness Lands, and each one had its own set of mysteries.
From what Xiao Xueting had gathered, this place was once like a giant lake, its depths unfathomable, but over ti, the waters dried up, leaving just what remained now.
Lei Jun’s trio descended into the Abyss Valley, moving forward through the thick fog.
Shen Qubing took the lead, right at the front.
He had grown up in the army, trained as a scout, and as he moved, his body hidden away, every technique was precise and proper—a convincing display, really.
But with his personality, who knew when he’d suddenly burst out, so Lei Jun silently kept close behind, ntally prepared, expecting him to switch from sneaking to a frontal charge at any mont.
Xiao Xueting, on the other hand, vanished after a couple of turns, flickering through the misty Star Dragon Abyss. Soon even Lei Jun had trouble tracking her movents.
*He felt a chill inside, this General Xiao was really a stealth expert.*
*Even with the difference in realms, her ability to disappear this fast ant she was the real deal.*
Lei Jun instantly rembered her original, world-famous feat: suddenly vanishing from the East Sea battlefield, appearing thousands of miles away in the Land of Wu and Yue, and ambushing the fleeing Prince Wu, forcing him to die resentful on the spot, unable even to escape.
"Taoist Wang... this way please..."
A voice suddenly called out from up ahead.
Lei Jun drew his presence in, took out the Divine Eye Mirror Stone, and quietly peeked ahead.
Through its view, he saw a middle-aged Confucian scholar, leading a Taoist dressed in white shirt and black robe, walking through the abyss.
The Taoist’s outfit was clearly the standard Taoist Robe of the Pure Yang Palace, the Holy Land of the Taoist Dan Ding Sect.
But seeing the Taoist’s face made Lei Jun pause for a mont.
He looked about forty, with an immortal aura, handso as polished jade, sharp-eyed and lively.
Lei Jun had seen his portrait before, rembered the man was called Wang Jingfang—a Pure Yang Palace cultivator, but with one catch: "forr."
Years ago, Wang Jingfang had been expelled from Pure Yang Palace, proclaid traitor and wanted across the world, but he’d managed to escape into the Southern Wilderness and went dark.
Never thought he’d link up with remnants of the forr dynasty now.
Lei Jun put away the Divine Eye Mirror Stone, stopping his observation.
That staring presence made Wang Jingfang clearly feel sothing, sweeping his gaze all around, but he couldn’t imdiately pinpoint where the uneasy feeling was coming from.
The middle-aged scholar beside him asked, "Taoist Wang?"
Wang Jingfang replied, "Are any of your lookouts posted nearby? I had a feeling soone was watching us just now..."
The scholar said, "There are so sentinels posted, it’s a troubling ti right now, we’re about to move out and relocate elsewhere, so pardon us if the arrangents aren’t perfect, Taoist Wang."
Wang Jingfang nodded slightly, "That explains it."
The scholar said, "Taoist Wang, your cultivation is truly impressive!"
*He thought, we’ve been hiding out here in the Southern Wilderness for years, barely connecting with the outside world. I’d long heard that the Taoist Dan Ding Sect cultivates both the flawless Human Great Elixir and the Yang God Nascent Soul, making their minds extrely alert and perception keen. Seeing it now, it’s true—Wang Jingfang might be a traitor to Pure Yang Palace, but he definitely has its True Inheritance.*
The scholar and Taoist faded from view, but they had already pointed out the way for Lei Jun and the others.
Lei Jun moved quietly, and along the way he found several enemy sentry posts.
He didn’t alarm any of them, just kept following the direction Wang Jingfang and the scholar had gone, deeper into Star Dragon Abyss.
After a while, Lei Jun suddenly felt a twitch in his heart.
He noticed his Supre Pure Golden Bamboo stirring ever so slightly.
Lei Jun took out the shoot-shaped Supre Pure Golden Bamboo—the tip thick, bottom thin—and saw faint golden light flickering over its surface.
He focused intently. The golden glimrs seed to manifest as phantom branches and leaves, like tender new bamboo sprouting out.
*Wow, you didn’t see that every day. Did the opportunity here have sothing to do with my bamboo shoot...?* Lei Jun raised his eyebrow.
*Well, thanks a lot—I’ve been waiting for a chance to change my style anyway.*
Lei Jun put the Supre Pure Golden Bamboo away and continued forward through the Abyss.
After a while, he paused.
Ahead, there seed to be an invisible barrier blocking the way.
Not only did Lei Jun stop, but Shen Qubing up ahead also waited patiently, not making a move.
Who knew how much ti passed—then, the barrier rippled like water, and peeled itself away.
Lei Jun and Shen Qubing both looked over and saw a bunch of people coming out, carrying loads of things.
Clearly, it looked like they were moving out.
*They were abandoning the place and shifting elsewhere... Lei Jun instantly realized.*
*No wonder the new best lot had a "within three days" ti limit. After that, even if the whole group of remnants hadn’t finished moving out, the chance here would probably be gone.*
As Lei Jun was considering this, he spotted a figure in the distance, darting in while the forr dynasty’s remnants went in and out, instantly rushing through the open barrier.
The one making such a split-second move was, of course, Shen Qubing.
The timing was spot-on, but doing this ant his stealth was definitely blown.
Shouts and curses, along with alarms, exploded over there imdiately.
*It was kind of funny, but the kid was just ruthless—three moves and he knocked the mob flat.*
The enemy’s arrangents kept everything smooth—trouble in one spot didn’t shake the rest—but soon, ergency signals kept flying in, and they had no choice but to pull defenders from all around.
Lei Jun watched as the way ahead cleared out perfectly.
*Oops, sorry—now I get why General Xiao enjoys this...* Lei Jun shook his head and breezed through the barrier, arriving at the forr dynasty’s stronghold in Star Dragon Abyss.
He climbed a stone outcrop for a view, and saw chaos in the valley below—people and horses in disarray, a nimble figure darting here and there, never standing still.
Wang Jingfang, whom he’d seen enter earlier with the scholar, ca out of the eting room now with his face calm while the scholar’s was ashen. Wang Jingfang looked into the crowd, spotting Shen Qubing weaving through like a flying dragon, and said, "I told you, soone was sneaking behind us—that proves it!"
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