Ti passed, second by second. Qin Fan, hidden in the shadows, had not shown himself from beginning to end. Fortunately, the dead silence over the Qiantang River remained unchanged. However, the mbers of the Guardian Institute grew increasingly tense as ti went on. The sudden gurgling sound from earlier had seized everyone’s heart.
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH!
Amid the growing tension of the Guardian Institute mbers, the sound of a helicopter suddenly filled the sky. Instinctively, everyone looked up at the ard helicopter rapidly approaching with its flickering lights.
"They’re here!"
"They’re finally here!"
Without exception, everyone murmured to themselves, breathing a sigh of relief. For them, besides Hua Xiaotian, these reinforcents were their only hope.
The helicopter did not linger in the air. As soon as it ca into the view of the Guardian Institute mbers, it imdiately dove toward the riverbank. The airflow from the high-speed propellers whipped everything along the riverbank into disarray. Finally, it landed smoothly with a screech.
"What’s the current situation?" As the cabin door opened, an old man with the air of an immortal Daoist master sprang nimbly from the aircraft. He walked briskly toward a few Guardian Institute mbers by the riverbank and asked quickly.
"An hour ago, a strange gurgling sound ca from beneath the river," a mber of the Guardian Institute reported. "The soundwaves were very broad and strong, but they only lasted for a few seconds before everything fell silent again. Apart from that, nothing else abnormal has occurred!"
"A strange gurgling sound that was broad and strong?" Hearing this, the old man’s white eyebrows furrowed deeply.
"Master Chen, let’s not rush things," a man who had run down from the helicopter quickly interjected. "We should make a decision after the other Masters and Master Hua arrive. What do you think?"
"Alright." After a mont of thought, Master Chen gazed at the eerily silent river and replied gravely. He then took out a handful of glutinous rice that had been soaked in black dog’s blood.
Just as he was about to throw it, a Guardian Institute mber saw him and quickly shouted, "Master Chen, don’t!"
"Hmph?" Frowning, Master Chen turned his head with a puzzled and displeased grunt.
"Master Chen, the widespread gurgling from the river earlier is proof that an unknown creature is down there!" the Guardian Institute mber explained with alarm. "If you act rashly and provoke it, what will we do? We don’t have the confidence to handle it before the other Masters and Master Hua arrive!"
At the sa ti, he began to question the wisdom of whoever had invited this old man.
"Ahem!" Hearing this, Master Chen cleared his throat in embarrassnt. But after so many years in the turbulent Martial World, he wasn’t so proud that he couldn’t admit a mistake. "My apologies," he said awkwardly. "I’m getting old, and my thinking has beco muddled. I only ant to test the waters with this Dog Blood Sticky Rice. Thankfully, you reminded , or I might have caused a disaster!"
What the hell? Test the waters with Dog Blood Sticky Rice? That creature is a sapient being that has evolved over hundreds of years. Did he think a handful of rice soaked in dog’s blood could test it? Does he really mistake it for so common wandering soul or malevolent spirit? Hidden in the shadows, Qin Fan sneered and shook his head.
"It’s alright, Master Chen. Let’s rest for a bit. The other Masters and Master Hua should be here soon!"
Just as the Guardian Institute mber finished speaking, the sound of ard helicopters once again filled the sky. Several helicopters surrounded the bank of the Qiantang River from all directions, descending rapidly. The cabin doors opened in unison.
Several titans of the Magic World, including Lai Zhuge, appeared with solemn expressions.
"Lai Shenxiang!"
"Immortal Master Ge!"
"Wu Xiang!"
"Old Zhou!"
They were all from the sa circle. Although they rarely t throughout the year, they were no strangers to one another. After disembarking, the titans of the Magic World all greeted each other. Once the pleasantries were over, no one wasted any more words. They all strode briskly toward the riverbank in unison.
"Master Chen! You arrived before us. Have you discovered anything?" Lai Zhuge asked directly.
"Lai Shenxiang, other than sensing an imbalance in the Yin Yang Magnetic Field, I can’t see much more," Master Chen replied. "I think we’ll need to go out onto the river itself to get a better look."
"Mm." He nodded slightly. Without needing any tools, Lai Zhuge knew the Yin Yang imbalance of the Qiantang River was extrely severe. Rather than calling it a river of dead water, it would be more accurate to call it a river of Yin water. Based on his perception of Yin and Yang energies, the Qiantang River was in an extrely cold, Yin-heavy state.
As for those who had fallen into the river, whose fates were previously unknown, Lai Zhuge was now almost certain they had no chance of survival. In this Yin water, let alone an ordinary person, even a Dark Energy Martial Artist would be in grave danger. After all, the environnt underwater was completely different from that on land.
"Is everyone here?" Lai Zhuge asked the Guardian Institute mbers after a soft hum.
"Lai Shenxiang, we are still waiting for two more Masters and Master Hua," one of them answered.
As he finished speaking, the lights of two more helicopters appeared in the sky. In a rapid whir, the two helicopters ca into view in the blink of an eye. Seemingly racing against ti, they began their diagonal descent from a distance. Accompanied by the roar of their propellers, the helicopters landed so hard that their skids scraped along the ground, sending up a shower of sparks with a deafening shriek!
At the sa ti, a black figure flashed forward, almost one with the night.
"Master Hua! It’s Master Hua! Master Hua is here!" a Guardian Institute mber exclaid excitedly, having caught a glimpse of the fleeting figure from afar.
Following his shout, everyone looked in that direction. They saw a ghostly, blurred figure close the distance in just a few breaths, and Hua Xiaotian’s solemn, rigid face soon ca into view.
The sprinting figure halted. "Is everyone here?" Hua Xiaotian asked bluntly, catching his breath.
"Master Hua, everyone has arrived!" a man, one of Hua Xiaotian’s confidants, quickly ca to his side and replied.
"Good!" He nodded, wasting no more ti. Hua Xiaotian strode up to Lai Zhuge and the other leaders of the Magic World. "Gentlen," he began, "I won’t waste ti with pleasantries. You all understand the situation and the stakes. We don’t have much ti. This matter must be resolved before dawn, or the consequences will be unimaginable. Let’s discuss a plan. Every field has its own experts. When it cos to the entity beneath the river, our Guardian Institute cannot afford to be reckless, and that includes . That is why I’ve invited you all here—to work together and figure out how to seize the initiative!"
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