Deep in the dense forest, several disheveled figures stumbled towards the outskirts, blood flowing freely.

 

"Pant—pant—"

 

"Damn it, weren't Golden Elixir beasts supposed to be solitary? Why are there so many of them?" Song Hua complained as he ran.

 

"Who knows, is there any point discussing this now? Just run!"

 

"It's all your fault, we didn't have time to buy new directional teleportation talismans after using the last one, and you insisted on dragging us back into the forest!"

 

"Who could have predicted this? Ask these two bodyguards, have they ever seen Golden Elixir beasts acting in groups?"

 

"Could you four young masters stop arguing for a moment? Our priority is to reach the outskirts of the forest. We can discuss who's to blame after we're safe." The two bodyguards were drenched in sweat. They knew these young masters were difficult to serve. Last time they encountered an Elemental Infant Six-Tusked White Elephant, and this time they had somehow provoked several late-stage Golden Elixir beasts.

 

What kind of luck was this?

 

They had been bodyguards for many years and had never encountered such an outrageous situation. One of their companions had already been killed by the pursuing beasts.

 

"Roar—" Among the beasts chasing them was a one-eyed lone wolf, its eyes fierce and bloodthirsty. It was the one that had bitten a bodyguard to death.

 

The one-eyed lone wolf had red claws and moved as if it was flying on clouds, its speed was astonishing.

 

It howled and accelerated again, charging towards Song Hua and the others.

 

"Damn it, it's a Red Cloud Wolf. It must have been a former wolf king that was defeated and driven out by a new king!" Song Hua cursed.

 

Hearing Song Hua's curse, the one-eyed lone wolf's eyes grew colder. It pushed off with its hind legs, leaping high into the air, aiming for Song Hua's neck.

 

Song Hua turned his head and saw this scene, his face instantly turned pale, a look of despair on his face.

 

Just when he thought he was doomed, he heard the sound of a sword whistling through the air.

 

Hum—

 

The sound of the sword was short and powerful, containing an indescribable rhythm. Only a master swordsman could produce such a strike.

 

A sword thrust towards the one-eyed lone wolf, startling it into turning around.

 

The sword was too fast, and the wolf's reaction was too slow. It had no chance to dodge.

 

All it could do was open its bloody mouth wide and take the sword head-on.

 

The green sword clashed with the wolf's teeth, producing a piercing noise that made one's scalp tingle.

 

The one-eyed lone wolf's mouth was full of blood, and only half of its sharp teeth remained.

 

Lu Yang struck again, swinging his sword at the one-eyed lone wolf.

 

At the same time, three other figures engaged three other beasts.

 

Song Hua and the others were taken aback by these unexpected reinforcements. Should they help, continue running, or stay put?

 

They didn't have much time to think. The one-eyed wolf king's head flew off, dead beyond doubt.

 

Lu Yang sheathed his green sword, a few drops of wolf blood splattered on his face.

 

"Watch out, there's another beast in the sky!" Song Hua shouted.

 

Once reaching the Golden Elixir stage, one could fly. Song Hua and the others had planned to escape by flying, but there was a beast bird circling in the sky. Anyone who tried to fly would undoubtedly be targeted.

 

The beast bird noticed Lu Yang's presence, flapped its wings, and transformed into a shower of meteor arrows, charging towards Lu Yang.

 

Lu Yang had noticed the beast bird long ago. Without even looking up, he casually raised his green sword. His action was so casual, like stretching in the morning. The beast bird directly hit the tip of the green sword, its head pierced through.

 

"Are you okay?" Lu Yang asked with concern.

 

"Who are you…" Song Hua and the others were shocked. The realm Lu Yang showed was the late Foundation Establishment stage, but how could someone at the late Foundation Establishment stage kill a one-eyed lone wolf and a beast bird?

 

"Tsk, still one step slower than you." Meng Jingzhou killed a beast as he spoke, his fists covered in beast blood.

 

"Meng Jingzhou?" Song Hua's eyes widened, recognizing Meng Jingzhou.

 

"You are… Song Hua from the Song family?" Meng Jingzhou was somewhat uncertain, mainly because the other party was too disheveled, covered in dirt and grime, looking like a refugee who had run out from somewhere, completely different from the Song Hua he remembered.

 

Although the Song family was not as prominent as the Meng family, it was a well-known and respected family in the imperial city, living in luxury. The last time he saw Song Hua, he was singing and dancing on a flower boat, even better than the courtesans.

 

"Yes, it's me!" Song Hua didn't expect one of his rescuers to be Meng Jingzhou. He had heard that Meng Jingzhou had been missing for over a year and had not been seen.

 

However, judging from the Meng family's calm attitude, there was doubt about Meng Jingzhou's disappearance.

 

"He is Meng Jingzhou, the eldest young master of the Meng family?" The people behind Song Hua whispered in surprise. They were from the Song family's side branches and had never seen Meng Jingzhou.

 

"You've caused so much trouble, you can even meet enemies here?" Lu Yang was curious.

 

Meng Jingzhou rolled his eyes: "Not at all. Let me introduce, this is Song Hua, the third young master of the Song family in the imperial city. He's a few years older than me. We played together a few times when we were in the imperial city. They probably came to the forest for the same reason as us, for training. Of course, they might also be here to gain some glory.""Nice to meet you, I am Lu Yang from the Seek Tao Sect."

 

"The Seek Tao Sect?!" Song Hua exclaimed, but quickly regained his composure, and thanked with a fist, "So you are a fellow Daoist from the Seek Tao Sect, no wonder you have such skills."

 

Does this mean that Meng Jingzhou has been practicing in the Seek Tao Sect for over a year since he disappeared?

 

This is terrible. The Meng family is already a big trouble, and the Seek Tao Sect is an even bigger one. Meng Jingzhou has the background of both places, won't he be surrounded by enemies in the future?

 

Meng Jingzhou frowned, "Why do I feel like you're thinking about something very rude?"

 

"Not at all, not at all."

 

"We've also taken care of ours." Soon, Tao Yaoye and Man Gu had dealt with their respective beasts. Song Hua noticed that these two were also in the late stage of Foundation Establishment. After killing the beasts, their clothes were still intact.

 

Lu Yang and his team had been training in the dense forest for two months, during which they had only returned to the Demon Suppression Pass three times, spending the rest of the time honing their skills in the forest.

 

By now, ordinary beasts in the late Golden Elixir stage no longer posed a threat to them.

 

"Young Master Song, tell us, what kind of outrageous thing have you done to have several Golden Elixir stage beasts chasing you?" Meng Jingzhou asked lazily.

 

Song Hua was not Man Gu, who had the bloodline of the ancient barbarian tribe and naturally attracted hatred. It was one thing to provoke one or two Golden Elixir stage beasts, but how could he have five beasts chasing him at the same time?

 

Song Hua and the others could only smile bitterly, "We really don't know what happened. We just went deeper than usual, thinking about killing more high-quality Golden Elixir stage beasts to have a good explanation when we go back."

 

"It's strange indeed. There should be more Golden Elixir stage beasts deeper in the forest, but we didn't encounter any for a long time. When we did, you saw what happened. Five appeared all at once, and one of our bodyguards was even swallowed alive."

 

"Fortunately, you helped us. Otherwise, I'm afraid I would have died in the forest today." Song Hua felt a sense of luck after surviving a disaster. After this ordeal, he decided to return to his family by flying boat once he got back to the Demon Suppression Pass.

 

The gains from this trip were enough to report back to his family, there was no need to take any more risks.

 

Lu Yang and the others exchanged glances. Something unknown must have happened deeper in the forest.

 

(End of Chapter)