Chapter 1779: Chapter 397:
If the Demonic Lord Qing Shi remains there, and if the Chaos Qi appears elsewhere, and I find the Chaos Qi before she does, wouldn’t I be able to collect the Chaos Qi first?
No, that’s not right.
Cao Zhen thought and shook his head. Things shouldn’t be as simple as he imagined. Since the Demonic Lord Qing Shi has set up so many surveillance points and actively released the information, she must be confident that others cannot get the Chaos Qi before her.
She must have a backup plan, so I must be cautious.
Cao Zhen observed the Demonic Lord Qing Shi for a while longer and found that she was simply staying on the mountaintop, receiving all sorts of information, and then he no longer paid her attention, instead seeking out his disciples.
His disciples still need to converge.
Actually, it’s relatively easy for Bei Yan and Duo Duo to converge, since they are both at the Four Sha River. Even though each river is vast with countless tributaries, knowing they’re in the same river makes it much simpler to find each other.
No matter how many tributaries there are, just find the largest mainstream, then both sides head upstream to meet each other.
However, Ling Xi and Yan Yourong are on another river, and they still don’t know the distance between them.
It’s a matter of slow exploration.
The Four Sha River is named so because the feng shui here creates a force of four sha.
Bei Yan pointed to a river in front of them and exclaimed, "This river is much wider than the tributaries we saw before, and the water is so rapid. This must be the mainstream of the river. Previously, Shifu told us to head upstream along the river, so let’s go!"
Qiao Jingyao and Yi Sheng didn’t have objections either, they also believed this was the main stream of the Four Sha River!
However, Linghu Gudu remained silent, continuously staring at his compass.
Yi Sheng glanced at his junior brother but said nothing more. Ever since they entered this perilous place, Linghu Gudu had taken out a compass, claiming it could ward off evil and attract fortune.
She just didn’t feel the compass could do that.
When they could no longer unleash celestial energy, she expected Linghu Gudu to put the compass away, but he merely switched to a non-celestial energy version.
As they traveled, Linghu Gudu’s expression grew increasingly grave.
"Wait a moment..."
Linghu Gudu suddenly spoke, interrupting everyone: "The needle of my compass is pointing in a direction, and the tail of the needle is oscillating wildly. This happens only in one situation, and that is when danger lies ahead—extreme danger. We should stop."
In such a situation, it also implies a treasure might be ahead.
And it would be a significant treasure.
But he wasn’t quite assured with the strength of the four of them.
If Xiang Ziyu or Ruo Yun were present, he might dare move forward. However, among them, Bei Yan was the strongest, and even he was unreliable, so Linghu Gudu really didn’t want to venture further.
"Stop?" Yi Sheng frowned and said, "Shifu instructed us to go upstream in the mainstream. Duo Duo and the others must also be doing the same. Only by doing so can we meet them."
"But there truly is danger ahead." Linghu Gudu looked at the three and explained, "You have to believe me. Before I joined the Hundred Peaks Sect, I once traveled with my master and others. We encountered a similar situation and continued forward, only to face the Prince of the Qi Tian Dynasty. Even my master nearly died in battle.
The danger ahead is real and lethal. I believe we should wait."
"Even if it’s true, we must continue forward." At the side, Qiao Jingyao suddenly spoke. She had always been unique, not even a disciple of the Four Treasures Peak or really of the Hundred Peaks Sect, but she was familiar with the lineage of the Four Treasures Peak, especially having a particularly close relationship with Yi Sheng—they had sworn brotherhood.
Additionally, everyone was aware of her relationship with Bei Yan. Previously, many joked about whether they could attend their future Daoist partner ceremony and enjoy their wedding wine.
Thus, she often acted with those from the Four Treasures Peak.
Yet, after hearing Linghu Gudu’s words, she had to speak up: "Perhaps Duo Duo and the others have already reached the source and are waiting for us.
If there truly is danger, wouldn’t they be in danger?
So, we must continue forward."
"Jing Yao is right; we can’t ignore Junior Sister Duo Duo and the others. Let’s keep moving forward." Bei Yan initially wanted to slow down upon hearing about the danger, but after Qiao Jingyao’s reminder, he quickened his pace to catch up ahead.
"It makes sense, but we should also be cautious of the danger while advancing."
Linghu Gudu had no choice but to continue following the group forward.
As they traveled towards the upstream, the river beside them grew increasingly turbulent and surging.
Eventually, they reached the source.
The rushing waters surged down from a high mountain as if pouring from the celestial heavens above, providing a visual impact.
"This must be the source, right?" Bei Yan looked around and exclaimed, seeing no danger here.
"Indeed, I don’t see any danger here either," Yi Sheng glanced around, genuinely unable to identify any threats here.