Eternal Heavenly Emperor

"Brother Chu, don't you know that we martial masters will only be transported to the outer region?" one person said with a smile.

Over such a long period, they naturally introduced themselves to each other, but it stopped there. If they found the Mother Root of the Gloomy Wind Vine, they would surely compete for it, so it was impossible to reveal their backgrounds.

Chu Hao smiled and said, "I truly didn't know that!"

"Our destination, the four high towers, is spread out in four directions, forming a square. This separates the area into inner and outer regions. We martial masters will only be transported to the outer part of the square, while Martial Sects are in the inner circle," the person explained.

Chu Hao nodded. No wonder there were no Martial Sects here. Otherwise, it wouldn't be such a coincidence.

However, if a Warrior came in, where would they be transported to?

Not to mention there are no Warriors under 25, Su Wanyue is even a War General!

Thinking of this, Chu Hao couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. There was no point in thinking about it since he was neither a Warrior nor a War General. Why care where they would appear?

Another half hour later, their group expanded to 21 people.

That was enough.

"Everyone, let's first clear all the Gloomy Wind Vines on the left side of this valley before we slowly search for the Mother Root. Before that, please work together sincerely and use your full strength to solve the battle quickly. How about it?" said the round and chubby guy.

His name was Tu Mingyuan, an outstanding disciple from the Ancient Bronze Manor of Jiangyue County.

Everyone nodded in agreement. If they all worked half-heartedly, how long would it take to clear these Gloomy Wind Vines? They only had a month. If they couldn't reach the high towers within a month, they would have to wait here for three years.

Who would carry three years' worth of food?

Moreover, although the Mother Root of the Gloomy Wind Vine was precious, it wasn't worth spending so much time on. The trial inside the high towers was what truly mattered, with treasures far more valuable.

But since they had encountered the Gloomy Wind Vines, they couldn't just pass them by. Getting them was good, but not worth spending too much time on.

"Let's go!"

They launched an attack on the mountain full of Gloomy Wind Vines.

These 21 people were all elites from one county, naturally very strong, sweeping through the vines and pulling them up one by one.

Though only revealing a fraction of their strength, Chu Hao could tell that aside from him and Qin Yulian, only the big fat man Tu Mingyuan might be of Nine Meridians, while the others were just at the peak of Eight Meridians.

It was difficult to break through to Nine Meridians. Tianhe County only lost to others in sect ranking, but not necessarily in the number of geniuses. Others might have dozens of spots, but not every one of them could be a Nine Meridians genius.

These bloodsucking plants were terrifyingly large, with each branch more than 200 meters long, and many fake roots in the ground that could grow branches. Hence finding the Mother Root was quite challenging.

At this time, they didn't bother looking for the Mother Root. They formed a line, advancing up the mountain and clearing all the Gloomy Wind Vines along the way.

Estimating roughly, one side of the valley likely had about ten Gloomy Wind Vines. Even if divided among 21 people, each could get nearly half a vine, which was quite good.

—How nourishing the Mother Root could be, and how much it could enhance their cultivation, depended on the age of the Gloomy Wind Vines. The older, the more precious.

They were all elites in their region, naturally competitive, showcasing their abilities. In this healthy competition, their "weeding" efficiency increased rapidly. In just half a day, they swept one side of the valley clean.

It was almost time to start harvesting.

"Everyone, whether you can get the Mother Root of the Gloomy Wind Vine depends on your luck!" Tu Mingyuan laughed heartily.

"Yes!" Everyone nodded. The cleared valley area was vast, and finding the deeply buried Mother Root would obviously take a lot of time.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

At this moment, three figures suddenly shot out from the valley. Seeing the Gloomy Wind Vines in this area mostly cleared, they couldn't help but laugh.

"Not bad luck, saved us some effort!"

"Judging by the size of the area, there are at least ten Gloomy Wind Vines here!"

"Each of us can get three vines. When we break through to Martial Sect, we might directly jump a meridian!"

Their voices were loud and clear, making Chu Hao and the others angry.

"We worked hard to clear this. Did you ask us if you want the Mother Root?" Tu Mingyuan flew over first. Although he was nearly spherical, his movement technique was very agile.

"You did well, but now you can leave!" one of the green-clad youths said indifferently.

"Otherwise, I wouldn't mind a massacre!" another purple-clad youth said, shaking his right hand to reveal a huge saber over two meters long, with an exaggerated design.

"No, since we encountered you, we might as well kill you all!" the last white-clad youth said, exuding killing intent.

"Fine, it's easier to deal with you all here together rather than hunt you down!" the purple-clad youth nodded.

Hearing this, Tu Mingyuan and the others were naturally more enraged. They had 21 people, yet these three guys talked about wiping them out. Where did they get such courage and confidence?

"Seven, set up the formation!" the green-clad youth nodded at the white-clad youth.

"Hehe!" the white-clad youth grinned, showing a sinister smile. He moved quickly, planting flags into the ground as he moved, seemingly haphazardly.

But as soon as he stopped, the effect became apparent.

Chu Hao and the others felt surrounded by a layer of mist, reducing their vision significantly.

A formation?

They instantly realized it. Chu Hao recalled when he got the Two Seven Flower Fruits and entered an ancient abandoned medicine field, similar to now.

Of course, the white-clad youth only planted some flags. The formation set up couldn't compare to a real grand formation.

"Everyone, be careful, try to stay together to avoid being split and defeated!" Tu Mingyuan shouted loudly, showing some leadership. He commanded, "Move forward together!"

As they started moving forward, someone asked, "Who are those three guys?"

"From their tone, they seem to be from the same sect?"

"I remember now. They are the Life-taking Three Talented from the Cleverness Sect of White Water County! Many geniuses have died at their hands, not fewer than You Zhiyuan!"

"Cleverness Sect!"

Everyone's faces changed slightly. The Cleverness Sect was a Fourth Grade sect, the strongest in the Middle Nine Counties. This meant the three from the Cleverness Sect could act unscrupulously, but they had to be careful.

Even if they managed to kill them, if the Cleverness Sect found out, it would be huge trouble.

Sixth Grade and Fifth Grade sects wouldn't dare to act rashly before a Fourth Grade sect, but Fourth Grade sects could. Their strength allowed them to. If they retaliated, their sect couldn't avoid it.

A genius versus the survival of a sect, which was more important?

So, either don't act or leave no loose ends.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Cold lights flashed as the Life-taking Three Talented attacked, creating confusion and splitting them up for easier elimination.

The group formed a defensive circle, moving forward.

But the Life-taking Three Talented wouldn't let them. They attacked suddenly from the mist, launching savage assaults.

Whoosh, a small red pellet suddenly flew out from the mist.

"Not good! That's an Annihilation Bomb from Cleverness Sect. Dodge!" someone shouted urgently.

Everyone quickly scattered, and the pellet hit the ground with a bang, bursting into flames and heatwaves. Fortunately, the timely warning let them escape, avoiding the blast.

But their formation was disrupted.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, several more pellets flew out, red, white, and blue.

"Don't touch them! Annihilation Bombs explode with the slightest Star Force disturbance. Just dodge!" someone reminded.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Some bombs released fire waves, others white frost, and some blue electricity, turning the scene chaotic. To dodge, their formation scattered further.

The key was, being a temporary group, they could work well in smooth conditions but fell apart in adversity. Who could trust each other?

—What if you stab me?

It was possible. Counties competed, and even within a county, sects vied fiercely. Killing a genius from another sect eliminated a future Warrior or War General or even a War King.

"Ah—" Soon, screams echoed. It was unclear if someone was wounded or dead.

No wonder the Life-taking Three Talented dared to attack over 20 people. They had some tricks!

Chu Hao thought, waving his longsword. Without others' interference, his combat power fully unleashed. He glanced at Qin Yulian beside him and smiled, "Miss Qin, it seems it's just the two of us teaming up again."

"Teaming up with Brother Chu, we can certainly cut through everything as long as we don't meet a Martial Sect!" Qin Yulian said confidently, showing no nervousness despite the situation.

Chu Hao nodded. The Life-taking Three Talented wasn't strong, but being from Cleverness Sect, they had many strange methods. Not Treasure Artifacts, but their destructiveness rivaled Treasure Artifacts.

"Still, without the mist clearing, we can't do anything!"

"Let's wait and see."

Both skilled and courageous, they remained calm.

"Ah!" "Ah!" "Ah!"

Screams continued as the Life-taking Three Talented killed more with their coordinated attacks, aided by the mist and Annihilation Bombs.