Chapter 398: Chapter 399: Scoring Twice, Flesh Mountain Strikes Back

“`

“Hiss!”

“So that’s what this was all about!”

Elder Ji and the Dry Flame Saint Child were both shocked. Even without Xiong Da stating it explicitly, they could infer his identity based on the information they now controlled.

Among the young prodigies, there were only three of them: Yang Chen and Ling Feng possessed genuine Transcendence Tribulation Stage cultivation levels, while only Li Xiaobai seemed utterly devoid of any cultivation.

Previously, they had assumed that the other was using some kind of cultivation technique to conceal his aura, intending to hide his strength, but now it seemed more likely that his cultivation was so high that they couldn’t sense anything at all.

Aside from his arrogance and recklessness, that young prodigy hadn’t left any other significant impression on them before.

They had not expected that he was actually an elder in disguise and had even fooled the ancient ancestors of Central Province. His cultivation level was probably not something ordinary Great Crossing Realm Cultivators could compare with.

“There’s no need for Lord Xiong to be coy. We can roughly guess his identity. That being said, when he carelessly dropped the Immortal Spirit Daily that day, did he intentionally want us to see the writing on it?”

“Was his goal to lure us to the place where Black Flame was, and then wipe us out in one fell swoop?”

The Dry Flame Saint Child recalled the events of that day and couldn’t help but shudder; he had not anticipated that within that black flame, there lurked a supreme powerhouse lying in wait for him.

“That’s probably the case,”

“Although I don’t know the extent of his strength, it seems he has always been gathering nourishment for that black flame. I heard him refer to cultivators as ‘nourishment,’ and I think he might be an elder of the Demon Path who doesn’t show himself, disguising himself.”

“Only that could explain how he has managed to escape from the elders each time and why the ancient ancestors of Central Province have not been able to capture him.”

Xiong Da nodded somberly as he spoke; he did not mention Li Xiaobai’s name, thus not breaking his Daoist oath.

“Why would such a dangerous individual come to the borderlands? What exactly is his purpose?”

Elder Ji also showed a look of astonishment, with fear flickering in his eyes. That night, the four Saint Heirs, along with four Protectors, were forcibly controlled and thrust into the flames, kneeling helplessly on the ground. They had no power to resist against those unknown tactics.

If it hadn’t been for Mei Changqing’s timely arrival and intervention, they might have all been buried in those pitch-black flames by now.

At the time, he had only touched the tip of a sword, assuming that the flame was being emitted from a demon sword; little did they know that at the other end of that sword tip stood a person.

Just the thought of it was chilling.

“I don’t know the answer to that. However, as far as I am aware, Yang Guang and Cai Kunxu have already been subdued by him.”

“The sudden disappearance of the flames in the third battlefield this time is, I believe, likely connected to him.”

Xiong Da felt this was a thorny issue; facing a supreme powerhouse who could make him kneel with a mere wave of his hand, there was no chance of winning a direct confrontation.

If he were to question the matter, he would likely reveal the fact that he had allied himself with Fire Qilin Cave, and given that he hadn’t made contact with them for many days, the other party must have grown suspicious of him.

The fate of betraying such a powerful individual didn’t bear thinking about; he could well imagine that he would die a gruesome death.

“Ultimately, we still need to inquire. The disappearance of the flames is no trivial matter. Going to ask about it is only reasonable. Lord Xiong need not be too panicked. If possible, it’d be best to get that elder to make a move, using the flames to seal off the battlefield once more and to stop the onslaught of Flesh Mountain!”

Elder Ji’s eyes gleamed with an unusual light, as he began to coax persuasively.

“`

Deceiving Xiong Da was as easy as picking something up effortlessly; it was far too simple.

In his eyes, the only value Xiong Da had was to be exploited. What he coveted was not the other’s cultivation level, but his connections and the power of his subordinates.

The time had come for him to use his own identity; if the battlefield were blocked by the black flames, they could then fully concentrate on eliminating the other Saint Heirs.

“Yes, Elder Ji makes sense. The matter of the flames was indeed caused by Li Xiaobai, and he must be well aware of the situation on the battlefield. Now that the flames have suddenly disappeared and Flesh Mountain is attacking on a large scale, Lord Xiong would appear guilty if he didn’t report back to him.”

The Dry Flame Saint Child also nodded and spoke slowly.

Xiong Da was left stupefied by what the two said; he felt that what Elder Ji and the Saint Child said was not unreasonable. Indeed, for such a major event, he would seem guilty if he kept it from them.

He really should go and understand the situation from that senior, and in the best case, he might even get him to release another blaze on the third battlefield, stopping Flesh Mountain’s invasion.

Just as he was about to say something, the voice of a scout reporting came from outside the hall again.

“Report, a large number of Flesh Mountains have surged into the third battlefield, our cultivators were caught off guard, with heavy casualties, we ask the City Lord to make a decision soon!”

“What did you say?”

“What’s the situation, come in and speak!”

Upon hearing this, Xiong Da’s face twitched, and his eyelids fluttered wildly; he had a bad premonition.

Elder Ji and the Dry Flame Saint Child also had expressions of shock and doubt, not understanding what the reporting cultivator meant. Hadn’t they just taken action to clear the battlefield? What remained should have been just some cleaning up.

“Didn’t Elder Ji and I just defeat Flesh Mountain? What do you mean there are heavy casualties among the cultivators?”

Xiong Da stared intently at the scout in front of him, whose half-body was already dyed red with blood—clearly someone who had just fought his way out of the battlefield.

“Lord, you and the Elder of Fire Qilin Cave did indeed eliminate the invading Flesh Mountain, leaving none behind, but shortly after you left, even more Flesh Mountains appeared on the battlefield. Although those that could rival the Great Crossing Realm didn’t emerge, an immense number equivalent to the Transcendance Tribulation Stage did.”

“Our cultivators, caught completely off guard, almost all fell victim, becoming delirious and turning on one another. The number of casualties is now feared to have reached more than half!”

The scout’s breath was rapid, his chest heaving erratically as he spoke urgently.

“What should we do now? Please, make a decision quickly!”

“I…”

Xiong Da was utterly confounded; he couldn’t understand how Flesh Mountain could refill the battlefield so rapidly.

Based on past experiences, the movements of Flesh Mountain were not swift. For Flesh Mountain from the depths of the frontier to appear on the battlefield would take at least half a month, so what was happening today? How could it be so fast?

It was only about half an hour, wasn’t it?

“There’s no time to explain, the lives of the frontier cultivators are critical. Lord Xiong, shall I join you on the battlefield once more?”

Elder Ji said solemnly from one side. Since there were no Flesh Mountains comparable to the Mahayana Realm, there was nothing to fear. This was a good opportunity to do a favor; having gone to the battlefield twice in one day, Xiong Da would surely be indebted to him.

It would make making requests in the future much more convenient.