บท 93: Escape at the Right Moment

Throughout the Lotus Mountain Range, one fierce battle after another continued to unfold. The initial nearly ten thousand Spirit Sea Realm true disciples were significantly reduced each day.

Hundreds and thousands of bodies lay scattered across the mountain range, devoured by various beasts, leaving only remnants.

On the second day, a narrow-eyed, sharp-faced youth cautiously moved through the forest, frequently glancing in all directions, ready for any potential threats.

His left arm was tightly bandaged with a cloth, and faint traces of dark red blood were visible on it.

"There are too many formidable opponents in the competition!"

"Although my arm injury isn't severe, I still ended up on the losing side when fighting against peers of the same level. It seems I need to find a place to hide and recuperate, taking advantage of the situation."

At that moment, the youth's eyes lit up.

He noticed behind a thicket, there seemed to be a cave entrance, nearly the height of a person.

With a long sword in hand, the youth carefully approached the cave entrance, first peering inside through the gaps in the thicket.

"There's someone inside!"

The youth was initially startled, but then he became delighted.

"Surprisingly, it's a young man. Looks like I've made another find!"

Suddenly, he swung his sword, sending a sharp sword aura diagonally into the cave.

The sword aura almost filled the entire width of the cave, leaving the young man inside with almost no room to dodge. Nevertheless, the youth remained vigilant.

He swung his sword twice in succession, sending two sword auras into the cave one after the other.

As a senior true disciple who had experienced the previous Grand Martial Assembly, his strength might not be top-tier, but his cautious nature had allowed him to outlast many others.

The youth began to reveal a faint smile.

In the next moment, three sword auras predictably struck the young man inside the cave.

However, to the youth's astonishment, all three sword auras disintegrated, and the young man, who had been sitting cross-legged seemingly in meditation, remained unscathed.

"How is this possible?!"

The youth was shaken to his core.

At this point, the sudden attack had awakened the young man, and he opened his eyes, revealing an indifferent expression.

This young man was none other than Jiang Heng.

Indeed, he had been immersed in his meditation and was unaware of the approaching threat until the sword aura struck his body.

His gaze fell upon the youth at the cave entrance.

"Run!"

Without hesitation, the youth turned and transformed into a streak of light, darting away into the distance.

Jiang Heng stood up.

The cave was barely the height of one person, and the uneven ground inside made it impossible to display his full agility. After rushing out of the cave, he activated his footwork technique and chased after the youth.

His god-tier footwork was indeed incredibly powerful, compensating for his significant cultivation disadvantage, making him stronger than the vast majority of true disciples.

And the fleeing youth was among that majority.

In just a few moments, Jiang Heng caught up to him. The terrified youth, with a single punch, was sent flying and crashed into a row of large trees.

Following another punch that decisively dealt with him, Jiang Heng searched his belongings and found three message talismans and several types of elixirs.

Jiang Heng took out the message talismans and Qi Gathering Pills, discarding the rest.

"Alas! There are still too many people in the mountain range. It's impossible to focus on cultivation in peace."

Jiang Heng sighed inwardly.

At present, his potential points were just enough to reach six million. Several primary techniques had not yet reached the upgrade threshold.

"Oh well, I'll think about it in a few days! There's no rush."

Jiang Heng refocused his attention and decided to start hunting in the mountain range.

With his deceptive youthful appearance and a casual attitude, Jiang Heng didn't need to actively search for prey. He simply wandered around the mountain range, drawing one "hunter" after another to him.

Of course, these "hunters" eventually contributed their message talismans to Jiang Heng.

By the third day, there were noticeably fewer people in the mountain range, or perhaps everyone had become more cautious.

Because everyone knew that those who had survived until this point were either skilled at escaping or exceptionally powerful, not to be taken lightly.

Just when Jiang Heng was lamenting the decrease in prey, he faintly heard a very subtle sound of footsteps.

Without any intention of hiding, he swiftly moved towards the direction from which the sound came.

The person in the distance had also sensed his approach. Leaping from the forest, they stood on a tall tree branch, taking advantage of a broader field of view. There, they immediately spotted Jiang Heng's figure and came forward to meet him.

"Jiang junior brother, you're still alive?"

The newcomer was Senior Luo.

He looked at Jiang Heng, who was unharmed, with some surprise. He instinctively asked and then quickly shifted the topic, "You must have been hiding somewhere for two days, right?"

"If there's a good hiding place, there's no need to come out. It's better to stay hidden until the end of the trial; that way, you can also contribute eleven points to the sect."

Seeing a fellow sect member, Jiang Heng stopped in his tracks and smiled.

"I hid for one day, but I was discovered and had to kill the person."

Senior Luo hadn't given it much thought at first, but now he realized that Jiang Heng had killed other Spirit Sea Realm disciples. He spoke in a low voice, "Okay, how about you follow me from now on? It's too dangerous to be on your own."

Jiang Heng pondered for a moment.

If he had a fellow sect member to watch over him, he could probably cultivate in peace for some time. However, he suspected that Senior Luo wouldn't want to waste that time.

Moreover, in the eyes of others, he was just a junior in the Congenital Realm, taking advantage of the first round to gather points. He would never obey Senior Luo's orders.

Suddenly, Jiang Heng's mouth curved upward.

He nodded and said, "All right!"

Then he turned to look in a certain direction and said, "However, we need to deal with those little chicks that are hiding first!"

In this world, strength was paramount.

Only by showing Senior Luo his formidable strength could Jiang Heng hope for compliance with his arrangements.

Now, these people who had come to him offered him the opportunity to demonstrate his power.

The moment Jiang Heng finished speaking, three figures rapidly flew in their direction, spreading out to surround the two.

"I didn't expect to have the honor of meeting the renowned dragon among the hidden, Jiang Heng, from the Hidden Dragon List today. Truly a great privilege!"

One of them, a long-haired handsome young man, had a mocking smile as he gazed at Jiang Heng.

All three of them were wearing the attire of the Sword Sect, and they were all true disciples of the Sword Sect.

Senior Luo's expression turned serious. He stood beside Jiang Heng and whispered, "The situation doesn't look good. Facing three people at once, I don't have much confidence, but I'll do my best to keep them occupied. You seize the opportunity to escape and immediately crush the distress talisman."

Jiang Heng contemplated for a moment.

With fellow sect members, he might have a chance to cultivate in peace for a while. However, he suspected that Senior Luo wouldn't want to waste that time.

Most importantly, in the eyes of others, he was just a junior in the Congenital Realm taking advantage of the first round to gather points. He would never obey Senior Luo's orders.