Lin Xiao and Chao Rong’er found a remote corner, healed their wounds, and recovered for a day. Only then did they set off, following the map to the place Li Hao had mentioned.
It took several days before Lin Xiao and Chao Rong’er finally flew close to that location.
From afar, it was a massive valley spanning hundreds of miles in circumference. But when they truly approached a mountain peak before the valley, Lin Xiao was startled to discover that hundreds or even thousands of people had already gathered inside and outside the valley.
Some of those people stood in the void, some on the mountain peaks, and some had landed inside the valley, searching everywhere for something.
Yet, it seemed no one had found anything. Everyone’s faces carried expressions of doubt.
Seeing these figures, Lin Xiao could not help but frown.
He had not expected that the place Chao Rong’er mentioned would attract so many people.
He thought only the two of them knew about it. Clearly, it was not some valuable secret; a casual inquiry might reveal it.
Of course, with so many people here, the information Li Hao discovered seemed genuine.
However, Lin Xiao’s wanted poster had already spread to the Qiu Lu Mountains. These people probably all knew about it. If any of them attacked him for the reward, it would mean another round of trouble.
Among these people, Lin Xiao spotted forces from the four valleys. Apart from Ling Huang Valley, the other three valleys had all arrived.
Of course, they were just young disciples.
Even so, standing in the crowd, they were extremely conspicuous. Everyone wore the attire of their respective valleys, making those around them wary and unwilling to approach.
The young people from the three valleys stood in positions close to each other. There were three teams: one with seven people, and two with over a dozen each. All were led by a youth in his late twenties.
The leading youths all exuded the aura of Martial Emperors.
Remarkably, all three had reached the third-level Martial Emperor realm, true geniuses among Martial Emperors.
In the Pan Long Valley group, Lin Xiao also spotted Yu Huai Lu’s figure. At this moment, Yu Huai Lu’s body actually emanated a first-level Martial Emperor aura.
Yu Huai Lu, who had previously been only a ninth-level Martial Lord, had stepped into the Martial Emperor realm in such a short time.
Besides him, there were fully over a dozen others radiating Martial Emperor auras. Among those Martial Emperors, the highest cultivation had reached the fifth level.
At the same time, various voices successively entered Lin Xiao’s ears.
“I do not know who spread the rumour that a great opportunity would appear here. We have waited several days, and not even a single hair has been seen!”
“Could it be a rumour gone wrong, tricking us all here?”
“The information should be real. Otherwise, why would so many people come? Even the Martial Emperor geniuses from Pan Long Valley, Yun Xing Valley, and Tian Sha Valley are here.”
“In my view, rather than waiting here for days, it would be better to join the hunt for Lin Xiao. I heard that several days ago, Lin Xiao appeared in a valley in the Qiu Lu Mountains. He should still be inside the Qiu Lu Mountains.”
“But I also heard that Lin Xiao killed that group of people. Remember, there were many Martial Emperor powerhouses among them. Without a large force acting together, they probably could not even match Lin Xiao. Now, those powerhouses are all here. If we go alone, forget finding him; even if we did, it would just mean death!”
“That makes sense. I heard that Elder Wu Ding, the seventh-grade mid-level spirit controller from Ling Huang Valley, has entered the Qiu Lu Mountains. I wonder if he has tracked him nearby.”
“He probably has not reached this area yet. Otherwise, he would surely be here too.”
…
Hearing these voices, Lin Xiao frowned again. These people had indeed received the wanted notice from Ling Huang Valley for him.
Moreover, the seventh-grade mid-level spirit controller from Ling Huang Valley was very likely also in the Qiu Lu Mountains.
Even with his Purple Corpse Puppet capable of fighting five or six-level Martial Emperors, and his own strength not far behind, Lin Xiao still felt some trepidation against a seventh-grade mid-level spirit controller.
After all, seventh-grade mid-level spirit controllers had many tricks up their sleeves.
Furthermore, if encountered, it would probably not just be Wu Ding acting against him.
While Lin Xiao’s gaze swept over the crowd, weighing his options inwardly, two elders on a nearby mountain peak, one first-level Martial Emperor and one second-level, suddenly looked towards him.
“Rong’er!” The two Martial Emperor elders exclaimed in surprise. Then, the second-level Martial Emperor elder shouted in a somewhat icy tone, “Lin Xiao!”
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
As if stimulated by something, the moment those words rang out, everyone’s gazes turned sharply towards Lin Xiao and Chao Rong’er.
Upon seeing Lin Xiao’s face, everyone’s pupils dilated. Greed flashed in their eyes, and a barrage of voices erupted one after another. The entire scene nearly exploded into chaos.
“Lin Xiao! It is Lin Xiao! He dares to show up here!”
“He is courting death. So many people are hunting him, yet he comes to join the fun!”
“The one beside him is the daughter of the Chao family. In this region, the Chao family’s influence is not weak. Rumour has it they have some backing. Could it be that Lin Xiao has been bouncing around freely in the Qiu Lu Mountains because the Chao family is protecting him?”…
Some gazes involuntarily turned towards Chao Rong’er, then to the two Martial Emperor elders from the Chao family.
Seeing Chao Rong’er with Lin Xiao, the two Chao family Martial Emperors already looked extremely surprised and worried. Now, hearing suspicions that their family was sheltering Lin Xiao, their expressions turned utterly grim.
They had come on orders from the third elder to protect Chao Rong’er and kill Li Hao.
Upon hearing this news, they had rushed straight here, leaving several Martial Lords to provide protection and carry out the killing.
They never imagined that Li Hao would target Chao Rong’er.
The position of the two was towards the outskirts of the Qiu Lu Mountains, with several ninth-level Martial Lords for protection. Chao Rong’er should not face much danger.
Killing Li Hao should also be more than sufficient.
But recently, news had come that someone spotted Lin Xiao, and that Chao Rong’er was with him. They had been somewhat disbelieving.
Now, to top it off, Chao Rong’er and Lin Xiao had appeared together here.
They did not know the family’s stance on Lin Xiao. Hearing the wanted notice from Ling Huang Valley, they were naturally tempted as well and absolutely dared not shelter Lin Xiao to offend Ling Huang Valley.
Thus, hearing the murmurs of suspicion from the shadows, the two felt both anxious and furious.
“Rong’er, why are you with Lin Xiao?” The second-level Martial Emperor elder from the Chao family asked in extreme surprise.
This also served as an explanation to the crowd. The words made it clear that they had no contact with Lin Xiao, no sheltering at all.
At this moment, everyone watched Chao Rong’er intently, eager for an answer from her lips.
The people from the three valleys did not care much about the Chao family’s face, but the others did. After all, the Chao family was not someone they could easily offend.
