“The Ji family’s forces are stationed across various points along the thirty-thousand-li line. Two thousand li to the left rear, a team of over ten is led by the Ninth Layer Martial Emperor. Apart from that Ninth Layer Martial Emperor, the rest of the dozen or so rotate in shifts.”
The elder replied, “As for the Ji family headquarters, it is hundreds of millions of li from here. Even using teleportation arrays, it would probably take two or three months to reach.”
The other middle-aged man and the three youths were somewhat surprised.
These young people possessed such high cultivation, yet they knew nothing of the Ji family?
And why were they asking these questions?
Were they afraid of getting caught up in it and planning to flee through a weaker position?
At this, Zi Ling and the others were also taken aback.
Travelling across hundreds of millions of li gave a sense of how vast Zhongzhou was and how immense the Ji family’s influence must be.
Fortunately, the headquarters was far away. Even by teleportation array it took months, preventing the Ji family from easily sending reinforcements at any time.
At that moment, a burning gleam appeared in Ling Hu’s eyes. He pressed further, “What are the cultivations in that team of over ten?”
“We are not entirely sure.”
The elder shook his head.
“And you?”
Zi Ling turned to the other four, causing their hearts to tremble.
Though they were not under mind control and no spiritual force enveloped them now, the opponent’s spiritual power was so overwhelming that it could claim their lives at any moment.
Their elder might also fall under control.
If they resisted, death was certain.
If they did not answer truthfully, they might be directly controlled.
But they genuinely did not know.
They had rushed here at full speed to gather information. They had no qualification to approach the Ji family teams.
The middle-aged man and two youths shook their heads.
The remaining youth said, “We do not know, but on the way I saw a Ji family youth returning. Perhaps this time it is a youth-led team.”
Ling Hu’s eyes lit up. He glanced around at the nine and said, “Shall we go and take a look? If it really is like that, we can sweep them aside.”
The hearts of the Wen family members jolted. Sweep aside the Ji family?
Just who were these people?
Did they truly possess the strength to contend with a Ninth Layer Martial Emperor with just their group?
“They must be joking.”
The four thought to themselves.
The villagers fell silent, finding it hard to believe.
After all, the nine were all young. Sweeping aside a Ninth Layer Martial Emperor was nearly impossible.
Lu Chuyou and the others did not respond to Ling Hu, but the same thought showed in their eyes.
After two years in the forbidden sea region, they were no longer the youths they once were.
Both battle experience and mindset had undergone earth-shaking changes.
Naturally, they had also grown fiercely resolute.
Without directly addressing Ling Hu’s suggestion, Zi Ling asked the five again, “What kind of experts do the various forces under Ji family control possess?”
“The strongest is Spirit Phoenix Valley, with early to mid-grade seventh-rank spirit controllers arriving. The other three valleys have mid-tier Martial Emperors, plus several Seventh and Eighth Layer Martial Emperors assisting…” The Fifth Layer Martial Lord elder gave a rough overview of the major and minor forces.
This caused the group to frown once more.
The forces mobilised by the Ji family were that strong. Combined, how massive would the entire contingent be?
Yet there was one advantage: they were spread along the thirty-thousand-li line, not gathered together.
Otherwise, it would be a vast army of experts.
“How vast is Zhongzhou? What forces exist…” Zi Ling continued inquiring, asking everything they wished to know one by one.
The elder answered in detail about the Zhongzhou continent, the major forces in the nine provinces, the powers in Yangzhou, and so on.
The remaining four from the Wen family were astonished. These people knew nothing even of the Zhongzhou continent. Where had they come from?
In the end, they concluded the group must have arrived from the sea region.
“We have answered everything you wished to know. May we leave now?”
At that point, the middle-aged man spoke to Zi Ling.
In his view, the spirit controller was clearly the strongest and held leadership.
“What do you think?”
Ling Hu grinned, taking two steps towards the kneeling elder at the front.
“W-What do you intend?”
The middle-aged man’s expression darkened. The other three also paled.
Whoosh.
A powerful Fifth Layer Martial Emperor aura surged from Ling Hu. His body turned crimson.
Then came the sounds of clothing tearing and flesh splitting. His right arm began to swell, the skin cracking open, with traces of blood seeping from the fissures.
Finally, under the shocked gazes of all, Ling Hu’s arm transformed into a massive beast claw.
In that moment, Ling Hu seemed like a ferocious beast, his body radiating a fierce, domineering, primordial aura.
Within that aura lingered a dark, terrifying undertone.
“Wha… What?”
The five from the Wen family shuddered violently, their faces filled with horror.
Fifth Layer Martial Emperor realm. This youth was actually a Fifth Layer Martial Emperor powerhouse. They had never imagined his strength reached such a level.
Moreover, his arm could undergo beast transformation. They could not tell whether it was a spirit beast taking human form or a beast claw grafted onto him.
The watching villagers behind were equally stunned, their minds struggling to process it.
A Fifth Layer Martial Lord had already shocked them greatly.
Then came a spirit controller capable of subduing a Fifth Layer Martial Lord.
Now, a Fifth Layer Martial Emperor had appeared.
This utterly exceeded their wildest imagination.
The village chief sweated profusely. Truly, something momentous was unfolding today.
“W-What do you want?
Do not act rashly. We are backed by the Ji family. If you dare touch us, the Ji family will never let you go.”
One Wen family Martial Venerable youth said in terror.
Pfft.
At that, they saw the youth extend his beast claw, piercing into the Fifth Layer Martial Lord elder’s body, then beginning to devour frantically.
In no time, the Fifth Layer Martial Lord’s blood was drained dry. He perished in fear.
“Run.”
The middle-aged man and three youths fled in panic.
Yet Ling Hu moved like the wind, instantly reaching the middle-aged man. The beast claw pierced his body and began devouring.
The remaining three youths were flung back one after another by spiritual force.
“No, do not kill us…” The three youths cried out.
Pfft.
Pfft.
Pfft.
What answered them was the blood-draining beast claw, successively draining their blood dry.
Only after devouring the blood of all five did Ling Hu’s arm revert. To him, the five were fine nourishment.
Behind, the villagers all revealed looks of terror, viewing Ling Hu as a demon.
“What about these people behind us?”
Sheng Li spoke up then.
“The Ji family is too powerful. If this matter leaks, we may be in danger later.”
Lu Chuyou added.
“Young heroes, spare us. We will never speak a word of today’s events.”
The village chief panicked, hurriedly kneeling to beg for mercy.
“Spare us.”
The villagers all knelt and pleaded.
“We are not ones who slaughter the innocent. We absolutely cannot do such a thing.”
Zi Ling shook her head.
“A thirty-thousand-li sweep, with spirit controllers involved. It cannot be concealed. The Ji family has Martial Saints. If we leave them alive, perhaps…” Li Luo said with some concern.
