Lin Xiao also looked suspiciously toward the seventy or eighty people on the array platform. There were only about twenty elders. If Tianji Holy Land’s Martial Saint was hidden among them, it had to be one of those twenty.
Especially the few who appeared extremely aged.
Yet the fact that this Martial Saint could conceal themselves so perfectly under his probing, leaving him unable to guess their identity at all, was proof enough of their formidable strength.
“Snort!”
At that moment, a terrifying Martial Saint pressure suddenly swept out from among the seventy or eighty figures, enveloping everyone present.
The oppressive might made every person there feel their hearts tremble.
Tianji Holy Land truly had a Martial Saint concealed within, they had not deceived them.
“It’s him?”
Lin Xiao’s gaze settled on one elder dressed in plain pale-red robes.
That elder had many wrinkles on his face, but he looked no different from the others, so much so that Lin Xiao had not suspected him at first.
However, the pressure had erupted and withdrawn too quickly, the control exquisite. Apart from Lin Xiao, probably no one else present could pinpoint exactly who had released it.
“Tianji Holy Land has indeed sent a Martial Saint, but who is it?
Did you manage to detect anything?”
As expected, Ge Jiuwei’s puzzled divine-sense voice reached Lin Xiao’s ears.
“I’m not entirely certain either.”
Lin Xiao replied via divine sense.
He had no need to reveal the extent of his own strength.
Moreover, he still did not know whether Ge Jiuwei was friend or foe.
“Whoever it is, we must not lightly oppose Tianji Holy Land for now. Let us go over.”
Ge Jiuwei said.
Lin Xiao nodded, understanding Ge Jiuwei’s meaning. It was not simply about opposition.
When treasure appeared, greed would flare. If anything valuable was discovered, killing and robbing Tianji Holy Land’s people would be perfectly normal.
With their doubts dispelled, the crowd flew onto the array platform. Lin Xiao and Ge Jiuwei joined them.
“Good luck to you all!”
Once everyone had entered the platform, the red-robed elder stood at the edge and activated the teleportation array. A brilliant light enveloped them all.
Then an indescribable force tugged at them, pulling them instantly into a spatial tunnel.
Surrounded by that strange power, no one dared even breathe loudly. They travelled cautiously through the tunnel.
After several days, a spatial gate appeared ahead. Everyone burst out of the tunnel.
The bright sunlight was piercing. Even Lin Xiao needed a moment to adjust.
“Everyone, Cold Demon Ridge lies tens of thousands of li ahead. With so many of us travelling together, we will surely draw attention.”
At this point, an ancient-looking grey-robed elder stepped forward from the Tianji Holy Land group. “We will now divide into teams, proceeding separately with at least a thousand li between us. Each Tianji Holy Land elder leading a team possesses a map of Blood Sect strongholds. Upon reaching Cold Demon Ridge, the teams will split further to infiltrate and encircle Blood Sect forces, finally regrouping at the designated points for the combined assault on their main stronghold.”
“Please gather by rank: high-tier Martial Emperors, mid-tier Martial Emperors, and third-level Martial Emperors.”
After the elder spoke, the two to three thousand people divided into three large groups.
Tianji Holy Land’s elders and disciples split into twenty teams of four: one elder, one middle-aged member, and two youths.
The high-tier, mid-tier, and third-level Martial Emperors were then evenly distributed among the twenty teams to avoid any imbalance of strong and weak.
Lin Xiao and Ge Jiuwei stood with the mid-tier Martial Emperors and were assigned to the four-person team that included the Martial Saint.
Most people assumed the ancient grey-robed elder who had spoken was the Martial Saint.
Even Ge Jiuwei and the others in Lin Xiao’s team thought the same.
None of them realised that the Martial Saint elder of Tianji Holy Land was travelling with them.
After the teams were formed, the speaking elder casually numbered the twenty teams for easy identification.
Lin Xiao and Ge Jiuwei’s team became number twenty.
“I feel our team’s leading elder is very strong. Quite possibly a half-step Martial Saint.”
Ge Jiuwei transmitted to Lin Xiao.
“Very strong indeed. Best not to harbour any other ideas.”
Lin Xiao replied in warning.
Strong was an understatement. It was a true Martial Saint. If anyone in this team entertained dangerous thoughts, they would be in serious trouble.
Once divided, the thousands dispersed.
Each team flew off in different directions toward Cold Demon Ridge.
Though each team still numbered over a hundred, their rapid flight created minimal disturbance.
After several days of travel, Lin Xiao’s team reached the Cold Demon Ridge region.
Upon entering the area, Lin Xiao immediately felt cold winds battering his face. The temperature here was noticeably lower than elsewhere.
And this was merely the periphery of Cold Demon Ridge.
“Cold Demon Ridge truly is unusual.”
Lin Xiao sighed inwardly. “The token of the Heaven-Swallowing Spirit Emperor lies within this region. Fortunately, no one else knows. Being led here by Tianji Holy Land saves me considerable effort.”
Gazing at the rolling hills ahead, neither too high nor too low, Lin Xiao quietly estimated that the Heaven-Swallowing Spirit Emperor’s token was somewhere within this area.
There was no rush to retrieve it. Only he held the key.
But he had to stay involved with the Blood Sect matter, lest their sect master turned out to be Huo Ruyan and suffered a Martial Saint’s strike.
Fortunately, he was in the team with Tianji Holy Land’s Martial Saint elder, allowing him to monitor the Martial Saint’s movements at all times.
“Five thousand li from here lies a Blood Sect stronghold we have scouted, with over a hundred members. Our numbers are too large. Split into four groups, advance from four directions, and surround the stronghold on all sides.”
The Tianji Holy Land Martial Saint elder spoke, producing a map and pointing out locations for everyone to see clearly.
Then he began assigning people.
Tianji Holy Land’s four members split into the four groups. Many weaker cultivators eagerly joined the elder’s group.
The older the cultivator, the stronger they usually were. This was common knowledge.
A stronger Tianji Holy Land elder meant greater safety for them.
Of course, this applied mainly to the weaker members. The stronger cultivators in the team cared little which group they joined.
Some even hoped to be placed with the two younger disciples, in case opportunities arose where acting freely would be easier.
As for Lin Xiao, it was not because he was weak, but because he had his own intentions.
“Ending up in this group makes it hard to act if we find any treasures.”
Ge Jiuwei transmitted to Lin Xiao, clearly unhappy.
