Chapter 1598 to Chapter 1605

Chapter 1598: Everything Comes To Him Who Sets His Mind On It

Jiang Chen relaxed after learning everything he wanted. As for these fellows, he naturally couldn't spare them. He stripped them clean of their house possessions before sending them to the afterlife.

The thought of disguising himself as one of the three crossed his mind, but he ultimately decided against it. He'd seen very little of their fighting styles and methods, and was too short on time to study them.

He chose to stick to the original plan and keep playing the part of Xuan Rui. The three were merely an unexpected interlude. He'd been pressed for time to begin with, and they'd only made it worse. He still hadn't obtained the gray cloak integral to his strategy.

"I really need to find the cloak in the little time I have left." Jiang Chen remained determined.

He'd wandered all over the mountains in the past few days, but hadn't spotted another scion of House Xuan yet.

"Xuan Rui ranks first among the three from his house. Did the other two run into danger? After all, even geniuses from the eight houses can attack each other in the Blackwraith Mountains." He became even more tense at the thought. If the aristocratic scions were truly going to kill each other, then the final few days would be the height of the fighting.

However, he'd learned from his interrogations that the eight houses had an agreement not to fight each other to the death.

"Hopefully those two fellows are still fine."

Rather than roam aimlessly, he decided that waiting in one or two set points would be a more productive endeavour.

His patience ended up paying off. Two days before the deadline, he finally spotted the second gray cloak.

The man in question didn't give off as strong a presence as Xuan Rui. He was in the middle of chasing a contestant from Winterdraw when Jiang Chen sighted him. The young lord watched the pair from afar in faint surprise.

The hunters from Polylore were so much stronger than their targets. More importantly, their powers were more comprehensive, and their numerous trump cards gave them an overwhelming edge. Winterdraw's cultivators should've all been killed after a couple weeks.

Even Jiang Chen wouldn't have spent the last few days in relative peace if not for his substantial advantages. The pursuit piqued his interest.

To his surprise, the hunted was a familiar face: Su Hong, Jiang Chen's final opponent in the last stage of the selection back in Sin City.

The man's strength and talent had been commendable back then, but it hadn't been the full extent of his potential, judging by the current scene. Although he presently cut a sorry figure, his situation wasn't entirely hopeless yet.

House Xuan's scion held the upper hand as the hunter, but his opponent was from being routed. It was all rather fascinating.

Jiang Chen secretly stalked the pair.

Su Hong might realize something's afoot if I kill House Xuan's man right now, but who knows how long it'll take if I have to wait for his death? At this rate, the trial will be over before his assailant manages to kill him. Am I supposed to hasten his demise?

It was purely a fleeting thought. He didn't act upon it. He'd never been one to tempt fate of his own volition.

Su Hong was an old acquaintance. There was no deep enmity between them. In fact, he could almost be said to a brother-in-arms. Rather than bearing a grudge because of his loss, the man had proved himself gracious in defeat, so Jiang Chen had a good impression of him.

Kicking him while he was down was out of the question, even if the young lord didn't lend a helping hand.

I'll continue sitting back. I'll attack once the Xuan fellow fails to kill his prey and gives up.

In this way, the three of them painted a living tableau of a mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

…...

One day later, on the last day of the training.

House Xuan's hunter was visibly frustrated by his lack of success. Jiang Chen himself was in disbelief at the sight of Su Hong's formidable potential on perfect display during the chase.

Although not as strong Xuan Rui, his clanmate was still far superior to Winterdraw's youngsters.

But Su Hong wasn't an ordinary contestant. The talent and will to live he'd exhibited with his back up against the wall simply subverted common sense. Even Jiang Chen was quite bowled over by the performance.

The pursuit seems doomed to fail. It's truly unfortunate for someone as talented as Su Hong to be born on Winterdraw. Alas, what a waste.

Escaping from his assailant wouldn't guarantee Su Hong's safety. Winterdraw would certainly eliminate any potential survivors afterward.

Selecting geniuses merely to sacrifice as human prey; controversy was bound to arise if this were to spread. It would be a massive blow to Winterdraw's reputation. Who would trust their selections in the future? Even the imperial family's disgraceful deeds would be exposed. They couldn't allow the news to leak.

So Su Hong's life was forfeit one way or the other. Even if he left Blackwraith Mountains alive, only a secret execution awaited him.

Jiang Chen heaved a secret sigh of pity.

A man forced by dire circumstances to draw deep on his potential was sure to burgeon into a fearsome existence if he survived. Sadly, he'd been born in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Only four hours were left before the deadline. House Xuan's youngster had intercepted his target multiple times, but the ensuing fights had been superficial skirmishes at best.

Aware of his pursuer's strength, Su Hong had focused on running away instead of facing him head on, not giving the man time to use his trump cards.

"Now's my turn." Waiting further would hamper Jiang Chen's plan.

After lying in ambush for a long time, the young lord suddenly activated the Nine Labyrinth Formation.

The formation trapped House Xuan's youngster before he could react. He couldn't even begin to make sense of the situation before a fatal arrow from the Holy Dragon Bow lodged itself into his skull.

He might've come back to life out of pure anger if he knew he'd been killed over a trivial cloak. Fortunately for him, he remained blissfully unaware even unto death.

Jiang Chen's strike had been lightening-quick. Activating the formation and firing the lethal arrow had taken less than a breath's time.

Everything was over by the time Su Hong came to his senses. Shaking all over, he looked back. At this precise moment, his eyes happened to meet Jiang Chen's gaze. They stared at each other.

To think a single arrow was enough to kill a man who hunted me for this long.

Jiang Chen snorted coldly. "You didn't see anything."

Su Hong froze, then nodded subconsciously. "Right. What was I supposed to see, anyways? Friend, are you a candidate from Winterdraw, or are you with them?"

"Does it matter?" Jiang Chen deliberately changed the timbre of his voice.

"If the former, I need to warn you. A group of hunters have infiltrated the mountains for the sole purpose of killing us. I think almost all the thousand something contestants have died by now. If you're with them, then pretend I didn't say anything. I promise my lips are sealed tight."

Jiang Chen hadn't pegged Su Hong as the type to offer kind warnings. He nodded, slightly touched. "It can't have been easy for you to learn so much, so let me leave you a kind word as well. You must believe you'll be safe as long as you can hide from the hunters. Forget that. Winterdraw planned for the contestants to die from the very start. Even if you can leave safe and sound, it'll be difficult surviving afterward."

Su Hong trembled. His guesses about the hunters had come from what he'd seen and his personal experience. Unliked him, Jiang Chen was armed with knowledge forced from his prisoners.

Bewildered, Su Hong stood frozen. The news was a bolt from the blue.

Jiang Chen snorted lightly. "Take care of yourself then."

He held the man in high esteem, but his own survival was at risk. He was in no position to try and save someone else. And unlike him, Su Hong couldn't disguise himself as one of the hunters.

Looking pensive, the latter watched the young lord's disappearing figure, both surprise and gratitude flitting across his face. The mysterious man had saved him, and instead of killing him, had given him a warning.

The world of cultivators knew no morals. His pursuer had been killed in a single hit, so he himself could have been disposed of just as easily.

But the man had spared him at the risk of leaving a living witness behind. What could be the reason? An inexplicable thought occurred to him. He wore a hood, but why did I have a fleeting feeling that he knows me?

He hesitated now that he knew the truth. He'd originally thought he simply needed to wait half a month for the end of the trial. Everything would be over once the seal over the Blackwraith Mountains was lifted.

But reality had cruelly dealt him a harsh blow otherwise. Even if he could leave unscathed, an even more bitter fate awaited him!

Chapter 1599: Soul Lamp Destroyed

Since he didn't kill me, there should be no reason for him to lie. Based on past experiences, I have a strong feeling that he's speaking the truth. I'll be walking right into their trap if I leave now.

Time was running out; it was time to make a decision.

After a moment's contemplation, Su Hong gave the exit a glance. A cold smirk played at the corners of his mouth. He turned decisively back and headed deeper into the mountains.Clearly, he'd dismissed the idea of leaving the mountains.

It was an extremely risky move. If the outer formation were to close, he'd never be able to leave until it was activated once more.

The environment in the Blackwraith Mountains was extremely harsh and unforgiving. Survival for half a month was perhaps doable, but death was almost certain if one had to stay for any longer than that.

Unfortunately, he had no other choice. He'd rather risk certain death than face a wrongful murder.

...

Rewinding time back a few days.

In a distant nation roughly three hundred thousand miles away from the Rejuvenation Isles, a beautiful, prosperous, mysteriously shrouded island was seen in the middle of the ocean.

It belonged to Polylore Divine Nation, but it wasn't particularly large, roughly the same size as Skylaurel Kingdom.

However, the land was extremely rich with spirit qi and could easily be mistaken for paradise. The skies were a brilliant turquoise while the surrounding ocean shone emerald green. Various radiant beams only served to make it seem even more heavenly.

House Xuan was the ruler of this island.

In one of House Xuan's secret realms, a middle-aged servant came tumbling out from one of the rooms, panic and fear clearly written over his face.

"This is bad. This is bad! Something awful has happened! Y-young lord Rui's soul lamp has shattered!" The news exploded throughout the island like a bomb.

Bewildered, House Xuan's forefathers immediately appeared from all corners of the island.

"What did you say?" One of the forefathers hauled the servant up. "Say that again!"

The servant was as white as a sheet. "Y-y-young lord Rui. S-something bad's happened to him."The other elders couldn't be bothered to listen to a servant's ramblings. They swarmed to the sacred residence where the soul lamps were kept.

Almost every great faction had a room like this where the soul lamps of all important figures were kept. If any mishap occurred, it'd be indicated on the lamp. Thus, someone was always stationed there to monitor them.

The elders quickly found that Xuan Rui's soul lamp had indeed shattered. They could only stare dumbly, as though struck by lightning.

"How can this be?!"

"Damn it! Something really did happen! What the hell is going on?!"

The elders wanted to pull their hair out. Xuan Rui wasn't the only genius in the clan, but he was definitely the cream of the crop. To House Xuan, he was a promising talent that was seen only once every millenia.

A lot of hopes and expectations were riding on him, especially from the forefathers. He was their pride and joy, the genius who'd bear the weight of the entire clan on his shoulders one day. Who could've imagined that a genius of this caliber would die so abruptly??

Increasing numbers of Xuan experts arrived. Even the patriarch was dumbfounded by the news. Now on the scene, he was purple with rage. The elders were all gnashing their teeth.

"Isn't Xuan Rui at the Rejuvenation Isles? Those brown-nosers have been licking our boots and sending multiple invitations to visit to the eight aristocratic houses."

"Can this be their doing? How dare they?!"

"Damn it! It doesn't matter if it is or isn't their doing! They must pay for this!"

"The Rejuvenation Isles… Rejuvenation Isles!!" Some were already vowing revenge. Slowly but surely, the patriarch regained his cool. He raised his hands to beckon the crowd to calm down.

"Everyone, the eight aristocratic houses came to an agreement to visit the Rejuvenation Isles. We each sent three geniuses, escorted by our own respective guardians. No one of sound mind would dare ambush our team. Are their lamps still lit?"

"Yes. They're fine for now."

The patriarch nodded. "Mm. This proves that it could very well be just an accident. The Rejuvenation Isles planned to host a tempering trial for us. Perhaps an unforeseen misfortune has occurred during the trial."

"Impossible! Xuan Fei and Xuan Yong are both weaker than Xuan Rui. Why would they be fine if Xuan Rui isn't?"

"I concur. Patriarch, tempering trials from that backwater can't possibly prove too difficult for Xuan Rui. He also took many of our treasures with him. Xuan Rui is a cautious and talented genius. I'd be the first to doubt that he died in an accident."

"Indeed. It wouldn't be a surprise if this had happened to some other geniuses. But Xuan Rui has consistently placed fourth to fifth in peer rankings, right?

"Can it be some sort of violence between the geniuses?" someone suggested.

"Absolutely not. It was agreed upon that there would be no bloodshed in this trial, only winners and losers. Or did someone break the rule?"

"Hard to say. The eight houses aren't all on harmonious terms. Foul play could be difficult to rule out. If we assume that there really was foul play, whoever killed Xuan Rui must be from the top four. However, not even the highest ranked House Ye can manage such a feat easily. Xuan Rui might not be stronger, but he should still be able to put up a good fight."

Such were the opinions from the upper echelons of House Xuan. Even the patriarch had to pay them heed.

"What should we do about this?" the patriarch asked with an air of despondency.

"First, we must find out the truth."

"Agreed, the truth should be our first priority."

"If it's cold slaughter, we will make the murderer pay."

"Even if it was an accident, the Rejuvenation Isles will not escape our wrath!"

As one of the greatest clans in the nation, House Xuan was known for being extremely unreasonable. One of their top geniuses had died for no reason. Rage was a given reaction.

"Are the accompanying guardians idiots?! How can they not know that something's happened to Xuan Rui??"

"Aii... they're not to be blamed. How would they know if the incident occurred within trial territory?"

"Agreed. These things can't be prevented. Right now, our main priority is to get to the bottom of this."

"And how are we going to do that? Our transmittal talismans aren't going to work when we're hundreds of thousands of miles away. We'll have to rely on a large scale transmission formation to speak to the royal family at the Rejuvenation Isles."

Only a divine being could communicate freely without being impeded by distance. This was a rule that not even a peak empyrean master could ignore. Hundreds of thousands of miles was simply too great of a distance.

Of course, this didn't mean that communication was impossible. Most great factions had some sort of platform through which they could share important news and information.

These powerful formations were available in practically every great faction in Myriad Abyss Island. A top ranking one like Polylore Divine Nation even had multiple.

House Xuan wasn't in possession of a formation of this magnitude. It could only be found in certain important areas within the nation.

"Patriarch, we can't delay this any longer. This subordinate is willing to lead a group of men to the Rejuvenation Isles for immediate investigation. We'll get to the bottom of this and make the Isles answer for their sins."

"Patriarch, we are willing to go as well. The people at the Isles must be tired of living. How dare they fail to guarantee the safety of their guests!"

House Xuan was extremely riled up. They were blaming the Rejuvenation Isles before any investigation had even taken place.

The patriarch pondered for a moment and nodded. "Elder Zun, please travel to the capital to borrow a transmission formation. Question the Rejuvenation Isles and ask why one of our geniuses has died on their island. Make sure to get a clear and precise answer."

"Understood. I shall depart at once!"

Two days later, Elder Zun finally arrived at the formation.

Naturally, the operators of the formation didn't dare be negligent to an elder from one of the eight great aristocratic houses. Contact with the royalty of Rejuvenation Isles was established within just a few moments.

Color immediately drained from imperial faces when they heard the news. The geniuses from Polylore Divine Nation should've been at a trial on Winterdraw. How could this have happened?! It felt like the sky was about to collapse in on them.

"Spare me your excuses. I'll give you three days to prepare a precise and formal answer or face our wrath." The elder was still seething. Even though there was a gap of seven generations between him and Xuan Rui, the young genius was still one of his descendants.

Most importantly, he'd spent a lot of time and effort to train the young genius and had very high hopes for him. It came as no surprise that he was the one most angered by the young genius' death.

Still fuming with anger, he exited the formation and bumped into a group of people likewise rushing into the premises. They were from House Xue!

House Xue seemed rather surprised to have encountered the elder as well.

"What are you doing here?" Elder Zun asked, surprised.

An elder from House Xue answered curtly, "To borrow the transmission formation." He realized something and returned the question. "Elder Zun, why are you here?"

He thought for a moment. "Don't tell me a genius from House Xue has died as well?"

The House Xue elder was taken aback. "What? Did the same happen to you guys?"

Almost like they'd found a common language, the two houses shared information and hurled abuse at the Rejuvenation Isles. While they were in the middle of a thorough venting session, another group of people came charging in through the doors.

Chapter 1600: As If Armageddon

This group was even fiercer and more murderous. Furthermore, the patriarch led it personally. It was none other than House Kuang!

House Kuang was top three among the eight houses. The fact that its patriarch was here greatly surprised both Houses Xue and Xuan.

Has House Kuang also…

The elders of the two houses traded a glance. Their burning anger was strangely somewhat abated at the sight of House Kuang's more severe fury. They could see that House Kuang had it a lot worse than they did. The patriarch himself wouldn't have come otherwise.

The Kuang patriarch was a bit surprised to see the other elders. "You're elders from House Xuan and Xue, no?" he inquired coolly.

In response, the elders from the other two houses stepped aside for him.

"You came with such momentum, Patriarch Kuang. Would you like to use the transmission formation as well?" Elder Zun couldn't help but ask.

"As well?" Patriarch Kuang clearly didn't want to lose face before outsiders. He was barely holding back his rage.

The elder sighed. "If I were to guess, House Kuang has also lost geniuses in the Rejuvenation Isles, is that right? And you want to question the people there too?"

Their common plight was written over their faces.

Patriarch Kuang was indignant. "All three of House Kuang's young geniuses perished simultaneously. I say the Rejuvenation Isles don't want to live any more!" He was red-faced and eyes bloodshot. His tone sounded downright genocidal.

The two elders collectively drew a sharp breath. Their frustration was significantly reduced by the schadenfreude. There was someone even worse off! Only one genius had died from each of their houses, but House Kuang had lost all three.

That was a complete massacre, given that only three had gone from each house.

They didn't feel so bad any more.

House Xue's elder allowed the hysterical Patriarch Kuang to use the formation first. House Kuang was in a far worse spot than they were.

The patriarch bawled through the transmission formation, "Rejuvenation Isles, get your f*cking asses ready! You're going to use three thousand lives to pay for House Kuang's three geniuses!"

House Kuang lacked even the desire to find out the reason for their geniuses' deaths. They just wanted to vent their boundless hate and rage onto the Rejuvenation Isles.

"What's the situation with your houses?" Patriarch Kuang couldn't resist asking.

"Ah, our Xue Feng has unfortunately died. The Isles have gone too far."

"How about House Xuan?" Patriarch Kuang flicked a glance at Elder Zun.

"Our best genius, Xuan Rui, was lost." Elder Zun was extremely dejected.

"I'm going to the Rejuvenation Isles myself. Are you coming?" The Kuang patriarch gave both elders a once-over.

"Of course! We must! How can we live this down without getting an explanation and reparations from the Rejuvenation Isles?" House Xue's elder shouted.

House Xuan's venerated elder wasn't far behind. "Yes, I will go too. I won't rest until I get to the bottom of this."

...

The Rejuvenation Isles' royal family sank into terror at the news. They immediately issued a lockdown on the information to restrict the spread of unnecessary hysteria.

"Did something unexpected happen to our plan?" The Rejuvenation emperor was particularly tense. As the highest authority in the Isles, anxiety rampaged with the situation. The shocking news had nearly scared him witless.

The harsh scolding from House Kuang's head in the end gave him a sense of impending doom. What was supposed to have been wonderful hospitality had turned into a terrible accident. The entire event had gone sour.

"My trusted advisors, have we smashed ourselves in the foot? House Kuang's head seemed like he wanted us to be responsible for the troublesome news." The emperor was as frantic as ants in a hot pan. "If any of you have any ideas, please share and don't keep them to yourself."

Doomsday was near for both the emperor and his subjects. They were transfixed by their anxiety.

"Your Majesty, I think we must send personnel to further investigate what's happened at Winterdraw. I would assume our men there are still completely oblivious as to what's transpired."

"That's right. We must lock down the premises and find out the reason."

"If there's a culprit, we must catch them."

"That's right. Only when we deliver the culprit do we have a semblance of an explanation."

"Ah, three of the eight houses have suffered casualties. I wonder if there are any others who share that misfortune… all this trouble came out of the blue."

None of the advisors were able to maintain their composure.

"Send out a team to Winterdraw straight away," the emperor commanded. "Put Imperial Prince Huo in charge of investigations. We must get to the bottom of this!"

It took more than a day or two to travel from the capital to Winterdraw. Gathering a team together, making preparations, departing… if they were quick about it, perhaps they could get there before the trial ended, though actually doing so would be quite difficult.

Of course, they had little choice otherwise. What else could they do but investigate first?

...

The trial on Winterdraw had finally ended after half a month. The eight houses' geniuses gradually exited the Blackwraith Mountains one by one.

Among Winterdraw's contestants, there were actually a few elites who came out as well.

They were completely oblivious as to what had transpired. As soon as they came out, they returned to their factions to complain.

"City Lord, we were attacked by unknown experts within the grounds of the trial. We suffered great casualties!"

"Vale Lord, you must serve justice for us!"

These cultivators hadn't yet reacted to their circumstances. They hadn't realized that those who'd attacked them were Polylore's geniuses, from its eight houses.

The lords of Sin City and Nefarious Vale were completely impassive. "Go complain to the chief warden."

The cultivators noticed that the atmosphere was awry. Several of the chief warden's experts came by, their expressions serious. "You are charged with trespassing in forbidden territory in the Blackwraith Mountains. Come along quietly with our investigation."

It appeared that Jiang Chen's judgment had been correct. Death awaited the survivors of the hunt outside the mountains. They were going to die at the hands of people who were supposed to be on their side.

"We're innocent! We didn't take a single step into the forbidden territory. We were in the designated area the whole…"

The chief warden's experts didn't wait for them to finish. The survivors were slapped into unconsciousness and picked up by the nape of their necks.

Everyone had seemingly come to an astonishing consensus about them. No one said a word. In fact, everyone pretended that they were invisible.

The poor survivors were thus tragically sacrificed for the sake of Winterdraw and Rejuvenation Isles' reputation. Only when they were silenced could the entire affair become shrouded in mystery. It wasn't good for future selections to be negatively impacted.

After a lengthy waiting period, it appeared that everyone still alive and intact had already come out. Those who had not were likely to be dead within the mountains.

Aside from Su Hong, of course.

The eight houses' geniuses were counted. Most houses found all three of their geniuses whole and accounted for. Said geniuses came to the tabulation area of the eight houses, handing in their spoils in an orderly fashion.

In fact, the majority of the geniuses were accounted for.

House Xue however, was missing a Xue Feng. Its seniors looked about anxiously, but he was nowhere to be found.

It was the same with House Xuan. Only one of their scions had come out, the weakest among the three who'd gone in. Xuan Rui and Xuan Fei hadn't appeared.

House Kuang's seniors were the most distressed. None of the house's geniuses had come out. The senior executives felt an uncertain panic about their disappearance. Why hadn't they come out yet? Shouldn't everyone be out by now? Or had they gathered together to come out together?

All three houses with absent geniuses were jittery and restless.

It was at this moment that Jiang Chen came forth wearing a grey cloak. He appeared from within the Blackwraith Mountains at a moderate speed, looking at House Xuan's group as he approached.

"Xuan Rui, you're out! Have you seen Xuan Fei?" House Xuan's seniors brightened at the sight of 'Xuan Rui'.

"No." Jiang Chen feigned Xuan Rui's voice.

He went to the tabulation area to hand in the spoils. Because the trial had in itself been a competition, they needed to score the number of prey each genius had taken down to decide the victor.

The item to confirm kills were the medallions that Winterdraw's contestants had been given.

Jiang Chen handed in a portion that he assumed would be appropriate for Xuan Rui's skill. He didn't want to seem too excessive. There was no need to show more prowess than his ranking dictated.

Everything was done in an orderly manner. Jiang Chen was cautious, but not nervous.

In the last bit of time, two more geniuses appeared. After that, no more came out from the Blackwraith Mountains.

House Kuang's people were beside themselves with agitation.

"How could this be? Not a single one of my house's geniuses made it out?"

"Our Xue Feng didn't come out either!"

"Our Xuan Fei as well!"

A head count revealed five missing geniuses. All had died at Jiang Chen's hands.

It seems that the eight houses did have an agreement that killing between them wasn't allowed. Otherwise, there would be far more deaths than these.

Chapter 1601: The Situation Explodes

Three were missing from House Kuang, and one each from Xuan and Xue. The situation exploded. House Kuang's seniors especially couldn't sit still.

They could've accepted the loss of one genius. After all, no trial was a hundred percent safe. However, they'd lost all three! This was a complete wipeout. How could they accept such a travesty? This was tantamount to just straight up killing them.

These seniors couldn't imagine how they would relate the situation to their patriarch. And how would the elders react?

"Imperial Prince Huo, how come we're missing five people?" One of House Kuang's seniors interrogated the imperial prince rather brusquely.

The prince's palms were clammy with sweat. The five that hadn't come out yet were probably dead.

"Master Kuang Han, perhaps something is holding them up inside? Perhaps we should send an expedition to look for them?" He turned to the chief warden. "Old Ding, send in a group of your best subordinates in to search. Remember, you must at least find some clues as to their whereabouts. Search every corner if you have to!"

"Of course, sir. I will go myself." The chief warden hurriedly obeyed.

The chief knew how important this was. If the eight houses' geniuses had an unfortunate accident on Winterdraw, he wouldn't be able to absolve himself of the responsibility. He handpicked a thousand men to come with him. The large group entered the Blackwraith Mountains for a very detailed search.

Jiang Chen sat near House Xuan's people, completely quiet. He pretended that he was meditating; the outside world was nothing to him.

Thankfully, Xuan Rui was ordinarily rather antisocial. Thus, his behavior went unnoticed. House Xuan's other members didn't find it strange whatsoever.

Though House Kuang was down three people, the tabulation of the results continued. This pertained to a competition between the eight houses, after all.

The ranking was quickly decided. Disguised as Xuan Rui, Jiang Chen was fourth place. It was a standard rank for someone of his ability, one that no one could find fault with. If Kuang Rong hadn't died, perhaps he would've been fourth instead. An average performance, all in all – or so everyone else thought.

Everything was going according to plan. Jiang Chen hoped that the search would finish as quickly as possible. Then, he could leave Winterdraw.

As quickly as possible.

Even a single extra breath meant a sliver of additional danger. Who knew what could happen in the next moment?

There was another stretch between Winterdraw and the wider world. It was impossible to guarantee his identity would stay concealed in the airboat. Thus, he hoped to leave at the earliest opportunity. Less time wasted meant a smaller likelihood of trouble.

Though he appeared to be deep in thought, he was actually acutely observing his surroundings. He'd be able to pick up the slightest disturbance.

The search took half a day, but yielded no results.

The chief warden and his team extricated themselves from the mountains. The chief's expression was dark and gloomy.

"How did it go?" Imperial Prince Huo hurriedly strode up.

The chief shook his head helplessly. "There are no humans remaining inside. However, we found traces of the forbidden grounds in being broken open. There was evidence of heavy fighting after that, but nothing particularly useful to us."

House Kuang's seniors became terribly dour after hearing this. "What do you mean by that, Ding?" one called out. "Do you suspect that our geniuses are trespassing on your forbidden grounds?"

"Not at all, sir." The chief warden looked panicked. "I was only offering a hypothesis. Perhaps they wandered in there unawares."

"Ridiculous! Winterdraw isn't some remarkable place. Polylore has more than its fair share of sacred grounds to spare. Why would they be interested in your pathetic forbidden grounds? The eight houses' young geniuses are a disciplined bunch. Their competition is a hundred times more important than what you're proposing!"

The chief warden was speechless. What could he do against the roars of Polylore experts? Did he dare argue?

Imperial Prince Huo's lips trembled. "Master Kuang Han, please do calm down. Shall we wait a bit more? Maybe they saw something truly amazing and followed it?"

A guess like that was nothing more than self-comfort and a fiction.

Kuang Han shook his head. "Impossible!" His spittle spewed everywhere. "How many times do I have to repeat myself? Our house's scions are all very disciplined. There is nothing more important than our competition. They wouldn't have chased after something to hold up its conclusion!"

Imperial Prince Huo had no reply to that. No matter what he said, he would get yelled at. Was it really true? Had the eight houses' geniuses been taken down by Winterdraw's own?

The proceedings sank into a standstill.

It was then that someone near the imperial prince offered some counsel. "I have a suggestion, Your Highness."

"Speak your mind." Imperial Prince Huo waved.

"Perhaps we should count the Winterdraw contestant tokens? If we've collected them all, then that means whoever barged into the forbidden grounds is…" The advisor didn't dare go on. He didn't have the guts to insinuate that the eight houses' scions had ventured deeper into the mountains.

The imperial prince's eyes lit up. He glanced towards Kuang Han.

Kuang Han harrumphed before striding to the tabulation area.

Jiang Chen was depressed. He hated the advisor with every fiber of his being. Wasn't counting so finely going to ruin things for him?

He had a lot of tokens on his person that he hadn't handed in. They were spoils from the six he had killed. If he had handed all of them in, he would've been first place.

As expected, there was a large number of tokens missing.

"What's the point of counting? The missing tokens are probably in the hands of the missing youths."

Kuang Han glared at the imperial prince. "That was a stupid idea. Are all your subordinates this foolish?"

He felt that he had done something rather pointless. What was that supposed to accomplish?

"If we go inside again to check the corpses, we'll be able to see exactly who's missing," the advisor added intrepidly.

It was a blunt and unwieldy idea, but its usefulness and practicality became more pronounced.

"Old Ding," the imperial prince turned to the chief warden. "I need you to make another trip. Take the faction heads and their men and have them help you search for the missing ones. It will be more efficient this way!"

Jiang Chen cursed to himself at their conscientiousness. He wasn't worried about giving anything away, but the delay was in itself dangerous.

The chief warden could hardly refuse at this juncture. He called up Sin City, Nefarious Vale, and Terminus Place as well as the second-rate factions.

"Friends, this is a matter of vital importance. I hope you give the search everything you have. Don't let even a single clue escape you. I leave this important task in your hands."

It was rare for the chief warden to adopt such a low posture. None of the factions dared refuse. The team that went inside this time was several thousand strong.

This made the search rather more efficient. Two hours later, all the corpses and remnants were brought out. After repeated verification, the chief warden came to a rather reasonable conclusion.

"Imperial Prince Huo, we're missing two bodies," the chief warden reported.

"Which two?" the imperial prince asked.

"They're both from Sin City's list. Jiang Huang and Su Hong. Both were elites." The chief warden snuck a look at the city's lord, Xie Wushang.

Xie Wushang was greatly displeased that he was being implicated so oddly. He hadn't known the reason for the selection in the first place. Was Sin City supposed to be responsible simply because two of its chosen geniuses' bodies were missing?

He couldn't take that lying down.

"Xie Wushang, come here. Tell me a little about those two." The imperial prince beckoned to him.

Sin City's lord felt deeply resigned, but complied in the end. "Su Hong is very famous in my city. According to the public, he is one of the best young geniuses on Winterdraw," he supplied truthfully. "As for Jiang Huang, I don't know his origins. Apparently, he entered the selection after only having come to Sin City for a couple of days. No one has anything substantial on him. The only information I know is that his pill dao is reportedly quite decent. His martial dao potential… limitless."

Imperial Prince Huo snuck a glance at Kuang Han with some struggle.

Kuang Han snorted. "What? What are you trying to express? You want to say that a young genius from Winterdraw can kill all three of House Kuang's geniuses? And House Xuan and House Xue's as well?"

"Not at all."

"Then what are you trying to imply, eh?" Kuang Han was losing control of his emotions.

Imperial Prince Huo had no idea what he wanted to hear. "What should we do now, Master Kuang Han?"

"Open up the second restriction and search inside." Kuang Han was absolutely certain.

The imperial prince swore silently. Hadn't he just said that his house's scions wouldn't venture into the forbidden grounds? So why did he want to look inside then?

That was completely contradictory.

Alas, he could only wonder about that to himself. He didn't dare express a shred of it.

"Master Kuang Han," he uttered with some difficulty. "If the second restriction is opened, I worry that Winterdraw's foundations will be shaken. I believe that your geniuses definitely did not venture inside."

"Who cares about Winterdraw's foundations? Can this place compare to the importance of the eight houses' geniuses?" A senior from House Xue piped up angrily.

"That's right, Imperial Prince Huo. We only came because of your invitation. Is this the kind of hospitality you should be showing, hmm?" Another senior from House Xuan expressed his displeasure.

The imperial prince felt cold sweat drip down his back.

At this moment, another from the eight houses interceded. "Oi, you three. Stop bothering Imperial Prince Huo. You know how trials are! Some are lucky enough to live, some are unlucky enough to die. I think it's high time to leave, now that our little competition has concluded."

"Quite so. Time is limited. Deal with your private affairs yourselves. Don't hold the rest of us up!"

The eight houses were indeed not a unified bunch. Some of the other houses were jumping out to sing a different tune.

Chapter 1602: The Plan Falls Apart

Without a doubt, there was a complicated relationship between the eight great houses. Some even rejoiced at the bad luck that had befallen Houses Kuang, Xuan, and Xue. Why would they side with these three houses to make things difficult for Rejuvenation Isles?

Not to mention, the agreed-upon plan was to leave the island and return home as soon as the trial ended. Why would they delay the journey for the sake of rival houses?

Kuang Han shouted angrily, "Easy for you to say!"

"Heh, Kuang Han, should we waste our precious time for your private business? I don't remember your house commanding so much influence."

"How about this? Those willing can stay while the rest of us take our leave."

Sitting on the side, Jiang Chen secretly gave these fellows a big thumbs up. He naturally hoped to leave as fast as possible to avoid possible complications.

Kuang Han glanced at House Xue and Xuan. "What say you?"

A prominent member of House Xue answered, "We won't leave before we solve the matter of the disappearances."

"Likewise," an elder from House Xuan agreed firmly.

Jiang Chen felt helpless. If possible, he'd take charge of House Xuan and leave right this second. Sadly, as a mere junior, Xuan Rui didn't possess such authority. The young lord started regretting his choices.

Why did he have to erase all traces of the bodies after the kills?

Perhaps he should have left the corpses intact instead. These fellows might have given up after finding hard evidence of the deaths.

Unsympathetic to their peers' difficulties, the other houses told Prince Huo, "Prince Huo, we're fully satisfied with your hospitality. We're going to leave first. As to the other three houses, you can attend to them as you see fit."

The prince would've happily left with them, but he didn't dare offend the other three houses. How should he approach this dilemma?

In the end, he smiled affably. "Our guests' satisfaction is our honor. Only, some guests have met with trouble, so this little prince needs to stay behind. Why don't I have some of my close aides send you off?"

Black dots suddenly materialized in the distant sky. Soon, three airboats hovering overhead landed in their direction.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Jiang Chen's heart pounded fiercely. Uh oh. Taking advantage of the crowd's distraction, his figure vanished on the spot, disappearing with a few leaps and bounds before the boats landed.

The place was crowded with people from the Rejuvenation Isles and Winterdraw. Running away from the area was certainly not an option. He had no choice but to brace himself and return to the Blackwraith Mountains.

He sighed, rather depressed. He'd gone to great pains to plan his exit, but everything had been in vain. The airboats' hurried arrival was a bad omen if he'd ever seen one. He chose to trust his pressing intuition. No matter how extravagant his powers, being surrounded would spell his doom. It was wiser to live and fight another day.

A group of men burst out of the doors before the boats came to a full stop.

"Commander He?" Imperial Prince Huo gasped. The man was a palace commander of the Rejuvenation Isles royal guard, and each of his companions a palace expert.

"Prince Huo, has something happened here?" Commander He asked anxiously as soon as he came within hearing distance.

The prince's wry expression was all the answer he'd needed. "Is His Majesty also aware?"

The aggrieved commander replied, "Three Polylore aristocratic houses hectored us through a transmission formation. His Majesty is shocked. He's sent me to assist with the investigation. His orders are to catch the murderer no matter what their identity. We can't let them get away!"

"Murderer?" Prince Huo stiffened. The geniuses were merely presumed missing, their deaths yet to be confirmed. Had His Majesty received definite information?

Kuang Han rushed forward and stared at Captain He. "What did you say just now? Catch the murderer? Did House Kuang notify your emperor?"

Commander He nodded. This wasn't something he could conceal. "Indeed."

"What did they say?" Kuang Han barked viciously.

His manners were brusque, but now wasn't the time for a quarrel. The commander replied truthfully, "Five geniuses are dead. Their respective houses have confirmed their soul lamps have shattered."

"Aaahhhh!" An ear-splitting roar escaped Kuang Han's lips.

How could all three geniuses from his house have died?! He'd been holding onto the hope they'd entered the mountain's forbidden grounds by mistake, only to have his hopes cruelly dashed.

Dead. Such was the cold hard truth!

The issue now lay with the identities of whoever had gone inside the mountains' second level forbidden area. Could it be the two missing prey?

The atmosphere suddenly turned heavy.

An elder from House Xuan asked at this time, "Honorable commander, what did House Xuan say? Did they have any instructions?"

Commander He stammered, "The one from House Xuan seems to be called the Elder Zun. The dead Xuan Rui is his direct descendant, so you can imagine his anger…"

"Xuan Rui?" House Xuan's elder was puzzled. "The one missing is Xuan Fei, not Xuan Rui."

"Ah?" Commander He stared blankly. "But the transmission clearly stated Xuan Rui's soul lamp had broken."

"Impossible!" The elder's face sank. "Isn't Xuan Rui over there, hale and hearty?"

He looked over at Jiang Chen's previous spot and froze. Xuan Rui was nowhere to be seen. Surprised, he quickly looked in every direction but couldn't find a trace of the young man.

"Where is he?" He asked, his face darkening.

Jiang Chen's departure had gone unnoticed in the previous chaos.

A genius from another house suddenly offered, "I paid it no heed, but I seem to remember a figure flashing by this area moments ago."

The crowd fell into a strange silence. Xuan Rui had suddenly disappeared!

The one missing should have been Xuan Fei, but the broken soul lamp back home belonged to Xuan Rui. Even stranger, Xuan Rui had returned just fine and dandy a short while ago.

The situation was almost supernatural. Upon further thought, some cowardly fellows even shivered.

House Xuan's elder murmured, "What the… what's going on? Xuan Rui's soul lamp broke? Then who was that earlier? Xuan Fei? No, impossible."

"Lord Xuan Zan, could have someone be impersonating Xuan Rui?" One of Prince Huo's men suggested.

Xuan Zan froze. His chest suddenly felt heavy. There had been nothing wrong with Xuan Rui, at least on the surface, so there had been no reasons for careful scrutiny. Neither the young man's personality nor his attitude had been suspicious. Even his results in the training had been up to his normal standards.

That he could've been a fake simply hadn't crossed anyone's mind. However, it was a possibility they had no choice but to consider now.

The more he thought about it, the more his blood ran cold. Could it be… the Xuan Rui he'd seen earlier was a fake? If not, why had he vanished at this crucial juncture?

"A fake, it must have been a fake! He slipped away once he saw the boats because of a guilty conscience!" Someone from House Xuan shouted.

"If it's an imposter, what about Xuan Fei? Where's he gone off to? The house didn't mention his soul lamp."

They wouldn't know that Jiang Chen had killed Xuan Fei mere moments before the end of the trial. House Xuan had notified the Rejuvenation Isles right after Xuan Rui's death. Xuan Fei had still been alive then.

His death had come days later, and his house naturally couldn't have foretold his fate. It was aware of his death by now, but the news hadn't made its way over yet, so Winterdraw was naturally in the dark.

"Strange, very strange." Xuan Zan murmured. "How could a talent of Xuan Rui's caliber die out of the blue? Am I supposed to believe a local could have killed him…?"

Kuang Hand humphed. "His caliber? Are you implying Kuang Rong's weaker?"

Xuan Zan glanced coldly his way. "Keep the nonsense to yourself. What bloody use is it now? Our priority's to catch the murderer."

"My lords, if Xuan Rui's a fake, then the impostor must be related to the murderer, or be the culprit himself. There's no other explanation possible," Xue Yi interjected.

"What's his motive for passing himself off as Xuan Rui after killing him?" Xuan Zan was still perplexed.

Winterdraw's chief warden solved the riddle.

"My lords, if the two prey truly are the culprits, then they must have planned to use young master Xuan Rui's identity to leave the island!"

The three house seniors' face fell at the explanation. At a guess, their geniuses had been killed by the very prey they'd hunted. That the murderer was bold enough to disguise himself as his victim bespoke courage and skill astounding even by Polylore's standards.

Chapter 1603: No Other Options

The other five houses had now changed their minds. Instead of leaving, they now wanted to stay and enjoy the show.

Of course, they weren't kind enough as to provide assistance.

Rejuvenation Isles couldn't ignore the combined wrath of three noble houses. Imperial Prince Huo, Commander He, as well as important figures from Winterdraw were all on site. The most apprehensive one right now was Sin City's lord, Xie Wushuang.

The three houses might have lost six geniuses between them, and contestants from his city were the most likely culprits.

"Xie Wushang, look at what you've done. Explain yourself to our noble guests!" The chief warden berated, keen to shirk his responsibilities and throw the hot potato to the city lord.

However, the latter retorted, his face a picture of innocence, "Lord Warden, your servant's devoted himself heart and soul to organize the selection at your behest. I'm confident my due diligence has been worthy of your trust."

He truly felt himself innocent. Your men never told me the selection was meant to provide Polylore with young geniuses to hunt.

If he'd known, he might have been more careful and refrained from sending candidates that were too strong. But on the contrary, the wardens had urged him repeatedly to raise the standards and select the cream of the crop.

How could he not be aggrieved to see the time and effort he'd spent come back to bite him? He was less than eager to become the scapegoat, to say the least.

Xuan Zan threw the chief warden a discontented glare. "Cut the damned chit chat. Focus on the murderer! He's the one we want!"

The chief warden hurried to respond, "Yes, of course! We'll hunt him down and dole out the punishment he deserves!"

Hiding their extreme disdain, Xie Wushang and the others nodded in concert. They were the ones who felt the most wronged. As Winterdraw locals, they were innately hostile to outsiders. They also weren't all that happy to see the geniuses they'd selected turned into prey.

The hunter killed by the prey? Your geniuses only have their own incompetence to blame. What are you lashing out for? How unsightly.

Seeing Xie Wushang's lack of enthusiasm, Kuang Han remarked with annoyance, "You're called Xie Wushang, correct? I hear you're the one who's selected the two suspects. Tell us, who's the more likely murderer out of the two?"

Xie Wushang didn't dare express his loathing for these men, so after some consideration, he replied respectfully, "In my opinion, it should be Jiang Huang. Su Hong's undeniably talented, but more so than Polylore's geniuses? I find it hard to believe. On the other hand, I can't see through Jiang Huang. His origins are mysterious as well…"

"Jiang Huang?" Kuang Han, Xuan Zan, and Xue Yi looked at each other and nodded.

"Prince Huo, since we're now sure we're dealing with a murderer, shouldn't you lift the mountains' restrictions so we can hunt him down?"

The prince wrung his hands. "My lords, the mountains are truly pivotal for the island. Harming their foundations will affect the entire island's well-being."

Kuan Han exploded. "Prince Huo, do you mean that our geniuses aren't worth the foundations of a trivial land of exile?"

"Indeed. Prince Huo, I've heard Winterdraw's an abandoned island meant to house the worst criminals. What do we care about its foundations?" Xuan Zan rebuked without holding back.

For an exalted prince of the royal house, to be so harshly contradicted was hard to endure. Still, he couldn't afford to offend these men. He threw an awkward glance at the chief warden.

The latter summoned his courage. "My lords, please leave hunting the murderer to us wardens. You don't have our familiarity with the mountains and might fall victim to lots of accidents. Rushing inside headlong might be more detrimental than it's worth, while we can use the formations to tail him. We stand a better chance of catching him."

"Watch your mouth! Prince Huo, Warden Ding, I hear nothing but excuses to keep us out. Am I to understand that you're colluding with the murderer?"

The prince paled. The three houses were close to losing their rationality. He had no choice but to squeeze out an apologetic smile. "My lords, Warden Ding isn't wrong. Trouble truly awaits at every turn if you're unfamiliar with the terrain. The wardens are locals and know every nook and cranny. It's a good idea to leave the chase to them. Why don't you rest nearby and await their good news…"

Kuang Han slammed a hand on the table. "Prince Huo, I don't want to hear this bullshit! Are you telling us to sit out something as important as the capture of our geniuses' murderer? We must participate in this! At most, let the wardens guide us if they know the terrain so well!"

"Correct. Prince Huo, refusing means you harbor ulterior motives!"

Since these fellows were impervious to reason, the prince resigned himself to the inevitable and kept his peace. He couldn't oppose them even if he wanted to, so he nodded immediately. "In that case, the chief warden will dispatch three different groups and provide the three houses with whatever assistance they can. The other wardens will conduct a separate search on their own. What do you think?"

The chief warden wanted nothing more than to refuse, but what choice did he have? He could also see that the three houses were on the verge of exploding.

"Alright, there's no time to lose. The murderer could have gotten far away while we're dilly-dallying here. Everyone assemble and get ready to enter the mountains!"

A storm was gathering, destroying the mountain slopes' usual tranquility

The other five houses weren't participating in the search. In no hurry to leave, they simply kicked back and enjoyed the ride.

"Tut tut, to think we'd find a talent in this place, great enough to wreak havoc upon three aristocratic houses. I'm now curious what kind of monsters these two men might be."

"Yeah. I heard one's called Jiang Huang. Apparently he's not a local?"

"Sounds like an interesting man. His strength must be frightening if he can kill the likes of Xuan Rui and Kuang Rong."

"Heh, House Ye could use a man like that."

...

Although a little depressed to see his plan dead in the water, Jiang Chen soon regained his equanimity. It was no use crying over spilled milk. The noble houses would chase him down like mad dogs once they learned the truth. His sole preoccupation now was how to hide from them.

He traveled to the edge of the forbidden area.

The border of the sixteen-hundred-miles open area was jam-packed with formations and restrictions. All sorts of eerie runes and formation etchings filled the area as far as the eye could see.

Jiang Chen looked pensively at a certain gap.

"These traces are definitely man-made. I remember them talking earlier about signs of someone barging inside. Did Su Hong create a gap here and enter the second level?"

The nasty environment in the first level was of no challenge for Jiang Chen, but the same might not hold true for the second level. A place designated as forbidden grounds was to be reckoned with.

But time was pressing. There was nowhere to hide in the first level. He had to rush in and face the dangers head-on. Without further ado, he steeled his resolve and slipped inside despite the many layers of restrictions.

A crazy spatial countercurrent impeded his progress the moment he set foot inside.

Fortunately, his adaptability was second to none. Though difficult, he acclimated himself to the new environment and soon found himself increasingly less troubled by the spatial current.

He waded against the tide for a full two hours before finally leaving the border area.

Sure enough, danger lurked at every corner. Troubles cropped up every three steps, and disaster every five. Thankfully, his mighty consciousness allowed him to find his way out of every precarious situation.

What a terrifying place. I fear for Su Hong if he's really come inside. Then again, the sky's the limit for him if he can survive this time.

In the current situation, prevailing despite all odds would be proof of Su Hong's potential.

All of a sudden, a venomous snake shot out of a tall tree, shooting at him as fast as lightning. Such occurrences were a common sight inside the forbidden area. He slashed with his blade without even looking that way.

Its head hacked off, the snake dropped on the ground. But even there, bone-chilling hisses emitted from a protruding tongue. These trivial interludes were of no threat to him.

The omnipresent formations, restrictions, and spatial currents near the edge of the forbidden grounds truly made his journey tenuous. Thankfully, he had more skill and experience dealing with them than most. He finally left them behind after an hour and entered the second level proper.

The land seemed all the more sinister and terrifying after being sealed off for so long. Chilliness oozed from the very air.

Though running for his life, he didn't charge all over the place like a headless chicken. Instead, he progressed at his own rhythm, every measured step the result of meticulous scouting.

"I might've stirred up a hornet's nest this time. The three houses might send their powerhouses. I can't afford to be reckless, or I'll be intercepted or even trapped." Jiang Chen earnestly focused on his current predicament.

Chapter 1604: A Fugitive's Flight

The large-scale manhunt reached the edge of the forbidden area not long after Jiang Chen passed through the restriction zone.

Inspecting the scene together with the three houses' upper echelons, Xuan Zan nodded after a moment. "Gentlemen, do you see what I'm seeing? There are clear traces of damage to the formations. This must be where the suspects went inside the second level. They can't be very far, especially the impostor. We must catch him at all costs!"

"That's right, our houses can't afford this sort of humiliation!"

"Warden Ding, are you going to lift the restrictions, or shall I do it by force?" Kuang Han glared coldly at the chief warden.

The latter threw a helpless glance at Prince Huo, waiting for his decision.

The crestfallen prince waved his hand. "Lift them then." He raised a cupped fist salute at the three houses. "Gentlemen, this junior has but one request. Please refrain from destroying the formations once inside. With our men as your guides, you'll certainly find the suspects if they're really inside."

"Hmph. Let's see how sincerely you guide us first. We reserve the right to act as we see fit if we can't catch our targets!"

Focused on their murderers, the noble houses paid little heed to his request. They might drop the matter if they caught the two, but they'd naturally make no promises in case they didn't.

The prince sighed. Even if he was unwilling, did he truly have a choice when furious eminent figures from Polylore were breathing down his neck?

His men slowly undid the restrictions.

The three houses divided their forces into nine different groups. The chief warden and the prince dispatched guides to each as they started the manhunt.

The deeper one went into the forbidden area, the closer one neared the core of the Blackwraith Mountains. Compared to the first level, the much greater surface area was an obstacle in the search.

…...

Utterly cautious after setting foot in the new area, Jiang Chen had retracted his aura as match as he could. A single mistake might allow the terrible pursuers on his heels to catch him, so he couldn't lower his guard even for a second.

"I wonder what kind of secret this place hides, for Winterdraw to attach so much importance to it."

His curiosity was piqued. There must be a reason for the island to repeatedly warn them not to stray into the second level. Now that he was inside, he'd personally experienced the sharp increase in the degree of risk.

He ran into many hazards on the way, but he could rely on the powerful sense for danger born of his formidable consciousness. More importantly, he could anticipate many pitfalls thanks to his vast experience.

"This place is dangerous, but not really life-threatening. I wonder why the wardens are so nervous?"

Half the threat came from the mountains themselves, and the other half man-made elements arranged by Winterdraw.

Noxious flora, poisonous insects and violent fauna, as well as all sorts of plants that could kill; for him, these posed little threat. The various formations, devices, or sudden traps were a greater menace.

Thankfully, he had enough knowledge to spare in these areas. Otherwise, he might truly have been brought down in a moment of carelessness.

"Strange. The wardens must really be wary of intruders. The place is armed to the teeth with all sorts of mechanisms." Jiang Chen became increasingly curious. All of a sudden, his consciousness perceived a faint omen of danger. He looked back in spite of himself.

A blinding light illuminated the zone he'd traveled through not long ago.

"Hm? Have the restrictions at the entrance been lifted? Are the pursuers already inside?"

He shook. He knew he'd be hunted, but hadn't thought he'd be placed so fast between the difficult terrain and the three great houses.

"If locals are leading the way, they'll easily avoid all the pitfalls. They can proceed much faster than me since I have to stay alert at all time. Things will be hairy from now on," he cooly analyzed. The situation was very unfavorable.

But at this crucial juncture, he had little time to lose on idle thoughts. He faced forward once again and pressed on deeper into the mountains.

"No matter. I must continue onward. I can't look back even if I have to cross the entire mountain range. According to the map, I should reach the coast if I journey for a few dozen thousand miles. And then, I can make good my escape if I can cross the waters!

"That said, there are formidable barriers and formations near the coast. They're no trifling matter, and there are roughly two thousand miles of dangerous seas to deal with afterward. Leaving will truly be an uphill battle."

He could feel in his bones the challenges lying ahead. For a moment, he even considered using the spacetime seal to return to Veluriyam.

But there were no guarantees the seal could be used on Winterdraw. More importantly, after leaving the third Palace of Heritage, he'd been warned in no uncertain terms he couldn't challenge the fourth palace before half-step empyrean realm.

Although each palace allowed for one chance of failure, Jiang Chen wasn't keen to squander it so casually.

"The seal is a last resort. I'd have to start over again. Coming back to Myriad Abyss Island will probably be even harder by then, not to mention the time wasted." He didn't want to turn back now after making it this far.

The urgency of his situation brought to light even more of his talents. His formidable consciousness was fully put to use inside the forbidden area.

He perfectly avoided every mechanism and prohibition along the way. A single triggered trap might expose his whereabouts and alarm his pursuers, making life so much easier for them. Fortunately, he sidestepped every one of them and stayed under the radar.

Despite the many people hunting him down, they must have split into quite a few groups to cover the land in a wide-ranging human net.

This method was reliable, but also had its flaws. At the very least, they must have spread manpower thin, so they couldn't form a perfect encirclement in the short term.

Being surrounded was his one and only worry. In a forsaken place like the Blackwraith Mountains, it was almost impossible for him to break out of a siege. After all, fearsome experts at sixth level empyrean realm were hot on his heels.

It wasn't his first time contending with such existences, but he'd relied entirely on trickery to defeat the Embittered Savages' Forefather Bamboo. He felt that his chances of victory in a straight confrontation were nil.

And apart from the spacetime seal, none of his trump cards would be of help. So he stayed as cautious as he'd ever been.

He found himself in unfamiliar territory. He was on enemy soil, none of his predicaments part of his plan. Circumstances had forced him to adapt time and again, firmly putting him on the backfoot.

He traveled for two days without a second of rest, his mind stretched taut by the constant tension.

The flight took its toll. Though everything had gone perfectly thus far, and he refrained from exposing his position or losing ground to his pursuers, he hadn't had a moment of respite. He never felt safe or free from the manhunt.

His energy was running low after fleeing for two days and nights straight.

"I can't go on like this. I need to get some rest." He very much wanted to hasten his journey, but reason prevailed in the end.

Even a few hours of meditation would be a huge boon to alleviate his excessive fatigue and help him to recover. Despite his decision, he didn't dare stop immediately. He arranged some Goldbiter Rats on the wayside as scouts and sentries.

His preparations done, he found a secluded spot and began meditating. Every second mattered. He needed to regenerate his reserves in order to face the even greater difficulties lying ahead.

…...

The nine groups of pursuers sometimes traveled together and sometimes went their own ways. Like finding a needle in a haystack, the search had yet to yield results after a few days.

On the verge of exploding, the three houses' leaders once again convened a meeting, their faces so glowering that Prince Huo and Warden Ding were a little afraid to look at them in the eye.

"We haven't so much as spotted the murderer's shadow after so many days, to say nothing of catching him. Warden Ding, your wardens are the ones leading the way, so how do you explain this?" asked an exasperated Kuang Han.

Chief Warden Ding coughed in embarrassment. After a few days of large-scale manhunt, he'd begun to wonder whether a murderer truly existed.

It was possible the geniuses had killed each other, while and Jiang Huang and Su Hong were entirely innocent. But it was a mere fleeting guess born from frustration. How would he ever dare voice it?

Chapter 1605: A Difference in Opinions, Breaking Away

"Imperial Prince Huo, Warden Ding. I don't see any sincerity from your guides. Don't blame us for not giving you face from now on!" Kuang Han's expression was completely black.

The chief warden was astonished. "What are you planning, Master Kuang Han?"

"From now on, we three houses are taking control of this place. We will set the route and plan the pursuit. If you would like to follow us, feel free. If not, you can leave now," Kuang Han announced.

"That seems a little ill-advised, Sir Kuang Han," Imperial Prince Huo's face changed color. "The deeper you go, the more restrictions there are. If you don't know the territory, you'll end up going slower…"

The imperial prince's words made a certain amount of sense.

"Honored sirs, the imperial prince is telling the truth. Without us to guide you through the Blackwraith Mountains, you will go even more slowly than we are now," Warden Ding advised.

Xuan Zan snickered. "You think we can't live without your help? Absurd! You are mere frogs at the bottom of a well. Do you take us for your local factions? Our methods are far beyond your comprehension!" His tone was downright rude.

As figures of authority in their own right, the imperial prince and the chief warden were unhappy to hear such words. They would've turned on him instantly had he not been from Polylore.

"Please, do reconsider," Imperial Prince Huo forced out meekly.

"Enough." Kuang Han waved a hand. "It's so decided."

Warden Ding had had quite enough of these upper crust Polylore natives. As the chief warden of Winterdraw, he was an important man in the whole of the Rejuvenation Isles. The three houses were strong, but the seniors who'd come weren't necessarily stronger than him. At most, they were comparable in skill.

Because of the difference in status, the chief warden had bit back all complaints. But he was having a hard time keeping things down any more. His expression darkened, his own tone completely turning from a respectful one.

"As the chief warden of Winterdraw, I cannot defy the will of you Polylore nobles," he declared coolly. "I do have a word of warning, however."

Kuang Han sneered. "What? Are you trying to stop us by force?"

"As the aristocracy of a divine nation, you have the ability to treat the Rejuvenation Isles as you wish," the chief warden replied. "Even if I wanted to stop you, I would not be able to given the circumstances. This is quite separate from that."

"Out with it then." Kuang Han became detached as well.

"If you truly want to have things your way and decide on your own path, then Winterdraw is no longer responsible for whatever else happens in the Blackwraith Mountains. Whether you find the culprit or get into another accident – that is none of our concern." Warden Ding took a hard stance.

"Tsk tsk, it sounds like you think we three houses won't be able to handle these mountains, hmm?" Xuan Zan curled his lip.

"I don't mean to belittle you," Warden Ding responded with a cupped fist salute. "Still, the Blackwraith Mountains have been a dangerous place since ancient times. This place is foundational to the existence of Winterdraw itself. As a place of ancient heritage, its dangers are inestimable. I am sure of one thing though. Even you three houses cannot guarantee that each and every one of you will remain unscathed."

The chief warden was in a difficult position. He couldn't be too viciously certain about the statement, but he had to make himself clear. If they wanted to venture in without regard, any subsequent deaths shouldn't be blamed on Winterdraw.

In actuality, he had borne displeasure for the three houses ever since their geniuses had gone missing. Their lack of decorum annoyed him. If they came to test themselves on Winterdraw, shouldn't they have been ready to suffer some losses?

What kind of aristocratic house was it that blamed mishaps of its own upon another?

Were they not responsible enough to shoulder the burden of potentially dying? Why had they come to test themselves in the first place then?

The three houses' current behavior was absolutely tyrannical in his eyes, with no reason whatsoever for their high-handedness.

Imperial Prince Huo hurriedly interceded. "My friends, Old Ding is the chief warden of Winterdraw Island. He feels a great deal for this place and knows what the Blackwraith Mountains signify. He wanted to protect the heritage here, nothing else. Plus, the mountains really are rather dangerous. He only means well."

Kuang Han snickered. "Imperial Prince Huo, it doesn't matter what you think. No matter what you say, our wish to hunt down the criminals is set in stone. As for the pointless air that Warden Ding has farted, don't concern yourselves with our well-being. We will take responsibility for what happens from here on out. Pay attention to your own affairs."

"That's right. Follow us if you'd like. If not, get out of here." Xuan Zan didn't want to waste any more time.

Imperial Prince Huo's lips quavered; he sighed helplessly.

Warden Ding tossed the prince a thoughtful glance. "Well then." He raised a cupped fist salute. "We will not bother you with our presences any longer."

The chief warden knew that they would only be abandoned by the three obstinate houses if they tagged along. Thus it was better not to go at all.

"We're going!" Kuang Han waved without looking at the imperial prince and the chief warden. He and his team departed. Xuan Zan and Xue Yi zoomed after him along with the elite of their own houses.

Warden Ding's expression was chilling as he glared at their backs. A fire burned in his heart. He desperately wanted to give the order to kill all of them, if it were possible.

Winterdraw Island and the Rejuvenation Isles had the power to do it.

The three houses had many experts, but they were few in number. Winterdraw and the Isles on the other hand, had all of their best men here.

Commander He sighed. " Warden Ding, you're too hard-headed. You'll only end up insulting these three factions in the end."

"You saw their attitudes," the chief warden retorted with evident displeasure. "They don't think much of us at all. What's the point of us sucking up to them? Will they somehow show us any kindness in return?"

Imperial Prince Huo waved a hand. "That's enough complaining. Our invitation to the eight houses was supposed to have been a good thing, but now, I can't really tell…" Tragedy colored his voice.

"Warden Ding, is there really insurmountable terror within the Blackwraith Mountains?" Commander He questioned worriedly.

"I don't really know myself. It's been quite a while since I became chief warden, but I haven't been everywhere in these mountains yet. There have always been historical records. This is the most dangerous of the five forbidden grounds we have here on Winterdraw, and certainly the most mysterious. Moreover, any trespassers into the deep of the mountain can reportedly only expect death."

"Isn't that going to be very bad?" Commander He became extremely anxious. "The death of a few geniuses has already driven three houses into a panic. If something further happens to them… wouldn't they turn the Rejuvenation Isles upside down?"

"No worries." Warden Ding shook his head. "I've mitigated that risk already." He raised his arm to show off something in hand. It was a recording crystal.

"Our journey here, my warning just now… both have been recorded within the crystal. The three houses can't blame us in the future, even if they want to."

Warden Ding handed the crystal to Imperial Prince Huo. "Your Highness, please keep it for future need. Perhaps it mightful be useful at some point."

The imperial prince was overjoyed. "Good. Well done, Warden Ding! If some accident happens to them, it is their stubbornness that's to blame, not the Rejuvenation Isles."

Commander He's ugly expression was alleviated somewhat. The recording crystal was helpful proof. The three houses couldn't be downright irrational or unreasonable.

The other five houses had been quite satisfied with Rejuvenation's reception of them. Any hostility from these three stragglers would need to be dealt with as things came up.

"We leave!" The imperial prince finally came to a decision to not mess around with the three houses.

"Fall back," Warden Ding gave the signal. He and his men withdrew outside.

"Warden Ding," Commander He ran up to him. "If one crosses the Blackwraith Mountains, where will one end up?"

The chief warden halted his step. "Why do you ask that, Commander He?"

"Heh, I was just worried. If those two contestants really did pass through the Blackwraith Mountains, won't they have escaped?"

"Impossible!" Chief Warden Ding shook his head. "The Blackwraith Mountains cannot be traversed so easily. Your concern is misplaced, Commander He."

"We must prepare for the worst. If those two really were responsible for killing the houses' scions, they are extraordinary talents indeed. Think about it: you're intimately familiar with this place, Warden Ding, yet you found no trace of them after several days of careful searching. What does this prove? They are anything but predictable. What if they succeed?"

Imperial Prince Huo stopped in his tracks as well. "I suppose we must defend against that possibility."

"You're overthinking things, Your Highness, Commander He. Barely anyone has gone from one side of the Blackwraith Mountains to the other since ancient times. Plus, there is reportedly a terrifyingly powerful ancient restriction at the mountains' heart. The core of an ancient formation lies there. Anything living can't even approach, much less pass through."

"How about this." Imperial Prince Huo thought for a moment. "We'll send a group of elites each to search the mountain exit on the other side. An ambush will be prepared there for them. If they don't pull it off, we'll have wasted only a few man-hours. If they do, we can cut them down on the spot to prevent them from endangering the formation on the edge of the island. We can't let them escape!"