Chapter 435 - 426: Sudden Upheaval
Chapter 435 - 426: Sudden Upheaval
The forest was temporarily safe, and they hesitated no longer.
Some people were almost half alive, and they planned to rest for two days before setting off.
They didn’t plan to advance further to avoid alerting the enemy.
A few leaders discussed it, and judging by their encounters, the fierce beasts inside the border were acting abnormal, breaking their usual patterns, with signs of rage, making it unsuitable for hunting.
As for the Immortal Condensing Grass, it would depend on luck to encounter it on the return journey.
They had done their best, and if they didn’t retreat now, everyone might end up buried here.
The team rested quietly for one night, and the night watchmen were cautious as they scouted the area and didn’t find any traces of the Giant Golden Monkey, letting out a huge sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, plans could not keep up with changes.
The next afternoon in the depths of the forest, enormous sounds erupted, startling everyone resting.
The nerves that had finally relaxed instantly became tense.
There was a tense atmosphere.
An hour ago, the sentries returned without finding anything unusual, so why was there suddenly such turmoil?
Some fleet-footed brothers had already slipped ahead to investigate the situation.
Due to the incredibly bizarre events of the past few days, even though they hadn’t figured out the cause, everyone packed up their bags and prepared to face whatever was coming.
Not long after, the person returned at a flying speed.
He brought back very bad news.
The commotion in the forest was caused by people from Chenyang Peak and Danqing Peak, who also suffered heavy losses and were being chased by a group of Giant Golden Monkeys.
"Can you estimate how many Giant Golden Monkeys there are?"
"How many of them are left?"
"What do we do? Should we head towards the river? What if we encounter the mutated moles, isn’t that a dead end?"
"Did you see the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Princess?"
Everyone was talking over each other, asking lots of questions.
Unfortunately, the person who went to investigate was too frightened and only caught a glimpse before coming back.
"No matter what, we must find a way to leave here first, definitely not going the opposite way, so it seems the only option is to take the water route."
"Let’s see how many Giant Golden Monkeys there are; after all, our combined teams amount to several hundred people. If we can handle the pursuing Giant Golden Monkeys, then great; if not, we’ll take the water route, preparing for both possibilities."
Everyone unanimously agreed with Yuan He’s suggestion and began to move.
They set up several simple traps, hoping to block some of the Giant Golden Monkeys’ attacks.
Though out of arrows, Yuan He had great foresight, having carved arrow feathers from sturdy wood yesterday, and now he was speeding up his work.
With great speed, they chopped down relatively dry tree trunks, using Inner Strength to forcibly evaporate eighty percent of the moisture inside, carving them into planks and tying them together with rope.
When the ropes ran out, they found sturdy vines to use for binding.
The shadows running through the forest were too swift, and before they could complete all preparations, they saw the ragged figures sprinting toward them.
The Fifth Princess, upon seeing Yuan He, instantly burst into tears, crying loudly.
"Third Imperial Brother, save me! Third Imperial Brother, save me!"
Her clothes were tattered, with several bloody wounds on her body, her face smeared with blood and dust, making her unrecognizable, far from the lofty, beautiful, and proud royal figure she normally was.
A group of people fleeing in distress seemed to see their savior, their eyes gleaming wildly, almost coming over to hug their thighs with tears and snot.
The Fourth Prince and others were also quite excited.
Who could have imagined they had been in extreme peril several times earlier?
The person scouting from atop a high branch immediately leaped down.
"The situation isn’t good; there are at least two hundred Giant Golden Monkeys chasing them, and I see shadows moving in the distance, which probably means more are coming, not advisable to face them head-on."
"Then we’ll have to retreat first."
No time to think much, they immediately headed to the water.
At the crucial moment, differences in status became glaringly apparent.
The arrogant Senior Sister Xiao refused to let Cheng Xiaoxiao on the raft.
In such a short time, although they were all exceptionally skilled, it was impossible to let everyone aboard the rafts.
Some hung around the edge of the rafts, half submerged, some held onto logs tied with vines, with one end attached to the raft, at least providing a route.
Clearly, those who could sit on the raft were either the Peak Master’s direct disciples or the Hall Master’s official disciples, while other registered and servant disciples all spontaneously got into the water, except for Cheng Xiaoxiao.
This person with the young lady’s bad habits was really annoying, completely ignored by everyone now, but still frustrating when she talked.
Hmph, wait and see, she’ll be crying out for her parents soon enough.
Cheng Xiaoxiao made a silly face, quickly leaping onto a raft farther away, sitting alongside Yuan Yi, with no one daring to tell her to get off.
"Senior Brother Yuan, that kid is just a registered disciple of Yanxia Peak, with no status; how does she qualify to sit on the raft? You shouldn’t defend her, make her get into the water like other registered disciples."
"Heh, who was it that righteously claimed to be fair to all, yet still practices identity discrimination."
It was downright contemptuous.
"Tianyuan Sect values talent and experience when recruiting disciples, and not being accepted by a master indicates a lack of ability and talent. When meeting direct or official disciples, you should automatically yield to show respect; that’s the rule. You show no regard for hierarchy and argue, of course, Yanxia Peak is just a bunch of worthless mice."
Haha, using Tianyuan Sect’s rules to restrain her, what a misjudgment; to look down on Yanxia Peak, truly laughable.
"Junior Sister, watch your words."
This time Yuan He spoke, glaring fiercely at Miss Xiao.
Private grievances should not escalate into conflicts between the peaks; so many people are here, it’s hard to stop gossip, losing face in the process.
Realizing she spoke out of turn, Miss Xiao pouted and remained silent.
"What’s the matter with not being accepted by a master? If you have the guts, come bite me."
Cheng Xiaoxiao showed no fear whatsoever; this person indeed had all the flaws of a young lady, and they weren’t her real parents, no one would indulge her continually, though brothers and sisters who generally had good relations sometimes gave leeway, it was limited.
As for the lower-ranked ones who used to flatter her, they dared not speak.
Many owed their lives to Cheng Xiaoxiao’s rescue along the way, as long as they had a conscience not fed to dogs, they wouldn’t voice out.
Those couple of sycophants could only keep comforting the angry ones.
On the raft, the Fifth Princess unloaded all her strength and fatigue.
With a face filled with gratitude for meeting her Third Imperial Brother, she had narrowly avoided being pierced by the Giant Golden Monkey’s body, saved by a follower who left his life behind, as the monkey chased her again, she truly thought she was going to die.
The thrilling near-death suffocation, she never wanted to experience again.
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PFC