Chapter 285: Chapter 63: Five Sects (5000 more updates)_2

…

Bang!

A figure, enveloped in deep red, suddenly retreated from the explosion.

It then quickly commenced to crawl away.

However, before it had gotten far, a phantom-like shadow flashed by!

The crimson figure was instantly splattered with blood, plummeting directly from mid-air.

Just as it was about to be dashed to death, a massive blue mana hand materialized out of thin air and caught the falling figure, then backhandedly swatted it down.

The crimson figure, impacted by that hit, felt its soul shaking, unable to mobilize any soul power at all.

Two figures quietly appeared by its side at that moment.

It was none other than Wang Ba and Shen Fu.

Shen Fu stood guiltily next to Wang Ba at this moment: “If it wasn’t for your timely intervention, he would have escaped.”

“No harm done,”

Wang Ba replied with a smile, casting a glance at Shen Fu.

He noticed that Shen Fu seemed out of sorts as though preoccupied. However, since Shen Fu didn’t mention anything, it was clear he had his concerns. So, Wang Ba didn’t probe further.

He then went over to the Class II Incense-burning Dao Cultivator and checked his condition.

After confirming that he was still conscious, he swiftly placed his hand on the cultivator’s forehead and initiated the Soul Searching spell.

However, the soul of a Class II cultivator was much stronger than that of a Class I, so Wang Ba found the Soul Searching process rather arduous.

However, to his relief, he was nonetheless able to uncover plenty of useful information.

“Yesterday, Lu Yuansheng, single-handedly faced six Class III cultivators from the Incense Fire Dao, neither defeating nor being defeated….”

“Up until now, only Lu Yuansheng, the Golden Core, has shown himself from the Tianmen Cult. The whereabouts of the remaining Golden Cores are unknown.”

“The whereabouts of the Tianmen Cult Hierarch, Ning Daohuan, are a mystery.”

“Yan Yun has been slaughtering all around the north. Zheng Yuanhua specially dispatched several peak Class II cultivators and more than ten late-stage Class II cultivators. They have set up a comprehensive trap, just waiting for him to fall into it.”

“Zhu Ziji, Cui Fengcheng, Yang Lie, and others have also been quite active….”

“Feeling the strain, Zheng Yuanhua has specifically sent word to the Class II cultivators in the southwest and southern regions to support him. He is also responsible for delivering a message. The content of the communication is… Bang!”

Wang Ba only had time to shield himself and Shen Fu and watched as the Class II cultivator exploded into a massive blood hole.

“That’s audacious! Using a Class II cultivator as a messenger and putting a ban on him.”

Wang Ba exclaimed, astounded.

“However, it seems that the Tianmen Cult and the Incense Fire Dao are in earnest in this matter… but why haven’t the multitude of Golden Core Masters from the Tianmen Cult appeared yet?”

Wang Ba was similarly filled with puzzlement.

From his knowledge, just on the surface, the Tianmen Cult had twenty-one Golden Core Elders. Including Hierarch Ning Daohuan, their combined attack could massacre the Incense Fire Dao of the Chen State countless times over.

Even if they were wary of the five sects behind Chen State, it was still no reason to sit back and watch the enemy’s growing power base.

What was strange, though, was that despite the Tianmen Cult dispatching a significant number of cultivators, they had achieved minimal results. Not only were they unable to eradicate this growing threat to their safety, but they had also inexplicably observed their opponent’s growth step by step.

To this date, where the Incense Fire Dao had wreaked havoc on half of the Chen State and even seemed poised to target the Tianmen Cult directly.

Under such circumstances, it was a far cry from the cunning and audacious Tianmen Cult that Wang Ba knew, who had destroyed the East Saint Sect through overt and covert strategies more than a decade ago.

No matter how he looked at the situation, it seemed inexplicably peculiar.

However, he was ultimately not a high-ranking official of the Tianmen Cult. Many matters were not within his knowledge.

“I have a feeling that if we continue to stay in the Chen State, something will happen.”

“Many things seem abnormal… the five major sects, the Tianmen Cult, the Incense Fire Dao, not to mention Qianyu Lake…”

“It would be better to return after completing the task, then try to get to Lu Yuansheng and see if we can take my younger fellow apprentice Shen Fu along with us to stay at Jiantao Station.”

“I can also take the opportunity to cultivate my second Dantian…”

Such idea rose in Wang Ba’s mind.

However, he quickly suppressed it.

The pair then immediately adjusted their travel route based on the information revealed by the cultivator earlier.

Wang Ba, now, was not averse to encountering people from the Incense Fire Dao.

Most of the formidable ones from the Incense Fire Dao had been called to the vicinity of Zhongyuan City. The cultivators left behind were not weak, but they were slightly less formidable in front of Wang Ba’s array of spirit beasts and Shen Fu’s explosion spell.

Furthermore, he could also claim the life-long collections of these cultivators from the Incense Fire Dao.

The danger was extremely low, and the rewards were high. Even a cautious person like Wang Ba would find it hard to resist the urge to act.

In fact, they hadn’t encountered too many people along the way.

But after flying southwards for a while, Shen Fu suddenly stopped, a look of suspicion on his face as he looked towards a canyon in the distance.

There, one could faintly see a bubbling stream, surrounded by blooming flowers. A scene of tranquil and common beauty.

“Is there someone there?”

Wang Ba followed Shen Fu’s gaze but saw nothing out of the ordinary, uttering doubtfully.

“It seems a formation has been set up there…”

Shen Fu, as he listened intently to the bizarre voices in his Spiritual Government, said with a grave expression, “The formation appears to be quite significant!”

Formation?

Wang Ba was startled.

But he didn’t doubt Shen Fu’s judgement.

After all, Shen Fu had displayed talent for formations since his early days of cultivation.

But who would set up a formation in such a remote and wild place?

Moreover, this area was also occupied by the Incense Fire Dao.

“The Incense Fire Dao?”

Wang Ba’s face turned serious.

“Probably…Judging by the scale of the formation, there should quite a few people inside.”