Divine Transcendence

Chapter 42: Mortal enemies

"After three days, a group of disciples from the sect will come to the Ten Thousand Mountains for a trial. You beast slaves must cooperate fully," Elder Hu Huo said expressionlessly.

Yuan Ming and Wu Lu exchanged glances and looked at each other in confusion.

"Do you know the specific content of this trial?" Wu Lu asked after a pause.

"You don’t need to know now. Just remember to gather here in three days. Understood?" Elder Hu Huo commanded with an irresistible tone.

"Yes," Wu Lu nodded, while Yuan Ming nodded reluctantly.

"I know what you’re worried about. This kind of trial is common in the sect, but not every time will you have the opportunity to perform. Listen carefully, after this trial, depending on your individual performance, you can accumulate blood food shares ranging from one hundred to three hundred. If someone achieves great merit, they may even be directly accepted into the sect as named disciples," Elder Hu Huo looked at the two of them and continued.

Upon hearing this, Wu Lu’s breathing became heavier, and Yuan Ming’s eyes lit up.

"That’s all I have to say. Don’t miss this opportunity," Elder Hu Huo said calmly.

"Yes," the two of them replied in unison, their voices immediately becoming louder.

Afterwards, Elder Hu Huo took away the beast blood from the two of them, gave them the antidote for the month, and hurriedly jumped onto a giant eagle, flapping its wings and flying away, leaving Yuan Ming, who had intended to report the matter of the corpses in the valley to him, speechless.

Shortly after, Wu Lu bid farewell to Yuan Ming and left in a hurry, quickly disappearing into the distance.

Yuan Ming did not stay for long and headed towards the direction of the gorge. However, he couldn’t help but ponder over the disciple trial that Elder Hu Huo mentioned, and his expression gradually became serious.

At first glance, this trial seemed like a good opportunity for the beast slaves scattered throughout the Ten Thousand Mountains, but upon closer inspection, something seemed off.

The so-called disciples mentioned by Elder Hu Huo must be named disciples, and in terms of talent and cultivation, they were all stronger than them, the beast slaves at the edge of the sect. The only value the beast slaves had to offer was their familiarity with the Ten Thousand Mountains, which could help with navigation.

He didn’t believe that the sect would only let them, the beast slaves, guide and assist, and reward them with a small amount of blood food.

Things couldn’t be that simple.

"I better be careful," he reminded himself silently.

...

Three days later, next to the boundary monument.

In the early morning, figures gathered from all directions. Before the sun had fully risen, more than thirty people had already gathered here.

Some of them were excited and eager to try, while others looked confused, seemingly unaware of why they were asked to gather.

After Yuan Ming arrived, Ha Gong approached him.

"Have you heard? It seems that the sect has sent a group of named disciples here for training," Ha Gong whispered.

"They can come for training, but what do they need us to cooperate with?" Yuan Ming asked in confusion.

"Don’t you understand? Those who usually live comfortably in the sect have no idea about the dangers of the Ten Thousand Mountains. They must want us to accompany and assist them," Ha Gong rolled his eyes and said.

"Like attendants for nobles going out hunting?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Calling them attendants is too polite. They’re more like hunting dogs and hounds," Ha Gong shook his head and said.

While they were talking, a team of about ten people arrived, accompanied by a tall and fierce-looking man with disheveled black hair, Wu Bao from the Qing Lang Gang.

After they arrived, their gazes all turned towards Yuan Ming and Ha Gong, filled with anger.

Yuan Ming remained calm, meeting their gaze without any fear.

"They can’t avoid coming," Ha Gong smirked, saying.

As soon as he finished speaking, another group of about ten people rushed over, led by Jin Kun from the Lie Gou Hall.

When their gazes met, Jin Kun’s expression didn’t look good either. Previously, when they cooperated with the Qing Lang Gang to target Yuan Ming and Ha Gong, not only did the two escape, but some of their men were also seriously injured.

They hadn’t given up on Yuan Ming, especially Wu Bao. They just hadn’t found the right opportunity yet. Once they had the chance, they would not hesitate to make a move.

Jin Kun’s green eyes kept scanning Yuan Ming and Ha Gong, and he said to Wu Bao, "Since you still have ideas, why not take advantage of Elder Hu Huo not being here yet and our manpower being complete? Isn’t this a good opportunity?"

"I have my own arrangements. Don’t complicate things," Wu Bao licked his lips and sneered.

"Alright, alright," Jin Kun nodded and smiled.

Ha Gong looked at the two of them conspiring and frowned, while Yuan Ming seemed indifferent.

At that moment, a loud whistle suddenly came from the sky.

A huge shadow covered the area and descended towards them.

Everyone looked up and saw Elder Hu Huo riding a falcon-like mount flying over, followed by four unfamiliar figures.

After the falcon landed, Elder Hu Huo jumped down first, followed by the other four.

The appearance of these people immediately attracted the attention of all the beast slaves.

The first person to jump down from the falcon was a rugged-looking man with a short beard. He had a burly figure and was dressed in a black robe that was bulging, with a black giant axe tied to his back. It was clear that he was not someone to be trifled with.

Following closely behind him was a plump woman with an ordinary appearance. Her attire was almost identical to the short-bearded man’s, even the animal head pattern on her chest was exactly the same.

Yuan Ming carefully looked and found that there were small characters written under the animal head pattern, saying "Beast Taming Hall".

Although the woman had an ordinary appearance, her figure was alluring. When she jumped down from the falcon’s back, her chest seemed to be carrying two snow-white jade rabbits, bouncing non-stop, causing the group of beast slaves who hadn’t seen a woman in a long time to stare wide-eyed.

The woman seemed completely indifferent to their bold gazes. She straightened her chest and struck a seductive pose, standing beside the short-bearded man.

After her, a slim young man in a blue robe, with a shy smile on his face, kept his gaze fixed on the ground in front of his feet.

Although the color of his robe was different from the previous two, the style was the same. There was a furnace-shaped pattern on his chest, and below it was the words "Refining Hall" written in the Southern Region’s script.

Lastly, there was a person wearing a fiery red short skirt, whose style was different from the previous three. Under the pattern on her chest, the words "Fire Refining Hall" were written.

This woman had beautiful features and a perfect appearance. Especially her almond-shaped eyes, which were full of vitality. With her short shirt, her exquisite figure was outlined perfectly, appearing both agile and beautiful, as well as sharp and capable.

As soon as she appeared, most of the gazes that were focused on the seductive woman shifted to her, making the seductive woman slightly displeased. She pressed her hand against the vine whip hanging from her waist and glared at everyone.

The beast slaves lowered their heads under her sharp gaze.

Yuan Ming, on the other hand, stared at the three words "Fire Refining Hall" on her chest, slightly lost in thought. He remembered that Zhao Tong had mentioned that the Fire Refining Hall was responsible for refining artifacts in the sect.

That guy had previously said that he would ask around to see if there were any senior brothers from the Fire Refining Hall who could help engrave formations on the Green Fish Sword. However, there was no news from him.

"Crack!"

Just then, a sound of breaking through the air suddenly came.

Yuan Ming instinctively dodged, only to see a whip shadow flash by his side and then retract.

He was puzzled, not understanding why the woman suddenly attacked him.

Seeing that Yuan Ming’s gaze had moved away from her chest, the woman no longer cared. She coiled up her whip and hung it at her waist.

"What an arrogant attitude," Yuan Ming sneered, cursing inwardly.

Elder Hu Huo ignored this and, seeing that the woman was no longer paying attention, spoke up:

"Everyone, the beast slaves I have are all here. You can choose freely, even if you want to take them all."

The beast slaves were confused, as he didn’t even explain to them.

"Elder Hu Huo, we only need a few people to guide us. There’s no need for so many," the woman named Chen Wan spoke first.

"Chen Wan, why not take a few more? If we encounter danger, having more people can provide a buffer," the slim young man in the blue robe, who was called Lian Tu, suggested to Chen Wan.

What does he mean by buffer? Isn’t it just a scapegoat?

Yuan Ming felt dissatisfied upon hearing this, and most of the other beast slaves also showed displeasure, but they didn’t dare to act out.

"Bada, with us here, what are you worried about? This mission, whether we bring one or two or ten or eight beast slaves, what’s the difference?" the short-bearded man grinned and disdainfully said.

"That’s right, with us here, having more people will only be a burden," the seductive woman also spoke, her voice soft and charming. Although her words were full of disdain, the beast slaves trembled upon hearing them, wishing they could all follow her.

"Kun Tu, Yang Chan, this training is not child’s play. Think carefully for yourselves," Elder Hu Huo reminded.

"Elder, don’t worry. This is what we have been waiting for. How can we rely solely on the beast slaves to navigate?" Kun Tu, the short-bearded man, waved his hand, appearing unconcerned.

Then, seemingly casually, he pointed at the crowd, "You, and you, the two of you come with us."

He pointed seemingly randomly, and everyone’s gaze focused on the two "lucky ones" who were chosen.

Wu Bao grinned and looked at Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming furrowed his brows, unable to hide his dissatisfaction.

"Yuan Xiong, I don’t think this is a good job," Ha Gong expressed his concern.

The two people chosen by Kun Tu were none other than Wu Bao and Yuan Ming.