Chapter 129: The Valley

As soon as Xu Haoran spoke, all the senior members of the Xu Clan inside the main hall nodded. They could not think of anyone else in that team besides Xu Ziyan who would have such courage. They had seen Xu Ziyan’s boldness before. Probably because of this, Xu Haoliang concluded that the ten Xu Clan disciples were heading toward the Endless Forest.

Xu Haoran sat dazedly for a long time. Finally, he let out a deep sigh, stood up, and walked out of the main hall. He headed toward the Rear Mountain where his father was in closed-door cultivation. One hour later, Xu Dingtian, Xu Haoran’s father, soared up from the Rear Mountain and left the Xu Clan. He flew swiftly in the direction of Bowang City.

※※※

In the Endless Forest, the ten Xu Clan disciples were still struggling forward. Suddenly, Xu Lin sent a mental message to Xu Ziyan.

“Ziyan, should I share some of the elixirs that the mysterious elder gave me with them? It could help them improve their realms faster.”

Xu Ziyan’s heart stirred upon hearing this. The most urgent matter now was to boost their companions’ cultivation levels. If their cultivation could improve a bit faster, their self-defense abilities would become stronger. This was the Endless Forest, a place full of dangers. Improving cultivation was more important than anything else at this moment.

But then she remembered the unfathomable cultivation of the Scarred One-Armed Man and his repeated warnings. Xu Ziyan could not help but feel a chill. She did not dare let Xu Lin expose the secret he carried. If something went wrong, she could not bear the Scarred One-Armed Man’s wrath. So, after a brief moment of thought, she sent a mental message back.

“Senior Brother Lin, it’s better not to reveal your secret. Don’t forget the mysterious person’s instructions. I will share some elixirs from my Storage Bracelet with them instead. It won’t cost much anyway.”

“But… how will you explain where the elixirs came from?” Xu Lin continued via mental message.

“Remember, before I came to the Xu Clan, a Female Immortal taught me cultivation methods and the Art of Talisman Crafting. It’s only natural she might have given me some cultivation elixirs.”

Xu Lin thought about it and agreed it was the best solution for now. He nodded silently, then sent another mental message to Xu Ziyan.

“Ziyan, you give them your elixirs first. Later, I will secretly give you some of mine.”

Xu Ziyan smiled and shook her head. “No need, Senior Brother Lin. Do you think we could ever use up all the elixirs that mysterious person gave us, especially in the Qi Refining Stage?”

Xu Lin was taken aback, then he chuckled. The Scarred One-Armed Man had given them so many elixirs, especially lower-level ones. The materials for those were easier to find, and they were simpler to refine. Almost half of the elixirs in Xu Ziyan and Xu Lin’s storage magic treasures were for the Qi Refining Stage. These elixirs were useless to Xu Ziyan, who had already reached the First Layer of Foundation Building Stage. So, she was happy to share them with the Xu Clan disciples. If their cultivation improved, it would be easier for her to lead them.

“Ziyan, do you think the Hai Family from Xichui Town will chase after us?” Xu Tianlang suddenly spoke up from behind.

“They will definitely come!”

Xu Ziyan said firmly. Hearing Xu Tianlang’s frustrated tone, she knew he was still troubled by what happened in Xichui Town. He blamed himself for exposing their carefully concealed journey just when they were about to succeed.

Over this period, Xu Ziyan had come to understand Xu Tianlang a bit. He was brave and loved a fight. His personality was somewhat impulsive. He saw cultivation as his mission and was an extremely proud person. Now that he himself had exposed the team’s secret, his pride made him dwell on it excessively. So, Xu Ziyan turned her head and spoke softly.

“Senior Brother Tianlang, don’t think about that anymore. Right now, we not only have to consider the Hai Family from Xichui Town chasing us, but we also need to think about whether other forces might get this news and swarm after us too.”

“Surely not!” Xu Qi said quietly. “The Hai Family will probably try to keep the news secret. They want to capture us alone and get the Xu Clan’s treasure all to themselves.”

“True!” Xu Ziyan nodded and said softly. “The Hai Family from Xichui Town will definitely try to block the news, but they probably can’t succeed. How could the major powers not have spies in Xichui Town!”

Everyone fell silent, their moods growing heavy. After all their hard work, they thought they had shaken off the pursuing forces. They never expected to fail at the last moment, just when they were closest to success, by exposing their whereabouts. After a moment of silence, Xu Lin spoke softly.

“So you’re saying, in the Endless Forest, we not only face the threat of Monster Beasts but also have to deal with various forces hunting us?”

“Not exactly!” Xu Ziyan said calmly. “In the Endless Forest, it’s more accurate to say that we and our pursuers both face the threat of Monster Beasts. The Monster Beasts are the barrier between us and those chasing us. If we use everything here wisely, it’s not certain who will be hunting whom!”

After a pause, Xu Ziyan continued. “Even if we can’t hunt them, as long as the Monster Beasts in the Endless Forest can muddy the waters, that works to our advantage. In other words, soon there will be three forces in the Endless Forest. One is us, one is the Monster Beasts, and one is the people chasing us. Among these three forces, we are undoubtedly the weakest, but we are also the most hidden and the most mobile. In the days to come, here in the Endless Forest, it won’t just be about strength, but also wisdom! I’m really looking forward to it!”

A surge of pride and fighting spirit suddenly arose in Xu Ziyan’s heart. This pride and fighting spirit directly affected everyone. For a moment, each person imagined the complex situations and brutal battles of the future. They thought about their own growth ahead. Strangely, not one of them thought about dying in the future. As the saying goes, newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. This group of novices had come out from the sheltered environment of their clan. The dangers and excitement along the way made them extremely thrilled. They had thought about the dangers, but they thought even more about their heroic and majestic selves overcoming those dangers.

The morning sun of dawn filtered down through the thick leaves. Xu Ziyan and her group had finally moved far from the edge of the Endless Forest. They were now deep within the complex primeval forest. Finding ten people in such terrain was undoubtedly like searching for a needle in a haystack.

“Ziyan, are we safe now? It shouldn’t be easy for the Hai Family to find us, right?”

At that moment, everyone stood at the mouth of a valley. Xu Qi let out a sigh of relief as he spoke. Xu Ziyan did not answer Xu Qi. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and studied the valley.

“Ziyan, what are you looking at? Could this valley be the territory of Monster Beasts?” Xu Lin also narrowed his eyes, mimicking Xu Ziyan as he peered into the valley.

“If there are no Monster Beasts inside this valley, then we are temporarily safe!” Xu Ziyan said, still squinting into the valley.

“Shall we go in and take a look?” Xu Tianlang stepped forward to Xu Ziyan’s side. His eyes were sharp as he looked toward the opposite valley.

“Let’s rest first,” Xu Ziyan said quietly. “We might face a tough battle soon.”

“Ziyan, you should go into meditative rest too. I’ll keep watch,” Xu Lin said.

“No need. All of you go into meditative rest. I’m not tired yet,” Xu Ziyan said as she took out an elixir and put it in her mouth.

“But that’s not right. You’re a girl, and you’ve been leading the way at the front the whole time.”

“Trust me!” Xu Ziyan said calmly.

Xu Lin glanced at Xu Ziyan, then nodded. He sat down cross-legged on the spot and entered a state of meditative rest. The space grew quiet, leaving only the rustling of wind through leaves.

Ever since Xu Lin activated his bloodline, his physique seemed different from ordinary people. In less than half an hour, he had completely recovered his Magical Power. He opened his eyes. He saw Xu Ziyan still standing there, vigilantly watching the opposite valley. He quietly stood up and said softly,

“Ziyan, you should go into meditative rest now!”

Xu Ziyan’s gaze swept over Xu Lin. She confirmed he had recovered his Magical Power. She felt slightly surprised, then nodded. She sat down on the spot, took another elixir, and entered meditative rest. The elixirs she and Xu Lin took were given by that Scarred One-Armed Man. Their quality was naturally higher than the elixirs of Xu Qi and Xu Tianlang. Plus, with Xu Ziyan’s Foundation Building Stage cultivation level, her consumption was originally less than theirs. So, soon Xu Ziyan also finished her meditative rest and opened her eyes.

“Recovered?” Xu Lin asked softly.

“Mhm,” Xu Ziyan nodded gently.

“Shall we go closer to the valley mouth to look?” Xu Lin tentatively asked.

“Alright,” Xu Ziyan also wanted to get closer to the valley mouth to investigate further.

The two of them crept quietly closer to the valley mouth and peered inside, but they did not see anything. The valley was completely silent, without the slightest movement. Xu Ziyan released her Spiritual Power but did not detect any dangerous Monster Beast auras. Both of them felt slightly relieved. They sat down on the ground, keeping an eye on the valley while listening to the roars of Monster Beasts coming from near and far within the Endless Forest.

Xu Lin suddenly broke the silence between them and said softly, “Ziyan, I think you are very mysterious. Your exact cultivation level is a mystery. And the clan seems to value you highly. I asked our fathers, but they didn’t say anything.”

Xu Ziyan looked at Xu Lin and let out a soft laugh. “Senior Brother Lin, everyone has their own secrets. Don’t you as well?”

“Me? What secrets could I have? I’ve lived in the clan since I was little. Every day, it’s just cultivation practice and more cultivation practice!” Xu Lin shook his head with a bitter smile.

“The Qilin phantom behind you! And why did that mysterious elder give you that!” Xu Ziyan pointed a finger at the Storage Ring on Xu Lin’s finger.