Chapter 3015 — Encountering Old Acquaintances Again (Monthly Tickets Requested—Thank You All for Your Tremendous Support, and Thanks to the Readers of Shouyue and Shouqi for Your Monthly Tickets and Tips!)

Yet no sooner had Wei Zhao entered the mountain range than his expression shifted subtly, turning incomparably grave—for within those mountains, Wei Zhao sensed the aura of cultivators! The fluctuations of true qi!

The perception of a Heaven-Rank expert was indeed extraordinary. Had it been the Wei Zhao of old, he could never have managed such a feat; but ever since he had set foot upon the Heaven Rank—even as but a novice of the early Heaven Rank—Wei Zhao's perception of the outside world had grown incomparably keen.

What was more, judging by Wei Zhao's senses, these true qi fluctuations did not belong to a single person; there were likely two or three of them!

Instinctively, Wei Zhao reined in his own aura until he gave off not even the presence of an ordinary man, hesitating inwardly over whether he ought to go and see what was happening.

After all, the appearance of cultivators here seemed at first glance to have little to do with Wei Zhao; but on second thought, this was West Star Mountain Village—how could cultivators possibly be roaming about West Star Mountain Village?

This place was remote and out of the way; not even tourists came here. Where would cultivators come from? And if they had come, what had they come to do?

Wei Zhao could make no sense of it—and precisely because he could make no sense of it, it was all the more suspect. So after a moment's hesitation, Wei Zhao walked forward all the same. These cultivators were most likely here on his account; otherwise, Wei Zhao could truly find no other reason.

The cultivators' auras drew nearer and nearer. Wei Zhao could now say with certainty that there were three cultivators ahead, and that none of them were of low rank!

One of them was an expert at the peak of the early Heaven Rank, while the other two were, astonishingly, experts at the peak of the late Heaven Rank! At this distance, Wei Zhao could already perceive their strength, for every one of them had laid his power bare without the slightest reservation!

What astonished Wei Zhao was that these three did not appear to be on the same side—for they were fighting!

What was going on here? Wei Zhao found it all the stranger. It seemed these three cultivators had not come looking for him—but then why had they come all the way out here to fight?

To go or not to go? What gave Wei Zhao pause was that two of the other party were experts at the peak of the late Heaven Rank, and the affairs of Heaven-Rank experts were not so easily meddled in. Wei Zhao had no wish to stick his nose in and get himself dragged down with them.

But if he did not go and see just who these three were, Wei Zhao would never quite set his mind at ease. These three had suddenly appeared at West Star Mountain Village; even if they had not come for Wei Zhao, he ought at the very least to take precautions, ought he not?

As he hesitated, he suddenly heard one of them shout: "Sixth Brother, I can't hold out much longer! This old madman has suddenly stopped being mad—how is he so ferocious?"

The one called Sixth Brother was silently cursing his own misfortune; the old madman had suddenly stopped being mad, and even he could scarcely hold out. Heaven knew where the old bastard had gotten his hands on two Heaven-Rank weapons of such overbearing might that even an expert of his own rank could not fend them off.

"Let's hold on a while longer! The old thing's fits come and go—I refuse to believe he won't go mad again!" Sixth Brother said through gritted teeth.

"Right!" the other man answered, also grinding his teeth. "I wonder if that kid Seventh has recovered yet—one blow from the old thing's axe and he fell behind!"

"Seventh has a Great Return Pill on him; he should be fine!" Sixth Brother said.

Why did those two voices sound so familiar? Wei Zhao knit his brows slightly—he seemed to have heard them somewhere before. So they must be acquaintances of his. But among his acquaintances, who was there of peak late Heaven-Rank strength?

Aside from the Heaven-Rank freak... That was it! Could the "old madman" they spoke of be the Heaven-Rank freak? And at the thought of the Heaven-Rank freak, Wei Zhao abruptly recalled two men connected with him—Old Six and Old Twelve!

By the look of it, these two must be men of the Five Luminaries Sect, subordinates of Patriarch Xuanchen, fellow disciples of the former Little One and Little Eleven. Could it be that they had found the Heaven-Rank freak and were now besieging him?

The last time, in the Ulanhot Mountains, Wei Zhao had only escaped Old Twelve's pursuit by a hair thanks to his Heaven and Earth Net. Back then, Old Twelve, an expert at the peak of the early Heaven Rank, had seemed to Wei Zhao so lofty and unattainable!

But now Wei Zhao was himself an expert of the early Heaven Rank, and facing Old Twelve again, he would by no means be so wretchedly outmatched.

At the thought that the man they were besieging might be the Heaven-Rank freak, Wei Zhao hesitated no longer and dashed over in a few swift strides!

When Wei Zhao drew near and looked, his guess had indeed been right—the three before him were none other than the Heaven-Rank freak, Old Six, and Old Twelve!

The divine weapon in the Heaven-Rank freak's hands had changed from the black wrought-iron staff of last time to a pair of massive battle-axes, which he swung with a fierce and mighty flourish. What surprised Wei Zhao was that this time the Heaven-Rank freak did not seem mad at all, for he wielded the axes with considerable method, drawing out their utmost power!

Over there, Old Six and Old Twelve, two against one, had no advantage at all beneath the axes' twin onslaught—indeed, they were getting the worst of it!

Yet Wei Zhao could also see that though they two against one were losing ground, it was still impossible for the Heaven-Rank freak to finish off Old Six and Old Twelve. The two were only slightly inferior, and they worked together with incomparable默契—whenever one fell into danger, the other would swiftly step in to shield him—and so the Heaven-Rank freak's attacks failed again and again.

At the very least, Old Six and Old Twelve should have no great trouble holding out for three or five days; in the end, when both sides had likely spent their physical strength and true qi, they would simply disperse.

Toward the men of the Five Luminaries Sect, Wei Zhao was filled with hatred; Old Six and Old Twelve were his enemies as well. Though the hatred was not as great as that he bore Little One and Little Eleven, still—for having been chased like a beaten dog by Old Twelve—Wei Zhao meant to have his revenge!

At this thought, Wei Zhao cried out: "Master, I've come to help you!" and charged forward.

Wei Zhao was now an expert of the early Heaven Rank, and having only just arrived nearby, he had concealed his strength; neither the Heaven-Rank freak nor Old Six nor Old Twelve had noticed his coming. But Wei Zhao's shout gave them a start!

"Wei Zhao?!" Old Six and Old Twelve were alarmed and hastily raised their heads to look his way, recognizing him at once!

And in the hearts of Old Six and Old Twelve arose the same thought at once: that today's tide had turned against them. The two of them were already hard pressed to deal with the Heaven-Rank freak; add Wei Zhao to make more trouble, and they would likely fall prey to the Heaven-Rank freak's schemes!

Of course, in their eyes they had not the slightest regard for Wei Zhao's strength, for back in the Ulanhot Mountains Wei Zhao had been good only for running. And when Little One returned, he had said that he had beaten Wei Zhao like a dead dog—had White Leader not stepped in, Wei Zhao would long since have been dead and buried! RS