Chapter 4674 — Running into Danger

The look Huo Yudie now cast at Yao Jiali's back was far from friendly either. Both of them had vice deans of Chenjiao Academy standing behind them, and their rivalry was fierce, so the two had never been on good terms. Especially after that business with the secular-world woman, they had nearly come to blows, and signs of an open break had already appeared—otherwise, as fellow disciples of Chenjiao Academy, their relationship would not have soured to such a degree.

"Junior Sister Yudie, when did you and he get acquainted? How come I never knew?" At that moment Ren Zhongyuan, who had been walking at the front, suddenly fell back a few steps and sidled over—clearly jealous at seeing Wei Zhao and Huo Yudie talking.

"My master and his master are old friends. Is it so strange that we know each other?" Huo Yudie answered coldly.

"Er—but you never mentioned him before. How is it he's suddenly popped up now?" Ren Zhongyuan pressed on, still unwilling to give up.

"There's a great deal about my affairs that you don't know, Senior Brother Ren." Huo Yudie's tone was stiff; she was plainly fed up with the fellow, and was a hair's breadth from falling out with him to his face.

"Heh heh, true enough. That's precisely why I'd like to learn more about your affairs, Junior Sister Yudie." Ren Zhongyuan, however, seemed utterly oblivious, and went on with a shameless, ingratiating grin, while secretly shooting Wei Zhao a glance. So long as he kept the two of them from whispering together, his goal was achieved.

Huo Yudie glanced at him and made no reply—but Ren Zhongyuan was not one to give up so easily!

She answered him coldly, a word here and a word there, yet he remained as cheerful as ever. In this dogged, plaster-like persistence, he was a match for Kang Jingming.

As for Wei Zhao, ever since Ren Zhongyuan had come sidling over, he had simply clammed up. He seemed to have genuinely become a hanger-on; in truth, but for the Lei Xuan Vine, he could not be bothered to travel with these people at all.

The five pressed on. Once they emerged from the mouth of the gorge, the way ahead suddenly opened out. Wei Zhao had assumed this place was at most a small island, but the sight before him gave him a shock—it was a wasteland!

Not pure desert; here and there one could still see patches of vegetation, but at least eight parts in ten of what met the eye was barren ground. One could not quite call it devoid of a single blade of grass, yet it left one with a feeling of dead stillness.

Ever since coming to Cloud Tier Island, every one of Wei Zhao's adventures or trials had been spent in lush, dense primeval forest. He had not expected this time to be the exception!

What surprised him even more was that this rolling, undulating wasteland stretched beyond sight, with not the slightest feel of the lonely island at sea he had anticipated.

Wei Zhao was somewhat astonished, yet his companions showed not the least surprise, as though they had known all along.

On reflection it was no wonder. Chenjiao Academy was a purely women's academy, so closely bound to the West Island that the two almost depended on each other for survival. In the past, even when the West Island trials were closed to outsiders, they had not necessarily been barred to the academy. That they should have some prior knowledge was only natural.

Once they were out of the gorge, the other trial participants who had come with them were nowhere in sight.

These people had all come in pursuit of rare treasures, and splitting up was the most basic of principles. Otherwise, with everyone gathered together, the slightest discovery of a treasure would mean mutual slaughter—a situation clearly not what anyone wished to see. It was not only inefficient but foolish.

"Hold on a moment. Let's confirm the route." Ren Zhongyuan spoke up suddenly, then drew a map from his robes.

Wei Zhao glanced at it from a distance; it should be a map of the island, only this island was clearly far larger than he had imagined. By area alone, it could probably rival the great islands of the Southern Continent's seas.

Up ahead, Yi Xiaotian, who was busy pawing at Yao Jiali, took a compass from his pack at these words. Seen from afar it was exceedingly exquisite, and one could faintly sense profound formation fluctuations emanating from it!

This was surely a high-grade item rarely seen on the market. As befitted a young master of the Eastern Continent Academy—his equipment was advanced indeed.

The two compared map and compass for a while, and soon fixed their direction. Ren Zhongyuan pointed to a low hill of somewhat higher ground ahead and to the left. "We go that way!"

With that, Ren Zhongyuan once again took the lead at the front, Yi Xiaotian and Yao Jiali following close behind. Huo Yudie frowned, parted her lips slightly as if to speak, but said nothing, and fell in behind the three.

Could they really be here for the Lei Xuan Vine? Wei Zhao could not help but wonder. Judging by how seriously they were going about it, the lot of them had clearly come prepared. If that was truly the case, did his agreement with Huo Yudie still hold?

Wei Zhao frowned in thought. From the attitude of Ren Zhongyuan and the others it was plain that they would never share a treasure of such rare grade with him—and even Huo Yudie might not get much of a share.

After all, they had already been at daggers drawn a moment ago. When it came to that point, they would surely fall out. And when that time came, should he keep working with Huo Yudie, or simply seize an opportunity and take the whole thing for himself?

After all, if it really came to a fight, the earlier agreement would have nothing to do with it anymore. Whatever he did then could hardly be blamed.

Wei Zhao followed the group, scheming all the while, while Ren Zhongyuan and the others remained wholly unaware. A mere burden at the early peak of the Nascent Soul stage—these experts at Nascent Soul perfection did not even regard him as worth their attention. They had no idea they had already become another's prey, and were still wallowing in their lofty arrogance.

With Ren Zhongyuan leading the way, the five trudged through the wasteland for the better part of an hour. Along the way they met not so much as a crisis—they did not even see a single living creature. The scenery was monotonous in the extreme: wasteland, and more wasteland.

The only thing that changed was the terrain. Following the route marked on the map, they found the ground beneath their feet rising ever higher. What had begun as gently rolling slopes had now become towering mountains, and the path ahead gradually narrowed, flanked on both sides by bottomless gorges. Yet wasteland was wasteland after all; however strange the terrain, the scenery was truly hard on the eyes.

This dull, monotonous feeling was utterly at odds with the danger-fraught journey they had imagined. They could not help but share the same doubt: could a place like this really hold rare treasures?

But matters had come to this, and they could only grit their teeth and press on, praying that this time they would not return empty-handed—otherwise all the anticipation they had built up over so long would have been wasted for nothing...

Suddenly, a vague sense of alarm rose in Wei Zhao's heart, and at the same moment a warning came from his jade pendant. His expression changed at once; he hastily halted and, with the same motion, pulled back Huo Yudie, who was walking not far ahead of him. (To be continued) R466