Chapter 4699 — Leave the Toll If You Want to Pass

"This oasis is the chokepoint of the Ten-Thousand-Year Grand Canyon. All the spiritual energy flowing in and out of the canyon gathers here, which is why it is so thick, and also why this oasis exists at all; otherwise there would be nothing but barren desert," Huo Yudie explained from behind him.

It was clear that the girl had done a good deal of research on this place beforehand in order to obtain the Lightning Mystic Vine. After all, unlike Wei Zhao, the ancient battlefield was actually quite dangerous for a Nascent Soul peak expert like her.

The oasis was not especially large, only a little over a hundred zhang across, yet even in so small a space, dozens of high-level cultivators were gathered at this moment. Apart from a handful of Golden Core peak experts, most of them were Nascent Soul experts—the mainstream strength of this trial.

These people were clustered together as though facing some common threat, every face grave and tense. Could there be some terrifying spirit beast blocking the way ahead?

Wei Zhao and Huo Yudie's arrival caused no commotion and drew no attention. Everyone present had their eyes fixed on the open ground dead ahead in the center. It was not some fearsome spirit beast that occupied it, but another group of cultivators—except this group radiated a savage, menacing aura, by no means the sort who wished others well.

Following the crowd's gaze, Wei Zhao looked ahead, and his eyelid gave an involuntary twitch as shock flooded his heart. The leader of that group ahead, a ferocious man with a scarred face, was actually a Mystic Ascension expert!

Wei Zhao could not help rubbing his eyes. Surely he had not seen wrong?

Was this place not said to admit only Nascent Soul experts and below, since no one else could pass through the teleportation formation? Then what was this Mystic Ascension expert doing here? That savage aura, towering far above any Nascent Soul expert—that could not possibly be faked, could it?

Even if someone truly could fake such an aura to intimidate others, it would never escape Wei Zhao's eyes; every detail from head to toe gave it away. This scarred man was a genuine Mystic Ascension expert, albeit only at the peak of the early Mystic Ascension stage. But for such a being to appear in a place like this was in itself a piece of astonishing news!

"Well then? Anyone else want to pass? If you want through, hand over the toll quickly. As long as the precious treasures you offer are worth the weight, this old man will let you through! Rest easy—the Ten-Thousand-Year Grand Canyon behind me is a pristine land where scarce a soul has ever set foot, with countless rare treasures inside. It's easy to make back your losses, hahahaha!" The scarred man threw back his head and laughed wildly.

Hearing these words, Wei Zhao and Huo Yudie understood at once. So these people had not gathered here to fight over some treasure—they had simply run into a bandit chief who had set himself up as lord of the mountain pass!

According to Huo Yudie, the Ten-Thousand-Year Grand Canyon was a rare treasure ground within this ancient battlefield. Thanks to its extraordinary environment, there were far more rare treasures here than elsewhere. Try one's luck out in the desert, and one might search ten days or half a month without finding a single treasure; but in the Ten-Thousand-Year Grand Canyon, legend had it that a single day of patient walking would surely yield something.

Moreover, since the judging standard for this West Island trial was precisely rare treasures, naturally any trial participant with a bit of information and connections would find a way to come here for a visit. Only those with other intentions, like Ren Zhongyuan and his kind, would pass up this legendary treasure ground.

Now this bandit chief had seized the only entrance to the place, which was as good as gripping the soft spot of everyone present. They had no choice but to let him butcher them as he pleased.

After all, faced with such an arrogant, savage Mystic Ascension expert, these Nascent Soul cultivators were utterly helpless. A freak like Wei Zhao could not be found a second time across the five Cloud Terrace Islands—who else could leap a whole great realm to challenge a Mystic Ascension expert?

"Damn it! If this fellow were alone, the lot of us could rush him together, and I doubt even a Mystic Ascension expert could hold out. Pity he has so many lackeys!" someone not far from Wei Zhao muttered bitterly.

"No help for it. We really are unlucky, running into this scarred face. Looks like this West Island trial is a lost cause. And to think the West Island princess choosing a husband was such a fine opportunity—ah..." another person sighed.

"How did this scarred face get into a place like this? Aren't Mystic Ascension experts supposed to be unable to enter?" Wei Zhao asked quietly, mingling among them without showing anything on his face.

"Heh, another unlucky newcomer." The man turned and glanced at Wei Zhao; when he saw Huo Yudie his eyes lit up, but since she wore a veil, he did not put on too much of a leering display. He only shook his head with a bitter smile. "According to the earliest arrivals up front, this scarred face was stuck at the Nascent Soul peak bottleneck during some earlier trial, then had some sort of stroke of fortune mid-trial and broke through by accident. So he couldn't get out, and ended up trapped here playing bandit chief."

"So that's how it is." Hearing this, Wei Zhao instinctively glanced at Huo Yudie. The girl too was at the Nascent Soul peak bottleneck—she would not accidentally run into the same tragedy, would she? This place really was dangerous enough; even a rare breakthrough could doom a person...

"That only proves his own strength was lacking. Controlling one's cultivation realm is a compulsory course for every disciple of the East Continent Academy, and the most basic one at that. Failing even in this proves that reaching his current realm was purely good luck, and his true foundation is severely deficient," Huo Yudie said, rolling her eyes at Wei Zhao.

"This young lady is from the East Continent?" The man from before glanced at Huo Yudie again. Seeing that she seemed disinclined to answer, he could only smile bitterly to himself. "What you say is true enough, but Scarface is a genuine peak early-stage Mystic Ascension expert after all. No matter how strong a Nascent Soul cultivator is, he's just a dish before him. Circumstances overpower the man—what can anyone do?"

"That's right. From what Scarface said, he's already been here for a hundred years. The people around him are all those who came back late from their trials and found they could no longer leave, so he gathered them up one by one and made himself the local tyrant. These people are all desperadoes—not to be trifled with!" a bystander said with a lingering shudder.

"In your esteemed opinions, then, to get through here to the Ten-Thousand-Year Grand Canyon, one simply has to pay him tribute in rare treasures?" Wei Zhao asked again, noncommittally.

"Want to take this road? Leave the toll. That's the rule this bandit chief has set. If you haven't the strength to resist, what choice is there but to pay him in rare treasures?" one person said. (To be continued)