Chapter 265: New Acquaintances

Translator: yikaii Editor: yikaii

In the depths of the dense forest, several disheveled figures staggered and ran towards the forest’s edge, bleeding profusely.

“Pant… pant…”

“Damn it, aren’t Golden Core Stage beasts supposed to be highly independent and never act in groups? Why are there so many Golden Core Stage beasts?” Song Hua complained while running.

“Who knows? Does it matter now? Just run!”

“This is all your fault. After using the directional teleportation talisman last time, you didn’t buy new ones and dragged everyone back into the forest!”

“How could I have known this would happen? Ask these two bodyguards, have they ever encountered Golden Core Stage beasts acting in groups?”

“Four young masters, can you stop arguing? Our top priority is to reach the edge of the forest and get out of danger. We can discuss blame later.” The two bodyguards, drenched in sweat, had always known these young masters were hard to serve. Last time, they encountered the Nascent Soul Stage six-tusked white elephant; this time, they inexplicably provoked several late-stage Golden Core beasts.

What kind of luck is this!

In their many years as bodyguards, they had never encountered such absurd situations. One of their companions had already died at the claws of the pursuing beasts.

“Awoo—” Among the beasts chasing them was a one-eyed lone wolf with a vicious, bloodthirsty gaze. It was the beast that had brutally killed one of the bodyguards.

The one-eyed lone wolf had four red paws, running as if it were flying, incredibly fast.

With a howl, it accelerated again, charging at Song Hua and the others.

“Damn, it’s a Red Cloud Wolf. It was probably the wolf king before, and the new wolf king defeated it and drove it out!” Song Hua cursed.

Hearing Song Hua’s curses, the one-eyed lone wolf’s gaze grew colder. It kicked off its hind legs, leaping high, aiming to bite Song Hua’s neck.

Song Hua turned his head, seeing this, his face turned pale, showing a look of death.

Just as he thought he was doomed, he heard the sound of a sword beside his ear.

Buzz—

The sword hum was short and powerful, carrying an inexplicable charm. Only a master swordsman could produce such a strike.

A sword pierced towards the one-eyed lone wolf, startling it into turning around.

The sword was too fast; it reacted too slowly, unable to dodge.

It could only open its bloody mouth to receive the sword head-on.

The Qingfeng Sword collided with the wolf’s teeth, producing a piercing sound that made one’s scalp tingle.

The one-eyed lone wolf’s mouth was full of blood, its sharp teeth reduced to half.

Lu Yang struck again, swinging at the one-eyed lone wolf.

Meanwhile, three other figures faced off against the other three beasts.

Song Hua and the others were bewildered by the sudden reinforcements. Should they help, keep running, or stay where they were?

There wasn’t much time for them to think. The one-eyed wolf king’s head flew off, dead beyond a doubt.

Lu Yang sheathed his Qingfeng Sword, a few drops of wolf blood splattering on his face.

“Watch out, there’s another beast in the sky!” Song Hua shouted.

By the Golden Core Stage, beasts could fly. Song Hua and the others had planned to escape by air but were deterred by a demonic bird circling above. Anyone attempting to fly would be targeted.

Noticing Lu Yang, the demonic bird flapped its wings, turning into a rain of meteor arrows, diving at Lu Yang.

Lu Yang had already noticed the demonic bird. Without even looking up, he casually raised his Qingfeng Sword, the movement as nonchalant as stretching in the morning. The demonic bird flew directly into the sword’s tip, its head impaled.

“Are you okay?” Lu Yang asked with concern.

“Who are you…” Song Hua and the others were shocked. Lu Yang appeared to be in the late Foundation Building stage, but how could someone at that level slay a one-eyed lone wolf and a demonic bird?

“Tch, still slower than you.” As he spoke, Meng Jingzhou also killed a beast, his fists covered in beast blood.

“Meng Jingzhou?” Song Hua’s eyes widened in recognition.

“Are you… Song Hua from the Song family?” Meng Jingzhou asked with some uncertainty. The person before him was too disheveled, covered in dust and dirt, looking more like a refugee than the Song Hua he remembered.

The Song family, although not as prominent as the Meng family, was a well-known and respected family in the imperial capital with a high standard of living. The last time Meng Jingzhou had seen Song Hua was on a pleasure boat, singing and dancing better than the courtesans.

“Yes, it’s me!” Song Hua didn’t expect that among his rescuers would be Meng Jingzhou. He had heard that Meng Jingzhou had been missing for over a year with no news.

However, judging by the Meng family’s calm and composed attitude, Meng Jingzhou’s disappearance seemed questionable.

“He’s Meng Jingzhou, the eldest son of the Meng family?” Several people behind Song Hua whispered in surprise. They were branch members of the Song family and had never met Meng Jingzhou.

“You’ve made so many enemies that even here you can run into them?” Lu Yang asked curiously.

Meng Jingzhou rolled his eyes. “Enemies my foot. Let me introduce you. This is Song Hua, the third young master of the Song family in the imperial capital. He’s a few years older than me. We used to hang out in the capital. They’ve probably come to the dense forest for training, just like us, or maybe just to gain some experience.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lu Yang from the Dao Seeking Sect.”

“Dao Seeking Sect?!” Song Hua exclaimed but quickly regained his composure. Bowing with clasped hands, he said, “So, it’s a friend from the Dao Seeking Sect. No wonder you have such skills.”

So, Meng Jingzhou had been missing for over a year because he went to Dao Seeking Sect for training?

This is serious. The Meng family was already a major troublemaker, and Dao Seeking Sect was an even bigger threat. With Meng Jingzhou’s background from both places, wouldn’t he have enemies all over the world in the future?

Meng Jingzhou frowned. “Why do I feel like you’re thinking something very rude?”

“Not at all, not at all.”

“We’ve taken care of ours too.” Before long, Peach Blossom Leaf and Barbarian Bone had also finished off their respective beasts. Song Hua noticed that both of them were in the late Foundation Building stage and that their clothes were intact after the fight.

The four of them, Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou, Peach Blossom Leaf, and Barbarian Bone, had been training in the dense forest for two months, only returning to the Demon Subjugation Pass three times. The rest of the time was spent honing their skills in the forest.

By now, ordinary late Golden Core Stage beasts no longer posed a threat to them.

“Young Master Song, tell us, what did you do to provoke the wrath of heaven and make several Golden Core Stage beasts chase you?” Meng Jingzhou asked lazily.

Song Hua wasn’t like Barbarian Bone, who had ancient barbarian blood that naturally attracted hatred. It would be one thing to provoke one or two Golden Core Stage beasts, but how could they possibly have five beasts chasing them?

Song Hua and the others smiled bitterly. “We really don’t know what happened. We just went a bit deeper than usual, thinking we could hunt a few higher-quality Golden Core Stage beasts to have something to show for our efforts.”

“Oddly enough, the deeper parts of the forest should have more Golden Core Stage beasts, but we didn’t encounter any for a long time. When we finally did, you saw the result. Five appeared at once, and one of our bodyguards was swallowed whole.”

“Thanks to your help, otherwise, I’m afraid I’d be dead in the forest today.” Song Hua felt a sense of relief after surviving the ordeal. After this near-death experience, he decided to return to the Demon Subjugation Pass and take a flying boat back to his family.

Their harvest on this trip was enough to report back to the family; there was no need to take further risks.

Lu Yang and the others exchanged glances. There was undoubtedly some unknown change deep within the forest.