Chapter 676 - 676: Smooth Arrival

Rejected by Chu Qingyun, Qi Hao and his group shook their heads regretfully.

Just then, a mocking voice suddenly rang out from behind them.

"Hmph. A mere Tier One Martial King wants to explore the Blood Sect ruins alone? He must have a death wish…"

The newcomers were Zhou Jianxiong and his party.

There were seven people in Zhou Jianxiong's group. Six of them were Earth King Realm experts; only one, like Chu Qingyun, was merely a Tier One Martial King.

And that person was, of course, Zhou Yongyang.

Originally, Zhou Jianxiong had disdained Zhou Yongyang's low strength and hadn't planned on bringing him along.

However, Zhou Yongyang had used the excuse of wanting to personally witness Chu Qingyun's death. He'd volunteered to forgo any share of the gains from the Blood Sect ruins, essentially offering to work for free, and had insisted on coming along.

Seeing Zhou Jianxiong's party, Qi Hao and his group showed looks of deep apprehension.

As a whole, their group was weaker than Zhou Jianxiong's, and the two sides were not on friendly terms.

This time, however, Zhou Jianxiong's seven-man party paid little attention to Qi Hao's group. Instead, they all sneered at Chu Qingyun, their target clearly being him.

"How I get to the Blood Sect ruins is my own business. You don't need to concern yourselves with it."

Chu Qingyun said.

Zhou Jianxiong's group was clearly targeting him, but despite the vast disparity in strength, Chu Qingyun showed no intention of backing down.

"Heh, well said. As expected of a genius Core Disciple. So full of bravado, even when heading out for a trial."

"But once we're at the Blood Sect ruins, we won't mind teaching you a lesson about what death really means!"

Zhou Jianxiong said with a sinister smile, his eyes fixed on Chu Qingyun.

At first, when he saw Chu Qingyun standing with Qi Hao, he had assumed they'd joined forces.

Upon getting closer and hearing that Chu Qingyun intended to go alone, he was greatly relieved. 'How fortunate,' he thought. After all, Qi Hao's group of six still had considerable strength.

"Zhou Jianxiong, threatening a Tier One Martial King who just entered the Inner Sect? You've really stooped low."

Just then, a pleasant female voice came from the side.

Everyone turned their heads, a flash of admiration in their eyes. The person approaching was none other than Deng Xuan.

A few men and women followed at Deng Xuan's side; clearly, she had also formed a team to explore the Blood Sect ruins.

Moreover, one person in her team was particularly conspicuous and eye-catching.

It was a very young-looking Celestial King Realm expert!

The presence of a Celestial King Realm expert in the group surprised many of the people nearby.

While there were a few other Celestial King Realm experts present, they were almost all lone wolves who didn't team up with others.

For someone who had reached that Realm, teaming up with Earth King and Human King Realm experts would only be a drag. The potential gains were far less than what they could achieve by acting alone.

However, looks of understanding soon dawned on the faces of the onlookers.

They noticed that the young Celestial King Realm expert's gaze was fixed solely on Deng Xuan; he paid no attention to anyone else, not even Zhou Jianxiong or Qi Hao.

He had clearly joined the team for Deng Xuan. After all, the allure of the Inner Sect's most beautiful woman was immense.

Seeing that it was Deng Xuan who had spoken, Zhou Jianxiong's face twitched, but he didn't say anything more.

Deng Xuan had a Tier Seven Martial King with her; she was not someone they could afford to offend.

"Chu Qingyun, are you interested in going to the Blood Sect ruins with us?"

And now, Deng Xuan was also extending an invitation to Chu Qingyun.

Instantly, many people in the crowd, including several members of Zhou Jianxiong's and Qi Hao's own teams, looked at Chu Qingyun with immense envy, wishing they could accept the offer for him.

With a beauty and a powerful expert, a team like that was practically perfect.

However, Chu Qingyun still just shook his head and said, "Thank you for your kind offer, but I still want to go to the Blood Sect ruins on my own."

Once Chu Qingyun made a decision, he didn't easily change it.

A flicker of surprise crossed Deng Xuan's eyes.

'Rejected again!'

'He rejected my offer to buy the Earth Seal Sword, and now he's rejecting my invitation to join my team.'

For a moment, Deng Xuan couldn't help but start to doubt her own charm.

However, she didn't say anything, simply nodding before continuing on with her companions.

But the Celestial King Realm expert in her team deliberately slowed his pace, falling to the rear of the group.

As he passed Chu Qingyun, he shot him a disdainful, sneering glance and said, "Good. You know your place."

After saying his piece, he didn't spare Chu Qingyun another glance and hurried to catch up with his group.

The crowd grew larger, and soon, it was nearly the time everyone had agreed upon. People began to rent Flying Demon Beasts, preparing to depart.

Qi Hao's group had planned their trip to the Blood Sect ruins long ago, so they had already rented a Tier Four Flying Demon Beast: a Bone-winged Goose.

The Bone-winged Goose was a relatively docile Tier Four Flying Demon Beast. In addition to the bones within its flesh, its wings were covered by a hard, armor-like exoskeleton, from which it derived its name.

Tier Four Demon Beasts were enormous, and the Bone-winged Goose's wingspan exceeded seventy meters.

Its back was also quite spacious. After Chu Qingyun and Qi Hao's group of six jumped on, the seven of them found it as wide as a small plaza.

As a Low Grade Tier Four Demon Beast, the Bone-winged Goose had already awakened some level of intelligence.

While it couldn't understand human speech, it was far easier to control than a Tier Three Flying Demon Beast.

Soon, a smaller, golden-feathered falcon-type Flying Demon Beast took off first. It shot up like a golden arrow, passed through the Sect Protection Array above, and flew off in the direction of the Blood Sect ruins.

A tall, straight figure could be faintly seen standing on the falcon's back—likely a Celestial King Realm expert.

Close behind it, several more Flying Demon Beasts took off, passed through the Sect Protection Array, and followed suit.

"Let's go!"

Qi Hao crouched down and patted the Flying Demon Beast. The Bone-winged Goose suddenly spread its wings, leaped into the air, and soared into the sky.

Within a minute, fifty or sixty Tier Four Flying Demon Beasts had taken flight, forming a vast, magnificent flock heading toward the Blood-soaked Land.

A fleet of Tier Four Flying Demon Beasts on this scale was a spectacular sight, one likely to be seen only at the very strongest sects in the entire Northern Domain.

Tier Four Flying Demon Beasts were incredibly fast.

And with an operation of this scale, no one would be foolish enough to cause trouble, not even in the Blood-soaked Land.

Thus, Chu Qingyun and the other disciples of the Saint Extreme Sect had a smooth journey, arriving precisely on schedule at the site of the Blood Sect ruins three days later.