Chapter 132: Keeping Them in Suspense

When Lin Hao regained consciousness, his arms, still mid-stretch, froze in the air.

He was stunned.

He looked around in disbelief, a flash of shock crossing his eyes as he realized this was not the place he had been staying the night before. He glanced at the sky to confirm he wasn’t dreaming; seeing the sun gradually rising, he knew the timing was correct.

Lin Hao stood up immediately to survey the surroundings. He realized this was not Tianyu Mountain at all, and when he looked up at the sky, the shimmering barrier was nowhere to be seen.

"What the hell is this?" Lin Hao stood up, turning to look at Cao Yi.

He saw that Cao Yi still had his eyes closed, not yet awake. Lin Hao stepped forward and placed his hand on Cao Yi’s neck, feeling his pulse.

"This can't be a hallucination, can it?"

Just as Lin Hao kept his hand there to confirm if the man was truly alive, Cao Yi suddenly grabbed his arm and executed a reversal, nearly dislocating Lin Hao’s shoulder.

"Senior Brother, it’s me, Lin Hao!" Lin Hao shouted, seeing the situation turn dire.

Cao Yi opened his eyes, a fierce light in his gaze, which only faded once he recognized Lin Hao. He looked around with confusion, as if asking what was happening.

His wounds had not yet fully healed. Seeing this, Lin Hao gestured to the environment and asked, "Senior Brother, haven't you noticed anything wrong with our surroundings?"

Hearing this, Cao Yi finally looked around and asked, "What is going on? Where are we? Didn't we rest in a forest last night?"

"Exactly." At that moment, the two were at the foot of a mountain, far from any forest.

Lin Hao pointed to the sky. "Look, that barrier from before is gone."

Seeing what Lin Hao pointed out, Cao Yi became uneasy. He stood up and asked, "Could it be that we were trapped in some kind of formation?"

"It doesn't seem like it. If it were a formation, how could everything feel so real? Besides, I just scanned the area and didn't sense any fluctuations of a formation," Lin Hao replied skeptically.

Cao Yi also walked around, checking the perimeter, and concluded that it indeed did not look like a formation.

"But then, what is going on? Did we leave Tianyu Mountain on our own, or did the mountain throw us out?" Seeing that Cao Yi could not answer, Lin Hao joked.

Immediately after saying this, Lin Hao froze, his heart skipping a beat as a thought occurred to him. He quickly asked in his mind, "System!"

"How may I assist the host?" the system replied.

"Have we truly left Tianyu Mountain? You told me that if I kept walking until dark, I would be able to get out. Does that mean we are no longer within the territory of Tianyu Mountain?" Lin Hao asked urgently.

That was right; Lin Hao had chosen to ask the system because of what it had said previously—words he had dismissed as the system teasing him. Now, finding himself in a different location, he finally recalled the system's words.

The system did not answer immediately.

While waiting, Lin Hao felt his heart jump into his throat.

After a long while, the system, seemingly playing with him, finally said slowly, "Yes, the host has successfully exited Tianyu Mountain."

Hearing the confirmation, Lin Hao swallowed the angry words he was about to unleash, replaced by a surge of overwhelming joy. He looked at Cao Yi.

Cao Yi was startled by Lin Hao’s sudden, intense gaze and began to check himself, wondering if something was wrong. He looked at Lin Hao with suspicion, wondering what had gotten into him.

Just as he was about to check Lin Hao’s pulse, Lin Hao jumped in front of him and exclaimed, "Senior Brother! We’re out! We’ve left Tianyu Mountain!"

"Really?" Cao Yi asked, stunned.

Receiving Lin Hao’s confirmation, Cao Yi finally let his guard down. They had truly escaped that hellish place.

Lin Hao’s expression was much the same. After a moment of shared joy, Lin Hao began to examine the surroundings. "We’re out, but it seems this isn't the exit of Tianyu Mountain. Which way should we go?"

He looked at the terrain, and a memory surfaced. His eyes lit up, and he pulled a map from his system space. It was the map Qing Yun had given him when they first arrived at Tianyu Mountain from the Qingfeng Sect. Although it was useless for navigating the mountain itself, it did contain details of the surrounding area.

Matching the terrain, Lin Hao said, "I know now! I’ve found it!"

Hearing this, Cao Yi stepped over to look at the map with him. They concluded that they were not at the main entrance but somewhere behind the mountain. To get back, they simply needed to detour around to the road ahead.

Having determined their path, they left without delay. When they reached the main road, they saw that the exit was still being guarded. They stopped, observed quietly for a moment, and then, without alerting the guards, retreated and left the area.

Only after they were completely clear of the region did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Lin Hao patted his chest and said, "The major sects are quite persistent, still waiting there. Never mind them, let’s get moving." He looked at Cao Yi and asked, "Where to next?"

"Back to the Qingfeng Sect, of course. I have matters to attend to," Lin Hao replied matter-of-factly.

Cao Yi did not respond, his expression pensive. Lin Hao, initially confused, suddenly realized the implication and said, "Senior Brother, you want to return to the Qingcheng Sect, right? I’m truly sorry, I don't know how to get back there. We arrived at Tianyu Mountain through a teleportation array that malfunctioned, so..."

Cao Yi understood what he meant, which only made his expression more solemn. He, too, was unsure how to return.

Lin Hao was at a loss; he hadn't intended to go to the Qingcheng Sect in the first place—it had just happened. For a moment, neither could find a solution.

Seeing the silence, Lin Hao suggested, "How about this, Senior Brother: come back to the Qingfeng Sect with me. I’ll ask around to see if there’s a teleportation array that can take you to the Qingcheng Sect. How does that sound?"

Cao Yi nodded. It was the only option. He was not as familiar with this region as Lin Hao, so he would go with him for now. "Fine, that will have to do."

Seeing him agree, Lin Hao brought out the Tunyun Sword, stepped onto it, and invited Cao Yi to join him. They rose into the air and headed straight for the Qingfeng Sect.

For some reason, Lin Hao felt a voice in his heart urging him to return as quickly as possible, as if something major was about to happen. Moreover, having killed Zhou Yichen and his son, it was time to report back to Qing Yun. He was also looking forward to shocking everyone with his cultivation, which had now reached the eighth level of the Chuqiao stage.

His heart was eager to return.

Back in the territory of the indigenous tribes of Tianyu Mountain, because Lin Hao and Cao Yi had been locked in the Gu-insect room, no one had paid them any mind. It wasn't until the third day that someone went to feed the insects.

The moment the guard pushed the door open, a massive explosion rocked the building. A pillar of flame shot out, throwing the guard backward. Along with the fire, a swarm of Gu-insects was blasted out as well.

Some were dead, some were alive. Terrified by the blast, the insects began to swarm uncontrollably. The guard, before he could even process his shock, was swarmed by the insects.

"Ah!" A scream echoed in the air. Soon, nothing remained but a skeleton.

Inside, the explosions continued, one after another. In a short time, the place was reduced to rubble.

The commotion alerted the other tribespeople, who rushed over to find the sky turned red by the raging fires. One man ran to the Black Elder: "Elder, it's bad! There’s been a massive explosion at the Gu-insect room. We don't know what happened, and it’s completely engulfed in flames."

Hearing the report, the Elder’s expression hardened. He walked to a high vantage point and looked toward the fire-lit horizon. With a dark expression, he asked, "Didn't we throw those two intruders into the Gu-insect room two days ago?"