Chapter 251: Chapter 160: I Warn You, the Northern Wanderer Is Nearby

If the Four Great Wanderers dared to invade together, it meant they were confident they wouldn’t be surrounded.

"Oh, is that so?"

After listening, Xiao Chen nodded slightly. "So, the problem right now is the Soul-breaking Needle, correct?"

’As long as Luoyan Mountain is still standing, it means the Demon Dao’s Golden Core Cultivators haven’t entered yet. It’s not a major problem, then.’

Du Mingjie stared at the calm Xiao Chen, momentarily stunned. He felt that Xiao Chen hadn’t realized the gravity of the situation.

He quickly explained, "Xiao, I know you’re extraordinarily powerful, but this time is different."

"Every one of the Divine Fire Sect’s Four Great Wanderers is a powerhouse in their own right."

"Each of them has mastered extremely wicked Demon Dao techniques. Even three or four late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators would be no match for any one of them."

Xiao Chen smiled faintly. "Don’t worry, Du. I also know a bit of Magic."

’Judging by the Eastern Wanderer’s strength, the other three probably aren’t anything special either.’

But Du Mingjie hastily stressed, "Xiao, you mustn’t underestimate them!"

"I heard on my way here that the Wind-Chasing Fox, Elder Meng, has already been killed by Demon Cultivators."

The Wind-Chasing Fox was one of the Ten Heroes of Li State, renowned for his Mastery of the Wind Escape Technique. It was said he could cross hundreds of yards in the blink of an eye.

Logically, he should have been one of the hardest Foundation Establishment Cultivators to kill in battle.

After all, with Escape Techniques at his disposal, he should have been able to get away easily even if he couldn’t win a fight.

However, no one had expected that he would be the first to fall in Hezhou.

The fall of the Wind-Chasing Fox was like a giant boulder dropped into a calm lake, striking fear into the hearts of all nearby Cultivators.

They knew they weren’t as formidable as the Wind-Chasing Fox, yet now even he had been unable to escape his grim fate.

When it was their turn to face the Demon Cultivators, what chance would they have?

Du Mingjie was about to say more when he suddenly saw a flash of Sword Light from behind them.

Then, a figure in a blue robe stumbled and landed near the Spirit Ore mine.

.

"Du?"

The man looked up, and upon seeing Du Mingjie, he let out a huge sigh of relief.

He then staggered over, swaying as if he were drunk.

It was clearly the aftereffects of having just used some kind of escape Secret Technique.

From the dissipating aura, Xiao Chen judged that the man’s Cultivation was at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment.

"Yang, what are you doing here?"

Du Mingjie stepped forward in surprise and helped steady the man.

The newcomer was none other than Yang Zhenghao, the Patriarch of the East Origin Yang Family. Logically, he had no reason to be here.

Du Mingjie’s eyes darted around before he asked in disbelief, "Don’t tell me... something happened in Dongyuan?"

Yang Zhenghao nodded weakly and sighed. "Sigh... Three Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators showed up out of nowhere. There was nothing I could do."

"They came prepared and had already sealed off the escape routes."

As he spoke, he looked up at Xiao Chen and bowed with his hands clasped. "I heard there was a cultivator of exceptional skill at the Qingyang Spirit Ore mine, a certain Xiao."

"That is why I rushed here. I ask that you grant me refuge so we may overcome this crisis together."

After Yang Zhenghao finished speaking, Du Mingjie froze on the spot.

The fall of Dongyuan meant that Qingyang was now completely surrounded. He was now trapped in Qingyang with no way out.

Xiao Chen returned the salute. "Yang, you’re being too formal. We are both Orthodox Cultivators and should naturally help each other. There is no need to speak of granting refuge."

He glanced behind Yang Zhenghao, disappointed to find no pursuers.

"Yang?"

A cry of surprise rang out. It was Chang Shunping, who had also walked over with his kinsmen.

He, of course, also knew Yang Zhenghao. Seeing him here now, the color drained from his face.

Du Mingjie turned to see Chang Shunping with his entire clan in tow and couldn’t help but sigh again, no longer mentioning the idea of a retreat.

’Now that Dongyuan has fallen, besides Xiao Chen, who could probably still break through, the rest of us likely can’t leave even if we wanted to.’

’It would be better to stick together. Maybe then we’ll have a slim chance of survival.’

"Everyone, why don’t we go inside to talk."

Xiao Chen’s expression was unchanged as he called out, "Chang, there’s still plenty of open space over here. Why don’t you get your people settled first? We can catch up later."

Hearing this, the group returned inside the Spirit Ore mine to rest and regroup.

Du Mingjie, Chang Shunping, and Yang Zhenghao had comparable Cultivation levels and had thus interacted frequently in the past.

They exchanged the latest intelligence with one another, and their expressions immediately grew grave.

Yang Zhenghao, in particular, brought more bad news.

According to him, just yesterday morning, one of the Eight Great Demon Slayer Guards, Elder Ruan, had found a clue and set out to kill the Northern Wanderer, who was supposedly alone.

Unexpectedly, at around 3:00 PM, his Life Token, which had been left at home, suddenly shattered. He had clearly met a violent end.

The Ruan Family estate was not far from Dongyuan County, which was why the news had reached Yang Zhenghao so quickly.

Chang Shunping’s face was a mask of despair. "This... this... What are we going to do?"

Du Mingjie fell silent, not knowing what to do.

’Logically, the most rational thing to do right now would be to urge Xiao Chen to break through the encirclement immediately.’

’He could take the news that the three of us are trapped in the Qingyang Spirit Ore mine back with him.’

’If enough people could be gathered quickly, they could return to rescue us.’

’But Du Mingjie knew perfectly well that the only reason no Demon Cultivators were currently swarming Qingyang was that Xiao Chen had just recently killed the White Bone Giant here.’

’Once Xiao Chen left, the three of them would likely be surrounded and killed by Demon Cultivators from all sides long before any reinforcements could arrive.’

’Therefore, out of selfish consideration, the best choice was actually to say nothing about breaking out.’

’Keeping this crucial Combat Power at the Qingyang Spirit Ore mine would protect them for a while longer.’