Martial Conquest of the Nine Desolates
Chapter 154 - 152 Lost Forest

Chapter 154: Chapter 152 Lost Forest

In a cave thousands of miles away from the Chongyang Mountain Range, Xiao Ye was sitting cross-legged, circulating the Four Tripod Heavenly Technique, and healing his injuries.

After escaping from the Chongyang Sect, he dared not linger at all, fleeing for three days and three nights straight, eventually forced to stop due to the severity of his injuries. He randomly created a cave and began to recuperate.

It had to be said that the injuries Xiao Ye suffered this time were too severe, almost costing him his life.

Although his physical body was extremely powerful, and he had healing elixirs, it still took him nearly a month to recover from his injuries.

"From now on, I am also an independent practitioner," Xiao Ye opened his eyes and said in a deep voice.

He remembered the intensely fought battle between the Old Madman at his extreme and the Vice Sect Leader, which made him feel very heavy-hearted. After so long, the Old Madman probably had already died.

At this moment, Xiao Ye discovered an orb of light that had not been in his dantian before, emitting a yellowish-brown glow.

"When did this ghostly thing get in!" Xiao Ye was greatly alarmed, having been focusing on regulating his injuries until now and only just discovering it.

The dantian is the foundation of an Innate Martial Artist; if anything were to go wrong, he wouldn’t be able to cry for help in time.

Xiao Ye meditated for a moment, then cautiously probed with his consciousness.

Boom!

The orb suddenly expanded and an extremely terrifying martial intent swept out from Xiao Ye’s body, causing the cave to shake violently.

"This is..." Xiao Ye’s body trembled as he felt the Old Madman’s presence within that martial intent.

Sure enough, he saw that yellowish-brown Martial Arts Truth forming a phantom in mid-air, a figure all too familiar to Xiao Ye—it was the Old Madman.

"Senior!" Xiao Ye’s heart trembled, his eyes turning red as he stared at the phantom.

"Heh, heh... there’s no need to be too sad, my time was already short, and death is a kind of relief for me," the Old Madman looked at Xiao Ye and revealed a familiar smile.

"I have left this residual image because there is something I need to tell you, and you must listen carefully," the Old Madman’s expression suddenly became solemn.

Xiao Ye’s heart skipped a beat, and he promptly listened attentively.

"This orb contains the Martial Arts Truth that I have comprehended. I leave it to you in the hope that it will continue through you, to carry my name across the True Spirit Continent."

"But you can’t comprehend it now, otherwise, the clash of two different Martial Arts Truths will happen, and no one can save you!" The Old Madman spoke.

Xiao Ye was stunned. This orb actually contained the Old Madman’s Martial Arts Truth, wasn’t that similar to the Flame Saber?

But according to the Old Madman, an Innate Martial Artist cannot comprehend two different Martial Arts Truths, so what use was his legacy to Xiao Ye?

"If you enter the Empress’s Hard Cultivation Land and receive the Empress’s Inheritance, it can help you and lead you on the path that even the Empress herself abandoned."

"But if you don’t receive the Empress’s Inheritance, or you give it up like I did, then never touch my Martial Arts Truth and be content to walk your own path."

The Old Madman’s voice lowered, and the phantom gradually faded, as if about to dissipate with the wind.

"Senior!" Xiao Ye’s voice was hoarse, trying to grasp that final illusion, not letting the Old Madman leave.

"We martial artists all seek to defy the heavens and contend for life, strive for Mystic Martial, and journey to the true True Spirit Continent, but how many can actually achieve it?" The Old Madman’s phantom looked up to the sky, his voice filled with indescribable sorrow.

Bang!

The Old Madman’s phantom, like a soap bubble, scattered, leaving twinkling starlight drifting down, the yellowish-brown Martial Arts Truth mournfully howled, as if crying for the Old Madman.

Then it reformed into an orb and entered Xiao Ye’s dantian.

"Senior!" Xiao Ye bellowed in grief.

This was a pitiful old man who paid a heavy price to strive for Mystic Martial, giving his all in the final moments of life, aiding him to escape the predicament.

Xiao Ye held absolute respect for him.

"I must protect the Xiao Alliance, avenge Senior Old Madman; I must strive for Mystic Martial!"

"I must participate in the Black Dragon Country Heavenly Pride Battle two years from now; I must enter the Empress’s Hard Cultivation Land!" Xiao Ye suddenly clenched his fists. To grow strong enough that no one could oppress him again, he must gain the Empress Inheritance.

The existence of the Sun and Moon Sect was like a mountain pressing on his heart, suffocating him.

"Probably the Sun and Moon Sect is already frantically looking for me. I must conceal my identity and refrain from using the Four Tripod Heavenly Technique and revealing my Physical Body Power." After a long while, Xiao Ye calmed down and began to consider his next steps.

The Four Tripod Heavenly Technique was far too special—there was probably no one in the entire Black Dragon Country who could cultivate it to his level. Therefore, the Four Tripod Heavenly Technique had become his signature.

And his identity as Ye Xiao must have been exposed as well.

"If I cannot reveal my Physical Body Power, then I have to utilize my own cultivation." Thinking of this, Xiao Ye felt somewhat troubled.

His cultivation was only at the Mid Eighth Level of the Innate Realm; although not bad, it was still too weak relative to the Black Dragon Country. Especially since his current enemies were frighteningly strong and it would be impossible for him through the Heavenly Pride Battle of Black Dragon Country two years later.

"My Primordial Stones are also almost depleted; I must devise a way to acquire more and enhance my cultivation first," Xiao Ye’s eyes began to flicker.

As for the Bodhi Leaf, he planned to use it only when his cultivation reached the Innate Realm Ninth Layer.

Two days later, at dawn, Xiao Ye casually changed his appearance and left the cave.

Before his eyes lay an enormous forest shrouded in mist, making it difficult for one to discern directions.

"Where is this?" Xiao Ye took out the map of Black Dragon Country and searched, but could not find the existence of this forest, causing Xiao Ye to frown slightly.

He hadn’t paid any attention to where he had escaped to that day.

Just then, a series of footsteps startled Xiao Ye awake.

Xiao Ye looked up and saw eight martial artists walking towards him.

"Brother, are you lost? This place is called Lost Forest, and it’s very difficult for most people to find their way out," the leader of the martial artists said to Xiao Ye.

He was bare-chested and bare-armed, in the prime of his life with dense body hair, looking like a lion, making a deep impression on anyone who saw him.

Xiao Ye asked, "Lost Forest? Could it be that you can lead me out?"

The martial artist laughed heartily: "My name is Kuang Shi; I’m an independent practitioner who lives nearby. I’m very familiar with this forest, often guiding lost martial artists out for a fee of one hundred silver per person."

"They are all martial artists who got lost in the forest," Kuang Shi said, pointing to the seven martial artists behind him.

Xiao Ye nodded and thought to himself, "With my strength, I could easily force this man to lead me out of the Lost Forest, but right now, Sun and Moon Sect must be searching for me with all their might. It’s better not to reveal my strength."

With that thought, Xiao Ye rummaged through his belongings, only to find embarrassingly that he was completely penniless. In Ancient Star City, he had already squandered away all the silver notes given to him by Baili Wushang.

"How about this, I have a Primordial Stone here, consider it as compensation," Xiao Ye casually took out a Primordial Stone and tossed it over.

"Primordial Stone!"

Kuang Shi’s body trembled, and he hurriedly caught it, knowing that anyone who could casually give away a Primordial Stone must be of no ordinary status.

"Haha, brother, you are indeed straightforward." Kuang Shi’s eyes gleamed with greed.

Xiao Ye snorted coldly, causing Kuang Shi to offer an awkward smile and avert his gaze.

"Follow me," Kuang Shi waved his hand and continued forward.

Xiao Ye followed behind, growing increasingly wary of Kuang Shi in his heart.

"Brother, you need to be particularly careful around Kuang Shi. I always feel he’s not so simple," a seemingly honest and loyal martial artist warned Xiao Ye.

"Oh?" Xiao Ye’s eyes flashed, and he inquired indifferently, "What’s not simple about him?"

That martial artist glanced at Kuang Shi’s back, then lowered his voice and said, "Actually, when I joined this group, there were a total of fifteen people."

"And then every morning when we wake up, we would find that someone in the group mysteriously disappeared, even though we remained vigilant. Now, only seven of us are left."

Xiao Ye slightly furrowed his brows, "Have those people died?"

For someone to stealthily take people away, the perpetrator’s cultivation must be astonishing.

"I don’t know. We searched around for a long time and found no corpses," said the martial artist, shaking his head.

"We suspect the criminal is Kuang Shi. He covets the silver on our bodies, so he takes advantage while we are asleep to act, then destroys the bodies and evidence. However, we have no proof, and we still rely on him to lead us out of the forest, so we have to endure for now."

"You casually took out a Primordial Stone, and Kuang Shi has definitely set his sights on you. You must be careful," the martial artist cautioned.

"Thanks for the heads-up," Xiao Ye replied, his eyes filled with a chilling glint.

If Kuang Shi dared to make a move on him, that would be a death wish.

Subsequently, the seemingly honest and loyal martial artist introduced himself; he was an independent practitioner named Zhang Dashan.

Hearing this name, Xiao Ye smiled slightly, reminded of Xiao Dashan and felt even closer to Zhang Dashan.

The group were all Innate Martial Artists, therefore moving at a very fast pace, but even after a day of travel, the scenery around them had barely changed.

"The Lost Forest is really vast, and yet, surprisingly, there’s not a single ferocious beast," Xiao Ye thought to himself.

Xiao Ye soon noticed that the entire team was enveloped in a somber atmosphere due to incidents of someone disappearing every night, leaving everyone anxious.

In everyone’s eyes was a distinct look of vigilance.

"Kuang Shi, how many more days do we need to walk to get out of the Lost Forest? I’ve been walking for five days, are you playing me for a fool?" At this moment, a martial artist with a sullen face spoke harshly.

Kuang Shi snorted coldly in response, "If you don’t trust me, you’re free to leave on your own. I won’t stop you."

The martial artist frowned slightly but eventually held back, "Fine, I’ll trust you one more time. If you dare deceive me, I’ll chop you to pieces."

Kuang Shi paid no attention to the threat and simply said, "It’s getting late today, let’s rest here and continue tomorrow."

After speaking, Kuang Shi found a large tree and jumped up into it.

The rest exchanged glances, then, with a certain unspoken agreement, gathered together to find a spot to rest.

As nightfall descended, everyone became depressed, lighting a bonfire with no intention of sleeping.

"Tonight, will the perpetrator make a move?" Xiao Ye’s gaze flickered as he sat cross-legged on a large tree, then turned to look in Kuang Shi’s direction.

Finally, the darkness of night set in completely, and the only light in the Lost Forest was from the bonfire, warding off the darkness.