Chapter 1674: Chapter 1976: The Fate of the Heaven’s Secrets (8)
Under Ling Chen’s watchful eyes, the Heavenly Dragon Sect disciple obediently took out the walkie-talkie and contacted the main force behind. After listening to his report, Tan Gang’s voice quickly came through the walkie-talkie: "Didn’t you just say the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion people fled eastward? Why is it now to the north?"
The man glanced at Ling Chen and replied, "The Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion people are very cunning. They deliberately left traces to lead us eastward. Luckily, we discovered it early; we were almost deceived by them."
"Hmm, well done. Keep tracking their trail. We absolutely cannot let them escape."
After the call ended, Ling Chen patted the other’s shoulder and said with a smile, "Nicely done." As his words fell, he raised his hand blade and fiercely chopped at the other’s neck. Instantly, the latter’s body went limp and fell unconscious to the ground.
After searching these individuals for their equipment, luck was on his side, and he found several mobile phones. Finally, he could get in touch with Elder Tong and the others!
Ling Chen picked up a phone and dialed Tong Zhentian’s number. Although it was the early hours of the morning, he couldn’t wait any longer. Initially, he thought Tong Zhentian was resting and probably wouldn’t answer immediately, but as soon as the ringtone sounded, the call was promptly answered.
"Hello! Who is this?"
"Elder Tong, it’s me."
"Ling Chen?" Tong Zhentian’s tone revealed a hint of surprise, "Finally got in touch with you. Where are you now?"
"I’m about five kilometers east of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion. Elder Tong, where are your people? I’ve been waiting for you for almost two days."
"Don’t even mention it, our situation here isn’t looking good. After receiving your call, I immediately set out for Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion with our people, only to be ambushed by a group of unidentified individuals halfway. Many were injured. Those people seem hung up on us, surrounding us but not attacking, yet as soon as we attempt a breakthrough, they act immediately, forcing us back."
After listening to Tong Zhentian’s account, Ling Chen slightly furrowed his brow and said: "It must be the Dark Pavilion people. They want to prevent help from arriving. Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion’s situation isn’t great either; Elder Du was poisoned, most disciples were injured, and our overall fighting capability is very weak." He shifted his tone, asking: "By the way! Haven’t Master Hui Yun and Dan Xuzi, the other elders, come over? Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion is in trouble; it’s impossible they don’t know. It’s been so long, they should take action."
"I contacted them while on my way here, but they are now caught up in their own affairs. Master Hui Yun mentioned some issues at Hongshan Temple, preventing him from assisting Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, and Dan Xuzi’s situation is similar. I suspect someone deliberately orchestrated incidents to hold them back." After pausing, Tong Zhentian further asked, "Are you all still safe now?"
"For the moment, relatively safe. But I worry about Heavenly Dragon Sect and Dark Pavilion having other plans. This time, with both forces united, they are clearly aiming to eliminate Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, so they probably have ample preparations."
"I understand. However, I can’t provide immediate assistance; you’ll have to find a way on your own to ensure everyone’s safety."
"Alright then, let’s keep in touch at all times." After speaking, Ling Chen hung up the phone and headed directly eastward.
After hurrying for half an hour, Ling Chen finally arrived at the forest Du Kang mentioned. At the forest’s edge, he saw Song Ge standing not far away and waving towards him. "Song," Ling Chen quickly approached and asked, "Why are you here?"
"The Pavilion Master and the others went directly into the forest. They were worried you might not find us, so they asked me to wait here for you."
Ling Chen nodded and said, "Let’s go, follow the main group first."
This forest is vast, covering several thousand hectares, a key national protected area. Ling Chen and Song Ge moved along, occasionally hearing beasts’ howls around. In this pristine natural forest, many animals thrive. For this reason, the government has stationed a Forest Protection Team here.
Grumble grumble grumble!
Hearing Song Ge’s stomach growl, Ling Chen teased with a smile, "Hungry? I’ll go hunt a wild boar later for a proper meal." These two days at Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, they’ve been eating wild fruits every day without having a decent meal.
After walking in the forest for over twenty minutes, they saw several campfires in the distance, where Du Kang and Su Mei, with dozens of Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion disciples, were resting and preparing some food to satiate their hunger.
Upon Ling Chen’s return, Su Mei asked, "Any movement from Heavenly Dragon Sect?"
"Just as expected, Tan Gang leads a large team searching for our whereabouts. I set a trap diverting them westward. However, Tan Gang is very cunning; he’ll eventually see through my scheme, and soon, he’ll undoubtedly find us here." Saying this, Ling Chen took out his phone and checked the time, saying, "We can stay here for at most an hour, then continue moving. It’s over an hour until dawn; once it breaks, Heavenly Dragon Sect will undoubtedly speed up their pursuit. At that point, we must keep moving, not staying in one place too long."
"Elder Du, are you familiar with the surrounding environment?" Su Mei asked.
"I’ve been here once before, but only roamed the forest, unaware of the surrounding area. However, the forest is immense; as long as we keep moving deeper in, it’s unlikely Heavenly Dragon Sect will find us. Besides, there are plenty of wild fruits and game in the forest, so we don’t have to worry about food shortages."
"Even so, many are injured, and without timely treatment, there’s a risk of infection, which could have serious consequences," Ling Chen added, "How about I arrange for Elder Tong to send some medication? Although they’re cornered by the Dark Pavilion, it’s not hard to get someone to break through."
Du Kang nodded and said, "It’s the only option now."
After a brief rest, a group of Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion disciples who went out for food actually caught a wild boar. Unfortunately, roasting the pork takes too long — they can’t afford such a delay, so they had to forsake the delicacy. They ate some wild fruits instead and as dawn approached, Ling Chen got up, leading everyone deeper into the forest again.
More than an hour later, at the forest’s edge, a team of over seventy men slowly arrived. Looking at the dense forest before them, Mo Shuiyan said in a deep voice, "Vice Sect Leader, could they have escaped into here?"
Tan Gang remained silent, just gestured, and immediately a squad hurried into the forest. After more than half an hour, the voice of a subordinate came through the walkie-talkie on Tan Gang’s waist: "Vice Sect Leader, we found several extinguished campfires with residual warmth; they probably left not long ago."
"They’re indeed here." Tan Gang snorted coldly, saying: "These guys are really adept at running. Pass my order, divide everyone into ten teams, and search for the opponents’ whereabouts with all efforts. Notify me immediately upon any discovery."
"Yes." Mo Shuiyan responded and quickly went to arrange it.
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