Chapter 172: The Richards Family’s Team
The young man’s eyes glinted when he heard the words of the disciple of the Cloudcrest sect. He wasn’t paying attention to most of the story, only focusing on the important parts.
The important parts are the Rank 4 Vermilion Spirit Grass. If he were able to obtain it, the amount of treasures in his coffers would increase. Turning his gaze towards the disciple, he asked a question.
"Do you take me for a fool? You mean to tell me that a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator was able to lure a Rank 4 beast to attack you?"
His tone was chilly, and his gaze was cold. As soon as he finished speaking, the rest of the team’s gaze turned cold. They had indeed not considered this aspect. Not only lure, but the aura of a Rank 4 beast would be able to crush any Foundation Establishment realm cultivator.
Seeing things turn unfavorably for him, the disciple hurried to explain.
"I-Its true, young master!
He definitely was a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator. It’s just that he was... a little weird.
Even though his aura was that of a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator, his speed surpassed that of one. In fact, he was as fast as a Golden Core realm cultivator.
He was also using some weird movement technique.
Please believe me, young master!"
The words were practically tumbling out of his mouth as he hurried to explain to them. As he spoke, even he realized the absurdity of his own words. A Foundation Establishment realm cultivator that was as fast as a Golden Core realm cultivator? What a joke.
Even he would have laughed at it if he weren’t the one in this situation. However, what could he do? He was telling the truth.
Just as he thought he would have to explain himself further, his gaze caught the look that was on the young man’s face, surprising him greatly.
The young man’s face had turned sour, as if he had just swallowed a lemon. Others might not believe it, but he definitely would. That was because he had encountered the same individual before.
That’s right! This young man was Julian, and this was the team from the Richards Family. Being the first team to enter the mystic realm, they had obviously advanced far more than others and had obtained quite a few resources.
However, the resources they had obtained so far could only be called mundane. They had only obtained things at Rank 2 and 3. They directly ignored anything at Rank 1, as if it were worthless to them, because it was.
That was why they were interested when they heard of a Rank 4 herb. However, the subsequent story afterwards made them think that this disciple was trying to deceive them.
That was until they all noticed the look on Julian’s face. As the son of the City Lord and a disciple of the War Machine Sect, the image he had cultivated was one of a calm, collected noble.
Seeing him show such a visible reaction, it was clear that he knew something about what the disciple was talking about.
Meanwhile, Julian, who wasn’t paying attention to the people around him, had his mind jumbled. Though it had happened many months ago, the image of that fleeing Foundation Establishment realm cultivator with his stupid bamboo hat appeared in his mind.
He had been convinced he was actually a Golden Core realm cultivator in hiding, and had even turned the whole city upside down to look for him, but it was all in vain. That issue even damaged the relationship between the Richards family and the House of Vyre.
He had been convinced that the individual had already escaped the city and had begrudgingly let the matter go. Now, he was being told that the same person was not only still in the city but had somehow made his way inside the mystic realm.
It was only natural that his mood was sour. Just remembering those issues was enough to make his temples throb in anger. However, before his fury consumed him, the voice of his teammates dragged him back to reality.
"Young master?" The voice belonged to a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard. He looked to be the oldest among them and was also the most disciplined.
His aura was also the strongest among all of them, maxing out at the peak of the Golden Core realm. He was also Julian’s personal guard, as evident from how close he was standing to him.
He was never more than a few feet from the young man, always making sure the young man was in his line of sight.
Hearing the voice of the middle-aged man, Julian snapped back to reality. With narrowed eyes, he contemplated various possibilities.
He wanted to chase down that blasted guy, but that was not feasible. Not to mention that it had already been a day, he didn’t know which direction he had run away in.
Besides, the disciple mentioned he was being chased by a Rank 4 beast. Who knows if he was even still alive? However, something told him that he would still be alive.
Giving up on the idea for the moment, he decided to think about other issues, like what he should do with the disciple in front of him. Despite the valuable information he provided, he wasn’t too inclined to keep him with them.
However, sending him away also didn’t seem to be an optimal use for him as well. In the end, he decided to have him follow them for now. His strength was not weak, having reached the early stage of the Golden Core realm.
If anything, he could be used to scout any dangerous regions. After concluding his thoughts, he turned to face the still kneeling disciple, with an air of indifference, he proclaimed.
"Alright, you’ll follow us for the time being. Make sure not to drag us down, or else the beasts aren’t the only thing you’ll have to be wary of."
Leaving that threat behind, he turned around and began walking away. He wasn’t even concerned that he wouldn’t follow his order. After all, it was safer to be with the team than to roam around the Crimson Forest on his own.
Meanwhile, the disciple bowed his head in thanks, while visible relief was etched on his face. He hurriedly followed the departing team from behind, forgetting his earlier exhaustion from being chased by the flaming wild boars.
In a twisted irony, he was now in the same position that Adrian was when he encountered them previously.
******
In another part of the Crimson Peak mystic realm, Adrian was still making his way through the forest. His speed had slowed drastically, so he hadn’t been able to advance much in this time.
This was because he had sensed the aura of several fearsome beasts in the forest. He had to tread carefully to avoid stumbling into the territory of any one of them.
A few times, he even had to hide inside the Bloodstar when he sensed a presence that was a little too close.
It wouldn’t be a lie to say that without this treasure, he wouldn’t have lasted five minutes in this forest alone.
Just as he was thankful for his treasure, he heard screams in the distance. His face immediately became alert as he turned in the direction of the scream.
However, before moving, he used the Veil of a Hundred Shadows. His body transformed into that of an unknown man, growing slightly taller and thinner. More importantly, his aura transformed.
If anyone saw him now, they would feel the aura of the middle stages of the Golden Core realm radiating off him. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake as before.
When he encountered the disciple previously, he did it in his normal form, causing them to look down on him. Now, even if he encountered others, they would think twice before trying to mess with him. At least that was what he hoped for.
After getting ready, he took off in the direction of the scream. As he got closer, the sound of fighting and screams became clearer and clearer. A few breaths later, and he could even hear the distinct sound of clashing metals.
Not wanting to expose himself, he used the Astral Steps. With a gust of wind, his figure appeared dozens of meters away in the distance. He could have travelled farther, but he didn’t want to get too close to the combat.
He landed on the branch of a tree and, with the stealth abilities of the Astral Steps, was able to mask his aura and presence. Finally getting a view of the combat, he was visibly shocked at what he saw.
From the sounds of battle, he had thought that two teams were fighting. In his mind, he pictured a scenario where one team had found a treasure, and the other was trying to steal it from them.
