Chapter 54: A Treacherous Gambit

The alluring fragrance of the beast-inducing incense wafted through the forest. As the beasts caught its intoxicating scent, a primal madness seized them. This peculiar aroma possessed the dual power to both attract and drive them into a frenzied rage.

Lin Xue and Lin Shuang, along with their companions, remained vigilant. Yet, despite their caution, they had no inkling of the sinister ploy Deng Wenqing was about to unleash.

‘We’ve reached the inner perimeter,’ Lin Shuang conversed with Lin Xue in her mind. ‘This is our masters’ blind spot. Sister, I believe Deng Wenqing is about to make his move.’

Lin Xue nodded, her expression grave.

Just then, Deng Wenqing’s group captured a single beast.

“Wen Ya, it’s up to you,” Deng Wenqing instructed, glancing at the Deng family woman skilled in tracking puppetry. “You must lead the beast horde towards Lin Xue and Lin Shuang.”

The woman immediately raised her hand, casting a spell upon the controlled first-tier beast before them. Once successful, she tied the still-fragrant beast-inducing incense to its tail.

“Go!” The Deng family woman formed a hand seal, and the controlled first-tier beast’s eyes glowed purple. Compelled, it bolted towards Lin Shuang and Lin Xue’s location.

Deng Wenqing and his companions instantly vacated the scent-laden path. Holding their breath, they leapt onto the trees. Not long after, the ground began to tremble with increasing intensity, and a thick, pungent demonic aura permeated the air from behind them.

The commotion was substantial, alerting many teams participating in the trial.

“What’s that sound?” Su Yun and her group, not far from Deng Wenqing’s location, naturally noticed it.

Fan Yang, without a word, soared above the forest canopy, peering in the direction of the disturbance. What he saw was alarming: trees in the distance were toppling in rows, as if crushed by a bulldozer, accompanied by a chorus of wild roars.

“This? A beast tide? No way, how could a beast tide occur here? Did someone use beast-inducing incense?” Fan Yang quickly deduced the situation.

He descended and relayed the information to Su Yun and the others.

Upon hearing that someone had used beast-inducing incense to gather a beast horde, Su Yun immediately inquired about the direction.

“Senior Brother, did you get a clear look? Is that the direction Deng Wenqing is in?”

Fan Yang glanced at the tracking compass in Su Yun’s hand, then nodded with certainty. “That’s roughly the direction.”

Su Yun’s expression shifted drastically. She swiftly pulled out her token, sending an urgent message to Lin Xue.

Lin Xue and her companions had already sensed the disturbance. Large numbers of ordinary birds and a few demonic birds were flying overhead, and nearby wild beasts were inexplicably rioting. This indicated that something terrifying was approaching from a certain direction.

Lin Xue received Su Yun’s transmission at that very moment. Her face changed instantly as she read the token.

‘Damn it, so this was Deng Wenqing’s scheme,’ Lin Xue cursed inwardly.

Lin Shuang also received the message, though it was slightly late. Their team leader, Zhou Xueqi, had already detected a massive surge of demonic aura galloping towards them.

“Watch out!” Zhou Xueqi exclaimed, her face paling as she turned to Lin Shuang and Lin Xue. “A beast tide is heading our way! Run!”

No sooner had Zhou Xueqi’s words fallen than the stampeding beasts entered the range of their current location.

The beasts, having caught their scent, charged at Lin Shuang and her group with berserk fury.

Lin Xue and her companions had already begun to flee on their flying swords, but their reaction was a fraction too slow. The moment they took to the air, the ferocious beasts spotted them. There were countless, including over a dozen Foundation Establishment Realm beasts.

“How is this possible?” Zhou Xueqi cried out, aghast. “Why are there so many beasts all of a sudden, and over a dozen second-tier ones? Dammit!” She harbored no thought of resistance against the surging horde behind them. To stop now would be certain death; even a cultivator at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm would struggle to survive such an onslaught of first and second-tier beasts.

The beasts were incredibly fast, including those that flew and others renowned for their agility.

“Split up and run!” Zhou Xueqi was forced to issue the order for them to scatter. “If you truly can’t hold on, call for help and let the sect elders come to our rescue.”

They hadn’t yet reached the point where they absolutely had to withdraw, so it was worth assessing the situation further.

Lin Shuang and Lin Xue, however, did not reveal the full truth to them.

At Zhou Xueqi’s command, the six cultivators split into three groups, fleeing in different directions. A portion of the beasts scattered to pursue Zhou Xueqi and her group, while another segment seemed to have locked onto Lin Shuang and Lin Xue, relentlessly chasing them. This was because the beast carrying the beast-inducing incense was still lurking in their vicinity.

The beasts drawn by the fragrance continuously joined the pursuing horde.

Meanwhile, Su Yun and her companions were closing in on Deng Wenqing’s group. Deng Wenqing and his people were also pursuing Lin Shuang and Lin Xue; though not close behind, the two women remained within the range of their tracking spell.

“Hurry!” Deng Wenqing urged the Deng family woman. “Don’t give them time to call for help. It would be best if the beasts crushed them before they can send out a distress signal.”

This was a classic case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it.

“Four Senior Brothers, your speed is superior. Please, quickly go and see what’s happening, who are these beasts chasing?” Su Yun had already learned that Lin Shuang and Lin Xue were being pursued by the horde.

The four men paused, about to speak, but Fan Yang cut them off. “Go and investigate. Sister Su Yun has me here.”

With Fan Yang’s assurance, the four hesitated no longer and immediately accelerated, flying towards the commotion.

Su Yun and Fan Yang, in turn, increased their speed, closing in on Deng Wenqing and his group.

Su Yun and Lin Xue had been in constant communication, and Su Yun understood that the two women temporarily had no intention of withdrawing. They weren’t about to miss this prime opportunity to deal with Deng Wenqing once and for all.

However, they first needed to ensure their own safety.

Several Foundation Establishment Realm beasts were now launching long-range attacks. Su Yun had already told them that if they couldn’t endure it, they should immediately send out a distress signal.

After learning Deng Wenqing’s location from Su Yun, the two women suddenly turned, leading the beast horde directly towards his direction.

They hadn’t come here unarmed; they carried numerous protective treasures and even several potent consumable magical artifacts.

“Sister,” Lin Shuang said, exchanging a glance with Lin Xue.

Both women nodded simultaneously, then each pulled out a cyan protective talisman and pressed it onto their bodies. In the next moment, their speed surged dramatically, instantly leaving the beasts far behind.

This was a Wind-Guiding Talisman, a consumable talisman that could greatly enhance speed for a limited time.

However, to ensure the beasts continued their pursuit, they didn’t push their speed to the absolute limit.

Meanwhile, Deng Wenqing and his group continued their chase until the Deng family woman suddenly froze, then stopped altogether.

“What’s wrong?” Deng Wenqing demanded.

The female disciple stammered for a moment, then replied with uncertainty. “These… these two little girls suddenly used some kind of acceleration artifact and turned back in another direction.”

Deng Wenqing rolled his eyes. “What does that have to do with us? Keep chasing! Don’t let them escape our pursuit range.”

“But… but the direction they’re coming from… it seems to be our direction?” the Deng family woman said awkwardly.

Deng Wenqing and his companions were about to retort when long, resonant roars echoed in their ears.

The sounds grew closer, clearly indicating the problem.

“What… what have you done?!” Deng Wenqing cried, exasperated.

“I… I couldn’t help it!” the Deng family woman replied weakly. “The beast-inducing incense has already burned out. Now, these beasts can’t be guided. They’ll charge at any human they see, heedless of their lives.”

The Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator in Deng Wenqing’s team immediately flew out of the forest, scanning the direction from which the beast horde was coming. He saw that the horde was indeed heading straight for them.

“Nonsense! The beast horde is really coming our way! Run!” The Deng family’s Foundation Establishment cultivator’s face paled, and he hastily urged Deng Wenqing and the others to flee.

At the same time, Su Yun and her companions had arrived within a thousand meters of Deng Wenqing’s location.

“Hey, Senior Brother, they’re running back again,” Su Yun observed, stopping abruptly as she looked at her compass. “I think we can make our move along their escape route.”

Fan Yang knew Su Yun intended to kill Deng Wenqing, having been aware of Deng Wenqing’s actions at Yunfeng Ridge last time. Lei Yan had also specifically warned him.

“Alright,” Lei Yan said, his tone serious. “But, Junior Sister, are you confident?”

“How will we know if we don’t try?” Su Yun replied, immediately beginning to set up traps.

Judging by Deng Wenqing’s escape route, they were certain to pass through the area where Su Yun was currently positioned.