novelraw Chapter 380: Gathering at Chaozong Gorge
Chapter 380: Gathering at Chaozong Gorge
This novel is translated and hosted only on Bcatranslation
The lands of the Heaven-Devouring Rat Tribe lay under a hush of dread. At the center, She Jun swept his cold gaze over the milling rats.
“Who will tell me how Quan Ye escaped?” His whisper cut like frost.
“Squeak, squeak!”
“Squeak, squeak, squeak!”
“Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak!”
Chaos answered him. The chittering rose and tangled together.
She Jun inhaled sharply. In one breath he drew the four nearest rats into his jaws. Bones cracked, then silence swallowed the clearing.
“You. Speak,” he ordered, pointing at a stout rat.
The chosen creature trembled yet squeaked a hurried report. Every word was clear, and each one fanned She Jun’s anger.[So Quan Ye slipped away in a single night, leaving no scent at all. If he can flee now, what happens when his bloodline deepens? Will my throne still stand?]
His whiskers bristled. These useless guards could not even watch one fledgling.
He opened his mouth to devour the messenger, but a sharp murderous aura rushed toward the camp. She Jun froze.
Qing Kui had arrived.
Her voice rang out before any excuse could form. “She Jun, is it true that Quan Ye is gone?”
Faced with her blood-red eyes, he hesitated, then bowed his head. “Yes, he—”
“Come. I already know where Quan Ye is,” Qing Kui cut in.
“He is not… wait, you know?” Surprise made She Jun’s whiskers quake.
Without another word, Qing Kui vanished into the wind. She Jun had no choice but to follow. As they flew he learned their destination: Chaozong Gorge.
[Could Quan Ye reach the gorge in less than three days? Impossible—unless someone carried him. Whether or not the dragon roar rising from the gorge is tied to him, I must see it with my own eyes.]
…
The great stir of demon clans did not stay hidden. Human and spirit cultivators alike felt it, and more travelers steered toward Chaozong Gorge.
…
Beneath heavy curtains on a tall city wall, a soft voice drifted out. “Brother Wu Shao Zhen, I wish to go.”
Wu Shao Zhen’s eyes lowered to Ye Cong Xin. Veils masked her face, yet her quiet grace shone through. A faint mockery flashed in his gaze, but his smile stayed warm.
“If you wish it, Qing Qing, I will protect you with all my strength.”
[Perfect. I have sought a way to remove Bai Qing Qing. Now she walks straight into my trap. Amid a crowd I can use many hands to strike.]
He had once planned to kill her himself, but her cultivation soared. She now hovered a single step from the Nascent Soul realm. A direct clash had grown too risky, so he chose a subtler path. Chaozong Gorge was the stage he needed.
Yet while Wu Shao Zhen plotted, Ye Cong Xin nurtured the same dark flower in her heart.
She read people like open books. Wu Shao Zhen’s flawless kindness rang false to her trained ear. She had revealed her coming breakthrough only to test him.
His answer was perfect, too perfect, brushing the edge of goodwill without tipping into envy. [Such perfection screams of artifice. He must wield some hidden talent for shaping another’s feelings. A proud man should show a hint of jealousy when I rise so fast.]
Wu Shao Zhen was indeed fearsome. If she had not been fooled many times by the lunatics of Lone Moon Peak, she might have fallen as well. Now she had Luck Points to spare, and a worthy opponent delighted her.
[He does look handsome while pretending devotion. Let him play the loyal hound, it pleases my vanity. Even so, I will leave no room for reversal.]
She chose the gorge as the place where blades would flash. Many of her Luck Points had bought secret arts and talismans, enough to guard her life. Should a stronger foe appear, Wu Shao Zhen could become her shield.
Their eyes met through layered silk, and identical secret smiles curled their lips.
…
Maple River City.
Fang Cheng Lang and Cui Jue turned toward their youngest brother. Su Ming blinked beneath their dual gazes.
“Third Brother, should we head to Chaozong Gorge?” Fang Cheng Lang asked, his voice keen.
While hunting for Ye Cong Xin, news of the gorge had reached them. Streams of cultivators poured through the gates, and the trio gathered to decide.
Su Ming felt their hopes settle like weights on his shoulders. “I… I am not sure…”
Cui Jue clapped his back. “Believe in yourself, Third Brother. Trust your luck.”
The two seniors knew Su Ming’s uncanny fortune. In small betting games he never lost, and in the shared dreamscape his gifts had helped Ye Cong Xin rise, filling her hands with treasures.
Now, facing this forked road, they looked to him once more.
Su Ming watched the flow of travelers, then nodded. “Let us go!”
His heart whispered that it was the right path.
“Then we are leaving,” Fang Cheng Lang declared, already turning for the gate.
Cui Jue followed at once. Su Ming blinked at their swift decision, then hurried after them, the city wall falling behind.
The pull of Chaozong Gorge had claimed yet another group—and destiny waited ahead.
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