Chapter 2292 — The Tagan Dragon Has Come

Of course, even if Wei Zhao had used the true-qi bomb, the Tagan Clan might not necessarily have traced it back to him. It was just that the move was too conspicuous, and too many people knew of it—at the very least, many among the Hidden Clans were aware. Wei Zhao did not want to take the risk, and besides, there was something sinister about the forces behind the Tagan Clan. He had no intention of exposing his ultimate weapon too early.

Sure enough, as Wei Zhao neared the mountain pass, he saw an adventure team stopped at the exit, being searched. The scrutiny was far stricter than when he and the others had gone up the mountain. He lifted his gaze and swept it across the faces one by one—and there was Lazi!

So the Tagan Clan really had decided to lie in wait for him and Sun Jingyan here. He wondered whether Sun Jingyan had made it down the mountain safely.

But Wei Zhao's gaze only brushed past Lazi before settling on a middle-aged man in a Bagua robe not far away. That attire could not have been more familiar to him—the Tagan Clan's chief retainer dressed exactly so. And the man's strength was plain at a glance: the peak of the early Heaven Rank!

Another Heaven Rank expert in a Bagua robe? Wei Zhao frowned. The Tagan Clan certainly had deep reserves—one Heaven Rank expert dies, and another steps right up to take his place?

Seeing this Heaven Rank expert in the Bagua robe, Wei Zhao did not descend the mountain directly for the time being. Instead, he concealed his strength and quietly hid behind a patch of forest, not far from the mountain pass, yet able to keep perfect track of everything happening there.

In truth, with Old Twelve's perception, he was fully capable of sensing Wei Zhao's presence—Wei Zhao was already within his range. But Old Twelve had no jade-pendant space like Wei Zhao's; the true qi within his body could not be inexhaustible. Perception drained one's stamina greatly. Sensing for a short while now and then was fine, but to keep it up constantly—even an expert at the peak of the late Heaven Rank would collapse from exhaustion.

Besides, Old Twelve's main purpose was to seal off the mountain pass and block Wei Zhao and Sun Jingyan here. There was no need at all to sense what was happening up in the mountains; Old Six was responsible for the search up there. Why should he waste his energy sensing as well?

This worked in Wei Zhao's favor. Since the man was not sensing him, Wei Zhao simply entered the jade-pendant space to cultivate—and turned his own perception upon them.

During the day, Old Twelve spoke to no one. But when night fell, the Tagan Dragon came in secret, arriving at the temporary tent the Tagan Clan had pitched below the Ulonghot Mountains.

With several days and no word, the Tagan Dragon had grown somewhat anxious, and so he had come here in secret.

Seeing the Tagan Dragon arrive, Old Twelve's brows knitted slightly. "Why have you come? Did I not tell you to keep a low profile at home for a while and not go out?"

"I was anxious, all the same... Have those two, Zhang Naipao and the other, been caught?" the Tagan Dragon asked cautiously.

"What is there to be anxious about?" said Old Twelve. "These are troubled times, and it is very dangerous. Those two are nothing much, but there seems to be an old madman at the peak of the late Heaven Rank traveling with them. Your master, the chief retainer, died at his hands—and you still dare to come out and move about?" Old Twelve reminded him, his expression grave.

"What? They have someone backing them?" The Tagan Dragon could not help clicking his tongue in astonishment. "The peak of the late Heaven Rank?"

"Indeed. And that old madman at the peak of the late Heaven Rank has already descended the mountain. I did not stop him. Where he is now, I could not say. If you go gallivanting about like this and happen to run into him, mind that your little life is not preserved!" Old Twelve nodded and rebuked him.

"So then—this old madman at the peak of the late Heaven Rank is not with those two?" The Tagan Dragon grasped the crux of the matter in an instant.

"Correct. The old madman is gone, but those two have not come down yet. Your Sixth Martial Uncle has gone up the mountain to search for them, and I have set up a checkpoint here at the exit to intercept them," Old Twelve said. "If there is nothing else, hurry back and hide. If that old madman at the peak of the late Heaven Rank comes, I will not be able to protect you. His power is too great—he has the might to split mountains and cleave seas..."

"This... very well. But those two carry two spirit-beast essence cores. Twelfth Martial Uncle, you must find a way to get them for me!" The Tagan Dragon's real purpose in coming this time had been to get his hands on those two spirit-beast essence cores!

One had to understand that such things were exceedingly rare. Even his own sect—that place—had no stock of them. Ancient spirit beasts existed, to be sure, but one could hardly slaughter an ancient spirit beast and cut out its core, could one? The Tagan Dragon was confident that if he dared make such a request, his sect would slaughter him first!

"So it is those two spirit-beast essence cores you have been thinking about." Old Twelve nodded, now understanding the Tagan Dragon's meaning. "Rest assured. When they are obtained, I will give them to you."

Spirit-beast essence cores were fine things, but they could not compare to the Tagan Dragon's importance. If such treasures could be given to him for protection, it would set his sect's mind at ease somewhat.

"Thank you, Twelfth Martial Uncle!" The Tagan Dragon was overjoyed and said hastily.

"Enough. Go back now, hide at home, and do not come out," Old Twelve said with a wave of his hand.

"Yes, Twelfth Martial Uncle. Then I shall take my leave!" The Tagan Dragon bowed and withdrew from the tent, vanishing with his retinue into the vast darkness of the night...

Their entire conversation reached Wei Zhao's ears, word for word—and it came as a great relief to him. The strange Heaven Rank man was fine; he had escaped from here. It seemed Old Twelve had not dared to stop him and had watched the strange Heaven Rank man run off right before his eyes.

The situation struck Wei Zhao as somewhat amusing. For all the strange Heaven Rank man's cultivation at the peak of the late Heaven Rank, in actual combat he had been no match for the chief retainer, an expert of the early Heaven Rank. And yet Old Twelve, already at the peak of the early Heaven Rank, had not dared to make a move. If he ever learned the truth, one wondered what he would think.

Of course, Wei Zhao would never let him learn the truth. A misunderstanding suited him all the better!