Chapter 562

Besides the Abyss Squad, they split into four teams heading east, south, and northwest.

Not long after they left this place, several Abyss Beasts appeared here.

They sniffed the scent, then headed toward the northern direction.

The small squad led by Qian Yunzhou and Ying Wuji soon encountered a ferocious sixth-rank Abyss Beast, and they quickly joined forces to defeat it.

Xie Xu

Xie Yan led eight people to search the surroundings together.

Feng Xuanji closely followed behind, gazing at Xie Yan's familiar yet unfamiliar back, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

Yu Jing

"Junior brother..." Feng Xuanji blurted out instinctively; before her words faded, she saw Xie Yan abruptly turn his head, his deep eyes devoid of any warmth, looking at her coldly.

Fourth Prince

Her heart lurched; she instantly corrected herself, her tone hinting at a subtle distance: "Fellow Daoist Xie."

"Mm." Xie Yan replied lightly, his voice cold as ice, revealing no emotion.

Young Imperial Uncle

Feng Xuanji watched his resolute back, slightly lowering her eyelids; her long lashes hid the complex emotions in her eyes.

Leader Ying

Deputy Leader Lu

Junior Sister Lu

Abyss Beast Lord

Heavenly Pride

Yaozu Heavenly Pride

Meanwhile, the monster clan's prodigies keenly sensed their aura, immediately becoming alert; before they could react, they saw Xie Yan and his nine companions detour around them.

In the monster clan's ranks, a youth clad in a splendid brocade robe, handsome yet somewhat aloof—Xie Xu—took in the entire scene.

He slightly narrowed his eyes, a flicker of surprise and inquiry crossing his gaze, as he pondered inwardly.

"Xie Yan..." he murmured the name softly, his fingertip unconsciously tapping the jade pendant at his waist.

Mountain Hollow

Heavenly Pride City

Communication Token

Abyss-Clearing Squad

Moreover, judging from their route and direction, they seemed not to be targeting the monster clan, but rather... urgently searching for something.

Just as Xie Xu was pondering, a tall, slender fox demon with a sly glint in his eyes beside him lowered his voice and said: "Fourth Prince, this is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity! Shouldn't we seize the chance to secretly eliminate Xie Yan, this half-demon? He will surely become a grave threat to His Majesty in the future!"

Now he only has eight people around him; if we can strike unexpectedly and behead this half-demon, then when we return to the demon realm, His Majesty will surely look upon you with favor, praise you abundantly, and perhaps even… appoint you as the Young Emperor!

Xie Xu smiled.

"You're oversimplifying things. My little royal uncle hasn't yet shown his strength; if I act rashly and fail to kill him in one blow, it won't just be a grudge with Xie Yan, but an enmity with the human race. We're currently in the Abyssal Rift; if that Purge Abyss Squad really wants to deal with us, we might find ourselves in dire straits."

The fox demon exclaimed in realization: "Still, the Fourth Prince thinks things through."

Xie Xu gave a half-smile and said: "What's more, the one who wants my little royal uncle's life even more than I do is my eldest royal brother."

Another demon prodigy suddenly said: "I think they seem to be looking for something; perhaps they've already found a way to leave the Abyssal Rift."

A flash of inspiration crossed Xie Xu's mind.

"They must be looking for a refuge!"

…

Elsewhere.

A blood-colored figure walked out from the depths, his face covered in blood, making it almost impossible to discern his appearance.

His blood-stained hand tightly gripped a transmission token.

He infused his spiritual power into it.

Immediately, he slowly opened his mouth: "It's me, Ying Wuhuan."

His voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of fatigue and sorrow.

"Lu Xiang is dead."

At the same time, Yujing, who was stationed somewhere in the Abyssal Rift, suddenly received a transmission from Ying Wuhuan, and her expression changed drastically.

She immediately probed with her divine sense and listened to the entire content.

Yujing furrowed her brows tightly.

"Lu Xiang actually died?!"

Two hours later, following the guidance of the transmission token, Yujing led a troop and finally found Ying Wuhuan, covered in wounds, in a hidden mountain valley.

He leaned against a cold rock, his breath faint; were it not for the weak rise and fall of his chest, he would be nearly indistinguishable from a corpse.

"Leader Ying!" Yujing hurried forward, seeing his miserable state, her heart sank even more, and she urgently asked: "Leader Ying, what exactly happened? How did Lu Xiang die? Where did you previously encounter this misfortune?"

"Is Junior Sister Lu really dead?" Sikong Banxue's pale little face showed disbelief as she whispered hoarsely: "Then where is her body? We must bring her back!"

Ying Wuhuan slowly lifted his bloodshot eyes, scanning the crowd before him, but did not immediately answer their questions.

He gazed at the troops before him, brows furrowed, and asked in a hoarse voice: "Why… are there only so few left? Where are the others? Is it because of the earlier riot caused by the Abyssal Rift Beast Lord?"

Yujing was stunned upon hearing that; she hadn't expected his first words upon waking to be about that.

She opened her mouth, at a loss for how to respond.

The other prodigies exchanged glances, their expressions varied, and the atmosphere instantly became somewhat subtle and awkward.

At that moment, a prodigy belonging to the Ying family, his face flushed with indignation, couldn't help but say: "Leader! Don't mention it! It's all because of Yuan Yao and company! That Yuan Yao, using some unknown means, secretly brought ten people into the depths of the Abyssal Rift and even formed something called the 'Purge Abyss Squad'! Not long ago, we thought you and Deputy Leader Lu had already met with misfortune! Therefore, those people like Feng Xuanji, once they were beguiled by Yuan Yao, betrayed our Tian Jiaocheng troop and defected to the Purge Abyss Squad!"

Ying Wuhuan's face darkened, and he whispered, "How could they..."

Most of the heaven's pride, seeing this, the dissatisfaction and anger that had been building due to the team's dispersion, as if finding a vent, instantly erupted.

"How outrageous! If they knew the leader you're still alive, they'd surely regret it beyond remedy!" A hot-tempered heaven's pride shouted first.

"Exactly! A bunch of petty opportunists! People like that usually come to no good end!"

""

Ying Wuhuan slowly raised his head, eyes sharp as a blade, directly gazing at the always silent Yujing, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny and inquiry: "Yujing, you tell me, what exactly is going on? Why has the team become like this?"

Just as his words fell, a sarcastic voice chimed in, full of undisguised sarcasm: "Ying Wuhuan, you don't know, but during the time when your life and death were uncertain, we, this Jade Deputy Leader, had already prepared to let that Yuan Yao who came out of nowhere replace your position and become our new leader!"

The speaker was none other than Gui Yanhong.

"Yanhong, say less!" Gui Yanqing furrowed his brow, pulled his sister's arm, not wanting her to add fuel to the fire at this moment.

Gui Yanhong violently shook off his hand, arms crossed, arrogantly gazing at Yujing: "I'm telling you! Everything I say is the truth—some people just lack leadership ability and still let the entire Tian Jiaocheng team fall apart! I don't even know how she got elected deputy leader!"

Facing Gui Yanhong's aggressive attitude and the doubtful gazes of the crowd, Yujing's face remained calm, though a hint of gloom flashed in her clear eyes.

She fell silent for a moment, then spoke in a calm, unruffled voice: "If everyone thinks I'm incapable and unable to lead, I can resign as deputy leader, no questions asked."

Gui Yanhong, however, chuckled and teased: "You want to resign as deputy leader now—could it be that you also want to join that Eliminate Abyss Squad?"