Chapter 1326: Something happened

His eyes icy, he asked with a hint of urgency.

"Where is Ye Zhangqing?"

The old man asked coldly; hearing this, the spirit chef's eyes flashed with a hint of conflict.

I.......... I.............

Seeing him unwilling to speak, the old man's voice grew even icier.

"How, you still want to experience that feeling again?"

Just recalling the recent ordeal, the spirit chef's body trembled uncontrollably; he would rather die than go through it again.

Fear quickly overwhelmed everything; the spirit chef immediately revealed Ye Zhangqing's plan in full detail.

"We fled all the way here; Ye Lao Da said five people entering together would be too conspicuous, so we split up to enter the city."

"Following Ye Lao Da's plan, after entering the city we each sought a chance to leave, then meet outside to the west.........."

"I really don't know where Ye Lao Da is now; he might still be in the city."

Hearing the spirit chef's words, the old man hesitated not, and threw out a sentence.

"Watch him, don't let him die."

He turned and walked straight out of the dungeon.

He summoned a saint, the old man with a solemn face instructed.

"You stay in the city; I'll lead people out. Remember: no one may leave the city, no need to check anything—just one rule: nothing goes out, only in. Not even a mouse may you let out."

"Anyone who dares to force their way in, no matter who, seize them immediately."

"Yes."

Having said that, the old man sent a message to Li Xue, briefly explained the situation, then led his men toward the city outskirts.

Now the old man only hopes that Ye Zhangqing is either still in the city or waiting at the agreed spot of the five‑person plan for the spirit chef.

The old man knew Ye Zhangqing was a Great Saint cultivator, but he himself was a Great Saint; he couldn't say he'd win, but stalling for a time should be fine.

As long as he holds out until Li Xue arrives, his mission will be accomplished.

That's why he led his men out of the city, hoping to intercept Ye Zhangqing first—above all, he must not let him enter the Bai Song Gu territory.

Myriad Blood Sect— the Viper, who hadn't rested in days and looked ever worse, was now together with Li Xue, listening to the latest reports from all regions.

But the more he listened, the angrier the Viper became—it was all useless nonsense, with not a word about Ye Zhangqing.

How could such a living person just vanish into thin air?

As the Viper grew increasingly irritable, suddenly a golden light flashed—it was a transmission talisman.

It shot straight into Li Xue's brow; the next second, Li Xue leapt to his feet.

"What are you doing?"

The Viper, already in a bad mood, was made even more vexed and agitated by Li Xue's sudden move.

But the next second, Li Xue urgently said to himself.

"We've found the whereabouts of Ye Zhangqing and them."

"What did you say? Where?"

Hearing that, the Viper also jumped up—this was exactly the news he'd been waiting for.

Then Li Xue recounted the whole story; hearing it, the Viper's surprise quickly faded, and he couldn't wait another moment, saying:

"I'm heading over right now—I absolutely cannot let that brat enter the Bai Song Gu territory."

"I'll go with you."

The two hesitated not at all, immediately leaving the Blood King Palace and rushing straight to where Ye Zhangqing was.

Meanwhile, in the woods outside the city, Ye Zhangqing had already met up with Li Tie Niu, Li Tie Dan, and another spirit chef.

The four were waiting for the final spirit chef.

But as time ticked by, that person still hadn't shown up.

Just as the four sat in silence, Ye Zhangqing suddenly rose and said.

"Something happened."

"Something happened?"

"That person's likely been exposed; we can't wait any longer—we're leaving now."

Under normal circumstances, that spirit chef should have already arrived here to meet up with them.

But even now, there's no sign of him; Ye Zhangqing's intuition told him something was definitely wrong.

Ye Zhangqing wanted to leave, and the other three had no objections.

Li Tie Niu and Li Tie Dan, the two brothers, needless to say, had hardly any feelings for that spirit chef.

The two brothers took Ye Zhangqing as their leader—whatever he said, they did.

As for the other spirit chef, though somewhat reluctant, at this point preserving his life was surely the priority.

"Let's go."

Without hesitation, Ye Zhangqing immediately led the three of them to set off.

But they hadn't taken two steps when a sudden angry shout came from behind.

"Ye Zhangqing, where do you think you're going? Stay put."

At the same time, a pressure of Great Saint Realm level surged toward the four.

Feeling that pressure, Ye Zhangqing's face darkened; he knew without looking that it was the Great Saint old man.

His being able to track them here left no doubt that the spirit chef had met with trouble—and likely betrayed them.

Otherwise, the old man couldn't have found their prearranged meeting point in such a short time.

Earlier, when they split up to enter the city, they had agreed: whoever was exposed would commit suicide on the spot, so as not to implicate the other brothers.

In the next second, the old man led a group of men and directly blocked the path of Ye Zhangqing and his three companions.

Seeing Ye Zhangqing and his three companions whose appearances did not match the portraits at all, the old man showed no surprise and coldly said.

"Ye Zhangqing, you cannot escape; obediently accept your fate."

He didn't care about appearance or aura, showing that the old man knew about disguise and breath-concealment techniques.

Moreover, Ye Zhangqing quickly guessed that the old man had already informed the Viper and Li Xue on his way here.

Given the Viper's nature, he is probably already on the road by now.

Although the Blood King Palace is not close here, the Viper and Li Xue are both Emperor Sovereign Realm cultivators; at top speed, they would certainly arrive within a Shíchén.

There's no time to waste; if we wait for the Viper to arrive, those four truly won't be able to leave, and Ye Zhangqing is not arrogant enough to think he can oppose an Emperor Sovereign Realm expert.

Killing intent gathered in his eyes as he looked at the old man; for now he could only try to escape quickly and kill this old thing.

"Kill."

With a low shout, before the old man could make a move, Ye Zhangqing had already rushed forward first.

His aura shot up to the heavens; as he took the initiative, Ye Zhangqing's aura was completely exposed.

Seeing this, the old man's face likewise turned grim.

"Indeed it is you, Ye Zhangqing."

Without a response, in the blink of an eye he lunged before the old man, the cleaver already gripped tightly in his hand, and he brought it down in a single strike.

Ye Zhangqing held nothing back in this strike; it was a full-force blow.

Having reached this life-and-death juncture, Ye Zhangqing had only one thought: to kill the old man as quickly as possible, get ahead of the Viper and Li Xue before they arrive, and rush first into the territory of Bai Song Gu.

As Ye Zhangqing made his move, Li Tie Niu, Li Tie Dan, and the spirit chef also entered battle with the men the old man had brought.

The Li Tie Niu brothers are Heavenly Human Realm cultivators, while the spirit chef is at the Dharma Appearance Realm.

Thus, facing the old man's subordinates, the three of them did not have the advantage, after all there was still a numerical disparity.