Chapter 995: Chapter 521: Heisha Sect Leader (Part 2) Those people were about to rest, but seeing them so tactless and continuing on their way, they immediately chased after them. "You, stop right there! Who allowed you to keep moving forward? Our sect is stationed here, and you’re not allowed to pass!" Turning to look at him, Gu Sheng raised his eyebrows. "Why?" "Because we were the first to step onto this path, and only the sects that arrive first qualify to battle at South Mountain. You’re rushing overnight to surpass us, are you trying to make a strategic move, so we lose our qualifying spot? Quite a clever tactic!" "If you don’t want to lose your qualifying spot, you should hurry on instead of blocking others to secure your place!" "Our Sect Leader does not need your advice to conduct affairs, now go back to your place!" As they said this, they drew the longswords from their waists, clearly ready to kill. Gu Sheng narrowed his eyes at them, his hands moving to the Fire Spirit Dagger. The atmosphere between the parties was tense, on the brink of erupting, when suddenly a figure flashed in behind several of them, arriving in front of Gu Sheng in just a few breaths. Sensing the momentum emanating from him, Gu Sheng had already guessed his identity and tightened his grip on the dagger. Unexpectedly, the man simply sized them up, then smiled. "I apologize for any offense my subordinates have caused. Please don’t mind, brother." He was polite, but Gu Sheng remained cautious. "We need to pass through here. Have your men move aside." Having said that, the man waved his hand, and indeed his subordinates stepped aside. However, his subordinates were somewhat discontent. "Sect Leader, they’ve surpassed several teams overnight, clearly ambitious. If we give way, what if they create trouble for us?" Seeing they hadn’t cleared the way, the man’s face darkened, and his eyes turned somewhat sinister. "I said clear the way, didn’t you hear? Are we of the Heisha Sect going to bully even a small sect? If this gets out, would my reputation remain intact?!" As he spoke, he subtly exerted some Divine Power, forcing his men to retreat step by step. Once the path was clear, he shifted his gaze to Gu Sheng’s face. "This brother, may I know which sect you belong to?" Before Gu Sheng could speak, Shi Lou called out loudly, "We are from Stone Village!" After he spoke, Gu Sheng gave him a glance. Seeing Shi Lou’s confusion, the Heisha Sect Leader nodded, "So it’s the brothers from Stone Village. We’ll see you at the foot of South Mountain. Please proceed." He courteously made way, and Gu Sheng led his group away. Traveling overnight to a crossroads, Gu Sheng stopped. Seeing him halt, Shi Lou pointed ahead and said, "Brother Sheng, this is the quickest route." Hearing his words, Gu Sheng pursed his lips. "I know this is the quickest route, but this road is no longer viable now." "Why?" "Because you told the Heisha Sect Leader we’re from Stone Village." After Gu Sheng spoke, Shi Lou scratched his head in confusion. "Brother Sheng, the Heisha Sect Leader seemed friendly and might want to ally with us. Isn’t it right to take this route?" Hearing this, Gu Sheng pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "The Heisha Sect Leader had killing intent hidden in his eyes. How did you see any indication of him wanting to ally with us?" "Not only did he let his men give us way, but he was also courteous at every turn, wasn’t he?" "No, he wants to kill us even more than his men do." After Gu Sheng spoke, Shi Lou’s heart sank. "Brother Sheng, please don’t joke with me." "In matters of life and death, do you think I would joke?" "The seemingly courteous Heisha Sect Leader actually detected our identities and was just extracting them using this method. Don’t forget, the goblins spread news about us acquiring the Dark Wood. If not for the Spiritual Pearl’s emergence, all sects would still have their eyes on us. Now that we’ve encountered them on the road and he knows we’re from Stone Village, wouldn’t he have murderous intentions?" Thinking it through carefully, Shi Lou broke into a cold sweat. "Brother Sheng, I’m sorry, I’ve caused you trouble again." He said that, then unexpectedly lifted his hand and slapped himself. "It’s all my fault, running my mouth off without understanding your signal. I thought I had clarity, but I was blindfolded by stupidity. If I hadn’t spoken recklessly, this trouble wouldn’t have come." Seeing him like this, the others could only sigh silently in their hearts. They were worried, too, but there was no blame, since it couldn’t change what had happened. Gu Sheng felt the same. Seeing Shi Lou slap himself, he moved to wave away his hand. "Don’t do this, it will only make everyone feel worse. Since it’s happened, face it head-on." "But if it wasn’t for me..." "Even if it wasn’t you, they’d still target us. We all carry the aura of Dark Wood, so he couldn’t miss noticing it, and he would purposefully let us go." Looking at the paths ahead, Gu Sheng pointed to the right. "We’ll go this way. Though it’s further, few would choose it, perhaps making it quicker by being unpredictable." After he spoke, Huang Shan nodded. "This route is secluded, so indeed it would have few takers. With some effort, we can outpace them by taking this path." "Let’s go and rest only in an uninhabited area." Determined, Gu Sheng led them onto the narrow path. At night, the path was exceptionally challenging, possibly due to being rarely traveled, the stones were particularly sharp. Even using their Divine Power to scout, they occasionally stepped on one. Shortly in, Er Gou suddenly cried out. Hearing the sound, Gu Sheng quickly turned back to look. "What happened?" "It’s nothing, Brother Sheng, just stepped on a stone, nearly twisted my ankle, startled me." "Use Divine Power to check if your tendons are hurt, if they are, treat them quickly." After checking, Er Gou let out a long breath of relief. "Didn’t hurt the tendons, just a minor flesh wound, already healed." Gu Sheng nodded and continued leading the way. This time, he slowed his pace considerably. As they moved cautiously, using Divine Power, by dawn they found a decent spot to rest. Gu Sheng carefully sensed no other presence around, then allowed the group to rest. Since they hadn’t expended much Spiritual Power, Gu Sheng didn’t take out the Spirit Stones, instead letting them use the Sun and Moon Essence to recover their strength. No one disagreed, seizing the rare opportunity to rest. Listening to their breathing gradually steady, Gu Sheng got up alone, leaping to a high point to survey the road ahead by moonlight. Eyeing it carefully, his brows knitted slightly, he made some calculations, and then sighed. By sunrise, Gu Sheng woke everyone early. "Time to move on." Upon hearing, everyone immediately got up. Then Gu Sheng said, "Today we’ll not rest, we’ll likely encounter another group by evening. Then, everyone must conceal their presence, avoid interaction as much as possible." "Brother Sheng, there are other teams ahead? Did you see them?" "No, but under the night’s darkness, their presence was faintly exposed. Their Divine Power glows slightly, seeming stronger than the Heisha Sect we met yesterday, so everyone needs to hide their presence, absolutely no exposure." Gu Sheng reiterated, and everyone grasped the gravity, nodding in agreement. After clearing their traces, they followed Gu Sheng onto the path. Throughout the day, they kept moving, not resting, until the sun started setting, when Gu Sheng’s pace became hurried. Everyone understood what this meant, following closely, yet with each step forward, their hearts filled with tension, unconsciously tinging their eyes with vigilance.