Chapter 1689: Chapter 1689: How are you so useless?
Above the lake surface, a few hundred cultivators floated.
Some were Golden Immortals and above, unable to enter the cave mansion; others arrived too late after hearing the news and missed entering the cave mansion.
They silently waited.
"The tremors in the lake have vanished; the battle inside should have stopped."
"Judging by the intensity of the tremors earlier, the fight must have been fierce!"
"After all, so many people went in, mostly Earth Immortals and True Immortals. With all of them fighting, the commotion couldn’t have been small. Yet this cave mansion is impressive; it hasn’t even been demolished!"
"What do you think happened inside? How many people will come out alive?"
"Heh, do you even need to ask? It’s definitely the people from the Mountain Ridge Monarchy Sect. They went in with such numbers, having the absolute home advantage!"
"That’s not necessarily the case. Maybe others teamed up against them. Such intense tremors indicate a very fierce battle!"
"Let’s just wait; they’ll come out eventually!"
The crowd debated incessantly, while the powerful figure from the Mountain Ridge Monarchy Sect looked calm as he glanced around, asking, "Is the area around us completely sealed?"
Someone nearby replied, "It’s sealed tight; they’re only True Immortals; none can escape!"
"Good, once they come out, first confirm the events inside. Before that, no one is allowed to leave!"
"Yes!"
As they spoke, a spot of golden light suddenly appeared below the lake surface, quickly rising from the lake bed and bursting through the lake surface.
The golden light spot stopped above the lake, swiftly expanding into a light gate.
All the onlookers perked up.
"They’re coming out!"
"There’s movement!"
"Look there!"
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, an adventurer covered in blood emerged, gazing at the familiar scenery around with a smile of fortunate survival etched on his face.
People around gasped.
"The first one to come out is in such a state; what exactly happened?"
"Shouldn’t the victors come out first?"
"Maybe the victors come out last?"
Light shadows flickered as one adventurer after another stepped out, all appearing either spiritless, needing support from others, or covered in blood with severe injuries, looking incomparably miserable.
Beckett Compton emerged, lifted by a gentle force into the air.
All disciples from the Mountain Ridge Monarchy Sect had their Seas of Consciousness sealed, and they hadn’t been unlocked yet. Who knew, with so many people around, if releasing the seal would stir up any trouble?
The faces of the Mountain Ridge Monarchy Sect’s senior members changed.
They could naturally see that although their sect disciples appeared uninjured, each needed someone to lift them as none could even manage simple flying—a clear indication their Seas of Consciousness had been sealed.
Though the ultimate winner was yet unknown, it was evident the Mountain Ridge Monarchy Sect disciples had failed.
The crowd exchanged glances, seeing resolve in each other’s eyes.
No one must be allowed to escape!
This is the domain of the Mountain Ridge Monarchy Sect!
Several powerful figures roared forward, beckoning, and all disciples of the Mountain Ridge Monarchy Sect were instantly lifted away from the light gate and appeared before several strong figures.
The Deputy Sect Master Iron Colter, presiding over the division, asked in a deep voice, "Beckett Compton, what happened?"
Beckett Compton answered dejectedly, "The cave mansion’s owner, Clayton Gross, wasn’t dead. He was like a dried corpse, setting traps to lure us inside, using the True Solar Fire and Sun True Scripture as bait to induce mutual slaughter and weaken our strengths. He aimed to absorb our essence blood to restore himself, but was ultimately counter-killed by two adventurers joining forces, allowing us to survive."
Everyone was shocked. Clayton Gross wasn’t dead?
So it was a trap he set!
Amidst the shock, everyone focused on two words.
True Solar Fire!
Sun True Scripture!
An immediate gleam filled all eyes, especially the numerous experts of the Mountain Ridge Monarchy Sect, who became instantly excited.
"Who holds the True Solar Fire and Sun True Scripture?"
Beckett Compton answered dejectedly, "The True Solar Fire is in the hands of a White Crane Immortal Sect disciple, and the Sun True Scripture should have been destroyed along with Clayton Gross’s fractured space ring, so nobody obtained it."
"What, the Sun True Scripture is gone?"
Iron Colter angrily rebuked, "How could you be so incompetent? Don’t you know its value?"
Beckett Compton’s face flushed red as he defended, "He was the Peak Heavenly Immortal, and at the time, he wanted to kill us all and absorb our essence blood. It relied entirely on those White Crane Immortal Sect and Ghost King Tomb disciples combining their superb techniques to save us and kill him. At such explosive levels, no one dared hold back."
"In that single strike, Clayton Gross was completely shattered, even most of his bones; naturally, the ring fragmented in the attack..."
Iron Colter was left speechless.
Alright, it’s clear now.
After trying for so long, it’s not about snatching the True Solar Fire or Sun True Scripture; the fact these disciples managed to come out alive is thanks to the protection by those two individuals. Otherwise, they’d have all perished.
"There’s only the True Solar Fire. Is there anything else?"
Beckett Compton honestly replied, "There is also a golden spear, which was Clayton Gross’s magical treasure obtained by one of the Ghost King Tomb disciples. The True Solar Fire was taken by a White Crane Immortal Sect disciple. A search through the mansion revealed no other valuable items..."