The appearance of the Golden Dragon Mountain Writs was like a bolt of lightning, electrifying the atmosphere. All the teams at the Reservoir scrambled to head out for Golden Dragon Mountain.
Everyone understood that there were only five writs and more than a hundred teams, which meant that only the best among them would actually stand a chance. But that did not stop them from trying. What if they succeeded? That irrational hope was all they had.
As for Li Luo’s trio, they followed the ma.s.ses towards Golden Dragon Mountain as well.
Half a day later, they finally made it to the foot of Golden Dragon Mountain just as the evening sun vanished over the horizon.
Many of the teams were camping around here for the night.
When they arrived, someone waved to Li Luo, and he saw that it was Gu Ying.
He walked over to her with a smile. “We meet again.”
“I didn’t think you’d be brave enough to chase him,” she replied.
“Wasn’t it you who told me that it’s best to get the Golden Dragon Qi back?”
Gu Ying nodded. “I hope you’re prepared. It’s not going to be easy to take the Golden Dragon Qi from a Third Changing opponent.
“One more piece of info, free of charge. If you want to find Lin Suo, you can choose the fourth peak. Lin Suo’s already put out the word that he’s staking a claim to the writ there.
“This is pretty normal—the strongest teams will declare where they’re intending to go. That way, these heavy movers can divide up the spoils among them and won’t clash with each other.”
Li Luo looked up at Golden Dragon Mountain. Indeed, while it had looked like a simple triangle from a distance, he could see many secondary peaks from this angle. And the fourth peak that Gu Ying mentioned had to be one of them.
“Many thanks.” Li Luo cupped his fist.
“Don’t mention it. It was easily available if you asked anyone else anyway.” She waved it away.
“I hope you succeed. Lin Suo has already taken down quite a few teams single-handedly. He’s really strong, and that blood resonance is not at all easy to deal with.”
She nodded a farewell and left with her team.
“Quite kind, isn’t she?” Lu Qing’er said too casually, eying Gu Ying’s s.e.xy figure and checking Li Luo’s reaction.
“She’s a really nice person,” Li Luo agreed.
“Nice person?” Lu Qing’er said sharply. “Look at Zhao Ziyang. Did he bat an eyelid at you after the Golden Dragon Qi disappeared? Gu Ying is just l.u.s.ting after your looks,” she said snootily.
“That’s shallow,” Li Luo protested. “Besides, it’s not like I can change my looks! I just want everyone to see who I am inside! The effort I put into cultivation and the grit in my character!”
Qin Zhulu winced. “Could you not be so loud about it? Everyone’s turning to look!”
Lu Qing’er rolled her eyes at him as well. This guy’s skin was so thick, he could give the Blacklight Panoply a run for its money.
Li Luo coughed to hide his embarra.s.sment. “Er, well, anyway, it looks like we’re heading for the fourth peak!” he said hastily. “There’ll be a Golden Dragon Mountain Writ there as well, so perhaps Qing’er could explain the details of the process to us.”
Lu Qing’er nodded. “Firstly, don’t think that climbing Golden Dragon Mountain will be a walk in the park. There are many dangers, and one of the most inevitable ones is the golden aquiline wasps. They are small-bodied spirit beasts with big stings. They win because of their numbers, and we need to be careful of interception zones infested by the wasps.
“And we have to be quick about the ascension. Once someone reaches the peak, the energy barrier will begin to form. Once the barrier around the peak is fully formed, the peak will be sealed off from the rest of the mountain, and no one else will be able to enter.”
Li Luo nodded. “I a.s.sume these golden aquiline wasps don’t have any attacks other than their stings. Like ants taking down an elephant. If we’re caught, we’ll be finished, but we won’t be caught or finished. I have a plan!”
Qin Zhulu was surprised. “Already?! Li Luo is quite a reliable guy at times.”
“When we start climbing the mountain, you’ll take point,” Li Luo said, clapping Qin Zhulu on the shoulder. “Your defenses are awesome, and you can just tank them all. With me and Qing’er supporting you from behind, we’ll definitely break through at full speed!” he said encouragingly.
Qin Zhulu winced. That was the plan?
That was just meat s.h.i.+elding with extra words!
What kind of monster would suggest such a plan?
“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine,” Lu Qing’er rea.s.sured him. “The golden aquiline wasp has a painful sting, but you’re strong enough to bear it.”
Qin Zhulu grunted, but he accepted the plan. After all, he was indeed the designated tank among these three. A tank’s role did not include rights and privileges. Dirty work, all day every day.
“Little Lu understands. He’s a reliable teammate.” Li Luo cheered.
Qin Zhulu ignored him. This guy was a dual-resonance maggot, and even Lu Qing’er was being corrupted by him.
“When the energy barrier at the foot of the mountain dissipates, we’ll go.” There was a huge barrier of gold barring their way, preventing anyone from getting an unfair head start.
They finished their preparations and then waited in silence.
They waited for about two hours before loud chatter from the crowd woke them from their lounging. The energy barrier was fading away rapidly before their eyes.
BOOM!
When the energy barrier was gone, resonant power started to crackle to life.
Everyone shot forward, charging up the mountain.
Li Luo’s trio followed.
From the base of the mountain, the crowd divided up into five smaller groups headed for the peaks that held Golden Dragon Mountain Writs.
Li Luo looked ahead to the front of the pack, where a familiar, vermilion streak stood out from the rest. He was moving with great speed and was steadily pulling away from the rest of them.
Lin Suo.
Li Luo locked on to him grimly.
“Mongrel, if I don’t finish you off here and now, I’ll make sure Yu Hongxi shows you what despair truly is!”