Chapter 619 - 619: The Final Withered Wood Monsters

Hearing He Liang squeal like a pig being slaughtered, along with his spineless words,

the members of the Celestial Sword Sect, both injured and uninjured, all lowered their heads in shame, wishing they could rush over and shut his mouth.

As for Pei Yongqing, his expression was absolutely livid.

The disciples of the Saint Extreme Sect, however, were jubilant. Their morale was high, and their gazes toward Chu Qingyun were filled with admiration.

Even the heavily injured Xu Shijie, collapsed on the ground, looked at Chu Qingyun with gratitude, all traces of his previous arrogance gone.

If Chu Qingyun hadn't stood up for them this time, who knows how He Liang and the others from the Celestial Sword Sect would have humiliated them.

After defeating He Liang and his group, Chu Qingyun held his sword and scanned his surroundings.

All around him, disciples of the Celestial Sword Sect lay strewn about, every one of them heavily injured and moaning in agony.

Furthermore, everyone present understood that Chu Qingyun had definitely held back.

Otherwise, with the power of the Celestial Sword Technique and Chu Qingyun's own strength, He Liang and his group would have been blasted to smithereens if he had truly gone all out!

Now, no one dared to make a move against Chu Qingyun.

And no one dared to claim that learning the Celestial Sword Three Techniques without joining the Celestial Sword Sect was an act of contempt toward the sect.

"Senior Brothers, let's go... We should bring Senior Brother Xu with us."

Chu Qingyun called over the two Level 9 Martial Spirits from the Saint Extreme Sect, preparing to set off again. After a moment's thought, he had them bring Xu Shijie along as well.

After all, those two had been personally sent by Elder Zhu of the Inner Sect.

If he hadn't run into them, it would have been one thing. But now that he had, leaving them to fend for themselves wouldn't be right. Chu Qingyun held great respect for Elder Zhu.

As for Xu Shijie, while his previous arrogance had been detestable, he had shown some backbone while being beaten by He Liang. For that reason, Chu Qingyun didn't want to leave him here to fend for himself.

The two Level 9 Martial Spirits fed Xu Shijie a Healing Elixir, then supported him on either side and followed Chu Qingyun.

They had been delayed for two days now. Chu Qingyun estimated that the fastest participants were likely already approaching the center of the Withered Wood Forest.

Therefore, he unleashed a burst of speed that far surpassed a Level 9 Martial Spirit.

The two Level 9 Martial Spirits, burdened with the heavily injured Xu Shijie, naturally couldn't keep up. However, Chu Qingyun summoned his Iron Thread Ten-Star Vine Martial Soul, pulling them all forward at high speed.

After the battle ended, the three to four hundred people who had gathered there set off almost simultaneously.

As for He Liang and the heavily injured disciples of the Celestial Sword Sect, their situation was quite miserable. They no longer had the strength to continue forward.

The few uninjured members of the Celestial Sword Sect hesitated for a moment before ignoring their fallen comrades, rushing with the main crowd into the depths of the Withered Wood Forest to compete for one of the three hundred available spots.

"Junior Brother Chu... we're causing you trouble again..."

As they were pulled along by Chu Qingyun, the two Level 9 Martial Spirits glanced back at Pei Yongqing and the others trailing behind them, their expressions growing even more ashamed.

It was obvious that if Chu Qingyun weren't burdened with the three of them, he could have easily left everyone else in the dust.

But as it was, their speed was only slightly faster than that of Pei Yongqing's group behind them.

"Don't worry about it. As long as we're among the first three hundred to arrive, we'll be fine."

"Besides, having Pei Yongqing's group behind us isn't without its advantages. At the very least, those who were just drawn over by the commotion won't dare to make a move on us," Chu Qingyun said with a smile.

With a renowned expert like Pei Yongqing following behind, no one attracted by the fluctuations of Primordial Power along the path dared to act rashly.

And once they inquired with the people further back, they became even more hesitant to act. They could only curse their luck, 'I never should have gotten mixed up in this mess...'

The deeper they ventured into the Withered Wood Forest, the more Withered Wood Monsters Chu Qingyun's group encountered.

They were now approaching the final sprint.

Therefore, Chu Qingyun didn't bother wasting time on the Withered Wood Monsters. He simply cleared a path with his Lightning Sword. Whenever a monster appeared, a brilliant violet Sword Light would flash out and cut it down.

The lucky Withered Wood Monsters merely lost a few branches and roots.

The unlucky ones were cleaved in two by a single strike from Chu Qingyun's sword, as dead as could be.

「The next morning.」

Chu Qingyun and his group were now extremely close to the center of the Withered Wood Forest.

Through the imprints on their bodies, the people at the very front of the pack could even sense a large gathering of Sect Disciples up ahead.

Those must have been the ones who had arrived first.

By the time they reached this point, the Withered Wood Monsters were appearing in droves.

After passing through a grove, all four of them looked ahead, their eyes widening in shock.

Previously, while the Withered Wood Forest had contained monsters, it was still fundamentally a normal forest.

But from a short distance ahead, the green trees vanished completely, replaced by a vast sea of Withered Wood Monsters.

As if catching the scent of humans, the Withered Wood Monsters thrashed their branches and roots chaotically, a ferocious and bizarre sight to behold.

"Senior Brothers, stay close!"

Facing the vast horde of Withered Wood Monsters, Chu Qingyun didn't pause. After shouting a reminder to the two behind him, he led the charge.

As if sensing their approach, the Withered Wood Monsters began thrashing their branches and roots with even greater excitement.

Some on the periphery even began to slowly shuffle toward Chu Qingyun.

"Lightning Sword!"

As he neared, Chu Qingyun unleashed the Lightning Sword.

A brilliant violet Sword Light, nearly ten meters long, instantly erupted from his Thunder Shock Sword.

Over the course of his journey, Chu Qingyun's mastery of the Lightning Sword had become increasingly proficient.

Chu Qingyun led the charge, his Lightning Sword cleaving left and right. Any Withered Wood Monster he struck was helpless to resist, easily sliced in two.

He carved a path straight through the swarm of monsters.

As the group of four passed, they left a trail of shattered branches in their wake, and the monsters to either side hastily retreated.

However, it wasn't long before Pei Yongqing and a number of other fast Level 9 Martial Spirits caught up from behind.

With the arrival of more people, the Withered Wood Monsters closed ranks again, growing excited once more.

"Hmph, you're courting death!"

"Take this!"

Pei Yongqing snorted coldly. A colossal Sword Qi, dozens of meters long, erupted from his battle blade as he slashed into the swarm of Withered Wood Monsters, leading the charge.

The dozen or so Level 9 Martial Spirits who could keep pace with Pei Yongqing were by no means weaklings.

The group of more than a dozen charged in together, once again tearing through the swarm of monsters. They raced toward the center of the Withered Wood Forest, leaving a trail of heavily injured Withered Wood Monsters oozing green sap in their wake.