Despite being in the midst of quietly meditating to recover his strength, San Wanfan could not help but let out a self-deprecating chuckle.


    Over the past few hours, he had been getting sporadic messages from the sect administrators, updating him on various potential treasure spots that had been discovered nearby.


    Initially, he had still been pleasantly surprised by the attention, thinking that their group had managed to gain the attention of the sect administrators. However, he quickly realised what was truly going on.


    The sect administrators must have heard from Teng Qi that he was planning to launch a counterattack on Quan Hui’s party, and were currently trying to divert his attention.


    This could mean one of two things.


    It was either that the sect administrators were advocating for peace, or that they had no confidence in their chances.


    And judging from past experiences, it was most likely the latter.


    That was nothing surprising as well, considering how even he himself had yet to come up with a plan that could lead to certain victory.


    Despite his eagerness to get back at Quan Hui’s party, San Wanfan was not a fool.


    In order to improve their chances, theyhad no choice but to resort to other measures as well.


    Sometimes, what sounded like petty tricks were absolutely necessary when dealing with a stronger opponent. Doing so was nothing to be ashamed about.


    Unfortunately, San Wanfan did not know the four newcomers very well, making it difficult for him to consider their strengths when coming up with a plan. Asking them directly would be considered intrusive as well since nobody liked to expose their own strengths and weaknesses.


    After all, not only did he not fully understand the four newcomers in his group, but he also did not know enough about Quan Hui’s party members.


    Even if all else failed, they could just slog it out in a direct battle. After all, it was not as though they had absolutely no chance of winning!


    Let’s go,” San Wanfan stood up and said. “It’s time to show those Vermilion Bird Sect degenerates the consequences of messing with the Black Tortoise Sect!”


    ***


    “Mere petty tricks,” Cheng Kai said, holding his sword steady with its tip stopping just millimetres away from his opponent’s neck.


    With that, he pulled back his sword and stored it away with a flick of his wrist.


    As for his opponent, it was a young man sitting against a cliff wall, though it was probably more apt to say that he was leaning on the wall just to be able to sit upright.


    Multiple slashes could be seen all over his body, a result of the punishment that he had just gone through.


    “Cough...! Tha-that’s easy for you to say...” he said weakly before tossing a pouch over to Cheng Kai. “Not everyone is a monster like you. In order to keep up, most of us have no choice but to rely on what you call petty tricks!”


    You don’t have a choice?” Cheng Kai scoffed. “This kind of mentality is exactly the thing stopping you from training hard enough to win through your own strength.”


    Under the silent gazes of the crowds, he turned around and walked away, having claimed yet another victory under his belt.


    [Approximately a hundred and fifty kilometres east, there is a group gathered to raid a monster nest. Do note that the battle has already been ongoing for at least two hours, so it might have already ended.]


    Cheng Kai let out an amused grin before rushing off towards the east.


    From the side, the crowds could not help but feel their spines tingle as they saw this grin suddenly appear on his face.


    Indeed, there was no smoke without fire.


    ***


    The relentless snowstorm continued its assault on the Blacksnow Tundra as the sun slowly disappeared behind the horizon. Yet despite the gloomy weather, the members of the Wei Group were feeling better than ever.


    Monster carcasses were littered all around them, most of them already half buried in snow. This was a result of the constant assault that they had been facing for at least the past ten hours.


    But thanks to the warning from the sect administrators, the Wei Group had already prepared themselves for this.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    At the same time, they also abandoned any idea of collecting materials from the carcasses, deciding to leave that for later when everything was done and dusted.


    Such an arrangement had worked wonders for them.


    In fact, they had even managed to easily fend off one of the five monsters that the sect administrators had warned them about – the Rainbow Scythe Ants.


    They had to admit that the appearance of the Rainbow Scythe Ants had been rather shocking. Just the sheer numbers were intimidating enough, not to mention the aura of death that they carried.


    However, just by throwing out some scent bombs, these monsters immediately turned into headless chickens.


    Come to think of it, despite their scary appearances, the Rainbow Scythe Ants were actually rather cute to even think that they stood a chance!


    “Well done, everyone. Just a little more, and we can all leave this godforsaken place!” Nuo Qianling encouraged.


    Can we please go somewhere warm next? I’ve never liked the cold weather, so this environment is really getting on my nerves,” Zhuang Chan said while continuing to hold the flames against the black ice.


    Hahaha, sure! Let’s go somewhere warm next!” Nuo Qianling laughed. “When we do, I will persona...”


    Her words trailed off as the faint sound of an elephant’s trumpet pierced through the loud howling of the snowstorm to reach their ears.


    The sound was faint, yet it still managed to send chills down their spines.


    It was almost as though their bodies had instinctively reacted to the source of the sound, understanding the danger behind it.


    “


    Having done their fair share of digging, all of them knew that there was only one creature in the Blacksnow Tundra that would make a sound like that – the Serpent Mammoth.


    If you meet any of these three, abandon your plan and escape immediately. You cannot beat any of them.


    The party members’ cheerful mood disappeared in an instant, replaced with a inexplicable sense of anxiety. They could not help but look over at Nuo Qianling, waiting to hear her decision on what to do next.


    Not just that, but a smile of excitement even appeared on her face.


    Looks like the heavens are on our side,” Nuo Qianling said. “The sect administrators have written us off as a party that was incapable of dealing with the Serpent Mammoth. But once we manage to do so, we would effectively be exceeding their expectations, forcing them to regard us as a party of greater potential. Things cannot get any better than this!”


    “


    “That’s right. All those monsters from before have been completely helpless before our strength, so what is one more going to change? Let’s take it down in grand fashion!”


    “


    Plan? What need is there for a plan?” Nuo Qianling smirked. “The Serpent Mammoth is nothing like the Red-Eyed Skeletal Ghouls, so there is no need for any petty tricks. We just have to do the usual, and the Serpent Mammoth would not stand a chance!”


    It was obvious that she truly believed in what she said – in the strength of her party.


    With just a few words, she had completely wiped away all the fear and uncertainty that had been lingering in their minds. It was as though she had given her party members a new source of strength, creating a powerful wave of energy that coursed through their veins.


    Zhao Yunxiao looked at the jade tablets in front of him and nodded to himself, satisfied at what he was seeing.


    The Four Symbols Mystic Realm would remain opened for a total of three days, and they were already nearing the end of the second.


    Yes, three of them had been eliminated, but they had also received the necessary treatment and were no longer in any sort of danger.


    This should be another lull period for him to rest a little, with only the Wei Group that he might have to keep an eye on.


    Be it the Mo Group, the Yin Yang Sword Sisters, Chen Pingxi or Zhou Qin, all of them had recovered and were back on the move.


    Heearnestly hoped not. Otherwise, he might need to think of a way to help them out a little.


    Instead, he could only hope that on the upcoming final day, things would go smoothly for the current participants under his watch!