Saying they would go, several people gathered in the direction from which the sharp utensil sound originated.
Not just Wang Teng and Xiao Qingyu, Lin Yichen and others also encountered the same situation. All disciples engaged in combat heard this sound and, without exception, stopped fighting and withdrew immediately.
They didn't hesitate, nor did they give these outer disciples a chance to entangle them.
In an instant, the disciples dispatched by the inner sect withdrew, and the pressure on the disciples who had won the outer sect competition instantly reduced.
But none of them knew what had happened, and they all looked curiously in the direction the inner disciples were heading.
"What happened? Why did these inner disciples suddenly withdraw?"
"I don't know. Just moments ago, after hearing a sharp sound, these people reacted like this."
"Too strange. Could it be they discovered an opponent they couldn't possibly defeat?"
"No way. The top ten disciples of our outer sect haven't even reached the Golden Core stage yet, and the inner sect sent several Golden Core stage cultivators this year."
"That's true. Could it be they found Zhang Ergou? That kid is an unpredictable variable."
"That's likely. I heard that Layman Xiayang, Layman Qiuyang, and Elder Qiao of the Disciplinary Hall secretly met with their respective core disciples from the previous session before the outer sect competition."
"They must have made some promises to them."
"No wonder these guys are charging forward like they're on stimulants."
The disciples who had won the outer sect competition were now at ease. Without the obstruction of inner disciples, they casually walked through the Beast Forest, only having to kill the occasional demonic beast.
This was much easier for them than directly facing inner disciples.
However, Zhang Ergou's situation was vastly different. More and more inner disciples were converging on him.
If one were to look down from the sky, one would see countless figures from all directions in the vast Beast Forest converging on a single point.
Not good!
Sensing the powerful auras closing in around him, Zhang Ergou threw Wei Yang, who was unable to resist, to the ground with a fierce slam, dazing him.
Then, he turned and fled without the slightest hesitation.
"Trying to leave? It's too late." Wei Yang, who had been thrown to the ground, struggled to stand up, preparing to stop him. Su Dan Novel Network.
To his surprise, Zhang Ergou, who had only run a few steps, suddenly turned and unleashed a Fire Spirit Fist Seal.
Caught completely off guard, Wei Yang was directly hit in the chest by the fist seal. The searing heat from the Fire Spirit Fist Seal burned through his clothes.
Ah!
With a scream, Wei Yang did not expect Zhang Ergou, who had already fled, to turn back and attack him. A black handprint formed on his chest from the burning.
His chest throbbed with unbearable pain. Before he could even activate his protective spiritual energy, he spat out a mouthful of blood and his vision went black as he fainted.
"Tch, just this? And they call themselves inner disciples?" Zhang Ergou glanced dismissively at the unconscious Wei Yang.
Zhang Ergou realized it was too late to escape now. Powerful auras were converging from all directions, and no matter which way he went, he would be intercepted.
Rather than wait for that, he decided not to run. Looking at the fainted Wei Yang, Zhang Ergou's eyes rolled, and an idea struck him.
Looking at the other four struggling figures, Zhang Ergou showed no mercy and knocked them all unconscious with a single punch each.
Next, Zhang Ergou hung these people from ancient trees in five directions: east, west, south, north, and center. The other end of the rope, he hid in an inconspicuous location.
After doing this, Zhang Ergou wasn't finished. He used several lush branches to conceal their figures, preventing them from being discovered at first glance.
Then, Zhang Ergou took out the goods he had bought from Wu Dafei at Wanbao Pavilion the night before. He chuckled and first took the antidote himself.
Afterward, he quickly and gently placed hundreds of Black Mist Eggs on the ground one by one. Wu Dafei had also said that the explosion of one Black Mist Egg would trigger the explosion of other nearby Black Mist Eggs.
It was for this reason that Zhang Ergou thought of this plan. He had covered an area of several zhang around him with these Black Mist Eggs.
It was also thanks to Wu Dafei's extensive collection that Zhang Ergou could be so extravagant.
Since those powerful auras were surging towards this area, Zhang Ergou was certain that those Golden Core stage inner disciples would be among them.
If he were to face them head-on, not only would he be unable to fight, but he would likely be crippled in an instant.
Therefore, he could only outsmart them.
After finishing his preparations, Zhang Ergou vanished and went straight to an ancient tree, where he hid himself.
"Haha, as expected, we arrived first. Zuo Tian and Jiang Tian are still a step behind." As soon as Zhang Ergou hid, he heard an extremely arrogant voice laugh triumphantly.
"Zhang Ergou, this brat, must be dealt with by Zhuge Wen himself."
"Senior Brother Zhuge is right." Then, voices of flattery and praise rose in unison.
"Damn it, is this guy so narcissistic? He's making such bold claims without even finding me?" Zhang Ergou, hiding in the tree, rolled his eyes, feeling speechless.
"Hmm? Where is he?" Several inner disciples wearing white robes appeared at the spot where Zhang Ergou had fought Wei Yang earlier.
"That's not right. Where is he? We clearly heard the signal coming from here. Did we mishear?" an inner disciple said with a frown.
"Haha, Zhuge Wen, you are indeed quick. Could it be that you've already captured Zhang Ergou?" At this moment, another voice rang out, addressing the leader among the previous group.
"Senior Brother Jiang, you jest. We just arrived, and we haven't even seen a hair of Zhang Ergou, so how could we have captured him?" Zhuge Wen frowned; he indeed had not found any trace of Zhang Ergou.
"Zhuge Wen, that's not honorable. If you caught Zhang Ergou, you caught him. Do you want to claim all the credit yourself?" Jiang Tian glanced askance at Zhuge Wen, his tone laced with dissatisfaction.
"Jiang Tian, what do you mean?" Zhuge Wen's tone also turned sharp.
"You know exactly what I mean!" Jiang Tian was naturally not to be outdone.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you guys arguing about? Did I arrive late, and has Zhang Ergou already been captured by you?" At this moment, another group of five people appeared, and one in a purple robe spoke.
"You have to ask Zhuge Wen. We just arrived too. We're pretty much neck and neck. After we got here, we only saw Zhuge Wen and his people here."
"But Zhang Ergou was nowhere to be found," Jiang Tian said, looking at Zhuge Wen with dissatisfaction.
From his tone, it was clear that he believed Zhuge Wen had already captured Zhang Ergou and hidden him in an undisclosed location.
"Jiang Tian, are you implying that I, Zhuge Wen, captured Zhang Ergou and didn't let you see him?"
Zhuge Wen's face turned red with anger.
"I didn't say that." Although he said so, his expression clearly indicated that he thought so.
As the two argued, other inner disciples also gathered at the location. Seeing the two quarreling, they were stunned for a moment.