The air carried the faint scent of medicinal powder, so subtle that only his extraordinary mental strength allowed him to perceive its presence.
"What's going on?" Dongfang Mingyue inquired.
Ye Cangtian glanced at Dongfang Mingyue, then at Ye Zhenghao, and asked, "Does anyone in the Blazing Fire Academy research medicinal herbs?"
"Naturally, medicines are scarce for every faction. As a peak force, the Blazing Fire Academy certainly has its own healers."
"They are also given the herbs they obtain normally to research into elixirs."
"What's the matter?"
Ye Zhenghao answered instinctively, then cast a glance at Ye Cangtian, his gaze growing suspicious. Could the anomaly Ye Cangtian had discovered be related to them?
"There's a faint herbal scent in the air, but I'm not skilled in herbs, so I don't know what medicine it is!"
"However, I can be sure that the herbs here are not poisonous."
After a brief explanation, Ye Cangtian continued, "Who knows that we are coming here? Or has any healer from the Blazing Fire Academy gone out?"
"This..."
Ye Zhenghao looked at Ye Cangtian and said, "At yesterday's banquet, Father mentioned this matter. Many people should know that we are going out to play."
"But they probably don't know the specific location, as we decided on the spur of the moment."
Saying this, Ye Zhenghao continued, "As for whether any healer has gone out, I don't know. I can only investigate when I get back. All I can be sure of is that no matter who is responsible, it has absolutely nothing to do with my father or me!"
It was obvious that Ye Cangtian's question meant he suspected the Blazing Fire Academy.
This was why Ye Zhenghao appeared so anxious. If he couldn't dispel the other party's suspicion, then the slight rapport he had finally built with Dongfang Mingyue would likely vanish.
"I'm not suspecting you. It's just that these medicines weren't here when we arrived, but appeared when we were leaving. This is clearly aimed at us!"
"Since it has happened, I want to figure it out!"
Seeing Ye Zhenghao's growing anxiety, Ye Cangtian's suspicion of him lessened slightly, as Ye Zhenghao was present.
However, this was Blazing Fire Academy's territory, and it was difficult to avoid their involvement in anything that happened.
"Mr. Ye, please rest assured. Since someone is causing trouble here in the Blazing Fire Academy, I, along with Yan Biao, will definitely give you an explanation!"
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Ye Zhenghao quickly responded.
The other party had nearly ruined his plans, so he would not let them go. Moreover, they hadn't spared him either, so he wanted to see who dared to be so bold!
Ye Cangtian nodded upon hearing this and said, "Everyone be careful."
As he spoke, Ye Cangtian took the lead, walking at the forefront. His cultivation was the highest, and he was not afraid of any poisons, so it was only natural for him to pave the way for everyone.
Hiss, hiss, hiss...
Not long after, Ye Cangtian stopped. A series of hissing sounds could be heard.
Turning to look, they saw snakes of various kinds.
The larger ones were twenty to thirty meters long, as thick as an adult's waist, while the smaller ones were only dozens of centimeters, as thin as a little finger.
Although these snakes varied in size, they were all colorful, indicating their extreme toxicity at a glance.
This was not all; the key was their aura.
There were very few at the Profound tier. Most were at the Earth tier, and a small portion had even reached the quasi-Heaven tier!
With such cultivation, coupled with such numbers, ordinary people encountering them would undoubtedly meet their end.
"Has the Blazing Fire Academy started raising snakes?"
Dongfang Mingyue glanced at Ye Zhenghao, her gaze turning somber.
She knew, of course, that these snakes were not raised by the Blazing Fire Academy.
Her question was, in essence, a challenge to him: what was the relationship between the Blazing Fire Academy and the Viper Hall of the Five Poisons Sect!
"No, no, how could the Blazing Fire Academy raise snakes..."
Feeling Dongfang Mingyue's gaze, Ye Zhenghao became flustered. After speaking halfway, he realized what she was asking.
He quickly said, "Miss Mingyue, although the Blazing Fire Academy has its own style of doing things, it would never collude with any evil forces. You can be completely assured of this."
"That's good." Dongfang Mingyue glanced at him and said faintly.
"This is not the time to discuss this. Let's deal with these long creatures first!"
As their conversation ended, Yan Biao's voice came through. The surrounding snakes had already closed in, leaving no time to investigate further.
Upon hearing this, Ye Zhenghao reacted and, without a word, put on his gauntlets and charged out with Yan Biao.
The martial arts of the two were inherently fierce and yang. Coupled with the suspicion from Ye Cangtian, they were naturally filled with some anger, leading to exceptionally violent attacks.
With almost every punch thrown, the forehead of a snake was crushed. The scene was exceptionally bloody for a moment.
Looking at the bloody scene, Dongfang Mingyue frowned. No girl liked gore, and she was no exception.
However, it had to be said that with just the efforts of Yan Biao and Ye Zhenghao, they had indeed managed to hold back the surrounding snakes, which meant she didn't have to act.
"Sister Mingyue, aren't you going to show off your skills? I remember that in the Chaos Seven Kill Sword, one of the moves has an area-of-effect attack. Have you mastered it?"
At this moment, Ye Cangtian's voice reached Dongfang Mingyue's ear, very softly, so softly that even she had to listen carefully to hear it.
Hmm?
Dongfang Mingyue looked at Ye Cangtian in confusion.
Based on her understanding of Ye Cangtian, he was definitely skilled at playing the underdog and hiding his strength and trump cards to an extreme degree.
Therefore, logically speaking, it was best for her not to act now, as she could conceal her trump cards. But why was he asking her to show off her skills?
Sensing Dongfang Mingyue's puzzled gaze, Ye Cangtian smiled slightly and said, "After all, we came out to play together. It would be somewhat improper to just watch them fight."
After a pause, Ye Cangtian whispered conspiratorially, "Besides, you need to showcase your strength a bit, don't let everyone underestimate you. You know, you are the facade of the Hidden Group..."
"Hmph!"
Upon hearing this, Dongfang Mingyue let out a soft snort.
Having been with Ye Cangtian for so long, who didn't understand whom?
The two reasons he gave were definitely not his true intentions!
However, she also knew that Ye Cangtian would never harm her.
So, after hesitating for a moment, and seeing that he wasn't providing any further explanation, she simply stopped asking and drew her Golden Light Sword.
"You bad boy, you're right. The Chaos Seven Kill Sword does have area-of-effect moves, and I have indeed practiced them."
"However, at present, it hasn't reached the area-of-effect stage yet, unless I reach the Heaven tier..."
As she spoke, Dongfang Mingyue flashed and joined the battle.
Uh...
Ye Cangtian heard this and felt a bit awkward. He had forgotten that without reaching the Heaven tier, one couldn't release spiritual energy externally, so it was normal for Dongfang Mingyue to be unable to perform area-of-effect attacks.
"Alas, to forget such a thing, how embarrassing."
Ye Cangtian muttered to himself, then drew the Reaper's Scythe and joined the battle.
He had originally wanted Dongfang Mingyue to display her strength so that Ye Zhenghao would retreat, but that was clearly not feasible now.
Since that was the case, he didn't need to hold back. He had to resolve the trouble quickly to return to the Blazing Fire Academy sooner.
The moment Ye Cangtian made his move, the situation changed again. The speed at which he killed the spiritual snakes instantly improved qualitatively.
After all, Ye Cangtian was a Heaven-tier expert. A few powerful blade energies casually unleashed were beyond what these venomous snakes could resist.
In the distance, a man in black was observing everything through a self-made telescope.
His body trembled uncontrollably, and the clothes on his back were soaked with sweat.
Too terrifying!
Ye Cangtian was one thing; he was a Heaven-tier expert, so he should be terrifying.
But Ye Zhenghao and Yan Biao, and even Dongfang Mingyue, were all more terrifying than the last.
These venomous snakes, which had dominated the Poisonous Snake Valley, had always been invincible.
Yet, before these people, they became lambs waiting to be slaughtered, completely unable to retaliate.
The boss was going to miscalculate this time!
Seeing that the venomous snakes were dwindling, and even those still alive were merely awaiting death.
He no longer held any hope and turned to leave the forest to report back first.
Besides, the cultivation of the other party was terrifying one after another. Who knew if they would discover him? If these few people found him, then he would be doomed.
...