Chapter 2083 – Arriving At Topfire Mountain
Looking at the Divine Armament Sect disciples getting far away, a flash of glee appeared in Zhao Hai’s eyes. Then he said, “I know that you’re happy and want to laugh. But hold it for now. All we need to do is rush forward. As long as we get to Green Leaf Town, we no longer need to be nervous.”
Zhao Hai didn’t lie. Green Leaf Town was no longer inside the Divine Armament Sect’s territory. The sect has no jurisdiction to chase them down until the town.
Although everyone was happy, they held it in just like Zhao Hai commanded. They continued to advance as though they were truly escorting an herb merchant.
Although they had fooled the Divine Armament Sect, Zhao Hai kept his attention to the surroundings. The feeling of being haunted by ghosts hasn’t vanished. This was also the most pressing issue for Zhao Hai.
The raft moved very quickly. It was faster than Zhao Hai and the others using their movement techniques on land. This was mainly because the Hundred-Mile River’s current was very strong.
After several hours, Zhao Hai saw a rock that signified a small pier up ahead. Zhao Hai immediately said, “Tell the brothers underwater to bring their masks and separate from the raft. Travel 10 miles downriver before going up. The raft will stop at the pier.” The others complied and immediately informed the people underwater. Those under the water complied and quickly detached their breathing masks from the raft and continued down the river. Meanwhile, Zhao Hai and the others controlled the raft to head towards the small pier.
Before long, the raft arrived at the pier. There were plenty of wooden rafts parked beside the pier. However, Zhao Hai’s sheepskin raft was very unique. A lot of people were curious and went over to Zhao Hai’s group.
Zhao Hai brought the others on the pier along with the two boxes. Then they pulled the raft to the sh.o.r.e before tying it down and releasing the gas from the sheepskin bags. Then they took the sheepskin bags and placed them inside boxes. Before long, they left the pier. This left the people watching them stunned at what they saw.
The bystanders didn’t think that they would see such a thing. Someone could actually arrive and then bring their raft with them. It was surprising.
Zhao Hai didn’t think about the bystanders. He led the others as they entered Green Leaf Town and went to the biggest medicine shop. After selling the herbs in the two boxes, Zhao Hai led everyone to explore the town.
Although the others don’t understand Zhao Hai’s plans, they didn’t ask. They just followed Zhao Hai. They believed that Zhao Hai wouldn’t do anything useless.
After walking around for a day, Zhao Hai was able to ask about the prices of goods in the town. He even went to a porcelain shop and bought a few goods. Then he looked for a small place to rest in.
Once they entered the inn, Zhao Hai ordered some food for the group to eat. While eating, Zhao Hai sent a secret sound transmission to the others, “Brothers, someone was watching us when we arrived. If I guessed correctly, they’re from the Divine Armament Sect. They’ve already left. But we still need to act out our entire play. Let’s rest here for the evening. Tomorrow, we’ll leave like the other merchants. Only when the observer is satisfied can we join up with our brothers outside.”
Everyone complied. Then the group shared a few drinks with each other before returning to their rooms to rest. Sure enough, as soon as they saw Zhao Hai and the others sleeping in their rooms, the people from the Divine Armament Sect left.
Early next morning, after waking up and having their breakfast, Zhao Hai’s group bought a few goods in the town before leaving. The people from the Divine Armament Sect no longer cared about them. It was common for merchants to wake up early, so Zhao Hai’s actions weren’t suspicious at all.
After leaving the town, Zhao Hai and the others walked along the Hundred-Mile River. To avoid any suspicion, they walked against the flow of the river for about ten miles. Once they were sure that n.o.body was following them, they quickly went back and went straight to where the others were.
In a forest downstream, they found the others. Everyone joined forces and traveled along the river. By noon, they were far away from Green Leaf Town. Zhao Hai also let everyone release the Demon Horses and they galloped away. This time, they didn’t come in contact with any city. Whenever they encounter a city, they would go around it before proceeding. The Divine Armament Sect focused their attention on Arrow Tree Mountain and Green Leaf Town, so Zhao Hai and the others didn’t meet any trouble along the way.
By this point, Zhao Hai and the others could finally relax. They were no longer in the Divine Armament Sect’s territory. Although they weren’t far from the border, they were now in the Blue Leaf Sect’s domain. The relations.h.i.+p between the Divine Armament Sect and the Blue Leaf Sect could be described as basic. It’s impossible for the Divine Armament Sect to send their hunting party to the Blue Leaf Sect’s domain.
Because they lost a lot of time, Zhao Hai and the others rode for more than 1000 miles. If it weren’t for the unfavorable roads they chose to follow, they would have reached farther.
In the evening, Zhao Hai’s group didn’t find a place to rest but instead kept sitting on top of their demon horses. The Demon Horses would continue traveling but at a speed slower than during the day. By the time night ended, Zhao Hai’s group was more than 2500 miles away from Green Leaf Town.
However, the group didn’t stop. The Blue Leaf Sect might have a basic relations.h.i.+p with the Divine Armament Sect, but this doesn’t mean that they have a good relations.h.i.+p with the Tyrant Blade Sect. It can be said that the Blue Leaf Sect also had a basic relations.h.i.+p with the Tyrant Blade Sect. The people of the Blue Leaf Sect also thought that Zhao Hai and the others had been corralled by the Divine Armament Sect in Arrow Tree Mountain. Therefore, they didn’t question Zhao Hai’s group too much. This left the group free and unfettered during their travel.
Zhao Hai has no plans to cause trouble in the Blue Leaf Sect. Although he wasn’t afraid of the sect, the haunted feeling he felt was still present. The ghost cultivators were still at their back. If he were to be entangled by the Blue Leaf Sect, then Zhao Hai and the others might suffer a three-p.r.o.nged attack. Therefore, Zhao Hai’s strategy was to rush forward at full power. They need to cross the Blue Leaf Sect’s territory at the quickest time before the sect could notice their presence.
Zhao Hai’s plan was successful. With the Demon Horses’ speed and endurance, they simply didn’t need to stop to rest. Before the Blue Leaf Sect could respond, the group had broken through their domain and entered the Riverfront School’s territory.
The Riverfront School wasn’t a Great Sect. It can only be considered as a medium-grade sect. But the sect’s relations.h.i.+p with the Tyrant Blade Sect was very good. Now that Zhao Hai has set foot in the school’s land, they were finally safe.
However, Zhao Hai and the others have no plans to have too many contacts with the Riverfront School. Their schedule didn’t give them any chance to stop. Now that they arrived in the Riverfront School’s territory, they would need to take a boat and travel on water for some time. Then they would get back on land and take the land route heading directly towards Topfire Mountain.
Zhao Hai calculated that their trip would take ten days or so. They had already been on the road for more than ten days. If they are delayed even more, they might not be able to reach their destination on time.
Zhao Hai and the others didn’t contact the Riverfront School. Upon arriving at the school’s territory, they immediately headed to the river and hired a boat to take them away. Once Zhao Hai and the others boarded the boat, the Divine Armament Sect, Blue Leaf Sect, and Riverfront School received the information.
The Divine Armament Sect and the Blue Leaf Sect’s face turned ugly when they received the news. They were still looking for Zhao Hai and the others in Arrow Tree Mountain. They couldn’t have known that Zhao Hai’s group was already thousands of miles away. They felt their faces turn hot from embarra.s.sment.
Zhao Hai didn’t think about them. They were currently traveling along the river. Before long, Zhao Hai spotted their destination. They were still inside the Riverfront School’s domain, so they didn’t have a lot to worry about.
After getting off the boat, Zhao Hai found that the haunting feeling disappeared. Although he didn’t know what happened, Zhao Hai knew that it was a good thing. So after he went on sh.o.r.e, he immediately contacted the people of the Riverfront School. He told them that they were in a hurry and apologized that he didn’t send word of his arrival.
The relations.h.i.+p between the Riverfront School and the Tyrant Blade Sect was very good. Naturally, Zhao Hai couldn’t ignore them. The Riverfront School was also aware of Zhao Hai’s status in the Tyrant Blade Sect. Offending Zhao Hai was equal to offending the Yin-Yang Demons. So Riverfront School didn’t make things difficult for the group.
After sending a message to the Riverfront School, Zhao Hai and the others rode their horses straight to Topfire Mountain. They arrived with five days left on the deadline.
Topfire Mountain wasn’t far from Riverfront School. However, the mountain couldn’t be described as famous. It doesn’t have valuable minerals nor does it grow powerful herbs. Because of this, most sects wouldn’t visit it.
The mountain was selected for the compet.i.tion because its summit was flat. Topfire Mountain looks like a volcano from a distance. But Topfire Mountain wasn’t a volcano. Its peak was merely flat land, which was a strange sight.
Topfire Mountain’s summit was subject to many legends. Some people said that the summit was once a battle location of two ancient powers. Their battle caused the mountain to turn flat. But this is only a legend. As to the real reason why the mountain’s summit was flat, n.o.body really cared anymore. Instead, the main reason the mountain was known was just because its summit was flat.