Chapter 2494 - 2494: Heading to Mount Wendao

Everyone in the room was also looking at Ye Qing. They didn't know about Fat Jiao, so naturally, they didn't understand why Ye Qing was so concerned.

Ye Qing took a deep breath, looked at everyone, and said in a deep voice, "Because the Sun Shooting Bow is hidden in Mount Wendao!"

"What!?" Upon hearing these words, everyone in the room almost stood up simultaneously, including the people from the Sword Saint Sect. The members of the Sword Saint Sect, having been out for such a long time, were already somewhat aware of the situation outside. They naturally knew about the Wanyan Family controlling six weapons and the Three Maps, and they also knew that the final Sun Shooting Bow was the most crucial piece.

Now learning that the Sun Shooting Bow was hidden in Mount Wendao, and that the Wanyan Family was plotting to attack Mount Wendao, their reactions were understandable.

After being stunned for quite a while, Helian Tiehua widened his eyes at Ye Qing and said, "The Wanyan Family attacking Mount Wendao should be for this reason, right? But how... how do they know the Sun Shooting Bow is in Mount Wendao?"

"Alliance Leader Ye, why did you hide the Sun Shooting Bow in Mount Wendao?" One of the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance asked bluntly. In their view, when Ye Qing left with the Sun Shooting Bow, he should have protected it well. But Ye Qing actually hid the Sun Shooting Bow in such a place as Mount Wendao, wasn't that too careless?

"You don't understand the situation of Mount Wendao." Ye Qing shook his head and said, "At that time, Mount Wendao was the safest place."

The crowd looked at Ye Qing, many with expressions of disbelief. Of course, those closer to Ye Qing did not doubt his words. However, they did not know what the situation of Mount Wendao was, why would Ye Qing say Mount Wendao was the safest place?

Ye Qing took a deep breath, glanced around at everyone in the room, and said, "Inside Mount Wendao, I have a friend. At that time, I hid the Sun Shooting Bow in Mount Wendao and entrusted it to him for safekeeping. Unexpectedly, this Sun Shooting Bow ultimately brought such disaster upon him. This matter started because of me, so naturally, it should be resolved by me."

The Sword Saint Sect Master approached Ye Qing respectfully and said, "Leader, what do we do now? All the members of my Sword Saint Sect are at your command!"

Ye Qing looked at the Sword Saint Sect Master and couldn't help but feel a bit moved. He could see that the Sword Saint Sect Master didn't understand the situation of Mount Wendao either. Yet, the Sword Saint Sect Master had utmost trust in him and directly asked what should be done, clearly indicating that whatever Ye Qing decided, he would support fully.

The Sword Saint Sect Master's words stirred everyone's emotions in the room. Others also looked at Ye Qing. Helian Tiehua clenched his fist and said, "The Sun Shooting Bow is the last key, and it must not fall into the Wanyan Family's hands!"

"Running here and there, this fight is unavoidable in the end!" Ding Lianshun smiled lightly, walked to Ye Qing's side, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "I've long said we should have a good fight with these bastards. It doesn't matter if it's early or late, just tell us when to fight!"

These two represented the Seven Rudders of Hong Alliance and the Twelve Green Halls respectively, and adding in the Sword Saint Sect, it meant everyone was supporting Ye Qing. As for Sha Men, that was obvious—they had the closest relationship with Ye Qing, and were definitely going to support him fully, no doubt about it.

Ye Qing didn't expect everyone to support him like this, and he felt very touched. He slowly nodded and said, "Good! Good! Good! Then we shall have an all-out confrontation with the Wanyan Family. Hmph, they chose Mount Wendao as the battleground, intending to force us to Mount Wendao to die. However, this battle at Mount Wendao—who will win and who will lose—is still anyone's guess!"

No one knew where Ye Qing's confidence came from, but since they decided to fight, they no longer thought about anything else. For a moment, everyone at the scene was boiling with passion, having been chased by the Wanyan Family for so many days, a fire of anger had long been burning in everyone's heart. Now, finally, they could unleash it, and naturally, their emotions reached the peak.

Ye Qing, however, was thinking about Mount Wendao. Mount Wendao was guarded by Fat Jiao, who was an exceptionally strong master himself. On the Wanyan Family's side, Wanyan Hongfeng was in seclusion, and the Wanyan Family still had five Unity of Heaven and Man masters. On their side, including Fat Jiao, there were also five Unity of Heaven and Man masters, so this fight was indeed possible. For peak masters on both sides to win decisively wasn't too easy. The most crucial elements were the Long-toothed Rat Swarm and the Minghong Knife's Scabbard. Ye Qing's biggest worry was the Long-toothed Rat Swarm. However, it was Mount Wendao, and the mountain was full of snake swarms which weren't to be taken lightly. If the snake swarms could block the Long-toothed Rat Swarm, then there was still some hope for victory in this battle.

That night, Ye Qing and the others discussed the specifics of heading to Mount Wendao. Ye Qing rushed ahead to Mount Wendao to meet Fat Jiao, instructing Fat Jiao to make preparations for Mount Wendao. The others followed promptly, hurrying to Mount Wendao through the night. However, because of their large numbers, their movement wasn't as swift as Ye Qing going alone. Nevertheless, they could still arrive before the people from the Wanyan Family reached Mount Wendao.

Having discussed the specific matters, Ye Qing set off to Mount Wendao first. They were only five hundred kilometers away from Mount Wendao, and before dawn, Ye Qing had already reached the outskirts of Mount Wendao.

The sky was dark, and Mount Wendao was engulfed in silence. Unlike other mountain forests, Mount Wendao, being home to many snake species, was much quieter; the forest was devoid of any sounds from insects or birds.

Ye Qing had visited Mount Wendao several times before, so his journey there was a familiar one. He drove until the road ended, then abandoned his vehicle to proceed directly to Mount Wendao on foot. He did not know if the people from the Wanyan Family had reached Mount Wendao yet, so he remained cautious, alert to his surroundings as he moved toward Mount Wendao. He was alone now, and encountering the Wanyan Family's people would spell trouble for him.

Fortunately, on his way to Mount Wendao, Ye Qing didn't encounter a soul. By the time he reached Mount Wendao, the sky had fully brightened. Nothing unexpected had occurred en route, which settled Ye Qing's mind significantly. It seemed he wasn't late; the Wanyan Family's people hadn't arrived yet.

After entering Mount Wendao, Ye Qing no longer needed to worry. Mount Wendao was Fat Jiao's territory; even if the Wanyan Family's people chased him there, they wouldn't be able to do anything to him. Within the bounds of Mount Wendao, Fat Jiao was the strongest.

Following the mountain path, Ye Qing arrived at the entrance of the cave where Fat Jiao resided. During his previous visit, he'd knocked to enter from here, and he was inclined to do the same this time, opting not to ascend the mountain directly.

Standing outside the stone gate, Ye Qing raised his hand and knocked on the stone gate several times. Clearly, there was some commotion behind the stone gate, and shortly thereafter, the stone gate opened. However, the expected scene of Fat Jiao emerging did not occur; behind the stone gate appeared an enormous snake head. The head was akin to a dustpan, likely frightening ordinary people into fainting upon sight. Yet Ye Qing was somewhat accustomed to such sights; he knew that despite the fierceness of Mount Wendao's snakes, they wouldn't harm him. Therefore, Ye Qing wasn't afraid, just slightly surprised.

"Where's Jiao, my brother?" Ye Qing asked with amazement as he walked into the stone gate, "Is Jiao, my brother, here?"

The giant snake didn't seem to understand Ye Qing's words; it used its tail to close the stone gate and then slithered ahead of Ye Qing. Turning its head to glance at Ye Qing, it proceeded deeper into the cave as if signaling Ye Qing to follow it.

Ye Qing felt puzzled, wondering whether Fat Jiao was occupied with something inside.

Following the giant snake, they traversed several caves before finally reaching the cave outside where Ancestor Chen Tuan stored the Wendao Stone and the Innate Nine Diagrams. Ye Qing's Sun Shooting Bow was hidden in this cave, overseen by Fat Jiao. As Ye Qing passed by, he glanced at the bow; it remained in place, apparently untouched, indicating that Fat Jiao hadn't ventured in.

They continued about thirty more meters until reaching a spacious stone chamber. Upon entering, Ye Qing caught a whiff of a foul odor with several large snake bodies slithering within the chamber.

Even though Ye Qing was immune to snakes, the scene inside the stone chamber still startled him. About a dozen giant snakes were gathered within the chamber. Each snake was virtually a python of absolute enormity, comparable to the largest snakes Ye Qing had seen. Without needing to think, he knew each of these pythons possessed the strength of a Peak Master. These pythons were both exceedingly rare and terrifying. Now gathered together, the bulky snake bodies moved continually within the stone chamber, continually striking the heart fearfully. Those with timid dispositions might faint upon witnessing such a scene.

Ye Qing was relatively composed; he took a deep breath to suppress his inner shock and carefully surveyed the stone chamber. In the center of the chamber, Fat Jiao was sitting perched atop a Stone Platform. Its body was too large to be considered seated, more like it was simply covering the Stone Platform. Its ample flesh shrouded the platform entirely.

Fat Jiao sat on the Stone Platform with its eyes tightly shut, its situation unclear. The dozen pythons meandered around it; although they showed no expression, Ye Qing discerned an uneasy atmosphere in the stone chamber, as if these pythons were in haste.

Ye Qing had entered the stone chamber, yet Fat Jiao had still not opened its eyes, surprising Ye Qing further. Given Fat Jiao's skill, it would have known he was there when he knocked outside. How was it possible he had entered the stone chamber, but Fat Jiao still hadn't responded?