It was a hound, about half a meter long.

It had a really long tail, where its yellow fur was especially luscious, extending for scores of centimeters.

A patch of fur concentrated on its upper front legs was exceptionally long, measuring up to half a meter.

With a full body of thick and rich fur, the hound exuded an overwhelming elegance.

Just then, the hound ascended more than a hundred meters with one leap, ending up on a tree.

Arching its head, the hound roared and howled like a fox. Its sharp eyes fixated on what lay behind.

“Over there. It’s over there!” the crowd shouted.

As Wang Xian looked over, he saw hundreds of men chasing after them.

These men were from more than a dozen forces. Amongst them was a group whose attire had a huge “sheng” character written in the middle. 1

This symbolized the Sacred Sect, one of the great powers.

Meanwhile, this group of men looked terrible. Many of them had even gone stale in the face, aided by others.

It was obvious they had been attacked by the venomous objects lurking around.

Astonished, Wang Xian looked on. He recalled what was said by members of the Guang Shan Sword Sect in their meeting earlier.

They had come to capture the Spiritual Animal, and it appeared that the hound up front could be it.

It was an exceptionally formidable hound. One whose abilities were that of Inborn-level, to say the least.

Yet, as Wang Xian swept his gaze across the multiple forces, he spotted Inborn Experts in every one of them. This made them no less powerful.

A young man looked fixated on the majestic hound as it stood atop the tree. He was wearing the attire with a “sheng” character on it.

“Still trying to escape? Try that again, and we’ll make dog soup out of you once we’ve got you!” the young man boasted with a smug look.

An elder skimmed past the various forces.

“This creature will make a good Sacred Animal, guarding the doors for us Sacred Soul Sect. Therefore, take your leave everyone,” he claimed squarely. His face exuded an air of dignity, which tolerated no defiance.

“The able shall own the Spiritual Creature. Even if a Sacred Sect is around, we’re not going to make wasteful trips! Otherwise, we’ll suffer huge losses,” another elder retorted in a low pitch.

Behind him stood several young men. They had been poisoned, their faces a bluish hue and covered in bandages.

“That’s right, fair competition. Should your Sacred Sect win by merit, we’ll concede defeat wholeheartedly,” another elder continued, expression dimmed.

Having expended so much effort, the loss incurred would be great should they simply back off. They simply could not take this lying down. As a display of their determination, all the forces remained where they were.

While the Sacred Soul Sect pored over the various troops, the faces on their members grew darker. “Alright then, it’s decided,” they replied coldly.

“Charge! Capture the Heavenly Hound, and bring it back to our Sect for taming!”

With the Sacred Soul Sect members nodding resignedly, an elder charged forward. He went straight for the Heavenly Hound, which stood in front of the lake.

“Charge everyone! Charge!” shouted multiple voices while the crowd pressed on.

Upon hearing the commotion, Wang Xian questioned, “Heavenly Hound?” Pondering, he glanced over at the dignified creature.

At the same time, he realized that the venomous snake had made its way into the lake. It was swimming towards the lake floor.

Wang Xian showed little interest in this Heavenly Hound. Instead, he went after the snake in a shift of position. “Come on, we need to catch up with the snake,” he hurried.

Yet, as they made their dive and suspended in mid-air, they were suddenly attacked. “Scram!” the opponents shouted. Bouts of counter-attacks came at Wang Xian and the gang.

“Don’t block our path. We, Sacred Soul Sect, are bent on this Heavenly Hound”, the attackers demanded. As they warned, they continued attacking Wang Xian and the gang.

“Huh,” Wang Xian said and squinted his eyes briefly. He paused and landed on the ground immediately.

“Courting death!” Mo Qinglong and Mo Yuan snapped. They looked on with savageness in their eyes, as the experts from the Sacred Soul Sect chased after the Heavenly Hound.

They had merely wanted entry into the lake. Yet, they were met with counterattacks and forced to retreat.

“Make way and scram! You bunch of masked men who can show no face!”

Three Inborn Experts from the Sacred Soul Sect darted across the sky. A group of Half-step Inborns and Level 9 Martial Artists followed closely beneath.

They scowled at Wang Xian and gang who were standing in their way.

The power and prestige of a Sacred Sect were obvious to all.

Wang Xian knitted his brows. “Come on. Let’s get within the lake first!” he continued with glistening eyes.

Wang Xian paid no attention to the crowd that had gone all green-eyed as they fought for the Heavenly Hound. In one move, he dived straight into the lake.

Casting one final glance at the disciples from the Sacred Soul Sect, Mo Qinglong and the Dragonians followed closely behind Wang Xian.

Splash!

The group of ten plunged into the water.

A handful of disciples from the Sacred Soul Sect stared at Wang Xian and gang, mildly astonished. But they recovered quickly and regained focus on the Heavenly Hound.

Wang Xian and the gang had entered the waters. As Dragonians with the bloodline of the Divine Dragon, they were able to breathe with complete ease underwater.

Even their combat powers would not be the least bit hindered should they battle underwater.

Wang Xian was shocked by the snakes as he saw them swimming towards deep waters.

“Don’t tell me the Dark Conjurers’ hideout is situated at the floor of this lake?” Wang Xian commented.

The entire lake measured an area of about five square kilometers, making it very large. And the snakes were swimming deep into it.

But, the snakes had not swum towards the center. Instead, they advanced closer to the direction where a mountain range lay.

“Huh? That’s…” Wang Xian exclaimed and narrowed his eyes. Looking ahead, he could see a Stone Gate standing three meters below the lake floor.

Behind the Stone Gate lies the mountain peak. To think that the Dark Conjurers have their hideout located within a mountain peak. What’s more, their entrance is located in a lake. How covert. Little wonder why they could not be wiped out by Sacred Sects, even with full manpower! Wang Xian thought to himself.

Peering over at Mo Qinglong and the rest, he signaled to them briefly.

The group nodded in acknowledgment and arrived at the Stone Gate.

Wang Xian looked at the Stone Gate which was completely sealed. He extended his arm, and gradually his palm turned gold in color.

Pat, pat, pat!

As he stuck his palm in, it broke the Stone Gate and forced an opening in the shape of a human silhouette.

Shrugging his body once, Wang Xian isolated the lake waters surrounding them.

Boom!

The Stone Gate burst open and glowed from its interior. Wang Xian showed himself in.

He swung an arm and left the Dragon Ball at the Stone Gate. As the Dragon Ball glowed with red lights, it prevented the waters from entering.

“Come on. Let’s head inside!” Wang Xian said to Mo Qinglong and the gang. With no further words, Wang Xian peeked over and headed inside.

The entire cave was winding, like a giant staircase, spiraling down as it went.

There were no guards standing watch along the walkway. There was no need for them it seemed, with such an intricate base.

They descended along the staircase. When they reached the end of the path, Wang Xian was shocked by the sight ahead of him.

Everything was beyond his expectations. In fact, it was way beyond.

As it turned out, the Dark Conjurers’ hideout was not within the mountain peak, but rather it was beneath the lake.

The entire surface above resembled a marine life park. Transparent glass of unique composition was placed right above the hideout. This prevented the lake waters above from seeping in while allowing sunlight to pass through.

Within the entire base of the Dark Conjurers’ hideout, houses of moderate height sprouted in lines. They looked no different from the housing landscape on the ground above.

“So that’s how it works!” Wang Xian exclaimed in gradual realization. The base of the Dark Conjurers is located within the mountain valleys.

They had their base built within the mountain valleys, before setting off an explosion at the mountain peak, creating a channel. Linked to the Dong Ling River, the channel allowed the river waters to enter the region, forming a gigantic lake. A perfect camouflage was thus formed.

What a flawless Dark Conjurers’ base it is!

Endnote:

1 Sheng here refers to “sacred”