On the other side, Zhou Damao waited outside.
When he saw Qi Hengtian and Huang Zelin about to enter the hollow, he was still a bit worried. What if Lin Yun's people hadn't handled things properly? Wouldn't these guys just cause more trouble by going in? He prepared himself to intervene. But at the critical moment, he received a message from Lin Yun and held his position.
When Qi Hengtian found the tree hollow, he couldn't help but roar with laughter. "It was worth spending so much time searching for this place. This time, I can finally be completely free!"
As he spoke, he slowly squeezed inside. But when they arrived within the hollow, they saw that the once-full pool was now completely empty. All of the Shangqing Divine Water was gone.
Huang Zelin was dumbfounded, clearly given a huge fright. He cautiously stepped forward and dipped his finger into the pool. Hmm, it wasn't dry. This meant that there had indeed been Divine Water in this pool just a short while ago.
Could it be that someone had arrived here before them and made off with the prize? It wasn't impossible, but the attention of those other parties shouldn't have been focused on a place like this.
Huang Zelin was completely baffled. Beside him, Qi Hengtian let out a shrill, furious roar. "Those damned bastards!"
Seeing the enraged Qi Hengtian, Huang Zelin could only sigh. "We can't find any trace of them here. They are very clever and concealed their auras in advance. It will be impossible to find them in a short amount of time."
With Lin Yun and Fang Yu'er's movement techniques, hiding was not a difficult task. Moreover, Qi Hengtian and Huang Zelin hadn't even been looking for them, so the two had never been exposed. This only added to Qi Hengtian's feeling of helplessness. With nowhere to vent his rage, he could only slam his fist into the empty pool.
"They'd better pray I don't find out who stole my things, or I will make them regret it!" he roared.
Meanwhile, Lin Yun, Fang Yu'er, and the others had regrouped with Zhou Damao. After waiting outside for only a short while, they saw Qi Hengtian and Huang Zelin emerge from the tree hollow, their faces etched with frustration. It was clear they hadn't found any clues.
"What did you get from in there?" Zhou Damao asked curiously. These two had been circling this area for a long time; they were obviously looking for something. But now, it seemed that something had fallen into Lin Yun's hands.
Lin Yun patted his Yuqili bracelet. "I've stored the item inside. But seeing how familiar those two are with this place, we might be able to get even more benefits by following them."
Zhou Damao was shocked. They had already stolen a treasure from these people. Naturally, they should quit while they were ahead. After all, according to Lin Yun, he couldn't even see through these people's strength. Rashly making an enemy of them was like trying to walk a tightrope over a cliff.
Who would have thought that even so, Lin Yun showed no signs of fear and was, on the contrary, preparing to cause even more trouble?
"Junior Brother Lin," Zhou Damao urged, "I don't think these guys have much to do with the Crimson Ghost Sect. Why don't we go find the main Crimson Ghost Sect force first?"
Lin Yun shook his head. It was true that these people were nothing like the Crimson Ghost Sect disciples he had met before. He had a vague feeling they were a group of impostors. But why would these impostors appear here? And what was their goal? This was what he really wanted to know now.
Besides, since there was wool to be fleeced from these sheep, he certainly wasn't going to give up the opportunity.
He turned his gaze to Qi Hengtian, and sure enough, he saw something new on his panel.
[Name]: Qi Hengtian
[Realm]: ???
[Destiny Template]: ???
[Attributes]: ???
[Fate]: ???
[Recent Turning Point]: Failed to find the Shangqing Divine Water in the spirit pool of the Whispering Woods, but after coming out, he finds an Ancient Origin Root three thousand meters to the east!
Lin Yun, of course, didn't know what this new treasure was for, but for it to be something Qi Hengtian valued so highly, it certainly wasn't a simple object.
Just then, he heard Qi Hengtian say, "These things have been hidden here for so long, it's inevitable that someone might find them. It is indeed infuriating not to have obtained the Divine Water this time, but our most pressing task is to find all the other things hidden here."
Lin Yun hadn't had much interest before, but hearing this, his eyes lit up. It was just as he had thought. These two were impostors. They had blended in with the Crimson Ghost Sect simply to give themselves a legitimate reason to enter this place. No wonder they hadn't stuck with the main force, but instead had focused their attention here, hoping to gain something.
Understanding all this, Lin Yun immediately began to calculate. No matter what, he could not let Qi Hengtian get his hands on a single good thing.
And so, for the next hour, Lin Yun kept a close watch on Qi Hengtian's every move. The moment his panel showed the slightest change, he would immediately get there first and snatch away Qi Hengtian's prize. And to avoid leaving any clues, he didn't have Fang Yu'er or Zhou Damao follow him. This way, with his movement technique, it was almost impossible to leave behind any evidence for Qi Hengtian to find.
An hour passed quickly. After a great deal of effort, they had found all the hidden treasures one by one. But all Qi Hengtian saw were empty boxes.
Once or twice was a coincidence, but after a while, Qi Hengtian realized that there must be a traitor in his own ranks. Otherwise, how could someone always get there first and steal all his treasures in one fell swoop?
Huang Zelin, standing beside him, also had a bitter expression on his face. Qi Hengtian was already in a foul mood from losing the Divine Water. Now, with so many treasures being looted one after another, anyone would be feeling frustrated.
Meanwhile, Lin Yun and his group were hiding in the distance, secretly gloating.
"That should be about enough. If this continues, that guy is going to figure it out," Lin Yun muttered. Besides, looking at Qi Hengtian's panel, it was unlikely he would find any more treasures here in the short term.
Qi Hengtian, having returned empty-handed, casually killed a disciple who had looked at him the wrong way.
"What a bunch of useless trash," he spat. "This venerable one came all this way and found nothing. Huang Zelin, I need a reason. Either you find the traitor in our midst and kill him, or you will bear the consequences for all of this. Do you know the price of my anger?"
As he spoke, his sinister gaze swept across the surroundings.
And it was at that moment his gaze fell in Lin Yun's direction, and he suddenly seemed to discover something.