Nine Astra Skies

Chapter 348: Smokescreen?

“Tens of kilometers… If we’re ambushed, we might not be able to escape back,” Ye Chen said. While he spoke, he was asking Master Lion about the detailed situation.

“Brother Ye Chen worries too much. If we’re ambushed by the Wolven Kingdom, the Leo King can sense our location instantly. Nothing will happen to us,” Ji Lei replied with a smile. He had absolute confidence in Tong Tian the Leo King.

“What if the attackers aren’t Mystique Rank combatants but a Daemon King?”

Upon hearing Ye Chen’s words, Ji Lei’s face changed. “Then we’ll be dead for sure. Even the Leo King won’t be able to save us in time! Let’s go!”

Ji Lei was quite experienced. He immediately understood that the Wolven Kingdom might have set a trap for them. Ye Chen’s words reminded him that they should not take such a big risk!

“Swish, swish, swish”, the six figures retreated toward the main troop.

Among the distant hills, the Silver Wolf Daemon King lurked in hiding. Ji Lei was a skilled combatant among the younger generation of the Leo King’s Palace. He was only one step away from breaking through to Daemon King Rank and was most likely to be the next Leo King candidate. If they could kill Ji Lei, it would be a huge blow to the Leo King’s Palace.

The Silver Wolf Daemon King looked into the distance. To avoid being discovered by the Leo King and Ji Lei, he had deliberately concealed his Psyche and even set up an energy concealment array. Once Ji Lei and the others arrive, he would kill all of them in a single blow. By then, even if the Leo King had discovered them with his Psyche, it would be too late.

The Silver Wolf Daemon King saw that Ji Lei and the others were about to enter the ambush boundary but then, they suddenly stopped. After a short discussion, they fled.

“These sly foxes, they’re so smart!” The Silver Wolf Daemon King was furious. If he did not act immediately, Ji Lei and the others would have escaped too far for him to catch up.

So, with a “swoosh”, the Silver Wolf Daemon King Psyche emerged from his body and formed a huge Silver Demon Wolf in the air. It sped toward Ji Lei and the others at full speed.

The moment the Silver Demon Wolf appeared, Ji Lei’s face changed markedly. It was just as Ye Chen said, the Wolven Kingdom had set up a trap in front. If they had continued to fly a little bit forward, they might not even have the chance to escape.

The Psyche manifestation of a Silver Demon Wolf meant that their opponent was most probably one of the three Daemon Kings of the Wolven Kingdom, the Silver Wolf Daemon King!

Ye Qiu also glanced at Ye Chen in astonishment. Although Ye Chen’s cultivation level was low, he was quite intelligent to be able to detect the Wolven Kingdom’s ambush.

The Daemon King’s aura made all six of them feel a strong pressure.

A Daemon King combatant could easily crush them!

“The Leo King will sense it immediately, let’s hold him off!” Ji Lei shouted. With a “swoosh”, his Psyche emerged from his body and condensed into a mass.

Qing Yu, Ye Qiu, Fei Yin, and Mingyi wielded their Psyches. The five of them were the younger generation prodigies among the Celestial Beasts. All of them had achieved top Mystique Rank and were the future leaders of the Leo King’s Palace. Five huge beasts appeared in the air and fused together. Like a huge sword, their fused Psyches collided with the Silver Demon Wolf.

This was a battle between Psyches!

Ye Chen looked up and wondered if he should help Ji Lei and the others, but if he did, his abilities would be exposed.

“Youngling Ye Chen, you don’t have to intervene. Fortunately, they didn’t advance further. Now, they just have to hold him off for a while. The little lion Tong Tian from the Leo King’s Palace will soon find them,” Master Lion said.

The Silver Wolf Daemon King, hidden behind the hills, snorted coldly. His eyes flashed in anger. “Itty bitty babies, you dare to compete with this old man. Watch this old man teach you a lesson!”

The huge Silver Demon Wolf roared and swung its sharp claws.

“Bang, bang, bang”, their Psyches were thrown into the air by the Silver Demon Wolf. With just one strike, Ji Lei and the others were spitting fresh blood. The Silver Demon Wolf raised its claws and was preparing to lunge at Ji Lei and the others. Ji Lei was about to be killed by those claws.

Suddenly, a huge male lion appeared before the Silver Demon Wolf. There was a massive “bang”, and the two gigantic beasts collided with each other. The resulting explosion was like a deafening peal of thunder.

The Silver Demon Wolf retreated a distance back and realized that it was the Psyche of Tong Tian the Leo King. He glared at Ji Lei and the others in loathing and disappeared with a “swish”.

Ji Lei and the others cradled their chests as they retracted their respective Psyches. All of their Psyches were injured. They, too, were seriously injured.

“Come on back.” Tong Tian the Leo King’s gaze swept past Ye Chen and seemed slightly puzzled. Who was this young man and why was he with Ji Lei and the others? Tong Tian noted that Ye Chen’s ability was only at beginner’s Mystique Venerable Rank, but he did not say anything. With a “swoosh”, he retracted his Psyche.

When the Silver Demon Wolf and Tong Tian the Leo King both extended their Psyches, Ye Chen could feel a tremendous pressure. This was the true prowess of a top Daemon King. Just the mere Psyche suppression was enough to make others sense a spiritual battle in their souls. Although Ji Lei and the other four had top Mystique Adept Rank abilities and were just a hair’s breadth away from becoming a Daemon King, their combined powers were still not enough to block a single hit from the Silver Demon Wolf.

Even though Ye Chen’s Psyche already attained the level of a beginner Daemon King, it was still inferior compared to the Silver Wolf Daemon King and Tong Tian the Leo King.

Ji Lei and the others looked extremely drained as they flew back. Ye Chen followed behind them.

Qing Yu glanced at Ye Chen. “This time, we need to thank Brother Ye. If not for your reminder, the five of us might be dead.”

“Thank you,” Ji Lei and the others looked at Ye Chen and uttered sincerely.

Even Ye Qiu, who did not have a positive impression of Ye Chen, thanked him.

“You’re welcome.” Ye Chen smiled slightly and did not say anything.

Just as the six of them flew off, a black shadow approached. It was Hei Ming. His body appeared exceptionally worse. There were some injuries to his right shoulder. He followed behind Ji Lei and the others.

“I felt the collision of powerful Psyches. What happened?” Hei Ming asked. His right shoulder was still bleeding and dripping fresh blood.

“We were ambushed by the Silver Wolf Daemon King of the Wolven Kingdom. Fortunately, the Leo King appeared on time. Otherwise, we would’ve died under the Silver Wolf Daemon King’s hand,” Ji Lei told him. Recalling the collision with the Silver Wolf Daemon King, there was a steely determination in Ji Lei’s eyes. ‘That was the power of a Daemon King, I must achieve the level of a Daemon King!’ As for life after that, Ji Lei was not afraid. A true combatant must not be afraid of death!

“The Silver Wolf Daemon King?” Hei Ming inhaled sharply. “Thank goodness you’re fine. I just encountered five Mystique Rank combatants from the Wolven Kingdom and almost got killed. I killed two of them and the other three escaped.”

Ye Chen’s face twitched slightly and glanced at Hei Ming. This guy did not appear earlier, but now appeared out of a sudden. It was a little too much of a coincidence.

“Master Lion, what was this fellow doing earlier?” Ye Chen asked. He could not release his Psyche, so he did not know where Hei Ming was earlier.

“He was surrounded by five Mystique Rank combatants from the Wolven Kingdom. He killed two and three escaped. However, something doesn’t feel right. This fellow is hiding his abilities. The abilities that he demonstrated are slightly below Qing Yu, plus he’s pretending that facing five Mystique Rank combatants was a tough challenge. In reality, his abilities are only slightly less powerful than Ji Lei. He could’ve killed all five of the Mystique Rank combatants from the Wolven Kingdom easily!” Master Lion said.

“Did he secretly communicate with the Wolven Kingdom?” Ye Chen asked. If not for Master Lion’s keen senses, Ji Lei and the others would be dead. Why was Hei Ming conspicuously absent?

“That I didn’t see. Unless they’re using some secret technique to communicate with each other, they cannot evade my consciousness. I’m afraid even Tong Tian the little lion cannot tell that this fellow is hiding his true abilities. Only I can see it!”

Even Tong Tian the Leo King could not see that Hei Ming was hiding his true abilities?

This fellow was suspicious. Ye Chen could see that Ji Lei, Qing Yu, Mingyi, and the two other beauties were completely genuine. Only this perpetually dark Hei Ming seemed quite hostile toward him.

‘Hmph, I want to see what you’re up to!’ Ye Chen snorted in his heart.

“Why were you ambushed? Did someone expose your whereabouts?” Hei Ming glanced at Ye Chen deliberately.

“Brother Hei Ming, this time you’ve wronged Brother Ye Chen. If not for Brother Ye Chen’s reminder, we might have died under the hands of the Silver Wolf Demon King.” Ye Qiu did not hesitate to jump to Ye Chen’s defense. How could Hei Ming suspect someone without proof?

“Is that so?” Hei Ming looked at Ji Lei and the others in surprise. Ye Chen’s cultivation level seemed to be the least of them all. How did he discover the Silver Wolf Demon King’s ambush?

“That’s right.” Ji Lei and the others nodded. Ye Chen had just saved all their lives, so Hei Ming’s unfounded suspicion toward Ye Chen made them a little unhappy.

“Then I might’ve wrongly placed the blame on him. I’m sorry.” Hei Ming’s face appeared very sincere.

Hearing Hei Ming’s words, their faces relaxed slightly.

“It’s just that I still have some doubts in my heart. In terms of cultivation level, he’s not as advanced as Big Brother Ji Lei, Qing Yu and Mingyi or even comparable to Fei Yin and Ye Qiu. How did he discover the Silver Wolf Daemon King before the rest of you?” Hei Ming asked with a tinge of doubt.

Ye Chen felt a tinge of irritation rise in his heart. This fellow did not give up any opportunity to cast a black shadow on him. What was Hei Ming’s intention? Was he simply harboring a grudge at Ye Chen?

Hei Ming’s question was something that Ji Lei and the others also wondered about. Ye Chen suddenly called out to them and said that there might be a Daemon King ambush meant that he had discovered the Silver Wolf Daemon King earlier. How did Ye Chen make that discovery? If a Daemon King appeared within less than a hundred kilometers radius, the Leo King would have noticed in advance. Thus, the Silver Wolf Daemon King must have used some secret technique to hide from the Leo King’s Psyche. However, under such circumstances, Ye Chen was still able to detect the Silver Wolf Daemon King. It was truly astonishing. Unless Ye Chen was a smokescreen combatant?

“No matter what method Ye Chen used to discover the danger, I trust him,” Qing Yu declared solemnly.