None of the three from the Kuang family had come out. None from the Xuan family. None from the Xue family. The scene erupted instantly. The senior members of the Kuang family, in particular, could no longer sit still.
If just one person had been missing, they might have been able to accept it. After all, no trial guaranteed absolute safety.
But now, five people were gone in total. That amounted to total annihilation—how could they accept that? It was as good as a death sentence for them.
If all three prodigies had perished, these elders could not even bring themselves to imagine how they would explain this to the family patriarch, or to the clan elders.
"Prince Huo, five of our people went in—why are they missing?" A senior member of the Kuang family addressed Prince Huo in an unmistakably hostile tone.
Prince Huo felt his heart skip a beat at the sight. The fact that they still hadn't emerged at this point meant, by his estimation, that their chances were grim at best.
"Lord
As he spoke, Prince Huo turned to the Garrison Commander. "Old Ding, send a squad of your best men inside to conduct a search. Remember—at all costs, you must find some trace. A full sweep, no matter the expense!"
The Garrison Commander hastened to acknowledge the order. "I will personally lead the team."
At this moment, the Garrison Commander understood the gravity of the situation. If a prodigy from one of the Eight Great Houses truly met with disaster on Winterend Island, he, as Garrison Commander, would bear the brunt of the blame and likely go down with them.
The Garrison Commander personally selected his officers and soldiers, assembling a full thousand elite troops who surged into the Black Nightmare Mountains to begin a sweeping search.
Fortunately, the real Xuan Rui had always been an unsociable sort, so Jiang Chen's behavior drew no particular attention. It seemed the Xuan family members were long since used to it.
Though three of the Kuang family's people were missing, the trial rankings still had to be tallied. This was a competition between the Eight Great Houses, after all.
The rankings were compiled quickly. Jiang Chen, disguised as Xuan Rui, placed fourth—a perfectly standard result, one that would raise no suspicion whatsoever.
If
No surprises. No underperformance.
Everything was exactly as Jiang Chen had calculated. Right now, all he wanted was for the sweeping search to end as quickly as possible. For the expedition to depart Winterend Island at once.
The sooner, the better.
At this point, even the delay of a single breath would bring one more measure of danger. No one could say whether an unexpected mishap might occur at any moment.
After all, after leaving Winterend Island and reaching the outside world, there would still be a journey ahead. Who could guarantee that nothing would be revealed during the flight aboard those airships?
So Jiang Chen hoped for the earliest possible departure, lest lingering too long bring unforeseen trouble.
Though Jiang Chen appeared to sit there as though absorbed in deep meditation, in truth his eyes watched every direction and his ears caught every sound. The slightest movement, and he would notice.
The sweeping search lasted a full half day before the expedition finally emerged empty-handed.
The Garrison Commander's face was grim—he was clearly in low spirits.
"How did it go?" Prince Huo hurried over to ask.
The Garrison Commander shook his head helplessly. "There's no one human left inside. However, it appears that the restricted zone, some sixteen hundred li away, shows signs of having been breached. As for the interior, there are battle marks everywhere—it's very difficult to find any particularly valuable clues."
The senior members of the Kuang family, upon hearing this, turned ghastly pale and barked, "What exactly are you saying, Ding? Are you suggesting that our Kuang family prodigies would trespass into your restricted zone?"
The Garrison Commander was terrified. "I would never dare. It was merely a speculation. Perhaps the young prodigies stumbled in by accident, nothing more."
"Bullshit! Your little Winterend Island is nothing remarkable. Have we of the Duowen Divine Kingdom not seen every kind of sacred ground there is? Why would we randomly barge into your so-called pathetic restricted zone? Our Eight Great Houses' prodigies are extremely disciplined. To them, this competition is ten times—a hundred times—more important than your wretched restricted zone!"
The Garrison Commander was rendered speechless. Faced with the fury of a powerhouse from the Duowen Divine Kingdom, what could he do, no matter how displeased? Could he even dare to talk back?
Prince Huo tried to mediate with a conciliatory tone. "Lord Kuang Han, please, calm yourself. Perhaps we should wait a little longer? It's possible they encountered some extraordinary circumstances—say, they spotted a powerful creature and, in a moment of curiosity, gave chase?"
This speculation was little more than a comfort, a self-consolation.
But Lord Kuang Han shook his head, practically spraying spittle as he spoke. "Impossible! How many times must I say it? My Kuang family disciples are highly disciplined. Nothing is more important than this competition. They would never miss the deadline for the sake of chasing after some creature!"
Prince Huo was also struck mute.
With the other party having said as much as he had, what could he possibly add? Anything he said would only earn him an even harsher rebuke.
Could it really be that these Eight Great Houses' prodigies had been killed by the trial participants of Winterend Island?
For a moment, the standoff settled into deadlock.
Just then, a figure beside Prince Huo ventured a suggestion. "Your Highness, I have an opinion, if I may."
"Speak," Prince Huo said with a wave of his hand.
"Perhaps we should conduct a headcount of the trial tokens carried by the Winterend Island participants? See whether they've all been collected. If they have, then the ones who intruded into the restricted zone would be…"
The speaker trailed off, not daring to finish. Clearly, he did not dare imply outright that the ones who had broken into the Black Nightmare Mountains' restricted zone were members of the Eight Great Houses.
Prince Huo's eyes lit up at these words. He turned to look at Lord Kuang Han.