<strong>Chapter 1208: Chapter 1199: Ominous Premonition</strong>


    “Could it be that they encountered some mishap?” Xiao Yifei asked.


    Ci Xin shook his head, “No, the Zhang Family is one of the top fighting families. At worst, they wouldn’t face a cmity of extermination. Besides, there are no signs of fighting in the vige. We should go down and have a look.”


    Xiao Yifei nodded and followed Ci Xin towards the vige. When they arrived outside the vige, they found a clear stream. Ci Xin squatted down, scooped up a handful of water, and drank it down in one go, “It’s so refreshing! This mountain spring tastes quite good. Do you want to try it?”


    “No, I’m not very thirsty,” Xiao Yifei declined politely, “Let’s go in quickly. I have a bad feeling about this.”


    Ci Xin chuckled, “With me here, what are you afraid of?”


    Xiao Yifei was speechless, walking alone towards the vige entrance to investigate while Ci Xin shrugged and followed.


    The vige setup was simple. Xiao Yifei roughly counted, finding only about ten tents. In front of the tents were some crudely made wooden benches. The statues in the vige were mainly of weapons like axes and hooks, arranged like a barrier in the middle of the tents.<fnfcef> Official source is find[?]ovel</fnfcef>


    “Is anyone there?” Xiao Yifei shouted at his loudest.


    “I told you there’s no one, it’s a waste of effort,” Ci Xin gave him a headbutt, “The mountains are impossible; who would bore themselves to death by going there? Besides, the whole family, they must be fooling around with something. We can only check downhill, don’t mess with their stuff. The Zhang Family is known for their very fierce ways.”


    Feeling awkward, Xiao Yifei noticed among the many weapon statues, there was a humanoid one. The figure was massive, over two meters tall, with a metal mask full of slits just enough to reveal the teeth inside.


    The mask had a pair of eyes thatmanded respect without anger. The hair was neatly slicked back. What surprised Xiao Yifei the most was that the statue’s hand part was a giant axe, just like a pirate captain in a movie, but instead of a hook.


    The robust muscles were distinct, making anyone think twice.


    This statue had little dust, and the wooden material seemed fresherpared to the others, clearly a recent creation. He asked Ci Xin, “Is this the n Leader of the current Zhang generation?”


    Ci Xin nced at the statue, shaking his head, “No, I don’t know this person either.”


    The two arrived at the bottom of the mountain, facing a vast swamp, filled with marsh gas and low visibility. A nauseating stench of decay wafted from deep within the swamp, the result of animal carcasses swallowed by the mire.


    All that they could see was bubbling mud, making them wonder—they asked, how do we get in with no road?


    Then, Xiao Yifei spotted several small boats at the swamp entrance, likely made by vigers for hunting or gathering raw materials within the swamp.


    The two boarded the boats one after the other. Xiao Yifei naturally took the role of steering, navigating through the rainforest. He saw many unfamiliar nts and animals, but no sign of vigers.


    Finally, passing through a coconut grove, Ci Xin made a discovery.


    “Look over there!” Ci Xin eximed.


    Following Ci Xin’s finger, Xiao Yifei saw a piece ofnd floating in the swamp. On thisnd stood a group of people wearing clothes made of animal hide, just enough to cover themselves. They wore strange ornaments on their heads with faces painted with colorful patterns—it was quite odd.


    “They’re Zhang Family,” Ci Xin told Xiao Yifei.


    Xiao Yifei felt sweat form on his brow. To think the descendants of the ancient seven ns were just like this—almost like a group of primitive people. But considering the istion of the Ten Thousand Mountains and the rarity of outsiders, their primal attire wasn’t surprising.


    The group was arranged in a circle, with two young women in the middle. Their attire was simr, holding twopletely ck stones in front of their chests. Vigers gestured strange hand signals to them, muttering words Xiao Yifei could not understand.


    “Let’s head over,” Ci Xin gestured towards the ind.


    As they approached, Xiao Yifei realized that the group was performing a ritual-like ceremony, the two girls in the center showing shy expressions.


    Behind the crowd stood a young man about Xiao Yifei’s age. He stood gracefully and was dressed differently from the others, wearing a gray-ck archaic long robe. His face was bold and generous, exuding an aura of confidence and maturity. His short hair was a reddish-brown and neatly trimmed, and he coldly observed the vigers before him.


    The young man noticed their arrival but wasn’t too surprised. He picked up a wine bottle from the ground, took a sip, and walked toward them.


    “Ci Xin, you’re here again,” the young man’s voice was slightly hoarse but maic.


    “Yes, I’m here for the Bronze Gate’s password—I can enter now,” Ci Xin said to the Zhang Family youth with respect.


    Aplicated expression shed in the young man’s eyes before returning to normal. He looked at the dumbstruck Xiao Yifei by the side, “And this is?”


    Ci Xin nudged Xiao Yifei, who then realized and patted his sleeves, extending a hand towards the youth, “I’m Xiao Yifei.”


    The young man reached out to shake Xiao Yifei’s hand, and in an instant, Xiao Yifei felt an energy surge into his body. This energy was fierce and unstoppable. Not daring to be careless, Xiao Yifei quickly mustered his own energy to counter it. Both energies shed, forming a distinct force field within Xiao Yifei’s body, and neither could overpower the other.


    Seeing the abundant energy within Xiao Yifei, the young man withdrew his hand and eximed, “The descendants of the Xiao Family are strong. Butpared to your father, you’re still far behind.”


    Xiao Yifei scratched his head awkwardly, thinking his father might havee here for the password before entering the Bronze Gate. It was no surprise that this young man knew of his father’s existence.


    “What’s your name, brother?”


    “Zhang Po! The n Leader of this Zhang generation,” the young man responded boldly.


    Xiao Yifei nodded. He had long discerned that this young man was different from the other vigers, not just in attire but also in demeanor. He was indeed the Zhang n Leader.


    Through brief chatting, Xiao Yifei became well-acquainted with Zhang Po, who said, “The password is in the underground chamber of the previous n Leader’s house. Once I finish the ritual with my people, I’ll take you two to get it.”


    Curious, Xiao Yifei asked, “What kind of ritual is this that you mentioned, Zhang Po?”


    Zhang Po gestured toward the bizarre vigers and exined, “The vigers can’t form families of their own. Such offspring would affect the n’s quality. They can only marry from neighboring tribes. Before each girl marries into another vige, the vigers hold a ritual for her. The stones they are holding are considered sacred ck Ming Stones by the vigers. It’s said that when they’re kept under a pillow for long, they emit a sharp cry, which the vigers believe is the heavens responding to their devotion.”