"It's very strong?" Wei Zhao was slightly taken aback. He had never heard of any Primeval Giant Lizard, but if even a creature like the Brain-Eating Worm dared not casually set foot in its territory, then its strength was beyond doubt.

"It truly is strong. The Primeval Giant Lizard is recognized by the Primordial Alliance as one of the ten most dreaded spirit beasts. Legend has it that unless one is a Nascent Soul old monster, every human cultivator who encounters it must give it a wide berth," Duanmu Yu testified.

"If it were merely strong, that would be one thing. In this place, apart from that lord, the Brain-Eating Worm and I are the strongest, and it's at most on par with us. But there is another, far more important reason why no one wants to provoke it—it has no brains," the Sleeping Lotus clone said with a chuckle.

"No brains?" Wei Zhao glanced at it.

"The most terrifying thing about the Primeval Giant Lizard is its saliva. It is quite possibly the most horrifying, most evil saliva in the entire world. Anyone of weaker constitution dies on contact; even those with a sturdy constitution can only linger on, becoming a sickly wretch from then on, never again able to be a normal person. Perhaps influenced by its own saliva, the Primeval Giant Lizard is a complete, brainless madman, utterly impossible to communicate with—otherwise, it might well have stood on equal footing with the Brain-Eating Worm and me," the Sleeping Lotus clone said offhandedly.

"That sinister? Then I really should go and see it for myself." Wei Zhao made up his mind, then turned to Duanmu Yu and said, "Since Miss Duanmu is headed for the River of Divine Consciousness, let us part ways here."

The Primeval Giant Lizard was so horrifying that Wei Zhao had no choice but to risk it for Leng Leng's sake; otherwise, even he would not lightly want to deal with such a thing. Duanmu Yu was merely a chance acquaintance, and naturally would not follow him into danger. He had spoken up of his own accord to give her a way out and spare them both embarrassment.

Unexpectedly, Duanmu Yu said, "The River of Divine Consciousness can be visited at any time. It's a rare chance to witness the Primeval Giant Lizard's magnificence—I'd like to accompany you for this trip. Brother Lin shouldn't mind, I hope?"

Wei Zhao gave her a long, searching look. He knew in his heart that Duanmu Yu wanted to use this opportunity to repay his kindness—after all, he had done her a great favor. After a moment's thought, he smiled and said, "In that case, let's go together."

Wei Zhao was about to have the Sleeping Lotus clone lead the way to the Primeval Giant Lizard's territory when Fei Yangnian suddenly put on a shameless, fawning smile and said, "Um... Senior, if I tag along I'll only be a burden to you. How about I don't go?"

"As you please." Wei Zhao waved a hand. Duanmu Yu might yet be of help, but with Fei Yangnian's meager strength, facing a creature like the Primeval Giant Lizard was nothing short of delivering himself as a dish—not only would he be useless, he would drag Wei Zhao down. Forcing him along would be no different from sending him to his death; better that he stay behind.

"Yes, yes, thank you for your understanding, Senior. Safe journey to you both." Fei Yangnian was overjoyed. He had been afraid Wei Zhao would insist on dragging him along as cannon fodder, and had not expected him to be so easygoing.

Granted, with his meager strength, moving alone through the dense forest was extremely dangerous, but it was still better than dying in the Primeval Giant Lizard's territory. If he stayed behind and was merely careful, refraining from coveting any heavenly treasures or the like, he should be able to keep his little life intact.

Wei Zhao could not be bothered to quibble with such a minor figure. He at once had the Sleeping Lotus clone lead the way, and together with Duanmu Yu set off toward the Primeval Giant Lizard's territory. Fei Yangnian, meanwhile, studied the map Xin Yi'an had distributed for a long while, then set off in the direction of the River of Divine Consciousness.

Moving alone, Fei Yangnian took every step with the utmost caution. At the slightest rustle of wind or grass, he would immediately find somewhere to hide. This might seem overly cautious, but the advantage was that it was hard to die that way. After all, safety first.

An hour later, Fei Yangnian suddenly stopped in his tracks. The surroundings felt strangely quiet. Whether or not there was any danger, he hastily ducked behind the trunk of a nearby large tree.

His intuition proved correct. Sure enough, within moments a powerful aura approached from afar—but it was no spirit beast. It was Xue Jianming.

By now Xue Jianming had long since shaken off Bing Wushuang and the Primeval Giant Lizard. Passing through this area, something stirred in his heart, and the next moment he appeared before Fei Yangnian. With Fei Yangnian's meager strength, trying to hide from his divine sense perception was sheer fantasy.

"Brother... Brother Xue... oh no, Uncle Xue!" Fei Yangnian was startled half to death and began to stammer.

"What are you doing here?" Xue Jianming sized him up and down.

"Is it so strange that I'm here?" Fei Yangnian could not help but blank out. Everyone was headed for the River of Divine Consciousness, and he was walking in that direction right now. Wasn't that normal?

"Of course it's strange. If I remember correctly, you ought to have been eaten by that plant spirit beast. Tell me—how exactly did you get away?" Xue Jianming's eyes narrowed into thin slits.

"You... how do you know?" Fei Yangnian was startled. He had never once laid eyes on Xue Jianming from beginning to end.

"Idiot, the route you chose inevitably passes through that plant spirit beast's territory. Even I had to expend tremendous effort to barely escape. With your piddling strength, how could you possibly have made it here alive?" Xue Jianming snorted coldly.

"Don't tell me you also crossed swords with Guardian Sleeping Lotus?" Fei Yangnian finally caught on. Bing Wushuang and Xue Jianming had set out a step earlier. From what Xue Jianming said, he must have chosen the same route as Fei Yangnian and Duanmu Yu, and must have gone through some extremely perilous scenes—hence the question.

"Guardian Sleeping Lotus?" Xue Jianming frowned and muttered to himself, "So that thing's true form is a sleeping lotus. To be able to control so many powerful plants to besiege me at once—how could it be a mere sleeping lotus?"

"So you never saw its true form?" Fei Yangnian was taken aback again. He had assumed Xue Jianming had clashed head-on with Guardian Sleeping Lotus the way Wei Zhao had, but it turned out he had only fought indirectly against the plants Guardian Sleeping Lotus controlled. A touch of contempt rose unbidden in his heart.

From the look of it, Xue Jianming had at most fought something like the Twin Lotus Man-Eating Flower, whereas Wei Zhao had genuinely taken down Guardian Sleeping Lotus's true form. The difference in their caliber was plain at a glance.

Admittedly, Xue Jianming was a lofty Golden Core expert, a figure Fei Yangnian could only look up to. But a heaven-defying powerhouse like Wei Zhao simply ignored level suppression altogether—the fact that he had taken down Guardian Sleeping Lotus said everything. So there was no doubt about it: Wei Zhao was stronger than Xue Jianming!

Though he could hardly be counted as one of Wei Zhao's group, Fei Yangnian felt a glow of borrowed glory. Even facing Xue Jianming now, he carried a baffling sense of superiority. The psychology of such a minor figure was truly subtle indeed. (To be continued.)