Chapter 970: Chapter 970

"Descendants of Chiyou?" Everyone froze upon hearing Ai Xiaoying's words.

Lan Xingling's expression changed instantly. She stared coldly at Ai Xiaoying and said, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Ai Xiaoying smirked and replied, "Stop pretending, fairy. Let's drop the charades — you and I both know exactly who we are."

Seeing that Lan Xingling still refused to admit it, Ai Xiaoying sneered, "You can keep denying it, but I'll spell it out for everyone."

Lan Xingling replied coldly, "Ai Xiaoying, stop slandering me! I have no idea what you're talking about—descendants of Chiyou? What kind of nonsense is that?"

Ai Xiaoying nodded and said, "Fine, if you won't say it, then I will."

"Back when the Yellow Emperor battled Chiyou at the Zhuolu plains of the Jiuli lands, historical texts say both sides wielded Divine Power in the fight.

It's said that Chiyou could spew dense mist from his mouth that lingered for three days and nights, confusing many of the Yellow Emperor's soldiers. He could even summon storms. In modern times, such stories are dismissed as myths, but no one imagined they were actually real — because Chiyou was, in fact, a being with extraordinary abilities."

"After that fateful battle at Zhuolu, Chiyou was defeated. Legend has it that he was killed, but in truth, he wasn't dead. Guided by some mysterious power, he left the lands of Huaxia and traveled to another realm — the Starfield."

"According to the legend, Chiyou's descendants, if they can find the Starfield and inherit Chiyou's legacy, will gain unparalleled Mana and potentially rule the world."

As she spoke, Ai Xiaoying stared intently at Lan Xingling, enunciating each word carefully.

Lan Xingling fixed her gaze on Ai Xiaoying and asked, "How do you know so much?"

Ai Xiaoying sneered, "The Yellow Emperor long knew of Chiyou's plans. However, Chiyou's actions were always shrouded in mystery, and there was no news of the Starfield. That's why our lineage was tasked with hunting it down. We are called the Hunters, and our mission is to destroy the Starfield."

Lan Xingling scoffed, "Ha! So noble and righteous of you, claiming to protect the world. Don't you feel ashamed?"

"What do you mean by that?" Ai Xiaoying asked coldly.

Lan Xingling responded, "In the ancient days, the tribes of Youxiong, Shennong, and Jiuli coexisted peacefully. There was no conflict. But the Yellow Emperor heard of the Shennong tribe discovering a Spiritual Medicine that could grant immortality. So he sent his forces to attack the Shennong tribe. Although they defeated the Shennong tribe, the Spiritual Medicine was reportedly transferred to the Jiuli tribe. The Yellow Emperor then waged war against Chiyou and defeated him. Although our ancestor Chiyou was defeated, he fled Huaxia with the Spiritual Medicine. Your so-called mission as Hunters isn't about world peace — it's about finding the Flowers of Life for yourselves!"

Lan Xingling and Ai Xiaoying quarreled fiercely, neither willing to back down.

Lin Chen and the others finally understood that the ancient conflict between the Yellow Emperor and Chiyou had far more secrets than history recorded.

"But Chiyou lived thousands of years ago. There were no planes or ships back then. How could he have traveled such a long distance from the Jiuli lands in Huaxia to Africa?" Lin Chen asked, puzzled.

Lan Xingling smiled faintly. "What if I told you that both Chiyou and the Yellow Emperor were extraterrestrials? Would you believe me?"

Everyone's faces suddenly changed at Lan Xingling's assertion.

"Hmph! Lan Xingling, you're a descendant of Chiyou. Only you can understand the inscriptions here. So, tell us, what does it really say?" Ai Xiaoying demanded coldly.

Lan Xingling smirked and said teasingly, "Why should I tell you?"

"Enough! I don't care who's good or who's evil here. We all have the same goal. Xingling, I'm only here to find that ancient verse. As for the grudges between your families, I won't take sides." Lin Chen made his stance clear first.

After all, the conflicts between the Yellow Emperor and Chiyou happened thousands of years ago. It wasn't his place to judge who was right or wrong. He had only one objective: to find the Flowers of Life and save Zhao Xiaowen.

Lan Xingling nodded. "Don't worry. I'll lead you all into the Starfield."

After walking for an entire day, everyone was tired, so they decided to set up camp on the spot.

They laid out sleeping bags and lit a fire inside the cave. Before long, Lin Chen and the others drifted off into deep sleep.

For some reason, Lin Chen felt unusually drowsy tonight. The moment he lay down, he fell asleep.

Suddenly, Lin Chen woke up from his slumber. Looking around, he saw that the others were still sound asleep. But Zhao Xiaohua and Lan Xingling were nowhere to be seen.

Lin Chen quickly climbed out of his sleeping bag and walked deeper into the cave.

Before long, he saw the glow of a flashlight in the distance.

Under the flashlight's beam, Lan Xingling and Zhao Xiaohua seemed to be talking about something.

When the pair noticed Lin Chen approaching, they immediately stopped their conversation.

Lin Chen smiled and said, "Why are you two still awake so late?"

Lan Xingling chuckled, "Neither of us could sleep, so we were chatting. We didn't want to disturb the others."

"Chatting?" Lin Chen looked at them suspiciously.

Earlier, the reason he had fallen into such a deep sleep was that he was drugged with a hypnotic powder. If not for Xiaoshuai neutralizing the effects in time, he would have remained asleep much longer.

The others were still fast asleep, indicating they had been drugged as well. But Lan Xingling and Zhao Xiaohua were unaffected, which meant one of them was responsible for the powder, ensuring everyone else fell asleep.

Lin Chen glanced at Zhao Xiaohua. In his heart, Zhao Xiaohua was someone he completely trusted. So, he was more inclined to believe that the mastermind capable of silently incapacitating everyone was likely Lan Xingling.

After all, her ancestor Chiyou had the ability to exhale clouds and mist. Subtly poisoning everyone without them realizing it would be a trivial effort for her.

What shocked Lin Chen even more was that he himself had fallen victim to the drugging. His body was supposedly immune to all poisons, yet this time even he was affected. It showed just how formidable their methods were.

Zhao Xiaohua nodded and said to Lin Chen, "Lin Chen, we were just discussing tomorrow's plans."

"Oh, I see." Lin Chen didn't confront them about the drugging, but his curiosity deepened — why would Zhao Xiaohua lie to him?

An hour later, the others woke up, and the five of them continued exploring the cave.

About half a day's trek later, they finally emerged from the mountain.

Before them lay a dazzling white world, blanketed in endless snow.

"What a breathtaking view!" Lin Chen and the others were captivated by the stunning scenery.

"Keep moving forward. Once we cross those snowy mountains ahead, we'll reach the entrance to the Starfield," Ai Xiaoying said gravely.

The group changed into winter gear and pressed on. Not long after, Lin Chen noticed two corpses buried in the snow.

The bodies wore thick expedition suits, their expressions oddly serene — they were smiling.

"Ah!" A sudden scream broke the silence.

Wang Zixuan scrambled up from the snow, her face full of terror. She had accidentally tripped over a corpse hidden beneath the snow.

"There's another one here!" Soon, others started noticing more bodies.

These corpses were dressed in clothing from various eras, spanning different dynasties, but all of them shared the same bizarre trait — eerie, smiling faces.

"What on earth could they have seen to die with those smiles on their faces?"