Dapeng's Time Travel Life

Chapter 147 Clues Emerge: Xia Lijuan's Whereabouts

On Sunset Peak, the smoke of battle gradually dissipated. Zhang Peng and the others dragged their weary bodies to their feet. Looking at the black-robed figures scattering in all directions, the group felt little joy at their victory; instead, they were enveloped by a deeper sense of unease.

"Although we've temporarily repelled them, they certainly won't let this go." Zhang Peng frowned, his eyes revealing deep worry. He knew all too well that the forces behind the black-robed men were deeply entrenched, and this defeat would inevitably trigger an even more frenzied retaliation.

Li Ming wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and snorted coldly, "Are we afraid of them? Next time they come, we'll still beat them to a pulp!" Although he said that, he also understood that every battle was a severe test of their strength and luck.

Lin Wan'er walked to Zhang Peng's side and gently took his hand: "Zhang Peng, no matter what we encounter next, we will be together." Her voice was soft but firm, giving Zhang Peng great comfort.

Su Yao, Liu Ruyan, and Shen Yue also gathered around, all expressing their willingness to stand with Zhang Peng through thick and thin. Looking at these companions who had shared life and death with him, Zhang Peng felt a surge of warmth in his heart, and at the same time, his determination to protect the cultivation world became even stronger.

Just then, Zhang Peng suddenly remembered Xia Lijuan, who hadn't appeared for a long time. She was an important partner who had embarked on the path of cultivation with him, and they had gone through countless hardships together, but she had mysteriously disappeared during this series of adventures.

"Do you have any news about Xia Lijuan? Why hasn't she shown up yet?" Zhang Peng's voice was tinged with anxiety.

The group exchanged bewildered glances and shook their heads. Li Ming said with a puzzled look, "I also find it strange. The battle was so intense, yet she remained nowhere to be seen. Could something have happened to her?"

A hint of worry flashed in Lin Wan'er's eyes: "Sister Xia is quite strong, so she shouldn't be in trouble so easily. But where did she go?"

Zhang Peng fell into deep thought, trying to recall every detail since his separation from Xia Lijuan, hoping to find some clues. Suddenly, he remembered that during a confrontation with the mysterious organization, Xia Lijuan had mentioned discovering some important clues about the organization and that she was going to investigate further. Could her disappearance be related to these clues?

“I remember she said before that she was going to investigate clues about the mysterious organization. Could that be why she disappeared?” Zhang Peng said, offering his guess.

Everyone agreed that this made a lot of sense. After a moment of contemplation, Liu Ruyan said, "In that case, we might as well start with the clues she investigated; perhaps we can find her whereabouts."

Zhang Peng nodded, deciding to act immediately. They began a thorough search of Sunset Peak, hoping to find some clues related to Xia Lijuan or the mysterious organization. In the ruins, Su Yao discovered a broken jade pendant with a mysterious symbol engraved on it, somewhat similar to the markings they had seen earlier at the mysterious organization's stronghold.

"Zhang Peng, look at this!" Su Yao handed the jade pendant to Zhang Peng.

Zhang Peng took the jade pendant and carefully examined the symbols on it, a feeling of familiarity welling up inside him. He suddenly remembered that Xia Lijuan had once had a similar jade pendant. Could there be some connection between the two pendants?

“This symbol is very likely the mark of a mysterious organization, and Xia Lijuan’s disappearance may be related to it,” Zhang Peng said.

The group continued their search and found some strange footprints in a secluded corner. These footprints matched the size of Xia Lijuan's footprints, and they pointed towards the other side of Sunset Peak.

"It seems Xia Lijuan was here; these footprints must have been left by her," Li Ming said excitedly.

Following the direction of the footprints, Zhang Peng saw that the other side of Sunset Peak was shrouded in mist, its depths unfathomable, as if concealing countless secrets. He took a deep breath and said, "No matter what dangers lie ahead, we must go and see. We must find Xia Lijuan."

So, Zhang Peng and his group followed the footprints towards the other side of Sunset Peak. Along the way, they proceeded cautiously, constantly alert to any movement around them. As they ventured deeper, the surrounding environment became increasingly eerie; a pungent odor permeated the air, making them feel extremely uncomfortable.

Suddenly, a deep roar came from ahead. Everyone immediately stopped and looked around warily. A huge demonic beast slowly emerged from the clouds. This beast was the size of an ox, but its entire body was covered with a layer of black scales. Its eyes flashed red, and it kept spewing black flames from its mouth, burning everything in its path.

"Be careful, this monster is very powerful!" Zhang Peng shouted, quickly drawing his longsword and mobilizing the power of his four divine artifacts. Multicolored light flashed around him, clashing with the monster's black flames.

Li Ming brandished his longsword and charged towards the monster first. His swordsmanship was fierce, attempting to attack the monster's weaknesses. However, the monster's defenses were extremely strong, and Li Ming's attacks only left a few shallow marks on its scales.

Lin Wan'er and Su Yao provided magical support from behind. Lin Wan'er summoned countless vines, attempting to entangle the monster's limbs; Su Yao, on the other hand, used ice magic to freeze the surrounding air, trying to slow down the monster's attack speed.

Liu Ruyan and Shen Yue also joined the battle. Liu Ruyan displayed her unique swordsmanship, with purple sword energy weaving around the monsters; Shen Yue used her support magic to empower everyone.

Zhang Peng focused his mind and discovered a tiny gap between the monster's scales, which seemed to be its weak point.

"Everyone, focus your attacks on the gaps between its scales!" Zhang Peng shouted.

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately changed their attack strategy. Zhang Peng unleashed his full power, fusing the power of the Five Elements Spiritual Power, the Thunder Pearl, the Hourglass of Time, and the Fountain of Life together to form a powerful five-colored beam of light, which shot towards the gaps between the monster's scales. Li Ming, Lin Wan'er, Su Yao, Liu Ruyan, and Shen Yue also unleashed their full power, launching attacks on the monster's weak points.

With everyone working together, the monster's weakness was finally struck. It let out a painful roar, its body slowly collapsing, raising a cloud of dust.

After defeating the monster, the group continued their journey. After a difficult trek, they finally arrived at the place where the footprints disappeared. There lay a huge cave, filled with a mysterious aura that stirred both tension and excitement within them.

Zhang Peng took a deep breath and entered the cave first. The cave was pitch black. Zhang Peng channeled his spiritual energy, conjuring a ball of light in his hand to illuminate the path ahead. They slowly moved forward through the cave when suddenly, they heard soft footsteps ahead.