Covering the Sky: I, Wang Teng, truly lack the bearing of an emperor.

Chapter 358 Entering the Underground Palace, the Werewolf Game Begins
That group of rogue cultivators came with a fierce momentum, carrying an aura of dominance and unyielding authority.

They simply stood there, blocking Wang Teng and his group's path. It seemed that if Wang Teng and his group didn't give them a response, they wouldn't continue standing there and prevent them from leaving.

“Senior, this isn’t appropriate. We’re just a group of small-time cultivators trying our luck here. If we follow you, we might just hold you back,” the gap-toothed old man said tremblingly, his head bowed, seemingly terrified of the group before him.

"It's alright. We are powerful, and helping the weak is what we should do," the burly man said with a smile.

"We..." The gap-toothed old man wanted to speak, but was stopped by the burly man.

"Stop talking nonsense. You're being generous. You think you can just take my face? You'll only bow down when I actually attack you, huh?" the burly man said with a sneer.

At the same time, the group of powerful rogue cultivators behind him were also staring coldly at the gap-toothed old man and the others, their eyes filled with hostility, as if they would face annihilation if they dared to refuse again.

"We agree, we agree!" Seeing this, the gap-toothed old man stopped resisting and nodded decisively.

Since the other party's attitude is already so firm, there is no better solution if we still disagree.

We can't really get into a conflict with them.

The opposing group of over twenty people were all cultivators at the Dragon Transformation Realm. If a real fight broke out, their rabble would definitely be either killed or scattered.

There was no need to fight head-on with the other side, so he nodded decisively.

"Alright, then join us! Don't worry! With us, you definitely won't leave empty-handed!"

The burly man chuckled and spoke, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

Helpless, the gap-toothed old man could only lead Wang Teng and the others away with this group of rogue cultivators.

However, when they arrived at their temporary lodging with this group of rogue cultivators, they were surprised to find that they were not the first group of rogue cultivators to be forcibly brought here. There were at least four or five other groups of rogue cultivators who had been forcibly brought here before them, totaling nearly a hundred people, who sat there with unease on their faces.

Upon seeing the burly man arrive, their unease deepened.

"Hahaha, don't worry, everyone, I've found you some more companions," the burly man said with a chuckle.

By the time Wang Teng and his group were driven over, the number of this group of independent cultivators had just exceeded one hundred.

"Shouldn't it be about time?" the burly man asked.

Before him sat another old man on a chariot. The old man's legs seemed to have been severed, with nothing below the knees. Moreover, despite his peak strength at the Dragon Transformation Realm, he had not managed to regenerate his severed limbs.

Wang Teng's eyes flickered; he sensed that this old man was somewhat interesting.

"The quantity is sufficient, but the quality is still lacking. The cultivation level of this group is too low; half of them haven't even reached the Dragon Transformation Realm..."

The old man, who was missing both legs, spoke, his words tinged with impatience.

Even so, the burly man didn't dare to contradict him at all, and just nodded and bowed in agreement.

"Should I go find some more?" the burly man asked.

"Forget it, don't waste your time. Let's try these first. Others will come over soon, and that might be enough." The old man with the broken leg said impatiently.

They were currently near a mountain valley, and in front of them was a mountain that did not appear to be very high, but it was rugged and steep, with a rather strange and beautiful appearance.

"This old man also knows the Dragon Seeking Technique, and he knows it very well!" the gap-toothed old man said in a low voice.

Although Wang Teng did not understand the Dragon Seeking Technique, he could tell from the terrain that this place was different. It was a place where dragons were hidden, and its interior might contain dragon marrow of a high grade.

Even if it wasn't the top-grade dragon marrow they came looking for, it must still be incredibly valuable, otherwise so many rogue cultivators wouldn't have gathered here.
Moreover, what the old man with the broken leg said made a lot of sense. Wang Teng was able to confirm with just one glance that there was definitely more than one group of independent cultivators active in this place.

Further away, Wang Teng sensed an even more powerful aura—the aura of a powerful expert from the Sendai Secret Realm. Clearly, that group was waiting to be the ones to pounce on them.

It's already incredible that such a small place could gather so many powerful individuals, which proves that there are indeed treasures here.

After being brought here, the group of rogue cultivators led by the burly man and the old man with the broken leg kept a close watch on Wang Teng and the other rogue cultivators who had been abducted, and did not allow them to leave.

This attitude was already unusual, which led to dissatisfaction and resistance from some people.

Those who resisted were then severely injured and left half-dead in the crowd.

"Anyone else has any objections? Feel free to voice them. We're not unreasonable people," the old man with the broken leg said with a smile.

Although he was smiling, his eerie smile sent chills down the spines of the group of rogue cultivators before him.

In the crowd, the rogue cultivator who had just expressed his dissatisfaction was wailing. His hands and feet had been broken, leaving him powerless to resist. Moreover, black energy was swirling around the wounds on his hands and feet, damaging the life force within him and preventing his wounds from healing. Under these circumstances, he could only wail incessantly in the crowd.

His teammates who came in with him all kept their distance, not daring to go up and help, for fear that the old man with the broken leg would vent his anger on them.

The wails were incessant, chilling to the bone, but they also deterred the other rogue cultivators from trying to escape.

Three days later, the old man with the broken leg finally moved.

He drove the chariot forward, with the burly rogue cultivators following respectfully behind. The burly rogue cultivator glanced back, and his companions, understanding, urged him onward.

"What are you going to do?"

One of the rogue cultivators in the crowd had a trembling voice.

"Stop talking nonsense. Either go there on your own, or we'll break your legs and drag you there. Choose one!" the powerful rogue cultivator said.

The independent cultivators had no choice but to follow.

Wang Teng calmly followed. Their group of rogue cultivators was somewhat unusual. Of the twelve members, eleven were either geniuses or powerful individuals in disguise, leaving only one rogue cultivator, the one named Fierce Tiger. At this moment, Fierce Tiger was trembling, his initial grand pronouncements gone.

On the contrary, the weakest of the prodigies who had always looked down on other rogue cultivators was still able to maintain his composure in the face of danger.

"Young man, do you have a backup plan?" The gap-toothed old man approached the rogue cultivator and asked.

"A backup plan? What backup plan?" The weak prodigy disguised as a rogue cultivator sneered. Although it was a rhetorical question, his words were full of confidence.

"Be careful. If you have a backup plan, use it as soon as possible. Otherwise, if we are banished to some place, it will be difficult to get away," the gap-toothed old man said earnestly.

He could also sense that there were not only these few powerful figures here, but also some powerful figures in the distance who were watching this place. They did not show themselves, obviously everyone was trying to be the ones to suffer the consequences.

"What's the rush? Stay calm and collected, understand? He wants to use us to search for the lower path of the Dragon Marrow, but if we get the Dragon Marrow first, wouldn't we be one step ahead of everyone else?" The weak prodigy disguised as a rogue cultivator sneered.

"But seeing how cowardly you are, I might as well take pity on you and tell you! I am the only son of the City Lord of Rongcheng! I am the famous Chen Tianxing! I have a backup plan left by my father. With me here, you will definitely not face any danger!"

Under the watchful eyes of Wang Teng and the others, the weakest prodigy, who was disguised as a rogue cultivator, was the first to lose control and self-destruct.

He said those words with a confident smile on his face.

The thing that made these rogue cultivators feel like they were facing annihilation was nothing more than this; he could resolve this crisis with just a few words.

"But this place is too far from Rongcheng. Will that powerful expert make it in time?" the gap-toothed old man asked.

"I have a temporary domain gate left by my father. If I encounter a crisis, I only need to open the domain gate, and my father will arrive immediately. At that time, not only will the rogue cultivators here be safe, but even if a powerful being descends, my father can guarantee that everyone will be safe and sound!"

Chen Tianxing spoke calmly, but his words were filled with confidence, as if with him there, nothing unexpected would happen.

"That's great! I never expected that you, young friend, are the son of the city lord of Rongcheng. This is wonderful!" the gap-toothed old man said excitedly.

Wang Teng was unfamiliar with this title. He didn't know much about Zhongzhou. Although he had previously researched some news about Zhongzhou, it was all about the major powers or geniuses there. Since he had never heard of Rongcheng, it meant that Rongcheng was not a major power.

Wang Teng secretly observed the expressions on the faces of the princes and others from the Jiuli Dynasty, and discovered that several of them were also unfamiliar with the name. This meant one thing: this so-called Rongcheng was not a well-known or powerful force.

“Although the City Lord of Rongcheng is not a great power, he has several sworn brothers who are all great powers. If the City Lord of Rongcheng comes, we really don’t need to worry about those rogue cultivators making us risk our lives!” The gap-toothed old man said with relief, as if he had never expected that there was such a genius hidden in his team.

Of course, this seemingly weak prodigy didn't loudly proclaim his identity among the group of rogue cultivators. He only whispered his identity to a group of people in his own team, because he was thinking of being the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, and seizing the opportunity that the rogue cultivators were fighting for.

When all the independent cultivators were driven to the mountain pass, the people at the front suddenly began to resist.

They turned and fled without hesitation, but the burly man did not stop. He raised his hand and killed the few rogue cultivators who turned their heads.

"Anyone who dares to turn back will die!" the burly rogue cultivator shouted, forcing everyone to move forward.

The people in front disappeared into the mountain pass, and Wang Teng and the others followed behind. When they got closer, they realized that what was in front of them was an underground palace.

As soon as they approached the underground palace, Wang Teng and the others smelled the stench of blood, as if countless lives had perished there, yet no flesh or blood could be seen, only the stench of blood. No wonder the rogue cultivators were so terrified.

"Young friend, why don't you call your father over first? I have a feeling something's off about this place," the gap-toothed old man said.

As he approached the underground palace, he felt pressure, so he wanted the prodigy whose identity had been exposed to summon the powerful figure behind him.

"I've already secretly sent a message to my father. It's not a big problem. My father is on his way." Even the weakest of the prodigies was someone who valued his life. He calmly sent a message to ease the anxiety in everyone's hearts.

With his protection, the only rogue cultivator in the group, Tiger, was still worried, but under the watchful eyes of the other burly rogue cultivators, he gritted his teeth and went inside.

After entering the underground palace, the path branched off in many directions, and each group of independent cultivators was driven to different paths.

"Once you're inside, report everything you see and touch to us. Don't even think about running away! If you try to escape deeper into the underground palace, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"

The burly man spoke with a chuckle.

A group of independent cultivators had no choice but to venture deeper into the area.

After lingering for a moment outside the underground palace, the gap-toothed old man also plunged inside.

“Something’s not right! There really is dragon marrow here! Although it may not be the top-grade dragon marrow that the princes of the Nine Li Dynasty pursue, its grade is definitely not low! At the very least, it’s mid-grade dragon marrow or even high-grade dragon marrow!” the gap-toothed old man said in a low voice.

He led the group forward quickly, but the path through the underground palace seemed endless. They had walked hundreds of miles, yet still had no end in sight.

Fortunately, apart from the initial fork in the road, there weren't many more intersections in the underground palace, so they were able to keep moving forward until they had traveled several thousand miles before stopping.

"Damn it, just how big is this underground palace? I feel like there's no end in sight if we keep going..." the gap-toothed old man pondered.

They had already traveled thousands of miles, and by all accounts, they should have already left even the magnificent palaces built on the ground. However, they were still moving through the underground palace, and always in a straight line, which made them uneasy.

Traveling this straight line for thousands of miles, the palace of a typical kingdom probably wouldn't be this big.

“Something’s not right…” a rogue cultivator in the crowd said.

Wang Teng glanced at it and realized that he didn't recognize it either.

The team consisted of twelve members besides the captain. Including Wang Teng himself, eleven of them were prodigies or powerful individuals disguised as rogue cultivators. Of the remaining ten, Wang Teng knew six of them or had guessed their identities. In other words, he didn't know the remaining four prodigies. The prodigy who spoke at the moment was someone Wang Teng was unfamiliar with.

“This place is dangerous! We need to be careful!” he said, then took out a divination flag and began to chant incantations.

"The prodigies of the Hundred Schools of Thought?" The first exposed weak prodigy spoke in surprise, his eyes filled with shock and astonishment.

It turns out that besides him, there was another powerful figure in this team who was hiding his identity!

(End of this chapter)