Once again returning to the rainforest, they quickened their pace towards its depths.
Too much time had already been wasted; there was no more room for delay.
Otherwise, even if someone found the true entrance, they might not be able to catch up.
Along the way, they found no medicinal herbs or demonic beasts, only the corpses of disciples from various factions.
These corpses bore claw marks from battles with wild beasts, wounds from various weapons, and some had even become mummified.
It was clear that they were not the only ones who had found the red gems.
Driven by immense profit, many still chose to take the risk, testing the authenticity of the gems, which led to their current fate.
"Boss, look!"
After walking for an unknown duration, Yao Bao'er pointed to a large tree and quickly pulled Ye Cangtian towards it.
Several strange symbols were carved into the tree, which were the secret contact signs Ye Cangtian had left for the Liehuo Academy.
Now that Ye Zhenghao had left such a sign, it likely meant there was something important that required face-to-face communication.
With this thought, Ye Cangtian followed the signs and headed directly to rendezvous with Liehuo Academy.
Several hours later, Ye Cangtian and his group discovered the resting Liehuo Academy team in a clearing within the rainforest.
Seeing Ye Cangtian and his group arrive, Ye Zhenghao quickly came forward and said, "You're finally here. If not for the demonic beasts being cleared along the way, I would have thought you encountered some danger."
Ye Cangtian smiled upon hearing this and then asked, "By the way, you left a secret sign asking us to meet here. What happened?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Zhenghao's expression turned serious and he said, "After leaving the secret realm, we encountered people from Yan Yu Tower..."
The people from Yan Yu Tower stated that the conflicts between factions in the rainforest were becoming increasingly severe.
If this continued, it would only wear down each other's strength and increase resentment.
In such a scenario, even if they found the true teleportation gate, they would struggle to deal with the demons within the Mustard Seed Space.
Therefore, to ensure the interests of every faction, Yan Yu Tower had gathered most factions and made the following decisions.
Firstly, no further conflicts were to occur within the rainforest, or it would be considered an act of defiance against Yan Yu Tower.
Secondly, any red gems collected by any faction were not to be hoarded privately; otherwise, other factions had the right to eliminate them.
The collected gems would be tested uniformly by representatives from each faction after the gathering.
This way, every faction would have an opportunity to enter the Mustard Seed Space.
It would also prevent other factions from erupting into conflict over the existence of the red gems.
It was after receiving these two pieces of information that Ye Zhenghao decided to stay and wait for Ye Cangtian.
After all, Ye Cangtian had planned to lure the enemy, and any conflict with other factions could lead to severe consequences.
On the other hand, Ye Cangtian nodded slightly upon hearing these new regulations.
Regardless, this was a good thing for the entire exploration team.
However, as Ye Zhenghao had reminded him, he estimated that he would need to change his strategy.
With that in mind, he looked at Ye Zhenghao and said, "Zhenghao, since we are going to activate the red gems together, shouldn't we agree on a time and place?"
"Mm."
Ye Zhenghao nodded and then said, "It's already been agreed. The time is set for tomorrow, and the location will be nearby."
Ye Zhenghao indicated that the factions had been in the rainforest for some time. Besides finding some treasures, they should all possess red gems.
Therefore, Qingyan had set this plan to first test some of the red gems.
If there were genuine ones, they would enter the Mustard Seed Space; if not, they would have to continue their search.
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian nodded and said, "Alright, then let's rest for tonight and gather again tomorrow!"
After a brief exchange with Ye Zhenghao, Ye Cangtian led his people into the rainforest, found a clearing, and set up their tents.
The next morning, as rays of sunlight pierced through the rainforest.
Ye Cangtian and his group had regained their original appearance. Since there was now a rule against fighting within the rainforest, he had no intention of provoking trouble.
His priority was to find the true entrance to the Mustard Seed Space.
After a simple meal of dry rations, Ye Cangtian prepared to head to the gathering point.
Rustle, rustle...
Just then, a rustling sound came from the surrounding dense forest, and in a flash, several figures emerged.
There were only about a dozen people in total, wearing the uniforms of Tiger King Sect and Xuefeng.
Ye Cangtian also recognized the leader, who was Zuo Hu, the sect master of Tiger King Sect, and Meng Nan, the peak master of Xuefeng.
Tiger King Sect and Xuefeng had entered the rainforest together and had always been allied.
Hahaha...
An excited voice rang out. Upon seeing Ye Cangtian and his group, Zuo Hu burst into laughter.
"Who do I see! It's the trash from the Hidden Group. Ye Cangtian, I never thought you'd still be alive. I thought you'd all perished here!"
"But this is good. It gives me a chance to kill you myself!"
As the voice faded, a mischievous smile appeared on Ye Cangtian's face. "As far as I know, Yan Yu Tower just announced that private fights are prohibited in the rainforest. What? Does your Tiger King Sect dare to ignore this rule?"
"Hmph! There's no one else here now. If we kill you, who will know it was us from Tiger King Sect..."
Zuo Hu snorted coldly, instinctively drawing his saber, ready to engage Ye Cangtian in a fierce battle.
In his opinion, as long as he could eliminate the Hidden Group here, even if Yan Yu Tower discovered it later, they wouldn't be able to do anything to them.
After all, Yan Yu Tower's goal was the Mustard Seed Space, so even if they discovered the truth, they wouldn't severely punish Tiger King Sect.
In any case, the situation was irreversible, and they still needed Tiger King Sect to face the Mustard Seed Space together.
However, just as Zuo Hu was meticulously planning, Meng Nan, who was beside him, stopped him.
"Zuo Hu, now is not the time to settle accounts with the Hidden Group!"
Meng Nan was not as confrontational as Zuo Hu. They only had a dozen people with them now, and it would be very difficult for such a small group to deal with the Hidden Group.
There was a high chance they could be wiped out by the Hidden Group.
After all, they had no powerhouses capable of resisting Celestial-level cultivators among them.
For this reason, when Zuo Hu looked at him with anger, Meng Nan quickly gave him a signal.
Grind, grind...
Following Meng Nan's subtle exchange of glances, Zuo Hu gritted his teeth.
He had to admit that Meng Nan's judgment was correct; if a large battle truly broke out, they might not gain any advantage.
The best opportunity for them to make a move would be when all the disciples from both sides had gathered.
"What? Scared to act now?"
At this moment, Ye Cangtian's voice rang out. He turned his head, and a mocking smile appeared on his face.
While he didn't want trouble, he wasn't afraid of it either. If the other party dared to make a move, he wouldn't mind eliminating them.
As for the rules set by Yan Yu Tower, he could only say that such rules had always been made for the weak, and he was not weak!
"You..."
Seeing Ye Cangtian's mocking demeanor, Zuo Hu was almost infuriated, his anger instantly clouding his judgment, and he was about to grab his saber and charge.
Just then, Meng Nan directly grabbed the enraged Zuo Hu and stopped him.
The next moment, he looked at Ye Cangtian and said, "Ye Cangtian, do you know if you've had any gains in the rainforest?"
Meng Nan directly chose to change the subject. After entering the rainforest, both he and Zuo Hu had been actively inquiring about the whereabouts and gains of the Hidden Group.
However, there had been no news, which proved that their gains were not substantial. He was taking this opportunity to mock the Hidden Group and vent his anger.
"Why should I tell you?" Ye Cangtian asked with a cold smile.
Upon hearing this, Meng Nan smiled slightly and then said, "I just want to know how much contribution the Hidden Group, who always claims to benefit the ruins, has made in this operation!"
As his voice fell, Zuo Hu immediately understood Meng Nan's intention.
Thus, he quickly chimed in, "That's right, let's compare. Our contribution isn't that great either, we only managed to kill over twenty demonic beasts and obtain more than ten red gems!"
Ye Cangtian smiled slightly upon hearing this and then said indifferently, "You boast like this, and I thought you had made great contributions. To think it's only this much. You've truly disappointed me!"
"Oh? So you're saying the Hidden Group's contribution is even greater?"
Zuo Hu's expression instantly turned gloomy. Just as he was about to say something, Meng Nan beat him to it.
The reason was simple: Meng Nan didn't believe the Hidden Group's contribution was greater than theirs.
After all, there were other factions in this rainforest. It was already difficult for them to encounter over twenty demonic beasts...