762: 227_1 762: 227_1 Cao Zhen had just retracted the Flying Boat and descended from the sky onto the island when he suddenly realized that numerous gazes were directed at him.
His own gaze also instantly focused on the central location of the area.
He had already noticed from aboard the Flying Boat that the entire island was surrounded by mountains.
The region he was in, upon closer observation, revealed a spot where it seemed as though two mountains converged, leaving a crack in the middle.
And directly facing the crack, there sat five people cross-legged.
The five individuals comprised three men and two women.
Around them, many people appeared to be concealing themselves, not emitting any aura, but these five people, each emitted an incredibly vivid presence.
Cao Zhen felt that these five people may as well have the words “Don’t mess with me!” written on their foreheads.
Each of the five was dressed in tight-fitting clothes of the same style but different colors.
They were red, orange, green, blue, and purple, respectively.
The men all had features as fine as jade, extraordinarily handsome.
The women were stunning beauties without equal.
Among them, the person in the middle was the most striking, with sharp eyes like those of an eagle.
Her stature wasn’t particularly tall, but just sitting on the ground, she gave one the illusion of a towering mountain standing between Heaven and Earth.
And it was that kind of mountain which never thaws, even after thousands of years of snow.
An icy aura of “Keep Out” continuously emanated from his body.
He gave the four people who descended a look and then diverted his gaze, seemingly only checking to see if he recognized the newcomers.
After realizing he didn’t, he stopped paying them any attention.
With the five no longer observing Cao Zhen and his group, the other onlookers turned their attention towards them.
“These four aren’t from the islands of the South Ocean.”
“Four unfamiliar faces, and their clothes are clearly not the attire from around here.”
“Why have these four chosen our side?”
“There could be a few reasons, one is that they have enemies over there and dare not cross.
Another is that they think there are no experts on our side?”
“Those three women are so beautiful!”
“It’s rare to see such a beauty, and here we have three, all with that rather unremarkable man.”
“We have Young Master Lian Hua on our side, you know.”
Quite a few people gave the three women a strange look, then their gazes shifted towards a man not far from Lan Mei, who blew his breath to speak, brandishing a crescent moon-like curved blade.
Lan Mei glanced at the three women, then her gaze fell on the man with the curved blade, and she said with a light laugh, “Young Master Lian Hua, it seems you haven’t come in vain.
Three beauties—are you not going to properly cherish them?”
Young Master Lian Hua glanced at the three women and whispered only loud enough for the three of them to hear, “If it were anywhere else, I’d certainly take the time to cherish them.
However, TaMu has already stated that we’re here for the relics, and I don’t want to waste my energy before entering them.”
As he spoke, he turned his head away, no longer paying any attention to the man and the three women.
He was right: under normal circumstances, he indeed would have engaged in conversation with the man and the three women, but with the appearance of such a rare relic, masters from all over the world were converging here.
No one knew the origins of those who came, and he did not want to take risks and stir up trouble at this time.
Young Master Lian Hua made no move, and from a group of more than ten people, a handsome man radiating a sunny disposition conferred quietly with several members of his team before approaching Cao Zhen and the others, and in a low voice, he asked, “My friends, are the four of you alone?”
“That’s right, we are a group of four,” Cao Zhen replied, somewhat curious about the newcomer.
The newcomer gestured around and continued, “My friends, being only four seems rather few.
Have you noticed that most of the people who have come here are in groups of more than ten?
Only by banding together can we ensure our safety and secure entry into the relics.”
“Now, there’s still time before the relics open, but when they’re about to open, it will definitely become chaotic.
No one knows what dangers the relics hold or what the situation inside is like.
When the time comes, there will surely be confrontations outside the relics to seize others’ treasures.
You are not from the South Ocean, and with so few of you, you’re bound to be targeted.
Why not join our team?
In this way, no one would dare to attack you easily.
What do you think?”
“Is that so?
Well, that’s fine by me,” Cao Zhen agreed without a second thought.
He knew that these people’s invitation wasn’t necessarily out of goodwill.
Everyone was a stranger, yet inviting them to join a team?
No matter how he looked at it, it felt odd—those people might be planning to use them as cannon fodder or to plot treachery and murder.
But none of that mattered at the moment.
He would join a team first.
That way, they wouldn’t attract too much attention.
He would consider his next move after entering the relics.
Upon hearing the prompt agreement, a radiant smile appeared on the man’s face, and he said, “Dao Companion, your choice is very wise.”