C9

Ye Hao's appearance caused Ye Yunfeng to be stunned for a short moment. Anger surged up within his heart and he immediately shouted out.

He did not intend to inform Ye Hao about today's Martial Hall Assessment. After all, Ye Yunfeng thought that the current Ye Hao's cultivation level had plummeted and if he were to participate in the examination, he would not even have the ability to protect himself.

Therefore, even though Ye Yunfeng knew that he had reached the age of the examination, he still didn't want him to take the risk.

Ye Yunfeng had already decided in his heart that even if Ye Hao didn't participate in this assessment, as long as he pulled his old face down and asked for it, the three elders in the clan probably wouldn't fight with him over such a small matter.

Ye Hao wouldn't be kicked out of the Ye Family.

But now, the unexpected arrival of the young man caused Ye Yunfeng's thoughts to fail.

Right now, in front of everyone's eyes, nearly 90% of his clansmen were there. If he ignored the clan rules in public and let Ye Hao, who had reached the age limit, escape the exam, how could the clansmen who were there wholeheartedly submit to him?

Of course, all of this was because Ye Yunfeng did not know that the current Ye Hao was not only able to cultivate once more, his strength was even stronger than before. If he knew all of this, he would likely not be as anxious as he was now.

On the other hand, although the crowd quieted down under Ye Yunfeng's shout, they all looked at Ye Hao as if they were looking at a fool, full of ridicule and schadenfreude.

Ye Peng and Ye Ying laughed coldly in their hearts. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, they wanted to see how Ye Hao and the Patriarch would end the fight.

As for Ye Hao, he carelessly swept his eyes around the crowd and felt the ridicule in everyone's eyes. A cold smile couldn't help but appear on his delicate and pretty face.

The fact that he was able to cultivate again, in terms of the current Ye Family, was probably something only Qing Wu and Ye Hong, who he crippled, vaguely knew.

As for his true strength, not even Qing Wu knew about it, let alone the others present.

In order to take revenge on Ye Peng and Ye Ying's blood feud and lower their defenses, Ye Hao could only choose to temporarily hide it.

Therefore, Ye Hao took a deep breath. He looked at the old man on the stage with determination and said, "Patriarch, I am not messing around. I am very clear about the danger of the exam."

Ye Hao's black eyes were clear and firm, giving off a look that Ye Yunfeng was unfamiliar yet familiar with. As he recalled carefully, he realized that this look was exactly the same as the one from four years ago.

But now, there was an extra sense of calm and persistence within the youth's black eyes.

"Hao, you …" Ye Yunfeng was slightly shocked and frowned.

At the same time, the second Ye Family elder on the stage suddenly opened his mouth and said: "I almost forgot. Ye Hao, you have reached the age of your examination this year."

Glancing at Ye Yunfeng beside him without revealing any of his intentions, the Second Elder muttered to himself for a moment before continuing: "The clan rules cannot be broken. In that case, Ye Hao, you and Ye Ze will be participating in this Martial Hall Assessment."

"Second Elder!"

Ye Yunfeng's expression changed, and just as he was about to say something, the skinny old man beside him who seemed to be napping all this time lifted his eyelids, and spoke in a low voice: "Patriarch, the clan's rules are the basis of my Ye Family. On an occasion like this, I should be the one to set an example."

"Great Elder, but Ye Hao only has the strength of Second Layer of Body Tempering, could it be …" Ye Yunfeng's expression was ugly. Although he felt that the boy had become different, he still felt uneasy when he thought of the danger of the exam.

"Patriarch, don't forget, there's life and death in the Martial Hall Assessment. At this time, the Third Elder of the Ye Family also slowly spoke up.

The three elders of the clan had the same opinion, and all the clansmen below the stage were watching him closely.

Soon after, he flew down the high platform and stood in front of Ye Hao. With an unprecedented seriousness on his face, he said: "Hao, although the Assessment Area has been explored, there are still quite a few dangers. You must be careful, if you meet any Demonic Beast, do not hesitate and immediately escape."

As he said that, he ignored the thoughts of the onlookers and slapped his Storage Bag. He took out a thick, cold spear that gave off waves of spirit energy and said in a low voice, "You take this low rank Spiritual Weapon and protect yourself. Remember, if you can't hold on any longer, you have to leave immediately.

Seeing the worried look in the old man's eyes, Ye Hao nodded slightly. Under the jealous gazes of the bystanders, he kept the spear back into the Storage Bag and then spoke in a voice that only two people could hear: "Grandfather, don't worry, I won't do anything that I'm not confident in."

Ye Yunfeng's eyes flashed and he nodded as if he had understood something.

At this moment, Ye Ze, who was at the side, also said, "Patriarch, don't worry. I will definitely take care of Ye Hao and try my best to not let him get hurt!"

Although the strength of Tempered Body 4th Layer was not considered top-notch among the Ye Family younger generation, they were still not weak. As long as they were careful, surviving in the outskirts of the mountain range for three days was not impossible.

"Remember, after entering the outskirts of the mountain range, do not stray. You must return safely." Ye Yunfeng patted Ye Hao's shoulder. After giving the two a few words of advice, he returned to the high platform.

"Since you are ready, let's go." On the high platform, the Second Elder of the Ye Family spoke with a solemn voice: "Whether or not you can enter the Martial Hall and continue to stay in the clan will all depend on your results of this assessment."

As his voice fell, all of the participating Ye Family s in the martial arena shouted loudly. Soon after, they formed groups of two, and under the leadership of the clan's experts that were in charge of supervising the assessment, they started to move one after another.

As the number of people on the field started to decrease, Ye Hao suddenly had a reaction. He turned around and saw not far away, Ye Peng, who had a malicious expression, standing side by side with Ye Ying.

Looking at the malicious gazes of the two, he instantly understood that Ye Peng and Ye Ying were probably thinking the same thing as him. They wanted to use this opportunity to make their move within the Black Mountain Range, without leaving a single trace.

Thinking about that, Ye Hao couldn't help but grin at them. A weird smile appeared on his face.

This dog-couple probably still had no idea who the real hunters were in this hunting game.

"Ye Hao, um... Let's go too. " At this time, Ye Ze, who was at the side, stepped forward a few steps. With a somewhat bashful expression, he said, "Once we reach Black Mountain Range, you just need to follow me closely. Let's find a concealed location to hide for three days. There will definitely be no problem!"

Seeing the introverted thin youngster in front of him, Ye Hao smiled and nodded. Then, together with Ye Ze, they were led out of Ye Family and towards Black Mountain Range.

Although Ye Hao was not familiar with Ye Ze, he was still a disciple of Ye Family after all. He had met Ye Ze a few times before and could be considered to be a good friend.

Ye Hao was aware that he was shy and unsociable, but he didn't have any bad intentions. Even though he had fallen to the altar over the years, and Ye Ze met him, he had always greeted him shyly and kindly, unlike those of the same family.

It was also because of this that Ye Hao had chosen to team up with him. After all, the Black Mountain Range was rather dangerous, and entering by himself with Wu Steel's Tempered Body 4th Layer cultivation level did not guarantee true safety.

Along the way, along with Ye Hao taking the initiative to converse, Ye Ze was no longer as reserved as before. He withdrew shyly and gradually relaxed.

Finally, under the lead of the clan experts supervising the examination, a pitch black mountain range that looked like a giant dragon lying in hibernation appeared in front of the two of them.

"Entering from the front is the area outside of the Black Mountain Range. Unless one obtains the Qingmu Wolfhound's heart, one must stay in the mountain range for a full three days." In front of him, the middle-aged man with Life Sea Stage stopped his footsteps, and after he spoke a few words indifferently, he walked to the side and began conversing with the supervisors who had arrived earlier.

Ignoring the former's attitude, Ye Hao looked forward. There was a fairly wide mud path extending into the dense forest of the mountain range ahead.

The dense forest was shrouded in mist and was a little hazy. Ye Hao could vaguely see a few figures flash and disappear inside; presumably, they were disciples of Ye Family who had arrived before them.

Although the Black Mountain Range was vast, the examination grounds only had this entrance, and with Ye Family experts guarding from outside, there was no possibility of them cheating or cheating at all.

"Let's go."

With a sigh, Ye Hao took the lead and walked forward. Ye Ze hurriedly followed behind him with an unconcealable nervousness on his face as he said: "Ye Hao, when we enter the mountain range, you have to follow me closely. Let's find a safe place to hide."

Seeing Ye Ze's forced calmness, Ye Hao could not help but laugh. For this assessment, he not only wanted to obtain the Qingmu Wolfhound's heart, but also wanted to obtain a blood debt from within. How could he hide it away?

He tilted his head as he thought of this. He glanced at the people who came to participate in the assessment one after another. A cold look gradually appeared in his eyes.

In three days, he, Ye Peng, and Ye Ying would definitely meet inside.

"..."

In the dense forest, ancient trees towered up into the sky. Mist filled the air and it was somewhat gloomy. After Ye Hao and Ye Ze entered, a wave of humidity along with the stench of Demonic Beast rushed into their noses.

Everything was deathly still, and only the faint sound of wind breaking would occasionally ring out from afar. It was obvious that these were the other Ye Family disciples who were participating in the examination.

As he entered the forest, Ye Hao became vigilant. Although his strength had increased a lot, it would be great if he were to fail.

Moreover, this was not a sewer stream, but a true vicious place.

The existence of Black Mountain Range s for who knows how many years, and even the name of Heiyuan City s, was said to originate from this.

As far as he knew, this mountain range was limitless, filled with Demonic Beast s. In the depths of the mountain range, there was even a terrifying greater demon that surpassed the Tao Soul Stage.

Ever since Ye Hao had become sensible, all kinds of legends regarding Black Mountain Range had been heard.

It was rumored that in the deepest parts of the mountain range, there was an incomparably strange and bottomless black abyss that seemed to lead straight into the catacombs. It was filled with a dense mist that caused people to indulge in wild fantasies.

Another theory was that an earth-shattering expert had fallen here countless years ago. Perhaps his legacy was still hidden in the deepest parts of the mountain range.

Of course, with regards to all of this, no one could be sure.

After all, Demonic Beast s ran rampant within the Black Mountain Range and were incomparably dangerous. Even the various large powers within the Heiyuan City were unable to truly penetrate them and were extremely afraid of this place.

However, danger often came along with opportunity. Other than powerful Demonic Beast s, there were also various rarely seen Heavenly and Earthly Treasures s and even some rare grade five spirit medicines that had been discovered before.

It was because of this reason that the various forces in the Heiyuan City had not given up on exploring the Black Mountain Range. At the same time, they were using the surrounding areas that they had explored to train the younger generation.

Ye Hao followed behind Ye Ze as he recalled all kinds of information about the Black Abyss Mountain Range. The two of them gradually entered the dense forest.

Looking at the cautious figure in front of him, Ye Hao couldn't help but to shake his head and laugh. He really didn't think that although Ye Ze was shy, he was very loyal and believed that Ye Ze's strength was merely in Second Layer of Body Tempering. He took the initiative to scout ahead, in order to deal with the unexpected danger at the first possible moment.

"He's someone worth befriending."

Ye Hao nodded in secret. As he was mumbling in his heart, a hint of light suddenly appeared in his black eyes that had been on guard all this time. His gaze suddenly turned towards a huge tree with lush foliage not far away.

Ancient trees towered in the forest, and mist filled the air. Visibility wasn't too high.

At this moment, not too far away, on an ancient tree with lush branches and leaves, a black python as thick as an adult's waist was rapidly swimming down while spitting out its scarlet tongue.

The inside of the forest was dark and gloomy. The giant python's skin was like a natural protective color. If it wasn't for Ye Hao who felt an extremely light blood energy fluctuation, it would be hard for even Ye Hao to notice it.

At this moment, the python was like an experienced hunter. It moved very quickly and didn't make any noise as it closed in on its prey.

As for his prey, it was Ye Ze, who was below him, completely unaware.

Sensing this, Ye Hao's eyes flashed. The moment his gaze shot over, his right hand slapped the Storage Bag. Clang!

Immediately, an imposing and cold spear emitting Spiritual Energy appeared in his hand.

As Ye Hao held the spear in his hand, he felt an icy cold feeling, causing his mind to clear up.

At this moment, the black python in front suddenly opened its bloody maw, revealing its sharp fangs. A fishy stench permeated the air as it suddenly charged towards Ye Ze and devoured him.

Swish!

The moment the giant python attacked, Ye Ze, who was below, finally felt something. When he raised his head, he saw a bloody mouth. It was very close and there was no time to respond.

"It's over!"

Just as his heart was filled with fear and despair, an ear-piercing sound of wind breaking suddenly rang out. Immediately after, the enormous python's body flew out as if it had been struck by something amidst a mournful roar.