Chapter 286

Before Xu Yang had even left Leaving Fire Peak, he encountered several Outer Sect disciples on the mountainside, including Qiao Yong.

Like Kong Yu before him, he was also a member of the Heroic Gathering, and these people were all disciples of the Heroic Gathering.

He kept his head down, his eyes dodging, not daring to look at Xu Yang.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Xu." These people recognized Xu Yang and hurriedly stepped forward to salute.

The Outer Sect Hall Master of the Heroic Gathering even spoke directly: "I heard that Leaving Fire Peak is going to arrange for people to go to the Earth Vein Fire Valley. May I ask, Brother Xu, if this is true?"

Xu Yang narrowed his eyes and smiled: "That's right, it is indeed true."

The few were overjoyed and hurriedly took their leave of Xu Yang to go up the mountain to find connections.

"Bait, and the kind that delivers itself."

No matter how happily these people are smiling now, they will cry just as miserably when the Blood Lotus Sect people appear. Even he had prepared for the possibility of not returning; if the Blood Lotus Sect people really appeared, absolutely few of these people would be able to return.

After going down from Leaving Fire Peak, he hadn't found Xu Qing yet, but instead met Tian Li and Qiu Wenjie first.

"Senior Brother Xu, I heard that Leaving Fire Peak is going to arrange for people to go to a cultivation treasure land to purify spirit iron. Can you help us get a spot?"

Even Qiu Wenjie and his companion wanted to go to the Earth Vein Fire Valley.

The two hadn't reached minor accomplishment in true qi yet; being able to go to the Earth Vein Fire Valley once might really give them a chance to take the opportunity to break through to minor accomplishment in true qi.

Under normal circumstances, Xu Yang wouldn't mind helping them get a spot, but now, he naturally didn't want to harm the two.

He stiffened his face and said: "Have you forgotten what I said before? You've been stable for a year, so you think it's not dangerous anymore?"

The two's expressions changed, and they immediately understood that the cultivation treasure land was not a good place; it was dangerous, and they didn't dare to ask anymore.

"By the way, Senior Brother Xu, Senior Brother Sun Tao is back."

Before parting, Qiu Wenjie informed Xu Yang of the news that Sun Tao had returned.

Xu Yang nodded, soon found Xu Qing, and handed Star Radiance over to her.

Xu Qing wanted to open it, but was stopped by Xu Yang, who transmitted his voice: "This is the semi-spirit weapon Star Radiance, obtained by me killing Su Xiuyuan of the Su family. Now I'm giving it to you for self-defense. Unless it's a last resort, Star Radiance must not be seen by others."

Xu Qing widened her eyes; the Fierce Fire Blade Guest who had caused such a stir in the Purple Sun Gate was actually her own big brother.

"Brother, are you going to do something dangerous?"

Xu Qing was not stupid; Xu Yang giving her Star Radiance at this time was like making final arrangements.

Xu Yang smiled: "Don't worry, your brother is used to being cautious, accustomed to considering every possible situation when doing things. This sword was going to be given to you sooner or later anyway."

This was actually his cautious personality at work. The matter of the Earth Vein Fire Valley was indeed dangerous, but with Cold Abyss in hand, he had great confidence in saving his life.

If he saw that things were not looking good, he wouldn't fight to the death.

"You be careful. I'm really useless; I still can't help you even now." Xu Qing felt a bit of self-reproach.

Seeing her cute frowning expression, Xu Yang wanted to flick her nose again, but ultimately held back: "Go back. Brother will be fine. It's not safe recently, remember not to leave the sect.

Brother will be away for more than half a month. If you must leave, remember to take Star Radiance with you."

"Mm!"

Xu Qing left with Star Radiance, and Xu Yang returned to the previous courtyard. Sun Tao had indeed returned, but his face was a bit pale and his aura was chaotic.

"Senior Brother Sun, are you injured?" Xu Yang asked in surprise.

"Junior Brother Xu?"

Sun Tao stood up with a smile: "I was injured a bit, but it's already much better."

He was a bit excited. After letting Xu Yang sit down, he couldn't wait to start talking: "We were lucky this time. We joined forces with another person who also had an assessment mission to catch Phantom Leopard cubs, and we really found a nest of Phantom Leopards. Zhang Yong and that person both completed their assessment missions.

Although everyone was injured, there were no casualties."

Xu Yang was a bit surprised: "You actually completed this mission? Doesn't that mean Zhang Yong has already joined Beast King Peak?"

In two months, Zhang Yong had really led Sun Tao and others to successfully find Phantom Leopards in the Yunling Mountain Range.

Sun Tao nodded: "He joined Medicine King Peak a few days ago. Now in this Outer Sect, I'm the only one left."

As he spoke, he felt a bit lonely.

The few people he was closest to had all joined the Inner Sect one after another, and he alone was still struggling in the Outer Sect, which he couldn't help but feel sad about.

"Senior Brother, the Inner Sect is not necessarily better," Xu Yang said.

Sun Tao's talent was average. If he stayed in the Outer Sect peacefully for ten years, he might have a good end. If he entered the Inner Sect, he might die any day.

Reaching major accomplishment in true qi and joining the Inner Sect didn't mean one could immediately cleanse the marrow; one also had to spend a lot of time doing dangerous missions to have contribution points to exchange for Marrow-Cleansing Pills.

"I understand, but I'm not reconciled."

Sun Tao was full of unwillingness. He didn't want to return to Qingyuan County like Lin Cheng after ten years and be a martial arts hall master.

Although life was good, these were not what he wanted.

"By the way, this time we picked a Pure Yang Grass and a Tiger Bone Vine. Do you want them, Junior Brother Xu?"

Xu Yang nodded: "I do. What does Senior Brother Sun want to exchange for?"

Sun Tao said: "Contribution points. My true qi is still quite a bit away from perfection, and I need contribution points to exchange for Mysterious Origin Qi-Transforming Pills."

Xu Yang furrowed his brows. He had contribution points, but he was saving them to exchange for pill formulas.

Pill formulas were very important for his subsequent cultivation and could not be delayed.

As his cultivation became more profound, the effect of Spirit-Gathering Pills became worse and worse, and he had to have pills for the marrow-cleansing realm.

After careful consideration, Xu Yang said: "I don't have extra contribution points right now. If you're not in a hurry, Senior Brother, can you wait a few days? I'll exchange with you using Ten-Complete Great Replenishment Pills."

Going to the Earth Vein Fire Valley, there were still a few days left, and he could take time to go down the mountain to refine a furnace of Spirit-Gathering Pills.

Originally, he didn't plan to take risks by going down the mountain at this time, but for the Pure Yang Grass and Tiger Bone Vine in Sun Tao's hands, he had no choice but to go to Qingyang City first.

He hadn't been to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion for two months, so he could buy two Ten-Complete Great Replenishment Pills from the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. Two Ten-Complete Great Replenishment Pills were enough to exchange for the Tiger Bone Vine and Pure Yang Grass in Sun Tao's hands.

"That's fine!"

Sun Tao nodded: "My injuries still need some time to heal, and I'm not in a hurry to cultivate for the time being."

Saying this, he stood up to get the Pure Yang Grass and Tiger Bone Vine and handed them to Xu Yang.

Taking advantage of the early hour, he immediately returned to Leaving Fire Peak, took Cold Abyss and carried it on his back, and took twenty contribution points. He exchanged them at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall for a thirty-year-old ginseng and combined it with the Tiger Bone Vine and Pure Yang Grass given by Sun Tao to make a set of main ingredients, then immediately left the Purple Sun Gate like a bolt of lightning.

Along the way, he didn't encounter any trouble and successfully arrived at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, bought the Ten-Complete Great Replenishment Pills, and also prepared a set of medicinal materials for refining Spirit-Gathering Pills.

Two days later, he returned to the Purple Sun Gate and handed the two Ten-Complete Great Replenishment Pills to Sun Tao.

"This... this is too much!" Sun Tao declined.

For one Tiger Bone Vine and one Pure Yang Grass, if he handed them to the Purple Sun Gate, he could only get fifty contribution points, not even enough to exchange for two Return-to-Origin Pills, yet Xu Yang gave him two Ten-Complete Great Replenishment Pills.

Xu Yang didn't care. This kind of transaction was inherently difficult to be fair.

He was just about to speak when he suddenly felt the sound of wind in his ears, and a head was thrown in from outside.

The head was bloody, eyes wide open in death, rolling to the feet of the two.

Xu Yang frowned slightly, looked back, and saw Lu Ren and a sturdy man walking over from outside with big strides.

"Is he the culprit who killed Senior Brother Jiang Ping?" Lu Ren pointed to the head at their feet and asked.

Hearing this, Sun Tao hurriedly picked up the head on the ground and nodded: "He is one of them."

Lu Ren's expression was cold: "That's good. The rest of the Five Tigers of the Mysterious Blade are already dead. I only brought back this head for you to confirm. I said that I would avenge Senior Brother Jiang Ping.

I, Lu Ren, am not a person who forgets favors and violates justice."

After saying this, regardless of Xu Yang and Sun Tao's reaction, he walked away with that man.

Sun Tao stood blankly on the spot, not expecting that Lu Ren had really done what he said about avenging Jiang Ping.

It wasn't that they hadn't tried to avenge Jiang Ping, but they couldn't find the tracks of the Five Tigers of the Mysterious Blade.

"Senior Brother Jiang Ping, you can rest in peace now!"

Sun Tao didn't mind the bad luck, immediately placed this head on the table, used tea to pay tribute to Jiang Ping, and the pent-up energy in his heart dissipated, only feeling that his injuries seemed to have improved a bit.

Regardless of whether Lu Ren was trying to rebuild his image or truly repaying past favors, he had ultimately slaughtered the Five Tigers of the Mysterious Blade who killed Jiang Ping.

"By the way, why has Lu Ren changed so much?"

After the tribute ended, Sun Tao finally remembered Lu Ren's change.

The previous Lu Ren was full of hostility, like a lone wolf.

But he found that the Lu Ren he saw earlier was high-spirited and satisfied, seemingly having become the genius Lu Ren who was praised by everyone in Qingyuan County again.

Xu Yang said: "He joined Leaving Fire Peak, showed super high forging talent, and was accepted as an inner-chamber disciple by Elder Tie Fu, so naturally he restored his previous posture."

Sun Tao suddenly realized: "No wonder..."

Having become Elder Tie Fu's inner-chamber disciple, Lu Ren could be said to have regained his momentum. Even if his character had some flaws before, few people would care anymore.

Becoming an inner-chamber disciple without reaching minor accomplishment in marrow-cleansing—one could imagine how high his forging talent must be for a peak elder to make an exception.

"The exotic beast inheritance of Beast King Peak, if only Junior Brother Zhang Yong also had talent in this area."