Chapter 336

Du Changyong!

Xu Yang had an impression of the man with Zhou Jiang. If he remembered correctly, Du Changyong was one of Elder Tie Fu’s inner disciples, and his cultivation had long reached Great Perfection of Marrow Cleansing. They had crossed paths many times in the canteen, but they had no friendship.

"Could the sect have sent him to replace me?"

Seeing Du Changyong carrying luggage, Xu Yang’s heart stirred. He smiled, stepped forward, and cupped his hands: "Greetings, Senior Brother Du. May I ask if Senior Brother Du is here to replace me in guarding Moon Lake?"

"Junior Brother Xu!"

Du Changyong cupped his hands and nodded with a smile: "That’s right, Junior Brother Xu, you can return to the sect."

It really was!

The smile on Xu Yang’s face grew brighter. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he quickly took Du Changyong to the warehouse for the handover. It took about half an hour, and the handover was finished.

Du Changyong went with Zhao Qing to familiarize himself with the mine, and Xu Yang returned to the courtyard to start organizing the things he wanted to take away.

Actually, he had already organized most of it: the claws and beaks of the two Green-Scaled Eagles that could be sold for money, the claws, teeth, and the intact part of the tail skin of the alligator dragon, and finally, the eight semi-spirit weapons.

Adding his original clothes and such, it ended up being a very large bundle.

After saying a simple goodbye to Zhao Qing, Zhou Jiang, and the others, Xu Yang stepped onto the road back to the Profound Sun Sect.

"Failed. Is the Heaven Origin realm really that difficult?"

Yan Guiyun pushed the door open and walked out, his face somewhat pale.

He had been in seclusion for several months to break through to the Heaven Origin realm, but ultimately failed.

One had to know that his talent was third among the Ten Talents of the Profound Sun Sect, yet he had spent several months and still failed.

"There are still more than two years until the second Dragon Ascent. My mindset cannot be chaotic. It was only my first time attempting the Heaven Origin realm; failure is normal."

He quickly found an excuse to comfort himself.

Heaven Origin!

Ninety-nine percent of those at Great Perfection of Marrow Cleansing in the Profound Sun Sect were stuck at this hurdle for a lifetime. He failed his first attempt, so there was no need to be discouraged.

"Perhaps I should go out and hone myself. My will is not firm enough, and my state of mind is insufficient. This is the biggest reason for my failure."

Yan Guiyun pondered for a while and walked out of the courtyard with long strides.

He needed battle, he needed combat to hone his will. His talent was astonishing, and his journey had been too smooth. When he took the final step, his mind wavered, unable to withstand the majestic pressure, and he ultimately fell short of success.

"Master, this disciple has failed!"

In the Sect Master’s main hall, Yan Guiyun’s voice carried a hint of dejection.

"No matter. With this experience, you know where you are lacking. Try again next time," Zhang Jingyuan said with a scholarly air.

He had long known that his disciple’s foundation was insufficient and that it was impossible to break through to the Heaven Origin realm in one go.

If he could really succeed, his talent wouldn't be third among the Ten Talents, but first.

According to his calculations, for Yan Guiyun to break through the Heaven Origin bottleneck, it would take at least a year and a half of honing.

Yan Guiyun cupped his hands: "This disciple’s will is insufficient, and I plan to go out to hone myself. I ask for Master’s permission."

Even if he were the Sect Master’s disciple, he still had to execute guard duties. Having been in seclusion for several months, it was already his turn to go out and guard.

However, he didn't want to go to some place to sit and waste time, which was why he came to Zhang Jingyuan.

"Go. The Heaven Origin realm is the priority; don't worry about other things," Zhang Jingyuan nodded.

Yan Guiyun had hopes of a second Dragon Ascent, so as his master, he naturally had to support him fully.

Yan Guiyun was overjoyed and hurriedly cupped his hands: "This disciple thanks Master. This disciple takes his leave."

After waiting for his master, Zhang Jingyuan, to nod, Yan Guiyun exited the main hall and grabbed a disciple of Tianquan Peak by the roadside: "Have you seen Yun Heng?"

If he remembered correctly, before he went into seclusion, Xu Yang went to Moon Lake.

Now that he was going to the Yunling Mountains to hone his will, he wanted to deal with Xu Yang along the way. However, before killing Xu Yang, he had to kill Yun Heng first to clear away all traces.

He would also ask Yun Heng if Xu Yang was still at Moon Lake. According to the timeline, Xu Yang might have already returned to the Profound Sun Sect.

"Replying to Senior Brother Yan, Yun Heng died several months ago," the disciple cupped his hands and said.

Yun Heng died?

Yan Guiyun was stunned. Before he could even act, Yun Heng had died, which actually saved him some trouble.

"How did he die?" Yan Guiyun asked curiously.

"He joined forces with several disciples who had grudges against Xu Yang of Li Huo Peak to go to Moon Lake to kill Xu Yang, but they were all killed by Xu Yang," the disciple said.

"That idiot!" Yan Guiyun couldn't help but curse: "Who were the people he joined forces with? How did they all die?"

After cursing, he realized that Yun Heng wasn't an idiot. Without absolute certainty, he would never have gone to Moon Lake to kill Xu Yang. The reason he stumbled must have been because something happened that he didn't know about.

"There was Luo Xin from Li Huo Peak and Liu Qing from Medicine King Peak. There were five of them in total, and it is said they were all at Small Success of Marrow Cleansing. However, when Xu Yang left Li Huo Peak, Elder Huoyun gave him a semi-spirit weapon for protection, so he killed Yun Heng and the others."

A semi-spirit weapon. Yan Guiyun suddenly realized.

With Xu Yang at Small Success of Marrow Cleansing and a semi-spirit weapon in hand, let alone a few at Small Success of Marrow Cleansing, even martial artists at Great Perfection of Marrow Cleansing could potentially be killed.

"Is Xu Yang still at Moon Lake?" Yan Guiyun asked casually.

The disciple said: "He is, but I heard he is coming back in these few days."

Coming back? That meant he hadn't returned yet.

Yan Guiyun let go of the disciple and went straight down Tianquan Peak.

He was going to the Yunling Mountains to hone himself, and he didn't know how long it would be before he returned. If he didn't resolve the hidden danger of Xu Yang now, it wouldn't be as simple to solve once Xu Yang reached Great Perfection of Marrow Cleansing in the future.

With Xu Yang’s personality, he might not even leave the Profound Sun Sect for years after returning this time.

"I will use you as a sacrifice for my sword to push open the door to my Heaven Origin realm."

Yan Guiyun was calm, as if the genius he was about to kill was not the fifth among the Ten Talents of the Profound Sun Sect, but an ant under his feet.

He wanted to hone his character and have a clear mind; the first thing he had to do was kill those who had grudges against him and those who made him feel wary.

While on his way, Xu Yang did not delay his cultivation.

He traveled during the day and cultivated in the forest at night, or released his mind to perceive the nature of heaven and earth to strengthen his spirit.

His five senses were becoming increasingly sharp, and the range they covered was getting wider and wider. Influenced by this, the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture was progressing faster and faster.

"It is said that Heaven Origin powerhouses can mobilize the power of heaven and earth, and every gesture carries the might of heaven and earth, making them unstoppable. That is the true meaning of being extraordinary and refined.

I am only initially in harmony with heaven and earth, and I cannot perceive the existence of the power of heaven and earth at all; I can only have a vague sense of it."

Through days of perception, he had also figured out many things.

He shouldn't be perceiving the nature of heaven and earth, but rather his mind had become strong enough to start coming into contact with the existence of the power of heaven and earth. However, because his realm was insufficient, he only had a vague sense of the power of heaven and earth.

The so-called perception of heaven and earth, in his view, was that in the state of "Heaven and Man as One," his mind slowly harmonized with the power of heaven and earth, until one day he could also mobilize the power of heaven and earth for his own use like a Heaven Origin powerhouse.

After eating some dried meat by the roadside, Xu Yang continued on his way, carrying a hint of caution.

This road was not safe; no place in the Yunling Mountains was safe, not to mention that he had offended Liu Qingyuan and the Song family.

Returning to the Profound Sun Sect this time, these people might take advantage of this final opportunity to wipe him out.

On the second day after leaving Moon Lake, a figure with long hair draped over their shoulders walked along the mountain road ahead. With a masculine and handsome face and the corners of their mouth slightly curled, who else could it be but Yan Guiyun?

He thought it would be an expert from the Song family or a disciple of Liu Qingyuan; he never thought it would be Yan Guiyun.

However, after a slight thought, he could understand why Yan Guiyun had come.

In the battle at Autumn Water Villa, Yan Guiyun was clearly in league with Yun Heng, wanting to collude with Yun Heng to make him hand over the secret manual, and there had been disputes. These originally didn't count as major matters.

If he were still the unknown Xu Yang, the matter at Autumn Water Villa would have been written off. But he happened to reveal his cultivation at Small Success of Marrow Cleansing and became the fifth genius on the Ten Talents List, so a small matter became a big one.

As long as Yan Guiyun wasn't a thick-headed person, he had to guard against him seeking revenge for Autumn Water Villa after he grew up. The best way to guard against it was naturally to nip him in the bud and not give him a chance to grow.

After all, judging others by himself, he was also such a person; as long as there was any disagreement, he would try every means to kill them and would never leave any trouble for himself.

Moreover, he had killed Yun Heng, who had a good relationship with Yan Guiyun. Reasonably and emotionally, Yan Guiyun would not let him off.

"Draw your blade, otherwise you won't have a chance!" Yan Guiyun’s killing intent was undisguised, and he wasn't in a hurry to act.

As the third among the Ten Talents, he was confident that he could suppress and kill Xu Yang even with his bare hands. To a genius like him, a semi-spirit weapon only posed a threat to him if it were in the hands of an expert of the same realm.

Xu Yang slowly put down the bundle on his body and felt the pressure coming from Yan Guiyun.

This person was indeed very strong. Among the martial artists at Great Perfection of Marrow Cleansing he had encountered, Yan Guiyun could be called the number one expert. The aura of the future Song family head or the leader of the Four Evils of Fog Mountain didn't even amount to half of Yan Guiyun’s.

Third on the Ten Talents List was not an empty reputation.

"You could have lived, and even become a Heaven Origin powerhouse in the future, becoming an ancestor-level figure who dominates a region.

Blame it on your good talent, and the friction that arose between us. Although I don't really hold you in high regard, you ultimately have a chance for a second Dragon Ascent. Better safe than sorry, so I have to nip you in the bud."

Yan Guiyun’s voice was calm, and he held no hatred or killing intent toward Xu Yang, as if he were about to crush an ant, so naturally, there would be no killing intent or hatred.

"What a coincidence, me too!" Xu Yang’s voice was very light.

He naturally also wanted to kill Yan Guiyun. To say that he didn't want to kill Yan Guiyun after the matter at Autumn Water Villa that day would be impossible; it was just that he hadn't had the chance.

"Sure enough, it was right to nip you in the bud early. If I really let you grow up, you would definitely seek revenge on me."

Yan Guiyun smiled: "I gave you a chance. Since you don't cherish it and are still stubborn before death, then don't blame me for not giving you a chance."

He thought Xu Yang was using words to provoke him at the moment of death.

As his voice fell, the soil beneath his feet exploded, and his whole person flew out like an arrow from a bow. The surging energy pulled a gully in the ground, and smoke and dust rolled like a tide.

His crimson fist, like a red-hot soldering iron, emitted astonishing heat waves, piercing the air and sending out a muffled roar. Before the fist arrived, the powerful pressure had already cracked the soil beneath Xu Yang’s feet, and his soles sank an inch.

This punch had the might to collapse mountains and split the earth, and carried a bit of an invincible spirit.

Among the martial artists at Great Perfection of True Qi that Xu Yang had encountered, only Li Ye could likely resist this punch with his bare hands; the others could only temporarily avoid its edge.

"Well come!" Xu Yang gave a light shout.

The experts he had encountered recently were all the kind he could suppress and kill in a few moves. Apart from killing intent, he had no fighting spirit at all. Yan Guiyun’s strength instantly ignited his fighting spirit.

"Boom!"

His cultivation at Great Perfection of Marrow Cleansing boiled over like an erupting volcano, breaking out of his body and shaking a circle of air waves around him.

Shoulders sinking and arms swinging, the sound of his tendons tightening like bowstrings rang out in his body, as if hundreds or thousands of hard bows were pulled into full moons in an instant. His bulging muscles seemed to be wearing a suit of hard armor, revealing a texture as smooth and delicate as jade.

Xu Yang cracked the ground and stepped out, throwing a punch.

King of Wisdom Immovable Body!

As his arm flicked and shook, his fist shot out like a great spear, tearing through the air with a harsh whistle and rubbing against it to create a white sound barrier.

This punch was unstoppable, and its momentum was even stronger than Yan Guiyun’s.

"Great Perfection of Marrow Cleansing!" Yan Guiyun’s face changed.

Xu Yang had actually reached Great Perfection of Marrow Cleansing so quickly? Li Chuyang and Jiang Fan hadn't reached Great Perfection of Marrow Cleansing yet, right?

He didn't expect Xu Yang to have reached this step already; his talent was far more terrifying than what he had revealed. If it weren't for his desire to hone his state of mind and seek a clear mind, he might not have had the thought of coming to kill Xu Yang.

If he delayed for another period, it would be difficult for him to kill Xu Yang.

No wonder the other party had no surprise or fear when facing his interception. His true talent actually exceeded that of Jiang Fan and Li Chuyang.

He, who hadn't used his full strength, frantically poured true qi into his fist, and sharp light shot from his calm eyes.

The next moment, the two fists collided.

"Bang!"

The two fists struck, like two hammers colliding, ringing out with a muffled sound like blacksmithing. Visible ripples swept out, and within a radius of one zhang, the soil and rocks instantly turned into powder.

"Boom!"

With the two of them as the center, smoke and dust like dragons shot into the sky, and the earth trembled, as if an earth dragon were turning over.

Xu Yang’s muscles expanded again, lighting up with a jade-like luster, like knotted tree roots. He felt that Yan Guiyun’s strength was not only not weaker than his, but even stronger than his by a bit.

"That’s right, such a genius, and a disciple of the Sect Master, how could he not cultivate body-forging techniques."

Geniuses had no shortcomings. They had enough talent, didn't need to worry about cultivating other techniques affecting their cultivation progress, and didn't need to worry about resources, as someone would provide them.

True qi and physique—true geniuses were peerless in their rank, and only geniuses of the same level as them had the qualifications to compete with them.

Yan Guiyun also cultivated an extremely powerful body-forging technique, not weaker than the King of Wisdom Immovable Body, so in the collision, the other party’s strength was stronger than his by a bit, and his physique was also extremely tough, capable of resisting ordinary semi-spirit weapons with bare hands.

"Crack!"

The soil beneath Xu Yang’s feet collapsed, his soles had already sunk into the ground, his body shook wildly, and his blood and qi surged.

Yan Guiyun didn't have it easy either. His tendons and bones roared, his true qi was shaken away, and a strength not inferior to his own came from the opposite fist, causing his blood and qi to surge, his legs to sink, and his body to shake wildly.

"Good!"