Chapter 472

"May I ask, Lotus Envoy, if the Tianyuan experts of the Ziyang Sect intervene, how should we respond?"

From beneath the black robe, the Lotus Envoy's voice sounded: "Rest assured, their Tianyuan experts will be intercepted. If necessary, I will also act. You only need to kill the people in the Earth Vein Fire Valley, take the Spirit Iron, and worry about nothing else."

Hearing this, Zhang Sai finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Shao said, "May I ask, Lotus Envoy, have you ascertained their manpower in the Earth Vein Fire Valley?"

The Lotus Envoy said, "This matter is still under the responsibility of the Elder Huoyun branch. The two on the surface are Xu Yang, who has just entered Marrow Cleansing, and Zhuang Tao, who has achieved Marrow Cleansing Small Success. According to reports from our hidden agents, those in the shadows should be Elder Huoyun's third and fourth disciples."

Xu Yang!

Killing intent burst forth in Li Shao's eyes; he could hear no more of what followed. He only needed to know that Xu Yang was also in the Earth Vein Fire Valley; he cared about nothing else.

"You three will obey their orders. Remember, Xu Yang and that genius from the Ten Heroes, Brother Qiao Yong, these two must die!"

The Lotus Envoy pointed at three figures in black robes. In the next moment, his figure suddenly turned into a blur and vanished, disappearing without a trace, as if he had never appeared.

Time passed. In the blink of an eye, they had already stayed in the Earth Vein Fire Valley for ten days, and the people of the Xuelian Sect had not appeared.

Xu Yang dared not be negligent; he knew the danger increased as time went on.

The people of the Xuelian Sect would not strike too early; they would wait until the Spirit Iron was mostly refined before appearing, so they could directly take away the purified Spirit Iron.

"Senior Brother Xu, trouble you for three Ice Spirit Elixirs and three Vein-Protecting Elixirs."

An outer sect disciple approached and bought six elixirs from Xu Yang's hand.

After a while, Zhuang Tao appeared and collected the silver notes.

Selling Ice Spirit Elixirs and Vein-Protecting Elixirs was originally his and Xu Yang's responsibility, but from the very first day, Zhuang Tao acted as a hands-off manager, dumping the entire task of selling elixirs on Xu Yang alone, while he ran back to his room to sleep or cultivate.

Once Xu Yang sold them for money, Zhuang Tao would take it away, claiming his cultivation base was high and the money was safer with him.

"These past few days, Junior Brother Xu, please bear with me. When we return to the Zong Sect, I will treat you to a meal." Zhuang Tao wore a smiling face.

It was just empty talk; saying a few words did no harm. Once the money was split, would Xu Yang still grab him and demand a meal?

"We are all fellow disciples; Senior Brother Zhuang need not be so polite."

Xu Yang wore a smiling face and continued sitting in the valley, waiting for those outer sect disciples to come buy elixirs.

Soon, a day passed. Those outer sect disciples entered the stone house to rest, while he and Zhuang Tao entered the Fire Cave to stand guard.

Night swallowed the earth, the moon climbed the treetops, and the entire valley was silent.

Everyone was asleep; only Xu Yang was awake.

He expanded his five senses, covering the entire valley. In the darkness, two faint gazes watched the valley.

"Two gazes?" Xu Yang's pupils contracted slightly.

The third and fourth disciples hiding in the shadows also took turns keeping watch at night; under normal circumstances, there would only be one gaze.

"Perhaps one person has not slept yet."

Xu Yang thought; this situation had occurred before.

But the moment the thought arose, the gazes watching the valley became three, then in the next moment increased by one to become four, carrying a chilling aura.

"The people of the Xuelian Sect have arrived!" Xu Yang immediately felt his scalp go numb.

All the gazes watching the valley possessed cultivation bases of Marrow Cleansing Great Success, bringing a wave of pressure.

There was no movement outside the valley, meaning the third and fourth disciples hiding in the shadows had not discovered the appearance of the Xuelian Sect people.

A few breaths later, three gazes vanished, leaving only one.

He held the signal firework in his hand until the moon reached its zenith. When Zhuang Tao got up to replace him, the people of the Xuelian Sect still had not moved.

"They will strike in the second half of the night, or we may have to wait another day or two."

Xu Yang did not remind Zhuang Tao; since the third and fourth disciples in the shadows had not discovered them, if he spoke up, Zhuang Tao probably would not believe him anyway.

Moreover, even if he believed it, it would be useless. The Ziyang Sect had ordered them to set a trap here to draw out the people of the Xuelian Sect, not to run away immediately upon encountering them.

He did not dare to truly sleep; instead, he leaned against the stone wall, feigning sleep.

At dawn, a loud boom came from the mountains several hundred meters away. Trees snapped, as if a giant beast was galloping through the forest, startling a flock of birds into flight.

"Send the signal! The people of the Xuelian Sect have appeared!"

"I can't free my hands!"

"Boom... Boom..."

Accompanying the violent collision sounds were two angry roars.

In an instant, this peaceful valley was disturbed. The outer sect disciples resting in the stone house all woke up and ran outside.

Xu Yang woke from his feigned sleep as if struck by lightning; Zhuang Tao, sitting at the cave entrance, had already flashed out of the Fire Cave.

"They've attacked!"

Xu Yang also rushed out of the cave. He saw Zhuang Tao, face filled with excitement, standing in the valley staring at the fighting spot several hundred meters away, having not fired the signal firework.

"At a time like this, still thinking of earning merit?"

Xu Yang cursed Zhuang Tao's ancestors eighteen generations over in his heart. Why didn't he send the signal immediately? Did he really think the people of the Xuelian Sect dared to attack because they came to die? Hadn't he heard the third and fourth disciples in the shadows, whose voices already carried urgency?

Without hesitation, he pulled the signal firework in his hand.

"Boom!"

A huge firework exploded in the sky. The violent light illuminated the still dim valley, casting a red glow on everyone's faces, revealing the confused expressions of Brother Qiao Yong and others.

These baits had not yet reacted to what was happening, unaware that the big fish was about to bite them.

"Kill! Leave none alive!"

A roar full of anger and killing intent sounded from outside the valley. Immediately, a dozen figures like fierce tigers darted out, rushing to slaughter the people in the valley.

The first two figures emitted a formidable aura of Marrow Cleansing Small Success, sweeping like a tidal wave, their targets pointing directly at Xu Yang and Zhuang Tao.

"You demons have finally appeared. Die!"

Zhuang Tao shouted loudly. His qi mechanism erupted like a volcano, his whole body emitting a crimson light.

He stamped his right foot on the ground, his figure suddenly vanishing from the spot as his qi surged up, whipping a fierce wind.

"These are demons of the Xuelian Sect; be careful not to let their gang qi penetrate your bodies." Xu Yang kindly warned these outer sect disciples.

He can no longer hide!

He knew that once he fought, the fact that his cultivation base had reached the small success of Bone Marrow Cleansing would inevitably be exposed, but at this moment, he could not care less about such things.

"Xu Yang, today I will take your head to offer as a sacrifice to my brother."

Beneath the black cloth, murderous intent surged in Li Shao's eyes; his whole body radiated a bloody aura, and the crimson gang qi faintly revealed a soul-stealing blackness.

His murderous intent toward Xu Yang had been pent up for over two years; now, unleashed in an instant, it seemed as if the very air around them was freezing.

The pressure of his small success in Bone Marrow Cleansing cracked the earth; wrapped in terrifying momentum, his huge hand suddenly slammed into Xu Yang's chest.

"Boom!"

The air roared, rippling visibly; his qi surged like a towering wave crashing against Xu Yang, while the gang wind whipped his hair into a wild dance.

Before the palm even arrived, the overwhelming palm force already cracked the soil beneath Xu Yang's feet, kicking up terrifying dust.

Several outer sect disciples standing near Xu Yang felt as if a massive boulder pressed on their chests; gasping for breath, they retreated frantically, their faces filled with horror.

"Boom!"

"Crack, crack, crack..."

At this moment, Xu Yang moved.

A vast aura surged from his body, as if a sleeping ferocious dragon had awakened, its overwhelming ferocity spreading in all directions.

The suppressing pressure from Li Shao was instantly blasted back by the overwhelming qi radiating from Xu Yang's body; the ground shook, bursting with countless cracks.

At the same time, dazzling Jin Guang erupted from his entire body; his tendons and bones emitted crisp sounds like frying beans, while the great dragon of his spine connected segment by segment, taut like a bow drawn and ready to release.

New blood surged like a dragon; force, like a river breaking its banks, flooded his arms, making them a size thicker, with muscles bulging like mountains.

Mountain-Bearing Xiong Wang Palm!

He made no probe, nor did he have any thought of holding back; his opening move was the strongest offensive martial technique, short only of invoking the martial dao imagery.

A wild, unrivaled aura swept outward; Xu Yang, like a giant bear standing upright, stepped forward and struck with his palm the instant Li Shao's huge hand was about to crash down.

Mountain-Crushing, Peak-Breaking!

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Compared to his battle with Su Su Jianye two months ago, his physique and gang qi had grown far stronger, making the power of this palm strike even more terrifying.

The earth-shattering roar vibrated their eardrums; the air seemed pierced open, forming a channel, as his palm blasted a white wave of qi directly through the air, shaking the entire valley as if struck by a single blow.

Li Shao was utterly horrified, seeing Xu Yang in his vision as a golden god of war, radiating an unrivaled aura.

The palm crashing toward him was like a great mountain colliding forward, unstoppable.

Small success in Bone Marrow Cleansing!

This beast, just like when he tricked and killed my brother last time, has hidden his cultivation base again; he has already reached small success in gang qi.