Minglong

Chapter 231 Let’s die and understand
The dazzling lightning that flashed deep in the wilderness could be clearly seen from dozens of miles away.

The poisonous rats, who had originally come to snag a bargain after discovering the commotion in Fire Phoenix Valley, were so frightened by the sight of a bunch of super-grade animals fighting amongst themselves that they ran away with their tails between their legs.

As a result, after the fog dissipated, the surrounding area of ​​a hundred miles was transformed into a desolate wasteland.

However, the activity underground continued.

Boom boom...

boom……

The roar of energy and the explosion of fire magic echoed in the underground space, sounding like a fiery python rampaging underground.

As the sound drew closer to the ground, a certain spot in the Gobi Desert suddenly swelled and bulged, and then:
Boom——

The earth and rocks exploded and flew into the air, along with pillars of golden and red fire, which looked like a volcanic eruption and gushing lava at night!
A figure was thrown out of the raging flames, making a crater in the ground. The sword in his hand had turned into a molten iron rod, and his body was charred black, making it difficult to see his clothes. After touching the ground, he sprang up and staggered away into the distance.

Shashasha~
Sand and fire rained down from the sky, creating more than a hundred fires of varying sizes on the Gobi Desert.

After a moment of silence following the explosion, an old man dressed in a black and yellow Taoist robe shot into the sky from the crack, surrounded by crimson light, adding a touch of heat to the entire Gobi Desert.

The Fire Edict, which could only be held in one's hand, turned golden-red and floated beside him. The Vermilion Bird relief engraved on the back was like a living creature, and a phantom of a firebird flying alongside it appeared around him.

With the unconscious Xi Yanjun held in his left arm, Lü Yan's eyes, like a fiery demon emerging from a blazing inferno, rapidly scanned the vast plain.

Finding no sign of Xie Jinhuan's ambush, he looked down at the several sword wounds on his body and cursed under his breath:

"A mere seventh-ranked figure in the martial arts world, a nobody gang leader, dares to steal my treasure..."

Although his words were dismissive, the divine power he lost in this battle was more than he had consumed in the previous ten years.

He had already seized an opportunity that had been passed down through generations. To waste it like this meant he might not even be able to pass it on to his apprentices. His heart was bleeding at that moment!

However, the headmaster was indeed a diviner; he predicted good fortune followed by misfortune, and indeed, good fortune followed misfortune.

If he had seized the opportunity the first time and rushed over to snatch the chance, Xie Jinhuan, who had just begun refining the treasure, would have been unable to maneuver and would have had to abandon the opportunity and flee. He could have taken it and left.

As a result, he was careless for a moment and fell into a series of traps, losing half his life and being disgusted to the point of getting goosebumps all over his body...

Upon thinking of this, Lü Yan felt his Dao heart waver and his anger surged to the heavens!

However, Lü Yan was not stupid. When he realized there was no one to cover their retreat during the struggle, he knew that Xie Jinhuan had already escaped.

As for why these southern martial artists came here to chase and beat him, he didn't quite understand.

The opponent immediately launched two deadly attacks, and when they realized Xie Jinhuan hadn't pulled out his buttocks, they also realized something was wrong.

But the other party was also ruthless. Seeing that he was a lonely old man with a child in tow, he became wicked and set his sights on his Fire Edict and the Divine Gift of the Majesty!

Seeing this, Lü Yan had no choice but to risk his life to first repel the enemy and then pursue the cunning child.

Upon discovering that Xie Jinhuan had vanished without a trace after taking advantage of him, Lü Yan was furious and wished he could rush to Luoyang to demand an explanation.

But that's obviously unrealistic. What is created by nature belongs to the capable. As an elder, being treated like a dog by a junior and daring to come and settle scores, Lu Wuzhen doesn't even need to lift a finger; the spittle of heroes from all over the world could drown him.

To settle this score, Xie Jinhuan would have to run to Northern Zhou and walk right into their trap, but that's clearly impossible...

Lu Yan quickly absorbed the power of the surrounding world to restore his Qi Sea. After a moment of vigilance, he realized that no one else was coming to his death, so he landed on the ground and gradually concealed his aura.

Thump~
Xi Yanjun was thrown to the ground, and his consciousness returned. He opened his eyes blankly and found himself back on the surface. His martial uncle was still covered in wounds. He quickly got up, his eyes filled with the look of someone facing a formidable enemy.

"Uncle-Master, what happened...?"

Snapped--

Lu Yan had initially thought Xi Yanjun was a promising talent, but after witnessing the intelligence and courage of this young man from the Southern Dynasty, he felt he was a good-for-nothing destined for greatness, and with a flick of his wrist, sent him flying seven or eight zhang away.
“Go back to Northern Zhou yourself. If you die on the way, you will die on the path of cultivation sooner or later. It doesn’t matter whether I protect you or not.”

"Eh?"

When Xi Yanjun saw his protector abandon him, his face paled. He wanted to ask what happened, but then he suddenly remembered some irrational moments...

Oh my god...

Xi Yanjun opened his mouth, but didn't dare utter a sound. He cautiously looked around, then quietly crept towards the north...
-
The other side.

Holding a broken sword, Xu Guanfu staggered across the Gobi Desert. After traveling a hundred miles and seeing that no one was chasing him, he fell to the ground and hid in a crevice in the rocks. His body was completely black and naked, with no hair or eyebrows left. He looked like a charred corpse that had crawled out of a fire.

"Huh...huh..."

Although he had long heard that Lu Yan, the leader of Wuling Mountain, was the strongest fire magic cultivator under the sect leader, Lu Yan was ultimately a member of the Northern Zhou Daoist sect.

Xu Guanfu, a martial artist from the Southern Dynasty, had never encountered such a person before. Only after their exchange did he realize that the second-in-command of the Northern Zhou Daoist sect was not Long Boyuan or Duan Yuechou, but rather him, the last of the Seven Heroes.

Although Lu Yan was unable to draw upon the power of heaven and earth underground and his movements were restricted, he could still use his own Qi Sea to perform protective divine abilities such as the Eight Gates Burning Array, the Flaming Sparrow Counterattack, and the Fire-Protecting Body Curse.

In addition, he also has the Imperial Fire Token and the Divine Gift of the Majestic Light, making him a fire hedgehog. If you stab him with a sword, he will lose half his life. If he were on the ground, he wouldn't even be able to touch him; he would be drowned by the blazing true fire.

Fortunately, the underground environment was too restrictive, so they managed to get out alive...

Xu Guanfu originally wanted to seize the opportunity to advance further, but after this battle, he only wanted to retire from the martial arts world and become a wealthy man. With his age and wealth, he could indulge in wine and women for at least several decades.

Unfortunately, once you enter the path of cultivation, you either achieve immortality or die and your cultivation disappears. Throughout history, how many people have been able to retire peacefully?
Just as Xu Guanfu was breathing softly to replenish his Qi, he suddenly noticed something was wrong out of the corner of his eye.

Looking up, I discovered that there was a figure standing at the edge of the crack!

The figure was an old man draped in a black and green cloak, leaning on a dragon-patterned staff. His face beneath the hood had an air of premature aging, yet upon closer inspection, he didn't appear particularly old. His black eyes, like those of a lurking dragon in the abyss, were silently watching him. ?!
Upon seeing this appearance, Xu Guanfu was stunned. Without any hesitation, he thrust his sword into his own brow.

hum~
Unfortunately, his right hand stopped halfway as soon as he raised the sword.

Xu Guanfu struggled desperately, but felt as if his soul was being gripped by the python, and his arms were completely out of his control.

"Such a fine physical body, it would be such a pity to destroy it."

"Senior Sikong!"

Xu Guanfu's eyes were filled with a deep-seated fear, and he said in a trembling voice:

"I am also a righteous person. You were once taught by Saint Ye that if you were to capture righteous cultivators to make puppets..."

Sikong Tianyuan leaned on his cane, speaking earnestly:
"The prejudices of the world are truly deeply ingrained. As the dignified leader of the Gu Poison Sect, why would I care about a few puppet brats? With your meager skills, even if you were to follow me, who could you possibly deal with?"

"..."

Xu Guanfu grew up in the Daqian Dynasty and his impression of Sikong Tianyuan was that of a ruthless witch doctor.

Upon hearing this, he thought about it carefully and realized it made sense.

Sikong Tianyuan's opponents are the leaders of various sects. Even with his 'Seven Heroes Puppet', how many of Wei Wuyi's attacks can he withstand?

Even if the sect leader ignores this broken puppet, who can he kill?

Thinking of this, a glimmer of hope appeared in Xu Guanfu's eyes:

"What does Senior Sikong mean?"

"Your physique is robust, and the Gu worms nurtured by your life essence are enough to poison the leaders of major sects."

"?"

This is worse than becoming a puppet...

Xu Guanfu's face was so dark that it was impossible to see clearly, but he was indeed deathly pale.

"Senior Sikong! Capture righteous cultivators to raise Gu poison..."

Sikong Tianyuan shook his head:

"You colluded with pirates to ambush and kill countless demon-slaying heroes of the righteous path, renowned throughout the Great Qian Dynasty. Do you even deserve to call yourself 'righteous'? I'll hand you over to the Great Qian Dynasty. Do you think you'll live or die?"

"..."

Xu Guanfu was speechless for a moment, but then his brows furrowed:
"You orchestrated this? You knew everything?"

Sikong Tianyuan stroked his cane, his demeanor calm and composed.
“This kid is a threat. He has ruined a lot of my plans. Although the impact is not significant, we are still proceeding according to our original plan. However, if we do not nip this kid in the bud, he may still cause trouble.”

"I originally thought that with you two top-tier martial artists, Yan Lang, and Jiang Qizi lurking behind, Xie Jinhuan would have no chance of survival. But I never expected that you two pieces of trash would be made fools of by a mere brat and actually go to kill Lü Yan..."

?

Xu Guanfu felt that this old dog was truly vicious. The moment he stepped out of the Great Qian Dynasty, he was already cannon fodder to take the blame. At this moment, resentment appeared in his eyes:

"How did you know where Xie Jinhuan and I were?"

Sikong Tianyuan responded calmly:

"Sanjiangkou City is tiny; you can see everything at a glance. After you settled in the county town, Liang Yue of the Black Yan Gang repeatedly sought to have secret talks with you; then Liang Yue was followed by Bu Yuehua; and Bu Yuehua made contact with Xie Jinhuan."

"After it was over, Liang Yue left with you, while Bu Yuehua left by boat with Xie Jinhuan. Xie Jinhuan had just returned to the capital when he disappeared without a trace."

"The Black Yan Gang and Bu Yuehua have been investigating the Phoenix Mausoleum in the Southern Frontier for nearly a year, and the opportunity has indeed arisen. I can guess where you'll go next; it'll be difficult."

Xu Guanfu looked incredulous and asked in return:
Were you also at the confluence of the three rivers at that time?

"The scene was so grand, and I just happened to be watching the spectacle from the shadows."

"With your level of skill, why go to such great lengths? Wouldn't it be easy for you to assassinate this boy yourself?"

Sikong Tianyuan shook his head and looked up at the sky:
"What people do is seen by Heaven. On this path of cultivation, one must never treat others as children, especially when dealing with such extraordinary talents."

"For example, right now, you think you can do whatever you want, but you've met Lü Yan; Lü Yan thinks he can do whatever he wants, but he didn't expect me to be watching from behind the scenes; I think I have no rivals in this southern border region, but who knows if there's an old demon behind me secretly protecting this kid?"

"Even if this child has no protector, with his 'divine assistance' and unorthodox background, I cannot guarantee that this news will not reach outsiders' ears."

"If you get involved, you might win a hundred times, but if you lose once, you'll die. If you don't get involved, you'll have a second and a third round, and you'll eventually win."

"..."

Upon hearing these words, Xu Guanfu knew he had no chance of survival. He gritted his teeth, wanting to take a bite as he lay dying, but he couldn't even struggle.

Sikong Tianyuan raised his dragon-shaped staff and pointed it at Xu Guanfu below:

"I have already let you die knowing why, why bother struggling in vain?"

bang~
A muffled sound!
Xu Guanfu did not see the energy dissipate, but a soul-shattering impact, like a mountain collapsing, struck his brow, plunging him into darkness...

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If you want OR2
(End of this chapter)