Starting as a Grandmaster, all of my cultivation techniques are at max level.

Xia Jin looked at the Hall of Wrathful Souls engulfed in raging flames, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"That fire burned really well."

A few breaths later, Shen Jinghan put away his smug smile and his expression gradually became serious.

He turned to look at Xia Jin and said in a deep voice:

"Let's go, Junior Brother Xia."

"Although we managed to cause some trouble for the Hall of Wrathful Souls this time, given their strength, this loss is not enough to cripple them."

"The reason why the Hall of Wrathful Souls has been able to stand in Pingyang County for so many years is not just because of a single mountain gate. Their foundation is far deeper than we can see."

"Burning down these houses will at most make them lose face; their real strength won't be significantly diminished. If they stay here, it will be difficult for them to leave once those bastards find out."

Xia Jin nodded.

He certainly understood what Shen Jinghan meant.

Although the self-destruction of my avatar caused some trouble for that cripple, it was impossible for it to seriously injure him.

At most, it will only make the other party look a little embarrassed.

Not to mention the Lord of the Hall of Wrathful Souls, even those elders at the Dragon Transformation Realm are beings he cannot contend with at present, unless he is willing to expose the incomplete Eastern Emperor Bell in his sea of ​​consciousness.

But this is absolutely not what he wants right now.

Thinking of this, Xia Jin raised her head, her gaze passing over the sea of ​​fire and landing on the direction outside the gate of the Hall of Wrathful Souls.

A gaunt figure was rapidly approaching from a distance.

It was that lame old man.

However, at this moment, his turbid eyes were burning with rage as he looked at the Hall of Wrathful Souls engulfed in flames, and his whole being exuded a chilling killing intent.

"The Hall of Wrathful Souls!! Bastards!"

"ah!!!"

He let out an angry roar and slammed his palm down, smashing a huge rock several meters high next to him to pieces.

Pebbles flew everywhere, and dust billowed.

The disciples of the Wrathful Soul Hall who were still desperately trying to put out the fire were terrified when they saw their elder so furious. They knelt on the ground, trembling with fear.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!!!"

The lame old man glared at his disciples, his voice icy cold.

"So many people, and you actually let someone burn down your sect?! What were you all doing?!"

No one dared to answer.

Everyone kept their heads down, not daring to breathe.

The lame old man took a few deep breaths, forcibly suppressing the anger in his heart, and turned to look at the still burning purple flames.

His brows gradually furrowed.

This flame...

not simple.

With his knowledge, he could naturally see the strangeness of this purple spiritual flame.

"Good, very good..."

"The Wrathful Soul Palace will remember this debt. There will be a long day to come; once we find out who did this, the Wrathful Soul Palace will not let you off the hook!!"

......

Xia Jin stared coldly at the angry, lame old man, a hint of icy glint in her eyes.

"You cripple, wait until I advance to the Dragon Transformation Realm, then I'll come back for revenge."

"Let's go, Junior Brother Xia. It's time to go back." Shen Jinghan, who was standing to the side, withdrew his gaze and patted Xia Jin on the shoulder.

Xia Jin nodded, turned around and followed Shen Jinghan, the two figures disappearing silently into the night.

......

Three days later.

Yunshang Academy is located in the back mountain of the Yunyuan lineage.

In the pavilion on the back mountain, Xiao Xuan was leaning against a pillar, holding a gourd of wine in his hand, taking sips from time to time.

He seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood today; his face, which usually carried a hint of laziness, was now full of smiles.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad." Xiao Xuan picked up his wine gourd, took a swig, and then waved it at the two of them. "You two did a very good job."

As he spoke, he gave the two of them a thumbs up, a rather smug expression on his face.

"As expected of my disciple, he has the same demeanor as his master back then!"

After Shen Jinghan sat down beside him, the smile on his face gradually faded, and he said seriously, "Master, although we burned down the Hall of Wrathful Souls, we did not seriously damage it."

"Ultimately, our trip only caused the Hall of Wrathful Souls some trouble and burned down some insignificant buildings. What truly damaged their foundation..."

He shook his head.

However, Xiao Xuan raised his hand to stop him from continuing.

"etc."

Xiao Xuan put down his wine gourd and looked at Shen Jinghan with a smile, as if he were looking at a disciple who had not yet come to his senses.

"Jinghan, you're mistaken about that."

Shen Jinghan was taken aback: "Master, where did I say something wrong?"

Xiao Xuan stood up, picked up two jugs of wine from the stone table, and threw one jug to each of them.

Shen Jinghan and Xia Jin each caught it.

"Take a sip first, and listen to what your teacher has to say."

Xiao Xuan sat down again, took a big gulp of wine, and then spoke slowly.

"Jing Han, your fire, though it couldn't cripple the Li Hun Palace, has put it in the presence of all the major powers in the five prefectures of Fengyuan Prefecture."

"The Wrathful Soul Palace has been entrenched in Pingyang County for so many years, rarely clashing openly with the major powers. But after this major reshuffle of sects, it has begun to show signs of restlessness. If our Yunshang Academy hadn't discovered it early, it would probably have targeted the forces in our counties sooner or later."

"But you've set this fire so conspicuously. Do you think the forces in the other prefectures won't focus their attention on their Wrathful Soul Palace?"

"By then, it won't be easy for them to sneak around and do anything underhanded. Because everyone's eyes will be on them without them even realizing it."

Hearing this, Xia Jin couldn't help but nod secretly.

Master is right.

Shen Jinghan's act of setting fire to the place effectively forced the Hall of Wrathful Souls into the open.

"Furthermore," Xiao Xuan changed the subject, his gaze falling on Xia Jin, "you two are quite remarkable, actually pushing those 'Thirteen Bandits' to the front of the Wrathful Soul Hall, causing a conflict between them."

"This tactic of using someone else to do the dirty work is brilliant."

Shen Jinghan sighed, saying with some regret, "Master, it's a pity that although the Thirteen Bandits are strong, they are ultimately no match for the Wrathful Soul Hall. The power of the Wrathful Soul Hall is simply beyond the Thirteen Bandits' ability to contend with. At most, they can only cause some trouble for the Wrathful Soul Hall. I estimate that in a few days, the Thirteen Bandits will be completely wiped out."

He finished speaking with a hint of resentment on his face.

However, Xiao Xuan laughed, pointed at Shen Jinghan, and shook his head.

"You underestimate those thirteen bandits."

Upon hearing this, not only did Xia Jin frown, but Shen Jinghan, who had just taken a sip of wine, was also taken aback: "Master, what do you mean by that?"

Xiao Xuan sneered.

"However, this is not your fault. After all, you are still young and do not know enough about some of the secrets of Fengyuan Prefecture. There are some secrets that only a few of us old folks probably know."

Upon hearing this, Xia Jin immediately became interested.

He put down the wine pot and stared intently at Xiao Xuan.

Shen Jinghan eagerly moved closer, his eyes shining.

"Master, could it be that these thirteen bandits have some powerful backer behind them?"

"That's right!!" Xiao Xuan nodded slowly. "The leader of the Thirteen Bandits has quite a background."

"This man's name is Jiang Yan, but unfortunately, very few people know him."

"Jiang Yan?" Xia Jin and Shen Jinghan exchanged a glance and almost simultaneously memorized the name.

Xiao Xuan glanced at the two of them and continued:

"This Jiang Yan was not some bandit back then. He was the personal disciple of a top expert in Fengyuan Prefecture. He was extremely talented and had already reached the Dragon Transformation Realm at a young age. He was hailed as the disciple of that expert with the best chance of breaking through to the Great Power Realm."

"Unfortunately..."

Xiao Xuan shook his head, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.