He began his journey to becoming a true immortal by causing others to fail their tribulations.

The voice from within the black mist was first shocked, then filled with ecstatic joy.

Although I don't know why the other person's emotions changed so much, it must be related to the mysterious leaf.

However, after absorbing the blood light, the mysterious leaf returned to its spatial ring, and Xun Yan was unable to discern any changes in it.

And now is not the time to do such a thing.

The black mist twisted and shrank rapidly, then expanded rapidly again, like a balloon being inflated.

boom--

With a deafening explosion, the black mist burst open, and another beam of blood shot out from it.

But this time, the blood-red light wasn't attacking; instead, it seemed to be fleeing for its life, flying off in another direction.

Regardless of whether Xue Guang was trying to escape or had other plans, Xun Yan understood that he absolutely could not just stand by and watch.

He made a hand seal with his right hand, then extended his sword finger and stabbed at the blood-red light.

A bolt of deep purple lightning struck down, but it only grazed the edge of the bloody light and failed to hit it squarely.

The blood-red light disappeared into a ripple, vanishing without a trace, as if it had teleported.

As the blood-red light disappeared, the black mist also vanished rapidly, as if it had never existed.

Although the enemy had disappeared, Xun Yan was not overly excited; instead, he frowned slightly.

"Did it just run away? It seems it paid a considerable price to run that fast, but I still have a feeling that thing still has a fighting chance."

It ran away without even fighting to the death, so it probably wasn't just trying to escape. After seeing the mysterious leaf, it even said it had found it.

Does it know the leaf's secret? Judging from what just happened, the leaf seems to be somewhat restraining it.

The problem is, I don't know what it is, let alone the effects of its leaves. This escape route has also broken the trail of clues and answers.

The only certainty is that if that thing survives, it will definitely come back, and who knows if it will be a fierce battle then.

Just as Xun Yan was pondering, his battle, the power of the tribulation lightning, and Ding Yuan's death and dissipation were all factors.

The illusion array eventually gave way and shattered with a crashing sound like glass hitting the ground.

The trapped Liu Kou and the others rushed out in a hurry. When they arrived at Xun Yan's side, everyone was injured, even Liu Kou.

Looking at his slightly disheveled self, and then seeing Xun Yan completely unharmed, Liu Kou sighed inwardly:

"As expected of an inner disciple of the Misty Sect, even though he's only at the Foundation Establishment stage, his combat power far exceeds expectations. And this is just an ordinary outer disciple."

If they were the direct disciples, they probably could still easily defeat me even if we were a whole realm apart... I'd better just stay a subsidiary sect of the Misty Sect!

"It's good to rest in the shade of a big tree, what's wrong with that?"

After expressing his surprise, Liu Kou quickly asked, "Fellow Daoist, are you alright?"

Xun Yan said calmly, "I'm fine, Ding Yuan is dead."

Upon hearing Xun Yan's words, Liu Kou turned to look at Ding Yuan.

Although he was trapped in the illusion array and injured, Ding Yuan also stole the pills, almost causing the Feather Pill Sect to lose the protection of the Misty Sect.

However, seeing his comrade-in-arms, who had fought alongside him for many years, turn into a withered corpse, Liu Kou still felt somewhat sad.

He sighed and then said:

"This is his own fault, he has no one to blame but himself. I should thank you for your help, fellow Daoist. If it weren't for you, we would all likely have suffered serious injuries."

Upon hearing this, the others nodded with their last bit of strength, some even ignoring the blood trickling from the corners of their mouths.

Then Xun Yan spoke again:

"Go quickly and retrieve his storage items, lest they be destroyed by the tribulation lightning."

Also, be careful; the beads he's holding could very well be a magical artifact used by a heretical cultivator.

Upon hearing the words "heretical cultivators," Liu Kou and the others were all shocked.

As Liu Kou released his spiritual power to retrieve the object from afar, he didn't forget to explain, "Fellow Daoist, I truly knew nothing about this matter. Please investigate thoroughly."

If Xun Yan and the Misty Sect misunderstand that they are related to evil cultivators...

Then it's not a question of whether or not one can get the protection of the Misty Sect, but whether or not one can withstand the wrath of the Misty Sect.

The answer is obvious: they cannot withstand it and will be burned to ashes, disappearing completely from the Spirit Sea Continent.

"I know, don't worry, I'll explain for you. But I suggest you do your own investigation to avoid anyone being misled," Xun Yan said.

"Thank you, fellow Daoist. I will investigate personally," Liu Kou said gratefully.

With Xun Yan's help in explaining, they would undoubtedly be much safer.

But precisely because of this, he must be rigorous when conducting internal self-examinations, and cannot be careless or lenient in any way.

Otherwise, utter destruction will ensue!

After taking Ding Yuan's storage bag remotely, Liu Kou first inspected it.

After confirming there was no danger, he handed it to Xun Yan, saying, "Fellow Daoist, would you like to check it?"

"Alright." Xun Yan nodded and took the storage bag.

The inspection was just a nice-sounding excuse; everyone could see that Liu Kou was actually giving gifts.

Even if the contents aren't particularly valuable, at least it demonstrates a sufficiently humble attitude.

Besides Ding Yuan's own belongings, the storage bag contained the pills he had stolen.

These pills were not contaminated or damaged in any way and can be taken back and used normally.

There were also some low-grade spirit stones, which just goes to show that Yu Dan Sect was ultimately just a small sect.

Even though Ding Yuan is the Grand Elder of the Feather Pill Sect, he is probably not as wealthy as an outer disciple of the Misty Sect.

With a flick of his wrist, Xun Yan produced a black jade plaque in his hand.

"These are the cultivation techniques and spells of evil cultivators, and they must be destroyed." As soon as he finished speaking, Xun Yan flicked his hand, and the jade tablet landed on Ding Yuan's corpse.

Just then, another bolt of tribulation lightning struck down.

Not only did it cleave Ding Yuan's corpse into dust, but it also turned the jade pendant and the beads he had taken out earlier into powder.

Watching Ding Yuan being reduced to ashes, Liu Kou felt no pity this time, but rather a sense of satisfaction.

Stealing is one thing, but to be bewitched by evil cultivators is another. Everything Ding Yuan does is pushing himself and the entire Yu Dan Sect into the abyss.

Even if such a person were to die a gruesome death, he still felt that the other party had gotten off too easily.

At the same time, a system notification sounded in Xun Yan's mind:

[The host has successfully disrupted Ding Yuan's tribulation, causing his death and the dissipation of his spiritual essence.]

Overall rating: Grade B.

[A Spirit Tower Mystic Pill is awarded to the host.]

[Spirit Tower Mystic Pill - Consuming this pill has a chance to upgrade the Spirit Tower's rank. Even if it doesn't upgrade, it will still increase the Spirit Tower's strength, laying a solid foundation for the future.]

Upon seeing this reward, Xun Yan's eyes lit up.

Although it is a pill with a probability of success, if it succeeds, his aptitude will be qualitatively improved!