Lotus Envoy!
Li Shao’s expression changed drastically. He shouted, "It’s the Lotus Envoy! Brothers, come out and pay your respects to the Lotus Envoy!"
As he spoke, he and Zhang Sai, who was beside him, hurried forward and knelt, forming the Lotus Seal with their hands. "We respectfully welcome the Lotus Envoy."
"Rise. You’ve done well this time. All due rewards will be distributed shortly." A hoarse voice emanated from beneath the black hood.
"This is all thanks to the Lotus Envoy’s great leadership. We dare not take the credit."
Li Shao and Zhang Sai were secretly overjoyed, but they didn’t dare claim any credit out loud.
"Lotus Envoy, please look. These are the supplies we’ve seized from the Purple Sun Sect during this time. They are quite valuable," Li Shao said, pointing to several iron chests.
The Lotus Envoy nodded. "Take the items away!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several ghost-like figures drifted out from behind him, shouldered the iron chests, and vanished in an instant.
"There is one more mission for you to complete. Once it is done, you may leave," the Lotus Envoy’s hoarse voice announced.
"Please give us your orders, Envoy. We would give our lives for the Holy Sect," Li Shao said in a deep voice.
’Looks like avenging my brother by killing Xu Yang will have to be delayed again.’
"The Purple Sun Sect has begun to counterattack. They’ve set a trap in the Earth Vein Fire Valley using a batch of Spirit Iron and some of their geniuses. The Holy Sect has decided to turn their own scheme against them. You are to go there, kill the Purple Sun Sect disciples, and take the Spirit Iron.
Rest assured, it won’t just be the few of you. You will have experts to assist you."
The Lotus Envoy’s voice carried a hint of coldness. Immediately after, three figures cloaked in black robes stepped out from behind him. The aura of Marrow Cleansing Great Success was so oppressive that Li Shao and Zhang Sai were forced to retreat uncomfortably.
But Zhang Sai knew that if a Celestial Essence Strong Person from the Purple Sun Sect made a move, it wouldn’t matter how many Marrow Cleansing Great Success experts they sent.
"If I may ask the Lotus Envoy, how should we respond if a Celestial Essence Strong Person from the Purple Sun Sect takes action?"
From beneath the black hood, the Lotus Envoy’s voice replied, "Do not worry. Someone will intercept their Celestial Essence Strong Person. I will also intervene if necessary. You only need to kill the people in the Earth Vein Fire Valley and take the Spirit Iron. You don’t need to concern yourselves with anything else."
Hearing this, Zhang Sai finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Li Shao asked, "If I may ask the Lotus Envoy, have you determined who they have stationed in the Earth Vein Fire Valley?"
The Lotus Envoy said, "This matter is still being handled by our people in the Fire Cloud Lineage. The two people out in the open are Xu Yang, who has just entered the Marrow Cleansing realm, and Zhuang Tao, who is at Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement. According to the intel from our spy, the ones in hiding should be the third and fourth disciples of the Fire Cloud Lineage."
Xu Yang!
A murderous intent erupted in Li Shao’s eyes. He couldn’t hear a word of what was said next. All he needed to know was that Xu Yang was also in the Earth Vein Fire Valley; he didn’t care about anything else.
"You will follow the orders of these three. Remember, Xu Yang and that genius, Qiao Yong, the first of the Ten Heroes—both of them must die!"
The Lotus Envoy pointed to the three black-robed figures. The next moment, his form abruptly dissolved into an afterimage and vanished without a trace, as if he had never been there at all.
...
Time passed. In the blink of an eye, ten days had gone by in the Earth Vein Fire Valley, but the people from the Blood Lotus Sect had not appeared.
Xu Yang didn’t dare to let his guard down. He knew that the longer he waited, the more dangerous it would become.
The Blood Lotus Sect wouldn’t strike too early. They would wait until the Spirit Iron was nearly refined before showing up, allowing them to take the purified Spirit Iron directly.
"Brother Xu, could I trouble you for three Ice Spirit Pills and three Vein-Protecting Pills?"
An Outer Disciple walked up and bought six elixirs from Xu Yang.
A short while later, Zhuang Tao appeared and collected the silver banknotes.
Selling the Ice Spirit Pills and Vein-Protecting Pills was supposed to be a shared responsibility between him and Xu Yang. But from the very first day, Zhuang Tao had acted as a hands-off boss, dumping the entire job of selling the elixirs onto Xu Yang while he went back to his room to sleep or cultivate.
And whenever Xu Yang made any money, Zhuang Tao would take it, using the excuse that his own cultivation was higher, making it safer for him to hold onto the funds.
"Junior Brother Xu, thanks for bearing with me these past few days. I’ll treat you to a meal when we get back to the Sect," Zhuang Tao said with a grin.
’It was just empty talk, anyway; a few words cost nothing. Once the money was divided, it wasn’t like Xu Yang could actually drag him out for that meal.’
"We’re all fellow disciples, Senior Brother Zhuang. There’s no need to be so formal."
Xu Yang smiled and continued to sit in the valley, waiting for the Outer Disciples to come buy elixirs.
Soon, the day passed. The Outer Disciples retired to their stone huts to rest, while he and Zhuang Tao entered the Fire Cave to stand guard.
Night swallowed the land. The moon climbed above the treetops, and the entire valley fell silent.
Everyone was asleep; only Xu Yang remained awake.
He extended his five senses, blanketing the entire valley. In the darkness, two faint, almost imperceptible gazes were fixed upon it.
’Two gazes?’ Xu Yang’s pupils constricted.
The third and fourth senior brothers hiding in the shadows also took turns on night watch. Under normal circumstances, there should only be one gaze.
’Maybe one of them just hasn’t gone to sleep yet,’ Xu Yang thought. It wasn’t the first time that had happened.
But just as this thought arose, the gazes on the valley became three. A moment later, another was added, making it four, all carrying a chilling, sinister aura.
’The Blood Lotus Sect is here!’ Xu Yang’s scalp instantly went numb.
All the gazes fixed on the valley belonged to cultivators at the Marrow Cleansing Great Success level, and they brought with them an oppressive pressure.
There was no movement outside the valley, which meant that the third and fourth senior brothers hiding in the shadows hadn’t noticed the arrival of the Blood Lotus Sect.
A few breaths later, three of the gazes vanished, leaving only one.
He gripped the signal flare in his hand. But by the time the moon reached its zenith and Zhuang Tao got up to relieve him, the Blood Lotus Sect still hadn’t made a move.
’They’ll either strike in the second half of the night, or they’ll wait another day or two.’
Xu Yang didn’t alert Zhuang Tao. Since even the third and fourth senior brothers in hiding hadn’t noticed anything, Zhuang Tao probably wouldn’t believe him if he said something.