The black Gang Qi scattered. Qian Kuan was dead beyond a doubt.
Snatching up the Beast Hide Bag from the ground, Xu Yang wasted no time. He hoisted Qian Kuan’s corpse and dashed off into the distance.
He ran wildly for half an hour until he came across a bottomless cave, where he tossed the already-looted corpse.
He began to circle around the Fire Valley. After about fifteen minutes, he stopped in a secluded spot.
"So much Spirit Iron!"
He opened the Beast Hide Bag and saw it was packed with fifteen or twenty pieces of Spirit Iron, large and small. They were all fully refined. Judging by the quantity, it was enough to forge two Spiritual Soldiers.
’The Blood Lotus Sect really did all the hard work for me this time. But my cultivation level was exposed; this is going to be trouble.’
He had no intention of handing this Spirit Iron over. He’d snatched it from the hands of a Blood Lotus Sect Demon, so it was his by right.
’This is good stuff, truly priceless. But I can’t use it or sell it for now. I’ll have to wait until I learn how to forge Spiritual Soldiers.’
’And a Half-Spirit Weapon!’
’The blade on Qian Kuan’s back was also a Half-Spirit Weapon. He wasn’t sure if it belonged to Qian Kuan or if it was spoils taken from Third or Fourth Senior Brother. Either way, he couldn’t let it be seen for now.’
’If he hadn’t killed Qian Kuan in a sneak attack, it would have been a grueling battle.’
After finding a secluded but memorable spot, Xu Yang dug a deep pit and buried the Spirit Iron and the Half-Spirit Weapon, planning to retrieve them later.
Next, he made himself look disheveled. He even gritted his teeth and struck himself with his own palm, circulating his energy to force blood up from his throat and out of his mouth.
Just as he finished, the sound of an exploding signal flare echoed from the direction of Earth Vein Fire Valley.
He didn’t rush over. He checked the silver banknotes he had looted—about one thousand taels in total. Not a lot.
He couldn’t identify the Elixir in the small bottle.
BOOM!
Another explosion boomed from the direction of Earth Vein Fire Valley. Only then did he slowly get up and head toward the Fire Valley from a different direction.
’If everyone else is dead, then no one should know about my Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement. I’ll have to play it by ear.’
After walking for a short while, he heard the sound of whooshing through the woods, and two figures appeared before him.
"You’re actually alive!"
The newcomers were Lu Ren and Yang Song, the man who lived next door to him. Both were stunned to see Xu Yang was still alive.
When they had arrived at Earth Vein Fire Valley, they had seen bodies strewn everywhere and assumed everyone was dead.
Xu Yang’s face was pale, with a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth. He forced a bitter smile. "I almost didn’t make it."
Lu Ren’s gaze was cold. "Do you know which direction the Blood Lotus Sect members fled?"
Xu Yang shook his head. "I was being chased by an expert. I hid after I managed to lose him."
Lu Ren nodded. "Go back to Earth Vein Fire Valley on your own. We need to keep searching for the enemy’s trail. It’s safe there now."
Xu Yang asked in a low voice, "How many people survived?"
Yang Song sighed. "So far, it’s just you. Your Third and Fourth Senior Brothers, as well as Zhuang Tao, are all dead."
After parting ways with the two, Xu Yang hurried toward Earth Vein Fire Valley. From a distance, he saw Gao Lin sitting alone in the valley, his robes stained with blood.
Behind him was a row of neatly arranged corpses.
Xu Yang counted them. Twenty-three bodies in total. It meant that, apart from him, everyone was dead.
"Junior Brother Xu, it’s so good that you’re alive." Seeing Xu Yang, Gao Lin forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace.
Twenty-three. Twenty-three people dead. If not for Xu Yang, it would have been a complete wipeout.
Besides the twenty-three lives, all the Spirit Iron used as bait was also taken away. The Purple Sun Sect had suffered a devastating loss.
"Are your injuries serious?"
Xu Yang shook his head. "I’ll be fine with a few days’ rest. Senior Brother Gao, how did it turn out like this?"
Gao Lin gave a bitter smile. "My master and I were actually hiding nearby. We rushed over the moment we saw your signal, but unfortunately, the Blood Lotus Sect saw through our entire plan. They brought a Lotus Envoy at the Celestial Essence Realm."
Xu Yang was speechless. ’To the Blood Lotus Sect, the Purple Sun Sect must be as full of holes as a sieve. Elder Huoyun’s plan was easily uncovered, and so many people died because of it.’
’Lotus Envoy!’
He recalled something. When the Black-robed Blood Envoy at Marrow Cleansing Great Success had appeared, someone else had mentioned that he, Xu Yang, was a target the Lotus Envoy had specifically ordered to be killed.
"What about your master? Is he alright? Did he manage to kill that Lotus Envoy?" Xu Yang asked with concern.
Gao Lin shook his head. "A Lotus Envoy isn’t so easy to kill. Master was injured and has already returned to the Sect to recuperate."
Xu Yang was shocked. ’The Lotus Envoy is that powerful? Powerful enough to injure even Elder Huoyun?’
The two spoke for a while longer before Gao Lin said, "Junior Brother Xu, walk me through what happened here in detail. I need to report it to the Sect when I return."
Xu Yang’s heart sank as he realized the implications.
’Out of twenty-four people, he was the only survivor. Third and Fourth Senior Brother, both at Marrow Cleansing Great Success, were dead. Yet he, who had just entered the Marrow Cleansing stage, had survived. He could easily be accused of colluding with the Blood Lotus Sect.’
"The first to be attacked were Third and Fourth Senior Brother, who were in hiding. Senior Brother Zhuang Tao and I heard the sounds of fighting and ran out from the Fire Cave. A group of enemies quickly appeared and engaged us."
Xu Yang recounted the events, sticking to the truth except for the details about his own cultivation. "I managed to kill one of their experts and thought I might be able to turn the tide. But then another expert appeared, and I was no match for him.
"Reinforcements were late to arrive, and around that time, Fourth Senior Brother was grievously wounded. Senior Brother Zhuang Tao and I decided to break through their lines and flee for our lives."