Hong Lei shook his head. "The popular rumor is that Qiu Jiande, the Manor Master of Qiushui Manor, has reached Gang Qi Minor Achievement. That’s clearly false information. I don’t know much about Qiushui Manor either. We should all act as if we know nothing."
Gao Lin nodded. "Junior Brother Hong Lei is right. Qiushui Manor has always remained hidden. We can’t judge them based on old information.
According to my discussion with Cui Mingchong, we’re responsible for encircling them from the north. If we happen to run into anyone from Qiushui Manor along the way, we’ll take them out silently if we can. If we alert the enemy, send a signal to the others immediately."
After giving his instructions, he led Xu Yang and the others to the north side of Qiushui Manor. Estimating that the other teams were already in position, the group began to ascend the mountain.
Gao Lin had the highest cultivation, having reached Marrow Cleansing Great Success. He took the lead, with Xu Yang and the others fanning out to his sides and rear.
Zhu Yuan and the others were somewhat excited, fantasizing about taking a few heads to exchange for Elixirs for Muscle and Marrow Cleansing cultivation when they returned.
The group slowly crept halfway up the mountain without encountering anyone from Qiushui Manor.
"Enemy attack!"
Suddenly, a loud roar echoed across the sky, followed by a BOOM as a massive firework exploded in the heavens.
Gao Lin’s expression changed. "Damn it, someone alerted the enemy! Move!"
With no time for anything else, he immediately used his Lightweight Skill and rushed toward the summit. Soon, the sounds of battle cries reached their ears.
"Pick up the pace!"
Gao Lin was burning with anxiety, but he couldn’t just abandon Xu Yang and the others.
After a few more leaps, the terrain suddenly opened up. A vermilion courtyard wall, over two meters high, appeared before them. The branches of ancient trees stretched out from within, and the sounds of running could be heard from inside.
"It’s the Purple Sun Sect! We’ve been discovered! Fight our way out!"
"Damn it, how did the Purple Sun Sect find this place?"
Frustrated and furious roars came from within the large courtyard.
"So it really is a Blood Lotus Sect stronghold!"
Xu Yang’s eyes narrowed. He recognized one of the voices. It belonged to the skinny man who had led the two attacks on the Earth Vein Fire Valley.
"Charge in! Don’t let a single one escape!"
A murderous aura surged from Gao Lin. Crimson Gang Qi emanated from his body, his presence crashing down like a tidal wave.
’This Senior Brother is the real deal.’
Xu Yang sensed Gao Lin’s aura and found it was far stronger than the two Blood Lotus Sect cultivators at Marrow Cleansing Great Success he had killed, giving him a strong sense of danger.
Gao Lin quickly reached the base of the wall and leaped up without hesitation.
Suddenly, the unexpected happened!
The moment he landed on the wall, a large hand, carrying the Force of a landslide, smashed through the air toward him, creating a sound like muffled thunder.
"Not good!"
Gao Lin’s expression changed drastically. Fortunately, he was already on guard and threw a Palm strike straight out.
"BOOM!"
The two palms collided with a clang like striking iron. The turbulent Force swept out, and the two-meter-high courtyard wall instantly cracked and collapsed.
Gao Lin grunted, flying backward through the air.
"Senior Brother Gao!"
The faces of Zhu Yuan and Hong Lei paled. Without even getting a clear look at what was behind the wall, they blasted their Gang Qi through the air.
"Break through here!"
A roar came from behind the wall. A figure with disheveled hair shattered the Gang Qi blasts from Zhu Yuan and the others, then charged out from behind the collapsed wall. His powerful aura dispersed the dust and smoke. Three or four people followed close behind him.
"Kill them all before we leave!" the disheveled figure roared, his eyes shooting out two beams of crimson light as he strode toward Hong Lei, who was at the front.
Hong Lei’s face drained of color. This man had sent Gao Lin flying with a single Palm. Even though it was a sneak attack, it was enough to prove his terrifying strength.
"Junior Brother Hong Lei, fall back!"
At that moment, Gao Lin charged back into the fray. With a crisp hum like a dragon’s cry, the Treasure Saber on his back was unsheathed. A sharp stream of Sword Qi, like a crimson waterfall, slashed down at the disheveled figure.
Hong Lei scrambled back in a panic.
"A Half-Spirit Weapon?"
The disheveled man grinned, a bloody light erupting from his body. His violent aura was like a volcanic eruption.
The joints all over his body crackled as he stepped forward and threw a punch, intending to block the Sword Qi from Gao Lin’s Half-Spirit Weapon with his bare flesh.
"Kill!"
At the same time, the Blood Lotus Sect disciples behind the man also sprang into action. Following the disheveled man, they shot out from the gap in the wall and charged toward Xu Yang and the others, truly intending to kill them all before leaving.
’Idiots. Li Ye is insane. I’m not going to go crazy with you all.’ Zhang Sai was also in this group, but he only wanted to escape, not fight the Purple Sun Sect disciples.
Li Ye was a battle-hungry warrior with immense power; he could escape at any time if things went wrong. Zhang Sai had no such ability.
Taking advantage of his companions drawing the attention of the Purple Sun Sect disciples, his figure dashed off in an empty direction.
"WHOOSH!"
Suddenly, the sound of something cutting through the air reached his ears. Zhang Sai’s eyelids twitched and he stopped abruptly, just as a golden beam of Finger Force shot past his face and pierced through the nearby wall.
"Trying to escape?"
A familiar voice rang out. Zhang Sai looked over and saw Xu Yang pouncing from the side like an agile cheetah, his approach stirring up a fierce wind.
"Xu Yang, you bastard!" Zhang Sai was both shocked and enraged.
No one else had paid him any mind, but Xu Yang had been watching him intently.
"You bastard, you’ve led attacks that killed so many of my fellow disciples from the Purple Sun Sect. Today, you will pay with your life."
A tyrannical aura emanated from Xu Yang as he frantically channeled Force into his palms.
Fuyue Bear King’s Palm!
No probing, no holding back. ’Since I can’t hide my cultivation today,’ he thought, ’I might as well kill a few more people and earn some more contribution points.’
"Bastard!" Zhang Sai cursed.
’How dare you say something like that? You were always the first one to flee!’
To be honest, during the two attacks on the Earth Vein Fire Valley, if Xu Yang hadn’t been the first to run, they might have had to sacrifice a few more people to complete their mission.
Of course, if Xu Yang hadn’t run, he would have died long ago.
"BANG! BANG..."
Before Xu Yang even arrived, the wall behind Zhang Sai had already begun to crack from the pressure. Plaster crumbled away, revealing the green stone bricks within.
Facing the mountain-like pressure, Zhang Sai could only grit his teeth, raise his hand to counterattack, and blast out all the Gang Qi he could muster.
He hadn’t forgotten the sight of Xu Yang nearly killing Li Shao with a single move, but right now, he could only grit his teeth and face the attack head-on.
"BOOM!"
The palms collided. The golden Gang Qi was like a destructive force, scattering the crimson Gang Qi and pouring out madly.
With a CRACK, Zhang Sai’s entire arm exploded into several pieces, flesh and blood flying everywhere.
He was utterly no match!
His strength was merely on par with Li Shao’s. A month ago, Xu Yang could nearly kill Li Shao in one move. After a month of cultivation in Tianfeng Valley, Xu Yang’s strength had grown far greater than when he fought Li Shao.
"Ah!"
Letting out a hurried scream, Zhang Sai spat out a large mouthful of blood as his body flew backward and embedded itself into the wall.
"The Blood Lotus Sect will kill you sooner or later..."
Xu Yang couldn’t be bothered to listen to his nonsense. He pointed a finger, and a golden beam of Finger Force shot out.
"PSHH!"
A finger-sized bloody hole appeared in Zhang Sai’s throat. His body twitched a few times, then fell from the wall and went still.
The chaotic battlefield, raging like a tide, fell silent for a moment. Everyone turned to look, utterly shocked.
The fight had just begun, yet someone was already dead.
"Zhang Sai!" The Blood Lotus Sect members saw Zhang Sai lying on the ground like a dead dog, one arm gone, and their eyes nearly split with rage.
"It’s Xu Yang! That bastard has already killed several of our Blood Lotus Sect brothers!"
Xu Yang had clashed with them several times before. Someone recognized him, their eyes practically spitting fire.
"Xu Yang has reached Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement?"
Zhu Yuan and the others were completely stunned!
On the Ten Heroes List, half the members had yet to reach Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement. How could he, someone not even on the list, have achieved it? How was this possible?
But Xu Yang’s aura told them that he had indeed reached Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement. Moreover, he had killed a Blood Lotus Sect disciple, also at Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement, in a single exchange.
’This junior brother we never paid much attention to has quietly reached Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement?’
’If I’d known, I would have built a better relationship with him before. We’re all disciples under the same master, yet we have no real connection.’
"Junior Brother Xu, well done!" Gao Lin shouted, his face also filled with shock.
Now at Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement, Xu Yang’s talent could, at the very least, rank him sixth on the Ten Heroes List—possibly even fifth or higher.
One had to know that the top five on the Ten Heroes List either had powerful backgrounds or the full support of their masters. For Xu Yang to reach Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement at this time on his own, it would be no exaggeration to say his talent was no weaker than that of the number one, Jiang Fan.
If he had the background and resources of people like Jiang Fan and Li Chuyang, who would dare say Xu Yang’s cultivation speed would be any slower than theirs?