Huanghai Road.
Haitian Prefecture.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Urgent sounds of strong winds traversing the mountain forest continuously echoed.
Nearly thirty carriages sped by.
“Senior Brother, I heard this mission will provide us with good things from Southern Qi. I wonder what it will be?”
Gong Wei, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit at the front of the carriage, looked at Yuan Fang beside him and couldn’t help but ask.
He had only learned yesterday that this mission had such a benefit, and he immediately became interested.
Even his originally low spirits had lifted considerably.
At this moment, he had already fully recovered, but thinking of the various methods that person used back in Fulong City, he couldn't help but feel a sense of powerlessness. His inner arrogance had been completely extinguished this time.
“That’s right, it’s the heaven-bestowed spirit spring unique to Southern Qi. Master mentioned this heaven-bestowed spirit spring to me this time. It’s a Heaven And Earth Treasure produced from a place of creation within Southern Qi, which is extremely beneficial for cultivation, and even assists in Breakthrough to a Transforming Void Grandmaster.”
Yuan Fang said slowly with a slight smile on his face.
However, when he looked at his Junior Brother, he couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.
Throughout this journey, he had been quiet, spending most of his time cultivating in the carriage. Although he didn’t show it on his face, Yuan Fang could tell that the hardship he suffered at Lin Sheng’s hands this time had dealt a great blow to this Junior Brother, who had always been arrogant.
Fearing that his morale would be damaged and affect his future cultivation, he had just revealed this news.
“A Heaven And Earth Treasure that can even help with Breakthrough to Essence Transformation? There’s actually such a treasure within Southern Qi.”
Upon hearing this, Gong Wei’s face immediately lit up with joy, then he seemed to remember something and said in a deep voice.
“That’s great! If I get this treasure, it will definitely increase my strength greatly. By then, I might not be afraid of that guy…”
“Uh…”
Seeing Gong Wei like this, Yuan Fang couldn't help but rub his forehead.
Well, it had the opposite effect.
Fearing that the other party would cause more trouble after returning, Yuan Fang quickly spoke.
“Junior Brother, have you forgotten what Master told you? He told you not to seek trouble with Lin Sheng in the future, lest you bring trouble upon yourself. Moreover, this heaven-bestowed spirit spring isn’t just for us; Lin Sheng’s side also has it, and their share might even be more than ours…”
“What!!”
Gong Wei instantly clenched his fists and said somewhat excitedly, but soon he deflated like a punctured ball, letting out a heavy breath, and his originally high spirits plummeted again.
“Junior Brother, you don’t have to belittle yourself. Your talent is extremely high; you don’t need to be constrained by a temporary setback. Although your combat power might be slightly inferior to Lin Sheng’s now, the Martial Dao path never looks at the present but at the future. You are not far from Breakthrough to Divine Transformation Realm now, and once you Break through, your strength will definitely increase significantly, allowing you to fully unleash the Mad Tiger Devours Elephant Skill.”
Speaking of this, Yuan Fang paused, then continued.
“With the heaven-bestowed spirit spring this time, your cultivation speed will increase quite a bit. Perhaps by the time you Break through to a Transforming Void Grandmaster, that Lin Sheng will still be struggling in the Divine Form Realm.”
“You should know that the reason Lin Sheng possesses such combat power is most likely due to his cultivation of that Heavenly Serpent Bone Exchange secret art. You also know that secret art is a unique skill, and perhaps he hasn't even Broken through to Divine Form Realm and has already exhausted his vital energy due to that secret art.”
Yuan Fang rattled off a long string of words.
Gong Wei's originally low spirits immediately soared again. He clenched his fists, producing crisp cracking sounds from his bones, and nodded repeatedly with excitement.
“You’re right, Second Senior Brother. This is just an insignificant setback on my Martial Dao path. When I become a Grandmaster, perhaps all that person can do is look up to me. Thank you, Second Senior Brother. I’ll go cultivate now.”
After speaking, Gong Wei had already returned to his carriage and began to cultivate diligently.
Seeing Gong Wei regain hope, Yuan Fang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“This is my first time knowing that coaxing a child is so tiring. No wonder Master never had children. If it were me, I wouldn’t want any either.”
He mumbled to himself, then, thinking of his words just now, he shook his head slightly.
“Without even auxiliary medicine, he directly refined the Dragon Elephant Great Bone Pill, and even activated Dragon Elephant Power in one go. This is the first time I’ve seen such a pervert…”
Yuan Fang shook his head, maintaining a skeptical attitude about whether that guy would be dragged down by Heavenly Serpent Bone Exchange.
He gently patted the horse beneath him, speeding up to catch up to a majestic figure at the very front.
The figure was in his early 30s, walking barefoot at the front, with a strong physique over two meters tall, exuding a sense of explosive power in every movement.
This person was Luo Yin’s eldest Disciple, also his Senior Brother, Luo Lie.
He was originally an orphan, but later, by chance, he was taken in by Luo Yin. He possessed the Bloodline of a Split Mountain Elephant. Although his talent was slightly inferior to his and Gong Wei’s, he was steady-minded and devoted to Martial Arts. He was already a Divine Form Realm 5th Layer expert, and his combat power was no less than some of the seasoned Blazing Star Envoys in the organization.
At this moment, Luo Lie seemed to be on his way, but his eyes were tightly closed. The blood vessels on his entire body bulged, exuding a powerful and vigorous Qi and blood vitality.
“Senior Brother, are you still cultivating? You should rest. Didn’t Master say to balance work and rest?”
Yuan Fang walked forward and looked at his Senior Brother, who was still diligently cultivating while on the move, and couldn’t help but advise him.
“Second Junior Brother, Master said that with my talent, the chances of me Breaking through to Essence Transformation are not great. Naturally, I must put all my energy into cultivation, otherwise, wouldn’t I have even less of a chance?”
Luo Lie opened his eyes, a somewhat stiff smile on his face, and shook his head.
“That may be true, but you can’t always…”
Yuan Fang opened his mouth, about to say something, but only got halfway.
He saw Luo Lie’s expression change beside him, and he shouted.
“Junior Brother, be careful!!”
Before Yuan Fang could understand what was happening, the latter had already stepped forward.
Roar…
A muffled elephant trumpeting sound rang out, and Luo Lie punched out, sending the black blade that appeared like a ghost beside him flying with a single punch.
“People from the Prefecture Office!?”
At this moment, Yuan Fang had already reacted. Looking at the black-clad figure who had just launched a sneak attack, especially when he saw the familiar golden waist token hanging from his waist, his expression changed, and he shouted in a deep voice.
“Attack!”
The Divine Constable with the golden badge on his waist snorted coldly.
The next moment, dozens of figures rushed out from the mountain forest around the convoy, surrounding it.
Seeing this scene, whether it was Yuan Fang or Luo Lie, or the two accompanying Blazing Star Envoys, all their expressions changed slightly.
Because among these dozens of figures, there were no less than five Divine Constables of the Divine Form Realm alone, and besides the Divine Constables, there were also three strong figures clad in heavy armor, who were none other than Dragon Demon Army commanders, also Divine Form Realm experts.
A total of eight God-Form Martial Artists, three of whom were genuine Late Stage Divine Form Realm experts.
“Ah!”
At this moment, a scream suddenly echoed from the convoy. Yuan Fang looked up and saw a Blazing Star Envoy painfully clutching his throat, his eyes wide, filled with disbelief, slowly falling to the ground, his life force rapidly dissipating.
“Stone Rat!!”
Yuan Fang shouted. No one expected that in just one encounter, this Divine Form Realm 5th Layer Blazing Star Envoy had already been killed.
“Junior Brother, be careful!”
Luo Lie's angry roar sounded in his ears, and Yuan Fang immediately woke up. He felt all the hairs on his body stand on end, and a sense of deadly threat was rapidly approaching from his right side. Without thinking, he pulled out a blood-colored jade token from his waist and crushed it. A phantom of a blood-colored giant elephant emerged and stood beside him, blocking the attack.
With a bang, a loud explosion sounded beside him, and the giant elephant's phantom trembled slightly, becoming somewhat fainter.
"This is... a Yao Beast!!!"
At this moment, Yuan Fang finally saw clearly what had brought him the sense of deadly threat earlier.
It was a strange sea snake, just over a meter long and as thick as an arm.
Apparently, this was the culprit that had killed the stone rat in a single encounter earlier.
"Kill."
The God-Form Martial Artists had no intention of delaying. As the leading God-Form Martial Artist gave the command, everyone immediately prepared to act.
Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh...
However, at this moment, a series of urgent whooshing sounds suddenly rang out.
"Who's there!?"
The eyes of the God-Form Martial Artists narrowed slightly, and their movements paused.
The next moment, five figures appeared in the mountain forest.
"Eldest Young Master, Second Young Master..."
Six figures immediately landed among the convoy.
"Uncle Hong, Uncle Qing, Aunt Ning, why are you here!?"
The six figures were all Blazing Star Envoys from Fulong City, and the leading three were God-Form Martial Artists in the Late Stage. Qi Ning was also among them.
"Good thing we weren't late. Let's deal with these people first."
"Okay."
Yuan Fang and Luo Lie also understood that now was not the time to talk about these things. Immediately, everyone rushed to kill the surrounding people.
Amidst the shouts of battle, the two groups in the mountain forest fought in a chaotic melee.
After an incense stick's worth of time.
"Retreat!"
After leaving behind more than ten lives, seeing that their side could not gain an advantage, the leading God-Form Martial Artist reluctantly ordered a retreat.
Luo Lie and the others also had no intention of continuing the fierce battle. They simultaneously retreated into the mountain forest, found a secluded low mountain, dug a cave, placed all the carriages inside, and covered them well. After that, the group had no intention of staying and quickly disappeared into the mountain forest.
Half a day later, Shuibo County, East Sea Prefecture.
"What's going on? Uncle Hong, Aunt Ning, how did the people from the Prefectural Yamen find us?"
Inside a manor in the county.
Yuan Fang finally couldn't help but ask.
This attack was simply too sudden and dangerous.
If it weren't for the timely support, they might have all been lost.
"The news of this mission leaked. I don't know if there's an internal spy in the organization or if it's due to Southern Qi. If we hadn't received a message from my brother-in-law in time, the entire organization would have suffered heavy losses this time."
Qi Ning gasped for breath, shaking her head slightly and responding in a deep voice.
This time was too dangerous. Each mission route was handled by the organization's seed Geniuses. These seeds could be said to be the future of Dark Star. If anything really went wrong, it would definitely be a huge blow to Dark Star.
"How could that be? This mission was only known to some high-level officials above the Blazing Star Envoy. How could it have been leaked!?"
Yuan Fang frowned tightly, saying in a deep voice.
"So, if the problem isn't with us, then it's because of Southern Qi, or perhaps both. Dark Star Envoy will personally investigate this matter, and there will definitely be a result."
The Blazing Star Envoy named Red Wolf spoke coldly.
"Fortunately, this time we escaped danger. The other few routes are basically not within the Huanghai Road area, and with support, there shouldn't be any problems... It's just a pity about Stone Rat."
Yi Ye Qing interjected at this point.
"Wait, there's still one route in Huanghai Road, and it's even more dangerous as it's close to the front line. Who did the organization arrange to support it?"
At this moment, Qi Ning suddenly frowned slightly and asked.
"Aunt Ning, you mean the Yu Hai Pass side, that's the route Lin Sheng is responsible for."
Yuan Fang immediately reacted and replied.
"Don't worry, Thousand Faces, as soon as Lin Sheng received Master Luo Yin's message, I immediately reported it to Divine Lord. With Divine Lord's methods, he naturally wouldn't allow his Disciple to be in any danger, would he?"
Yi Ye Qing spoke carelessly.
"Did Divine Lord give any instructions? Who did he send to support? The only Great Masters in Fulong City are us. Did he send Great Masters from Huanghai Road?"
For some reason, Qi Ning always felt that something was wrong.
"Well, I heard that the Great Masters from Hanhai City seemed to have gone to support Master Yu Mian Chan's Disciple, and they are not in Huanghai Road."
Red Wolf shook his head and said.
"Then who will Divine Lord send? Could it be that Divine Lord himself made a move?"
Yi Ye Qing said subconsciously without feeling anything wrong.
However, Qi Ning's bad premonition grew stronger. She said to Yi Ye Qing in a deep voice.
"No, ask Grand Capital what orders Divine Lord gave?"
"Don't worry, Thousand Faces, Divine Lord's methods are not something we can understand. However, since you're worried, I'll go ask now."
Although Yi Ye Qing was a bit reluctant, he still nodded in agreement. After all, he knew that although the other party was also a Blazing Star Envoy, her status was not something he could compare to.
He walked immediately from this stronghold to retrieve a special communication device, which was an old-looking bronze mirror.
As force was infused into it, information soon appeared on the mirror's surface.
Divine Lord is in closed-door cultivation, has not gone out, and no orders have been issued...
"This..."
Upon seeing this string of information, everyone in the room fell silent simultaneously.
Yi Ye Qing's face was filled with shock and astonishment.
"Yi Ye Qing!!!"
Qi Ning's expression was extremely grim, staring intently at Yi Ye Qing.
"Don't tell me you don't know about Divine Lord's issue. If anything happens to Lin Sheng this time, I'll make you pay."
After saying that, she immediately left the room.
"I..."
Yi Ye Qing opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
"It's too late to say anything now. Hurry to Yu Hai Pass. Maybe there's still time..."
Yuan Fang sighed and urged.
He pinched his temples, his face full of speechlessness. Thinking of the relationship between his Master and Divine Lord, if anything happened to Lin Sheng this time, putting aside everything else, Luo Yin would not let Yi Ye Qing off the hook.
"A few of us will go. You all find a time to transfer the red crystal stones."
Luo Lie spoke at this moment.
Soon, several God-Form Martial Artists, including Luo Lie and Red Wolf, who possessed Late Stage combat power, immediately set off.
*
East Sea Prefecture border.
"We should be out of the Xiaoyuan Mountain Range by the afternoon. Our speed this time is faster than I expected. We should probably reach Yu Hai Pass before nightfall tomorrow."
Leech looked at the map, a smile on his face.
This mission had two difficult points.
The previous journey was one of them. After passing Yu Hai Pass, half of the journey would be complete.
Not encountering any risks along the way made him feel a bit more relaxed.
He looked back at the carriage in the center of the convoy and muttered to himself faintly.
"He's quite self-aware, didn't cause any trouble, which saves a lot of worry."
His biggest concern for this mission was Lin Sheng taking advantage of his authority and causing trouble. He had already prepared himself mentally that if the other party was ignorant, he would directly restrain him and prioritize completing the mission.
However, it seemed that this wouldn't be necessary now.