The protector didn’t change his name; he joined the Heavenly Sect a long time ago, before the sect underwent any changes.
At that time, he only had a nickname. The name Qiao Fan had been with him for a long time, and even after the mind control was lifted, he had grown accustomed to it and didn’t wish to change it.
After being expelled, he led the remaining people toward the original base of the Heavenly Sect.
However, only half a day had passed when they felt an extremely powerful aura bearing down on them from behind, one that could easily crush them.
Before they had time to react, a person appeared on the road ahead.
This person was very good-looking, not absolutely stunning, but definitely a beauty.
But the Great Protector Qiao Fan had no appreciation for the man’s looks, for the aura unintentionally emanating from him was quite terrifying.
And it was not just that—others might not know, but he was all too aware of who this person was.
The Store Manager of Yuelai Inn, Zhu Xiao!
A peerless powerhouse standing at the summit of the Great Zhou, a Top Grandmaster!
He felt somewhat desperate inside. He knew they might face retribution from Yuelai Inn, but he had never imagined that a Great Grandmaster would take action!
Under these circumstances, how could they possibly flee?
He ordered everyone to stop and respectfully said, “I don’t know why the Store Manager has come here. If you wish for revenge, I am willing to atone, but please spare the others, or at least, if it must be so, please spare the children!”
Among them were some under twenty years old, orphans recently taken in with nowhere else to go, so they followed Qiao Fan even after the control was lifted.
And then they encountered the Store Manager of Yuelai Inn, Zhu Xiao.
Although the others did not recognize Zhu Xiao, they knew of the Store Manager’s name, and in the world, there was only one person who a Top Grandmaster like Qiao Fan would address as Store Manager.
The other two Grandmasters also knelt down to beg for mercy, but their words were similar to Qiao Fan’s, their convictions very firm.
Zhu Xiao frowned when she heard their words and said, “When did I ever say I was going to kill you?”
She was indeed very cruel to her enemies, but the mastermind of Heavenly Sect, Qiao Nian, had already been executed. With her strength, she didn’t need to go so far as to deal with these Martial Artists who were below the level of Great Grandmaster.
“?” Qiao Fan was stunned at first, then heaved a long sigh of relief inside. If Zhu Xiao really wanted to deal with them, they would only be able to choose a decent way to die, “Then may I ask what you are here for?”
“I have some questions for you. Do any of you have Qiao Nian’s cultivation method?”
This was the real reason Zhu Xiao was looking for them.
With Qiao Nian’s death, there might have been an inheritance left behind. The most likely to possess it were the cultists of the Heavenly Sect and the person who killed Qiao Nian.
However, Zhu Xiao didn’t know the inside story. She believed that the likelihood of Qiao Nian leaving his inheritance for an enemy to obtain was small, so she sought out these people who still remained in the Heavenly Sect.
But she was obviously going to be disappointed.
The Great Protector Qiao Fan replied, “I’m sorry, we have not received any inheritance, we all practice Qi Blood Martial Arts. You can check, and I believe that within the Heavenly Sect, no one else has received the inheritance.”
He spoke honestly. As a Great Protector, he knew a lot; upon regaining clarity, he remembered his past and realized Qiao Nian didn’t seem to want them to practice his methods.
Zhu Xiao furrowed her brow again. She had the means to tell if someone was lying, and she knew Qiao Fan wasn’t just making things up.
That made things a bit more troublesome.
Could it be that the path Qiao Nian cultivated had been buried along with him?
This thought irritated Zhu Xiao.
If these people didn’t have it, then there was only one other person who might still hold a glimmer of hope—the one who killed Qiao Nian.
What if Qiao Nian couldn’t bear to destroy his own cultivation method at the end and the person who dealt the final blow obtained it?
It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.
When she was young and venturing out for experience, she often did this kind of thing, obtaining many opportunities from the bodies of her enemies.
There was no shame in taking from the dead.
Having obtained several things she wanted from these people, Zhu Xiao didn’t want to stay any longer and departed.
Watching Zhu Xiao leave, Qiao Fan collapsed to the ground.
Even without taking direct action, the presence of such a pinnacle powerhouse instilled immense fear.
But now that Zhu Xiao had seen them, he too sighed in relief.
“The issue with Yuelai Inn is resolved; whatever happens next shouldn’t exceed certain limits.”
As a Top Grandmaster, he had the strength to face most problems.
However, his curiosity was piqued.
What exactly was the method Qiao Nian cultivated that it attracted a Great Grandmaster?
At this thought, Qiao Fan’s expression suddenly changed. He might have been overly optimistic.
They knew Qiao Nian left no inheritance, but others might not believe it, especially with his hypnotic control methods.
He knew there would be no lack of people wanting to acquire it, as such methods were exceedingly against the natural order.
They allowed silent control of others, and after control, one could still act like a normal person. Unless one exposed themselves, it was nearly impossible for others to notice anything amiss.
Powerful forces would want to get their hands on such a method for sure—if used well, it could be extremely effective.
“Let’s move quickly, let’s not go to the base. Let’s find another place to lie low for a while.”
They must wait until the turmoil had passed. Their problem was somewhat large; they couldn’t even stay in Quanzhou any longer, they needed to find somewhere else to hide and start over.
…
On the other hand,
Wang Sheng, having dealt with the matters of the Heavenly Sect, made his way directly toward the next city.
He had already done his research.
The cities along the route were all relatively large and home to Martial Artist powers, which meant he could expect significant gains.
He studied the “Dao Methods” from the Heavenly Thought Scripture inside the tiger-drawn carriage, while Liu Jian’an and the others followed behind Da Bai, “bearing their burdens as they marched.”
It had to be said that, having trained this way for a long time, Liu Jian’an and company had quite the harvest.
Every time they completely exhausted their strength and Qi Blood Power, their absorption and digestion of resources during cultivation would speed up. All twelve of them had made considerable progress within their own realms.
And the journey was not entirely peaceful.
Along the way, they encountered numerous bandit Martial Artists and Demon Beasts. Wang Sheng took care of those that were exceptionally powerful.
For Fourth Grade or lower Martial Artists or Demon Beasts, Wang Sheng let Liu Jian’an and his group handle them themselves.
If there were many Fourth Grade opponents, they would face them together, but if there was only one, they would choose the right person to step up.
Through the journey, though young, Liu Jian’an and the others had shed blood and gained quite a bit of real combat experience.
Accelerated cultivation rates combined with occasional combat experience—these two conditions together led Wang Sheng to believe that they could improve by one grade before entering the Imperial City.
By that time, even the elder Liu Jian’an would be just thirteen years old—a thirteen-year-old Fourth Grade Martial Artist would likely make many envious to the point of tears.
Of course, the main reason was still that Wang Sheng provided sufficient resources.
He had turned all the elixirs into Medicine King Elixirs and didn’t bother to prepare them specifically for Liu Jian’an and the others, so they all cultivated using the Medicine King Elixirs.
Naturally, the potency of a whole spiritual pill was too strong for them to digest.
So they typically diluted it with water, making one pill last a very long time.
Diluting with water did not change the essence of the Medicine King Elixirs, so their cultivation speed was extremely fast.
Continuing their journey in this manner, they soon reached their next target city.
Wang Sheng had planned to rest and then visit some Martial Artist families and major powers, but no sooner had they entered the city and he thought to look for the Yuelai Inn, the shopkeeper of the Yuelai Inn came looking for him.
“Excuse me, are you the one who resolved the issues in Yunze City?”
Wang Sheng was somewhat surprised; had the news from Yunze City spread so widely?
But he quickly realized that it might not be a case of fast-spreading news but rather that the Yuelai Inn had deliberately informed every city’s shopkeeper.
“Were you waiting for me?”
The shopkeeper was overjoyed; that was as good as an admission—a great achievement!
According to the message received, anyone who could stop this person would definitely receive a hefty reward.
“Yes, my lord, you must be looking for an inn. Allow me to make arrangements for you!”
Wang Sheng didn’t object, as this was what he wanted.
“Follow him!”
Pulling the carriage for so long, Da Bai had grown to understand these matters and clearly knew what needed to be done.
After entering the inn, Wang Sheng told Liu Jian’an and the others to rest in their rooms while he himself turned to the shopkeeper and said, “Alright, what is it you want with me?”
It was clear the shopkeeper had been waiting for him intentionally, and he didn’t believe there was nothing to say.
The shopkeeper knew better than to lie to such a powerful figure and spoke the truth directly: “My lord, our Store Manager wishes to meet with you!”
Since he was waiting for Liu Jian’an and others, Wang Sheng had been advancing slowly, while the people from the Yuelai Inn had used the fastest means to relay the message.
Thus, Zhu Xiao’s request was conveyed so promptly.
Wang Sheng hadn’t expected this sort of thing.
He naturally knew who the Store Manager of the Yuelai Inn was—the renowned Great Grandmaster Zhu Xiao, young among Great Grandmasters but not lacking in strength.
“What does your Store Manager want with me?”
They should have had no intersection.
The shopkeeper shook his head and said, “I apologize, my lord, but I am not very clear about this matter myself. However, it is indeed a message from above, hoping for your agreement.”
The message from above indicated that they should try their best without forcing, so the shopkeeper could only plead.
Wang Sheng became even more curious, but after some thought, he nodded and responded, “Alright, I will be staying here for a while.”
He, too, wanted to see what a top-tier, orthodox Grandmaster of Qi Blood Martial Arts was like.
It would be even better if he could have an exchange.
The exchange with Qiao Nian had brought him a lot, and he anticipated that it would be the same with this Grandmaster.
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper was ecstatic, quickly saying, “My lord, we will provide everything for you during this time!”
And so, Wang Sheng settled down.
He had anticipated several days of waiting, but on the morning of the third day, while Wang Sheng was practicing his Inner Core Skill, he suddenly felt a tremendously powerful aura approaching, like a Primordial Giant Beast.
He went straight to the roof of Yuelai Inn and saw a beautiful figure in the morning sun.
But what caught Wang Sheng’s attention wasn’t that, but rather the person’s state.
“How come I feel that this time I still won’t get to meet an orthodox top Grandmaster of Qi Blood Martial Arts?”
He had guessed the figure’s identity, but under his Divine Thought, he discovered that Zhu Xiao seemed to be not purely practicing Qi Blood Martial Arts…