LRAB 374. The Spying Person
374. The Spying Person
Tang Zhen and the hunchbacked old man exchanged a glance, both seeing considerable shock in each other's eyes.
Xiao Yan then took out a pill from his storage ring, swallowed it, and as the medicinal power slowly dissipated, the fatigue in his mind began to gradually ease. The battle of fire with Ling Zhuo was no easy feat for Xiao Yan. Although his Wind Fury Dragon Flame was only ranked eighteenth on the Strange Flame Ranking, just one place higher than the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, Ling Zhuo's soul strength far surpassed his own, and Ling Zhuo's cultivation technique was indeed powerful. The danger of this battle was no less than his own bloody clashes with Thunder Venerable and Yellow Spring Venerable. The only difference might be that Qing Lin was there to watch over him, preventing a life-or-death crisis.
However, Xiao Yan also had a strange thought in his mind: he was actually quite grateful to Ling Zhuo for getting to where he was now. Without Ling Zhuo's arrogant act of offering wine at the trade fair, he would probably have suffered an even greater loss!
"Entering the Spirit Realm is now an urgent matter!" Xiao Yan thought to himself. The Spirit-Nourishing Powder and Heavenly Thunder Forging Spirit he obtained at the trade fair were the best opportunities for him to break through to the Spirit Realm with his soul power!
At this moment, Ling Zhuo had fully recovered. Although he had the help of the old man surnamed Yan, his face was still extremely pale and ugly. It was clear that even though his soul power had reached the Spirit Realm, he had still suffered a great loss just now!
At this moment, his eyes were filled with undisguised anger as he looked at Xiao Yan. He clearly hadn't expected to suffer such a great loss at Xiao Yan's hands. Ling Zhuo had always been a prodigy in his clan; there were practically no one in the Ling Clan who could rival him. Originally, his target had been outstanding young talents like Huo Xuan, so how could he have imagined that he would stumble at the hands of a mere Dou Zong realm youth! Especially since it was in his most proficient area—soul power!
"Young Master, you must calm down! This place isn't absolutely safe!" The old man surnamed Yan immediately added. He knew better than anyone how arrogant his young master was. But in the current situation, not to mention the hunchbacked old man and Tang Zhen, even the little girl beside Xiao Yan hadn't fared well against him. If his young master decided to make a move, things would be very bad.
Ling Zhuo also let out a long sigh of relief: "Don't worry, I understand."
However, a hint of resentment still lingered in his eyes, so he simply asked Tang Zhen, "Valley Master Tang, what have you thought about what happened earlier?"
When Tang Zhen saw Ling Zhuo take the initiative to ask, he chuckled inwardly. Ling Zhuo, who had fallen to a disadvantage against Xiao Yan, was nowhere to be seen with his earlier arrogance. Tang Zhen, being a shrewd man, naturally understood perfectly well that Ling Zhuo felt he had lost face in his duel with Xiao Yan and wanted to regain it by coming to him. If he had truly intended to ask Ling Zhuo for help, this would have been an excellent opportunity to negotiate a lower price. Unfortunately, Tang Zhen no longer needed to.
"Burning Flame Valley is outnumbered and outgunned, and I'm afraid we can't afford to invite a genius like young friend Ling Zhuo. Thank you very much," Tang Zhen replied politely with a forced smile.
Seeing Tang Zhen's actions, Xiao Yan hurriedly transmitted his voice to Tang Zhen, saying, "Valley Master Tang, although I possess a strange fire, my alchemist rank is only mid-seventh grade. Please be careful!"
The reason Xiao Yan hadn't revealed his identity earlier was because Tang Zhen had stated that he needed an eighth-grade alchemist. Xiao Yan himself was currently finding even refining high-grade seventh-grade pills extremely difficult with a very low success rate, and was still quite far from the eighth-grade level. If Tang Zhen, based on their earlier firefight, assumed he possessed the skills of an eighth-grade alchemist and blindly chose him, then it would be Xiao Yan's mistake. Therefore, Xiao Yan quickly clarified his identity.
Tang Zhen, however, appeared remarkably calm and asked Xiao Yan, "Young friend Xiao Yan, you truly possess multiple different kinds of strange flames, don't you?"
Xiao Yan nodded subconsciously, and Tang Zhen saw that the last trace of hesitation in his eyes disappeared, and for the first time, a genuine smile appeared on his face.
The reason he personally came to the trade fair today was because his beloved daughter, Tang Huo'er, was in grave danger. While Ling Zhuo's appearance surprised and delighted him, after a brief conversation, Tang Zhen had already seen through Ling Zhuo's character. Before even truly helping Tang Huo'er, Ling Zhuo was already coveting the Nine Dragons Thunderfire and Tang Huo'er. Even if such a person did help Tang Huo'er, unimaginable trouble would follow.
Tang Zhen was initially extremely troubled, facing a dilemma akin to two cups of poison, from which he had to choose one to drink. However, Xiao Yan unexpectedly appeared out of nowhere, completely resolving his worries! Xiao Yan's background was crystal clear: he hailed from the Starfall Pavilion! Tang Zhen also knew the character of Venerable Feng of the Starfall Pavilion very well. Even if he might suffer a slight disadvantage in terms of price with Venerable Feng's chosen successor, there would be absolutely no subsequent trouble. Tang Zhen had already made his choice.
Seeing Tang Zhen's resolute stance, Ling Zhuo's expression grew even colder: "Fine, Xiao Yan, we'll settle our matters at the Pill Gathering!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ling Zhuo left with the old man surnamed Yan. The hunchbacked old man and Tang Zhen exchanged a glance. Although they both looked down on Ling Zhuo, they certainly couldn't actually make a move against him. Behind Ling Zhuo was a colossal force that was unimaginable to ordinary people!
Xiao Yan watched Ling Zhuo's departing figure, a hint of apprehension in his eyes. Ling Zhuo's demeanor clearly indicated he intended to participate in the Pill Gathering. In terms of alchemy alone, Xiao Yan might not be able to match Ling Zhuo, given that the latter also possessed a different kind of fire, and more importantly, his soul power had reached the Spirit Realm. Xiao Yan's goal was the Three Thousand Burning Flames, and Ling Zhuo had also shown a strong desire for that fire; he was definitely a troublesome opponent…
As Xiao Yan was thinking, he suddenly felt a strange, unsettling sensation that he was completely seen through. He immediately looked behind him as if on cue, but there was nothing there. Xiao Yan, not believing it, used his soul power to scan twice but found nothing.
Qing Lin, noticing Xiao Yan's strange behavior, asked, "Young Master, what's wrong?"
Xiao Yan observed repeatedly but found nothing. Qing Lin also looked puzzled. In the end, he could only assume it was a reaction caused by his weakness after fighting Ling Zhuo. He shook his head and said, "I had a strange feeling just now. It might be because my soul power was too depleted."
……
At this moment, a black figure stood abruptly in the distance where Xiao Yan and the others were. The figure stood there without being noticed by Xiao Yan, Qing Lin, Tang Zhen, or the hunchbacked old man.
At this moment, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes as he looked at Xiao Yan: "You actually sensed something was wrong, interesting kid."
The next moment, a figure emerged out of nowhere from the space. The person who suddenly appeared seemed to have passed through the space without leaving a trace!
"Lord Void, the clan leader is urging us."