Chapter 47 – When it Rains, it Pours

“Wow, it’s Yuanling Grass!” Fang Yang’s eyes lit up as he spotted a clump of grass with light brown roots at the edge of the path. He immediately rushed over and squatted down, using the iron sword he carried with him to dig up the grass.

Yunaling Grass was not a very precious herb, but it was extremely suitable as an alchemy ingredient for equalizing medicinal properties, and there was a considerable market demand.

But it was the lowest-level alchemy material, and the price was about one spirit stone per plant.

Compared to the spiritual plants in the Floating Island Secret Realm that could truly be regarded as natural treasures and cost untold numbers of spirit stones, Yuanling Grass wasn’t worth anything at all. Nobody would come here just to dig up Yuanling Grass.

Moreover, it was very troublesome to dig them up. The roots could not be damaged, and if one was even slightly broken, the spiritual energy would leak out and it would become worthless ordinary grass.

Therefore, one must use extreme caution when digging it up. This was inevitably a task that couldn’t be accomplished in a short amount of time. Time inside the secret realm was limited, and instead of wasting it harvesting this useless plant, it was better to search for more valuable ones.

This was how most people thought. When they spotted Yuanling Grass, they would pretend not to see it and just walk straight past it.

But Fang Yang was very happy to harvest it. He had never seen any truly precious herbs. For him, one Yuanling Grass that could be sold for one spirit stone was a rare material that could be sold for money.

As a poor boy from the country, he was far from wealthy. His parents and relatives were all born and raised farmers. They could barely read and write, and possessed neither gold nor silver. Naturally, it was impossible for them to provide him with spirit stones that could be traded in the world of cultivation. 

All of his savings came from his monthly spirit stone subsidy from the sect. Over the course of the year, he had saved up over a hundred of them.

And there were probably dozens of Yuanling Grasses here. If he dug all of them up, it would be equivalent to earning dozens of spirit stones.

This was half a year’s income!

The naive Fang Yang was dazzled by the dozens of spirit stones and dug with great concentration and meticulousness.

Finally, after half a day, he had dug up all of the Yuanling Grass without leaving a single one behind.

Half of his time in the Floating Island Secret Realm had already passed. During this half day, other cultivators were on their way to find natural treasures or had already found them, and while they were fighting against cultivators who had happened upon the treasures at the same time, Fang Yang was quietly digging grass.

And among all spiritual plants, it was even the least valuable Yuanling Grass.

Of course, Fang Yang naturally didn’t think this way, and felt that bringing back dozens of Yuanling Grass was an enormous gain. After sorting them all out, he placed them carefully into the storage bag.

The storage bag that everyone in the sect possessed was naturally not a high-quality item, and the space inside was so small that it couldn’t even hold a normal-sized iron sword. Fang Yang had packed a set of medicine and clothing inside, and with the addition of the Yuanling Grass he had just dug, the storage bag was stuffed to the point of bulging.

Fang Yang gave his mostly full storage bag a pat and continued on his way with satisfaction.

He hadn’t run into anyone since entering the secret realm, not even his two friends, Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage.

It was said that the Floating Island Secret Realm was rife with danger, but Fang Yang hadn’t seen a single monster so far. 

Similarly, he hadn’t seen any truly valuable spiritual plants. Natural treasures were not just fought over by humans, but were also coveted by monsters and beasts.

Monsters had keen senses and had lived here for a vast period of time, so they knew every corner of the Floating Island Secret Realm like the back of their paws. Almost every place where natural treasures grew was guarded by monsters, which would wait until the spiritual plant reached maturity and swallow it in one gulp to improve their cultivation.

And the other monsters or humans attracted by the spiritual plants were all the prey of the monsters guarding them.

Of course, just who qualified as prey would be determined by strength.

The only law in the Floating Island Secret Realm was the law of the jungle.

“I wonder what Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage are doing…..” Fang Yang muttered, somewhat lonesome as he walked.

He’d had such high expectations before coming here, but after half a day, he still hadn’t witnessed any thrilling plots like in the storybooks, such as fighting ferocious monsters or searching for magical treasures in dangerous caves.

But that didn’t matter. At least he’d harvested a bag of Yuanling Grass, making him a wealthy man.

It was inevitable that he’d be a bit bored. After all, it was really quiet here.

“Ai, Useless Shixiong was right. It turns out that the stories in books are all lies,” Fang Yang lamented, picking up a piece of grass from the side to hold in his mouth.

After saying so, he felt that his words were somewhat incorrect. They weren’t all lies. Hadn’t he recently picked up a talking bamboo slip?

Although it wasn’t exactly the same as in the storybooks. The protagonist had a pendant made of mutton-fat jade, while he had a piece of bamboo that looked just like the bamboo planted by the sect.

The protagonist of the story possessed a jade pendant that housed a kind, gentle old man who provided countless martial arts secrets free of charge. The person in this bamboo slip of his was a somewhat strict older brother, and he hadn’t handed out any martial arts secrets.

Comparing the two, the older brother in the bamboo slip looked a bit shabby.

Fang Yang actually hadn’t asked for any martial arts secrets. It would be good to have them, but not having them was fine too. He was already very happy that the Mysterious Big Brother would teach him swordsmanship.

Only…..

“Are you there?” Fang Yang took out the string around his neck that was hidden under his collar, the bamboo slip hanging at the end of it. He used his spiritual consciousness to try to communicate with the Mysterious Big Brother.

He waited quietly for a moment. As expected, there was no response.

“Ai,” Fang Yang sighed. It would be great if this big brother who lived in the bamboo slip could be like the old grandfather who lived in the jade pendant, coming to talk whenever he was called.

He had tried many, many times, but his words always fell on deaf ears, never making a single wave.

He wondered if this big brother was ignoring him or sleeping? Why did he like sleeping so much, just like his Useless Shixiong?

Fang Yang was lost in thought as he moved through the vast jungle. He walked for a long time without seeing anyone – only the same towering trees in front of him. All he could do was pass the time daydreaming.

There were no sounds other than the rustling of leaves in the breeze and the singing of birds hidden in the vast canopy. 

Rustle.

Fang Yang stopped in place, the strand of grass in his mouth falling to the ground.

He sent a wary look at the one-meter-high bushes not far ahead. The rustling sound just now had been caused by their shaking branches.

There was no wind down here, so the bushes couldn’t have shaken for no reason.

There must be something hiding inside them.

Fang Yang paused for a moment at this thought, then pretended not to have noticed and continued walking forward.

But his casual steps became cautious, and his hand, which had been casually resting on the hilt of his sword, tightened around it.

The bushes had returned to their original state after the brief disturbance, without any unusual sounds or movement.

But Fang Yang knew that it wasn’t all in his head, and as he drew closer, he could vaguely hear the deliberately suppressed, yet still labored sound of breathing.

What in the world was behind these bushes? A monster?

It’s most likely a monster, Fang Yang thought. Although he was trying his utmost to feign ignorance, the jut of his throat rolling up and down was evidence of his inner nerves.

It was finally here! The dangerous, exciting adventure from his storybooks!

Although Fang Yang was nervous, he couldn’t help feeling a little excited. The youth was adventurous to the bone, so when he noticed the oddity, he walked toward it instead of leaving.

He walked to within three meters of the bushes. But instead of going straight toward it, he deliberately pretended to turn in a different direction.

Then, just as the thing behind the bush thought he hadn’t noticed it, and was about to move away, Fang Yang abruptly swung around and stabbed toward it with his iron sword.

He’d intended to catch them off guard, but the other party reacted just as quickly and fought back.

With a clang, two swords collided.

It’s not a monster? Fang Yang thought in surprise when he felt the impact of metal on metal.

He saw the edge of the blade flash with a cold light as it met his own iron sword. In addition to the cold metallic light, there was also the flowing gleam of spiritual power along its edges.

Fang Yang’s gaze trailed up the sword to an intricately-patterned hilt inlaid with spiritual stones, which contained great spiritual power. It looked very expensive at first glance, and could not be compared with his plain-patterned iron sword. The weapon in the other party’s hands was likely a valuable spiritual sword.

Finally, Fang Yang saw the thin, slender hand holding the hilt of the sword. It was a youth’s hand, smaller than those of an adult.

“Cao Zirui!” Fang Yang called out the other’s name in surprise. Unexpectedly, the first person he ran into inside the Floating Island Secret Realm was Cao Zirui. This was the sect leader’s direct disciple, whom he normally didn’t even have the chance to get close to. 

After calling his name, Fang Yang realized that their swords were still crossed, the force behind them unabated. He realized that he had almost hurt another disciple by mistake, and quickly withdrew his sword with an apology: “I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was…..”

Before he could utter the word “you,” he was silenced by a blade against his throat.

Fang Yang had put down his sword, but Cao Zirui had not. The moment Fang Yang sheathed his sword, Cao Zirui had thrust the tip of his sword forward, stopping it a hair’s breadth away from the jut of Fang Yang’s throat.

Holding the weapon in his right hand, he coldly scrutinized the unarmed, harmless-looking Fang Yang.

Fang Yang was momentarily stunned by this unexpected development. When fellow disciples met, shouldn’t they greet each other in a friendly manner and make small talk?

Why was Cao Zirui leveling the tip of his sword at him? After a brief period of confusion, Fang Yang realized that while he knew of Cao Zirui, Cao Zirui didn’t know him, ah!

So that’s it! He was a stranger who’d just attacked him, so Cao Zirui didn’t dare let down his guard.

Fang Yang thought he had grasped the key issue, and started to raise a hand to gesture toward the Lingxiao Sword Sect sword emblem embroidered on his daoist robes, which would inform Cao Zirui that he was a fellow disciple.

However, the second he raised his hand, Cao Zirui’s sword inched forward. Fang Yang leaned back quickly in order to prevent the sharp sword from slicing his throat.

He didn’t dare move again, and could only explain verbally: “My name is Fang Yang, and I’m a junior disciple in the outer sect. I joined Lingxiao Sword Sect the same year as you, so we’re martial brothers.”

Since he couldn’t gesture with his hands, Fang Yang changed tacks and blinked hard toward the sword pattern on his chest.

But the sword was right in front of his throat, and he couldn’t lower his head, so it was very difficult to signal Cao Zirui with his eyes. Fang Yang clearly had no talent in this area, and when he performed this action, it looked amusingly as if his eyelids were spasming.

Cao Zirui’s eyes were still very cold. He wasn’t amused by Fang Yang’s ridiculous expression, and he didn’t drop his gaze, because he didn’t need to.

He had realized that this person was a fellow disciple as early as when he was hiding in the bushes, but he still didn’t relax his guard in the slightest.

Seeing how Cao Zirui was unmoved, Fang Yang finally came to the conclusion that something wasn’t right.

Cao Zirui’s reaction was very abnormal. Fang Yang had called out the other’s name first and then took the initiative to sheath his sword. In any case, he had demonstrated that he harbored no hostility and was familiar with the other person’s identity.

Even if Cao Zirui didn’t recognize his fellow disciple or believe his fellow disciple’s identity, he at least should have asked some questions to clarify his identity instead of raising his sword at him like this, right?

But Cao Zirui had no such intentions. His eyes fixed on Fang Yang were filled with cold vigilance. Fang Yang had no doubt that if he showed any sign of attacking, Cao Zirui would pierce his throat with his sword.

But before this point in time, he didn’t really intend to kill Fang Yang. He was just on guard. His abnormally offensive actions were just because he feared that Fang Yang meant to hurt him.

He’s afraid? Fang Yang was stunned. He was very certain that he could see a hint of fear in Cao Zirui’s eyes – deeply hidden, but still slightly evident.

Cao Zirui was at Foundation Establishment stage, and was able to crush all of his fellow disciples who were at the same level. With his strength, why would he fear Fang Yang, whose cultivation had fallen to the third level of Qi Refining?

And weren’t they from the same sect? How could fellow disciples harm one another?

No, that’s not right. Fang Yang suddenly realized that Cao Zirui had likely already known he was a fellow disciple, but had still raised his sword.

During the stalemate, a drop of sweat slid down Cao Zirui’s forehead. Fang Yang’s eyes followed the droplet’s path down Cao Zirui’s face to his pursed lips, which were noticeably pale and bloodless. The bead of sweat dropped from his chin to his collar, and Fang Yang noticed a faint crimson hue on his black robes over his left shoulder.

Fang Yang’s nose twitched, and he belatedly smelled the pungent scent of blood in the air.

Considering the labored, barely-concealed panting he’d heard when he approached the bushes, it wasn’t difficult to guess that……

“You’re injured?!” Fang Yang’s eyes widened, and he looked in shock at Cao Zirui, who was sweating profusely from the pain.

The climate in the Floating Island Secret Realm was different from that of the outside world. The sun was shining, but it wasn’t hot. The sweat on Cao Zirui’s forehead was clearly a pain-induced cold sweat.

It was unknown what Cao Zirui had experienced in this half day, nor what had caused him to become so anxious that he refused to trust his fellow disciple. The blood on his left shoulder was still spreading, but he still didn’t lower his sword and stop the bleeding.

Cao Zirui didn’t answer. When Fang Yang discovered his injury, his eyes became even colder, because this meant he was in even greater danger.

The weaker he was, the more likely the other party would attack him.

Fang Yang was unaware of Cao Zirui’s thoughts, and subconsciously reached for the storage bag at his waist. This action alarmed Cao Zirui, and the tip of the sword moved slightly closer.

Fang Yang took a hasty step back, exclaiming: “I don’t mean you any harm! There’s wound medicine in my storage bag – it can help you stop the bleeding!”

Cao Zirui’s eyes flickered briefly when he heard this, and he ultimately didn’t carry out his attack.

But he didn’t believe Fang Yang’s words. He just continued to hold his sword up, signaling Fang Yang to stay still. He didn’t dare bet on whether what Fang Yang took out of the storage bag was wound medicine to heal him or a magic weapon to kill him.

Fang Yang could only stand there helplessly, watching Cao Zirui’s face become increasingly pale. Although Cao Zirui hadn’t shown him any friendliness, Fang Yang couldn’t help worrying about his injury.

In the end, they were from the same sect, and Cao Zirui meant something to Fang Yang……he was Fang Yang’s goal, the person he wanted to surpass.

Fang Yang hoped to defeat this rival of his with his own strength. He paid attention to him and was envious of him, but at the same time, he hoped that Cao Zirui would remain safe and sound more than anyone else. This way, Fang Yang could challenge him when he was strong enough.

But Cao Zirui was like an immovable stone, stubbornly gripping his sword and ignoring his bleeding wound, as if he was going to face off against Fang Yang until he bled to death.

Just when Fang Yang was getting restless, a familiar male voice suddenly reached his ears.

It was that nice-sounding big brother’s voice!

Fang Yang had no time to be happy, because the man called out in a hurried, anxious tone: “Run!”

Run? Why would he run for no reason?

Fang Yang was dumbfounded by this word, and didn’t do as he was told.

And at the same time, a crisp ding-ding rang out – the crisp sound of a bell.

Fang Yang looked in the direction of the sound and found that the ringing had come from a bell tied to Cao Zirui’s waist. When Cao Zirui had taken action just now, that bell hadn’t rung even though his movements were so considerable.

But now, as he stood in place, it suddenly began to ring without even a breeze.

Fang Yang didn’t know what the ringing signified, but Cao Zirui’s expression changed abruptly, his already pale face becoming even more bloodless.

He immediately sheathed his sword and, ignoring Fang Yang, rushed forward in labored strides.

Fang Yang watched in confusion as Cao Zirui attempted to run, unable to move much faster than a walk due to injury and exhaustion. What was going on?

Very soon, he understood.

Because he suddenly felt warmth behind him. The temperature soared, and in a very short moment, that warmth grew into a scorching wave of heat.

A streak of fire rushed over from afar – an arrow covered in flames.

The tip of the arrow was golden, and the flames were red.

The golden arrow flew at extreme speed, so fast that an afterimage of flames lingered in the air at its passing.

As it flew, a tail of flames several meters long trailed behind it.

And this deadly arrow, wreathed in deadly flames that could burn anything, was heading straight in Fang Yang’s direction. 

The interwoven stream of gold and red fire reflected in Fang Yang’s dilated pupils, and he heard the man yell again: “Get down!”

He finally knew why the Mysterious Big Brother had told him to run away. It was too late to run now, but he might be able to escape by lying flat.

Fang Yang subconsciously started to do what he was told, but then he spotted Cao Zirui staggering away a few meters ahead of him.

He looked back at the incoming golden arrow, and after estimating its flight trajectory, he realized that the arrow was not aiming at him, but at Cao Zirui.

I’ll be fine if I get down, but Cao Zirui…..

Fang Yang struggled inwardly, but not for long. Time didn’t allow him to hesitate. He immediately gritted his teeth, took a couple of steps, and then rushed forward regardless of anything else.

His tackle was very accurate, and he knocked Cao Zirui, who had a hand pressed to his shoulder, flat onto the ground.

Cao Zirui put up a brief, instinctual struggle, but Fang Yang pressed down hard on his shoulders and refused to let go no matter what, keeping Cao Zirui and himself pressed tightly to the ground.

Less than a second after they fell, the deadly flames passed less than a meter above their heads. Then, with a boom, the golden arrow pierced the ground in front of them.

The ground three meters in diameter around the arrow began to collapse and sink, and cracks spidered across it, stopping just in front of the two disciples.

Gravel exploded in all directions. Laying on top of Cao Zirui, Fang Yang used his equally slender body to block the stones pelting the two of them.

The small stones were fine – he could bear those. But a fist-sized rock hit Fang Yang’s hand that was holding Cao Zirui down. He groaned in pain, but still didn’t let go.

Cao Zirui was pinned firmly to the ground. He had struggled a bit at first, but when the flying object zoomed overhead, he could feel the scorching heat even though it had missed him. He also realized Fang Yang’s reason for pouncing on him, and immediately stopped moving.

With his face buried in the ground, he couldn’t see Fang Yang’s expression, but he heard the muffled groan in his ear.

Cao Zirui felt a bit complicated. If Fang Yang hadn’t suddenly tackled him, he likely would have been shattered to pieces along with the broken rocks.

Even though they were strangers, and Cao Zirui had drawn his sword against him, Fang Yang had still chosen to protect him.

He was already extremely disappointed with the so-called mutual help among fellow disciples, but just when he was feeling discouraged, he met such a kind-hearted, slightly foolish disciple.

He had trusted people he shouldn’t have trusted, and when he met a person he should have trusted, he didn’t dare.

With this in mind, Cao Zirui pursed his pale lips and clenched his fingers slightly on the ground.

The dust raised by the golden arrow’s impact slowly dissipated, and Fang Yang carefully raised his head to look around. There didn’t seem to be any danger, so he climbed to his feet while shaking his head.

He shook the dust and gravel from his hair and clothes, then reached out to Cao Zirui on the ground and asked in concern: “Are you okay?”

Cao Zirui glanced at the hand stretched out in front of him, but didn’t take it right away, just staring at Fang Yang.

Fang Yang felt a little embarrassed. Thinking that Cao Zirui was difficult to approach and probably didn’t want to take his hand, he shrank back awkwardly.

However, just as he retracted his hand halfway, Cao Zirui quickly grabbed it. He borrowed Fang Yang’s strength to stand up, replying softly: “I’m fine.”

Although he’d only spoken two words, Fang Yang was indescribably surprised and delighted. Cao Zirui had finally spoken to him!

This super strong fellow disciple, who kept to himself and rarely met junior disciples like Fang Yang, had spoken to him!

Fang Yang couldn’t hold back a silly smile. Cao Zirui was his goal, as well as his idol. Even though they were the same age, Cao Zirui had already reached a height that was beyond what most others were capable of.

Of course, Fang Yang had more than one goal. His ultimate goal was to defeat Yinglong, the heavenly God of War. But in the end, that goal was so far away, and Cao Zirui was much closer.

After smiling, he remembered to ask Cao Zirui: “What’s going on? How did you get hurt?”

He was very uncertain. Logically speaking, Cao Zirui’s strength at Foundation Establishment should be difficult to beat, and the highest level of cultivation in the Floating Island Secret Realm was also Foundation Establishment. Who had the ability to put Cao Zirui in such dire straits?

And…..Fang Yang glanced at the golden arrow that was stuck in the ground to the middle of its shaft. Where had this golden arrow come from? The intimidating aura of that arrow just now far exceeded Fang Yang’s current comprehension.

He had watched the Foundation Establishment martial arts competition, and the power of this golden arrow was definitely higher than Golden Core.

“It was…..” As soon as Cao Zirui spoke, something unexpected happened.

“Look out!” Fang Yang’s eyes were on the golden arrow, and he noticed its unusual movement right away.

Halfway inserted into the ground, the golden arrow was vibrating slightly. The hard soil around it cracked as the arrow shook – it was about to break out of the ground.

Fang Yang immediately reached out and pulled Cao Zirui back a few steps. Almost at the same time they retreated, the golden arrow flew up again. 

But this time, the arrow was no longer burning. It didn’t shoot toward Cao Zirui, but instead turned and flew in the opposite direction.

It didn’t fly for too long, stopping after about ten meters.

A man had appeared at some point and grabbed the arrow hanging in the air, his gaze moving back and forth between Cao Zirui and Fang Yang.

When Cao Zirui saw the man’s face clearly, his expression turned cold and gloomy, with an underlying tinge of anger at being deceived.

Fang Yang also frowned where he was standing in front of him. He knew this person too. He was wearing the same style robes as he and Cao Zirui, and wore a familiar mocking expression on his face.

“I never thought I’d be able to kill two birds with one stone, hahaha. As they say, good things come in pairs, and misfortunes never come alone. It’s just that this good thing is all mine…..” Lu Chengye smiled and pointed the tip of the arrow in his hand at them: “And the misfortune is yours.”

Cao Zirui couldn’t help but grit his teeth when he heard this. Not long after entering the Floating Island Secret Realm, he’d happened to run into this fellow disciple. He had thought it was a coincidence. Lu Chengye had done his best to flatter him, saying that he himself was of modest ability, and begging Cao Zirui to take care of him.

The two of them were fellow disciples, after all. Considering the instructions his master had given him before he departed, he should take care of him. Besides, it was fate that they had met in such a large secret realm……so Cao Zirui agreed.

He traveled with Lu Chengye, who busied himself all the way, asking him if he was hungry, or if he was thirsty. His enthusiasm was a little too much for Cao Zirui to handle.

He refused at first, but couldn’t hold up against Lu Chengye’s constant persuasion. In order to placate him, he accepted the water bag Lu Chengye handed him and took a sip. He didn’t know what kind of water it was. Lu Chengye said it was a scented water made with some kind of flower, which was refreshing and could reduce internal heat.

He didn’t feel such a cooling effect, but shortly after drinking the water, they encountered a Foundation Establishment stage monster.

Cao Zirui didn’t panic. He was very confident in his own abilities, and he alone was enough to handle it. Therefore, he signaled Lu Chengye to wait aside while he took charge of the monster.

Lu Chengye repeatedly thanked and flattered him, which Cao Zirui’s icy face was almost unable to bear. Then he stepped aside to observe the fight.

As Cao Zirui engaged the monster in fierce battle, he realized that the spiritual power in his dantian was lowering significantly. He was mystified, and had no idea why it was happening.

He had to concentrate on fighting the monster in front of him, but unexpectedly, just as he was about to kill the monster, a deadly stream of red fire attacked him from behind.

He wasn’t prepared for an attack to come from that direction, nor had he expected that his fellow disciple who had been fawning over him all day would suddenly attempt to kill him.

And there was no room to maneuver. A single strike would kill him.

At that moment, Cao Zirui’s sword was holding back the fangs of the monster. He couldn’t free his hands, and his cultivation level was about to fall below Foundation Establishment due to the massive loss of spiritual power. The spiritual power he had left was barely enough to deal with the monster, and he was entirely unable to defend against a sneak attack from behind.

Fortunately, he was wearing the defensive magic tool his master had given him. Its defensive capabilities were top-notch among earth-grade magic tools, enough to block an attack from a Golden Core cultivator.

Logically speaking, this trip should have been uneventful.

But it was unknown where the golden arrow in Lu Chengye’s hand had come from. He was clearly only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, but using that golden arrow, he was able to penetrate Cao Zirui’s earth-grade magic tool in one strike.

Fortunately, the magic tool helped block the majority of the impact before it collapsed, which was why he was able to survive the fatal blow.

But his shoulder was seriously injured, and he had no time to heal it. Taking advantage of his opponent’s failed attack, he immediately turned and ran away in shock.

Although he didn’t understand why, this fellow disciple named Lu Chengye truly intended to kill him, so Cao Zirui certainly wouldn’t just wait to die.

He hid here and there all the way, hoping to recover some spiritual power and catch his breath. However, his spiritual power showed no signs of recovering, and was instead depleting itself without pause. His current cultivation level had dropped from the initial stage of Foundation Establishment to the ninth level of Qi Refining.

He had directly dropped down a realm!

This loss was far greater than Fang Yang’s, who had fallen from the seventh to the third level of Qi Refining, because each major realm was a threshold. The spiritual power required in order to advance from the tenth level of Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment was more than ten times the amount required for each level of Qi Refining.

The worst thing was that after falling below Foundation Establishment stage, Cao Zirui had lost the ability to fly on his sword, and could only escape on foot.

As he fled, Cao Zirui realized that there had likely been something wrong with that bag of scented water. He had originally thought that the friendship between fellow disciples would include mutual assistance and unity against the outside world, as his master had said.

Therefore, although he was unfamiliar with Lu Chengye, he saw that he was wearing the same style of daoist robes and agreed to the other party’s request, drinking the water handed to him by this stranger without any suspicion.

The trust he placed in the other party was rewarded with such a vicious, brutal attack.

As he ran, he reminded himself that he must never trust others again. Especially fellow disciples!

Thus, when he spied another fellow disciple while he was hiding in the bushes, he had no intention of stepping forward to greet Fang Yang or request his help.

His fellow disciple Lu Chengye had tried to kill him, and there was no guarantee that others wouldn’t have the same idea. And who knew if running into Fang Yang was happenstance or the result of intentional action?

Just like he hadn’t thought that running into Lu Chengye after being randomly transported to a location in the Floating Island Secret Realm had been planned long in advance.

He had just hoped that Fang Yang wouldn’t notice him. The wound on his shoulder was painful, and the blood loss and tearing of the wound was making him weaker and weaker.

Although Fang Yang only seemed to be at the third level of Qi Refining, if he had some kind of magic weapon like Lu Chengye possessed, which would allow him to challenge a higher level opponent, Cao Zirui would certainly die.

However, as he hid in the bushes, his left shoulder accidentally hit a horizontal branch. These branches didn’t look very thick, but a casual brush could scratch off a layer of skin.

What’s more, his skin was already torn, and his bloodied clothing was stuck to his shoulder.

The severe pain caused Cao Zirui to tremble, and he suppressed a cry of pain, praying that Fang Yang wouldn’t notice.

But he was just deluding himself. Although Fang Yang had feigned ignorance as he walked over, he ended up finding him in the bushes.

And, as expected, Fang Yang directly drew his sword on him.

Someone else wants to kill me! Cao Zirui thought, disheartened and desperate.

He was unwilling to accept this fate, so he raised his sword and faced the enemy despite the weakness of his body.

The following development was somewhat beyond his expectations. Once Fang Yang got a clear look at him, he took the initiative to sheath his sword. 

And he really acted a bit silly, not like someone who was scheming and vicious.

But Cao Zirui had just suffered a loss, and didn’t dare trust someone so easily again.

Therefore, he didn’t concede at all, wary that Fang Yang’s foolish appearance was simply a deception, and that he would kill him once his guard was down. 

Due to his uncertainty, he didn’t kill Fang Yang directly. If Fang Yang was honestly just silly rather than duplicitous, then wouldn’t he have murdered his fellow disciple by mistake?

Even with his life hanging by a thread, Cao Zirui was unwilling to become a villain who would do anything to ensure his own safety.

So he was at a stalemate, unwilling to kill him, but also unable to let him go.

As he was in a state of uncertainty, the chime of a bell forced him to make a decision.

This was the magic tool gifted to him by his shixiong, Xue Ren. This bell was able to give advance warning of danger, and he had been carrying it with him since entering the Floating Island Secret Realm.

This bell indeed functioned as Xue Ren had said, and would chime upon the approach of danger. It had sounded before when he and Lu Chengye encountered the monster.

The principle of this magic tool was actually that it could sense killing intent. Lu Chengye had carefully concealed his killing intent at the beginning, so the bell hadn’t rung when they were walking together before.

But once Lu Chengye failed to kill him, he no longer needed to hide it. His killing intent leaked out and was picked up by the bell, and during Cao Zirui’s escape, the bell rang every time Lu Chengye approached.

Now that the bell had rung again, it was likely that Lu Chengye had caught up with him once more.

Although he had no idea how Lu Chengye had found him again in such a dense jungle, he no longer possessed the ability to oppose him and his high-level magic weapon.

He could only run away.

He no longer cared whether Fang Yang was cooperating with Lu Chengye or if he was just an innocent fellow disciple. 

Although he had no wish to mistakenly kill a fellow disciple, he was not benevolent enough to sacrifice himself for someone else.

He couldn’t even protect himself, so he naturally couldn’t worry about Fang Yang.

However…..although he harbored such selfish thoughts, Fang Yang did not.

At the critical moment between life and death, there was no room for hesitation or deception.

Any choice Fang Yang made during that time was his truest intent. And his choice had been to save Cao Zirui at the risk of dying together under the golden arrow.

When Fang Yang tackled him to the ground, shame was the foremost amongst Cao Zirui’s complicated emotions.

Fang Yang didn’t know what Cao Zirui was thinking, nor did he know what had happened, but at such a critical moment, he was unusually keen.

“It’s you?!” Fang Yang roughly pieced together the picture based on the few clues in front of him.

Why was Cao Zirui so wary of his fellow disciples, and why was he in such a miserable state? It was likely because he had suffered at the hands of Lu Chengye.

“It’s me.” Although Fang Yang hadn’t asked a full question, it wasn’t difficult to guess that Lu Chengye was openly admitting guilt.

He wasn’t at all worried that Fang Yang would spread the news about him hunting down a fellow disciple. How could the dead speak?

He had never intended to let Fang Yang go. He was narrow-minded, and would never be lenient toward someone he held a grudge against. He had always intended to get rid of him the moment the opportunity arose, and the Floating Island Secret Realm, where he had no one to help him, was his best chance.

But due to Xue Ren’s orders, he had to get rid of his annoying shidi first.

After getting rid of Cao Zirui, it wouldn’t be too late for him to kill Fang Yang and Feng Ye.

Speaking of Feng Ye, Lu Chengye was so angry that his teeth itched. He was originally the unrivaled champion, but who could have known that the bullyable Feng Ye would suddenly jump out and disrupt the situation? 

And he had even lost!

He, who was at the seventh level of Qi Refining, had lost to a loser who had cultivated for three whole years to reach the third level of Qi Refining!

How shameful!

After Lu Chengye was kicked off the ring by Feng Ye that day, he’d held his stomach in pain for some time before he was able to recover. Then, while everyone was watching the person who’d stolen his place, he slipped away in shame. 

He naturally couldn’t swallow this humiliation, but didn’t dare pick another fight with Feng Ye.

After some thought, he felt that losing to Feng Ye that day could be attributed to bad luck. The blade of his sword had cracked for no reason – wasn’t that just bad luck?

If the sword hadn’t cracked, Feng Ye’s last strike wouldn’t have broken through his defense. As the saying went, when facing a challenge, it was best to act with full force and determination at the outset.

After seven strikes, Feng Ye should have been exhausted, and Lu Chengye would win as long as he blocked the last strike. 

Although he thought this way, Lu Chengye couldn’t forget the frigid killing intent that accompanied Feng Ye’s last strike. 

Just the memory of it made him shudder.

Therefore, even though he felt that Feng Ye’s victory over him had been pure luck, he didn’t have the courage to challenge him again.

But now, things were different. He held a rare treasure in his hands that could even kill the Foundation Establishment stage Cao Zirui. No matter how strong his swordsmanship was, how could Feng Ye turn the tables at the third level of Qi Refining?

His original plan was to get rid of Cao Zirui first, then look for Fang Yang and Feng Ye while searching for spiritual plants. He would get rid of all of these people in one go inside the Floating Island Secret Realm.

At least the three of them would have company on their journey, which was rather kind of him.

It was just that he encountered a bit of a setback. He hadn’t expected Cao Zirui to have such a powerful defensive tool hidden on him, which enabled him to survive a fatal attack. Although he’d been injured, it was not a mortal wound.

With no choice but to postpone the rest of his plans, he pursued Cao Zirui with a hint of anger at having his plans disrupted. 

But he didn’t expect to meet Fang Yang in the middle of his pursuit, this unlucky fellow who was also on his kill list.

Lu Chengye simply felt that his luck had turned. Today was the day he would stand tall and proud, catching all of his enemies in one fell swoop.

As for Feng Ye…..

“Your useless shixiong isn’t with you?” Lu Chengye shook his head regretfully: “Forget it. It won’t be too late to kill him after I get rid of you. I definitely won’t allow him to die easily.”

When he spoke this last sentence, he was already grinding his teeth. Among the three people on his kill list, he held no grudge against Cao Zirui, and was only following Xue Ren’s orders. And although he hated Fang Yang, he didn’t harbor much resentment toward him. He just didn’t mind picking him off in the meantime.

But Feng Ye…..he would never forget the contemptuous look on Feng Ye’s face when he kicked him off the ring – as if he was looking at an ant.

He’d obviously won by sheer luck. How dare a loser who was only at the third level of Qi Refining look down on him like that?

Feng Ye already occupied the top of the most-hated list in Lu Chengye’s narrow mind. The sum of his hatred toward Fang Yang and Cao Zirui didn’t even amount to a decimal point in comparison.

But unfortunately, Feng Ye wasn’t here. This was a pity, but also understandable. It was already rare to kill two birds with one stone. It was impossible for his enemies to string themselves together and wait for him to kill them, right?

Lu Chengye was still feeling regretful, and had no clue that, in a certain sense, Feng Ye was actually present here.

And that through the spiritual consciousness he shared with Fang Yang, he had heard the entire conversation between the three people.

“Keep him talking to buy time,” Feng Ye instructed Fang Yang in his spiritual consciousness. 

After experiencing the two previous warnings, Fang Yang already believed Feng Ye’s words without a doubt. Although he didn’t know what the point of buying time was, he was still prepared to do as he was told.

He silently agreed: “Okay.”

Once Feng Ye received this affirmative reply, he jumped from the underwater cave back into the sea without delay.

The golden arrow in Lu Chengye’s hand appeared to be an earth-grade magic weapon, but for some reason, when the arrow was shot just now, its power far exceeded that of an ordinary earth-grade magic weapon and was almost approaching the threshold of a heaven-grade magic weapon.

This was definitely not something Fang Yang and Cao Zirui could handle at this moment in time.

Therefore, he didn’t tell Fang Yang to defeat Lu Chengye. Although the battle against the White-Nosed Demon Bear had been dangerous, he hadn’t taken action while there was a chance that Fang Yang could win. But this time, Fang Yang and Cao Zirui stood no chance.

Feng Ye was the one who would need to put this matter to rest.

Feng Ye swam faster through the sea. He didn’t know how much time Fang Yang would be able to buy, so he had to hurry.

However, he had just swam out of the narrow passage leading to the underwater cave and had not yet had time to surface from the deep sea, when he suddenly stopped moving. Floating in place, he scanned the sea with a frown. 

Above his head was the 300-meter layer of rock forming the base of the Floating Island Secret Realm. Its mass blocked out the sun, and there was not a single ray of light in his location.

All he could see was deep, ink-black water.

But he was still able to sense danger.

The seawater vibrated as something swam through the sea.

There were many of them, and they were enormous.

Feng Ye scanned the entirety of the sea around him, and could feel them approaching from all directions.

Tentacles with hideous suckers stretched out from the deep sea below, dozens of them blooming around him like petals.

Then, under the cover of darkness, the petals slowly closed, intending to entangle their prey before it noticed them.

“Tsk.” Feng Ye uttered somewhat impatiently. He hadn’t encountered any monsters along the way, so why were a group of them surrounding him now?

When it rained, it poured, and the more impatient he was, the more he got tripped up by other things.

The tentacles encircling Feng Ye closed in slowly and carefully as the other monsters prepared their killing moves.

On land three hundred meters above, Fang Yang used his body to half-block the injured Cao Zirui. At the same time, he intently observed Lu Chengye’s every move, guarding against any sudden attack.

The battlefields both in the sea and on land were on the verge of breaking out into war.

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Chapter 46 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 48