When Rong Zhuofan saw Xiao Qingfeng so furious that his nose and eyes were all twisted out of shape, he teased, “I suggested earlier that instead of sending people down, you guys could just buy a few spirit beasts to release down there. You were the ones who didn’t want to.”
Mentioning this only made Xiao Qingfeng angrier. “You wanted to sell me a single third-grade spirit beast for a hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones! Why don’t you just go rob someone!?”
Rong Zhuofan retorted sarcastically, “Well, that’s still better than you. One low-grade Spirit Gathering Pill of yours costs me a hundred top-grade spirit stones, while at Qinghe Tower, a high-grade Spirit Gathering Pill is only ten top-grade spirit stones.”
Ever since he exchanged that egg for several hundred million, Rong Zhuofan had completely let loose.
Whenever he saw Xiao Qingfeng, he had to take a jab at him.
After all, now when he bought pills, he went to Qinghe Tower and no longer had to rely on the Fire Cloud Sect.
“Rong Zhuofan, are you looking for trouble!?” Xiao Qingfeng’s temper flared up the moment he heard the name Qinghe Tower.
The Fire Cloud Sect’s standing had plummeted, all thanks to Qinghe Tower.
Xiao Qingfeng had investigated several times but found out nothing about the alchemist behind Qinghe Tower.
“I’m all alone here. Do I look like I’m looking for trouble? I’m more worried you’ll try to get back at me!” Rong Zhuofan stroked his stubble beard, looking completely unafraid.
Xiao Hongyu and Baili Xuanqing wore displeased expressions. They didn’t know why Rong Zhuofan had become so conspicuously high-profile in recent years.
Lately, the Beast Taming Sect and Qinghe Tower had been very close…
They even suspected that Qinghe Tower was a force established by the Beast Taming Sect itself?
Otherwise, how could the Beast Taming Sect have become so wealthy?
Xiao Qingfeng closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. “Rong Zhuofan, right now we need to deal with the matter of the strange beast. I don’t want to argue with you.”
Rong Zhuofan said nonchalantly, “Strange beast? How many times have I told you? Subduing a strange beast depends on fate. You can’t force it…”
Xiao Qingfeng glared at Rong Zhuofan a few times but said nothing.
He was worried that if he kept talking to Rong Zhuofan, he might need to take some fast-acting heart medication.
A deep, obscure glint flashed in Xiao Hongyu’s serious and stern eyes.
“Sect Leader Rong, with other spirit beasts, we could talk about karma and cause and effect. But this beast is so powerful that even we find it terrifying. Such a beast absolutely cannot fall into someone else’s hands.”
“Now, with the Spirit Combat Tournament approaching, if trouble arises because of this beast, neither you nor I want to see that happen.”
“Besides, the entire Qingzhou needs this beast to enhance its strength!” After Xiao Hongyu finished speaking with such righteous fervor, everyone else looked at him with admiration.
Only Rong Zhuofan, hidden behind his beard, curled his lips into a slight smirk. Sure enough, everyone just loved to disguise their own selfish desires as righteousness.
After wearing the mask of hypocrisy for so long, they must have forgotten their true faces, right?
“Sect Leader Xiao has a profound understanding of righteousness. If we cannot subdue such a beast, we absolutely must find a way to eliminate it…” Xiao Qingfeng looked towards the dark pit in the distance.
Patriarch Sheng looked troubled. “But Sect Leaders, this beast is hiding down there and won’t come out, and we can’t go down either. There’s really nothing we can do!”
The other family heads also looked troubled, hesitating to speak.
This matter was too big; they simply couldn’t handle it alone!
“How about we widely recruit talented individuals from all over Qingzhou? Let them come and take a look. Maybe someone can neutralize the poison…” an elder suggested.
Xiao Hongyu looked at Baili Xuanqing. This idea wasn’t something they hadn’t thought of before.
But they were worried about spies from other prefectures slipping in.
Suddenly—
Xiao Hongyu shouted towards a certain direction, “Who goes there!?”
“Just a passerby.”
A crisp voice fell into everyone’s ears.
Everyone instantly became alert. Someone had gotten close, yet none of them had noticed!
“Surname Lu? A member of the Lu family?” someone asked, puzzled.
Patriarch Lu quickly spoke up, “I don’t know her. The Lu family only brought three people, and they’re all right here.”
“I am merely a traveler. Everyone, please don’t be alarmed.”
This time, the voice came from above.
Everyone looked up.
There, they saw a woman in simple white robes standing alone upon a flying sword.
The woman stood tall and graceful, her robes fluttering gently in the wind, her skirt flowing, like a celestial maiden from the Ninth Heaven, exuding a pure and aloof beauty.
But when they tried to make out Feng Qingran’s appearance, they were startled.
It seemed as if a layer of white mist covered Feng Qingran’s face, making it impossible to see her features clearly. They couldn’t even glimpse her cultivation level.
Everyone exchanged sideways glances and briefly looked at Xiao Hongyu. Seeing that he hadn’t moved, they were all shocked.
Could this person’s cultivation be even higher than Xiao Hongyu’s?
Feng Qingran controlled her sword, flying to hover above the mysterious pit.
She looked down, her gaze meeting a pair of crimson red eyes. The woman and the beast stared at each other for a long moment; neither moved.
Everyone fell into a terrified silence. Previously, anyone who had flown on a sword above the cave entrance had fallen in.
And then, they’d be poisoned severely, thrown back up unconscious…
Even with Sect Leader Xiao’s strength, when he had flown over on his sword, he’d nearly fallen in as well.
Yet she could leisurely hover her sword right above the pit, showing no sign of strain.
Just what level of strength was this?
Xiao Hongyu was horrified. He hadn’t sensed any fluctuation of spiritual energy from this person at all…
To fly on a sword without using spiritual energy meant that one’s swordsmanship had reached the realm of unity between man and nature, a level of mastery!
Only Baili Xuanqing narrowed his eyes, a sudden chill emanating from him. He took out an array plate, which displayed Feng Qingran’s bone age as being at most twenty years old!
