Chapter 53: Outrageous Talk

Led by Xu Long, Xu Yang arrived at the entrance of a cave.

After traversing a very steep set of stone steps, they entered an underground cave.

The cave was filled with a faint yellow mist, and the temperature was extremely high.

Many stones on the ground had become sticky and almost molten due to the terrifying heat.

The cave extended downwards, and the further they descended, the higher the temperature became, and the thicker the yellow mist appeared.

"My young friend, the sealing formation is just ahead." After walking for about ten minutes, a large open space finally appeared before them.

The open area was paved with blue-green stones, and dazzling blue light emanated from their crevices.

Xu Yang walked to the edge of the formation and observed it.

"Are you sure this is a sealing formation?" Xu Yang suddenly asked after a moment of observation.

"Yes, what else could it be if not a sealing formation?" Xu Long asked, still disoriented and looking bewildered.

"This is no longer a sealing formation; it has been modified into a maze formation."

Xu Yang stated calmly, confirming that someone had altered the formation and the fierce beast had escaped.

While a maze formation shares some similarities with a sealing formation, their actual functions are vastly different.

Although a maze formation can trap people, it's possible to exit by following a specific pattern.

This type of formation is like a room's door: the owner holds the key, making entry and exit very convenient.

However, for those without the key, a door that the owner can freely enter and exit is no different from a solid wall.

Due to the many similarities between sealing formations and maze formations, modifying a sealing formation into a maze formation is not a complex process.

"My young friend, did you say the fierce beast has escaped?" Xu Long asked, his voice trembling, a look of disbelief on his face.

"If you don't believe me, you can check for yourself whether the fierce beast is present," Xu Yang said indifferently.

Xu Long's expression darkened. He sent out a wisp of his spiritual sense and indeed found no trace of the Demonic Sky Dragon.

"This... this..." Xu Long was so shocked he couldn't speak, his face flushed, as if he might choke from overwhelming emotion at any moment.

Xu Yang walked into the formation and examined it.

"So, it's the Seven Fiend Sealing Acupoint Maze," Xu Yang murmured.

"When was the last time someone visited this place?" Xu Yang turned and asked Xu Long.

The formation wasn't broken; it was merely altered.

A fierce beast wouldn't modify a formation, so it must have been a human.

"About half a month ago, we invited representatives from all the major powers in Tianwu County to observe this formation. Many people came that time," Xu Long explained.

"At that time, the fierce beast was still within the formation. But now, after only a few days, it has escaped!" Xu Long's face turned green with anger.

Even if he were incredibly foolish, he would know that someone had tampered with it during that very visit.

"If this fierce beast escapes, it will be a disaster for our entire Tianwu County! Who did this?" Xu Long roared, his thunderous voice making the entire mountain tremble.

Xu Yang idly fiddled with his fingers, waiting for Xu Long to vent his emotions, before calmly speaking.

"Actually, this isn't difficult. Tell me who was present that day, and which powers were represented. I'll go check each one," Xu Yang said.

Indeed, in Xu Yang's view, the matter was that simple.

Someone from a major power must have secretly tampered with it, modifying the sealing formation into a maze formation in a short period. Only a powerful expert from a major force could have accomplished this.

Xu Long looked bewildered. Had he just heard Xu Yang say he would inquire from each force, one by one?

While it sounded like a valid approach to the problem, even if they found the culprit, what then? The fierce beast's immense power meant that even sacrificing the entire Tianyang Sect would be useless.

Even mobilizing all cultivators in Tianwu County might not be enough.

Tianwu County might once again face the same catastrophe it experienced a thousand years ago.

Seeing Xu Long's constantly changing expression, Xu Yang knew he feared the beast's power. He smiled and said:

"You're overthinking it. Once I find that fierce beast, I can kill it with a single finger. Rest assured."

Xu Long stared at Xu Yang, dumbfounded. Although he had heard some legends about Xu Yang,

At that moment, he felt Xu Yang was utterly ignorant of his own limits.

A thousand years ago, it took several, even dozens, of late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators sacrificing their lives, along with a bit of luck, to barely seal that fierce beast.

For Xu Yang to claim he could kill it with a single finger was simply outrageous bragging.

"My young friend," Xu Long said awkwardly, "there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

"Then don't say it," Xu Yang replied indifferently.

He knew there were only a few major powers in Tianwu County.

"Since this fierce beast is no longer here with you, I'll go look elsewhere,"

Xu Yang said calmly. As soon as he finished speaking, he walked out without waiting for Xu Long's reaction.

Xu Long watched the afterimage of Xu Yang's departure, shook his head, and didn't bother to respond.

Gazing at the empty sealing formation, he grew increasingly sad with each thought, almost committing suicide beside the formation to atone to the world.

Xu Yang quickly arrived outside the Tianyang Sect's mountain gate, just in time to see Zhao Tianyu piloting his spirit ship, about to depart.

Xu Yang stepped forward and said, "Give me a ride."

Zhao Tianyu looked at Xu Yang, felt a jolt of fear, and asked cautiously, "Senior Xu, what's wrong?"

"The fierce beast isn't here anymore. I need to go to a few places," Xu Yang said directly, not hiding anything.

Zhao Tianyu was stunned for a few seconds. After that, he pretended not to have heard.

"Senior Xu, where would you like to go?"

"The Spirit Treasure Auction House," Xu Yang said calmly.

Although Zhao Tianyu didn't know why Xu Yang wanted to go to the Spirit Treasure Auction House, he dared not refuse and could only comply with Xu Yang's request.

A short while later, Xu Yang arrived at the Spirit Treasure Auction House.

As expected, the Spirit Treasure Auction House in Tianwu County was much larger than the one in Qizhou.

Behind the auction hall was a large courtyard, complete with artificial mountains and streams. Birds chirped, flowers scented the air, and trees formed groves.

"Senior, this is the residence of Senior Zhang Tianjun," Zhao Tianyu said.

Xu Yang nodded and walked towards the courtyard.

"Halt! Who are you?"

"This is the residence of the Tianwu County Branch President of the Spirit Treasure Auction House. Unauthorized personnel are not permitted inside."

The moment Xu Yang stepped through the gate, two fierce-looking guards aggressively approached him and shouted.