Chapter 226: Meeting Up

He fiercely fanned the red fan in his hand, unleashing a vast expanse of crimson flames that formed a fire wall, several zhang high, directly in front of him. The red beam of light struck the crimson fire wall, causing it to instantly explode into a widespread blaze of crimson flames.

Just then, two spider puppets lunged forward.

Liu Yang tossed the red fan forward, his fingers rapidly forming seals as several incantations struck it. The red fan glowed intensely, followed by a deafening dragon's roar. The fan blurred and transformed into a crimson flood dragon, over ten zhang long, its scales sharp and its claws like blades. Its eyes constantly shifted, brimming with vitality.

“Roar!”

The crimson flood dragon snarled, pouncing towards the two spider puppets with bared fangs and brandished claws. Soon, it arrived in front of the two spider puppets. The two spider puppets swung their sharp claws, slashing at the crimson flood dragon, but only leaving faint white marks on its body. The crimson flood dragon pinned one spider puppet with its left claw, then unleashed a torrent of crimson flames from its mouth, engulfing the body of the other.

Meanwhile, the Hundred-Blade Umbrella reached Wang Changsheng. Wang Changsheng gently shook the Profound Ice Banner in his hand, releasing a vast wave of white cold air from its surface. As the Hundred-Blade Umbrella made contact with the frigid air, its rotation slowed, and a layer of white ice began to form on its surface and handle. The Profound Ice Banner glowed intensely, unleashing a surge of white cold air that instantly froze the Hundred-Blade Umbrella, turning it into an ice sculpture that crashed to the ground.

Wang Changsheng continuously waved the Profound Ice Banner, its surface glowing brightly. He aimed the flag's tip skyward, and a beam of white light shot out. After ascending hundreds of zhang, it transformed into a vast black cloud, engulfing a one-li radius.

Liu Yang was currently controlling several golden flying knives, battling the giant scorpion puppet. The golden flying knives slashed at the giant scorpion puppet, but only left faint white marks on its body.

The sky suddenly darkened, and large, pea-sized snowflakes began to fall from above. Liu Yang frowned and formed a hand seal. The crimson flood dragon's left claw instantly closed, crushing one spider puppet. It then snarled and pounced towards Wang Changsheng.

This Red Flood Dragon Fan was a top-grade magical artifact, containing the sealed spirit of a high-tier second-rank fire flood dragon. With this artifact, Liu Yang had slain numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators. The crimson flood dragon was incredibly fast, reaching Wang Changsheng in less than a breath's time.

Wang Changsheng's expression remained calm as a green mirror appeared in his hand, which he aimed at the crimson flood dragon. A flash of green light, and a thick green beam shot out, striking the crimson flood dragon. The flood dragon was instantly immobilized in mid-air, unable to move.

“How is that possible!”

Liu Yang's face paled dramatically, his eyes nearly popping out. Had he known his opponent possessed such an artifact, he never would have paused.

Wang Changsheng gently shook the Profound Ice Banner again, unleashing a torrent of white cold air that transformed into dense white ice needles, striking towards Liu Yang. Simultaneously, the dark clouds high above churned, and a hail of dense white ice cones plummeted towards Liu Yang below.

Liu Yang's expression changed drastically. He hastily summoned a golden short ruler, gave it a gentle shake, and a thick golden light barrier instantly materialized, enveloping him. The dense white ice cones and needles pelted the golden barrier, producing a muffled sound like rain hitting a fence.

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh!”

Three sharp whistle sounds of arrows echoed as three green arrows shot forth, striking the golden barrier and causing its light to dim. Wang Changsheng shook the Profound Ice Banner in his hand once more, unleashing a surge of white cold air that transformed into three white ice pythons, each a zhang long. With a flick of his finger, three beams of blue light shot out, each merging into one of the white ice pythons.

The white ice pythons moved with incredible speed, quickly reaching Liu Yang. They lunged at the golden barrier and instantly exploded. The surface of the golden barrier rapidly froze, becoming covered in a thick layer of ice. Three blue flying needles then shot out from the freezing mist, striking the ice. The golden barrier shattered. Three blue flying needles pierced Liu Yang's head, and his vision went black as he collapsed.

As soon as he died, the crimson flood dragon transformed into a red fan, falling to the ground.

Wang Changsheng breathed a sigh of relief. He formed a hand seal, and the dark clouds dispersed. He then collected the dropped magical artifacts, quickly approached Liu Yang's body, confiscated his belongings, and finally threw a fireball talisman to incinerate the corpse. He released the Blue Moon Wheel, jumped onto it, and flew towards the southeast.

By the time the Wind-Fire Sect received the news, Wang Changsheng and his group had already vanished without a trace.

One month later, Taiyuan Commandery.

In a dense forest within the Qingyue Mountain Range.

Ye Tong, Wang Changxue, and Zhao Long were discussing something, and Wang Changxue's eyes were filled with worry.

“Junior Sister Wang, your cousin has been gone for so long, I hope nothing has happened to him!” Zhao Long frowned, his face etched with concern. Their agreement was to rendezvous in Taiyuan Commandery after their mission. Zhao Long worried that Wang Changsheng might have been captured by the enemy and revealed their meeting point, which would surely lead to a large-scale encirclement by the Wind-Fire Sect.

“I doubt it! I know Ninth Brother's strength. Even if he can't win, he should be able to escape. The chances of him being captured alive are very low.” Wang Changxue had witnessed Wang Changsheng's strength and was full of confidence in him.

“Let's wait a bit longer! Fellow Daoist Wang should be fine.” Ye Tong offered comfort. He seemed to sense something and looked up, spotting a blue light rapidly approaching them from above.

Ye Tong and the others felt a surge of tension, but when they recognized Wang Changsheng, they all simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief. Being behind enemy lines, the sight of any Foundation Establishment cultivator made them nervous.

“Ninth Brother, why did you take so long? Did something happen on the way?” Wang Changxue asked with concern, her beautiful eyes filled with joy.

“The checkpoints were very strict along the way; perhaps someone else caused a major incident, which delayed me. Anyway, Second Sister, here's your share. That fellow was carrying quite a bit of wealth.” Wang Changsheng briefly explained, then took out three storage bags and handed them to Wang Changxue, Ye Tong, and Zhao Long.

According to their custom, the spoils of a slain enemy belonged to whoever dealt the killing blow. Liu Yang had been carrying hundreds of thousands of jin of Golden Adamant Jade ore, valued at over a hundred thousand spirit stones. Wang Changsheng gave Wang Changxue five thousand jin of the ore, and three thousand jin each to Ye Tong and Zhao Long. By sharing a portion of the profits, Wang Changsheng could foster good relations with Ye Tong and Zhao Long, which would also prove beneficial for Wang Changxue's future endeavors.

Ye Tong and Zhao Long accepted the storage bags without ceremony, offering their thanks.

“Fellow Daoist Wang, I possess the shell of a high-tier second-rank Golden-Eyed Spirit Turtle. As I'm not skilled in artifact refinement, I'd like to gift it to you. I hope you don't find it beneath you.” As courtesy dictates, Ye Tong, his face beaming with joy at the Golden Adamant Jade ore in the storage bag, reciprocated by taking out a golden turtle shell and handing it to Wang Changsheng.

Zhao Long, not wanting to accept the Golden Adamant Jade ore without reciprocation, produced a black porcelain bottle and said, “Fellow Daoist Wang, this contains the spirit of a mid-tier second-rank Flying Cloud Eagle. If refined into a flying magical artifact, it can significantly boost its speed.”

Wang Changsheng thanked them and accepted their items. Having received benefits, Ye Tong and Zhao Long's tone became much friendlier.

“Fellow Daoist Ye, where is our next target?” Having experienced the benefits, Wang Changsheng wished to undertake more such missions. He was uncertain if he could return to Qinglian Mountain, and with the family's reconstruction requiring vast amounts of spirit stones, he needed to accumulate as much as possible.

“After this battle, the Five Sects of Tang Kingdom will undoubtedly heighten their vigilance, particularly around metal ore veins and spiritual medicine gardens. My plan is to target immortal cultivation families, specifically the Zhou Family in Huainan Commandery. I've been to Xi Qi before; after Xi Qi was destroyed, the Zhou Family pledged allegiance to the Wind-Fire Sect, assisting them extensively. Far from weakening, their strength has actually grown, making them a prime target.” Ye Tong's tone was filled with confidence, and his eyes burned with eagerness.

Wang Changsheng frowned slightly and calmly asked, “Fellow Daoist Ye, do you know how many Foundation Establishment cultivators the Zhou Family possesses? And is it far from here?”

“Huainan Commandery is located on the border, deep in the rear. I visited the Zhou Family years ago, and back then they only had two Foundation Establishment cultivators. Even after all this time, their Foundation Establishment cultivators surely won't exceed five. More importantly, didn't we kill some Wind-Fire Sect disciples earlier? I stripped them of their clothes. We can disguise ourselves as Wind-Fire Sect disciples and launch a coordinated attack from both inside and outside; we're sure to eradicate the Zhou Family.” Ye Tong had been dispatched to sow discord within Tang Kingdom precisely because of his familiarity with the former Xi Qi Kingdom.

Wang Changsheng's eyes lit up. He smiled and asked, “This plan is excellent. When shall we depart?”

“We'll depart tonight. This is Tang Kingdom's territory, after all, and we've just committed a major crime. It's too crowded and conspicuous during the day, so it will be safer to travel under the cover of night.” They found an abandoned mountain cave and temporarily stayed there.

At midnight, when the night was deep and quiet, Wang Changsheng and the other three emerged from the cave. They boarded the Blue Lotus Boat, which carried them high into the sky. They traveled by night and rested by day. Wang Changsheng's powerful divine sense allowed him to detect enemies from a great distance, enabling them to repeatedly avoid Tang Kingdom's patrolling cultivators.