Chapter 304: Giving the Sword King Treatment

Ling Jinghu asked in surprise, "Why?"

Xu Yining looked disgusted and said, "Not long ago, they encountered an elder who was severely wounded by a demon beast. Not only did they not save him, they even took his sword. They later discovered the sword was a top-grade spirit tool, and only then did they realize the gravity of their mistake."

A top-grade spirit tool?

Ling Jinghu gasped. On the Nine Sects Continent, the only two top-grade spirit swords were held by the Supreme Elders of the Grand Supreme Sect and the Myriad Sword Sect, respectively. Jin Yunlie not only didn't save them but also took a divine weapon while they were vulnerable? If that Supreme Elder survived, wouldn't he hunt them down? No wonder Jin Yunlie insisted on traveling with them! He intended to shift the blame and make them share the trouble.

"That damn bastard!" Understanding Jin Yunlie's sinister intentions, Ling Jinghu cursed him on the spot. She dared not linger any longer and quickly drove away.

Jiang Fan was utterly confused, unsure why Ling Jinghu was so anxious. They traveled quickly for about half a day. Ling Jinghu finally stopped the carriage at a tea stall on the main road ahead and told everyone to rest. Everyone had been severely jostled by the journey. Some stretched their limbs, while others went to relieve themselves. Only Ling Jinghu remained, looking troubled, and simply picked a tea table to sit at.

However, as soon as she sat down, a cold, aged voice sounded in her ear. "What are you doing here?" She turned her head to look. Behind her, an old man with his hands clasped behind his back had appeared at some point! He had the air of an immortal, wearing a clean, simple green robe. His face was gaunt, his hair streaked with gray, and an air of righteousness emanated from his brows. Others might not recognize him, but Ling Jinghu, who had just seen him a short while ago, certainly did. Her heart trembled violently. She quickly stood up and respectfully said, "Senior Xu, why are you here?" The person before her was none other than the Supreme Elder of the Myriad Sword Sect, Xu Qingyang!

Compared to yesterday, his skin was slightly pale. Clearly, he had been injured. At this moment, he stared at Ling Jinghu, a hint of suspicion in his eyes: "I'm asking you!" Ling Jinghu groaned inwardly. The person whose sword was taken was undoubtedly Xu Qingyang. But he seemed unaware of who took it and, having coincidentally met their group, suspected them. She quickly said, "To be honest, Senior, the Sect Master later slew another Silver-Winged Thunder Roc. I was ordered to deliver it to the Myriad Sword Sect, to you, Senior. I didn't expect to meet you here."

Xu Qingyang glanced at their carriage. Indeed, he found the massive body of a demon beast, covered by a cloth. His indifferent expression softened slightly, but his eyes still held some doubt: "Let me ask you, have you passed through Purple Swallow Mountain?" Ling Jinghu's heart sank; she knew Xu Qingyang was suspicious of her. How could she dare to conceal it now? She replied, "To answer you, Senior, your sword was taken by someone from the Orthodox Thunder Sect. It has nothing to do with our Joyful Union Sect."

Hearing this, Xu Qingyang's face stiffened. He quickly glanced around and sharply exclaimed, "Silence! Who asked you about the sword?" He was the dignified Supreme Elder of the Myriad Sword Sect, the top Sword King of the Nine Sects, and one of the top three peerless contemporary powerhouses. To have his natal spirit tool stolen—if word got out, how could he ever show his face again? Ling Jinghu was stunned for a moment before she understood Xu Qingyang's intention. She quickly said, "Yes, yes, yes, my apologies for the slip of the tongue." Xu Qingyang glared fiercely at her and said, "I will be traveling with you later. Do not reveal my identity." Ling Jinghu was startled. She immediately realized that Xu Qingyang's injuries were still severe, making it inconvenient for him to travel quickly.

She hastily asked, "Senior, how did you sustain such severe injuries?" Xu Qingyang irritably replied, "Don't blame your Joyful Union Sect Master? After dealing with the Silver-Winged Thunder Roc, I went west, hoping to see if there were more Silver-Winged Thunder Rocs. However, shortly after venturing deep into the west, I encountered the Heaven-Devouring Tiger, one of the Four Great Demon Kings under the Demon Emperor. Although I severely wounded it, I also ended up gravely injured myself." Ling Jinghu was horrified: "The Heaven-Devouring Tiger?" Under the Demon Emperor were four Great Demon Kings at the perfected Jade Core Realm, on the verge of transforming into human form. Their strength was immense. If an ordinary Supreme Elder encountered one, it would surely be a near-fatal encounter. Only Senior Xu Qingyang, with his divine sword arts and unfathomable strength, could have escaped with his life. But then, Ling Jinghu became extremely anxious: "There are traces of one of the Four Great Demon Kings in the western part of my Joyful Union Sect territory? If a beast tide were to break out, wouldn't our Joyful Union Sect be...?"

Xu Qingyang clutched his chest, where faint traces of blood were seeping through. He sighed deeply, "This tiger's injuries are no lighter than mine, perhaps even heavier. If no other Great Demon King comes to replace it, the beast tide in the west won't be able to start anytime soon." Hearing this, Ling Jinghu finally let out a long breath. Xu Qingyang had risked his life to neutralize a major hidden danger in the western territory of the Joyful Union Sect. She bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, Senior Xu! Please rest assured on this journey; I will certainly escort you to the Myriad Sword Sect."

Before long, the disciples returned and gathered. They found an old man had joined the group, which was very strange. Jiang Fan also looked puzzled, vaguely feeling that the old man looked familiar, yet he couldn't quite place him. It was no surprise he didn't recognize him, as Xu Qingyang also didn't recognize Jiang Fan. At that time, it had been night, and both parties could only make out rough silhouettes, not clear details. "I am Elder Ling's friend; we happened to meet, and I'll be troubling you for a while," Xu Qingyang said with a chuckle as he scanned the group.

Meet a friend in the middle of nowhere? Jiang Fan was skeptical. However, that wasn't important. What concerned him was that Elder Ling's friend was severely injured. "Senior... do you not have any healing pills?" Jiang Fan noticed the other's chest. Blood was still seeping from it.

Xu Qingyang didn't hide anything and said, "The thing that injured me has some potent venom. Unless this venom is removed, healing pills are useless." Jiang Fan nodded and said, "I know a little about medicine. If you don't mind, I can try to extract the venom for you." Xu Qingyang hesitated. The Heaven-Devouring Tiger's venom was extremely difficult to deal with; only the Immortal Doctor had ever managed to cure it. Even his disciple, Shangguan Sheng, might not be able to cure it now. How could the boy before him possibly cure it? But then he thought, even if the venom couldn't be cured, a simple wound treatment would still be helpful. "Alright, we can treat it in the carriage." He just wanted to get back to his sect quickly and use the sect's spiritual treasures to suppress the venom. Then he could seek an opportunity to fully detoxify. Otherwise, he would die from the venom.

Ling Jinghu, however, was a little worried. "Do you really know medicine?" The person before them was none other than Xu Qingyang, one of the top three super powerhouses in the Nine Sects Continent! What if he accidentally caused more harm and they were blamed? Jiang Fan said, "If it's just extracting potent venom, it shouldn't be a big problem." After speaking, he jumped onto the carriage. At this point, Xu Qingyang had unbuttoned his robe at the chest. Jiang Fan was startled by what he saw. A perfectly smooth claw mark, spanning across his chest like a blood-red line, came into view. "What a formidable creature; its claws are even sharper than a divine weapon." Even with a high-grade spirit tool in hand, Jiang Fan wasn't confident he could inflict a wound as precise as a blood-red line. This showed how sharp the claws of the demon beast that attacked the old man were.

"Moreover, the venom is quite extraordinary." Jiang Fan took out a jade chip and poked at the wound. As a result, the jade chip hissed and sizzled. It was actually corroded! Logically, such potent venom should have killed him on the spot. Yet this old man had managed to survive until now.

Xu Qingyang said gently, "Just help me bandage the wound. It's perfectly normal if you can't cure it. Don't push yourself." Jiang Fan, however, calmly took out his Blue Flame Silver Needles and stated, "It might hurt a little later, so bear with it." Xu Qingyang chuckled softly. What a stubborn young man. Unfortunately, this venom couldn't be cured by sheer stubbornness. "No need, just bandage it and..."

"Wait!" Xu Qingyang suddenly sat upright, his gaze fixed on the silver needles in Jiang Fan's hand. A look of shock and suspicion appeared on his face. "Why do you have the Immortal Doctor's silver needles?"