Celestial Refining Divine Scripture

Upon hearing these words, the three experts inside the hall exchanged glances. The Ming Family expert mused, "It’s no problem for Mr. Xu to show his face; with the five of us here, even a Peak Celestial Immortal would be discovered if they dared approach."

"The worry is if they retreat completely, never appearing again."

"That’s fine too. A peaceful trade event is a good thing."

"Besides, we still have Mr. Yi. That’s more than enough to guarantee nothing unexpected will happen."

...

Yi Que glanced at Xu Yang and nodded slightly.

Based on the current situation, Xu Yang revealing himself shouldn’t pose any major danger.

If the other side doesn’t appear, so be it.

If they do show themselves, they’re guaranteed to find no escape, even if they grew wings.

Three more days passed.

The town remained free of any further disturbances, calm as ever.

The two who hadn’t returned earlier each still had a corpse in hand.

In the end, there were fifteen corpses in total.

Fifteen Celestial Fire Golden Leaf Elixirs.

Of these, the Lingxi Sect experts obtained the most—four elixirs.

The others received at least two each.

Though some were vexed, all five were extremely pleased.

Even just two is an enormous gain.

With the trade event approaching, none of the five intended to leave; some even volunteered to oversee Xu Yang’s safety.

They went so far as to decide that after the trade event began, Xu Yang could select any treasure he desired from those held by their respective factions.

Of course, Flame Dragon Mountain already traded for three items previously. Now, it would be four.

And Xu Yang, naturally, did not hold back.

Having brought these five great factions so many benefits, how could he refuse their goodwill?

With the resources left from these dozen corpses, the loss in refining Celestial Fire Golden Leaf Elixir was mostly recovered.

Afterward, Xu Yang and the others discussed briefly.

For now, the five would remain in town, secretly on guard until the trade event commenced.

When the time came, all six major factions would send people to maintain order. With the five watching from the shadows, any incident could be handled immediately.

After the five departed, Xu Yang’s inner tension remained taut.

This whole affair left him deeply surprised.

Still, not a single piece of evidence or trace had surfaced, proving the mastermind was no ordinary person.

This called for constant vigilance.

Peak Celestial Immortal?

With his current cultivation, it would be impossible to advance two more steps in the short term.

He’d have to rely on external force.

"Don’t worry, Brother—I’m not in a rush to leave; besides, don’t make the other side out to be too terrifying. After this incident, they might not dare show themselves at all."

Noticing Xu Yang’s mood, Yi Que comforted, "Also, there’s another surprise."

"What surprise?"

A doubtful look appeared on Xu Yang’s face.

Yi Que smiled mysteriously, "Just wait, you’ll see soon enough."

Xu Yang could only give a wry smile. Fine, it seemed he’d just have to wait and hope it was something good.

The next day.

Xu Yang stepped out of the manor and openly strolled around the town.

Yi Que and the five experts shadowed him in secret.

Only after returning did all six reveal themselves.

But throughout, they discovered nothing at all.

Thinking on it, though, no matter who it was, losing over a dozen Celestial Immortal Realm assassins at once was a colossal blow. Knowing the opposition was prepared, acting now would be seeking death—they wouldn’t dare take rash action again.

It’s possible they might just give up entirely.

"They’re here."

Yi Que suddenly looked outside and smiled.

"Who’s here?"

Xu Yang glanced at Yi Que in confusion, then turned toward the entrance.

Soon, the sound of footsteps approached.

Immediately after, a figure with a sturdier build than Yi Que entered the main hall.

Dressed in black, appearing about thirty, stride like a dragon, step like a tiger—full of presence.

A faint smile hung on this person’s face, making the heart skip a beat at the sight.

"Peak Celestial Immortal?"

Xu Yang’s heart trembled.

This newcomer felt even stronger than Yi Que.

Who was he?

"So this is our junior brother, I suppose."

The young man looked at Xu Yang and grinned broadly.

On hearing this, Xu Yang’s eyes popped wide: "Senior brother?"

"Hahaha."

Yi Que laughed, "The surprise is senior brother!"

"I contacted you just as senior brother had returned. When he heard, he decided to come along."

"Only, senior brother was hiding in the shadows, surveilling Four Spirits Town."

"Thank you, senior brother."

Xu Yang was overjoyed—he had long admired his senior brother, and never thought they’d meet at this moment.

"So, what’s junior brother’s present cultivation?" Senior brother looked Xu Yang over, raising a brow unexpectedly.

At the same time, Xu Yang felt he was being probed.

"Barely comparable to late-stage Celestial Immortal." Xu Yang grinned.

"Hiss!"

"That’s downright monstrous!"

Senior brother sucked in a breath, eyes wide, unable to hide his astonishment.

Yi Que chuckled nearby, "Senior brother, junior is a Ninth Grade Immortal Foundation—no question!"

"No wonder Master’s been in such a good mood lately, hasn’t scolded me at all, hahaha." Senior brother burst out laughing.

After some conversation—

Senior brother said gravely, "I discovered someone hiding in the shadows, but they never entered the town. When I noticed, they reacted quickly and I couldn’t catch up."

"Should be the one codenamed Iceblade!"

"A formidable opponent; in a one-on-one, I’m not confident I could take him. After years in hiding, his strength is almost the pinnacle within the Celestial Immortal Realm."

"Even using all my pills and methods, there’s no guarantee."

"Really Iceblade?"

"With such strength, could he really be controlled by someone’s Primordial Spirit? If so, wouldn’t it take a Golden Immortal to do it?" Xu Yang was shocked.

"Not necessarily."

Senior brother replied with deeper meaning: "What if he was controlled long ago?"

On hearing this, Xu Yang’s expression changed.

If that were the case, Iceblade and all these assassins might be secretly raised by some person, even some faction, for deeds that couldn’t be done openly.

"But after I scared him off, he shouldn’t appear again for a while, unless he has backup; still, finding another who would dare attack the Black Fire Immortal Mountain’s core disciple at Peak Celestial Immortal is no easy feat. Even if there is, after this battle, they’ve lost so many—it’s a crippling blow, they won’t dare act recklessly again."

Senior brother shook his head slightly as he spoke.

Xu Yang felt a bit relieved; he agreed wholeheartedly.

If they dared return knowing he was prepared, it would be pure suicide.

"I also had an unexpected harvest," Senior brother said.

Xu Yang and Yi Que looked toward senior brother in unison.

Senior brother swept his sleeve.

A battered figure fell to the floor, letting out a painful groan.

The man looked middle-aged, utterly miserable, covered in wounds, face ashen and bloodless, filled with panic and fear, curled up on the floor, trembling.

His cultivation was merely at the early stage of Celestial Immortal.

"Who is he?"

Xu Yang and Yi Que were both puzzled, not recognizing this man at all.

Could he be an assassin too?

But with such weak cultivation, he posed no threat.

"Say it yourself," Senior brother said, giving him a merciless kick.

The middle-aged man flinched, looked at Xu Yang, and said bitterly, "I—I’m Yang Yu. The clan sent me to watch Mr. Xu and the five major factions for any unusual activity."

"The Yang Family?"

An exclamation rang out within the hall.