A Backup Plan (Seeking Follow-up Reading)

A Backup Plan (Seeking Follow-up Reading)

On Green Mountain Ridge, just as Ye Jingcheng was about to retreat into the Spirit Shield, a black-robed figure appeared once more.

The black-robed figure moved like a ghost, trailing a long spiritual afterimage!

His face twisted into a savage, terrifying expression!

As though Ye Jingcheng's killing of the Black Face Cultivator had driven him to the brink of fury! A massive Flying Cone Dharma Artifact shot from his hand, hurtling straight for the back of Ye Jingcheng's head!

Fast! Incomparably fast!

Ye Jingcheng drew out a Spirit Talisman. Though he felt that an ordinary first-rank Spirit Talisman might be useless, at that moment, it was all he could think of! He had even raised the Jade Ring Rat behind him! Yet before the attack could land, a massive emerald-green lizard suddenly appeared in the air. Its enormous red tongue lashed out like a blood python, wrapping around the Flying Cone and yanking it down, while its huge tail swept out.

In an instant, countless earthen spikes burst from the ground.

They shot toward the Foundation Building Cultivator who had launched the sneak attack.

It all happened far too quickly. The lizard had concealed itself too well, and it had even been hiding within the Spirit Shield.

The Spirit Shield was not merely a defensive formation—it was also a concealment formation! Caught off guard by its sudden appearance, the Foundation Building Cultivator had no chance to defend himself.

The earthen spikes tore through his chest, revealing a suit of glittering golden spirit armor!

But the armor had clearly not reached the second rank. An enormous hole was pierced through it, and blood immediately splashed out!

"That's Hai Cheng's old bastard's Spirit Beast! Your Ye Family has hidden yourselves too deeply!" The man took out a Spirit Talisman and shot off to the side!

Without another word, he fled!

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

Almost as soon as that Foundation Building Cultivator fled, the two Foundation Building Cultivators confronting Ye Xingliu in the air exchanged a glance and pulled out a Spirit Boat to escape! But at that very moment, the emerald-green lizard's long tongue lashed out again, stretching more than a hundred zhang! It wrapped around one of the Foundation Building Cultivators, while Ye Xingliu's perfected Golden Sword Art and two Flying Sword Dharma Artifacts came crashing down!

In an instant, that Foundation Building Cultivator was disemboweled and died a violent death!

Beside them, another scream rang out. The Red Crown Snow Eagle swooped down and clawed open the head of a Qi Refining Late Stage cultivator.

Of the remaining three Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators, one had his throat torn open by the Crimson-Marked Leopard!

Only two cultivators took out strange Spirit Talismans. Their speed abruptly increased dozens of times over, and they vanished into the distance like dust before the wind!

"They're just a band of audacious rogue cultivators. Don't chase them!" Ye Xingliu said. "Eldest Uncle and the others were supposed to meet us, but they never came. The other three great families haven't shown themselves either. We should head back first. Protecting the Blood Heart Pill is what matters most!"

Ye Xinghe nodded as well, though uncertainty still lingered in his eyes.

Those rogue cultivators looked far too much like they had been bought off by several great families.

If the Blood Heart Pill had been tampered with, why would the other side still arrange for rogue cultivators to come here? After pondering it for a long while, he could think of only one possibility.

Perhaps they wanted to dispel the Ye Family's suspicions toward the Blood Heart Pill. At the same time, after this battle, even if the Ye Family discovered that there was something wrong with the Blood Heart Pill, they would have no way to accuse the other great families.

It might even look as though the Ye Family was framing them!

Moreover, the Ye Family held a share in the auction house. If the auction house's reputation were ruined, the Ye Family would suffer great losses as well.

This was an open scheme!

Of course, he still hoped there was nothing wrong with the Blood Heart Pill and that the other side truly had wanted to seize it.

After all, joining forces with the Huayu Sect was no easy matter.

"What a pity. If the Patriarch hadn't sold one of his Dharma Artifacts, all three Foundation Building rogue cultivators would have been buried here today!"

After saying that, Ye Xinghe collected the Storage Bags of the two Qi Refining rogue cultivators! At last, the Crimson Flame Fox lifted the massive bell that the mysterious little bell Dharma Artifact had transformed into.

It ran toward Ye Jingcheng.

"Jingcheng, you performed well today and killed a cultivator, but you were far too careless. You aren't skilled at close combat, so you should have stayed inside the spirit formation. If not for Lizard Elder today, you would have been in grave danger!"

"Rogue cultivators may have fewer treasures than cultivators from families and sects, but their ruthlessness and countless tricks are what make them hardest to guard against!"

"Eldest Uncle is right to reprimand me!" Ye Jingcheng lowered his head as well.

He recognized his mistake too. That life-and-death crisis just now had truly been separated from death by the thinnest thread.

"You killed that Black Face Cultivator, so the spoils are yours. Remember to feed Lizard Elder a few spirit pills. You're an Alchemist; I needn't say more."

After Ye Xinghe spoke, he took out a fire banner and waved it casually, burning the rogue cultivators' corpses to ashes.

Ye Jingcheng hurriedly collected the rogue cultivator's Storage Bag, along with the little bell Dharma Artifact, the badly damaged shield, and a full nine silver needles.

Once he had gathered everything, he followed Ye Xinghe's example and had the Crimson Flame Fox breathe fire, reducing the corpse to ashes! At that moment, Ye Xingliu also brought out the Spirit Boat! Ye Jingcheng boarded it, but the emerald-green lizard was nowhere to be seen. Just as he was wondering about it—

With a slurping sound, a faint shadow materialized in front of him, revealing the huge emerald-green lizard.

"Lizard Elder!" Ye Jingcheng tried calling out. At the same time, he took out several Azure Spirit Pills and Qi Blood Pills.

He held them out to the emerald-green lizard.

Its tongue lashed out again, sweeping up even the pill bottles. With two crunches, it swallowed everything.

Then its body began to fade again, vanishing from the Spirit Boat in the blink of an eye.

"That is your Great Grandfather's bonded Spirit Beast. Within the family, bonded Spirit Beasts possess an equally honored status!" Ye Xinghe seemed to see Ye Jingcheng's confusion and explained from the side.

"The reason our Ye Family can stand firm among the four Foundation Establishment Families is because of the Patriarch and your Great Grandfather, as well as these Foundation Building Spirit Beasts!"

"Furthermore, aside from Spirit Beasts raised by the family from a young age, Spirit Beasts can also be inherited!"

After Ye Xinghe finished speaking, he said no more.

He left Ye Jingcheng alone aboard the Spirit Boat, his thoughts running wild.

He had already known that the family could not be so simple. Now, it seemed that even the tip of the iceberg they had revealed was immensely powerful.

And judging by how effortlessly the family had handled this battle, they likely possessed many more hidden cards.

For instance, Lizard Elder belonged to his Great Grandfather, Ye Haicheng. Then what Monster Beast did his Third Uncle, the Ye Family Patriarch, possess? And who was this Blood Heart Pill meant for? Ye Jingcheng's heart was filled with questions, but he did not speak. He knew that when the time came for him to know, he would know.

Asking when he should not would not only fail to bring answers, but might also provoke displeasure.

For now, he only needed to understand one thing: the Ye Family's strength was not to be underestimated, and its elders were no easy opponents!

To be part of such a family was an immense blessing! Ye Jingcheng held Spirit Stones in his hand, slowly restoring his spiritual energy, while the Crimson Flame Fox lay beside him.

The Spirit Boat continued toward Lingyun Peak. Once they passed Green Mountain Ridge, the remaining peaks became noticeably low and gentle.

At the edge of the land, a gigantic mountain peak could faintly be seen.

At that moment, another Spirit Boat came charging from the end of the horizon at an even more terrifying speed.

"It's Eldest Uncle and the others!" Ye Xingyu spoke.

Only then did Ye Jingcheng clearly see the newcomers. Ye Haicheng, Ye Haiyi, and Ye Haiping were all there.

"Someone played a section of the Beast Call Song near the family, causing a disturbance for quite some time!" Ye Haicheng was the first to speak.

Once he saw that the four of them were unharmed, he was finally relieved!

When the two Spirit Boats joined up, the danger was completely gone. Before long, they returned to Lingyun Peak.

Seeing the familiar mountain peak, the familiar paths, and the familiar buildings, Ye Jingcheng could not help feeling moved.

Though only a little over a month had passed.

He had already experienced far too much.

"Jingcheng, prepare yourself well over the next few days!" Ye Xingyu reminded Ye Jingcheng once more from beside him.