Meteor Guard

Gu Jinlai laughed and departed.

On the other side, hearing the commotion, Su Nanxing hurled all the Molotov Cocktails in his hand towards the Seven Treasures Pavilion before disappearing into the night.

Just then, Dong Hanxue received a distress call from the elders of his sect. While arranging for strict guards around the courtyard where Zuo Bu'er was in seclusion to prevent anyone from entering, he quickly arrived at the courtyard.

Looking at the more than a dozen bodies in the courtyard, which were beyond human recognition, Dong Hanxue's expression turned cold: "Where are they!?"

Several elders exchanged glances, and one elder, forcing himself, said, "Escaped... he escaped..."

"So many of you, and you still let him escape!?"

Dong Hanxue's eyes widened: "Didn't they say he was just at Core Condensation?"

"He should be... at Core Condensation."

The elder continued, "He possesses... two Quasi-Spirit Artifacts."

"Quasi-Spirit Artifacts!?"

Dong Hanxue's pupils contracted.

Quasi-Spirit Artifacts referred to treasures whose spirituality was not yet strong enough to connect with the cultivator's mind and undergo myriad transformations, but whose materials possessed special divine properties.

The value of such treasures was inferior to true Spirit Artifacts, but still far surpassed exquisite Treasure Artifacts, and were typically only equipped by existences at the Spirit Transformation realm, one or two at most.

"Is he Spirit Refining, or does he possess Quasi-Spirit Artifacts?"

Dong Hanxue asked sternly, "You fought for so long, and you can't even distinguish this?"

"Reporting to the Grand Elder, the enemy is Gu Jinlai, a former elder of the Purgatory Demonic Sect. He was once at Spirit Refining, but due to qi deviation during cultivation, he fell from Spirit Refining and switched to becoming a Celestial Master. Therefore, it is highly probable that he possesses two Quasi-Spirit Artifacts."

A disciple of Bai Yang responded.

"Gu Jinlai? It's him?"

There were only so many at Spirit Refining within Xingzhou, especially since the news of Gu Jinlai's fall from Spirit Refining had been widely publicized recently. Dong Hanxue had naturally heard of it.

"It's him."

The disciple nodded heavily, "Although Gu Jinlai has fallen from Spirit Refining, he was once a top-tier figure. His swordsmanship, movement techniques, and secret arts were all of the highest caliber. Coupled with the advantage of his armor, we were helpless and he managed to escape..."

"How did you provoke him?"

Dong Hanxue asked.

The surviving disciples of Bai Yang exchanged glances and quickly recounted how Gu Jinlai and Pavilion Master Bai Yang had made a deal, and how the Pavilion Master, upon learning the truth, had pocketed ten sets of Treasure Armor.

"Bai Yang!"

Dong Hanxue was furious.

But more than that, it was a killing intent towards Gu Jinlai, a mere street rat who had fallen from Spirit Refining, daring to cause trouble at the Heavenly Grass Pavilion.

"How dare he! He was only denied ten sets of Treasure Armor, and he dares to come to my Heavenly Grass Pavilion to kill people, the audacity! Does he think he's still the arrogant Spirit Refining elder of the Purgatory Demonic Sect from back then? What a joke!"

Dong Hanxue was enraged, "Investigate! Find his location! As soon as the Pavilion Master returns, gather everyone. I want to tear him to pieces! Let him understand the price of offending my Heavenly Grass Pavilion!"

At this moment, the direction of the Seven Treasures Pavilion suddenly became brilliantly illuminated, with raging flames spreading at an extremely fast pace.

Accompanying this were the panicked shouts of the disciples guarding the Seven Treasures Pavilion: "It's on fire, it's on fire!"

"Seven Treasures Pavilion!?"

That was the core of the Heavenly Grass Pavilion.

All the elixirs and treasures were collected in the Seven Treasures Pavilion. If any were destroyed, the loss would be in the millions.

"Put out the fire! Save the fire first!"

Dong Hanxue immediately ordered.

On the other side, Gu Jinlai strode out of the Heavenly Grass Pavilion.

On the way back to his courtyard, Su Nanxing caught up.

"Master."

Su Nanxing called out.

Gu Jinlai glanced at the Heavenly Grass Pavilion.

The fierce flames could be clearly seen, burning intensely and painting half of Starlight City's sky a fiery red.

"Master, what do we do next..."

"I have made arrangements. I will find a way to make the Heavenly Grass Pavilion not dare to act rashly."

Gu Jinlai's expression was calm. "Gu Chaoyang and the others should be ready. Tell them to await my further instructions patiently."

"Yes."

Su Nanxing replied.

Gu Jinlai then headed straight for the central street.

On the central street, Nian Buwang, using the excuse of a carriage, was already waiting.

"Old Ancestor."

"Are the goods ready?"

"They are ready."

Nian Buwang nodded heavily and pointed to the carriage. "Two sets of Treasure Armor, six hundred kilograms of gunpowder."

"Good."

Gu Jinlai said, "Let's go to the Meteor Guard headquarters."

Meteor Guard.

Star Lord Xin Tianqi, known as the number one expert in Xingzhou.

The Meteor Guard he commanded was entirely composed of elites at the Qi Refining realm and above.

Their original duty was to suppress the cultivation world, preventing it from growing too powerful and affecting the Provincial Lord's Mansion's rule over Xingzhou.

As it stands today, heroes have risen everywhere, and cultivation sects have expanded rapidly. Especially the Ten Great Demonic Sects and Six Great Immortal Sects, they have already carved out their own territories, governing tens of millions of citizens. Although the situation within Xingzhou is somewhat better, the Meteor Guard has already lost its dominance over Xingzhou's cultivation world.

But undeniably, in terms of the number of experts, the Meteor Guard still ranked as the foremost power in Starlight City, and even in Xingzhou.

It was precisely because of the Meteor Guard's strong suppression that sects like the Purgatory Sect, Yellow Springs Sect, Cold Moon Sect, and Yellow Heaven Dao had always been unable to enter Starlight City.

Although the night was deep, the Meteor Guard headquarters was still brightly lit.

Due to the fire at the Heavenly Grass Pavilion, many people were coming and going, investigating the situation.

When Gu Jinlai, who had changed his clothes, arrived at the Meteor Guard, people immediately surrounded him.

The leading Gang Condensation expert had his right hand on his saber hilt. "This is a restricted area for the Meteor Guard. No unauthorized personnel allowed."

"Celestial Master Gu Jinlai is here to see Star Lord Xin of the Meteor Guard."

Gu Jinlai cupped his hands.

"Gu Jinlai?"

The Meteor Guard expert at the Gang Condensation realm showed surprise in his expression. "Gu Jinlai, the former elder of the Purgatory Demonic Sect?"

"I have left the Purgatory Demonic Sect and have since cultivated the Path of the Celestial Master."

Gu Jinlai said, "I have come to present two sets of Treasure Armor to Star Lord Xin."

"Wait a moment."

The Gang Condensation expert glanced at Gu Jinlai and then quickly entered the courtyard.

A short while later, he returned, escorting two people and a carriage into the courtyard.

However, in the main hall, Gu Jinlai was not met by the Star Lord who suppressed Xingzhou's cultivation world, but by a middle-aged man in black, appearing to be in his early forties.

"Elder Gu... oh, I should address you as Celestial Master Gu now."

The middle-aged man stood up. "The Star Lord is occupied with important matters and is unavailable. I, Chen Jiuwen, can receive the items you've brought. I am responsible for the distribution of supplies for the Meteor Guard."

Gu Jinlai felt a sense of regret upon hearing this.

However, he also knew that even as a former elder of the Purgatory Demonic Sect, meeting Xin Tianqi would not be easy.

Without wasting any more time, he got straight to the point. "True Master Chen, please take a look. These are the new Treasure Armor I have forged."

He pointed to the two sets of Treasure Armor brought by Nian Buwang. "These Treasure Armor are heavy..."

"Mystic Steel Armor, indeed a fine Treasure Armor. Weighing eighty jin, its defense is comparable to High-grade Treasure Armor..."

Chen Jiuwen spoke, listing the basic data of these Treasure Armor as if reciting a familiar list.

Clearly, this new type of Treasure Armor had already caught their attention.

At this moment, a Meteor Guard approached Chen Jiuwen and whispered something in his ear.

After listening, Chen Jiuwen looked at Gu Jinlai again, his gaze clearly different.

After a long pause, he said, "Celestial Master Gu... truly, a hidden dragon, a crouching tiger. You've accomplished such a significant deed in our Starlight City without us even realizing it."

Gu Jinlai knew what he was referring to.

As a high-ranking official of the Meteor Guard, it was already considered slow to receive news about the Heavenly Grass Pavilion at this point.

Gu Jinlai spoke frankly, "Since True Master Chen is aware of my Treasure Armor, you must naturally understand why I took such a risky approach. When someone bullies you to your face, you have no choice but to fight back desperately."

He pointed to the Treasure Armor. "I am willing to offer the method of forging these Treasure Armor to the Meteor Guard, in exchange for an official position within the Meteor Guard."