After parting from Qin Shuang and the others, Xu Yang flew back to the sect on his sword. A few days later, he returned to his courtyard with the Heaven-Slaughtering Dog. Xu Yang first went to the Spirit Insect Room for a look. He found nothing had changed much; the Golden Sword Insect was still exactly as before, showing no sign of hatching.
He turned and left, then went to the Cultivation Room and sat cross-legged near a branch of the Spirit Spring to circulate his energy and heal his injuries. Although his wounds had mostly recovered after several days, they were not completely healed. His Consciousness Sea in particular had suffered severe backlash, and Xu Yang had been continuously circulating the Spirit Refining Art to restore it. It took a full half month before he finally healed the damage to his spiritual sense.
Just as he was about to enter seclusion and continue improving his cultivation, another major event interrupted him. A dramatic turn had taken place on the battlefield along the border between the Wu and Yue kingdoms. The Blood Refining Sect had suddenly sent a large number of Foundation Establishment cultivators to raid Bailian Pavilion's camp. The three Foundation Establishment cultivators stationed there had been overwhelmed: two had died and one was wounded. Only Xu Yang's senior brother, Huo Lian, had escaped by a stroke of luck, while the sect's other disciples had suffered heavy casualties.
The news immediately shook the sect's leadership. Sect Master Bai Zizai hurriedly sent a large number of disciples to reinforce them. Xu Yang happened to be on the roster, so he naturally had to abandon his plans for secluded cultivation and leave his courtyard for the hall at the peak.
When Xu Yang arrived at the hall at the peak, four