Four Outer Sect Elites

The bald man looked thoroughly impatient. He said to his subordinates, "Wait another half hour. If Third and the others still don't come, we'll move first!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a subordinate came running over in a panic. "S-Second Master, bad news!"

"What is it?" The bald man glared and said slowly, "Look at you, trembling like this. You've followed me for so long for nothing!"

The subordinate's jaw shook uncontrollably as he stammered, "Third Master is back. Young—Young Corps Leader, he..."

"What happened to him? Causing trouble again? Damn it, Big Brother spoiled him rotten!" the bald man said angrily.

"H-He's dead!"

The underling finally got the words out, then his whole body went limp with exhaustion.

Boom!

The bald man shot to his feet, spiritual light blazing around him like flames. He seized the underling and demanded harshly, "What the hell did you say? The Young Corps Leader is dead?"

"You dare joke with me like that? You don't want to live, do you?"

Held tightly in those massive hands, the underling rolled his eyes, on the verge of passing out. Just then, a bearded middle-aged man approached, his face full of exhaustion.

"Second Brother, let him go. He wasn't lying." The bearded man sighed.

At those words, the bald man's body trembled. His large hands loosened, and the underling dangling in midair dropped to the ground.

"Third, what happened? Zhi Xing was a Sixth-Level Spirit Warrior. With you as well, there were two Sixth-Level Spirit Warriors in the team. What kind of enemy could kill him? Did you run into some young expert?"

"Second Brother, this is what happened..."

The bearded middle-aged man recounted everything. When the bald man heard that the Young Corps Leader had actually been killed by a Fourth-Stage Spirit Warrior, his face filled with disbelief.

"What? A Fourth-Stage Spirit Warrior? You're sure he was a Fourth-Stage Spirit Warrior?" The bald man refused to believe it even if beaten to death.

"That's right, an outer sect disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect, a Fourth-Stage Spirit Warrior," the bearded man said. "That brat seemed to know a sword technique. Its power was extremely formidable. Zhi Xing only fell to him because he let his guard down."

"Damn it, we have to catch that brat! Avenge Zhi Xing!" The bald man's face twisted viciously. "Men, search for him! You must find that brat!"

"Second Brother, he's from the Profound Heaven Sect. There are quite a few of their experts nearby. We should proceed carefully."

The bald man nodded. "Find him first, but don't make a move. Report to us as soon as possible. Anyone who provides accurate information will be rewarded with one thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones!"

"One thousand!" The mercenaries' eyes instantly gleamed. That was equivalent to several years of their income. Why did they become mercenaries if not to earn some money and live better lives? Now, a single piece of information could be exchanged for a thousand Spirit Stones. This was simply pie falling from the sky!

At once, the members of the Viper Mercenary Group set out in all directions, searching according to the clues provided by the Third Corps Leader...

After parting with Tang Yu, Lin Xuan investigated the outskirts of the Demon Pit alone. He discovered people from quite a few factions, but did not alert them. Instead, he quietly circled around them.

"Drunkard Uncle, give me some guidance." Lin Xuan did not want to keep searching around like a headless fly. "Didn't you say there was an opportunity for me here? Where is it?"

"Tch, would I lie to you?" Wine Lord cried. "But those people are a little strange. It looks like they're waiting for something."

"How about you go ask them?"

Lin Xuan's face darkened. "Ask them? Ask your sister! Would they tell you?"

"Hehe, young brat, you're far too impatient. They wait, and we wait too. Watch the changes quietly, understand?" Wine Lord lectured.

Lin Xuan gritted his teeth in irritation. He leaped onto a large tree and secretly observed those people.

Those people were divided into eight or nine groups, each occupying a different position. Among them were disciples of the Profound Heaven Sect and people from the Purple Cloud Sect.

"Will stones really erupt later?" someone asked.

The one asking was a disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect's Divine Might Corps. He gazed into the depths of the mountain forest, his eyes somewhat doubtful.

"Yes. Stones will erupt over the next few days, but most of them contain nothing. We can only collect as many of the stones as possible, so that we don't miss any treasures."

"You all need to be careful later. Although the inner sect disciples are waiting for their opportunities elsewhere, we cannot let down our guard. This time, aside from our Divine Might Corps sending a genius disciple, other factions have brought young geniuses as well. It can be said that all Four Outer Sect Elites have arrived."

As those words were spoken, many people looked toward a figure not far away. It was a handsome youth sitting cross-legged alone atop a large boulder, resting with his eyes closed.

He was Jiang Yulong, the young genius of the Divine Might Corps. Only sixteen years old, his cultivation had already reached the Sixth Level of Meridian Condensation. He was one of the strongest fighters in the Divine Might Corps' outer sect and ranked within the top five of the Outer Sect Rankings.

The Four Outer Sect Elites referred to four genius youths. They shone as brightly as comets, suppressing the other outer sect disciples until they could not lift their heads. The Outer Sect Rankings were modeled after the inner sect rankings, intended to rank the strength of outer sect disciples.

The Outer Sect Rankings recorded only the top five hundred disciples. Many outer sect disciples took great pride in making the list. After all, there were tens of thousands of outer sect disciples, and entering the top five hundred was enough to prove one's strength.

People like Yan Kong and Hua Yangping ranked extremely highly. Even Liang Hong and Xing Lifeng, whom Lin Xuan had defeated, were among the top five hundred disciples.

Though many people had cultivation at the Sixth Level of Meridian Condensation, the gap in their actual strength was enormous. Aside from experience, the most important factor was the realm of their martial arts.

If two Sixth-Level Spirit Warriors faced each other, and one had cultivated a high-grade Yellow Tier martial art to the Major Achievement Stage while the other remained at the basic stage, the gap between them would be immense.

Take the dead Young Corps Leader of the Viper Mercenary Group. His saber technique appeared fierce, but in truth, it had not even reached the Minor Achievement Stage. That was also why Lin Xuan had been able to kill him so easily.

The Divine Might Corps disciples looked at Jiang Yulong with eyes full of admiration. Some young women were even acting like lovestruck fools, yet Jiang Yulong did not so much as open his eyes.

However, this did nothing to affect everyone's worship of him. It was clear just how high the Four Elites stood in their hearts.

Suddenly, black clouds rose from the depths of the mountain forest, churning like black ink, eerie and terrifying. Immediately afterward, three dark shadows flew outward, each as large as a watermelon.

"They're coming out!" someone in the crowd shouted. Everyone looked toward the sky. Even Jiang Yulong opened his eyes and stared at the speeding stones, a trace of fervor appearing in his gaze.

Many people gripped their weapons, ready to strike at any moment. At the same time, they secretly signaled their own people, guarding against interference from others.

The three stones shot toward three separate directions. One of them happened to fly toward the Divine Might Corps. The Divine Might Corps disciples were overjoyed and cheered excitedly. Jiang Yulong stood tall and heroic, a hazy glow gathering in his palm as he prepared to catch the stone.

"Senior Brother Jiang truly is incredible. Even the Mysterious Heavenly Stone was drawn to him," a Divine Might Corps disciple said.

"Of course! Senior Brother Jiang is a genius too. Even Heaven favors him!"

A group of disciples chattered endlessly, discussing how mighty Senior Brother Jiang was. At that moment, the stone sped through the air, about to fall.

A faint smile appeared on Jiang Yulong's handsome face. He extended one hand, about to seize the mysterious stone.

But just as he stretched out his hand, a sudden change occurred.

The mysterious Brown Stone suddenly paused, then abruptly accelerated, shooting rapidly toward the area behind Jiang Yulong.