A great moon hung overhead.
Coal Ball soared beneath the stars, its amber eyes surveying the earth. People could be seen emerging in every direction, pressing themselves to the ground to listen.
Underground, Xie Jinhuan kept hammering at the rock, unaware of the changes in heaven and earth. But as the three opportunities vanished, the Five Elements spiritual resonance flowing outward began to contract instead. Imperceptibly subtle changes spread throughout the underground, accumulating into rolling thunder that echoed through Fire Phoenix Valley:
Rumble...
The sound seemed to come from the distant horizon, but any cultivator who knew Fire Phoenix Valley's history knew what it meant!
Beneath the stars and moon, five people stood on the empty Boundless Gobi, surveying their surroundings. Leading them was Yan Lang, chief of the Black Yama Gang, with Xu Guanfu, chief of the Jiangzhou Gang, beside him.
As one of Great Qian's leading Martial Dao figures, Xu Guanfu's cultivation far surpassed Yan Lang's. That was why the Black Yama Gang had wanted him there to hold the line. After learning of Xie Jinhuan's rise, they had even offered to forgo the opportunities in Phoenix Mausoleum, asking only that he help eliminate Xie Jinhuan before trouble could take root.
Xu Guanfu did indeed want the opportunity in Phoenix Mausoleum; otherwise, he would struggle to advance another inch in the Martial Dao. Besides, he had close ties with these sea bandits of the Black Yama Gang. If Xie Jinhuan wiped them out, he would inevitably follow the vine to the melon and come looking for Xu Guanfu.
Without sufficient strength, he would never be able to hold Xie Jinhuan down once the latter rose to prominence. His first priority on this trip was therefore to seize an opportunity. If he failed and encountered Xie Jinhuan, he could