Bai Rong perished under Xiao Xuan's sword, but the violent energy that erupted from his body as he was dying still blasted Xiao Yan landed in a sorry state, a sweet, metallic taste rose in his throat, and blood slid down his lips.
As Yuan Zun, he should never be underestimated, no matter the circumstances. Even in death, the power he unleashed in his final moments was still beyond what Xiao Yan could easily withstand.
Having dealt with Bai Rong, Xiao Xuan turned to look towards the outside of Stone Rock Valley. Bai Zijing and Bai Sheng had already disappeared from sight. Xiao Xuan frowned slightly and said in a deep voice:
"It's a pity those two got away, otherwise no one would know we were the ones who did this."
Not entirely.
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Xiao Yan quickly swallowed two pills, stepped forward, and seeing Xiao Xuan's expression, smiled slightly and said:
"Although Bai Zijing escaped, the other person can't get away."
After saying that, Xiao Yan turned his gaze and swept it into the valley. He then determined a certain direction and flew towards the Stone Rock Valley first. After that, Xiao Xuan raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he understood something.
A moment later, when the two arrived at a mountain hollow, Bai Sheng was being relentlessly attacked by the Northern King and was on the verge of serious injury. When he saw Xiao Yan and the other person who had arrived later, his already pale face instantly lost all color.
Xiao Xuan raised his sword finger slightly, and Bai Sheng's expression changed drastically upon seeing this. He hurriedly shouted:
"Wait a minute, Your Excellency is a dignified Yuan Zun, surely you don't intend to...?"
"Noisy."
However, before Bai Sheng could finish speaking, he was killed by Xiao Xuan with a single sword strike. Xiao Yan, who was standing to the side, also sneered and summoned the Northern King back. At the same time, he stretched out his palm, and a suction force surged from his palm. Then, a Storage Ring flew out from Bai Sheng's body and was then grasped in his palm.
Having resolved these troubles, Xiao Yan and Xiao Xuan waited quietly in front of the Fire Banyan Locust Tree. Half a day later, the last trace of energy floating in front of the Huo Rong siblings was absorbed into their bodies. After a long while, the moment they opened their eyes, flames blazed everywhere, and their auras completely entered the Yuan Zong level.
Sensing the unique aura emanating from the two individuals, a quality usually reserved for Yuan Zong Sect experts, even Xiao Yan, in his current state, couldn't help but click his tongue. After all, countless people on this continent had dedicated their entire lives to cultivating to this level, only to end up stuck at the Peak Origin Emperor, dying in despair. It was as if these two, from the moment their strength broke through to the Origin Emperor, were destined to become experts at this level. Such contrasting lives truly evoked a myriad of emotions.
When the brother and sister climbed down from the tree and saw Xiao Yan and Xiao Xuan beside him, their expressions faltered slightly. Then, they lowered their eyelids and fell silent. Regarding Huo Qing, his image had appeared in their minds while they were asleep, telling them everything. Although they were shocked, they still couldn't believe that they wouldn't see Huo Qing when they woke up.
Seeing the feelings of the brother and sister at this moment, Xiao Yan could only understand and wait quietly for a while. It was Huo Xing who first recovered from his grief and then said in a slightly trembling voice:
"Mr. Xiao Yan, before Grandpa Huo Qing left, he wanted us to stay by your side..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded slightly, took a deep breath, looked around, and slowly said:
"We really can't stay here any longer. Without the protection of that black mist, those guys outside will soon rush in. If you don't have any plans for now, you can leave with us. You can decide where to go later if you come up with a plan."
Upon hearing this, Huo Rong and his sister exchanged glances. Huo Xin held tightly to her brother's arm with her delicate hands, seemingly waiting for his answer. Huo Xing also nodded slowly after a moment of contemplation. After all, with their current strength, it would be too far-fetched for them to survive in the Central Region, where heroes vie for power. Now that Xiao Yan was willing to lend a helping hand, and moreover, he was personally chosen by Huo Qing, they naturally had no reason to refuse.
The four rested briefly in the cave, and then, led by Xiao Xuan, they hurried toward the exit of the Fire Banyan Ruins. However, not long after they left Stone Rock Valley, a group was rushing toward them at high speed on the right. Judging from their destination, it was undoubtedly Stone Rock Valley.
"Those are... people from the Ouyang Clan? These guys are really paying close attention to the Bai Clan."
Xiao Yan smiled wryly. Judging from the Ouyang Clan's belated arrival, they didn't seem to be here to clear out the area and scavenge for scraps. If Xiao Xuan Xiao Yan hadn't arrived in time, these guys would probably have attacked and robbed Bai Zijing and the others after they had accomplished their great task.
"On the surface, the three major clans maintain a balance of power and distance from each other, but they secretly do quite a lot of these kinds of robberies."
Xiao Xuan shook his head and chuckled, quickly scanning the dilapidated city below, and said:
"It's best to avoid it if possible. It's fine to run into each other on ordinary days, but now, it's hard to say."
"Um."
Nodding, Xiao Yan communicated with Huo Xing and Huo Xin behind him, and the group quickly descended into the city below, concealing their presence and quietly heading forward.
A moment later.
"Huh?"
Among the procession rapidly flying over the city, an old man suddenly stopped, letting out a soft exclamation. Ouyang Miao beside him also froze, asking in confusion:
" Elder Ming, is there any movement?"
The old man, known as Elder Ming, frowned slightly and said in surprise:
"I did sense an extremely subtle aura just now, but it only lasted for a moment before completely disappearing."
"Disappeared suddenly before your perception, was it Yuan Zun?"
Ouyang Miao frowned, his gaze quickly sweeping towards the direction of Stone Rock Valley. He then suspiciously scanned the city below. Elder Ming slowly shook his head and said:
"No, that's not it. It's clear that he was just a newcomer to the Yuan Zong, but for some reason, he suddenly disappeared."
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Miao's brows relaxed slightly. Just as his thoughts raced, a high-level Yuan Zong behind him suddenly spoke up, saying:
"Actually, it's not hard to tell..."
"Oh?"
Ouyang Miao raised an eyebrow and looked at the latter along with Elder Ming beside him, while the man continued to speak.
"When we encountered Bai Zijing before, he was in a sorry state, and his guards had disappeared. Perhaps they encountered something in Stone Rock Valley that severely weakened them. The aura we just saw might have been left by his dying guard, which just happened to be sensed by Elder Ming."
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Miao's brows relaxed considerably. What he said made sense, especially since the specific situation in Stone Rock Valley was still unknown. If they were to waste time here because of a strange aura, it would seem a bit like being content with their isolated existence.
"Very well, leave two of you to search for the owner of that aura outside Stone Rock Valley. If any outsiders approach, kill them on sight. The rest of you, come with me into Stone Rock Valley!"
After a slight hesitation, Ouyang Miao immediately made arrangements, leaving only two Seven-Star Yuan Zong to guard the perimeter, while the rest immediately headed to Stone Rock Valley. Meanwhile, in a corner of the city below, Huo Xin was curled up in her brother Huo Xing's arms, looking timid. The aura that Elder Ming had sensed earlier was indeed hers. Fortunately, Xiao Xuan had intervened in time to cover it up, preventing that guy from locking onto her location. Otherwise, if they had encountered them, trouble might have been inevitable.
After a while, once Xiao Xuan had confirmed that the powerful figures had left, he smiled and looked at Huo Xin, saying gently:
"Little girl, you're alright now, let's go."
Huo Xing gently helped Huo Xin, whose body was trembling, to her feet, and soothed her with his hand on her back. Xiao Yan's thoughts raced, and then he flicked his finger, sending out a wisp of scarlet Volcanic Stone Flame that danced gently in the air in front of the girl, emitting a faint warmth. That familiar feeling quickly calmed Huo Xin's mind.
A week later, Xiao Yan and his group successfully left the Fire Banyan Ruins. When they passed through the lava, whether it was because of the Huo Rong siblings or the aura of Volcanic Stone Flame on Xiao Yan's body, the beasts did not come forward to stop them. This saved them a lot of trouble. Even Xiao Xuan breathed a slight sigh of relief. You see, even with his cultivation level, he had been troubled by the endless stream of Fire-Scaled Lizard Beast when he passed through this lava.
Only after the group broke through the waves did Xiao Yan turn back to look at the solid and thick energy barrier deep within the magma, before turning to Xiao Xuan and voicing the doubt that had been lingering in his mind all along.
"Ancestor, when you came here, you didn't have the Fire Banyan Token, did you? If so, how did you get in?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xuan was taken aback at first, then glanced at Huo Rong and her brother with a slightly strange look in his eyes. He smiled, turned around and flew towards the sky. At the same time, a low murmur quietly flowed from his lips.
"It exploded."