Mortal: Starting by looting Han Laomo's entire herb garden

The gray-robed old man was stunned, and the Qingyang Sect disciples behind him were also stunned.

The Soul-Crying Beast? This thing was created through a blood sacrifice by their Qingyang Sect. When did it become his?

"Bullshit!" the gray-robed elder roared. "The Soul-Crying Beast belongs to our Qingyang Sect. Who do you think you are?"

Lu Yan didn't speak again. He weighed the Nine Heavens Hammer in his hand, and lightning exploded, the golden light dazzling.

The next instant, he transformed into a golden lightning bolt and charged directly into the crowd.

Hammers rise and fall.

A mid-stage Core Formation cultivator from the Qingyang Sect was sent flying, his chest caved in, and he died before even hitting the ground.

A bolt of lightning swept across, blasting three Foundation Establishment cultivators into pieces. The Illusionary Phoenix flew up from his shoulder, spewing out a mouthful of flames that burned seven or eight Qingyang Sect disciples, sending them rolling on the ground in agony.

The black dragon soared into the sky, its poisonous mist covering half the beach. Those who came into contact with it turned black, bled from their seven orifices, and fell silent within moments.

Tie Mohe stood still, watching Lu Yan fight his way in and out of the crowd. He held up his banner for a long time, but couldn't find an opening to intervene.

He swallowed hard and silently returned to Jiang Xingzhou's side.

"Brother Tie?" Jiang Xingzhou looked at him.

"Brother Jiang, rest assured." Tie Mohe, carrying the large banner, remained calm: "I, Tie, will protect you."

Jiang Xingzhou's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything.

The gray-robed old man's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected this person to attack so suddenly and so ruthlessly.

He hurriedly activated the blood banner, and a beam of blood light flew out from the banner, transforming into a giant blood hand that grabbed down at Lu Yan's head.

Lu Yan looked up and slammed his hammer down. The golden lightning collided with the blood hand, which hissed and evaporated instantly, like ice and snow being scorched by fire.

The gray-robed old man groaned and staggered back several steps. Several cracks appeared on the blood banner, and the spiritual light dimmed.

"You!" He stared at Lu Yan, his eyes filled with horror.

Lu Yan didn't give him a chance to speak. He activated his lightning escape technique, and in a flash, he appeared in front of the gray-robed old man.

As Jiuchen raised his Heaven-Slaying Hammer, lightning exploded. The gray-robed elder didn't even have time to react before he was engulfed by the golden lightning, turning into a cloud of grayish-white powder that scattered on the ground.

The blood banner fell to the ground. Without the support of its owner's spiritual power, the blood energy on it quickly dissipated, turning into a tattered cloth banner.

The island fell silent.

The remaining Qingyang Sect disciples looked at the charred corpses and grayish-white powder on the ground, and then at the black-clad man carrying the hammer; their legs trembled.

Someone threw down their magical artifact and ran away. With someone taking the lead, the others scattered and ran towards the center of the island.

Lu Yan didn't give chase. He bent down and picked up a storage bag from the ashes of the gray-robed old man. He probed it with his divine sense, rummaged through it a few times, and frowned slightly. He didn't find the Flood Dragon Pearl, but he did find the Soul-Sounding Pearl.

He looked up at the fleeing Qingyang Sect disciples, and in a flash, he caught up with the slowest one.

The man was terrified and immediately knelt on the ground, crying, "Senior, spare my life! Senior, spare my life!"

Lu Yan slung the hammer over his shoulder and asked calmly, "Where is the Flood Dragon Pearl?"

The man trembled violently, his teeth chattering: "The...the Flood Dragon Pearl was...taken away by Young Master Wen."

Lu Yan raised an eyebrow. Wen Tianren? Why would this guy send someone to rob Jiang Xingzhou if he could find it himself?

"Which direction did he go?"

The man quickly replied, "East! They went east!"

Lu Yan nodded, then smashed the hammer down, and the man collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

He turned and walked back to the beach. Jiang Xingzhou and Tie Mohe were still standing there, one pale-faced and the other all smiles.

"I got the answer." Lu Yan put the hammer into his sleeve: "Wen Tianren took the Jiao Yuan Pearl."

Jiang Xingzhou's expression changed: "How could this be?"

Lu Yan glanced at him and said indifferently, "It seems that your Jiang family has been targeted for a long time. Wen Tianren wanted the Jiao Yuan Pearl, and Qingyang Sect wanted the blood sacrifice. It was all planned in advance."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xingzhou turned pale and remained silent.

Tie Mohe hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously, "Brother Nie, Wen Tianren is a disciple of the Six Paths Supreme Saint. Should we still chase after him?"

Lu Yan's fingers twitched slightly inside his sleeve as he silently cast a divination.

The upper trigram is Kan, and the lower trigram is Kan, which represents water. There is danger within danger, but the ninth line in the fifth position is moving, and the yang energy is strong and upright, so the danger can be overcome.

He refined the Soul-Sounding Pearl and with a wave of his hand, put the Soul-Crying Beast into his spirit beast pouch.

"Of course we have to chase after him. Wen Tianren stole my Jiao Yuan Pearl, and I must give him an explanation today."

Lu Yan turned around and glanced at Tie Mohe.

"Fellow railway worker, this has nothing to do with you. You can do whatever you want from here on out."

Tie Mohe was taken aback, the smile on his face froze for a moment, then he smiled again: "Brother Nie, what are you saying? Although I am not very capable, I am not a coward who fears death..."

He spoke with great righteousness, but the next second, he changed his tune:

"But to be honest, in that battle just now, I forcibly used the Xuanlong Banner, which triggered my internal injuries. Now my spiritual energy is surging, so I really... really can't be of much help."

As he spoke, he coughed twice, and his complexion did not look good.

Whether it was a genuine internal injury flare-up or just a fright, only he himself knows.

Lu Yan glanced at him, but didn't expose him; he simply nodded.

Tie Mohe coughed twice more, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Brother Nie's great kindness will be forever etched in my heart. Now that we part, I will obey your every command in the future! I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

He spoke with conviction, and even a hint of genuine tears welled up in his eyes.

Whether he will remember these words if he ever comes knocking on his door in the future is another matter entirely.

Lu Yan hummed in agreement, took out the Sky-Splitting Cloud Shuttle from his storage bag, and tossed it into the air.

The shuttle swelled in the wind, growing to about ten feet long, its entire body shimmering with light and color, and suspended in mid-air.

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, let's go."

Jiang Xingzhou glanced at Tie Mohe, said nothing, and followed Lu Yan onto the spirit shuttle.

The Sky-Splitting Cloud Shuttle transformed into a streak of light, piercing through the air and disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Tie Mohe stood on the spirit boat, staring blankly at the direction where the streak of light disappeared. He remained there for a long while before slowly lowering his clasped hands.

"From now on, I will obey any orders I may make..." He repeated what he had just said in a low voice, then thought for a moment and added, "As long as it's not too dangerous."

--------

The Sky-Splittering Cloud Shuttle pierced through the air at an astonishing speed, leaving the sea below as a blurry white line.

Jiang Xingzhou sat at the tail of the shuttle, his face ashen, silent, his gaze unfocused as he stared into the distance.

Lu Yan stood at the head of the shuttle, his robes fluttering in the wind.

After flying for a while, Lu Yan suddenly spoke up: "Fellow Daoist Jiang, your family has been targeted just because of a single Flood Dragon Pearl?"

Jiang Xingzhou was silent for a moment, then said in a hoarse voice, "I'm afraid it's more than that."

Lu Yan didn't turn around, waiting for him to continue.

"The Jiao Yuan Pearl was brought out by my father from that ancient ruin..." Jiang Xingzhou paused, as if hesitating about something, before finally saying, "What he brought out from the ruin back then wasn't just the Jiao Yuan Pearl. He suspected that the ruin was the place where the Heavenly Mirror Hermit passed away."

Lu Yan raised an eyebrow.

Tianjing Sanren. This name is very famous in the Chaotic Star Sea. He is the ruthless person who trapped and killed the previous Star Palace Master.

Jiang Xingzhou continued, "My father only reached the outer perimeter of the ruins before he could go any further. Even so, he still found the Flood Dragon Pearl, a scroll of divine sense secret techniques, and the method for refining the Eight Gates Golden Light Mirror."

Lu Yan nodded and did not ask any further questions.

With the legacy of the Heavenly Mirror Hermit, it's no wonder Wen Tianren set his sights on the Jiang family.

Lu Yan stood at the head of the shuttle, silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "The Jiao Yuan Pearl can directly break through a minor realm. Why didn't your father refine it himself when he obtained it?"

Jiang Xingzhou smiled wryly: "My father was already in the late stage of Core Formation at that time."

Lu Yan was taken aback, then understood.

While the Jiao Yuan Pearl is excellent, it's not enough to grant instant advancement. A single pearl is insufficient to progress from Core Formation to Nascent Soul.

"And what about yourself?" Lu Yan asked again, "You're only at the early stage of Core Formation; refining it would put you at the middle stage. Why have you kept it?"

Jiang Xingzhou was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "My father originally planned for me to refine this after I reached the mid-stage of Core Formation, so that I could directly break through to the late stage. He often said that on the path of cultivation, if you are slow at one step, you will be slow at every step. It will take at least several decades to go from the mid-stage to the late stage. With this bead in hand, we can save a lot of time."

He paused, his voice lower: "I just didn't expect that he would leave before he even got to see me reach the middle stage."

Lu Yan didn't ask any more questions. The Sky-Splitting Cloud Shuttle sped through the air, the sea breeze howling, and neither of them spoke again. Jiang Xingzhou leaned against the tail of the shuttle, his eyes closed, lost in thought.