The First Venerable of All Paths

"Second Regiment Commander, we just received a message from Flying Eagles. They seem to have discovered Fang Xuan's whereabouts."

At the stronghold of the Mad Lion Mercenary Group, a mercenary rushed into the main hall and loudly reported.

"Oh?"

Kuang Huo, who had been leaning back in his chair, straightened up, his powerful aura filling the entire hall.

"A message from Flying Eagle? Would they really be that kind?"

The mercenary was so overwhelmed by the aura of the raging fire that he knelt on the ground, his voice filled with fear as he said, "I have confirmed that the news is true."

"In addition, the Six Heroes of the Wasteland were also killed by Fang Xuan and fled to the northwest."

"The Six Heroes of the Wasteland?"

Kuanghuo said, "Six small fry, so be it if they die."

Then, Kuanghuo looked at Xue Wanlong and said, "Patriarch Xue, do you think Flying Eagle's news is true or false?"

"I believe this news is true."

Xue Wanlong pondered for a moment and said, "The Flying Eagle Mercenary Group probably doesn't want to get deeply involved in the encirclement and suppression of Fang Xuan. They only leaked the news because of the Merchant Alliance."

"That really does sound like how Eagle does things."

Kuang Huo abruptly stood up and said, "Now that we've found that brat's trail, we certainly can't let this opportunity pass. Elder Xue, how about accompanying me?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

A cold glint flashed in Xue Wanlong's eyes: "That bastard Fang Xuan killed my son! I swear I will not rest until I avenge this!"

......

"Flying Eagle? They've really got a good plan."

On a desolate hilly desert at sunset, two figures stand on a high point, gazing into the distance.

The speaker was dressed in animal clothing and exuded a ferocious aura, like that of a wild beast.

Most outrageous of all, at his feet lay rows of burly, ferocious wolf demons.

This wolf demon is different from ordinary demonic beasts.

The demonic aura emanating from its body was faintly tinged with gray.

These are wild beasts unique to the Sunset Wasteland.

Its temperament is more brutal than that of demonic beasts, and its strength is also more formidable.

This is a demon king beast.

He is the leader of a pack of wolf demons.

It is also the mount of Canglang, the leader of the Canglang Mercenary Group.

"The commander is right, Flying Eagle is indeed up to no good."

Standing beside the wolf was a man in a blue robe holding a feather fan.

This man wore a turban and was thin.

He looked just like a frail scholar.

No one would have guessed that this person was the second-in-command of the Canglang Mercenary Group.

Wen Kang fanned himself with his feather fan and said, "Flying Eagle doesn't want to offend the Merchant Alliance, but he still wants a share of the pie."

"Second brother, what do you think? Should I, Canglang, get involved?"

Canglang licked his lips and said, "No matter what, the conditions offered by the Merchant Alliance are still quite tempting."

"No matter how tempting the conditions are, you still need to be fortunate enough to enjoy them."

Wen Kang chuckled and said, "If that Fang Xuan were truly easy to deal with, why would the Merchant Alliance have gone to such lengths, even at such a high cost?"

"Should we just give up like this?"

Canglang said somewhat unwillingly, "With so many people joining forces, even if the opponent has the protection of the Demon Emperor, how could they possibly be a match for us?"

"Giving up is absolutely out of the question."

Wen Kang said, "No matter what, we Canglang still have to give Shangguan Yun face."

"Second brother, what exactly are you trying to say?"

The wolf scratched its head in frustration and said, "My brain is almost overloaded."

"Brother, don't be angry."

Wen Kang smiled calmly and said, "As early as when the Merchant Alliance contacted us, I told them that my elder brother had already gone into seclusion."

"Regarding the matter of besieging Fang Xuan, we only need to learn from Flying Eagle."

"Second brother, do you mean you're just going through the motions?"

Canglang's eyes lit up, and he said, "This is a brilliant idea. It avoids offending the Merchant Alliance and prevents our brothers from risking their lives. It's a win-win situation."

"Brother is wise."

"Brilliant my ass."

The wolf laughed and scolded, "Didn't you just come up with all of this yourself?"

Wen Kang chuckled.

"Second brother, who do you think is the most suitable person to handle this task?"

Canglang said, "If neither of us shows up, it will be difficult to explain to the Merchant Alliance. At least Flying Eagle can pinpoint Fang Xuan's location."

"I'll go myself."

Wen Kang said, "I'd also like to see what kind of demeanor that sword cultivator named Fang Xuan possesses."

"Alright."

Canglang waved his hand and said, "Anyway, you're always the most resourceful, but for your safety, bring Dalang along."

"Thank you, brother."

"We're brothers, there's no need to be so formal."

Canglang kicked the giant wolf at his feet and said, "Protect my second brother well. If even a hair on his head is lost, I'll kill you and eat you!"

"Awoo!"

The wolf demon king let out a mournful howl and wagged its tail at Wen Kang with a pitiful expression.

......

"Buzzing!"

Inside the lair, Fang Xuan's soul power flowed around him.

Sometimes irritable, sometimes calm.

"Soul Refinement Second Transformation!"

Fang Xuan quickly formed hand seals, and his divine soul exploded once again.

"Wow!"

His mind trembled, and Fang Xuan spat out a mouthful of blood, his head almost exploding.

Fang Xuan had no time to consider these things. He immediately activated the "Thousand Soul Illusion Dream Technique" and used a secret soul technique to gather his soul power.

As the soul power gathered and merged, Fang Xuan's divine soul power also rapidly increased.

However, it was still not enough for him to break through to the third rank of the Soul Path.

"Soul Refinement Three Transformations!"

Fang Xuan took a deep breath, and as he dispersed his divine soul, the Azure Lotus Karmic Flame continuously protected his sea of ​​consciousness.

"Click!"

"puff!"

As soon as his soul power dissipated, Fang Xuan tilted his head back and spat out a mouthful of blood, his aura rapidly declining.

"thump!"

Fang Xuan's body swayed, and he fell directly to the ground.

"Fang Xuan!"

Just as Chi Lin was about to rush towards Fang Xuan, he was forced back by the Phoenix Cry Sword and the Azure Lotus Sword.

"You two bastards, I'm trying to save him!"

However, the two natal flying swords did not retreat an inch, but continued to release sword energy to prevent the Crimson Scale from getting closer.

"I......."

The Crimson Scale Demon Emperor was so enraged that he cursed loudly.

Fortunately, although Fang Xuan was unconscious and weak, his chest was rising and falling gently.

"It's good that you're not dead, it's good that you're not dead."

The Crimson Scale Demon Emperor breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest with his claws.

"We must find a chance to make this guy break the contract, otherwise he'll kill us sooner or later!"

......

"Hey!"

The cry of an eagle rang out, and a majestic eagle with golden feathers swooped down from the sky and disappeared into a mountain forest.

The eagle finally landed on the shoulder of a man with a hooked nose, its beak opening and closing as if it were saying something.

"Oh, you found it so quickly?"

The man with the hooked nose tossed the chess piece onto the board, clapped his hands, and stood up.

"Someone come here."

Soon, two mercenaries with eagle tattoos escorted a martial artist over.

"thump!"

The two men threw the martial artist to the ground, and the eagle on the hook-nosed man's shoulder flew over and pecked the martial artist's head hard.

"Snap!"

A slight cracking sound came from the martial artist's head, and then he collapsed limply to the ground, completely lifeless.

Its spiritual power has been completely absorbed by the eagle.

The satisfied eagle let out a burp, then flew back to the hook-nosed man's shoulder, slowly preening its feathers.

"Pass down the order: have all the brothers withdraw."

Upon hearing this, one of the two mercenaries hesitated before saying, "Captain, what about the Merchant Alliance...?"

"puff!"

Before he could finish speaking, the eagle on the hook-nosed man's shoulder opened its beak and a gray line shot out, piercing directly through the mercenary's forehead.

"If the Merchant Alliance comes to inquire, you can handle it yourselves."

"yes!"

The remaining mercenary agreed and left tremblingly.

"Shangguan Yun, you really have a clever way of trying to take this opportunity to consolidate all the forces in Sunset Wasteland."

The man with the hooked nose gently stroked the eagle's feathers and murmured, "But you're treating everyone like fools, aren't you?"

The Flying Eagle Mercenary Group had no enmity with Fang Xuan.

Helping them pinpoint each other's location already shows the Business Alliance a tremendous favor.

But it's impossible for Flying Eagle to get involved.

His Flying Eagle Mercenary Group's goods aren't only sold to the Merchant Alliance.

......

"Found it!"

Lady Bone's eyes lit up as she gazed at the black-winged eagle demon that had landed on the cliff.

"Patriarch Sun, Patriarch Wu, immediately send people down to investigate."

Lady Bone said, "Also, Patriarch Qiu, you should come along. If Fang Xuanzhen is hiding here, remember not to let him escape."

"Don't worry, Lady Bone."

The head of the Sun family said with a smile, "Since we have already promised Master Tang, we will naturally do our best and will never neglect our duties."

"Patriarch Qiu, shall we go?"

Qiu Feng's expression shifted, but in the end he followed behind the group.

Lady Bone then formed hand seals, releasing her divine soul to construct a barrier that completely sealed off an area within a hundred meters.

Soon, the Sun family head and his group discovered a monster's lair halfway up the mountain.

"It's just a monster's lair; there's nobody there."

The Wu family head said, "Could it be that Flying Eagle's information is wrong?"

"Absolutely not."

The Sun family head looked at the black-winged eagle demon preening its feathers and said, "The Shadow Guards of the Flying Eagle Mercenary Group are best at reconnaissance and tracking, and are extremely sensitive to the aura of their targets. How could they possibly make a mistake?"

The head of the Sun family carefully examined the nest and said, "There must be something inside that we haven't found."

After saying that, Patriarch Sun unleashed a palm strike.

"Thump!"

The heavy palm strike, carrying a sharp force, slammed into the stone wall of the monster's lair.

With a deafening roar, debris flew everywhere, and a large portion of the thick rock wall collapsed, revealing a dark and deep inner cave. Smoke and dust billowed out, but the cave was completely empty; not a single person could be seen, only a faint, lingering aura of malevolent beast energy remained in the air.

"Strange, the aura clearly landed right here, so why is there no one here?" Patriarch Wu frowned, took a few steps forward and scanned the area, his eyes full of doubt. "Could it be that Fang Xuan had already sensed the commotion and fled beforehand?"

"impossible."

The head of the Sun family immediately shook his head, his gaze sharp as an eagle, staring intently at the collapsed hole. "Lady Bone has already laid down a hundred-mile barrier to seal off the four directions. Even a powerful expert in the Divine Intent Realm would have no chance of breaking through the barrier and escaping silently."

He must still be hiding here!

Qiu Feng stood silently to the side, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

He was far more cautious than the other two. Fang Xuan had been able to kill six heroes of the Wasteland in succession, roam freely throughout the Sunset Wasteland, and even the combined forces of various mercenary groups and merchant alliances could not do anything to him. He was no ordinary young prodigy.

Such individuals are masters of concealment and maneuvering, and will never easily reveal their whereabouts.

"It's an array." Qiu Feng suddenly spoke, his voice low. "There are hidden array patterns here, concealing auras and figures. The empty cave we see with our naked eyes is just an illusion."