The First Venerable of All Paths

"The Mad Lion Mercenary Group's base is located deep in the Blazing Canyon. The canyon itself is a natural barrier, and after years of development by Mad Lion, it has become an impregnable fortress."

On the desolate plains at sunset, several enormous wolves were running wildly, kicking up clouds of dust.

Sitting on the back of the wild wolf, Canglang turned to Fang Xuan and said, "Although Kuanghuo is dead, the Kuangshi Mercenary Group still has two elders at the Divine Intent Realm."

Fang Xuan, also riding a giant wolf, frowned upon hearing this and asked, "As one of the top ten mercenary groups, why does the Mad Lion have so many experts at the Divine Intent Realm?"

Back in Sunset Town, he killed Kuang Yao, Kuang Min, and others in succession.

In total, Mad Lion has surpassed five Divine Intent Realm experts.

This kind of lineup is not something that ordinary mercenary groups possess.

"Brother Fang, you may not know this."

Canglang said helplessly, "The reason why the Mad Lion Mercenary Group has so many experts at the Divine Intent Realm is precisely because of that Fiery Mad Lion."

"He is the actual founder of the Mad Lion Mercenary Group."

Canglang said, "Kuanghuo is nominally in charge of Kuangshi, but his true identity is a disciple of Lieyan Kuangshi."

"disciple?"

Fang Xuan was somewhat surprised.

He never expected that the Fiery Lion would actually take a human warrior as its disciple.

What's in it for?

Fang Xuan couldn't quite understand it.

With the strength of that Fiery Lion, it could make a name for itself anywhere it went, so why bother to spend time and effort creating a small mercenary group in this Sunset Wasteland?

A sudden thought struck Fang Xuan, and he blurted out, "Could it be a human transformation?"

"Brother Fang is indeed intelligent; he saw through the essence at a glance."

The Azure Wolf laughed loudly, "That's right. The purpose of that Fiery Lion in creating the mercenary group was actually to transform into human form."

"In fact, once a monster reaches a certain level of maturity, it can transform into a human."

Canglang's smile vanished, and he said in a deep voice, "But the Blazing Lion himself has an extraordinary bloodline. He created a mercenary group and took Madfire as his disciple in order to observe the living habits of the human race and prepare for his transformation."

Fang Xuan nodded, understanding Mad Lion's actions.

He had even heard that some demonic beasts, after cultivating to the highest level, would establish their own sects, recruit many disciples, and become famous.

"What a pity."

Fang Xuan suddenly shook his head and said, "That guy picked the wrong opponent. Otherwise, given time, he might very well have become famous in the region."

"Brother Fang, I must remind you, taking over Blazing Canyon will not be an easy task."

Wen Kang, who was standing nearby, also spoke up: "Besides the fact that Blazing Canyon itself is a natural barrier, Kuang Huo once invited a formation master to set up layers of formations in Blazing Canyon."

"With the natural advantages of the Blazing Canyon, even experts at the seventh or eighth level of the Divine Intent Realm dare not easily step into it."

Canglang chimed in, "That's right, so if Brother Fang really wants the Mad Lion's spiritual vein, he should be prepared."

He did not deny that Fang Xuan was very strong in combat.

However, as long as the Mad Lions hold the formation, it will be very difficult for them to break through.

"It's just a formation, nothing to worry about."

Fang Xuan laughed upon hearing this: "I might be a little worried about other things, but as for a few formations, I can break them with ease."

Canglang and Wenkang exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of helplessness in each other's eyes.

They felt that Fang Xuan was a bit too confident.

However, they were not prepared to persuade Fang Xuan.

He'll find out once he gets to the Blazing Canyon and runs into a wall.

"Let's go."

Fang Xuan clamped his hand on the wolf's belly and said, "I want the spiritual vein of this mad lion!"

The giant wolf let out a howl, then galloped wildly on all fours, kicking up clouds of yellow sand, and sped toward the Blazing Canyon.

......

Meanwhile, in Blazing Canyon, at the headquarters of the Mad Lion Mercenaries.

The atmosphere in the main hall was oppressive and tense.

"Elder Huosang, you must already know what happened."

A middle-aged man in his early forties with a wisp of beard tapped the table lightly and said with a chuckle, "The Mad Fire Captain and the Lion King have fallen. If Mad Lion wants to find a way to survive, he might as well consider cooperating."

Only one day has passed since the raging fire was destroyed.

However, this matter has already been learned by several mercenary groups.

The Mouse Shadow Gang, being well-informed, rushed to Blazing Canyon as soon as they learned of the matter, ready to cooperate with Mad Lion.

"cooperate?"

The elder of the Mad Lion Mercenary Group looked at Rat Heng with displeasure and said, "I wonder how Commander Rat Heng plans to cooperate?"

"Simple."

Shu Heng smiled and said, "From today onwards, our two families will be deeply intertwined, advancing and retreating together, sharing both glory and disgrace."

"hehe."

Upon hearing this, Huo Sang immediately laughed.

"Commander Rat Heng, you have absolutely no sincerity. You think you can cooperate with Mad Lion just because you spout a few empty words?"

Huo Sang slammed his fist on the table and roared, "My Mad Lion's leader is dead, but that doesn't mean Mad Lion is gone!"

"Elder Huosang, please calm down. We can discuss any needs you may have."

Rat Heng, however, remained calm and composed, saying, "As long as our two families cooperate, my Rat Shadow Gang can help Mad Lion avenge Fang Xuan."

"What did you say?"

Huo Sang stood up abruptly, staring at Shu Heng: "Chief Shu Heng, are you kidding me? Do you think Fang Xuan is so easy to kill?"

"Just because others can't do it doesn't mean my Mouse Shadow Gang can't."

Shu Heng smiled calmly and said, "I know that kid surnamed Fang is extremely powerful and cannot be judged by ordinary standards, but..."

Shu Heng paused, then said in a deep voice, "Who said we have to fight him head-on?"

Huo Sang frowned and said, "Commander Shu Heng, you might as well speak your mind directly. There's no need to beat around the bush with me."

"poison."

Upon hearing this, another elder of the Mad Lion Clan immediately said, "Shu Heng, are you kidding me? That little beast Fang Xuan has Heavenly Fire protecting him, what poison could possibly kill him?"

The third elder also sneered, "Chief Rat Heng, if you have nothing else to say, please leave. We will take care of our chief's revenge ourselves."

"Don't rush, you three, I haven't finished yet."

The rat calmly replied, "Ordinary poisons won't work, but what about datura poison?"

"What?"

Huo Sang exclaimed in disbelief, "You have datura poison?"

The other two elders also looked at Shuheng with fear in their eyes.

"There's no need for you all to be so nervous."

Shu Heng chuckled and said, "I wouldn't stoop so low as to poison you all. This stuff is meant to deal with that Fang Xuan."

Upon hearing this, Huo Sang and the others exchanged glances, appearing extremely hesitant.

"What, you all don't believe me?"

Shu Heng seemed to have discerned what the others were thinking, and then took out a porcelain bottle from his storage ring and solemnly placed it on the table.

"This contains datura poison. If you don't believe me, you can try it."

As he spoke, Shu Heng pushed the porcelain bottle directly towards Huo Sang and the other two.

"I'll do it!"

Second Elder Huo Ye enveloped his entire body with spiritual power before carefully picking up the porcelain bottle, opening it, and pouring out a drop of red liquid.

"laugh!"

The liquid corroded and pierced through the table as soon as it was spilled.

"Snapped!"

The liquid penetrated the tabletop and fell to the ground, carving a deep, bottomless pit through the hard surface.

Moreover, the area around the pit continued to collapse, spreading in all directions.

"hiss!"

Huo Sang and the others gasped in shock and quickly retreated.

The pit widened by several meters before it stopped.

"What a terrifying poison!"

Huo Ye quickly covered the porcelain bottle and put it down. He then used his fire spiritual power to thoroughly clean his entire body to ensure that he was not contaminated with any poison.

"It really is datura poison, and even more potent than I imagined."

Huo Ye's tone was filled with shock and horror.

Datura is a highly toxic substance, ranking among the top ten most potent poisons, along with other deadly poisons such as the "Soul-Destroying Poison."

But in Huo Ye's mind, even if the poison was potent, it couldn't be this exaggerated.

"Because this is not the ordinary datura poison."

Shu Heng said with a smile, "Not long ago, my men were lucky enough to discover a Datura flower. After careful extraction, they finally managed to refine the poison."

Shu Heng whispered, "To put it bluntly, this poison can kill anyone below the Tongxuan Realm; there is absolutely no chance of survival."

"What?"

Huo Sang's eyes widened. "Able to poison any expert below the Transcendent Realm?"

"Indeed."

Shuheng said, "However, this poison must be ingested to exert its maximum effect; otherwise, its effectiveness will be greatly reduced."

Upon hearing this, the group frowned.

Getting Fang Xuan to take the medicine is more difficult than killing him outright.

Huo Sang suddenly looked at Shu Heng and said, "Since Captain Shu Heng says so, you must already have a plan, right?"

Shu Heng smiled mysteriously: "There is a way, of course, but it will come at a price."

"Commander Shuheng, please speak frankly."

Huo Sang said, "If killing Fang Xuan can truly avenge the leader and the Lion King, I, Mad Lion, am willing to pay the price!"

"Alright, Elder Huosang is straightforward, then I will get straight to the point."

Shuheng said, "My Shuying Gang wants that medium-sized spiritual vein from the Mad Lion."

"impossible!"

Huo Ye glared at Shu Heng and said angrily, "That medium-sized spiritual vein is the foundation of my Blazing Flame Valley, and I absolutely cannot give it to you."

"In that case, I'll take my leave now."

Shu Heng calmly put away the porcelain bottle containing the deadly poison of datura and said, "Since none of you are willing to cooperate, I have no choice but to turn to the Sunset Alliance."

"I'm sure they'll be willing to offer me a deal that satisfies me."

After saying this, Shuheng was about to get up and leave.

"etc!"

Huo Sang said, "Chief Rat Heng, I absolutely cannot give you the medium-sized spiritual vein, but the small spiritual vein can be given as payment. In addition, I, Mad Lion, will offer another 100,000 mid-grade spirit stones."

"Besides these."

Huo Sang said in a deep voice, "After killing Fang Xuan, we only need to retrieve the relics of the leader and the Lion King; the rest is up to your group to handle."

Shuheng tapped the table, pondered for a moment, and then smiled slightly at Huosang.

"Elder Huosang, it's a pleasure to cooperate with you."

After both sides swore a martial arts oath and signed a cooperation agreement, Huo Sang asked, "Captain Shu Heng, what are your plans next?"

Shu Heng smiled mysteriously and said, "Elder Huo Sang doesn't need to worry about that. You just need to know that you will definitely not regret cooperating with me."

Just then, one of Mad Lion's subordinates rushed in, his face ashen.

"Elder Huosang, something terrible has happened!"

The subordinate stammered, "Fang... Fang Xuan has come knocking!"

"What?"

Huo Sang's expression changed, and he said sharply, "Are you sure it's Fang Xuan? How many people did he bring?"

"It is indeed Fang Xuan; I have seen his portrait."

The subordinate hurriedly said, "Besides him, two leaders of the Canglang Mercenary Group have also arrived."

"What a magnificent wolf!"

Huo Ye said angrily, "They really did get involved with that little beast Fang Xuan."

"Commander Rat Heng, what do you say?"

Huo Sang looked at Shu Heng, seeking his opinion.

"There's no time like the present. Since that little bastard has come to us, let's go and meet him."

Shu Heng chuckled and said, "I'd also like to see what this kid surnamed Fang is really capable of."