Demons and monsters wreak havoc: gain one new confidante every day.

"Shen You... he joined the Blackwater Gang?!"

Outside the Blackwater Hall, Hong Xiugu and Tian Yi'er secretly followed Shen You all the way here.

Seeing Shen You knock down the two Blackwater Gang members guarding the gate without hesitation and rush straight into the Blackwater Gang's main hall, the two men couldn't help but look at each other in disbelief.

"Has Shen You gone mad? Does he want to take on the Blackwater Hall all by himself?" Hong Xiugu gritted her teeth, a surge of indescribable anger rising in her heart.

That reckless guy always does surprising things that make people worry!

Can't they just behave themselves a little bit once in a while?

Hong Xiugu glared at Tian Yi'er: "Is he like this usually at Huangfeng Courtyard too?"

"More or less..." Tian Yi'er smiled wryly, "but it's been much better lately..."

Because everyone in Huangfeng Academy, from top to bottom, has been offended by Brother Shen recently, things have become much calmer.

However, when Brother Shen first entered Huangfeng Academy, he was so arrogant and defiant that he didn't even respect Huang Yaoshi. This still makes Tian Yi'er's teeth ache when she thinks about it now.

Hong Xiugu asked again, "What should we do now? Although we followed him because we were worried he would do something foolish, he has now actually done something foolish. Are we supposed to rush into the Blackwater Hall with him?"

Upon hearing this, Tian Yi'er's expression hardened, and she said, "Senior Sister Hong, no matter what you plan to do, I must rush in to help Brother Shen. Brother Shen has always taken good care of me; I can't just stand by and watch him be in danger!"

"Don't talk like you're the only one who cares about him!" Hong Xiugu shouted. "Of course I want to rush in and help him too! I was just asking you!"

"Really?" Tian Yi'er looked at Hong Xiugu curiously. "So Senior Sister Hong also cares about Brother Shen?"

Hong Xiugu blushed and snorted, "I'm not concerned, I just can't bear to see him die alone since we're all apprentices at Renxin Hall! Alright, since you've decided to help him too, let's rush in together!"

The two immediately rushed into the Blackwater Hall.

Although Hong Xiugu was tough on the surface, she was actually very concerned about Shen You.

Ever since her battle with Shen You, even though she never admitted it, her heart has always been with Shen You.

"You rascal, you better not get into trouble!"

With that thought in mind, Hong Xiugu took the lead and rushed into the hall where a fierce battle was taking place.

As soon as she rushed in, she saw Wan Du unleash a black beam of light, shooting towards Shen You, who was lying on the ground!

Her heart clenched instantly. Without saying a word, she drew a whip from her waist, her body flashing with the phantom of a blue phoenix, and lashed out at the black light!

Bang!

Upon contact, she shuddered and coughed up blood, suffering severe internal injuries.

"It's a third-rank item!"

She was terrified.

What's wrong with this bastard? How come he's already offended a third-rank official so soon after barging in?

As a gang in the outer city, Blackwater Hall doesn't have many experts. This giant man of the third rank must be the leader of Blackwater Hall.

There were no stronger opponents after them, but even so, a third-rank martial artist was definitely not someone that first- or second-rank martial artists like them could contend with.

A second-rank martial artist can barely withstand one or two moves from a third-rank martial artist, while a first-rank martial artist is like an ant on the ground, easily destroyed with a flick of the finger.

Hong Xiugu broke out in a cold sweat, staring intently at the giant man in front of her, feeling that she was in an unprecedented crisis.

"Brother Shen!"

Tian Yi'er arrived at Shen You's side early. He usually lived with Shen You, and he could tell at a glance that Shen You was practicing his internal energy.

"Brother Shen...is he circulating his internal energy?"

A thought struck him, and he abruptly turned to Hong Xiugu and shouted, "Senior Sister Hong, Brother Shen is breaking through to the third rank! He's 'opening the apertures,' we must protect him!"

"What?! Opening the energy channels?!"

Hong Xiugu looked somewhat dazed and involuntarily cast a surprised glance at Shen You.

She was already quite surprised when she learned that Shen You had broken through to the second rank half a month ago.

But while she is still struggling at the first rank, Shen You is about to break through to the third rank?

"Just how far... are you going to throw me away?"

At this moment, Hong Xiugu felt a slight pang in her heart, realizing that she had unknowingly grown distant from Shen You.

"Two more top-tier trash like this!"

At this moment, Wan Du hung upside down from the ceiling, looking at Hong Xiugu and Tian Yier with indifferent eyes.

Hong Xiugu came to her senses, looked at Wan Du, then at Shen You, and made her decision. With a resolute expression, she stood between Wan Du and Shen You.

"I am the granddaughter of Master Hong of Renxintang Pharmacy. What are you trying to do to the disciples of Renxintang?!"

She questioned him with a fierce but cowardly tone. If they were to fight head-on, she would never be a match for this third-rank expert, so she could only rely on her status to scare him away.

Wan Du sneered, "The pharmacist's granddaughter, how impressive... It's just a pity that the people I hate most in this life are the pharmacists of Renxintang!"

He spoke, and spiderweb-like black light emerged from his hand, coiling around two heavy and powerful maces from the ground. He swung the maces, the black light binding them, as if ready to launch a thunderous attack at any moment.

Hong Xiugu gritted her teeth: "Are you determined to be an enemy of Renxin Hall? I warn you, many people saw us enter Blackwater Hall. If you dare to harm us, you will not be able to cover this up, and you will ultimately be punished by Renxin Hall and die without a burial place!"

"Ha!" Wan Du laughed even more mockingly. "You know this can't be covered up, can't you see my attitude? I'm going to kill you all right here. I don't want the Blackwater Hall anymore, and I don't care about the Benevolent Heart Hall either. I've already found someone more suitable to serve!"

Hong Xiugu's expression changed: "You've pledged allegiance to Lord Bilin? Lord Bilin is right here?"

She looked into the deep darkness behind the hall, as if she could already hear the hissing sound of the demonic snake.

She finally understood why Shen You had come to Blackwater Hall. It turned out that Shen You had suspected Blackwater Hall beforehand, and he had come for Bilin Langjun.

Wan Du laughed and said, "Senior Bi Lin is a man who truly accomplishes great things. I'm just dabbling here, and I'll only ever be the leader of the Blackwater Hall in my entire life. But when Senior Bi Lin arrived, he turned the entire Rongcheng upside down. It's this kind of courage that makes him worthy of my following."

"And he also possesses a magical elixir!"

Wan Du revealed a longing look in his eyes:

"If I obtain the elixir, will I also be able to break free from the shackles in my heart and try to glimpse the realm of the fourth-grade Heart-Seeking Ape?"

Seeing Wan Du's attitude, Hong Xiugu had nothing more to say.

As a martial artist herself, she naturally knew how tempting it was for a martial artist to take another step forward on the path of martial arts.

The third-rank gang leader in front of him had probably been stuck at the third-rank level for many years. Now that he saw an opportunity to break through to the fourth rank, he would naturally grasp it tightly as if it were a lifeline.

This desire was enough to make him abandon the Blackwater Hall business he had painstakingly built in Chengdu, and his own Renxin Hall would naturally not frighten him.

"We have no choice but to fight to the death!"

Hong Xiugu took a deep breath, and the illusory image of the Azure Phoenix on her body became even more solid.

As if sensing the formidable enemy before him, the Azure Phoenix phantom was also activated and was about to fully take shape.

Her "Azure Phoenix Whip" was already close to perfection, and now it seemed as if she was about to break through the shackles and fully develop the "Azure Phoenix Force".

Beside Hong Xiugu, Tian Yier stood up without saying a word. He assumed the stance of "Mysterious Jade Hand," and a white ape phantom, seemingly tangible, rose from his body. His "White Ape Strength" had already been mastered.

At the same time, the phantom of Yunhe lit up behind him, making him feel as if he had grown two wings. It was the "Yunhe Skill" that he had been practicing for a short time, and he was about to develop the "Yunhe Strength".

Hong Xiugu glanced at Tian Yi'er unintentionally, and felt bitter inside.

Why... does everyone seem better than me?

What exactly have I accomplished through my training over the past month?

For the first time, Hong Xiugu felt so weak and powerless in the face of these true geniuses.

"What more could I possibly do... to catch up with Shen You?"

Even with a formidable enemy at hand, she couldn't help but let these painful thoughts arise in her mind.