86: Saying goodbye to Murong Xue, they returned to the Blood Cloud Sect.

Murong Xue landed softly beside Jiang Yan, admiring this Martial Nephew with satisfaction.

She had to admit that Jiang Yan's strength far exceeded her expectations; if it were a fight to the death, she felt Jiang Yan might be the final victor.

"Thank you for your hard work, Junior Martial Uncle," Jiang Yan cupped his hands in gratitude.

"I should be the one thanking you. If it were anyone else, I'm afraid they would have suffered some injuries today," Murong Xue said.

Jiang Yan knew Murong Xue was just being polite. With her Core Formation Realm strength, as long as she didn't risk her life, Murong Xue could escape even if the ambushers were Core Formation Realm experts.

"Junior Martial Uncle, if there's nothing else, you should return to the Sect as soon as possible. After all, the Blood Cloud Sect's assassinations won't end so easily. If too much time passes, I'm afraid those Peak Revered Masters won't be able to resist taking action," Jiang Yan advised.

"Mm, I'm aware of that." Murong Xue nodded, her tone full of concern. "You must also be careful in the Blood Cloud Sect. If you encounter truly insurmountable danger, return to the Sect as early as possible. I believe that with our strength, we should be able to defend against the Blood Cloud Sect's assassinations."

Hearing Murong Xue's words of concern, Jiang Yan felt a warmth in his heart, but he knew very well that if such a day truly came, the Qingyun Sect would not be able to protect him. After all, he was very clear about the Blood Cloud Sect's strength.

In terms of overall strength, the Qingyun Sect and Blood Cloud Sect were similar, but the Blood Cloud Sect was an assassination-type Sect.

As the saying goes: 'An open spear is easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow is hard to defend against.'

One can be a thief for a thousand days, but how can one defend against a thief for a thousand days? So no matter what, he had to walk out of the Blood Cloud Sect with his own strength.

"Thank you for your concern, Junior Martial Uncle. Please rest assured, this Disciple will fulfill Revered Master's promise and ensure a safe departure from the Blood Cloud Sect," Jiang Yan said respectfully.

Murong Xue nodded and didn't mention Jiang Yan leaving again. Instead, she began to talk about the matters concerning the three major Sects.

Jiang Yan knew a bit about the three major Sects, but he hadn't expected that Murong Xue had come here to investigate the Fire Cloud Sect.

Five months ago, there were rumors that Demonic Cultivators had appeared within the Fire Cloud Sect. Although the matter had been suppressed with great effort, some clues were still left behind.

Although some speculated that people in the Fire Cloud Sect were colluding with Demonic Cultivators, they couldn't produce evidence. Therefore, the wanderers of the various major Sects could only investigate in secret.

"Junior Martial Uncle, take this Disciple's advice: there's no need to investigate some things too closely. Our Qingyun Sect isn't the guardian of the Cultivation World. Since it's a problem with the three major Sects, let them investigate it themselves," Jiang Yan advised.

Murong Xue said with a smile, "Your personality is truly just like your Revered Master's; he said the same thing before. But as a wanderer of the Qingyun Sect, I feel I should inform the various major Sects of the truth."

"Junior Martial Uncle, for some things, the truth isn't important. One day, the matter will inevitably surface, and then those at the top will deal with it," Jiang Yan said.

In his view, even if the Fire Cloud Sect became a Demonic Sect, it was a trend of development. After all, the defenses of outsiders can never compare to internal collapse.

If things truly developed to that day, he believed the Fire Cloud Sect would definitely be besieged. At that time, even without an investigation, the truth would come out.

"You're not that old, but you have a calculating mind. I really don't know how your Revered Master raised you," Murong Xue said, looking at Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan rubbed his nose awkwardly. Could he say it? Obviously not, as Li Yi had taught him much more than just this.

"Alright, I'll listen to you two, Revered Master and Disciple, and return to the Sect as soon as possible," Murong Xue said with a sigh of emotion.

"This Disciple respectfully sees off Junior Martial Uncle," Jiang Yan cupped his hands in a salute.

Murong Xue nodded and took out a defensive Magic Treasure, handing it to Jiang Yan. "I don't have anything decent to give you. This mirror can defend against Divine Soul attacks from the Core Formation Realm. I hope you can return to the Sect safely."

"Thank you for the treasure, Junior Martial Uncle," Jiang Yan bowed again.

Murong Xue smiled and waved her hand, disappearing from before Jiang Yan in an instant.

Jiang Yan glanced at the mirror. Although it couldn't compare to the treasures Su Qingyan had given him, it was at least a gift from an elder.

'The Cultivation World truly is a world where the strong prey on the weak...'

After sighing emotionally in his heart, Jiang Yan flew toward the gathering point.

The Blood Cloud Sect was indeed wealthy, but their wealth truly came with a big question mark. While the Qingyun Sect was a bit poorer, in terms of Sect character, it was more than a hundred times better than the Blood Cloud Sect.

About an hour later, Jiang Yan finally reached the hidden gathering place.

"Greetings, Blood Son." Jin Peng and the others hurriedly knelt.

"Get up. We return to the Sect tomorrow," Jiang Yan said as he walked slowly toward the stone bed.

"Blood Son, are you injured?" Xie Shan dared to ask with concern.

"It's nothing, just some minor injuries," Jiang Yan responded, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

Hearing Su Chen's words, Xie Shan and the others stopped disturbing Su Chen's rest and simply began taking turns on night watch.

Three days later, at the Spiritual Object Hall.

When Jiang Yan returned with Jin Peng and the others to report the mission's failure, Elder Yan's expression was very calm; he knew very well how difficult this mission was.

Just as Jiang Yan took his leave and walked out of the Spiritual Object Hall, he came face-to-face with Su Linglong's team.

Su Linglong's face was dark, and a flash of killing intent crossed her eyes. "Su Chen, I won't let you walk out of the Blood Spirit Secret Realm this year."

A cold sneer curled at the corner of Jiang Yan's mouth. He couldn't be bothered to speak to a dead person and walked directly past Su Linglong.

Su Linglong turned around, glaring at Su Chen's departing back, her fists clenched, wishing she could kill Su Chen right now.

When Jiang Yan returned to his small courtyard, Yin Duo hurriedly stepped forward to massage his legs and then began to report the events that had occurred within the Sect over the past few days.

When he heard that Yang Huanzi had already stepped into the Core Formation Realm and was serving as the Third Vice Peak Master, he was still somewhat surprised.

There were only three slots for Vice Peak Master per peak. He had originally thought Fang Yu would be that Third Vice Peak Master, but he hadn't expected Yang Huanzi to beat him to it.

"Then what about Revered Master?" Jiang Yan asked curiously.

"Eldest Senior Brother said that Revered Master is very likely to serve as a Vice Peak Master of another peak," Yin Duo responded.

"Don't tell me he doesn't plan to fight for it?"

Jiang Yan was very confused. Given Fang Yu's temperament, he should have fought for it at least a little.

"I heard it was the Sect Master Candidate's intention; it seems they won't allow those in the Core Formation Realm to fight each other," Yin Duo said.

Hearing about the candidate, Jiang Yan became quite curious. To this day, he had only seen the Blood Spirit Peak Revered Master; he hadn't seen the other Peak Revered Masters or the Sect Master at all.

As for that candidate, they were even more elusive.

"Have you seen the other Peak Revered Masters or the candidate?" Jiang Yan asked.

Yin Duo shook her head. "I haven't seen them."

Hearing Yin Duo's words, Jiang Yan slowly closed his eyes. He was very interested in these mysterious high-level figures; perhaps after he killed Ye Qingfeng, he would be able to see that group of people.

He didn't plan to compete for some Sect Master Candidate position; he only wanted to be a Peak Revered Master and then sever his own Soul Lamp.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, another month had passed.

During this month, Jiang Yan had gone out twice, originally wanting to grind his level, but unfortunately, it only increased a tiny bit.

Lying on the bed, Jiang Yan looked at his current status.

'The Blood Son Battle is about to begin; it's safer to increase my Realm a bit.'

With a thought from Jiang Yan, thirty thousand years of life span were instantly poured into the Realm column.

Immediately following that, fluctuations of Qi-Blood and Spiritual Qi appeared around his body. This aura fluctuation was very gentle, unlike ordinary Qi-Blood Foundation Establishment; it felt as if there was no violent sensation, like ripples spreading across the surface of a lake.

In the adjacent room, Yin Duo slowly opened her eyes. She was now very curious about Su Chen because every time his cultivation broke through since he entered Foundation Establishment, a trace of gentle aura would diffuse out.

To the point where she began to rely on this feeling, which even provided a sense of soul-cleansing comfort.

Jiang Yan didn't take Yin Duo's small movements to heart; as long as she didn't disturb him, it was fine.

As his Realm increased, the character panel instantly changed.

【Host: Jiang Yan】

【Talent: Heaven Rewards the Diligent, Life Span Plunder, Sword Dao Growth】

【Rank: 27】

【Current Experience: 10.21%】

【life span: 22/20,750 years】

【life span: 89,140 years (Available life span to strengthen Cultivation Technique, Spell, and Martial Skill proficiency)】

【Essence: 41.8】

【Spirit: 29】

【Realm: Dao-Merge Foundation Establishment Level 8】

【Dao: 72.1】

【Concept: Sword (Sword Heart Clarity)】

【Talisman: Grandmaster】

【Cultivation Technique: Qi Refining Cultivation Technique Advanced Chapter (scratching the surface), Blood Coagulation Qi Refining Method Advanced Chapter (scratching the surface)】

【Spell: Thunderstorm Art (Deeply Understood), Breath Concealment Technique (Deeply Understood), Tiger Roar Sound Wave (mastery), Blood Shadow Ghost Evasion (mastery), Cloud Breaking Art (mastery), Hundred Refinements Divine Mechanism Art (mastery)】

【Martial Skill: Nine Dragons Sword (Legacy, beginner), Sword Rain Art (Deeply Understood), Sword Breaking Method (mastery), Sword Shadow Art (mastery), Qi Blood Fiend Source Scripture (Deeply Understood)】

...'As expected, since Dao-Merge Foundation Establishment Level 5, every time my Realm increases, my Divine Soul gains one point.'