137: Brother Xu is really nice

Xu Sanyan pondered to himself. The Qi Liang faction was undoubtedly the strongest, with two Foundation Establishment Completion Cultivators, plus over forty Foundation Establishment mid-stage and early-stage Cultivators. No single party could contend with them alone, so it was best to avoid them if possible.

Aside from Qi Liang, Xu Sanyan was confident he could challenge anyone else, even Tu Wanshan, who was ranked second, and Dream Butterfly, who was third.

"Let's go."

Xu Sanyan waved his hand, and everyone followed.

Xiang Tan pursed her lips, quickened her steps, and moved closer to Xu Sanyan. "Senior Brother Xu, I didn't know you were so powerful!"

Xu Sanyan smiled askance, "Heh heh, haven't you experienced my power before? Have you forgotten so quickly?"

Xiang Tan's face flushed with shyness, like a young maiden. "Hmph, that's not what I meant..."

Xu Sanyan had no time to waste on her. He pinched Xiang Tan's cheek. "Perform well, okay? I hope to see you alive when we get out."

With that, he pulled out his pointing compass and walked ahead.

"Eh..." Xiang Tan's lips moved, wanting to say more, but she didn't know how to begin.

She had intended to beg Xu Sanyan, asking if he could reserve one of the supporter positions for her if he successfully became the Saint, but Xu Sanyan didn't give her a chance to speak.

Even if she had spoken, Xu Sanyan wouldn't have agreed. More than twenty people were eyeing those five positions, and one of them would likely be reserved for Chi Yu, leaving only four. How could he jeopardize such an important matter for a bit of flesh?

If she truly possessed the capabilities of Chi Yu, giving her a position would be fine.

Unfortunately, she didn't; though she did have one skill that left Chi Yu far behind.

On the other side,

Palace Madam saw Xu Sanyan depart, and she also led her people to follow. A young girl in a green shirt beside Palace Madam whispered, "Senior Sister, if the saint child token is truly hidden in that ruin, then what about us...?"

Palace Madam glanced at her. "Don't you know what you're here for?"

The green-shirted girl immediately understood.

At this moment, both sides appeared harmonious, but only because the saint child token had not yet appeared. Once one side found the saint child token, the situation would immediately change.

Chi Yu held the pointing compass, leading the way at the very front. Xu Sanyan vigilantly watched Palace Madam and her group from behind, the Jin Family Brothers walked on either side of him, and the rest followed closely behind.

Everyone remained silent, focusing only on the journey.

A glimmer of light appeared on the horizon. Chi Yu exhaled a breath of stale Qi, pointing into the distance. "Senior Brother Xu, we're here. That's the ruin."

Xu Sanyan looked up, seeing a vast stone forest ahead. Towering stone pillars stood amidst layers of trees, mostly obscured by the foliage. Through the treetops, he could discern the outlines of some collapsed structures.

Within the vast stone forest were countless stone pillars, too many to count. Some massive stones had broken in half, while others remained sturdy after countless years of wind and rain.

Xu Sanyan frowned. In such a large area, if the saint child token was hidden anywhere, it would be very troublesome to find.

Just then, Palace Madam and her group caught up. Looking at Xu Sanyan, she said softly, "Junior Brother Xu, let's search separately. No matter who finds it first, we shouldn't fight over it, to avoid harming our harmony. What do you think?"

"Alright, I'll listen to Senior Sister."

Xu Sanyan didn't hesitate for a moment, immediately nodding in agreement.

In truth, this was a pointless statement. Xu Sanyan knew that if Palace Madam found it first, he would definitely try to take it.

There were only five saint child tokens in Wanmo Mountain, each one extremely precious. Missing this opportunity might mean never getting another chance, so giving up was impossible, no matter what.

He believed Palace Madam thought the same way. The reason she said that might have been to make him lower his guard?

Xu Sanyan shook his head inwardly. "Disperse and search. Two people per group. Be careful not to go too far."

"Yes."

The group dispersed.

Xu Sanyan walked deeper, and Chi Yu thought for a moment before following. Xiang Tan watched their backs, then turned to Chu and said, "Junior Sister, let's be a group."

"Okay!" Chu readily agreed, and the two chose a direction to investigate.

Palace Madam glanced at Xu Sanyan's retreating back, her eyes subtly moving. She turned and gave a look to the young girl behind her. The girl understood, and left with three others.

...

Xu Sanyan stood before a giant stone, looking up. He saw that the stone was covered in densely packed, varying-sized pits, one next to the other, making one's scalp tingle.

"What's inside here?" Xu Sanyan asked, pointing at the pits.

"Bloodthirsty Magic Bats. A single one is very weak, about second-tier in strength, but they are gregarious animals. Tens of thousands can move together, and there's also a Bat King, usually at the fourth or even fifth-tier Realm."

Second-tier was equivalent to the Inner Qi Realm cultivation, while fourth to fifth-tier was from Foundation Establishment to Mystic Path Realm. Xu Sanyan grew vigilant; the danger of these creatures could not be ignored.

"They go out to forage once every month or so. The rest of the time, they rest in the caves. As long as you don't provoke them, there won't be any problems."

Xu Sanyan nodded, his gaze moving towards Palace Madam's direction. Palace Madam was also looking at him. The two nodded and smiled, appearing very harmonious.

"Junior Brother Chi, you and the Jin Family Brothers keep an eye on Palace Madam's group. Don't let them pull any tricks. If you notice anything amiss, act immediately, without hesitation."

As he spoke, he took out the Stone General from his Storage Pouch and handed it to him, patting Chi Yu's hand with a sincere expression. "Keep this for now. Be sure to protect yourself. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"This... Thank you, Senior Brother Xu!"

A warm current surged in Chi Yu's heart, and a thought arose in his mind, "Senior Brother Xu is so kind. I've been with Luo Yu for so long, and he never brought himself to give me the Stone General. People truly are different."

"Go," Xu Sanyan waved his hand.

"Mm!" Chi Yu nodded heavily.

Watching Chi Yu's retreating back, Xu Sanyan narrowed his eyes and turned to continue searching.

There were three reasons for giving him the Stone General. First, the Stone General was not very useful to him. Although the Stone General had the strength of a Foundation Establishment mid-stage, it was still not enough for him.

Second, Chi Yu was indeed very useful and easy to work with. Xu Sanyan didn't want anything to happen to him.

And the third reason was to win over his loyalty. Although the Demonic Seed had already been planted, deepening his loyalty was still very necessary.

Moreover, when Xu Sanyan became the Saint in the future, he would need a group of capable people to work under him. He couldn't do everything himself, could he?

Chi Yu was the first subordinate Xu Sanyan chose. The Jin Family Brothers were pre-selected; if they performed well this time, Demonic Seeds could also be planted in them.

As for the likes of Xiang Tan, Xu Sanyan was reluctant to use up a Demonic Seed slot on them.

On the other side of the ruin, Xiang Tan cautiously searched the stone pillars with Chu. Chu asked, "Senior Sister, do you think Senior Brother Xu really has a connection with the Palace Master?"

Xiang Tan shook her head. "I don't know. Sigh, don't think so much. Let's hurry and search."

For them, only by finding the saint child token and making a great contribution would they have a chance to leave alive.