153: Holy Son!

You Jianfeng was still running.

A full day had passed, and only three people remained by his side. As they ventured deeper into Wanmo Mountain, they occasionally encountered a few high-rank Demonic Beasts. The beast tide, intimidated by their Aura, was forced to divert, gradually thinning out significantly.

High-rank Demonic Beasts possessed high intelligence and would not be blindly swept up by the beast tide, which gave You Jianfeng a chance to catch his breath.

The bloodstains on the back of the saint child token had long since been cleaned. Seizing the moment, You Jianfeng quickly turned, avoiding a small wave of the beast tide behind him, and leaned against a tree, panting heavily.

"Tu Wanshan!"

You Jianfeng's brows were dark and gloomy. Looking at the only three people left behind him, he couldn't help but seethe with anger.

His manpower was already scarce to begin with, and after this incident, more than half had been lost. Now, he couldn't even set up the "Small Eight Directions Formation," as it required at least eight people.

"Damn it, what kind of mess is this..." You Jianfeng gripped the saint child token, a trace of comfort rising in his heart—at least he had obtained the item.

"Oh, isn't this Senior Brother You? Why are you hiding here?" A soft female voice rang out. Dream Butterfly walked over gracefully, a smile playing on her lips.

You Jianfeng's expression froze, and he felt like crying without tears.

Dream Butterfly smiled and said, "Senior Brother You, you don't seem very happy? Is there something troubling you?"

You Jianfeng pressed his lips together, feeling a deep sorrow in his heart. At this moment, he only had one-tenth of his mana left, while the other side had twenty people; the disparity in strength was extreme.

"Sigh..." You Jianfeng let out a long sigh, raised his hand, and sent the saint child token floating slowly toward Dream Butterfly. "I shall gift this item to you, Senior Sister."

Seeing them faintly surrounding him, he knew he couldn't escape. He only hoped to trade the saint child token for his life.

Dream Butterfly's smile grew even brighter. With a wave of her sleeve, the saint child token fell into her hand. "Then many thanks, Senior Brother You. I won't disturb your appreciation of the scenery any longer. This Junior Sister will take her leave."

As she spoke, she walked away. With the item in hand, Dream Butterfly had no intention of killing them all; it was meaningless and would only be a waste of effort.

You Jianfeng looked up at the sky, his eyes hollow. Recalling the journey, first he had made a wasted trip to Xifeng Mountain, then he was scared off by Xu Sanyan's Aura, followed by being schemed against by Tu Wanshan, chased by the beast tide, and finally, after managing to obtain the saint child token, he had been robbed by Dream Butterfly, who had played the role of the oriole snatching the mantis's prey.

After running around for over half a month, besides losing most of his men, he had gained nothing.

He was tired...

Two days later,

Xu Sanyan stepped onto the mountain gate. In an instant, ten thousand bells rang out in unison, echoing across the heavens and earth. Countless Elders and Disciples on both sides of the mountain came to witness this moment.

A row of bronze bells stood at the peak, and over a dozen Outer Sect Disciples worked together to hold a massive battering ram to strike them.

The saint child token in his embrace released a rainbow light that ascended to the sky, gradually expanding into a colorful auspicious cloud. The rosy light shone down on Xu Sanyan's head, making him look like an exiled immortal from the heavens.

Countless people gazed at Xu Sanyan with burning eyes, their minds racing. After this event, this person would be completely different from now on. His status would be second only to the Hall Masters and the Sect Master, and he would even have the authority to mobilize a portion of the Sect's resources.

The five people behind him looked at Xu Sanyan, who was bathed in the colorful light, with envy in their eyes, yet they felt immensely relieved. They had returned alive. As for why there were only five left, naturally, one had 'accidentally' died.

Suddenly, three figures stepped through the air from Tongxin Mountain. In the center stood Venerable He Yu, with the Mad Daoist on the left and Flower Maiden on the right.

A trace of surprise flashed in the eyes of the three. They had not expected that the first to return would be an obscure Disciple, and certainly not Qi Liang?

The Mad Daoist's hazy eyes regained a momentary brightness, and he was quite surprised. He remembered this person. He had previously only seen that this child had good talent and excellent Heart-Nature, so he had casually played a move, never expecting such an unexpected harvest. It was truly good.

Venerable He Yu smiled and said to the Mad Daoist, "I never expected Red Dragon Mountain to hide such an unpolished gem. Brother, you truly kept it well hidden. It's just that, looking at the Cultivation Technique this child practices..." Venerable He Yu looked puzzled, "Why does it resemble our Sect's 'The Supreme Truth and Serenity Scripture of Eliminating Illusion and Attaining Reality' so much?"

With their cultivation, one glance was enough to see through seven or eight-tenths of Xu Sanyan.

"Hehe..." The Mad Daoist chuckled but didn't respond. In truth, he had forgotten what the person's name was, and he knew nothing about his past. He only vaguely remembered the child saying he came from some remote small country, called what... The Seven Kingdoms?

Xu Sanyan took a deep breath, suppressed the thoughts in his mind, and scanned the area with calm eyes. Finally, he looked at the three people in the air, bowed, and said in a clear voice, "Disciple Xu Sanyan of Red Dragon Mountain greets the three Hall Masters."

The Mad Daoist nodded. So his name was Xu Sanyan, remembered, remembered.

Flower Maiden smiled, raised her hand in the air, and Xu Sanyan felt a surge of gentle mana lifting him up. "Congratulations, Junior Nephew, on ascending to the position of Saint. Come up the mountain."

"Yes."

Xu Sanyan stepped forward and arrived at the peak of Tongxin Mountain. His gaze met the crowd, and whenever he made eye contact, whether it was an Elder or a Disciple, they all smiled at him. Xu Sanyan did not act arrogant or conceited; instead, he appeared very humble, nodding slightly in acknowledgment.

The three Hall Masters landed on the high platform, and Venerable He Yu said, "Congratulations to Xu Sanyan for becoming the second-generation Saint of the Tongxin Holy Sect. You are hereby bestowed with one Magic Treasure, one high-grade Immortal Cave, access to the Heart Cleansing Pool once a year, access to Soul Refining Mountain once every ten years, the right to mobilize Disciples of this lineage, participation in Hall Master discussions, and various other privileges."

Venerable He Yu smiled slightly, looked at everyone, and said softly, "And you may Cultivate our Sect's 'Saintly Book'!"

The scene fell silent instantly. Everyone who understood the meaning of these words, whether Disciple or Elder, looked at Xu Sanyan with envy.

Xu Sanyan pressed his lips together. He knew the 'Saintly Book' was good, but he didn't know exactly how good, so he didn't appear overly excited.

"Many thanks to the three Hall Masters, many thanks to the Sect Master. This Disciple will certainly not fail the Sect's expectations and will go through fire and water for the Saint Sect without hesitation!" Xu Sanyan raised his hand to the sky to show his loyalty. Formalities still had to be observed.

"Hehe, good." Venerable He Yu nodded slightly and said softly to the Mad Daoist and Flower Maiden, "It is time to send him to Wenxin Hall to check his background, right?"

"Mm." The two nodded.

The 'Saintly Book' was of great importance and naturally could not be taken lightly. Moreover, the Saint Sect was a mixed bag with people from all factions, and there was no telling how many spies from other Sects were hidden within. Therefore, the corresponding assessments and investigations could not be skipped. Do not be fooled by the Sect's lax rules on ordinary days; that was only because they had not touched upon core secrets. Once touched, the scrutiny was incredibly strict. Only by thoroughly passing through Wenxin Hall could one be considered a true Saint of the Sect; this was also the final test.

The Mad Daoist lifted his wine gourd and took a gulp. "I'll take him."

Venerable He Yu nodded slightly. "Good." Whoever's Disciple it was, they should take them; this was only proper.

The Mad Daoist waved his hand, and Xu Sanyan rose into the air as the two rode the wind and departed.

No one cared about the five people including Xiang Tan; at most, they would just remember their faces to avoid any future clashes.