97: A fruitful harvest

When the Burning Heaven Palace Cultivators arrived, following the spiritual energy fluctuations, the first thing that caught their eye wasn't the aftermath of a fierce battle, but Lie Tianxiong sprawled in an extremely undignified posture on the scorched rocks.

His burly body was twisted into a 'pretzel', his backside sticking high up, and a large purplish-blue lump swelled on the back of his head.

The bloodstains at the corner of his mouth had already congealed into a dark red, and the hand that held the flame still maintained a grasping posture, clearly indicating he was completely knocked out.

"Palace Master!"

Grand Elder Yan Cangyun almost stumbled forward, and just as he was about to help him, his gaze swept over the 'flesh lump' and then caught sight of Lie Tianxiong's high-jutting backside. The corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably. He quickly composed himself, and with trembling fingers, he reached towards Lie Tianxiong's nose.

Feeling a steady breath, his tense shoulders and back had just relaxed slightly when he heard a faint 'snicker' from beside him.

He turned his head and saw the Third Elder pressing his fist against his mouth, but the corners of his eyes were secretly curving upwards.

Seeing Yan Cangyun look over, he quickly lowered his head to stroke his beard, but in his hurried fumbling, he accidentally pulled out two hairs, which made him gasp in pain. Only then did he manage to suppress his laughter and put on a stern face.

"This villain's actions are despicable! To dare to ambush the Palace Master, we must investigate thoroughly!"

As he spoke, he secretly glanced at the Second Elder, but saw that the other's expression was calm, his eyes fixed seriously on the spiritual energy traces on the ground.

Little did he know, the Second Elder was currently suppressing his laughter so much that his stomach hurt. Lie Tianxiong's backside-up posture and the 'flesh lump' on the back of his head had already made him burst into silent laughter.

Listening to the Third Elder's forced serious words, the Second Elder secretly chuckled to himself: "Competing with me in suppressing laughter? You're still a bit too green. I'm a professional."

The Burning Heaven Palace Disciples behind them also gathered around, looking at their usually majestic Palace Master lying defenseless on the ground, their faces filled with shock and anger.

"Who on earth struck the Palace Master like this? See if there are any clues at the scene?"

Several Disciples skilled in tracking immediately fanned out, their fingertips infused with a light red spiritual energy, meticulously searching for traces around them.

But apart from the residual flame spiritual energy from Lie Tianxiong, not a single footprint or a trace of unfamiliar aura could be found, as if the attacker had never appeared.

"Grand Elder, no traces found!"

A Disciple replied with a solemn expression.

"The opponent not only struck viciously but also cleaned up all traces thoroughly!"

"It's all our fault! If we had been a step faster, the Palace Master wouldn't have..."

An Elder's face was full of remorse, his voice trembling.

Yan Cangyun closed his eyes, suppressing the anxiety in his heart.

"It's useless to say these things now! First, wake the Palace Master and see if he remembers the appearance of the opponent!"

Yan Cangyun ordered with a dark expression. Two Disciples carefully turned Lie Tianxiong over. As soon as he was helped to a sitting position, Lie Tianxiong let out an "ouch," and his head tilted to the side, clearly still feeling the pain from the back of his head.

Yan Cangyun took out a Spirit Awakening Pill from his bosom, crushed it, and sprinkled the powder on Lie Tianxiong's nose.

A faint green medicinal mist slowly permeated, and Lie Tianxiong's eyelashes fluttered a few times, a muffled groan escaping his throat.

"Palace, Palace Master is awake!"

As everyone gathered around, they saw Lie Tianxiong slowly open his eyes, his gaze as bewildered as a child who had just woken up. He stared at Yan Cangyun for a long time before speaking in a hoarse voice.

"Grand Elder... why does the back of my head hurt so much?"

Xiao Ruobai's blow was too fierce, directly causing Lie Tianxiong to black out. He hadn't fully recovered yet.

He raised his hand to touch it, and as his fingertips just brushed the swollen lump, he gasped in pain, hastily retracting his hand, only to bump his waist, making him grimace in agony.

"And my back..."

Yan Cangyun quickly asked, "Palace Master, what happened just now? Who injured you like this?"

Only then did Lie Tianxiong become somewhat clear-headed. He frowned in recollection, his mind only retaining the sharp pain of being struck by a heavy hammer in the back of his heart, and his wrist being pierced by Sword Qi.

There was also that final heavy blow to the back of his head. As for the appearance of the attacker, he only vaguely remembered two figures, not even seeing their faces clearly.

"They were very fast, I didn't see their faces..."

Lie Tianxiong gritted his teeth, his tone full of frustration.

He was, after all, a Palace Master, yet he didn't fall to the exotic flame, but to two guys hiding in the shadows!

If they had the guts, they should have fought fair and square. What kind of hero bangs someone from behind?!

"It seemed like one used a black rod, and the other used a sword."

"I had just grasped the Netherworld Ice Flame, and before I could even be happy, they ambushed me from behind!"

"If it were a head-on fight, I guarantee I could beat them both black and blue," Lie Tianxiong said stubbornly.

At this moment, he suddenly looked at his finger, his pupils abruptly constricting. He furiously lowered his head and repeatedly rubbed it, confirming that his Storage Ring was truly gone, and then suddenly wailed.

"My Storage Ring! It contains my accumulation of hundreds of years, as well as the Sect's core Cultivation Technique, and all my gains from the Secret Realm—all stolen by those two scoundrels!"

Yan Cangyun and the three black-robed Senior Martial Uncles' expressions changed drastically, unable to suppress the spiritual energy of fire around them, their black robes rustling.

The Second Elder spoke at the opportune moment, his tone calm: "Grand Elder, why not first have the Disciples seal off the surroundings? We'll take the Palace Master aside to rest. Once he recovers, we can carefully question him about the attackers' features, so as not to alert the enemy."

When he said this, his face showed no ripples, and if not for the fleeting trace of a smile in his eyes that he quickly concealed, even Yan Cangyun would have been fooled by his 'composed' demeanor.

"To dare to touch the Burning Heaven Palace's Legacy Mind-Cultivation Technique, even if we have to dig through the entire Secret Realm, we will tear them to pieces!"

Lie Tianxiong gasped for breath, veins bulging on his forehead: "Search for them! These two are incredibly cunning and their methods are astonishing. Ordinary Disciples are no match, so I ask the three Senior Martial Uncles to exert yourselves!"

The Burning Heaven Palace Cultivators dared not delay. They immediately scattered, their flame spiritual energy sweeping through the surrounding dense forest like a tide, illuminating even the depths of the spiritual mist with firelight.

Meanwhile, in thecave (solution cave) on the other side, Xiao Ruobai was sifting through Lie Tianxiong's Storage Ring.

The space inside the ring was vast, with piles of High-Grade Spirit Stones stacked like small mountains, dozens of wooden boxes filled with various Medicinal Pills, and stacks of Burning Heaven Palace Sect classics and Artifact Refining Materials.

It even contained a red-glowing, king-grade fire-attribute long saber. Although there were no top-tier treasures, the quantity and quality of these items were an immense harvest for Cultivators of the Cave Heaven and Heavenly Human Realm.

Xiao Ruobai's fingertips brushed over a pile of treasures when his gaze was suddenly drawn to a porcelain bottle carved with a fierce tiger pattern in the corner.

He took out the porcelain bottle, and the moment he pulled out the stopper, a medicinal aroma with a sense of dryness and heat wafted out. The bottom of the bottle was also engraved with five small characters: "Fierce Tiger Blazing Sun Pill."

"He even hid this kind of aphrodisiac?"

Xiao Ruobai was stunned for a moment, then chuckled, casually shaking the porcelain bottle, "It's a good thing, though."

As soon as these words left his mouth, Fang Hanyu beside him immediately cast a strange look, his eyes carrying a hint of 'you're actually interested in this' inquiry.

Xiao Ruobai instantly felt his scalp tingle under that gaze and quickly waved his hand.

"What are you thinking?! I don't need this!"

He paused, then suddenly had an idea, "How about... offering it to Master?"

Fang Hanyu raised an eyebrow, not speaking, but his eyes signaled, "Are you sure?"

Reminded by that look, Xiao Ruobai suddenly recalled Gu Changge's usual aloof demeanor. If he were to hand over this "Fierce Tiger Blazing Sun Pill," he might end up getting a 'whipping and stir-fry' from his Master.

He instantly shivered and shook his head repeatedly: "Forget it, forget it! I don't want to die yet!"

He pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up.

"When we return to Azure Profound Sect later, I'll give it to Martial Uncle Shi. I guarantee he'll love it, hehehe!"

Only then did Fang Hanyu withdraw his strange gaze, the corners of his mouth slightly curving upwards: "If Martial Uncle Shi gets it, he'll probably thank Lie Tianxiong profusely."

Xiao Ruobai casually picked up a High-Grade Spirit Stone, feeling the pure spiritual energy within it, and couldn't help but exclaim.

"As expected of a Sect Master, his family fortune is truly immense."

Fang Hanyu took out the Netherworld Ice Flame, which was wrapped in Chaos Sword Qi. The Sword Qi at his fingertips tightened a bit more to prevent the coldness of the exotic flame from leaking out and being detected by the Burning Heaven Palace Cultivators.

"We don't need this exotic flame for now. Let's put it into the Storage Ring first. We'll take it back to Azure Profound Sect later and hand it over to Sect Master Senior Martial Uncle for handling."