79: Long Ye, the second guardian

In Black Mountain City, the people engaged in fierce combat looked at the scattered moonlight, somewhat bewildered.

What's happening? Where's the eerie mist?

Hiss!

Someone was startled by the sudden change, momentarily forgetting he was still fighting theWeird, and a sharp claw blade cut through his chest.

Just as he endured the pain and prepared to counterattack, he suddenly felt as if time around him had slowed down, and wisps of Azure Fire floated down, filling his entire vision.

In a breath, the Azure Fire landed on the Weird. The next moment it made contact, the Weird melted like a burning candle, then turned into black ash and dissipated.

A moment later, their senses returned to normal. Everyone looked around blankly, then exchanged glances.

The Weird that had been putting so much pressure on them had all disappeared!

Inadvertently, someone among them looked up, then gasped.

In the night sky, not a cloud was in sight. Under the bright moon, a massive Azure Fire Bronze Furnace, a hundred meters tall, slowly rotated.

In the north of the city, Long Yuesheng looked at the Azure Fire Bronze Furnace in the sky, his face beaming with ecstasy, and rushed towards the east of the city.

Before long, he arrived at the east of the city, where the city defense team led by Zhao Qianli of the Zhao family was still in a state of confusion. Zhao Qianli himself was staring blankly at the bronze furnace.

Seeing Long Yuesheng approach, Zhao Yunsheng, though somewhat puzzled, still took a few steps forward.

"Lord County Lieutenant, what exactly is going on? What is that Azure Fire Bronze Furnace in the sky?"

He knew Long Yuesheng's background was not simple, and perhaps he knew the origin of the Azure Fire Bronze Furnace.

It wasn't his fault; for local gentry in small cities like them, although they knew of the existence of Secret Martial Artists, they had almost no chance to witness battles between Secret Martial Artists and didn't know their true power.

But Long Yuesheng clearly had no intention of responding to him, striding past him to the city wall to gaze out.

From afar, he saw a warship cutting through the waves. When he recognized the person on the bow, he couldn't help but raise his right arm, "Third Uncle! Here!"

Thump!

A sound like a war drum. The burly man on the bow leaped up, and the immense force made the warship resonate like a drum.

Bang!

The burly man landed on the city wall, causing the entire wall to tremble slightly, making one wonder just how heavy this person was.

On the other side of the city wall, Zhao Qianli's pupils contracted as he looked at the burly man before him.

He recognized him! He had seen this person once when he was escorting criminals to Ningan County City!

That day, this person reprimanded the county city jailer as if he were scolding a dog!

And that jailer was an incredibly powerful Secret Martial Artist!

He didn't know this person's identity, only that his name was Long Ye.

"Yuesheng, are you alright? Your father, too, he just had to make Black Mountain City the last stop."

Long Ye folded his arms, exuding the demeanor of a peerless master, but his words had a touch of a street ruffian.

Long Yuesheng frowned upon hearing this, "Third Uncle, are other cities in Ningan County also besieged by eerie mist?"

Long Ye pouted, "More than that, even several neighboring counties near the Canglang River have been affected. Your father suspects this super-large tide of Weird might be caused by people from the Jin Yu Pavilion polluting the Canglang River with a Trickster."

Long Yuesheng was shocked to hear this, not expecting the scope of this tide of Weird to be so vast. If it wasn't premeditated, he wouldn't believe it even if he were beaten to death!

"Are other places also facing armies of skeletons?" he asked.

"Naturally, Trickster are not common items. Even the Jin Yu Pavilion doesn't have many." Long Ye said.

Each Trickster is unique; while its direct combat ability might not be strong, the abilities it possesses are almost always unsolvable.

Even a Secret Martial Artist could die if they are not careful.

After speaking, he waved his hand, and the Azure Fire Bronze Furnace suspended above Black Mountain City dissipated.

Turning around, he squatted down, "Alright, Yuesheng, Third Uncle is leaving. Let's gather in the county city in a while! It's been a long time since I've had a drink with you!"

"Hey! Wait, Third Uncle!" Long Yuesheng jolted, quickly raising his hand to call out.

But it was still too late. Or rather, not quite.

Long Ye, who had already leaped away, heard Long Yuesheng's shout, directly leveraged himself in mid-air, drew a semicircle, and landed back in his original spot.

"What is it, Yuesheng?" he asked.

Long Yuesheng looked around, "Elder Sun, Second Master Kong, where is my brother Qin?"

Sun Qianzhao and Kong Hai were stunned. They had come to provide support, but before they could even act, all the Weird had been cleared away by Long Ye, and they were feeling a bit awkward at the moment.

"Lord County Lieutenant, the Chief seems to have gone to the west of the city." Kong Hai said, if he remembered correctly, that direction was west.

Long Yuesheng nodded, looked at Long Ye, "Third Uncle, let's go to the west of the city first. I'll explain on the way."

Long Ye looked at the surrounding crowd, pouted, "Alright then."

After the two left, Sun Qianzhao and Kong Hai exchanged glances.

'Old Sun, are we going or not?'

'Since we're already here, shouldn't we greet the Zhao family?'

'We didn't even help much, besides, seeing Zhao Qianli makes me angry!'

'Alright then, let's go!'

They nodded to each other, turned and left without hesitation, but were stopped by Zhao Yunsheng nearby.

"Gentlemen! Gentlemen, please stay! All you brothers of the Red Tiger Gang, please stay! Your assistance in this battle is truly a timely help. If I cannot fulfill my duties as a host, it would truly make me uneasy!"

He smiled and cupped his hands. As a seasoned veteran of many years, he naturally knew that the Red Tiger Gang members were not here for revenge.

Furthermore, although his Elder brother and the Red Tiger Gang had some grudges, the Ten Devil Saber manual had already been given, so continuing the enmity over it was simply not worth it.

Now that the Chief of the Red Tiger Gang was at his peak, he also wanted to use this opportunity to resolve their past grievances.

Sun Qianzhao looked at Kong Hai. Kong Hai was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly, and then turned around and laughed heartily: "Hahaha! Brother Zhao, you are too polite! We didn't actually help much!"

On the city wall, Long Yuesheng and Long Ye leaped.

"Yuesheng, what's the matter exactly? You're being so mysterious." Long Ye asked.

"Third Uncle, I want to recommend someone to join the Bronze Bell Sect." Long Yuesheng said.

Long Ye raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure? Within five years, you only have this one slot."

The Long family, as one of the three prominent families in Ningan County City, was naturally tied to the Bronze Bell Sect. Every direct descendant of the Long family had a recommendation slot that bypassed the entrance exam.

Long Yuesheng nodded. The Bronze Bell Sect only recruited Disciples once every five years, and the last time was two years ago.

If Qin Jiang wanted to join the Bronze Bell Sect this year, internal recommendation was the only way.

If it were anyone else, wanting to get this slot from him, they shouldn't even dream of it without three to five thousand taels of silver!

But Qin Jiang was different. Setting aside their personal friendship, Qin Jiang's talent alone was enough to make some Protectors and even Elders within the sect vie for him.

Not to mention their good relationship, which could develop further in the future.

It was a coincidence that Third Uncle came this time, so it would be better for Qin Jiang to directly become Third Uncle's Disciple, to prevent him from being snatched by other families once he showed his talent.

"Third Uncle, the person I want to recommend is no ordinary individual; his rise has been incredibly rapid! He achieved Major Achievement in Red Tiger Fist in just a few months, transforming from a mere medicine boy to the Chief of the Red Tiger Gang.

What the Chief of the Red Tiger Gang means, I don't need to elaborate, do I? He's a formidable person! Such excellent material is extremely rare!

It's only you, Third Uncle; if it were anyone else, I definitely wouldn't tell him!"

Long Ye was startled by this, then laughed, "You sly dog, are you digging a pit for me? I'm at least the Second Protector of the Bronze Bell Sect; do I just take Disciples casually?"

After speaking, he grabbed Long Yuesheng's collar, "Quick, quick, take me to see him! Achieving Major Achievement in Red Tiger Fist in less than a year, what kind of monster is this!"

Long Ye's strength was far superior to Long Yuesheng's. Their speed instantly increased, and in less than a breath, they arrived on the city wall in the west of the city.

Just as Long Yuesheng was watching the city wall get closer, he suddenly heard Long Ye let out an 'eh'.

Then he felt the surrounding scenery shift, and after a few breaths, the scene solidified, and the two landed on the ground.

Looking at the surrounding trees, he vaguely felt a sense of familiarity.

This is... the source of Stone Lion River? What are we doing here?

Before he could ask, a hint of blackness suddenly appeared in the corner of his eye.

Looking over, he saw Qin Jiang sitting on the head of a stone lion, with a dark demonic image slowly dissipating behind him.