162: Chapter 162: Toad Field

Meanwhile.

Feiliu Workshop, conference hall.

Master Mo Yuan sat in the main seat, his fingers tapping on the armrest.

The hall was brightly lit by candlelight, but it could not illuminate his gloomy face. A figure in black robes stood below, head bowed, not daring to look at him.

"A newcomer from the Yao Race? And a Third-Rank one at that, who killed the old ghost Xuanyin the moment he made a move?"

Master Mo Yuan's voice was not loud, but every word carried a hint of curiosity.

"Yes..." the black-robed figure's voice was tight. "Old ghost Xuanyin is dead. That member of the Yao Race was extremely ruthless; he even dug out his Golden Core."

Master Mo Yuan narrowed his eyes.

Although old ghost Xuanyin's Lifespan was coming to an end, he was still a Golden Core Cultivator. A newcomer from the Yao Race killed him right off the bat? And even dug out his Golden Core?

"Could it be him!"

Master Mo Yuan suddenly thought of that crow.

"Did anyone see this person's appearance clearly?"

Master Mo Yuan's voice deepened.

The black-robed figure hesitated, burying his head even lower.

"Reporting to the Workshop Master, that great demon was extremely fierce. After killing old ghost Xuanyin, the ferocious pressure on his body was so great that those around him dared not raise their heads. The others watching the battle didn't dare to get too close, so..."

"So you know nothing?"

Master Mo Yuan's voice turned cold.

The black-robed figure dared not respond.

"A bunch of useless trash!"

Master Mo Yuan slapped the armrest, and it shattered upon impact.

Several people in the hall shrank their necks, none daring to make a sound.

Master Mo Yuan took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, his gaze falling on a figure in the corner of the hall who had remained silent.

"Zhao Feng, you go yourself."

The figure stepped out of the shadows; it was a middle-aged man with a cold, stern face and a slender build. He wore a tight black robe and had a short blade hanging at his waist. He cupped his fists, his voice flat: "Yes."

...

Meanwhile.

With the Breakthrough failing, Wu Li ended his cultivation, kicked away the rubble at the cave entrance, spread his wings, and flew back toward Feiliu Workshop.

The matter of the Golden Core blood was still unresolved; he couldn't go back empty-handed.

Just as he arrived at the outskirts of the market, Wu Li folded his wings and landed, transforming into his human form to blend into the crowd.

His current appearance was not eye-catching, his half-human, half-Yao form hidden within a wide robe.

After walking not far, Wu Li paused his steps.

"Hmm?"

"What a coincidence?"

The group of people in front had quite an entourage.

The leader was a Young Master in a white robe with a jade belt, a jade pendant hanging at his waist. Behind him followed five Foundation Establishment Cultivators, each with steady auras.

The most eye-catching one was a Gray-robed Elder walking on the very edge, his aura restrained and his footsteps silent, but one sweep of Wu Li's Blood Pupil revealed that he was a Golden Core.

And the person at the very front of the group was none other than Xiao Yi.

Wu Li narrowed his eyes, curiosity rising in his heart, while he focused his gaze on the Golden Core Cultivator behind Xiao Yi. His aura fluctuations were abnormal; it was obvious he had only recently achieved his Breakthrough.

Wu Li slowed his pace, following far behind.

Xiao Yi and his party did not head into the depths of the market but turned into a side road in the middle section, stopping in front of a three-story wooden building.

The building was not large but was built with care. A plaque hung on the lintel with the three characters "Anbao Pavilion" written on it.

Wu Li did not follow them in; instead, he found a tea stall across the street, sat down, ordered a bowl of tea, and drank it slowly.

The tea stall owner was a hunchbacked old man who glanced at Wu Li, didn't ask any questions, and continued wiping his bowls.

Wu Li held the bowl, his eyes fixed on the wooden building. His Blood Pupil probed inside through the door gap. The interior was elegantly furnished with rosewood tables and chairs, and several paintings hung on the walls. It didn't look like a place of business, but rather a private residence.

But he didn't have to wait long.

"Boom!"

The second-story window of the wooden building suddenly exploded, wood fragments flying everywhere. A grayish-white spiritual light rushed out from inside, blasting down a large section of half the wall.

Pedestrians on the street screamed and fled in all directions. The tea stall owner was so scared he dropped his bowl and scrambled backward on his hands and knees.

A figure flew out from the second floor and stabilized himself in mid-air; it was the Gray-robed Golden Core Elder.

His expression was not good; there was a charred mark on his chest, and his robe had been burned with a large hole.

Immediately after.

Another figure chased out from the broken window.

It was a tall, thin old man wearing an ink-green robe with a sinister face. He held a short blade in each hand, the blades shimmering with a ghostly green light.

Two Golden Core Cultivators, for some unknown reason, began fighting in mid-air.

The Gray-robed Elder formed hand seals, and a golden light shield condensed in front of him, blocking the tall, thin old man's two blades.

But the tall, thin old man's speed was astonishing. His figure turned, circling behind the Gray-robed Elder, and he slashed down with a blade.

The Gray-robed Elder dodged to the side, but the blade grazed his shoulder, bringing up a mist of blood.

"Young Master, this person is not Mr. Know-It-All, run!"

The Gray-robed Elder shouted sternly.

Downstairs, Xiao Yi had been protected and retreated to the other side of the street as soon as the first explosion occurred. His face was pale, but he remained relatively calm.

Wu Li held his bowl, feeling quite surprised for a moment.

"This is... truly interesting."

Wu Li sat by the tea stall, his blood-red pupils staring at the two Golden Core Cultivators in mid-air through the gap in the tabletop.

The two Golden Core Cultivators were locked in an inseparable fight in mid-air.

Although the Gray-robed Elder had just achieved his Breakthrough, he was defending steadily. However, the tall, thin old man fought more and more fiercely, his twin blades flying, each strike aiming for a vital point.

"Just a recently Breakthrough Golden Core, and you dare to act presumptuously before me?"

The tall, thin old man sneered, slashing open the Gray-robed Elder's light shield with one blade.

"I, Chan Tian, have been hanging around Feiliu Workshop for three hundred years. What kind of thing do you think you are?"

The Gray-robed Elder said nothing. Gritting his teeth, he spat a mouthful of essence blood onto his palm. Golden spiritual light suddenly exploded, erupting with a power that surpassed his own, directly forcing Chan Tian back several steps.

But he himself was pushed backward by the recoil, a trace of blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth.

Chan Tian stabilized his figure, licked the blood off his blade, and revealed a mouthful of yellow teeth.

He was a great toad demon from the Black Swamp Ridge north of Taiyue Mountain, at the Third-Rank Middle Stage. He had been in Feiliu Workshop for over a hundred years. Today, Xiao Yi brought people to intrude on his territory to talk business, and after failing to reach an agreement, they wanted to leave—how could things be so cheap?

"Yao Race monster, come again!"

The Gray-robed Elder gritted his teeth, formed hand seals, and a golden Sword Qi shot out from his fingertips, heading straight for the great toad demon's face.

Chan Tian tilted his head to dodge. The Sword Qi grazed his ear, cutting off a lock of hair. His face darkened completely; he stopped holding back. He opened his mouth and took a deep breath, his chest swelling like a big drum, and then...

"Croak!!!"

A frog croak, carrying a sonic attack infused with Third-Rank Middle Stage Demon Power.

The sound was sharp and piercing, like an invisible awl, stabbing directly into the Gray-robed Elder's Sea of Consciousness.

"Oh no!!"

The Gray-robed Elder's expression changed drastically. A golden light shield condensed in front of him, but the sonic wave didn't come from the front; it came from all directions.

His shield blocked a portion, but the sonic wave penetrated the shield, shaking him until blood flowed from his seven orifices. His body, like a kite with a broken string, plummeted from mid-air.

"Ah!!"

"Bang!"

The Gray-robed Elder fell heavily to the ground, smashing a shallow pit, with gravel splashing everywhere.