23: The first Yuanying-stage disciple of the Qing Xuan Sect

The Hong Family is the number one great Family in Nansu City, and Hong Liang is an Elder in the Family! His status is undeniably noble!

With such a noble status, no matter which faction or Sect in Nansu City it is, they must all treat him with great respect.

Yet now, this noble Hong Family Elder is actually doing manual labor in a small Sect!

Regardless of any reason or hidden difficulty, it is not an excuse for him to act in such a way!

This is no longer just his personal problem; it is a problem for the entire Hong Family. Hong Liang's actions have undoubtedly caused the Hong Family to lose all face.

If outsiders were to find out about this, the Hong Family would definitely be mocked by other Cultivators.

Hong Liang may not care about his dignity, but my Hong Family still does!

Thinking of this, Hong Chang could no longer control the anger in his heart. He roared: "Eighth Elder! What are you doing!"

Hong Liang had been working hard on clearing the wasteland when he suddenly heard a familiar voice, and he was visibly stunned for a moment.

His face first showed joy, then immediately turned to worry and anxiety. He stopped the Spell he was casting and hurriedly turned his head.

"Seventh Elder? Is that you?"

"Hmph! Do you still have the face to call me?"

"Hahaha, it really is you! This is great! You don't know how much I've missed you all while being here!"

As he spoke, Hong Liang flew directly in front of Hong Chang, about to pat him on the shoulder.

Seeing this, Hong Chang took half a step back, his eyes carrying a cold expression as he looked at him indifferently.

Hong Liang was clearly startled by Seventh Elder's gaze. Only then did he remember that he now had the new identity of a Qingxuan Sect Disciple, and he couldn't help but stop his movements.

"Eighth Elder, you had better give me an explanation."

"Seventh Elder, don't be impatient. I had no choice in this matter either. Listen to me, I'll explain slowly."

Thus, the two Hong Family Elders began to talk in the depths of this desolate forest.

Hong Liang told Hong Chang the entire sequence of events in detail.

How he came to the Qingxuan Sect, how he discovered the Medicinal Pill, how he was kicked away by Ling Tian, up until Lu Hao's appearance, as well as his own thoughts and plans for remaining at the Qingxuan Sect—he told him everything.

Hong Chang's expression gradually changed from its initial coldness to curiosity, then shock, and finally, sheer terror!

When he heard that there was actually a Soul Transformation Expert inside the Qingxuan Sect, Hong Chang couldn't help but shout out in an instant.

"What?!! A Soul Transformation Expert! Eighth Elder, is what you said true? Does this small Qingxuan Sect really have a Soul Transformation Expert? I fear there is more to this matter than meets the eye."

"It is absolutely true, Seventh Elder. At that time, that person appeared via teleportation, and just by relying on his Aura, he was able to render me immobile. He must be a Soul Transformation Expert!"

"Let me tell you, that Medicinal Pill that can help a Cultivator Breakthrough might also have been concocted by that person. You must absolutely not try to get your hands on that Medicinal Pill again. If you are not careful, the Hong Family will face a great disaster!"

"Hehe, Hong Liang, it seems you still have some self-awareness."

Just as Hong Liang and Hong Chang were discussing animatedly, a faint voice sounded from behind them.

Both of them instantly shuddered, feeling as if they had been targeted by some great beast. Hong Liang was better off, as he had already experienced the terror of a Soul Transformation Expert.

As for Hong Chang, he felt that the air around him was about to be drained away. A suffocating sensation washed over him; his breathing became uncontrollable, his body trembled uncontrollably, and even the circulation of Origin Qi within his body became as sluggish as a snail.

His heart was surging like a stormy sea. To be able to make him like this with just a single sentence, it must undoubtedly be a Soul Transformation Expert!

This, this, this... This Qingxuan Sect actually really has a Soul Transformation Expert! How is this possible!

That is a Soul Transformation Expert, after all. How could one come to this small Sect?

As for the idea that the Qingxuan Sect cultivated one themselves, neither of them had such a thought.

Even looking across the entire Northern Wilderness Province, Soul Transformation Experts are rare existences.

The resources required to cultivate a Soul Transformation Expert are immense!

Even if the Qingxuan Sect gave all its resources to one person, it would be impossible to create a Soul Transformation Expert!

Therefore, the two of them internally agreed that this person came from elsewhere and only arrived at this Qingxuan Sect for some reason.

Regardless of how they thought about it, the two slowly turned their heads.

They saw a youth with an exceptionally refined appearance, looking very young, dressed in a white robe.

At this moment, he was exuding waves of Aura, staring at them indifferently.

"Seventh Elder of the Hong Family, right? You snuck onto the territory of my Qingxuan Sect. What is your business here?"

"First the Eighth Elder, then the Seventh Elder. This is endless, isn't it?"

After speaking, Lu Hao directly unleashed a powerful Aura targeted at Hong Chang. Caught off guard, Hong Chang fell directly to his knees on the ground.

"Se-Senior."

Hong Liang, who was on the side, was anxious to explain for Hong Chang.

Lu Hao said coldly: "I am asking him, not you."

Hearing Lu Hao's words, Hong Liang could only retreat to the side, turning his head to look at Hong Chang, winking at him incessantly.

Seeing Hong Liang's signal, Hong Chang also knew that if he withheld anything, it would likely enrage the expert before him.

Therefore, he took a deep breath and told Lu Hao the whole story.

In fact, from the moment Hong Chang stepped into the Qingxuan Sect, he had already been exposed under Lu Hao's Divine Sense, though he still thought he was hiding very well.

If not for the fact that he hadn't made any excessive moves along the way, Lu Hao would not be standing here listening to him talk.

How powerful is the Divine Sense of a Void Refining Late Stage expert? It only requires a small portion to scan the entire range of the Qingxuan Sect.

Hong Chang spoke in one breath for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, telling Lu Hao everything from the Heaven Sword Sect, to the Hong Family, to the collection of resources.

Lu Hao listened silently to the entire process.

"So it seems you wanted to come to my Qingxuan Sect to collect resources, eh? I wonder how many resources your Hong Family wanted my Qingxuan Sect to hand over?"

Lu Hao said with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

"No, we dare not. If we had known that a Senior was at the Qingxuan Sect, how would we have dared to come here? We only hope that you, Senior, are magnanimous and will spare us."

"You can just be a Disciple along with Hong Liang and stay here in the Qingxuan Sect. Do not have any bad intentions, otherwise..."

As Lu Hao spoke, he simultaneously increased his Aura.

"No, no, no, Senior, please rest assured. I will definitely clear the wasteland and behave myself!"

"That is very good."

Lu Hao glanced at the two Hong Family Elders and casually planted a Mother-Child Seal on the Seventh Elder as well.

"The Hong Family, is it? To actually want to collect resources from my Qingxuan Sect, it seems I must pay a visit myself."

Lu Hao's figure flashed and disappeared.

After Lu Hao left, the two Elders breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a great weight lifted off their shoulders.

Hong Chang slowly recovered from the shadow of Lu Hao, looked at Hong Liang, and said: "Eighth Elder, do you really intend to keep doing this here?"

"Seventh Elder, let me tell you, this Senior actually doesn't like killing. The reason I worked so hard before was because the Senior said that as long as I performed well, not only could the previous matters be written off, but I could also go and exchange for that Foundation Breaking Pill."

"Do you know that ten Foundation Breaking Pills can help me Breakthrough to Core Formation and become a Nascent Soul Stage expert!"

"The Nascent Soul Stage! Not to mention anything else, we brothers can live freely and easily for a thousand years together! This is the fundamental reason I stayed."

Upon hearing this, Hong Chang was also moved, but he was still full of doubts. He hesitated for a long time and said: "I am already at the Nascent Soul Stage. Could that Medicinal Pill still be useful for the Nascent Soul Stage? This kind of Medicinal Pill that can help a Nascent Soul Breakthrough is a priceless treasure. Can that Senior really bestow it upon me?"

"Didn't I tell you before that the Qing Xuan Prefecture Master Ling Tian is already at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage? I'm afraid that was the work of this Senior. Oh, Seventh Elder, don't think about it anymore. Let's work first. If we annoy that Senior later, it will be troublesome."

"Oh, oh, okay, okay."

"Boom! Boom!" The familiar, huge sounds and clouds of dust once again rang out from the depths of this desolate forest, only the figures had changed from one to two.