Chapter 6: Little Brother Has Treasure

  In the woods, Tang Yan was weakly gasping for breath, his intense pain almost consuming his nerves, as if he might pass out at any moment. But at this moment, his eyes were fixed on the blue flames dancing not far away. They seemed to have a life of their own, jumping excitedly and dazzlingly, yet eerily like ghost fires, because they had no temperature.

  But all of this doesn't matter, as the flames gradually die out, the scorching heat in Tang Yan's eyes slowly emerges.

  Essence of Spirit! Essence of Origin!

  Colorless liquid droplets the size of peas gradually appeared after the flames receded, leaving only a small amount of ash on the ground.

  "This flame is a good thing to destroy the evidence!" Tang Yan endured the severe pain and weakness, struggling to crawl towards the Lingyuan liquid, carefully holding it in his hand and examining it closely. As a third-stage martial artist, Yuan He's body had pure and dense spiritual energy, so the condensed drop of spiritual energy was obviously more than that of the white-eyed wolf earlier.

  A second-rate demon beast and a third-grade martial artist, if they were to continuously consume these two drops of Spiritual Origin Liquid, would their strength be enhanced?

  Tang Yan was full of expectation and prepared to find a quiet place to refine, but before he could struggle to get up, another person rushed out of the fog.

  "You're still alive?" Du Yang looked at Tang Yan who was covered in blood, a hint of surprise flashing across his eyes: "Where's Yuan He?"

  Tang Yan slightly relaxed: "Didn't see."

  "What about the wound on your body..."

  "Don't mind him."

  Du Yang was even more astonished: "Is it a white-eyed wolf? Didn't it bite you to death? Uh, I mean...you repelled it?"

  Tang Yan secretly hid the Lingyuan liquid and said, "I painstakingly advised it a few words, it felt ashamed, decided to start over as a dog, so... ran away..."

  Du Yang's eyes twitched slightly at the corners.

  Tang Yan struggled to get up: "I just heard a miserable cry, what happened?"

  "It's unclear, I rushed over to save you and didn't care about them. However, with Instructor Ano and Instructor Eirinda keeping watch, not many people dare to cause trouble in this forest. How is it, do I count as fulfilling the agreement?" Du Yang rarely showed a hint of a smile.

  "What protocol?" Tang Yan silently guided the remaining spiritual energy in his body to repair the wound and alleviate the intense pain.

  "Huh? What do you mean, trying to welch on the deal? Someone previously said that in case of an emergency, I'd help tie down Yang Ruyan and Li Shouze. Not only did I tie them down, but I also rushed over to protect you. That's a gift beyond our agreement, so... you owe me a Benling-level martial arts manual."

  Tang Yuelong said: "I've broadened my horizons, it turns out there are people who are even more shameless than me."

  "Are you praising me or scolding yourself?"

  "I'm fine, you can go back wherever you came from." Tang Yan wanted to hurry up and refine the Spiritual Origin Liquid, he didn't have time to bother with him.

  "That Ling-class Martial Decision..."

  "Can't you be more shameless?"

  "Second Master Tang, this is the agreement, how can you... huh? Damn it! Your wound is healing? You have spiritual energy inside you? Are you a martial artist?" Du Yang suddenly exclaimed like he had discovered a new continent, even blurting out a curse word, staring intently at the wound on Tang Yan's body, his eyes full of incredulity.

  "Grandpa ate the immortal pill." Tang Yan suddenly discovered that this kid was quite ink-stained.

  Du Yang looked deeply at Tang Yan, his eyes becoming strange.

  "What are you staring at? Hurry up and go."

  "No, I'll take a look." Du Yang suddenly walked over to Tang Yan.

  "Hey! Men and women should keep a distance, you glass thing, don't touch me!"

  "I'll just take a look..."

  "Are you two kids done yet?" A cold voice suddenly came from the dense forest.

  The two men were simultaneously on high alert, Du Yang's eyebrows furrowed, his expression suddenly turned icy cold, his fists clenched tightly, and his spiritual energy condensed into a white substance similar to rock, firmly covering his fists.

  But...

  A white flash streaked across his vision, and Du Yang felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His abdomen was viciously hit, and with a loud crash, he slammed into the trunk of a large tree behind him. The two giant trees shook violently, and Du Yang rebounded to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He curled up like a prawn, his face deathly pale, sweat beading on his forehead, and his eyes wide with pain, as if he was enduring immense suffering.

  "Halt, I surrender!" Tang Yan was secretly shocked and quickly raised his hands. At this moment, the white shadow's fist appeared in front of his abdomen. If he had been half a second slower, he would have ended up like Du Yang. With his injuries, he might have died directly.

  "This little brother is quite aware of the situation, I like people like this." The man in white stopped in front of Tang Yan, and a slightly playful laugh came from behind his ferocious mask.

  Du Yang clutched his stomach tightly, struggling to get up, his face twisted in pain and shock. This person's speed was so fast that he didn't even catch a glimpse of it, could it be a Wu Ling level expert?

  "I advise you to be honest and not look for trouble, of course, if you want to show off your heroic spirit, I don't mind playing with you." The man in white came up to Du Yang and tied him up tightly with a rope.

  "Who are you? Don't you know who we are!" Feeling the thick spiritual power fluctuations of the white-clothed man, Du Yang's rationality didn't allow him to continue resisting.

  "This question was also asked by your deceased mentors, don't worry, when you arrive at the place, you will know."

  What? The dead mentors?! Tang Yan and Du Yang were shocked again, could it be that the miserable cry just now was... a mentor?!

  How is this possible!! Arno and Eriolinda are both powerful martial artists!

  "Can you hold on, little brother?" The man in white looked at Tang Yan's battered body and pale face, secretly impressed. This kid was tough enough to still be standing despite his injuries. Perhaps it was the rationality he showed earlier that gave him a good impression, or perhaps it was because he felt that such injuries did not pose a threat, so he didn't bind him up.

  "Of course, no problem." Tang Yan realized that the situation was not good and suppressed his surprise. He quietly made a gesture to Du Yang, indicating that he should be cautious and not act rashly.

  Du Yang was also a shrewd person and did not over resist.

  "Go." The man in white separately grasped Du Yang and Tang Yan's collars, let out a low shout, and swiftly moved forward, darting back and forth through the forest.

  Not long after, he stopped by a small river, where more than a dozen white-robed men had gathered, as well as seventeen students from the Giant Elephant Academy.

  "Caught two more, still need... eleven." The man in white casually threw Tang Yan and Du Yang to the ground.

  "Du Yang?" The students all looked embarrassed and surprised to see Du Yang being caught as well, some with a hint of helplessness and bitterness.

  "Leave five people to watch, the others continue to search. The mentor is dead, the apprentice is caught alive, remember that there can be no mistakes, and no clues can be left behind." A slender woman glanced at Du Yang and Tang Yan, leading seven white-clothed men away, but after a few steps, she suddenly stopped and turned back to look at Tang Yan, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

  Tang Yan's heart was slightly startled, and those sharp eyes seemed like two sharp knives, fiercely stabbing into his own body.

  This aura...... Could it be...... Wu Zong?

  Another strong one from Wu Zong! What's the background of these people in white clothes?

  "A first-rate warrior? Those who are qualified to participate in the ritual of the altar should all be third-rate warriors, how can a mixed fish like you be among them?" The woman's voice was filled with disdain and coldness beyond arrogance.

  "What? First rank?" The white-clothed man who had grabbed Tang Yan was also somewhat surprised, narrowing his eyes to stare at Tang Yan for a moment before furrowing his brow: "Indeed, a first-rank martial artist."

  Compared to their astonishment, the rest of the students also changed color. Tang Yan is a martial artist? This waste is actually a martial artist?

  Tang Yan's eyes twitched at the corners as he glared fiercely at them. Is it that unusual for me to be a martial artist?

  The young woman said coldly: "Who are you?"

  Tang Yan's eyes rolled around and he pointed at Du Yang: "I'm his servant, doing odd jobs... uh... groom."

  "Get rid of him?" The woman looked Tang Yan up and down again, her face expressionless, saying: "Kill him, dispose of him cleanly."

  "Damn it! Bastard!!" Tang Yan cursed in his heart, before he could react, the white-clothed person behind him had already torn away and was walking towards the riverbank.

  "Leave someone to keep an eye on these disciples, absolutely cannot let them run away." The woman reminded again, and took the man in white clothes to leave quickly.

  "Little brother, we don't leave trash here, but don't worry, I'll give you a quick death." The man in white sneered, dragging Tang Yan to a stone about half his height, roughly pushing him onto it, and pulling out a rope to tie him up.

  Do we have to sink to the bottom of the lake again? Can't we come up with a new trick?! Tang Yan's heart was filled with anxiety, while he tried his best to think of a countermeasure.

  The students were either anxious or expressionless, but no one begged for mercy because they couldn't even save themselves, let alone others, especially since their relationships weren't good to begin with. Du Yang furrowed his brow, but still silently sighed and shook his head in dismay.

  Tang Yan thought hard for a moment, then his heart moved slightly and he lowered his voice to say: "Big brother, let's discuss something!"

  "Hmm?" The man in white continued to tidy up the rope and said casually: "What's up?"

  "I have a treasure, as long as you let me go, I'll give it to you, and it will definitely satisfy you."

  "What's precious?" The man raised an eyebrow and sneered coldly.

  Tang Yan clenched his teeth secretly, showing a struggling expression, then took a deep breath, put his hand into his pocket, carefully searched for a while, and slowly pulled it out. "You come see."

  "What a broken... Huh? A very dense energy." The man in white raised an eyebrow and leaned forward slightly.

  "I'll give it to you, maybe it will break through your boundaries, as long as you wait a bit..." Tang Yan whispered, slowly extending his tightly clenched fists towards the white-clothed person.

  "You're dead!" The man in white clothes had a glint of greed in his eyes and was about to grab him.

  "Wait a minute, this thing is precious. If your companions find out about it, you'll be in trouble."

  "The man in white paused slightly: 'What do you want?'"

  "We'll make a fair deal, I promise not to shout or cry out. You can take me somewhere far away and... just beat me half to death, leave some breath in me, I'm just a nobody, really have nothing to do with them."

  "There's a big rock ahead, let's go there." The man in white grabbed Tang Yan's mouth and dragged him to the rock 100 meters away.

  Tang Yan laughed and raised his hand: "Big brother, take a look, you take a look first..."

  The man in white turned his head to look at his companions in the distance, estimating that the distance was about right. The greed in his eyes could no longer be concealed, and he grabbed Tang Yan's hand, trying to pry it open. Tang Yan clenched his fist tightly, taking advantage of the momentum to send it towards the man's eye socket, then... His expression suddenly turned ferocious, his hands spread wide, and the spiritual energy inside him condensed wildly. A blue flame burst forth from his fingertips in an instant, shooting straight at the white-clad man's staring eyes.

  The man had not expected that Tang Yan would still have the strength to resist, and even more unexpected was that a first-class martial artist could manifest his spiritual energy externally. Caught off guard, he was suddenly scorched by the green flames, which had extremely strong adhesion and burning power, quickly burning out his eyeballs, and even spreading inward.

  "Ah!!" The man let out a shrill cry of despair, falling backwards and thrashing about wildly.

  "I remember you!" Tang Yan tore off the man's mask, stared fiercely at his face, and then pulled off the backpack on his body, turning to rush into the dense forest.

  A series of changes occurred in a split second, and the four white-clothed guardians who were left behind did not notice anything at first. By the time they became aware, Tang Yan had already disappeared into the dense forest.

  They were stunned for a moment, and the eyes of the four changed in an instant: "He snatched our bag? Damn it, there's our mark inside."

  "Seize him!" Two men in white clothes shot out like arrows, but in their shock, they forgot about the students beside them.

  "Disperse, escape!" Du Yang shouted loudly, charging towards the forest first. The rest of the students woke up simultaneously, struggling to get up from the ground and fleeing wildly in all directions.

  "Leave me alone!!" The remaining two white-robed men were furious and wanted to catch them, but the eighteen people scattered in all directions. Who could they catch? The best solution was to kill a few or disable a few to intimidate them. However, their orders were to take them alive, unharmed, without anyone being allowed to make a move to kill.

  Just as they were hesitating, all eighteen people suddenly ran into the dense forest.

  "Damn it! I'm going crazy!!" The two felt a chill in their hearts, having finally caught eighteen people, only to lose them all in the blink of an eye. Who would take responsibility for this? What awaited them? The two exchanged glances, seeing a thread of fear in each other's eyes, before charging into the dense forest, determined to catch at least one person.