CHAPTER 553: CHAPTER 551: THE SCHEME OF MYRIAD BEASTS SECT_1

Right after kicking Yin Zongli away, Ling Chen didn’t stop. His figure flashed again. Concentrating True Qi into his calf, he kicked out once more.

"Stop!"

A roar sounded through the air, followed by the whoosh of displaced air. Suddenly, a silver-haired elder appeared from below, shattering the kick’s force with a punch. When he saw Yin Zongli had lost an arm, shock and anger flashed across his face. "Boy, how vicious of you to cripple our Son of a duke’s arm! From now on, the Yin Family and you are irreconcilable enemies. Today, I, this old man, will put an end to you, you menace!"

"Put an end to me? Your Excellency should take care of yourself first."

A hint of ridicule surfaced at the corner of Ling Chen’s mouth.

Just as he finished speaking, Lian Ji and Liu Feiyue also stepped forward. Their gazes fixed on the silver-haired elder. "You must be the Third Elder of the Yin Family, right? Take your people and leave. Young Hero Wuchen spared his life, which was a great act of leniency towards your Yin Family. Don’t be ungrateful when a toast is offered, only to drink a forfeit."

A smile appeared on Lian Ji’s beautiful face. However, that smile sent shivers down the elder’s spine. He wasn’t a stranger to the Black Sand Land and knew of Lian Ji’s reputation. She was a notoriously ruthless figure there. Even as the Third Elder of the Yin Family, he couldn’t afford to offend her.

"Take the Son of a duke away!"

After glancing at Liu Feiyue to the side, the silver-haired elder’s expression turned uncertain. He reluctantly waved his hand, ordering his men to quickly help Yin Zongli up and flee.

That old man is somewhat sensible.

Ling Chen glanced at the retreating figures of the silver-haired elder and his men. The Yin Family’s influence was comparable to a top-tier Sect. He didn’t want to form a deadly feud with such a power. Therefore, he had only severed one of Yin Zongli’s arms. With the Yin Family’s resources, reattaching Yin Zongli’s arm shouldn’t be difficult.

"Oh no, where is Old Pheasant Man?"

Only then did Liu Feiyue look towards Old Pheasant Man’s previous position, but it was already empty.

"Don’t worry, he’s severely injured and can’t get far. I’ve already had people keeping an eye on him. He’s over there."

Lian Ji said unhurriedly, her gaze shifting to a particular direction. Sure enough, in the woods in that direction, a figure was attempting to flee.

"Apprehend him."

She waved her jade-like hand. Lian Ji couldn’t even be bothered to act personally now and directly ordered her subordinates to capture him.

The current Old Pheasant Man was a spent force, utterly unable to withstand a single blow.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Over a dozen Saint Witch Religion powerhouses shot out, among them two peak Great Master Level Powerhouses. They joined forces, unleashing a combined attack technique as they surrounded Old Pheasant Man.

Just as they were about to capture him smoothly, at this very moment, a black shadow suddenly emerged from the woods, phantom-like, its speed astonishingly fast. In the blink of an eye, it appeared beside Old Pheasant Man.

HMPH!

With a cold snort, the black shadow struck out with a single palm. The entire mountain pass seemed to experience a landslide, shaking violently. The dozen or so Saint Witch Religion powerhouses who had fiercely attacked were all defeated in an instant. The vast majority were killed, with only two left lying in pools of their own blood, groaning incessantly, severely injured and on the verge of death.

"What?"

Both Lian Ji and Liu Feiyue were astonished. What was the origin of this black shadow? Its strength was actually tyrannical to such a degree!

Without any hesitation, the two women burst out, True Qi surging violently from their jade-like hands. Each unleashed a ferocious offensive, attacking the suddenly appeared black shadow almost simultaneously.

"Demonic Mist Blooming Lotus!"

"Bright Moon Sword Art, Dragon Slaying!"

Both women used their signature skills. The moment the techniques were unleashed, the wind and clouds changed color. Under such a pincer attack, it was likely that even a Sky Apex Realm Third Layer powerhouse like Dong Shenglong would absolutely be unable to withstand it.

Yet, facing such an offensive, the black shadow stood rooted to the spot, motionless. Only when Lian Ji and Liu Feiyue’s attacks were about to land did both its palms strike out.

BANG!

A deafening collision resounded as True Qi swept out in all directions, sending gravel and dust on the ground billowing upwards.

In the next instant, Lian Ji and Liu Feiyue’s delicate bodies trembled almost simultaneously. They were both blasted backward, a trace of fresh blood trickling from the corners of their mouths.

This person is powerful! Ling Chen’s pupils constricted slightly. The strength of this black shadow before him was likely terrifying, at least at the Sky Apex Realm Third Layer or above.

However, after repelling Lian Ji and Liu Feiyue, the black shadow did not linger. It directly picked up Old Pheasant Man, its figure then flickering repeatedly before vanishing into the woods in an instant.

Seeing the black shadow carry Old Pheasant Man away, the two women wanted to give chase but were stopped by Ling Chen. "Don’t chase. You are not its match."

"Who on earth is this person? With such strength, he’s unlikely to be some unknown figure. He’s probably a titan in the Martial World."

Liu Feiyue took out a Healing Pill and consumed it, yet the shock in her beautiful eyes had not completely dissipated. The brief exchange had instantly revealed the disparity between them and their opponent. This black shadow was definitely no ordinary Top Sky Apex Strong.

"Old Pheasant Man is a Guest Elder of the Myriad Beasts Sect. The one who rescued him is most likely also from the Myriad Beasts Sect," Lian Ji said, a light flickering in her eyes. "To possess such strength... Could that person just now have been that old fellow, the Elder of Myriad Beasts?"

The Elder of Myriad Beasts? Ling Chen’s pupils constricted. He had met the Elder of Myriad Beasts once before. Back then, the Elder had pursued him for thousands of miles, intending to kill him, but was obstructed by the Cyan-robed Guest and had vanished since. However, he hadn’t seen the black shadow’s appearance clearly just now. Based on physique alone, it was probably difficult to deduce anything.

Old Pheasant Man, Qinghuang Blood, Myriad Beasts Sect... A series of related information flashed through Ling Chen’s mind. Suddenly, he looked up sharply, a glint in his eyes. "That Dragon Demon Temple, and that Exotic Beast, don’t they also belong to the Myriad Beasts Sect? Could there be some conspiracy in all this?"

"It’s hard to say." Lian Ji shook her head. "The Myriad Beasts Sect has been making many moves in the Black Sand Land recently. It seems they’ve been plotting something over these years. But, Saint Child, you need not worry. The Myriad Beasts Sect’s strength is not enough to threaten the Holy Church. Their actions are, at most, minor skirmishes. That old fellow, the Elder of Myriad Beasts, is old enough to have one foot in the grave. Surely he doesn’t still dream of becoming the Martial Arts Supreme?"

Let’s hope so. Ling Chen nodded, but the unease in his heart did not completely vanish. That Exotic Beast with its astonishing growth rate made it impossible for him to be completely at ease.

For now, however, he could only set this matter aside temporarily.

「At this moment, atop a mountain peak a hundred miles away.」

It was the black shadow and Old Pheasant Man.

Removing the mask he wore, the black shadow revealed his true face. It was none other than the Sect Leader of the Myriad Beasts Sect, the Elder of Myriad Beasts.

Almost simultaneously, Old Pheasant Man took out a transparent container. Within it was a mass of greenish-red liquid. This item was, without a doubt, the Qinghuang Blood acquired from the Black Market auction.

"Having obtained the Qinghuang Blood, your contribution this time is significant." The Elder of Myriad Beasts stared at the slowly flowing greenish-red Essence Blood in the vessel, the smile on his face growing increasingly radiant. "With this, the Exotic Demon Beast’s breakthrough to the Fourth Grade is completely assured. The day this Seat dominates the Martial World and unifies the Five Kingdoms draws ever closer!"

"Indeed! The Sect Leader’s divine skill is matchless, to have cultivated the Exotic Demon Beast, such a powerful Exotic Beast! The Martial World will sooner or later belong to the Sect Leader," Old Pheasant Man hurriedly flattered.

"However, we cannot be complacent yet." The Elder of Myriad Beasts put away the Qinghuang Blood, then waved his hand, a sharp light glinting in his eyes. "The more critical the moment, the more careful we must be. Our movements this time were too conspicuous; we must lie low for a while. However, this period won’t last long. Soon, we will let the entire Martial World witness the power of our Myriad Beasts Sect!"