Thunder Mountain, deep in the north!

This is a quiet dense forest, where a black figure is faintly visible. In this dark night, if you don't look carefully, you might not even realize that someone is sitting cross-legged here.

This person is naturally Yun Xiao, who achieved great victory in Thunder King Valley. It has been several days since that grand battle in Thunder King Valley. During these days, Yun Xiao first left southward in front of everyone, then circled from the west to the north of Thunder Mountain.

Yun Xiao, of course, cannot completely trust those onlookers, so he must hide his tracks. No doubt after this event, Douling Commerce would not let him off easily.

However, Yun Xiao is extremely confident in his disguise technique. For instance, the current him no longer looks like a rough-clothed figure, nor appears as the black-clad youth known as Xing Chen. Instead, he looks like a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties.

Hoo... hoo...

Strands of Meridian Qi flowed through Yun Xiao's meridians. Until this moment, the Meridian Qi that he expended in Thunder King Valley had finally returned to peak condition. The series of battles held great benefits for him.

Especially with those Thunder Dragon's Wings, in these few days, Yun Xiao had become quite familiar with them. It was no longer that half-baked flying power he once wielded.

In Yun Xiao's view, if it's not some Heavenly Rank Third Realm experts arriving, or if they have not prepared in advance like Xu Huang with his flying beast pulse demon, he could escape unexpectedly even in front of Earth Concealing Realm experts.

"Hoo..."

After cultivating for a period, Yun Xiao finally opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of stale air, and glanced sideways at the vigilant Fire Cloud Rat Chi Yan not far away.

The current Fire Cloud Chi Yan remains at the Seventh Rank Intermediate level. Although with its exceptional bloodline talent, it can contend with Seventh Rank Advanced pulse demons, it is somewhat lacking against Eighth Rank pulse demons or human Origin Seeking Realm experts.

This is why Yun Xiao did not let Chi Yan take action before, and at most, only let the Golden Snake Worm Xiao Wu appear to briefly hold back the Golden Cat Meridian Spirit. In fact, Chi Yan had some opinions about this.

"Heh heh, since that guy Xia Yong is a special envoy from the Douling Commerce headquarters, he should have some good things, right?"

Retracting his gaze from Chi Yan, Yun Xiao swiped his right hand, and suddenly a Waist Storage appeared in his palm, which belonged to Xia Yong. Now that he is out of danger, it's natural to check out the spoils of war obtained.

"Wow... this guy is really filthy rich!"

Once Yun Xiao injected a trace of Meridian Qi into Xia Yong's Waist Storage, he couldn't help but be startled. Inside, the pile of gold coins goes without saying; many weapons, cultivation techniques, Meridian Techniques, and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures of Earth Rank level were countless, with several hundred items of various kinds.

Yun Xiao even discovered some things reaching Earth Rank Middle Level among them. Aside from the previously destroyed Earth Rank Middle Level defensive weapon Yangless Gold Shield, the remaining items were likely unimaginable to low-level practitioners on the Hidden Dragon Continent and even the southern domain of the Tenglong Continent.

After all, Xia Yong was a special envoy sent from the headquarters of Douling Commerce. Leaving aside his Peak of Seeking Origin Realm cultivation, just his status alone would likely make the branch presidents of major cities like Yuyang City eager to curry favor with him.

Adding Xia Yong's greediness, it's natural that he was open to everything, resulting in such amassed wealth over time. But unexpectedly, in the end, it all became Yun Xiao's spoils.

It's often said that killing and looting is the fastest way to accumulate wealth. The fortune accumulated by others over a lifetime becomes yours once you kill them. However, this method holds risks — one careless move, and you may lose your life instead of seizing anything.

"Huh? What is this?"

As Yun Xiao marveled inwardly, inspecting those techniques and Meridian Techniques weapons that are extremely precious to ordinary cultivators but seemed like chicken ribs to him, his gaze suddenly sharpened.

Whoosh!

Immediately, Yun Xiao flipped his right hand, and a flash of fiery red light appeared. Then, in the palm of his right hand, emerged a red bead the size of a dragon's eye.

"Could this... could this be the 'Xuanyang Earth Pearl'?"

Yun Xiao, a Long Xiao Battle God through two lives, instantly recalled the impression of this item from his mind, something few other cultivators on the Tenglong Continent might recognize, and whispered.

The so-called Xuanyang Earth Pearl, is an Earth Fire Essence Pearl formed from the Earth Fire deep within the ground, forged over hundreds and thousands of years of tempering. The Earth Core Fire it contains is incomparable to typical Earth Fire.

Take for instance the Fire Pu Pill refined by the Vice President of the Meridian Refining Master Association, Qian Sanyuan; if bolstered by this Xuanyang Earth Pearl, even under the cold underbelly of the Xuanyue Empire, it could still be successfully refined, negating the need for Yun Xiao's intervention back then.

But the greatest effect of the Xuanyang Earth Pearl is not in aiding alchemy, rather in boosting the Meridian Qi of fire attribute cultivators. If a fire attribute cultivator can withstand the blazing power of the Xuanyang Earth Pearl and then refine it, their strength would probably soar instantly.

"And it's... an Earth Rank Advanced Xuanyang Earth Pearl!"

In just an instant, Yun Xiao had already confirmed the nature of this thing, knowing that it was a genuine Xuanyang Earth Pearl, and it had reached an Earth Rank Advanced level.

An Earth Rank Advanced Xuanyang Earth Pearl would already have a very strong effect on Earth Bending Realm cultivators, and if refined properly, even some Fire Attribute Heavenly Rank experts would flock to it.

In truth, what Yun Xiao didn't know was that this Earth Rank Advanced Xuanyang Earth Pearl was precisely the reason Vice President Lu Tianrun of Douling Commerce had sent Xia Yong to this remote town of Yuyang City.

Through a special channel, Lu Tianrun learned that within the vicinity of Yuyang City, a small family had accidentally acquired an Earth Rank Advanced Xuanyang Earth Pearl.

Lu Tianrun cultivated with Fire Attribute techniques, so although it was just an Earth Rank Advanced Xuanyang Earth Pearl, it might allow his Lifebound Fire to evolve, thereby unleashing even more powerful force.

For such a trivial matter, Lu Tianrun naturally couldn't personally intervene, and for a family whose strongest member was only in the early stage of the Seeking Origin Realm, sending a peak Seeking Origin Realm Xia Yong was already overkill, as Lu Tianrun simply wanted to avoid any accidents.

Who would have known that an accident would still occur? Lu Tianrun, despite his meticulous calculations, could not have foreseen that after Xia Yong completed the task, an heaven-defying demon Yun Xiao would appear, ultimately using a special method to kill Xia Yong, and claimed his prizes.

How the Xuanyang Earth Pearl ended up in Xia Yong's Waist Storage was beyond Yun Xiao's investigation, but it made him somewhat conflicted, because strictly speaking, although he possessed a Fire Attribute Ancestor Vein, it wasn't pure Fire Attribute.

Nevertheless, in the next moment, Yun Xiao no longer felt conflicted, because he suddenly sensed a strong suction force arising from the blood-red crescent mark on the palm of his right hand, which immediately made him aware of what was happening.

"This guy is still so impatient!"

Of course, it was the Golden Snake Worm Xiao Wu's suction force bursting forth, and at this moment, another wave of blazing power suddenly erupted from Yun Xiao's body, and this force was much purer and was purely Fire Attribute.

"Red Feather!"

Yun Xiao was certainly familiar with the two creatures within him. Compared to the mixed and impure attributes of the Golden Snake Worm Xiao Wu, perhaps it would be more suitable for Red Feather to refine the Xuanyang Earth Pearl.

Whoosh!

Who would have thought that just when Yun Xiao believed the energy of the Xuanyang Earth Pearl was about to be divided by Xiao Wu and Red Feather, a flash of red light suddenly appeared outside, and then his hand felt light as the Xuanyang Earth Pearl that was to be absorbed disappeared.

Yet Yun Xiao was not panic-stricken; instead, he looked somewhat helplessly at the fleeting tiny shadow, for it was indeed his other companion, Chi Yan, an authentic Fire Attribute Vein Demon.

"It seems this Xuanyang Earth Pearl is really a bona fide great item!"

Witnessing the scene, Yun Xiao was a bit amused and frustrated, pondering how Chi Yan's sharp sense for Fire Attribute Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures had already detected the pearl the moment it appeared, which explained his swift action.

Swish!

Swish!

In the next moment, bursts of golden and red light simultaneously flashed from somewhere on Yun Xiao's body, revealing the form of the Golden Snake Worm Xiao Wu and Red Feather, both unwilling for the Xuanyang Earth Pearl to be snatched by Chi Yan.

Though their speed was swift, Chi Yan's was faster. As Xiao Wu and Red Feather just appeared, Chi Yan was already opening his mouth, swallowing the Xuanyang Earth Pearl whole, clearly eating alone, causing a hint of anger to flicker in Xiao Wu and Red Feather's eyes.

"Squeak squeak!"

Oblivious to this, Chi Yan flaunted with a couple of proud squeaks toward the two, his mouse-like sounds full of provocation.

Boom!

Irked by Chi Yan's taunt, the Golden Snake Worm Xiao Wu and Ancient Heavenly Phoenix chick Red Feather erupted with strong auras simultaneously, seemingly about to make a move the next moment.

Indeed, given the strength of the two, at present, Chi Yan could not stand a chance against either, so in that instant, he regretted his actions, darting directly behind Yun Xiao, knowing in this situation who could truly protect him.

"Alright, alright, we're all brothers for life and death, don't let outsiders mock us!"

Observing the development, Yun Xiao was again amused yet had to mediate at the moment, unwilling to see Chi Yan bullied by the other two.

His remarks were somewhat odd given that besides the trio and himself, no other outsiders were there, the statement about being mocked by "outsiders" clearly misspoken, yet at that moment, Xiao Wu and Red Feather wouldn't pay attention to such details.