"Brother Xue!" Fei Yangsheng hastily saluted at the sight.

"From the look of it, you must know what really happened. Tell me—how did these two die?" Xue Jianfeng glanced down at the two corpses on the ground from his lofty height. Though he had no connection whatsoever with the Evil-Warding Sect, his ambition was to become the undisputed foremost figure of the younger generation in the Tai Gu Minor Jianghu. This excursion into the mortal world was a rare chance to build his reputation, and he would certainly not let it slip by.

The others exchanged glances, privately somewhat resentful that he was meddling in matters that did not concern him, yet none dared show it openly, and could only look on coldly from the sidelines.

"Replying to Brother Xue, the two of them were killed by a man—a cultivator of the primordial spirit," Fei Yangsheng answered with utmost respect.

"A cultivator of the primordial spirit?" Xue Jianfeng and everyone else present started at once, failing for the moment to grasp what was meant. Frowning, he said, "Speak more clearly. A primordial spirit is a primordial spirit, and a cultivator is a cultivator. What is this 'cultivator of the primordial spirit'? Surely it is not some hidden expert of a Tai Gu sect?"

"Er—though I myself do not know what origin that man had, I can say with certainty that he was not one of ours from the Tai Gu Minor Jianghu. All I know is that it was a primordial spirit, yet one that could take physical form, and that its strength was exceedingly great. Brother Sun and Brother Yin were no match for it; it killed them with ease," Fei Yangsheng explained.

"A primordial spirit cultivator that can take physical form? And one that can slay a peak late-stage Foundation Establishment expert with ease?" The crowd was utterly dumbfounded now, every brow deeply furrowed. A peak late-stage Foundation Establishment expert was not much weaker than any of them—did that not mean even they might not be a match for this primordial spirit cultivator?

"Such a being exists in the mortal world?" Xue Jianfeng eyed him dubiously. This matter lay entirely beyond the scope of his understanding. Stroking his chin, he conjectured, "Brother Fei, you surely have not some unspeakable difficulty, and so deliberately concocted such a tale while withholding the truth?"

Though he and Fei Yangsheng were fellow disciples of the same sect, their dealings had never been deep. To establish his personal prestige, Xue Jianfeng was not above slaying even his own kin for the greater good.

"Absolutely not! I, Fei Yangsheng, swear to Heaven that not one word of this is false. I beg Brother Xue to examine it clearly!" Fei Yangsheng was startled. Seeing that the crowd plainly still did not believe him, he began from the beginning: "Brother Sun Bomei and I were on friendly terms in private, so when we set out on our training expedition we traveled together. Later we came to the mountains around Xima City in the mortal world, and there in the dense forest we encountered this primordial spirit expert. Brother Xue, you know how the Evil-Warding Sect dotes on such things—so he attacked it on the spot."

"And then?" Xue Jianfeng's expression gradually grew grave. In truth he did not much believe Fei Yangsheng would dare deceive them all publicly, especially with such detail—for the more detailed a lie, the easier it was to find flaws in it. If Fei Yangsheng truly had something to hide, he should have glossed over it in a sentence or two.

"At that time the primordial spirit's strength was still very weak—roughly late Heaven rank, I would say—but its methods were endless. Sun Bomei and I spent great effort pursuing and cornering it, yet in the end it still escaped. After that we searched constantly for traces of it, and it was half a month before we found it again," Fei Yangsheng continued.

"Go on," Xue Jianfeng said in a low voice.

"Yes. When we found that primordial spirit, for some reason its strength had surged—it had actually become peak early-stage Foundation Establishment, and it seemed to have been prepared for our arrival. It ambushed us and left both sides gravely wounded." Fei Yangsheng made no mention at all of Leng Leng—after all, to bring that up would be most unseemly, and more to the point, this senior brother Xue Jianfeng had always harbored feelings for Leng Leng. If he dared admit he had cast lustful eyes on her, he would be cut down by a single sword stroke in no time.

"Useless trash!" Xue Jianfeng cursed contemptuously at this. Sun Bomei and Fei Yangsheng—one a late-stage Foundation Establishment expert, the other mid-stage—had let the foe escape the first time, and the second time had even come away gravely wounded on both sides. In his eyes they were utterly worthless.

"Er…" Fei Yangsheng pinched his nose awkwardly and, steeling himself, went on: "Another half month passed. After the two of us healed our wounds, we went after that primordial spirit again, and this time we called in Brother Yin of the Evil-Warding Sect. But to our surprise the primordial spirit had become peak late-stage Foundation Establishment, and the two of them were killed on the spot. Luckily I saw how bad things were and fled fast enough—only after the primordial spirit left did I dare return to collect their bodies…"

When Fei Yangsheng finished, a silence fell over the whole gathering. Everyone exchanged glances, not knowing what to say. At this point the truth of the account could no longer be doubted—but this primordial spirit expert who had suddenly appeared in the mortal world was truly beyond comprehension.

After a long while, Xue Jianfeng said in a low voice, "Brother Fei, where is that primordial spirit?"

"It was in Xima City before, but whether it is still there now I do not know. What does Brother Xue mean to do?" Fei Yangsheng asked.

"You come with me. Yin Zhiping and Sun Bomei may be of the Evil-Warding Sect, but on this expedition they were part of the Tai Gu Minor Jianghu. How could I tolerate the two of them being slain so casually by an outsider? Blood must be repaid with blood!" Xue Jianfeng snorted coldly.

At these words the members of the other sects all turned to look, unable to keep a measure of admiration from showing on their faces. Hearing Fei Yangsheng's account, they would all have weighed the matter carefully and never dared decide so promptly as Xue Jianfeng. Worthy indeed of the foremost figure of the younger generation in the Tai Gu Minor Jianghu—such spirit commanded respect whether one liked it or not.

This was precisely the effect Xue Jianfeng wanted. So long as he could kill this primordial spirit expert, leaving aside whatever unexpected windfall of rare treasure he might gain, the prestige alone would already make it well worth his while.

"Er…" Fei Yangsheng's expression immediately turned somewhat ugly. What he had had in mind was for great figures like Xue Jianfeng to form a party and surround and annihilate Wei Zhao, while he himself hid in the rear and watched the show. Who would have thought Xue Jianfeng would straightaway propose that he lead the way? Did that not mean facing that unfathomable primordial spirit again?

"What? You are unwilling?" Xue Jianfeng frowned, his expression turning unfriendly.

"N-no… it is only, Brother Xue, look at me—wounded all over. If I do not tend to my injuries at once, I fear I may be left with lasting aftereffects…" Fei Yangsheng said with a bitter face.

"What are these few scratches?" Xue Jianfeng gave a cold snort and casually tossed him a fourth-grade Great Return Pill. In his lofty manner he said, "This should settle it, no?" (To be continued.)