Chapter 18

After leaving the Feihong Martial Mansion, Ye Zhong first went to his courtyard to fetch some daily necessities before following Su Yu's footsteps out of Jiangzhou City, where he had stayed for a long time.

"Feeling reluctant?" Outside the city, Su Yu looked at Ye Zhong's silent expression and couldn't help but smile.

"Not really reluctant, it's just that this place is where I started." Ye Zhong smiled, the desire to become stronger reaching its peak at this moment, "Next, Lead the way, Senior Sister Su Yu."

"Let's go." Hearing Ye Zhong's words, Su Yu nodded and then, without saying any more unnecessary words, led Ye Zhong directly on the journey.

The two of them moved swiftly, and after more than half a month, they finally entered the southern border of the Great Zhou Dynasty. During this process, Su Yu did not choose the main roads but led Ye Zhong through the mountains and forests.

During these half a month, Ye Zhong was increasingly surprised by Senior Sister Su Yu's skills. He found that Su Yu seemed extremely familiar with how to survive in the wild and had a deep understanding of the nature of some demonic beasts. Therefore, throughout the journey, Ye Zhong had few opportunities to take action. However, even so, the journey was still relatively smooth.

One day, the two figures darted out of the humid primeval forest. Su Yu sighed, looked up at the scorching sun in the sky, and said indifferently, "We've arrived."

Hearing this, Ye Zhong scanned his surroundings and saw a huge lake not far ahead. At the edge of the lake, there was a spacious but dilapidated mansion. The buildings had collapsed by half, and the remaining parts were covered in moss.

"Take it." Su Yu flipped her hand and tossed a spatial ring to Ye Zhong.

Ye Zhong didn't ask what was inside but held it in his hand and nodded.

Su Yu was quite satisfied with Ye Zhong's straightforward manner. She didn't say any more unnecessary words but waved her hand and led Ye Zhong into the dilapidated courtyard from the side.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, Ye Zhong sensed two experts hiding in the dark, but they didn't obstruct them when they saw that Su Yu was leading. Instead, they quietly retreated.

This scene made Ye Zhong frown slightly, and a faint trace of killing intent seemed to flow through the air. Clearly, these 5,000 spirit points were not easy to earn.

"Ha ha, Miss Su Yu is indeed trustworthy. You said you'd meet after a month, and here you are, right on time. I've been waiting for a long time! Come, let me offer you a seat and some tea." As soon as Ye Zhong and Su Yu entered the main hall of the mansion, a slightly hoarse but loud voice immediately sounded.

"Old Li, I don't think our relationship is that good, do you? What we should do is complete our transaction and then part ways, each going our own way," Su Yu said coldly, without any interest in formalities.

Ye Zhong also looked up at the person who had just walked out from the back hall. He was about fifty years old, with slightly graying hair but good spirits. There was a faint trace of killing intent around him. Although he was smiling, his eyes were flickering, and his ancient gray martial robe was stained with fresh blood.

"Third stage of Body Tempering!"

Ye Zhong almost instantly identified his strength, and his eyes became more serious. No matter what, people at this level were not easy to deal with, especially those who had clearly been through many battles.

On either side of Old Li stood two men, both at the third stage of Body Tempering. However, this did not worry Ye Zhong too much. What made him frown slightly was that he could sense several more people hidden in the courtyard, and most of them were not weak. If they burst out, it would be a problem. After all, these battle-hardened individuals were not comparable to the useless people from the Ye and Su families.

"Ha, since Miss Su Yu isn't interested in chatting, we can't be too impolite either. But Miss Su Yu, you should at least show us the item first, right?" Old Li squinted his eyes, glanced at Ye Zhong casually, and then smiled.

"Sure." Su Yu nodded expressionlessly, without a hint of a smile, and then said to Ye Zhong, "Give the item to Old Li."

Seeing Su Yu's indifferent demeanor, Ye Zhong hesitated for a moment but then waved his hand and threw the spatial ring. Since Su Yu wasn't worried, he had no reason to be.

Old Li caught the spatial ring, glanced inside, and then laughed heartily, "Miss Su Yu is indeed trustworthy. Not a single spirit stone is missing. Come, let's see you off."

"Old Li, you seem to have forgotten to give me what you owe me," Su Yu said with a sudden smile, seemingly unfazed by the change.

Seeing Su Yu's smiling face, Old Li swallowed hard and then chuckled, "How could I forget? I remember our agreement, which was for Miss Su Yu to bring me the spirit stones, right?"

After saying this, Old Li clapped his hands lightly. Then, two men in tight clothing slowly entered from the door, and two more emerged from behind Old Li. They casually stood around the hall, blocking all possible escape routes for Ye Zhong and Su Yu. Moreover, these people were all at the third stage of Body Tempering!

Clearly, they had carefully planned to deal with Su Yu!

Su Yu seemed to ignore the six strong opponents and glanced at Old Li indifferently, saying with a hint of indifference, "I had some understanding of Old Li's style beforehand. However, the items from the Star Constellation Sect are not so easy to swallow. Old Li should be mentally prepared, right?"

Hearing the words "Star Constellation Sect," Old Li's pupils constricted, and then he laughed, "Ha ha, Miss Su Yu is really joking. I just wanted to test whether you were sincere in our transaction. What are you going to do? Step back!"

The six strong opponents all took a step back simultaneously. Then, Old Li fumbled in his chest for a moment and pulled out a yellowed piece of sheepskin. He shook it slightly, and the sheepskin began to shimmer with a faint aura. The auras gathered to form a complex map.

"Miss Su Yu, is this the map of the先天圣殿 (先天圣殿 means '先天' - innate, '圣殿' - holy temple, which can be translated as 'Innate Holy Temple') correct?" Old Li asked with a smile.

"It is correct," Su Yu said indifferently after glancing at the map.

"Ha ha, the Innate Holy Temple, according to legend, was a force in the southern border a thousand years ago. The Innate Holy Temple passed down spirit techniques that could allow all those at the ninth stage of Body Tempering to enter the innate realm of martial arts! The Innate Holy Temple was once extremely prosperous, but for some unknown reason, it declined! It seems that even though Miss Su Yu was born in the Star Constellation Sect and had the potential to advance to the innate realm of martial arts, you still have some interest in the legacy of the Innate Holy Temple!" Old Li laughed heartily, "Since this item is genuine, then this item belongs to you, Miss Su Yu. Good! Good!"

After saying this, Old Li turned and walked away.

The moment Old Li turned to leave, a faint trace of killing intent appeared in the air. Ye Zhong suddenly stomped his foot on the ground, and his figure instantly rushed towards the nearest man in tight clothing. He pointed his right hand at the man's throat.

At the same moment, Su Yu also sensed something amiss but did not retreat like Ye Zhong. Instead, she pounced towards Old Li.

"Whoosh—"

Ye Zhong moved extremely fast. In the instant before the man could react, his finger had already left a bloody hole in the man's throat. Then, he stomped his foot and kicked another man in the face, and with a swipe of his hand on the spatial ring, a green steel long sword was drawn. In one swift motion, he cut down the third man who was rushing towards him.

"Bang—"

Ye Zhong landed, and his foot stepped on the chest of the man he had just kicked unconscious. As the man fell to the ground, Ye Zhong's sword pierced through the back of his head.

In just a moment, three of the six men Old Li had brought were dealt with by Ye Zhong's swift and decisive actions! At this moment, the other three third-stage Body Tempering experts finally reacted, their originally intended attack on Su Yu halted, and their gazes filled with wariness as they looked at Ye Zhong.

"Bang—"

On the other side, Su Yu had also slapped Old Li away and then turned to look at Ye Zhong, her eyes flashing with surprise, muttering, "This kid's ability to handle a hundred steps is indeed not just talk!"

After speaking, Su Yu's expression turned even colder, and she walked step by step towards Old Li, who was now cornered and whose face had changed drastically.

"Attack!"

The remaining three experts, after a moment of hesitation, realized that since they had already engaged in combat, there was no way to end things amicably. However, they did not dare to be overconfident and instantly activated their Body Tempering spirit techniques, their auras converging.

"Wasting time!" Ye Zhong frowned, stomped his foot, and his figure was already beside the first person. At that moment, the three men suddenly reacted, and three spirit techniques simultaneously struck.

Ye Zhong deflected the first sword, striking the man's pulse point and temporarily disabling him. Then, he cut into the attack, and his green steel long sword flashed, leaving the remaining two men clutching their throats in disbelief as they collapsed.

With a flick of his wrist, the long sword shot out, pinning the last man who was trying to escape to the ground. Ye Zhong then frowned, looked back at Su Yu, who was still dealing with Old Li, and said indifferently, "Senior Sister Su Yu, you don't expect me to take care of this one too, right? If so, the reward will double."