Murong Qiushu and Han Feng exchanged a glance, their faces filled with immense surprise.
A communication artifact, its value was not insignificant. They could afford it, but such items were rare and not always readily available. Often, there was no need to purchase one specifically, as many places offered rentals. A single use would cost only about ten low-grade spirit stones, making it quite convenient.
Murong Qiushu naturally remembered his father's method for receiving transmissions.
"After we deal with the corpses of these two, we'll find a safe place, and then I'll contact my father!" Murong Qiushu said.
"En!" Both of them agreed wholeheartedly.
The commotion from Yang Feilong and Luo Tang's battle earlier had been considerable. If anyone had heard it and come to investigate, it would have been troublesome.
Soon, the three of them cleaned up the battlefield and moved far away from the area. About half a day later, they arrived at a relatively safe location.
The higher the quality of a communication artifact, the greater its transmission range. Some, which had contact information recorded, naturally did not require 'dialing' the recipient's number. For example, Murong Haotian could communicate with his grandfather and father without re-entering their numbers; he could simply 'call' them directly. However, this communication artifact did not contain his father's contact information, so he needed to enter it. After fiddling with it for a while, Murong Qiushu successfully dialed his father's communication artifact.
"Qiushu, why are you calling?" Murong Haotian had just returned home and was reporting the events at Tiger Head Mountain to his father. At the moment, his mind was still reeling from the shock, and he hadn't fully recovered from the profound impact of Yang Feilong's actions.
"Father, I met your son-in-law!" Murong Qiushu said.
"Son-in-law?" Murong Haotian was taken aback.
"Yang Feilong!" Murong Qiushu clarified.
"What? You met Feilong?" Murong Haotian exclaimed in shock, his voice rising.
"What's wrong, Father? Could it be that Feilong and my sister have broken up?" Hearing his father's exclamation, Murong Qiushu's heart tightened. His father's emotional reaction was so strong; could it be that Yang Feilong had truly dumped his sister!
Otherwise, his father wouldn't have lost his composure like this!
As for why Yang Feilong saved him, perhaps it was because he had broken up with his sister and felt guilty.
"Is Feilong still with you? Let him speak," Murong Haotian said, suppressing his excitement.
"No, he has already left!" Murong Qiushu replied with a hint of helplessness.
"Left? Ah, he probably feared implicating you!" Murong Haotian said with a wry smile.
"Implicate me?" Murong Qiushu looked puzzled.
"Not long ago, at Tiger Head Mountain..." Murong Haotian briefly recounted the events.
Hearing his father's words, Murong Qiushu was speechless for a long time. "This... the treasure of the Black and White Impermanence, slaying a third-stage Golden Core cultivator of the Xiao family, fighting dozens of moves against a highly ranked expert with a grand formation, and finally, when a Nascent Soul realm expert arrived, he escaped using a random teleportation scroll!"
"So, when I met him half a day ago, he must have escaped not long before that."
"Although he said that, I know he did it to protect our family!" Murong Haotian said with a bitter smile.
"I believe what Father said," Murong Qiushu stated earnestly. "Because half a day ago, he just saved me, my sworn brothers, and my sister's lives!"
"Ah? What happened?" Murong Haotian asked repeatedly.
"It was like this..." Murong Qiushu then recounted the events that had transpired not long ago to his father, detail by detail. After listening to his son's account, Murong Haotian felt both relieved and fearful. It was fortunate that Yang Feilong had escaped to his son's location using a random teleportation scroll; otherwise, he would have lost his beloved son!
"He has truly shown great kindness to our family!" Murong Haotian sighed. "He not only saved your life, but he also saved your sister twice and your younger brother once!"
Hearing this, Murong Qiushu also became curious and inquired further. Upon learning that Yang Feilong was also a skilled divine physician, he opened his mouth, unsure how to describe his sister.
Some say that no one is perfect, but in his heart, this son-in-law was a truly perfect individual!
And all of this was because his sister had saved him once before.
Now, he understood why Yang Feilong had avoided the topic whenever he inquired about him and his sister; perhaps he was worried about his sworn brother and sworn sister.
It was understandable, after all, he did not know his sworn brother and sworn sister well.
It was normal for him not to elaborate.
Furthermore, being with him and the three of them would indeed bring them danger.
At this moment, he also understood why Yang Feilong had attributed the matter to him. It was likely because he was being pursued by powerful families with many Nascent Soul realm cultivators. He was someone who had too many troubles to worry about!
However, they could not do that; otherwise, wouldn't they be ungrateful?
Murong Qiushu's conversation with his father was not a private matter, so Han Feng and Meng Qiaoqiao also gained a new understanding of Yang Feilong and were left in silent contemplation for a long time.
When Murong Qiushu ended the call, the three of them were unsure what to say for a while. They considered themselves well-traveled and experienced, having gone through life and death together for many years, yet they were still astonished by Yang Feilong's noble character!
"It's fortunate that your sister became his girlfriend," Han Feng remarked.
"Indeed!" Murong Qiushu replied with a wry smile.
"However, what your father said about Yang Feilong's words being a mix of truth and falsehood at the time might be accurate," Meng Qiaoqiao suddenly interjected.
"A mix of truth and falsehood?" Murong Qiushu was taken aback.
"He said he had many girlfriends, and I believe that might be true!" Meng Qiaoqiao said.
"Many girlfriends?" Murong Qiushu and Han Feng couldn't help but look at Meng Qiaoqiao.
"Such an outstanding man, how could girls not like him?" Meng Qiaoqiao said, twirling a lock of her hair.
"..." The two exchanged glances and stared at Meng Qiaoqiao.
"Sworn sister, could it be that you've taken a liking to my brother-in-law?"
"Qiaoqiao, have you fallen for Feilong?"
Both of them spoke almost in unison.
"Is there anything wrong with that? He is so handsome, his character is so noble, and his talent and strength are so exceptional!" Meng Qiaoqiao blinked, speaking with utter frankness. "Moreover, not long ago, he just saved my life. Honestly, if he hadn't left so hastily, I would have wanted to pursue him."
"..."
They all looked at Meng Qiaoqiao, their sworn sister, whose personality had always been boyish and whose loyalty was no less than theirs. Had she experienced her first love?
It was just that out of everyone she could have liked, she had to like Yang Feilong.
Murong Qiushu felt it was somewhat strange and said, "Sworn sister, are you going to compete with my sister for a man? This, it doesn't seem quite appropriate!"
"Your sister is a sister, but am I not also a sister?" Meng Qiaoqiao blinked, lamenting softly. "Don't you want to help me?"
"..."
This mournful gaze left Murong Qiushu stunned, unsure what to say.
If he helped, what would happen if his own sister found out? If he didn't help, their bond as sworn siblings might weaken.
"Cough, cough, even if I wanted to help, I would first need to know where Feilong has gone. And as you heard my father just now, Feilong is currently avoiding pursuit, which is why he is not with us. Even if we wanted to find him now, we might not be able to! Isn't that right?"
"Alas, is that so? My love that hasn't even begun will end like this?" Meng Qiaoqiao appeared deeply hurt.
"Feilong's strength is so great, and his reputation will only grow with time. It won't be too difficult to find him then, unless he remains exceptionally hidden. But this doesn't seem easy to do, especially since a direct descendant of the Xiao family left a death mark on him before dying. The Xiao family will likely be frantically searching for him, which will undoubtedly trigger a major conflict. At that time, we might be able to ascertain his general location!" Han Feng said.
Murong Qiushu shook his head. "Finding Feilong won't be easy. Don't forget, he might have some random teleportation scrolls. If he encounters powerful beings, he might use them to escape, making him impossible to find!"
"That's true!" Han Feng paused upon hearing this, then nodded.
"Forget it. Even if we find him, what meaning would there be besides becoming a burden to him?" Meng Qiaoqiao sighed. "Our cultivation is too low; we can't help him in any significant way. If fate allows, we will meet again in the future. If not, then so be it!"
Meng Qiaoqiao said helplessly. This was the first time she had felt a romantic inclination in over thirty years.
That's right, Meng Qiaoqiao was thirty-one years old!
Her close relationship with Murong Qiushu and Han Feng was based on camaraderie and shared spirit, like "bros."
There was no feeling of a heart fluttering.
Looking at the dejected Meng Qiaoqiao, the two sworn brothers were at a loss for how to comfort her!
...
In the blink of an eye, several days passed.
Murong Qiushu and his two companions arrived in another city. On this day, the new Heavenly Secrets Ranking was released!
"Did you hear? The first place in the latest issue of the Dragon and Tiger Ranking is a newcomer who just entered the rankings a few months ago. His name is Yang Feilong!"
"Yang Feilong? Is that the guy who entered the top hundred of the Dragon and Phoenix Ranking as soon as he joined?"
"It's him!"
"How is that possible? How could he become number one on the Dragon and Phoenix Ranking?"
"You must not have seen his combat record. A few days ago, he beheaded a third-stage Golden Core cultivator!"
"What? Beheaded a third-stage Golden Core? What a weakling of a Golden Core cultivator!"
"Weakling? That was one of the mid-generation powerhouses of the Xiao family, a third-stage Golden Core cultivator who had mastered his first-stage sword intent to perfection. Yet, he was killed by a single sword strike from Yang Feilong!"
"That formidable? Tell us the specific details!"
"The specific details, tsk tsk, do you know what was rumored a while back..."
Many discussions erupted, and the detailed accounts of everything that happened at Tiger Head Mountain spread.
Upon learning that Yang Feilong had obtained a top-grade spiritual artifact, everyone's eyes blazed with desire. Although Yang Feilong had used the sharpness of the top-grade spiritual artifact to slay Xiao Lei, could he have done it without sufficient strength? Moreover, he had obtained that top-grade spiritual artifact through his own abilities, so it was considered part of his strength!
Therefore, most people, besides jealousy and envy, were somewhat convinced of Yang Feilong's prowess.
Of course, some Golden Core and even Nascent Soul realm cultivators' eyes were burning with avarice. If they could kill Yang Feilong, wouldn't they obtain a top-grade spiritual artifact? In comparison, news about Yang Feilong possessing the Green Lotus Spiritual Fire was scarce. This was because the value of spiritual fire was less than that of a top-grade spiritual artifact, and only a few alchemists paid much attention to it. Of course, if news of an Earth Fire spread, then Nascent Soul realm experts would go mad, and even some Void Refinement realm cultivators might have ideas.
This was because Earth Fire was of great use to Void Refinement realm cultivators!
Murong Qiushu and the other two exchanged glances. Although they had anticipated that Yang Feilong's fame would spread throughout the spiritual realm, they hadn't expected it to happen so quickly!
There were some discussions about the Murong family as well, but they were not significant!
At this moment, they naturally dared not discuss Yang Feilong's matters. Because if they discussed it, they might also attract attention. After all, there were always people who wanted to test whether Yang Feilong would come to their rescue!
Murong Qiushu and the others now understood why Yang Feilong had been so eager to leave back then; he was afraid of implicating them.
Their feelings were complex. They had their lives saved by Yang Feilong, yet he left immediately after saving them, fearing he would implicate them. This made them feel immensely guilty and lament their own low cultivation, unable to help him in any way!
...
*Puff!*
Yang Feilong unleashed a sword strike, and a fourth-stage Golden Core cultivator fell before his blade!
At this moment, Yang Feilong's breathing was somewhat unsteady.
Since parting ways with Murong Qiushu and the others that day, he had enjoyed a few quiet days. However, after a few days, he was discovered.
There was no other reason than the Xiao family. As long as they were within a hundred kilometers, they could sense his presence!
Then they would stealthily approach!
Fortunately, this individual was greedy and did not gather other clan members, choosing to act alone. Otherwise, he would have had to use a random teleportation scroll to escape.
In fact, if the other party had set up a trap, a random teleportation scroll might not even be usable!
Yang Feilong had been in the spiritual realm for some time and knew that there were treasures capable of sealing off an area, rendering random teleportation scrolls unusable within that region.
Therefore, Yang Feilong was extremely worried. If he encountered such a sealed area, wouldn't he be destined to die?
His strength had improved considerably since a few days ago. His sword intent had reached first-stage perfection, and his cultivation had broken through to the seventh level of the Yin-Yang realm. It was easy for him to kill a fourth-stage Golden Core cultivator, but what about above the fourth stage of the Golden Core realm? What about Nascent Soul realm cultivators?
Without the assistance of a grand formation like the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Formation, how could he contend with those powerful existences!
"Xiao family!" Yang Feilong's eyes flashed with coldness!
The Xiao family was the most fanatical among those pursuing him, and they were the most accurate in tracking him. This was because the closer they were to him, the stronger the bloodline's perception became.
Those with higher cultivation could sense him within a hundred kilometers, a vast range. If powerful individuals scattered, it wouldn't cover the entire spiritual realm, but it could cover most areas!
Of course, those with weaker cultivation might only have a sensory range of ten kilometers, or even a few kilometers, or even less!
Few could sense within a hundred kilometers, which was why Yang Feilong was only discovered for the first time after a few days.
And it was by someone who was greedy!
"I need to find a way to resolve this thing quickly!" Yang Feilong frowned. Without resolving that cursed mark, he was like a firefly in the dark, a conspicuous target!
"But how can I resolve it? I've already tried many methods!" Yang Feilong mused as he collected the treasures from the fourth-stage Golden Core cultivator.