Yang Family Headquarters, before a solitary courtyard.
Swoosh!
A figure silently appeared; it was Yun Xiao, who had infiltrated the Yang Family Headquarters during the night. Just now, he had played a small trick, deceiving everyone including the Yang Family Head, Yang Dingshan.
The afterimage was naturally a Shadow Clone prepared earlier by Yun Xiao, and this particular kind of Shadow Clone was not only extremely lifelike, but it could also speak certain simple phrases using special methods.
As for unexpectedly using the Dragon Taming Sword to sever Yang Zhengfang's head, for the now Qi Seeking Realm Late Stage Yun Xiao, it was as easy as blowing off dust.
After all, the Dragon Taming Sword was an Ancient Divine Artifact that moved as if it were an extension of Yun Xiao's will. Even across such a distance, it could strike and sever the neck of the unsuspecting Yang Zhengfang.
Yun Xiao's true purpose was to create a diversion. His infiltration into the Yang Family was not just to avenge the humiliation at the arena the day before, but also to force the information about the whereabouts of the Thunder Wood out of Yang Wanliu, which was crucial for him to obtain the true Thunderbolt Flying Wings.
Although such a diversion might not confuse the Yang Family experts for long, it was already enough for Yun Xiao. He was confident that he could make the Meridian Qi-depleted Yang Wanliu reveal everything he wanted to know.
"Who's there?"
As Yun Xiao appeared here, the two guards stationed before Yang Wanliu's courtyard reacted swiftly, shouting out loud. It seems Yang Dingshan had some preparedness for such contingencies.
Among the two guards at the entrance of Yang Wanliu's courtyard, one had reached the Qi Seeking Realm Early Stage, and the other had reached the Qi Seeking Realm Middle Stage. They represented a strong force within the Yang Family.
However, with Yun Xiao's current strength, how could he possibly take these Qi Seeking Realm Early and Middle Stage guards seriously? With a chuckle, his right hand was already entwined with Ice Cold Power.
Crack! Crack!
Almost instantly, the two guards were horrified to find crystal ice flowers sprouting from the soles of their feet, conspicuously terrifying even in the darkness of the night.
After a moment, the two Qi Seeking Realm Yang Family guards turned into two lifelike ice sculptures, which ironically, made them look even more like guards. Unless acted upon by an external force, they would stand here forever unchanged.
"What's going on?"
Just as Yun Xiao turned the two Yang Family guards into ice sculptures, the courtyard's gate was pulled open from inside, revealing a young figure familiar to Yun Xiao—it was the Yang Family Princely Heir, Yang Wanliu.
"Young Master Yang, what a coincidence, we meet again!"
However, as soon as Yang Wanliu stepped out of the courtyard, he came face-to-face with a smiling visage. Although the face looked somewhat unfamiliar to him, that familiar voice was something he would probably never forget in his life.
"Xingchen!"
These two words were almost squeezed out through Yang Wanliu's clenched teeth because it was the bearer of this name that caused him, the esteemed Princely Heir of the Yang Family and the number one talent among the youth of Ancient Moon City, to lose his qualifications for cultivation.
"Eh? From your tone, Young Master Yang, it seems you're not too welcoming!"
Yun Xiao naturally didn't care too much about this now-decrepit Yang Family Princely Heir. As his voice fell, a whooshing sound came from behind him—the Yang Family experts were catching up.
"Father, save me!"
Seeing the leading figure, Yang Wanliu seemed to find a lifesaving straw, but just as his voice came out, he felt intense heat rushing towards his face. In the hands of the young man before him, a wisp of blood-red flames had appeared without warning.
"Yang Family Head, if you take another step forward, this precious son of yours might turn into a pile of ash!"
Yun Longxiao did not spare Yang Wanliu beside him another glance but played with the blood-red flames in his hand. The words he spoke caused the furiously continuing Yang Dingshan to involuntarily stop in his tracks.
Yang Dingshan knew all too well that despite the blood-red flames in Yun Xiao's hand seeming to lack heat, once they touch the body, they would likely do just as he said—instantly turn into a pile of ash.
While it was true that Yang Wanliu's Dantian was shattered and he could no longer cultivate, Yang Dingshan, who had only this one son, couldn't possibly stand by and watch him die tragically, especially upon seeing the plea for help in his son's eyes.
"I came here today merely to ask Young Master Yang about some matters. If he can satisfy me, sparing his despicable life is no big deal!"
Seeing the hesitation among the Yang Family crowd, Yun Xiao chuckled again and then gestured to Yang Wanliu beside him. Left with no other choice, the latter could only step into the courtyard.
Creak!
The sound of the courtyard door closing echoed in the dark night, appearing rather ferocious. At this moment, flames of rage nearly burst from Yang Dingshan's eyes. He itched to storm into the courtyard right away and tear the young man inside to pieces.
"Family Head, what should we do now?"
One of the Yang Family Elders' eyes glinted with sharpness. In fact, Yang Wanliu was just the Family Head's only son and had little to do with the rest of them, especially now that he had become a complete invalid, held hostage by Yun Xiao, keeping all the Yang Family Elders from acting rashly.
In this Elder's view, there was no need to pay much attention to an invalid; maintaining the Yang Family's dignity was of utmost importance. Now, letting a Qi Seeking Realm Middle Stage individual swagger into the Yang Family headquarters was like a slap in the face.
"What else can we do when Wanliu is in that bastard's hands?"
Yang Dingshan was furious and completely missed the Elder's point, and the latter could not afford to be too explicit, for who knew if the Family Head would fly into a rage and vent his anger on him?
"Family Head, I might have a solution!"
Just when Yang Dingshan was at his wits' end, the Great Elder Yang Qiwu suddenly spoke up, catching his attention; he turned his head to listen to what this man could possibly suggest.
"The family's warning bell is, in fact, an Earth Rank Middle Level weapon, with a vast internal space. If we catch him off guard and cover the Princely Heir with it, wouldn't that mean Yun Xiao, the bastard, will no longer be able to harm the Princely Heir?"
Under the scrutinizing gaze of the Family Head, Yang Qiwu didn't dare to dally. After stating his idea, Yang Dingshan pondered its feasibility and eventually nodded slightly in agreement.
Two Elders got the hint and went to fetch the warning bell. Meanwhile, inside the courtyard, Yun Xiao was not so encumbered with thoughts; his somewhat fervent gaze on the Princely Heir caused the latter quite some palpitations.
"You... what do you want to ask?"
For some reason, ever since his Dantian was shattered, Yang Wanliu's previous arrogance and self-conceit seemed to have greatly diminished overnight, especially when fixed with the gaze of this devilish fellow, he dared not put on a strong front.
This made things easier for Yun Xiao; he had expected the guy would stubbornly resist to the end, and he would likely have to resort to some methods to make him talk. But he hadn't expected the young man to be such a weakling, yielding and speaking first.
"I ask you, where did you get that Thunder Wood from?"
Therefore, Yun Xiao didn't beat around the bush any further and went straight to the point. Unbeknownst to him, as he spoke, a flicker of cunning light swiftly passed through the depths of Yang Wanliu's eyes.
"You should know the consequences of deceiving me. When the time comes, I'll make sure you suffer ten times more than the pain of your shattered Dantian!"
Even though Yun Xiao did not see the cunning light in Yang Wanliu's eyes, he still added a warning, which made the latter's body tremble slightly, because he knew that these were not empty threats; the man before him truly had such means.
"A thousand li northwest of Ancient Moon City, there's a Thunder Mountain. Within it lies Thunder King Valley. The perimeter of Thunder King Valley is besieged with constant thunder and lightning year-round, and any person or demon beast that approaches will surely be struck to death!"
This time, Yang Wanliu did not dare to dally, and upon hearing his words, Yun Xiao's eyes shone brightly, for he knew what the name "Thunder King Valley" truly signified.
"Could it be that this so-called Thunder King Valley is the Meridian Treasure left by a Heavenly Rank Expert?"
Yun Xiao posed the question directly. Given his understanding of cultivators on the Continent, he knew that those who reached the Heavenly Rank usually had their own titles, often adding the honorific "King" after their names.
Thus, Yun Xiao hypothesized that the place called Thunder King Valley might have been where an expert proficient in Thunder Attribute at the Heavenly Rank Third Realm passed away. It meant that some of his calculations were now more likely to succeed.
"Indeed, the legend says so. However, nobody has ever entered Thunder King Valley before. All who tried to do so were blasted into ash by the rampant thunder. Actually, the piece of Thunder Wood that I found, by chance, was found on the outskirts of Thunder King Valley!"
Knowing that he had no chance of resisting, Yang Wanliu didn't hold anything back. After all, this information was not only known to him; countless cultivators sought the mysteries of Thunder King Valley each year, hoping for treasure. Only those with extraordinary luck actually obtained anything.
For instance, the Thunder Wood that Yang Wanliu acquired looked like a piece of charred wood before refining, but once its true power was unleashed, it rendered him invincible among cultivators of the same level. Sometimes, indeed, luck was needed to obtain treasures.
The great name of Thunder King Valley was well known among some nearby cities, it was just unknown to Yun Xiao, a stranger to these lands, and so he had made a decision in his heart.
As for Yang Wanliu, he thought that if this overconfident individual tried to forcibly enter Thunder King Valley, perhaps he would end up like those previous greedy fools, annihilated by the Thunder Power above Thunder King Valley.
Whoosh!
However, just as Yun Xiao was about to ask for more details, a strong gust of wind suddenly came from outside the courtyard, followed by a black figure descending from the sky. The target, however, did not seem to be him disguised as Yun Xiao.