HSSB501: The world is a dangerous place
That figure came to a halt before the people of Spirit Rhino Island. It was an authoritative-looking middle-aged man in his forties.
Fang Zhaohong, the youngest son of Spirit Rhino Island’s Chief, Fang Kan, as well as Fang Min’s uncle.
Seeing Fang Zhaohong appear here, the Spirit Rhino Island martial practitioners present, the comparatively more senior Yang Chufan included, all had on relieved expressions on their faces.
Amongst the experts of Spirit Rhino Island’s senior generation, Fang Zhaohong was the indisputable strongest of them all. Having already been famed throughout the entire Vast Ocean World as a blessed genius in the past, he was currently an elite figure amongst martial practitioners of the same cultivation level.
As compared to his cultivation base, he was still young, still possessing boundless potential.
Being slightly older than the Evil Shifting Sect’s Jiang Xiong and the Blood Dragon Sect’s Hai Zhengjie, back when he had still been in the Essence Spirit Martial Grandmaster realm, his ranking on the list of top ten Essence Spirit Martial Grandmasters had been higher than even the two of them.
It was only after he had stepped into the Essence Talisman Martial Grandmaster realm that their rankings had moved up a place.
Fang Zhaohong nodded slightly towards Fang Min before looking at Yang Chufan, “Senior apprentice-brother Yang, what exactly happened? The news that you transmitted to me was too brief.”
Yang Chufan hurriedly explained the situation.
A Spirit Rhino Island disciple said at the end, “Senior apprentice-uncle Fang, that person surnamed Yan turned back and entered the barrier’s confines again, his current whereabouts unknown. What exactly should we…”
Fang Zhaohong slowly said, “If there are treasures, we certainly can’t let this person have them.”
“And now, it is no longer a problem of the treasures. We have to be careful of this person’s schemes. If we can capture him, we should. However, if that is not possible, slaying him on the spot is also fine.”
Fang Min was stunned somewhat, “Second Uncle, he saved us. Otherwise, facing the ‘Dark Evil’ Jiang Xiong, we wouldn’t even have had the chance to ask you for aid.”
“Little Min, you are still just too inexperienced,” Fang Zhaohong shook his head, looking at Yang Chufan, Zhao Min and the others, “You said just now that that hole in the barrier was not caused by your Zhongyuan Spirit Flags, instead having been broken by that Yan Zhaoge from within, right?”
The Spirit Rhino Island martial practitioners exchanged looks before nodding in unison.
Fang Zhaohong then asked, “Then, do you know what it was that he used to break through the barrier?”
They all shook their heads in unison, Fang Zhaohong snorting, “It was the Blood Ghost Heavenly Talisman!”
Some relatively younger Spirit Rhino Island martial practitioners were unable to immediately understand the implications of this, but Yang Chufan immediately exclaimed, “Blood Ghost Heavenly Talisman?”
Fang Zhaohong nodded with a sunken expression on his face, “When coming in through that hole within the barrier, feeling that something was wrong, I stayed there for some additional time to analyse it. The remnant aura and traces are precisely of the Blood Ghost Heavenly Talisman of the Sacred Evil Sect!”
“It is rumoured that the Blood Ghost Heavenly Talismans were treasures obtained by the Sacred Evil Sect from unearthing the remnant legacies of the Great Calamity, their quantity being limited. Every one more that is used means every one less that there is…” Yang Chufan muttered to himself.
Being greatly experienced and familiar with the ways of the world, while he had not been able to identity the Blood Ghost Heavenly Talisman, he had heard of its existence and use before.
Fang Zhaohong said, “That’s right. So many years having passed, the Sacred Evil Sect should logically not have many of these left. Such a rare and valuable thing having appeared in this person’s hands, it can only mean that what he is scheming is not small. We must definitely guard against him!”
Yang Chufan said slowly, “That person’s martial arts were very unfamiliar…”
Fang Zhaohong glanced at him, “The Sacred Evil Clan has always been mysterious and indiscernible, no one ever having been able to clearly grasp their foundations.”
Fang Min said rather hesitantly, “He did kill people of the Evil Shifting Sect, and not just any random disciples of theirs. He killed the ‘Dark Evil’ Jiang Xiong, the senior generation expert of the Evil Shifting Sect who possessed the most potential.”
“There are often internal conflicts amongst the Six Evil Sects, with slaughtering occurring even within these sects themselves, much less with other sects,” Fang Zhaohong looked solemnly at Fang Min, “The other party clearly wishes to obtain your trust through such a sacrifice for their side, intending harm towards our Spirit Rhino Island.”
Fang Zhaohong looked at Zhao Ming, pausing for a moment before secretly sending over via sound transmission, “I especially suspect that he came specifically because of you this time, his desires impure as he wishes to make use of you for his own ends.”
“Little Min, you are still inexperienced. Do not be easily fooled and made use of by others.”
Hearing his words, Fang Min’s face turned slightly red as she lowered her head, “Second Uncle, he didn’t even look at me once.”
Fang Zhaohong snorted, “Merely a little scheme in his capturing methods. Otherwise, why would he still have remained within this barrier? Whatever treasures there were would have already been completely obtained by him long ago. To return within the barrier after having exited, it must mean that he has some further schemes up his sleeve.”
Looking at his niece, his expression eased slightly, “Little Min, you have already grown up, but you must know that this world is a dangerous place. While our Spirit Rhino Island has no Martial Saint, no one would dare lightly intrude on our Spirit Rhino Island regardless.”
“Our enemies will use all manner of schemes to try to wreck our foundations. The disciples of our sect have to remain vigilant at all times!”
Fang Zhaohong gazed around the surrounding region of sea, his expression rather gloomy, “This person is really a vicious, scheming one. Too bad for him that he overlooked that one tiny detail, not knowing that I once saw a place where a Blood Ghost Heavenly Talisman had been used before, thereby being able to see through his intentions.”
Yang Chufan asked, “What do we do now?”
Fang Zhaohong said, “The Sacred Evil Sect’s schemes are not small. With them intending to do harm to our Spirit Rhino Island, we definitely cannot sit back idly and fall to their schemes. It would be best if we could capture this person alive and understand the conspiracy behind this. Otherwise, we would have no choice but to make the first move and kill him before he harms us.”
“The Evil Sects are the scourge of all! As you say, it is truly terrifying that this person possesses such a cultivation base at such a young age. Given a little more time, he would be yet another Evil Saint in the future. He definitely cannot be left alive!”
“Currently, just having succeeded in his schemes and sneakily obtained your trust, it is the moment when he is the most full of himself and has his guard most down. It is the best moment for us to exterminate him.”
Standing within the air, Fang Zhaohong closed his eyes and carefully felt the spiritual qi flow of the surrounding region of sea, “Oh? There is a vortex here that remains undissipated?”
He opened his eyes, “It is likely there.”
Having said thus, he transformed into a streak of light and shot off into the distance.
Within the foreign dimension, Yan Zhaoge was currently seated in the meditative position right opposite that stone statue.
Streams of clear qi flowed out of his body before coiling about, landing on that stone statue.
The clear qi connected Yan Zhaoge to that stone statue. The acupoints of Yan Zhaoge’s entire body shook together, causing specks of light to appear on the stone statue corresponding to where the acupoints of the human body were located.
The specks of light were like the numerous stars within the universe.
Accompanied by their appearance, a vigorous force suddenly emanated from the stone statue.
That force was extremely terrifying such that even the current Yan Zhaoge felt shocked by it. However, he felt even more joyful about this.
“This really is a great thing,” A hint of a smile appeared at the corners of Yan Zhaoge’s mouth.
However, Yan Zhaoge quickly felt someone else entering this foreign dimension as well. His gaze focused slightly as even the clear qi connecting him to the stone statue instantly disconnected, retracting within his body, with the shining specks of light on the stone statue falling dim as well.
As Yan Zhaoge turned and gazed over, he saw a few people enter the foreign dimension. At their head was a middle-aged man at the seventh level of the Martial Grandmaster realm, the early Essence Talisman stage.
It was Yang Chufan who stood beside that middle-aged man.
Seeing Yan Zhaoge, Yang Chufan hurriedly said to the middle-aged man beside him, “Junior apprentice-brother Fang, this is that Young Master Yan, Yan Zhaoge who saved us earlier.”
The middle-aged man nodded before he bowed to Yan Zhaoge, “Spirit Rhino Island’s Fang Zhaohong thanks this friend for saving the members of my sect.”