"Refining World Sect..."
Martial Artist Zhao Ya’s gaze shifted slightly.
Because this naming method gave him a strong sense of déjà vu.
Recalling the Paradise Sect he had encountered before, Zhao Ya already had some suspicions in his heart.
"I just heard Zhan Feng say that your Great Village Chief is breaking through the Fifth Realm with the help of these people. Is that true?"
When Huo Tianxiao heard this, his heart skipped a beat, silently grateful that he hadn’t lied before, otherwise, he would definitely be dead now.
Because clearly, Zhao Ya had been hiding in the shadows eavesdropping on his conversation with Zhan Feng, otherwise, he wouldn’t know so much.
"Yes, the people from the Refining World Sect said they could help with breaking through the barrier, so the Great Village Chief believed them and is now in seclusion."
"Where is the place of seclusion?" Zhao Ya immediately asked.
Huo Tianxiao hesitated for a moment before saying, "It’s under the Dishui Cliff behind the Central Courtyard Stronghold."
Subsequently, Zhao Ya asked some more questions, to which Huo Tianxiao answered one by one.
After the questioning was over, Zhao Ya nodded.
"Very good!"
Huo Tianxiao realized something and immediately began to plead for his life.
"Young Hero, spare my life. Earlier, I was just following orders, and not deliberately opposing you. Now I realize my mistake, so if you spare my life, I promise to leave Cyan Bamboo Ridge immediately and never do evil again."
"Are you sure you can do that?" Zhao Ya asked.
Huo Tianxiao nodded fervently, "Yes, yes, I can swear to the heavens, from now on I’ll withdraw into the mountains and forests, and never do evil again."
"Fine, I’ll let you go this time!"
Zhao Ya released his hand.
Huo Tianxiao secretly breathed a long sigh of relief, putting on an extremely grateful face as he thanked Zhao Ya.
Zhao Ya waved his hand, then turned and vanished into the darkness.
The weight on Huo Tianxiao’s heart finally lifted. He sat silently in the grass for a moment, then decided to get up and report the matter to others.
But just as he stood up, he suddenly felt a blur in front of his eyes, and his whole body’s muscles stiffened and fell under his command.
With a thud.
He fell to the ground, terrified beyond measure.
He wanted to make a sound to attract the attention of the Mountain Patrol, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t even open his mouth, let alone scream.
Moreover, Huo Tianxiao felt like he couldn’t even breathe, his respiratory muscles seemed to be paralyzed as well.
At this moment, a voice came from above his head.
"Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Planning to go tip someone off?"
It was Zhao Ya, who had returned.
He also knew that at this moment, Huo Tianxiao could no longer speak.
Because just now, he had planted several types of poison on Huo Tianxiao.
Some were hallucinogenic, some paralyzed muscles.
Combined, these poisons meant that even a Fourth Realm peak Martial Artist would have to obediently succumb to death.
After a full three minutes, Zhao Ya suddenly heard a soft clicking sound from Huo Tianxiao who was lying on the ground, knowing this was his final breath.
The poisons Zhao Ya used were utterly potent.
So much so that only after death did the tightly paralyzed muscles relax.
Zhao Ya crouched down to confirm that Huo Tianxiao was indeed dead beyond doubt before he began searching the body.
Zhao Ya’s skill in searching bodies was now at a divine level.
Even though Huo Tianxiao lay on the ground, Zhao Ya still managed to take everything from his body.
There was no time to examine closely, so he quickly stuffed everything into the Deer Hide Pouch, and then Zhao Ya sprinted towards the main stronghold of Cyan Bamboo Ridge.
Zhao Ya knew that to thoroughly resolve the issue of Cyan Bamboo Ridge, killing a few people like Huo Tianxiao or Zhan Feng was of no use at all.
Only by eliminating the Great Village Chief Fu Tingyuan could the problem be fundamentally solved.
Also, such matters are better dealt with sooner rather than later, especially after hearing that Fu Tingyuan is attempting a breakthrough to the Fifth Realm, Zhao Ya felt a sense of urgency.
Although he didn’t believe Fu Tingyuan could break through the barrier with the help of the Refining World Sect, being cautious wouldn’t hurt.
This is one reason.
The second reason is to quickly deal with the people from the Refining World Sect.
Because these people are likely part of the Demon Sect, just like Paradise Sect.
Unlike the Paradise Sect which specializes in Illusion Techniques, the Refining World Sect seems to specialize in poison.
Well-versed in the Poison Dao himself, Zhao Ya knew that the Refining World Sect was far more dangerous than the Paradise Sect.
The recent event where half of the citizens of Wuxiang City died was proof, if these people were allowed to run amok, disaster would be inevitable.
Therefore, Zhao Ya quickly changed his strategy from initially gathering intelligence to attempting a probing attack.
If he could destroy Cyan Bamboo Ridge, that would be preferable.
If not, he would try to create some chaos.
As he ventured deeper, even with the powers of the Concealing Breath Technique and Light as a Feather Body Technique, Zhao Ya’s speed inevitably slowed.
Because the further in he went, the more heavily guarded it became.
Zhao Ya understood.
These guards were not just for external enemies but more importantly to prevent the miners from escaping.
As Huo Tianxiao mentioned, the newly discovered iron mine was behind the Cyan Bamboo Ridge, quite close by.
In these troubled times, the value of iron ore was even greater than that of copper or silver mines.
Because iron could be forged into weapons and armor, the basis for survival in chaotic times.
And Fu Tingyuan’s heavy emphasis on this iron mine showed his considerable ambitions.
Utilizing his advanced body techniques, Zhao Ya sometimes crawled through the grass and sometimes leaped onto hills, weaving through the rocks.
Finally, he climbed the main peak of Cyan Bamboo Ridge.