Chapter 143: Growth

A group of surviving rogue cultivators stood beside Gao Yuan's and Yuan Fei’s Cloud Sails, which were docked on the edge of Ice Rock Island, next to the rubble.

Their eyes stayed fixed on Pang Jian as he left the Giant Stone Palace and kicked Zhu Yuanxi's head. They watched as Pang Jian stopped in front of the rubble, stepped on Zhu Yuanxi's head, and gazed at the pile of corpses in relief.

The terrifying Divine Spirit Pagoda of the Sinister Soul Temple trailed after him, and their bewildered gazes danced between Pang Jian, Zhu Yuanxi's head, and the Divine Spirit Pagoda.

"That's Zhu Yuanxi from the Blood Moon Sect!" Someone in the crowd whispered.

No one, not even Gao Yuan and Yuan Fei, recognized the young man with the sallow complexion. However, the sight of Zhu Yuanxi's severed head being kicked around like a ball was deeply shocking.

The fact that the Divine Spirit Pagoda did not attack him frightened them further, causing them to question his relationship with the Sinister Soul Temple.

Dong Tianze stood by a window in the Divine Spirit Pagoda. His expression was dark and his emotions conflicted as he stared down at Pang Jian.

Glancing up at Dong Tianze, Pang Jian said, "I've avenged them."

Dong Tianze was stunned. He finally understood the reason for Pang Jian's unusual actions.

It was to avenge the Shadow Specter Sect's members...

Dong Tianze's expression turned strange.

He could not comprehend why Pang Jian cared about those insignificant members of the Shadow Specter Sect. When he discovered Hong Jian was Pang Jian, he had also assumed that Pang Jian, like him, looked down on them.

He experienced the trial in Eight Trigrams City, slaughtering numerous Meridian Opening Realm and Marrow Cleansing Realm cultivators, including prominent figures like Yuan Lengshan and Lan Xi of the Demon Sect. Why would he care about such insignificant members of the Shadow Specter Sect?

Dong Tianze wondered.

Even after assuming the position of the Shadow Specter Sect's Sect Leader, he held no attachment to its members and saw them as disposable subordinates. He thought Pang Jian felt the same.

He had not expected that everything Pang Jian did on Ice Rock Island, including forcing him and Wang Yisen to fight, was to avenge them.

"Gao Yuan, do you have any oil?" Pang Jian asked, turning to look at Gao Yuan. "I want to cremate them."

Gao Yuan was startled but soon recognized the familiar voice.

"Yes! I have some!" he said, jumping off his Cloud Sail in a fluster.

"I have some too!" Yuan Fei leaped off his Cloud Sail and retrieved several barrels of oil from his spatial pouch.

Pang Jian nodded. "Thank you."

He removed the bodies that did not belong to the Shadow Specter Sect from the rubble, then added Yuan Fei's and Gao Yuan's oil and firewood before setting it all alight.

The bones of Meng Qiulan and the others crackled and popped in the roaring flames.

Pang Jian stood motionless before the burning rubble.

The haunting image of Bai Wei clutching a scrap of the spatial pouch faded with the fierce flames.

"You and the lunatic from the sinister Soul Temple..." Gao Yuan asked in a low voice.

The survivors still did not know what had transpired inside the Giant Stone Palace. They could still faintly sense an oppressive aura from the Divine Spirit Pagoda and believed Wang Yisen was inside. Dread filled them as they feared an attack would come at any moment.

"Wang Yisen of the Sinister Soul Temple is dead. You don't have to worry anymore," Pang Jian said calmly.

"Wang Yisen is dead!"

"That lunatic can't kill us all without Wang Yisen!"

"I'm in the Innate Realm too! If it weren’t for that damned Divine Spirit Pagoda, I'd have fought that madman Dong to the death!"

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The survivors shouted toward the sky.

These survivors were the elite among the rogue cultivators, some even being in the Innate Realm. Despite this, they still feared the Divine Spirit Pagoda and could only yell their empty threats at the sky.

Yuan Fei said solemnly, "I never realized Maverick Ling Yun was so powerful. To think Wang Yisen of the Sinister Soul Temple lost his life on Ice Rock Island."

"Yes, although Maverick Ling Yun is devious, his strength is formidable," Gao Yuan agreed.

Whoosh!

A woman in loose robes, with hazy blood-colored mist surrounding her, ascended from the depths of the Giant Stone Palace and hovered in the air.

"Luo Hongyan!" Dong Tianze cried out in shock.

He did not need to see her face to know the woman in the blood-colored mist was the one accompanying Pang Jian in Eight Trigrams City.

"No wonder! No wonder the spirit materials you traded with me were mostly related to soul refining!" Dong Tianze realized as he hurriedly activated the Divine Spirit Pagoda to retreat.

Luo Hongyan's appearance meant Maverick Ling Yun was dead.

Dong Tianze knew from firsthand experience how troublesome Luo Hongyan could be. When he saw Luo Hongyan hovering in the air, he realized that hiding within the Divine Spirit Pagoda would not be enough to evade her and that staying would be life-threatening.

Therefore, he did not hesitate to flee.

"He sure ran off quickly," Luo Hongyan said with a smirk.

All she did was glance in Pang Jian's direction and the Divine Spirit Pagoda had already become a small dot in the distance.

Looking at Pang Jian, she noticed the blazing fire and the head on the icy ground.

"Are you using Zhu Yuanxi's head to honor them? If so, that's not enough," Luo Hongyan muttered before diving underground to retrieve Maverick Ling Yun’s head.

When she reappeared, she went over to Pang Jian and placed Maverick Ling Yun's severed head next to Zhu Yuanxi's.

"Maverick Ling Yun!" The surviving rogue cultivators gasped.

A second ago, they had been complimenting Maverick Ling Yun's extraordinary combat skills only for his severed head to now be placed on the ground before them.

"You're..." Gao Yuan stared at Luo Hongyan in a daze. He could hardly contain his excitement. Although he restrained himself from asking questions, his eyes visibly gleamed as he turned to Yuan Fei.

Yuan Fei trembled. He also realized that Pang Jian and Luo Hongyan were the two siblings from the upper world.

"We should be able to survive now." Yuan Fei sank to the ground in relief.

Luo Hongyan's bright eyes fixed on the excited Gao Yuan. "Gao Yuan, leave your Cloud Sail for us. The rest of you can leave Ice Rock Island if you don't want to die here."

The rogue cultivators moved like lightning toward Yuan Fei's Cloud Sail. "Yuan Fei, take us away!"

Yuan Fei was still sitting on the ground in shock. He also wanted to stay and build a relationship with the siblings, but it seemed only his and Gao Yuan's Cloud Sails were left.

As Gao Yuan was going to transport the siblings, he had no choice but to take the rogue cultivators.

Ah, I truly can't compare to Gao Yuan. He not only had insight but also the courage to take a gamble with them,

Yuan Fei thought regretfully to himself.

When the crisis began, Yuan Fei suggested leaving Ice Rock Island while Gao Yuan insisted on staying behind, betting the siblings would survive.

Gao Yuan had indeed won that bet!

Yuan Fei gathered the surviving rogue cultivators on his Cloud Sail before cupping his hands and yelling in a deep voice, "Gao Yuan! Until we meet again!"

"Until we meet again!"Gao Yuan responded with a radiant smile.

Yuan Fei then activated his Cloud Sail and departed.

Crackle!

The dry wood soaked in oil burned fiercely, and the bodies of Meng Qiulan and the others soon turned to ashes.

"Gao Yuan," Luo Hongyan called out softly.

"Here! I'm here!" Gao Yuan beamed.

Luo Hongyan nodded with a smile. "The rogue cultivators killed by the Sinister Soul Temple are scattered all over the Giant Stone Palace. Go gather their belongings."

Gao Yuan shouted, "Got it!"

He did not ask questions and left his Cloud Sail to head toward the Giant Stone Palace. He did not ask about the relationship between Pang Jian and Dong Tianze, why Pang Jian was carrying Zhu Yuanxi's severed head, or how Luo Hongyan killed Maverick Ling Yun.

"When things turned dangerous, you didn't leave and were willing to wait for us. You're a trustworthy person," Luo Hongyan said, staring at his back.

Gao Yuan paused, turned, and shot her a bright smile. "I promised to wait for you. Naturally, I would keep my word!"

At Luo Hongyan's returning nod, he happily ran toward the Giant Stone Palace. His faith in the siblings had paid off

He felt a deep respect for Luo Hongyan. He had not expected her to have heard the conversation between him and Yuan Fei and was secretly relieved he had not said anything inappropriate behind their backs.

Once Gao Yuan's figure disappeared, Luo Hongyan removed the white veil covering her face.

"Pang Jian, your performance this time surprised me," she said with a smile. "At Divine Fortune, you reigned in your impulsiveness to think calmly. Today on the Three Immortal Islands, you exploited the enmity between the Sinister Soul Temple and the Blood Moon Sect to incite conflict and profit."

Pang Jian said indifferently, "I'm bound to grow as I meet more people and experience more things."

"True." Luo Hongyan smiled contentedly. Extending her jade-like left hand, she said, "Hold my hand, I'll take you underground to see something interesting."

Pang Jian took her hand without hesitation.