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… …
"Who's there?"
However, there wasn't much time left for Qin Fang and Jian Qingfeng to chat. A cold voice came from the forest … At the same time, Qin Fang and Jian Qingfeng could clearly feel that they were being locked onto by something.
"As expected of the Tang Sect …"
Qin Fang laughed coldly, but he didn't take it to heart.
It was just a special crossbow. It should be a replica of the Tang Sect's Ten Great Hidden Weapons. The difference in power between it and the original was too great … He didn't even care about the original, let alone a replica.
"I am Qin Fang …"
Qin Fang reported his name without hesitation. He didn't seem to care about the Tang Sect disciple hiding in the dark.
"Qin Fang!!
You're Qin Fang … "
Sure enough, when they heard Qin Fang's name, there was a commotion in the forest. It was obvious that the other party had also heard of his name … or rather, they were guarding here, waiting for Qin Fang to take the initiative to deliver himself to them!
Qin Fang and Jian Qingfeng could vaguely hear the sound of crossbows being drawn. It seemed like someone was planning to directly attack Qin Fang!
"I am Kunlun Sect's Jian Qingfeng …"
Jian Qingfeng smiled bitterly, but he still followed the rules and politely reported his name … The Tang Sect and Kunlun had not fallen out with each other yet. This time, he was openly paying a visit to the sect, so he could not be lacking in etiquette.
"Uh … Kunlun Sect's senior brother?"
When they heard Jian Qingfeng's name, the Tang Sect disciples were a little surprised.
Perhaps they had only thought of Jian Qingfeng as Qin Fang's follower, so they naturally wouldn't be polite … In any case, the enmity between the Tang Sect and Qin Fang was already a dead knot that couldn't be untied.
If they killed Qin Fang here, not only would they not be punished by the Tang Sect, they would even be considered to have made a great contribution!
But once Jian Qingfeng's identity was revealed, they were somewhat hesitant to take action.
Of course, they could still attack directly, but the consequences … were obviously not something that the Tang Sect disciples could bear. Even the elders of the Tang Sect could not bear the responsibility of killing the Kunlun Sect disciples.
One had to know that although the five great sects didn't have a good relationship with each other, when they were united against external forces, they were of the same breath and branches …
If the Tang Sect dared to lay their hands on the Kunlun disciples, it would be equivalent to provoking the Kunlun Sect. More importantly, they would be making an enemy out of the five major sects … Even the Tang Sect, which had a thousand-year-old heritage, would not be able to bear such a heavy responsibility!
"I'm here on behalf of my master to pay a visit to Senior Tang Ao …"
Jian Qingfeng also cupped his fists and repeated himself.
"Please wait for a moment. I'll send the news back to the headquarters …"
Although Jian Qingfeng spoke casually, it was obvious that he had come with Qin Fang. These lowly Tang Sect disciples did not dare to make a decision on their own. Immediately, a Tang Sect disciple who seemed to be the leader stepped forward and said something. Then, he sent someone to deliver the news.
The Tang Sect had been in seclusion for a thousand years and rarely came out of the mountains. So, everything here was still in a rather primitive state …
Forget about mobile phones and telephones, there weren't even any lights or wires …
Qin Fang and Jian Qingfeng naturally waited in place … Although Qin Fang had most likely come here to attack the Tang Sect, before he completely fell out with them, he still had to ensure Tang Xin's safety first.
Furthermore, the strongest of the Tang Sect disciples in front of him was only at the Grandmaster level. Even if they were equipped with some powerful offensive weapons, Qin Fang still wouldn't care … These attacks couldn't even break through his Essential Protective Shield, so what was there to care about?
Fortunately, these Tang Sect disciples didn't do anything irrational, which saved Qin Fang a lot of trouble.
Not long after, someone from the headquarters came over.
"Both of you … please!"
The person who came to receive them was a group of about twenty people. The person in front was a man in his thirties. His strength was quite impressive, and he had actually reached the early stage of the Grandmaster level. He was on par with Jian Qingfeng.
When he heard these Tang Sect disciples call him "Eldest Senior Brother", Qin Fang already knew his identity.
"Tang Zhan?"
Qin Fang asked Jian Qingfeng softly.
"Yes, that's him …"
Jian Qingfeng nodded and admitted it. He and Tang Zhan were actually from the same generation. Their age and strength were about the same, and they had once roamed the world together for a period of time. Naturally, they could be considered to be familiar with each other.
When they met just now, Tang Zhan's cold and expressionless face revealed a little bit of emotion when he looked at Jian Qingfeng.
When he looked at Qin Fang, besides a hint of surprise in his eyes, there was even more cold hostility …
Tang Zhan, the Swift Blade!
He was the number one expert of the Tang Sect's younger generation, and also the most famous of the Tang Sect's young experts … Even Qin Fang had heard of Tang Zhan's name. However, this was the first time he had seen him, and the other party didn't seem very friendly.
However, when he thought of the hostile relationship between the two parties, Qin Fang understood …
Furthermore, Tang Zhan might have a good reputation in the world, and his strength was not small. However, when compared to Qin Fang … they were on completely different levels. How could Qin Fang be interested in him?
This group of people escorted Qin Fang and Jian Qingfeng straight to the Tang Sect headquarters.
Although it was called an escort, it was actually a type of surveillance!
However, Qin Fang and Jian Qingfeng didn't care. At least, before the Tang Sect fell out with them, it was better for both parties to exercise restraint as much as possible.
"As expected of a sect with a thousand-year-old legacy …"
As Qin Fang and Jian Qingfeng continued to go deeper into the Tang Sect, they gradually went from a desolate mountain forest to a relatively bustling small town … After a thousand years of development, the Tang Sect's scale was rather large.
It was said that the five great sects were powerful, but that only meant that the five great sects' overall strength was tyrannical. It didn't mean how many people there were in the five great sects … After all, resources were very limited. Even the five great sects did their best to suppress the number of people in their sects.
However, the Tang Sect was different. The Tang Sect was the only power in the world that was passed down in the form of a family. After a thousand years of continuous accumulation and development, the number of people in the Tang Sect could be said to be the greatest among all the martial arts families and sects!
Based on the size of the town in front of them, the total number of people in the Tang Sect might be in the hundreds of thousands …
Of course, out of so many people, only a very small portion of them could be considered Tang Sect disciples. The rest were just ordinary people … However, in order to ensure the Tang Sect's secrecy, they couldn't leave this place for the rest of their lives.
However, the Tang Sect disciples also had to marry and have children. Their families also stayed here, slowly accumulating, and the number of people was rather terrifying …
Of course, this wasn't what truly shocked Qin Fang …
What truly made Qin Fang realize the Tang Sect's thousand years of foundation was the huge statue that stood outside the Tang Sect's headquarters … Actually, it couldn't be considered a statue, because it was too abstract, and it was almost impossible to tell what it was.
However, the materials used in it made Qin Fang envious …
"Refined iron, refined copper …"
These were the little bits of essence left behind after the iron ore was refined again and again … However, such a statue was piled up in front of him. Qin Fang couldn't imagine how many tons of iron ore and copper ore the Tang Sect had refined to make this statue.
It had to be known that this wasn't the steel factory outside …
The various methods used here were rather primitive. Refining iron ore completely relied on very ancient methods. Whether it was the precision or the purity of the refining, it couldn't be compared to the blast furnaces of the outside world.
But even so, the Tang Sect was still able to make such a big move. This was definitely the deep foundation that the Tang Sect had accumulated over a thousand years …
"It's said that the Tang Sect has an Earth Fire Spring in their hands. Not to mention refining iron ore and copper ore, even refining black iron wouldn't be a problem … Unfortunately, other than the true core disciples of the Tang Sect, no one knows where this Earth Fire Spring is!"
Seeming to understand Qin Fang's shock, Jian Qingfeng softly explained to Qin Fang.
"Earth Fire Spring?"
Hearing this, Qin Fang was shocked, but also much more relieved …
If they really had control of the Earth Fire Spring, then it wouldn't be so strange for them to be able to refine so much iron and copper … Perhaps this Earth Fire Spring was in the hands of the higher-ups of the Tang Sect and was rarely opened, but after a thousand years of accumulation, it wouldn't be too difficult to make such a large statue.
However, this wasn't what moved Qin Fang …
"If I can go to the Earth Fire Spring, perhaps …"
Qin Fang's heart was also slightly moved.
As an alchemist, and an expert who had mastered the Alchemy Mantra, no one was more familiar with the preciousness of the Earth Fire Spring than Qin Fang … If he could have it in his hands, Qin Fang would definitely be incomparably happy.
Of course, the Earth Fire Spring's use wasn't as simple as refining pills. It had other even more miraculous uses. One of them was something that Qin Fang could use … Earth Fire Tempering Body was practically the best and strongest choice for Qin Fang to condense the Supreme Body.
The Supreme Body condensed through Earth Fire Tempering Body was innately twenty to thirty percent stronger than a Supreme Body of the same level …
If the duration of Earth Fire Tempering Body reached a certain limit, then the effect would be greatly enhanced.
There were even some abnormal people who directly used Earth Fire Tempering Body to condense the Supreme Earth Fire Physique. Their defensive power would be almost double that of a Supreme-Being expert of the same level … It was equivalent to raising one level!
In other words, the defensive strength of the newly formed Sovereign Earth Fire Body was already comparable to the defensive strength of the Sovereign Earth Body of a Middle Stage Supreme-Being expert. As time went on, the defensive strength of the Sovereign Earth Fire Body would become even more prominent!
After reaching the peak of the Supreme-Being realm, experts of the same level wouldn't be able to break through his defense, and he would be invincible!