After a long time, the sugar melted.
Sunlight shone through the gaps in the canopy, and a ray of light stopped on Xu Qing's face. Like sugar, it melted into the depths of his heart.
It soothed his sorrow.
After a long while, Xu Qing opened his eyes and looked at the ray of light. He looked at the sun in the sky, then lowered his head to look at the old man's tombstone. He sighed softly.
"Captain Lei, have a … safe journey."
Xu Qing stood up and bowed deeply. When he turned around, he suppressed all his frailty deep in his heart. At the same time, he buried the last trace of immaturity in his heart here with Captain Lei, so that it could never come out again.
Fate had given him a trace of warmth, but now it was mercilessly taken away by this world. This was the helplessness of the human world, but Xu Qing had to continue walking down this path of life.
His eyes slowly sharpened again, and there was more depth in them.
His aura gradually regained its sharpness, and there was more mellowness.
In a flash, Xu Qing sped toward the edge of the forest under the sunlight.
His figure was extremely fast, shuttling through the spots of light. However, if one looked closely, they could still see the lingering bleakness on his body, which was something that the light could not dispel in a short time.
It was so dense that it became lonely.
The more he came, the deeper it became.
The more he came, the colder it became.
He was like a wolf cub that had grown up in the cruel forest, and gradually took another step toward becoming a true lone wolf.
Time passed, and a day passed very quickly. Xu Qing's figure did not stop in the forest, and when the afterglow of dusk shone, he had already stepped out of the forbidden zone and into the human world.
However, the area he stepped out of was not the camp, but the other side.
He did not intend to return to the camp.
The death of Captain Lei's enemy would definitely cause trouble in the future.
Since the organization that the other party belonged to could travel across the entire Southern Phoenix Continent, it could be seen that they were extremely powerful. Although only an insignificant person had died, there was a high probability that they would be investigated.
Xu Qing could not gamble on this.
The most important thing was the death of the camp leader.
Xu Qing had heard of the Vajra Sect from Captain Lei.
Although the former was powerful, it was only a strong dragon, while the latter was a local snake.
It was the strongest force in the large area nearby.
The dozens of cities and scavenger camps here were more or less related to the Vajra Sect, and were directly or indirectly controlled by them.
The old ancestor of the sect's cultivation had even reached the Foundation Establishment realm.
For the people living in this area and the scavengers, there was nothing they could do.
Foundation Establishment was like an Immortal. Although very few people had actually seen one, the pressure and awe that came from Foundation Establishment caused everyone to feel reverence from the bottom of their hearts.
Therefore, Xu Qing knew very well that he would have to face the wrath of the Vajra Sect after killing the two elders of the Vajra Sect. The solution to this problem was very simple.
He needed an even stronger force to deter the Vajra Sect from acting rashly.
The faction was none other than the Seven Blood Eyes.
To the nearby cities and camps, the Vajra Sect was a colossus, but to the Vajra Sect, the Seven Blood Pupils were the true towering existence.
Even if the Vajra Sect was given a hundred guts, they would not dare to provoke the Seven Blood Pupils.
Therefore, Xu Qing knew that as long as he became a disciple of the Seven Blood-Red Eyes, the danger would be temporarily resolved.
Therefore, when he walked out of the forbidden area, he touched the Seven Blood Eyes Token in his bag and his eyes lit up.
He was going to make a trip to the Seven Blood Pupils!
The Seven Blood Pupil was very far away from here. If an ordinary person wanted to go there, they would have to spend several years. During this time, not only would they have to cross mountains and valleys, they would also have to experience all kinds of dangers.
However, for someone with a token, everything was much simpler.
The back of the token was engraved with a map of the Seven Blood Pupils. At the same time, there were many protruding points on the map. Any one of them was the location of a Seven Blood Pupil branch city.
With the token, one could enjoy a free teleportation to any branch city.
The closest one was Deer Horn City, which was in the opposite direction of Pine Tao City.
Unlike Pine Tao City, the qualification to stay in Deer Horn City not only cost more spirit coins, but also required a recommendation from a Seven Blood Pupils disciple. Therefore, the Thunder Team could not enter back then.
Thinking of this, Xu Qing turned back and took a deep look at the forbidden area. After a while, he turned around and sped away in the dusk. His destination was Deer Horn City.
"Calculating the time, I can reach Deer Horn City in three days at most." Xu Qing estimated in his heart.
He had never been to Deer Horn City, but the name was familiar. This was because Deer Horn City was not very far from the city that he had lived in for six years and had now turned into ruins.
At this moment, taking advantage of the night, Xu Qing was traveling alone in the wilderness. He was getting faster and faster.
Time passed. Two days had passed.
Xu Qing had made the right choice not to return to the camp.
There were now dozens of disciples from the Vajra Sect waiting coldly in the scavenger camp. There were even seven or eight disciples who had stepped into the forest to search.
The reason why they found out about this so quickly was because there were all kinds of people among the scavengers. There were all kinds of people with different intentions. Unless they were all killed, someone would definitely tell on them.
Therefore, when the news spread to the Vajra Sect, the entire sect was furious.
For the Vajra Sect, the death of two elders was a huge matter. It was especially so for their reputation. It was also a provocation. Therefore, not only did they have to deal with it as soon as possible, but they also had to use it to establish their authority.
However, after waiting for a long time, Xu Qing did not appear. The forbidden area was too big, so they were not sure if Xu Qing had entered. As for the wilderness outside, it was inevitable that the Vajra Sect's people would be scattered.
Therefore, after two days, they did not find anything.
However, the news spread uncontrollably, causing all the cities and scavengers in the Vajra Sect's territory to hear about it. This made the Vajra Sect, who had searched for a long time without finding anything, even angrier.
At this moment, an angry roar came from the peak of the Vajra Sect.
The Vajra Sect's mountain gate was not too far away from Songtao City. It was located on a mountain peak and was built very luxuriously. There were hundreds of disciples in the sect, and many of them were powerful fighters.
The angry roar that echoed throughout the entire sect came from the main hall at the peak of the mountain.
"You still haven't found it?"
In the main hall, a middle-aged man wearing a long golden robe sat at the head. His expression was dignified, and his eyes were filled with anger. The spiritual waves on his body were spreading in all directions in his anger, and it was full of pressure.
Below him stood two people.
Both of them were middle-aged and wore golden robes. Their spiritual waves were very strong, surpassing that of the camp chief. At this moment, both of them were frowning. After a long while, one of them spoke in a low voice.
"Sectmaster, the wilderness is too big. Why don't we have the guards from the cities and the scavengers from the camps search together? That way, we'll find it in three days at most."
"Haven't you had enough jokes?
A child killed two elders and washed the camp in blood. If we let them help us with this matter, where will the Vajra Sect's reputation go?! "The Vajra Sect's sectmaster who sat at the head of the table said angrily.
The two men below him fell silent and said no more.
After a long while, the Vajra Sect's sectmaster took a deep breath. His eyes were filled with killing intent as he pointed at the two men below him.
"Elder Li, Elder Chen, the two of you are at the peak of the ninth level of Qi Condensation. Either one of you can easily kill that child.
"I've asked the Ancestor, and I'm going to borrow two tracing talismans from him. After the Ancestor agrees, you can go out in person. No matter what method you use, I want to see that kid's head in twenty-four hours at most!"
When the two elders below him heard that even the Patriarch knew about this matter, their expressions turned solemn.
The Vajra Sect's sectmaster's eyes were cold as ice. After he finished speaking, he produced a jade slip and was about to ask the Patriarch when a cold snort suddenly came from outside the main hall. It was as loud as thunder.
The voice was so loud that it caused the hearts of the two Elders to tremble violently. Even the Sect Lord's face flickered. He immediately rose to his feet and hurried down the stairs. Outside the temple, an old man wearing a long robe of gold and red strode into the temple.
The old man was tall, and his face was ruddy. His white hair was messy, and there seemed to be lightning in his eyes, covering the gloominess in them. As he walked over, a powerful spirit energy that far surpassed the Qi Condensation Stage spread out in all directions with loud rumbles.
Wherever it passed, cracks appeared on the ground.
The aura around his body formed a storm that swirled around him.
If one looked closely, one could even see that his feet weren't stepping on the ground, but on the air.
He didn't rely on wind techniques to step on the air, but was truly stepping on air.
Behind him, there was even an illusory figure that looked like an angry Vajra. It seemed that if it exploded, the main hall wouldn't be able to withstand its might.
His arrival instantly caused the three people in the main hall to kneel down and kowtow.
"Greetings, Patriarch!"
The Vajra Sect's patriarch didn't say anything. He walked to the seat of honor and sat down. He looked coldly at the three people below him, and finally, his lightning-like gaze landed on the sectmaster.
"Yunwen, have you forgotten the Vajra Sect's mission?!"
Beads of sweat appeared on the sectmaster's forehead as he spoke immediately.
"Patriarch, Yunwen hasn't forgotten. The Vajra Sect's mission has always been to strike when we don't, but when we do, we must strike with the sharpness of metal. That's why I've arranged for two grand elders to go out at the same time."
"Fool!" The Vajra Sect's patriarch glared at the sectmaster.
"This old man has carefully studied that child's background. He rose from an ordinary person in a short period of time. He was originally a new member of the Thunder Squad, but he slaughtered countless people the moment he entered the forbidden area. Not only did he defeat Blood Shadow, but he also saved many scavengers!
"He's even skilled in poison. With a cultivation at the sixth level of Qi Condensation, he once again killed two of our elders and many of our disciples. He even managed to escape unscathed, and none of you have been able to find him.
"There are so many people in the camp, but there were only two scavengers who tipped him off. It's clear what he wants!
"Based on this old man's many years of experience in reading countless ancient texts, you can either resolve this matter with him, or you can go all out and kill him.
"Arranging for the two of them to go out like this is no different from sending them to their deaths for someone who specializes in defeating the strong!" The Vajra Sect's patriarch roared in the end.
The three people below could only lower their heads and tremble in his rage.
The Vajra Sect's patriarch took a deep breath, snorted coldly, and continued speaking in a gloomy voice.
"This old man is certain that after the two of them go, it's fine if they can't find him, but if they do, they'll definitely be killed.
"And if you're angry and decide to go out personally, you'll definitely be killed as well.
"At that time, by the time this old man returns, that child will have already flown far away.
And if he returns a few years later, he'll probably kill this old man with a single slap. "
The sectmaster was stunned at the patriarch's words, and more sweat appeared on his forehead. Still, he more or less felt that things wouldn't develop this way, but he didn't dare to refute the patriarch's words in front of him.
Thus, he could only lower his head and ask.
"Patriarch, please give us your instructions."
The Vajra Sect's patriarch looked up at the wilderness outside the main hall, his gaze distant. After a long while, he slowly spoke.
"Send out all disciples to search every region. At the same time, keep an eye on every city and scavenger camp, and do the same at the surrounding borders.
"The two elders will be given flight talismans and tracking talismans, and each will be responsible for half of the region. This old man will also be personally involved. The moment you discover anything, inform this old man immediately. Only then can this be considered a decisive strike.
"This way, we'll be absolutely safe, and we'll be able to establish our might once more and intimidate the rascals!"
Moments later, the bell of the Vajra Sect echoed.
Large numbers of disciples left the sect, and some Patriarchs and two Grand Elders flew up into the air.
There were three shining talismans in front of him that seemed to be guiding them into the wilderness, where they split into three and sped off.