The flying sword struck Lan Hua's center, causing his Yuan Power to stagnate and a throbbing pain to surge through his dantian.
Fortunately, Lan Hua was still wearing the scale armor that Hei Lie had given him, which blocked the sword strike just now, and he was unharmed.
Before they could even regain their footing, the flying sword struck again.
In desperation, Lan Hua summoned a talisman arrow, barely managing to block the flying sword.
"Hmm? The sword energy on this flying sword is far stronger than Gao Feihu's. It seems that the person who launched the sneak attack is a mid-stage or even late-stage Refining Spirit Realm expert!"
Just as Baxia was about to unleash its power to protect Lanhua, a wave of purple arrows suddenly rained down from the clouds, shooting into the distant forest.
The arrows flew incredibly fast, imbued with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, making their power extremely strong and sharp, blasting large craters into the forest.
Splinters of wood flew everywhere, and many towering trees fell to the side.
In addition, Lan Hua could faintly hear the sound of metal clashing.
"How strange! Where did this rain of arrows come from? I didn't make a move. Could it be the arrows left over from my previous 'Ten Thousand Arrows Clear the Way'?" Lan Hua asked in surprise.
Baxia snorted, "Please look carefully. Does your invisible arrow have the power of theirs?"
"Too!"
Lan Hua nodded. "It seems that the person in the cloud is probably a guest elder of a noble family, but more likely an elder. I can feel the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surging!"
After the rain of arrows, a figure swiftly rose on a sword and rushed out of the forest, disappearing from sight in no time.
Immediately afterwards, a figure descended from the clouds, parting layers of mist to enter Lan Hua's eyes; it was none other than Duanmu Zhenghua.
"It's actually the Grand Elder! Why has he been hiding in the clouds all this time? No wonder I haven't discovered him!" Lan Hua murmured.
Duanmu Zhenghua landed in front of Lan Hua and said with a smile, "Young friend, what a coincidence!"
Lan Hua frowned slightly. "Elder, haven't you been following me all along?"
"What do you mean by that, young friend?"
Duanmu Zhenghua's expression turned serious, and he said, "I happened to be in Qingyang City on business, and on my way back, I happened to run into villains trying to kill you. How could you say I was being followed?"
"Is that really so?" Lan Hua asked rhetorically.
“That’s natural!” Duanmu Zhenghua said solemnly.
"I just don't believe it!" It was Baxia who spoke.
Lan Hua suddenly said, "Why did the Grand Elder choose to save me? He could have just watched me die, and that way the family's secret techniques would have been preserved!"
After speaking, Lan Hua looked at Duanmu Zhenghua with great interest.
Duanmu Zhenghua was taken aback, but then he realized what he meant and laughed, "Young friend, you are joking. Our family will rely on you in the future, how could we do such a despicable thing!"
"That's for the best. If you dare to touch my Brother Hua, I'll send a whole bunch of dragons with me!" Baxia sneered.
Duanmu Zhenghua's lips twitched, then he looked around and saw the corpse of the man in black, feigning surprise.
"Hmm, young friend, did you kill the man in black?"
"Indeed, this man is Gao Feihu, the Ninth Guest Elder. He coveted my Armor-Piercing Invisible Arrow and the Thousand Arrows Opening the Way, and tried to assassinate me, but I killed him instead!"
After saying that, Lan Hua walked to the body.
His vital energy was greatly depleted, and he walked with a somewhat unsteady gait.
The black mask was removed, revealing Gao Feihu's true face.
"It really was him!"
Duanmu Zhenghua looked at him with a disappointed expression and said, "Gao Feihu, as a guest of our aristocratic family, actually attacked one of our own people."
Young friend, you are at least a guest alchemist of my family. To attack a guest alchemist is truly despicable!
Changing the subject, Duanmu Zhenghua asked curiously, "Since you killed Gao Feihu, who was the person who ambushed you with a flying sword just now?"
This statement came from the bottom of his heart; he genuinely wanted to know who had killed him.
Lan Hua shook her head, but asked, "Does the Grand Elder know about the Owl Sect?"
"The Owl Sect?"
Duanmu Zhenghua was taken aback. "Young friend, you also know about the Owl Sect?"
Could it be that the person who attacked you just now was from the Owl Sect?
Lan Hua sighed, "Whether they are from the Owl Sect or not, I don't know, but I'm certain that this matter is inextricably linked to the Owl Sect!"
Duanmu Zhenghua said in a deep voice: "The Owl Sect is extremely mysterious and powerful, but it never shows its strength."
Although the patriarch and I knew of the existence of the Owl Sect, we didn't know where its influence lay in the Half-Heaven Realm. However, the Owl Sect seemed to have a powerful background!
"How strong can it be?" Lan Hua asked, frowning.
Duanmu Zhenghua remained silent, but looked up at the sky.
"Young friend, although I don't know what happened between you and the Owl Sect, offending the Owl Sect is not a good thing. You must be careful."
If you had stayed in my family, I don't think the Xiaomen would have dared to do anything to you.
After all, the Owl Clan has always disliked showing their faces and was unwilling to expose themselves.
But if you come from a prominent family, it's hard to say.
Lan Hua nodded and said, "I know, thank you for the reminder, Elder!"
After returning to the Duanmu family, Lan Hua remained in seclusion.
After the battle outside Qingyang City, Lan Hua once again felt that her cultivation level was still insufficient.
In the battle of Qingyang City, if it weren't for Duanmu Zhenghua's intervention, even with Baxia's protection, Lan Hua would have been in considerable danger.
More than half a month has passed, and although Lan Hua's cultivation has not broken through to the sixth level, it has improved by one point.
Before they knew it, the day Tianyuan Cave was about to open was approaching. Lan Hua had made up her mind that no matter how dangerous it was inside, she would still go and try her luck.
After all, staying in the Duanmu family all the time isn't a good thing; the outside world truly belongs to Lanhua.
Two days before the opening of Tianyuan Cave, a person suddenly visited Lanhua's residence. It was none other than Nalan Ruode, whom he had not seen for a long time.
Upon seeing the slightly plump young man, Lan Hua smiled and said, "Brother Nalan, instead of staying in your aristocratic family, you've come here. Could it be that you've accompanied your wife on a visit to her parents' home?"
Nalan Ruode shook his head. "I've come to invite Brother Lan to participate in the Tianyuan Cave Trial!"
Lan Hua responded with an "oh," her tone tinged with surprise, "Brother Nalan possesses a dragon's inner core, his future is limitless, why would he risk entering the Tianyuan Cave for trials?"
After a period of arduous training, Nalan Ruode's cultivation has advanced further, reaching the ninth level of the Dan Shen realm, only half a step away from the peak.
His cultivation speed was so fast that even Lan Hua couldn't catch up with him for the time being.
Nalan Ruode gave a wry smile. "There's nothing I can do. I didn't plan to go, but my family received a commission to investigate something in Tianyuan Cave."
So, I had no choice but to go inside and take a look!
Lan Hua asked curiously, "What is it that requires Brother Nalan to venture into that dangerous place?"
Nalan Ruode smiled mysteriously, "I can't tell you about this for now. Knowing too much wouldn't be good for you!"
Lan Hua smiled casually, "I know, so you came to see me, you wouldn't be looking for a safer option, would you?"
"I don't care, but Qian'er is worried that I'll be in danger alone, so she strongly urged me to come with you."
"Of course, I know you'll definitely participate in the Tianyuan Cave trial, and I'm a little worried about leaving you alone, so I'm helping you out."
Lan Hua laughed and said, "Since Brother Nalan is being so kind, how could I refuse? How about we set off first thing tomorrow morning?"
"That's exactly what I wanted!"
Early the next morning, Lan Hua and Nalan Ruode bid farewell to the Duanmu family and flew towards the desolate lands of the Western Continent.
Although several members of the Duanmu family entered the Earth Ranking, the family head did not agree to let them participate in the trials, for the simple reason that it was too dangerous.
Tianyuan Cave is located deep in the Wilderness, which is in turn located in the far west of the Western Continent. It can be reached in just half a day by flying.
When the two arrived at the entrance of Tianyuan Cave, the sun was at its blazing.
The area near the entrance was crowded with people, including not only those listed on the Earth Ranking but also powerful individuals who were not on the list.
"Damn, how come there are so many people? Isn't Tianyuan Cave extremely dangerous? How come there are still so many people here? There are many more than those on the list!" Lan Hua exclaimed in surprise.
Nalan Ruode laughed and said, "Although it's dangerous, the opportunities are also considerable!"
Lan Hua thought of something and asked, "Are you the only member of the Nalan family to enter Tianyuan Cave this time?"
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