Ironstone Manor.
In the courtyard where the Tianxuan Sect was located.
Yang Ruoyi and Xiahou Chu looked sadly at the old man in the gray robe in front of them.
"Elder, Qin Xin, he..."
Yang Ruoyi's eyes were a little red. After seeing the First Elder return alone, she had a general idea of what was going on.
She also felt some regret. If she hadn't chosen to return to the iron mine with Xiahou Chu to seek help from the Grand Elder, but instead chose to rescue Qin Xin directly, there might still have been some hope.
"Brother Qin Xin, I, Xiahou Chu, have wronged you!"
Xiahou Chu also gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly.
After returning to Ironstone Manor, Xiahou Chu and Yang Ruoyi immediately informed the Grand Elder that Qin Xin had been chased by a level seven demonic beast, but they did not mention that Zhao Cheng had come to hunt down the three of them.
They knew that Zhao Cheng had died at the hands of that level-seven demon beast. If it were discovered that they were involved, although Zhao Xuri wouldn't dare to attack them, it would bring considerable trouble to their families.
"You two don't need to blame yourselves. If you had really been entangled by that level seven demon beast, the Azure-Eyed Tiger, I'm afraid neither of you would have been able to return," the elder said slowly. "However, Qin Xin may not have died at the hands of that Azure-Eyed Tiger."
"What? Elder, Qin Xin is still alive?" Xiahou Chu's eyes lit up with excitement upon hearing this.
"I was just saying perhaps. When I went to investigate, the Azure Demon Tiger was already dead, and I happened to run into your father and Zhao Xuri, the city lord of Falling Moon City."
The First Elder, Feng Zi, looked at Yang Ruoyi and spoke softly.
Upon hearing that her father was with Zhao Xuri, Yang Ruoyi's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
"They probably think I killed that Azure Demon Tiger," Elder Feng Zizheng said, a hint of doubt on his face. "It's strange, really. The Azure Demon Tiger's fur was extremely strong, yet it was pierced through in one strike. After all, it also had a terrifying fire attribute aura. I suppose even I couldn't kill it in one blow. It seems there are quite a few hidden experts in my Tianxuan Sect territory."
Upon hearing that Qin Xin's body had not been found, Yang Ruoyi and Xiahou Chu breathed a slight sigh of relief.
After exchanging a glance, they immediately decided to leave Ironstone Manor and go find Qin Xin's whereabouts.
Seeing the two of them like this, the Grand Elder did not stop them. He also had a good impression of Qin Xin. If such a talented disciple were to perish, it would be a loss for the Tianxuan Sect.
Just as the two turned to step out of the courtyard.
A familiar young figure was standing at the gate, his black robe was somewhat torn, and there were dried bloodstains on the exposed skin where the torn robe was.
"Qin Xin!"
Xiahou Chu exclaimed with delight and immediately rushed forward to hug Qin Xin.
"Cough cough!"
Originally, Qin Xin was rushing back to Ironstone Manor, and his internal energy was somewhat depleted. After being hugged, his blood and qi almost surged upwards, and he couldn't help but cough a few times.
"Xiahou Chu, you should also be careful!"
Seeing Xiahou Chu's appearance, Yang Ruoyi immediately spoke up to remind him.
"I'm so excited! Junior Brother Qin Xin, it's great to see you're alright! You actually dared to lure that Azure-Eyed Tiger away all by yourself, you're incredibly brave!" Xiahou Chu patted Qin Xin on the shoulder, his eyes filled with gratitude. "From now on, you're my brother. Anyone who dares to mess with you, I'll beat them up!"
After all, in this Central Plains, whether they are brothers from the same clan or fellow disciples from different sects, there are almost none who would stand up for them under such a threat.
Qin Xin had no doubts when he heard Xiahou Chu's powerful words.
Yang Ruoyi, standing to the side, also wore a gentle smile, seemingly agreeing completely with Xiahou Chu's words.
"Qin Xin, that Azure Demon Tiger chased after you. Did you notice who killed it?" The Grand Elder stood up and came to Qin Xin's side to ask.
On his way back to the Ironstone Manor, Qin Xin prepared several versions of his story.
"Reporting to the Grand Elder, when I was being chased by that Azure-Eyed Tiger, I also sensed an extremely powerful aura."
"At the time, I only wanted to escape. Fortunately, the Azure-Eyed Tiger did not chase after me, so I was able to return to Ironstone Manor unharmed."
Qin Xin deliberately added a hint of tension to his voice.
After hearing Qin Xin's words, the Grand Elder was somewhat confused, but he simply could not believe that Qin Xin had killed the Azure Demon Tiger.
The only explanation is that the Azure-Eyed Tiger, while chasing Qin Xin, unexpectedly encountered a powerful martial artist passing by and killed it.
"It's good that you're back alive. You've been with the Tianxuan Sect for some time now, so you must have felt the bloodshed in the struggles between the forces and families in Zhongzhou."
The Grand Elder also spoke up to warn, "There should still be many Heavenly Spirit Crystals that have not yet been found deep within this iron ore mine. The Xuan Tian Sword Sect and the Zi Wei Sect have already sent down their Yuan Dan realm disciples, and many of my Tian Xuan Sect's Yuan Dan realm disciples have also entered."
“The three of you are a bit too weak. Although the Heavenly Spirit Crystal is very tempting, for safety’s sake, you should explore the outer perimeter. If you don’t find anything, return as soon as possible.”
As they were talking, the Grand Elder took out three talismans and handed them to the three of them. Then he waved his hand, signaling them to enter.
After Qin Xin received the talisman, he found that it was somewhat different from the one the Grand Elder had given him before. However, through the patterns and designs on it, Qin Xin could sense that this talisman could be activated after encountering danger, thus rapidly increasing escape speed.
On their way to the iron ore mine, the three of them kept discussing their plans for entering the mine.
"By the way, Junior Brother Qin Xin, it seems that your sword formation can no longer be used."
Just as they were about to enter the iron ore mine, Yang Ruoyi suddenly lowered her voice and said.
Qin Xin nodded upon hearing this and said, "Senior Sister Yang, don't worry, I understand."
Qin Xin naturally understood this principle. Although he had removed the sword formation after setting it up, there would definitely be residual fluctuations of the formation. If he used the sword formation again and Zhao Xuri discovered it, it would be hard for him not to associate it with Qin Xin's son. In that case, there would be a lot of trouble.
Seeing that Qin Xin understood Qin Xin's reasoning, Yang Ruoyi did not say anything more, but led Xiahou Chu and Qin Xin down into the iron ore mine.
It was summer, and the outside was quite hot and humid.
However, upon entering the iron ore mine, the surroundings suddenly became quite cold, causing all three of them to shiver.
When Qin Xin saw the iron ore mine, which had undergone a complete transformation, his eyes showed some surprise.
The entrance to the entire iron ore mine is several times larger than before, and the underground space has become more spacious after being bombarded, surrounded by extremely hard rock layers.
Let's go!
Seeing Qin Xin staring blankly at his surroundings, Xiahou Chu patted Qin Xin on the shoulder and then slowly flew downwards.
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