Chapter 477: Hong Ying

Hearing the anger in Yang Tian's voice, Yuan Xia's bright eyes flickered slightly, a trace of divine radiance flashing in them. Her delicate brows trembled gently, then the corners of her mouth lifted slightly, revealing a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

"Who it is is none of your business. Leave here quickly!" Yuan Xia feigned anger, but a hint of barely noticeable pleading seeped through.

Yuan Xia's somewhat irritated voice reached his ears. Yang Tian bit his lip and persisted stubbornly, "The cultivation technique this guy practices is quite peculiar. How did you get to know him?"

"Bastard!" The young man was furious. It was the first time he had been rebuffed, and having his divine ability extinguished earlier was a complete loss of face.

Divine radiance surged again in his eyes, his brow seemed about to split open, burning with astonishing heat and rumbling with thunder, truly wondrous and terrifying. It was as if a deity was hidden within, containing terrifying divine fluctuations.

The energy in his brow flashed and vanished. Yang Tian couldn't help but feel alarmed; he sensed a terrifying fluctuation rising within the young man, causing all living beings in the eight directions to shudder.

Yuan Xia's eyes changed color, and she scolded, "If you don't want him to see through Yun'er's divine physique, then stay!"

Hearing this, Yang Tian's mind instantly tensed. Although he could obliterate this probing, Yun'er had no divine artifact to protect her. If the matter of the Nine Yin Divine Physique were exposed, it would indeed be troublesome.

"Let's go!" Shooting a harsh glare at Yuan Xia, Yang Tian grabbed Yun'er's jade hand and walked away into the distance.

"You..." Seeing the two holding hands and leaving, Yuan Xia's beautiful eyes narrowed, and a nameless anger appeared in them.

Seeing this, the young man chuckled inwardly, retracted his aura, and resumed a refined demeanor.

Even though the young man's cultivation was terrifying and his identity mysterious, he dared not act recklessly around the Saintess, lest he invite considerable trouble.

Yang Tian was dejected, sighing repeatedly. Yun'er pursed her red lips but didn't ask further, being very obedient as she followed Yang Tian aimlessly.

"He is from the Heavenly Mechanism Sect. I need to go to the Divine Path Mountain to find a family heirloom, and I require his divination technique..."

Just as Yang Tian's spirits were sinking, a voice like pearls falling on a jade plate slowly sounded in his ears, carrying a hint of helplessness and pleading.

"Uh..." Hearing this, Yang Tian was stunned, a look of astonishment on his face. He hadn't expected Yuan Xia to explain things to him; she seemed to have changed?

"Does this mean our relationship has advanced a step?" Yang Tian muttered softly, his gaze falling on Yun'er's sullen expression, and he couldn't help but grip her hand tighter.

"What exactly is the origin of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect?" After wandering for a while, Yang Tian frowned slightly. He had never heard of this sect, but it specialized in divination techniques. Yang Tian had only seen the fatty use such abilities.

"I know." Hearing Yang Tian's muttering, Yun'er's ears perked up, and she giggled, "The Heavenly Mechanism Sect is a reclusive sect in the Central Province, rarely appearing on the continent."

"Reclusive sect?" Yang Tian's frown deepened. For someone as proud as Yuan Xia to seek their help, it couldn't be simple.

"Their clan specializes in divination techniques, very mysterious, and can find many hidden things..." Yun'er's small lashes trembled; she didn't know much either.

"Heavenly Mechanism Sect!" Yang Tian bit his lip, a piercing cold light flashing in his eyes, but it vanished in an instant. Just as he stepped forward, his gaze fell on two figures ahead.

It was a fat, big-headed fatty, his thieving eyes scanning around. This was none other than the fatty.

"These two sure have guts, not afraid of being noticed..." Scanning Xiao Ji and the fatty, Yang Tian couldn't help but roll his eyes. They had caused such a commotion before that many people remembered them.

"Fatty!" From a distance, Yang Tian called out, feeling very excited. They had contributed a lot in the Li family's ancestral grounds, and most importantly, the fatty had a乾坤袋 (qiankun bag) filled with countless treasures.

Being called fatty, his whole body of fat trembled. His unfriendly eyes swept around, looking fierce, and the big bone in his hand buzzed and vibrated.

After a moment, his eyes locked onto Yang Tian, and he stormed over angrily, looking as if he wanted to beat Yang Tian up.

"It's me." Yang Tian shook his head slightly and said softly, his voice returning to its usual tone.

"You..." Hearing this, the fatty paused and scratched his messy hair. Xiao Ji immediately walked over, his face full of smiles. It was rare to meet an acquaintance here.

"Where did this big tiger come from?" At that moment, the fatty noticed Dahu following closely behind Yang Tian. His eyes lit up, and he pinched Dahu's flesh, smacking his lips, "Not bad, so fat it must be delicious."

"Roar!" Dahu was furious, his fur standing on end. This fatty wanted to eat him? Dahu immediately opened his bloody mouth and bit toward the fatty's thick arm.

"You dare bite me!" The fatty grinned widely, laughing silently. Dahu's crystal-cold teeth bit into the fatty's arm, making a grinding sound like striking iron.

"Roar... it hurts so much..." The fatty's lips twitched, and he grimaced in pain. The heavy bite had nearly knocked out Dahu's front teeth.

"You stupid tiger, daring to bite me, tiger meat must be delicious." The fatty grinned and laughed heartily.

Dahu shuddered, quickly ran behind Yun'er, and watched the fatty warily, muttering, "This guy must be some kind of mutant; his skin is too thick..."

After some fun, Yang Tian followed Xiao Ji to their residence, an independent courtyard lavishly decorated. Buying such a place now must have cost a lot.

"Fatty, how many treasures did you loot from the Li family treasury that day?" Yang Tian got down to business, grinning slyly.

"What treasures?" The fatty immediately shook his head like a rattle-drum, looking as if he would never admit it.

"Li family treasury!" Dahu suddenly shrieked, drool flowing freely, his eyes wide open.

Under Yang Tian's stunned gaze, Dahu trotted over to the fatty and wailed, "Brother Fatty, you are truly divine, looting the Li family treasury! You have heaven-granted talent and the courage to stand alone against a thousand. You look so handsome and elegant, graceful and charming..."

Dahu spewed saliva as he praised the fatty. The fatty looked pleased, strutting arrogantly.

"Where did Yang Tian find such a gem?" Xiao Ji was dumbfounded and couldn't help saying. This Dahu was too good at flattering, practically a tiger spirit.

"Get lost!" Yang Tian got goosebumps all over and couldn't help kicking Dahu, who howled and rolled on the ground.

"Hehe... not bad, not bad..." The fatty grinned, laughing heartily, rubbing his two fat hands together, very pleased.

"Fatty, hand over the qiankun bag." Yang Tian began to press him. This guy had looted too many treasures, even making Yang Tian envious.

Hearing this, the fatty scratched his head and chuckled, "The medicinal herbs are all used up. Haven't you seen how much our cultivation has skyrocketed?"

Yang Tian didn't believe it at all. He scanned the fatty; he couldn't see through their cultivation levels now, but from Dahu's earlier performance, his physical body had probably improved tremendously.

"What about the refining materials?" Yang Tian asked, scratching his head. Refining materials were in high demand everywhere, and the Li family's ancestral grounds must have had mountains of them.

"I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it." The fatty slapped his forehead, and before Yang Tian could react, he grinned, "Hand over all your refining materials to me; I have great use for them!"

"What?!" Yang Tian's voice shot up. He hadn't asked the fatty for refining materials, but this guy was asking him instead.

"The refining materials in the Li family treasury were indeed piled up like a mountain, but I've refined them all into formation-breaking pearls!" The fatty looked smug and grinned.

"Piled up like a mountain!" Dahu perked up instantly, appearing beside the fatty with a fawning look.

"Formation-breaking pearls... what use are they?" Yang Tian was puzzled. He had heard of formation-breaking pearls, which were beads specifically for breaking formations, but they were single-use consumables, and few people bothered to refine them.

"You don't know yet." Xiao Ji saw his confusion and explained slowly, "The Divine Path Mountain has many formations, and many treasures are guarded by defensive arrays. These pearls are extremely effective there!"

"So that's why they're buying up refining materials!" Yang Tian suddenly understood, then grinned, "Get me some formation-breaking pearls too."

"No... no..." The fatty shook his head like a rattle-drum and muttered, "Bring materials to trade. Remember, improved formation-breaking pearls are not comparable to ordinary ones."

Yang Tian's face darkened. Before he could get angry, the fatty produced two jade talismans and grinned, "These are for you. We'll all be separated in the Divine Path Mountain. These sensing talismans can detect distance within ten thousand miles—a rare treasure."

"This is similar to the rules of the Martial Path Mountain. I wonder if the Ancestral Dragon Ring can evade the rules of the Divine Path Mountain." Yang Tian pondered.

"So these are sensing talismans." Yun'er's brows arched. Such talismans were extremely difficult to make, requiring intricate inscriptions inside to sense distances of ten thousand miles—a rare treasure.

"Not bad." Noticing Yun'er's delighted look, Yang Tian nodded inwardly. If Yun'er thought it was valuable, it must be something special.

"You got this from the Li family, right?" Yang Tian rubbed the jade talisman and snorted. From the ancient aura it emitted, he could tell it was old.

"Roar, Brother Fatty, can I have one?" Dahu wailed. With his strength, going inside would be suicide; the sooner he found Yang Tian and the others, the better.

"I only have two of these. Pick something else." Being called Brother Fatty, the fatty looked pleased. His eyes narrowed, and he said in surprise, "You have a trace of White Tiger bloodline?"

"Roar... Brother Fatty is truly divine..." Dahu was startled and immediately flattered him. Being able to see the bloodline within him proved this guy was extraordinary.

"Haha, of course. Later, Brother Fatty will give you a complete transformation!" The fatty boasted, laughing heartily, shaking the entire house.

"Yang Tian, with our cultivation levels, entering the Divine Path Mountain will be extremely dangerous. It's full of perils, and there are native creatures there. Although the highest cultivation is at the peak Great Ability level, our danger is certainly high." Xiao Ji said gravely.

"Right, Xiao Ji is correct. I know a bit about the Dao Sect's divine abilities; they are very formidable." The fatty's face also turned serious. "But there are many treasures inside, enough to shake the entire continent. You can imagine what level of secret realm it is!"

"These days, many terrifying beings have arrived, including some Great Ability experts. If the older generation also gets involved, we won't even get a scrap." Xiao Ji shook his head and sighed.

At that moment, the fatty leaned in and grinned, "The bet you placed at the auction house is about to pay off. Just the mountains of refining materials alone are enough to make many formation-breaking pearls!"

"How could I forget that?" Yang Tian slapped his forehead, then became dejected. He had no idea where Meng Yunxi was now, and even if he found her, she might not bring all those materials.

"I know where she is." The fatty grinned lecherously. "She lives not far from here. Go ask quickly."

"Hmm, is she going too? That place is a den that devours people without spitting out bones." Yang Tian scratched his head and murmured. Meng Yunxi's cultivation wasn't very high; even Dahu could defeat her.

"Go quickly. With those betting funds, my little brother's cultivation can skyrocket in a short time." The fatty patted Dahu's head and said slyly.

"Roar, Brother Fatty is so cool." Dahu seized the chance to flatter.

Yang Tian shook his head slightly. Guided by the fatty, he walked toward a huge courtyard ahead. It was already night, and the place was brightly lit, with powerful figures guarding the entrance.

"Young master, may I ask your business?" Seeing a young man approaching, a steady guard spoke politely. Many formidable people had arrived in recent days, so they naturally dared not act rashly.

Hearing this, Yang Tian nodded and produced a red-gold token, which Meng Yunxi had given him earlier, signifying super VIP status at the auction house.

"This is..." Seeing the token in Yang Tian's hand, the guard was startled and said respectfully, "Do you have any orders, young master?"

"Take me to see Meng Yunxi." Yang Tian pursed his lips and said slowly.

Without hesitation, the guard led Yang Tian inside. The courtyard was enormous, with abundant spiritual energy, and Yang Tian saw many powerful figures.

"I wonder if this journey will bring fortune or misfortune." Along the way, Yang Tian sensed the auras emanating from the rooms, all very formidable—members of the older generation who were naturally planning to enter the Divine Path Mountain.

At the deepest part, the guard led Yang Tian to a door and then took his leave.

Pursing his lips, Yang Tian walked over slowly. Before his fingers touched the door, it suddenly opened, and a young girl of about eighteen or nineteen stepped out.

A familiar feeling arose in his heart. Yang Tian's gaze fell on the girl's face. She wore a green dress, her figure graceful, her features very delicate, with a hint of a smile in her eyes.

At that moment, the girl noticed the young man before her. Her body trembled slightly, and when she saw him staring at her, her face flushed red, and she looked as if she wanted to flee.