Xu Yang stayed in Cyan Yang City for two days. Since no one came looking for him, he knew his killing of Ji Jincheng and Han Xing had gone unnoticed. Only then did he return to the Purple Sun Sect.

"Junior Brother Xu, you’re finally back! If you didn’t return soon, I was going to head down the mountain to find you." Sun Tao heaved a long sigh of relief.

When Xu Yang didn’t return for two days, he had thought something had happened to him in the city.

Xu Yang said, "I had a moment of insight, so I stayed at an inn in the city for two days. Judging by your expression, Senior Brother, did something happen?"

Sun Tao nodded. "Two days ago, Han Xing and Ji Jincheng left the Sect and never returned. Someone discovered signs of a battle at the foot of the mountain and suspects they’ve been killed. The Eagle Society is in complete chaos now.

The Purple Sun Sect is a grand Martial Arts Sect, yet people die here every single day. You’re always going up and down the mountain, so you have to be careful. That old dog Xiao Hua is completely inhumane."

As he spoke, he couldn’t resist cursing Xiao Hua again.

The thought of dying right after leaving the Sect gates really made him break out in a cold sweat for Xu Yang.

They had been at the Purple Sun Sect for a little over three months, and more than ten Outer Disciples had already died. Many of them died without a trace, and no one even knew who the killer was.

This time, even someone as strong as Han Xing had been killed.

If even someone like Han Xing’s safety couldn’t be guaranteed, what chance did someone like him, who was weaker than Han Xing, have?

Moreover, Han Xing’s death didn’t cause much of a stir. The Purple Sun Sect’s leadership didn’t care in the slightest. Only the members of the Eagle Society went out to search; the Sect itself did nothing.

"Junior Brother, tell me, we fought for our lives to get through the Martial Arts Examination, only to end up in a place like this... was it worth it?"

At that moment, Sun Tao was filled with regret.

He’d come here only to be worked like a dog, with no guarantee of safety. He could die any day. ’If I’d known it would be like this, I would have been better off staying in Qingyuan and living like a lord.’

With his strength, even if he couldn’t run rampant in Qingyuan County, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about being killed without even knowing when or why.

"That’s why they’ve always sealed off any news about the Sect from the outside world," Xu Yang said.

Regret was useless. You simply couldn’t know what the Purple Sun Sect was really like. It was only when they were about to arrive that Li He had revealed a few details.

If people knew how cruel the Purple Sun Sect was, they would never have so many newcomers.

"Huh... Xu Yang’s back. It’s so good to see he’s alright."

Just then, Zhao Zhifei, Zhang Yong, and Jiang Ping walked into the courtyard.

Zhang Yong remained silent, but the attitudes of Jiang Ping and Zhao Zhifei toward Xu Yang had changed dramatically. Now that they were being treated as expendable pawns by Cao Rong and his cronies, they finally understood how wise Xu Yang’s earlier decisions had been.

Xu Yang nodded and returned the greeting with a cupped fist. He noticed that none of the three looked well.

"What’s wrong?" Sun Tao asked, his voice grave.

The three of them wouldn’t have come looking for him together unless something was wrong.

Jiang Ping looked grim. "Cao Rong and Yun Feng have assigned us a mission to capture the cub of an Exotic Beast. We have to leave the Sect and enter the Yunling Mountain Range."

The Yunling Mountain Range was both a treasure trove and a deathtrap.

It held countless treasures, but it was also home to innumerable powerful Exotic Beasts. Of all the missions offered by the Purple Sun Sect, those requiring entry into the Yunling Mountain Range were the most dangerous.

Sun Tao’s expression shifted. Cao Rong and Yun Feng were being utterly shameless.

Zhang Yong said, "We’re afraid we won’t make it back this time, so we came to ask you, Senior Brother Sun, to hold onto our contribution points. If I don’t return, they’re yours."

With that, he took out a few contribution points and handed them to Sun Tao.

It wasn’t much, only five points.

Jiang Ping and Zhao Zhifei also fumbled in their clothes, pulling out a few contribution points and some silver banknotes. They stuffed them into Sun Tao’s hands, asking him to keep them safe. They didn’t want to die out there and let their belongings fall into someone else’s hands.

"If you’re going to die either way, why not rebel against Sharp Wind Hall and fight for a sliver of hope?"

Sun Tao’s anger surged, his eyes turning red. He felt no joy at their offer.

He was a Direct Disciple of Lin Cheng in Weiyuan Hall and was on good terms with everyone.

The way Zhang Yong and the other two were acting was no different from someone settling their final affairs, and it ignited his fury.

The three of them fell silent. It wasn’t just their own lives on the line; their families were being held hostage as well.

The Cao Family and the Yun Family were both members of the Four Great Clans of Qingyuan County. If the two families joined forces, no other family in Qingyuan County could stand against them.

The three departed quickly, leaving Sun Tao to vent his anger alone. For Yun Feng and Cao Rong to act so outrageously, they naturally had the power to back it up.

Xu Yang returned to his room, cultivated for a while, and then went to bed.

He woke up in the afternoon, planning to grab a meal at the dining hall before heading to Cyan Yang City.

Just as he reached the entrance to the dining hall, he ran into Qin Ze and Chen Jiang, who were on their way out.

All three froze for a moment. In all their time at the Purple Sun Sect, this was the first time they had run into each other at the dining hall.

Chen Jiang’s expression quickly returned to normal, but Qin Ze looked slightly awkward.

He had been the one to form the Alliance and invite Xu Yang to join, only to disband it without even telling him. Even though he had mentally prepared himself for this moment, he still felt a pang of shame.

It wasn’t just shame toward Xu Yang; it was also the shame of having bowed down to a greater power. It felt as if Xu Yang was seeing him kneeling and kowtowing to Xiao Hua, a truly pathetic image.

"I hope you can understand..." Qin Ze mumbled.

But he found that Xu Yang paid him no mind at all, walking right past as if they were strangers.

Qin Ze’s expression froze on his face, an indescribable look of mortification.

"Why bother explaining to him? It’s his own fault for messing with someone he shouldn’t have," Chen Jiang snorted.

He had made a clean break and drawn a clear line between them.

Qin Ze, however, wanted to have it both ways. He wanted to distance himself to avoid being implicated, yet he also hoped Xu Yang would understand their plight and not resent them. This hypocrisy, in fact, made him even more sickening than Chen Jiang.

Xu Yang hadn’t intended to acknowledge them, as he genuinely understood their difficult position. But upon hearing Chen Jiang’s words, he turned back and shot him a cold glare before entering the dining hall.