Soaring the Heavens

The bloody aftermath of the battle was gradually shrouded under the rolling sands. The carpenter and stonemason looked at one another, then sighed simultaneously. They found the outcome a little hard to believe.

"Back at the tavern, I've confirmed his cultivation. This kid has quite an astonishing cultivation speed. In just about a hundred years, he managed to climb up to Blue Lotus Fifth Grade all the way from White Lotus First Grade. There aren't many in the cultivation realm who possess such aptitude for cultivation. And now, he actually single-handedly defeated two Red Lotus cultivators with his Blue Lotus Fifth Grade cultivation. Not only was he not afraid of death, he actually went head-on against his opponent! This kid has got some balls!" The carpenter sighed in astonishment.

The stonemason quipped, "Was he not ballsy already when we first met him? It was hard enough for a mere White Lotus First Grade like him to survive, yet he even tried to save us, and challenged the Ghost cultivator and all those zombies by himself. That said, this kid's spear technique is quite powerful indeed. Even though that final attack relied much on the transcendent artifact's abilities, the might behind that surekill technique seems to have far surpassed the limitations of his cultivation."

With a placid expression on her face, the Lady Boss said, "Even all those years ago, I could already tell that the kid's spear technique wasn't ordinary, and I've even speculated on the identity of his master. Now, it seems his technique has become even more powerful than it was back then. It's as though it has already attained some kind of profoundness of its own. This isn't something that can be taught. That technique has long surpassed the limits of his cultivation. Even if someone were to teach him such a technique step by step, it would be a fruitless attempt. He could have only achieved such a feat through his own comprehension."

The carpenter sighed. "For a Blue Lotus Fifth Grade cultivator to kill a Red Lotus cultivator, and two of them at that. Even though he relied heavily on the power of his transcendent artifact, this was still not a feat that anyone can achieve!"

Suddenly, the stonemason noted, "If I remember correctly, the two guys that took him away just now seemed to be the two Yao cultivators that the tavern asked to leave all those years ago? There's no way they belong within the Celestial Nation's administration. Not only did they choose not to run away the second they encountered such a dangerous situation, they didn't covet the kid's transcendent artifact either. It seems like they're rather close to him! Even though he's a Manor Head from the administration, he's able to make friends with Yao cultivators. It seems the kid is quite the sociable guy!"

As the stonemason said this, the carpenter quickly shot him a glare. The stonemason was taken aback, but he quickly realized his poor choice of words. There was another sociable man once upon a time who ended up changing the Lady Boss's entire life. Feeling anxious, the stonemason shot a furtive glance at the Lady Boss.

However, the Lady Boss simply pretended not to hear his comment. As she flew up to the sky, she said, "Stop dwelling on this already. Didn't the kid just say that he was going back to the tavern? Let's head back and take a look."

With their cultivations, if they really wanted to eavesdrop, there was no way Miao Yi's loud voice could escape their ears...

After making their way back to the tavern, the Lady Boss didn't return to her room to cultivate, for once. Instead, she took the scholar's spot, checking through the accounts behind the counter. Meanwhile, the other two, now joined by the scholar and the cook, sat themselves around a table, conversing amongst one another in hushed voices.

However, even as the sun went down, there was no sign of Miao Yi returning. The Lady Boss and the others couldn't help wondering if the whole thing was just a ruse meant to deceive them. Miao Yi had realized that they were listening in, so he intentionally gave them false information. In truth, he wasn't planning on returning at all.

Hanging by the front door of the tavern were a chain of red lanterns on one side, and a chain of white lanterns on the other. These indicated the impartiality of the Tempest Tavern.

As time passed, the Lady Boss guessed that Miao Yi probably wasn't going to come back, and she stepped out of the counter. As she was about to head back to her room, the rest of the group in the hall suddenly turned to look outside.

Outside of the mud wall, an arm suddenly burst out of the sand, then a human figure, looking as if it was pushed out by a strong force. The person groaned in pain as he fell on the courtyard.

The two people who pushed him out quickly disappeared into the hole; they didn't show their faces.

Miao Yi struggled to get himself up, making his way to the door with staggered steps. He leaned on the railing, panting heavily, the pale expression on his face offset by the bloodstains. He looked weak and wretched, waving to the people inside as he said, "I'm back. A business opportunity has just made its way right up to your doorstep. Someone come over and give me a hand!"

It's not that he didn't want to come back; he was simply too scared. As a safety precaution, he had Pi Junzi dig the entire way back. He had travelled such a long distance on his dragon steed. For Pi Junzi to dig the entire journey back, and avoid being noticed by anyone else on top of that, it was evident how strained Pi Junzi must have been.

The Lady Boss tossed him a scrutinizing gaze. Seeing him make it back alive, she feigned ignorance and turned her head back around, showing off her voluptuous figure as she slowly strutted back to the rear courtyard.

The scholar and the others looked at one another, and also pretended not to have seen anything, returning back to their own work. They also stopped some of the employees who wanted to go help Miao Yi up.

'Damn it! They charge such high prices, and they still treat their customers like this! This shady tavern!' Miao Yi grumbled to himself. Seeing how everyone was ignoring him, he gritted his teeth and struggled to the counter. Then, his legs finally gave way, and he had to lean on the counter. With heavy breaths, he knocked on the counter. "Innkeeper, give me a room!"

The scholar was also leaning on the counter. Looking straight at Miao Yi, he smiled and asked, "Oh wow! Didn't you say you weren't coming back? Why are you here again so soon? And I even forgot to ask for your room plaque back in the morning. Were you trying to run away with our tavern's property?"

Miao Yi's legs turned completely to jelly, and his whole body sank down on the counter. He revealed a weak smile, saying, "I must have forgotten about it. You guys should have reminded me. And, umm, stop teasing me already. You can see how I look like. I'll really collapse if I waste any more time talking."

The scholar continued to show him that beaming face as he asked, "How many days would you like to stay, sir?"

"Ten more days!" Miao Yi no longer had the energy to count his gold crystals properly. He simply gritted his teeth and firmly placed a hundred low-grade Orbs of Will down on the counter.

Although he wanted to leave Flowing Clouds Dune Sea as quick as possible, he could barely even move in his current condition. The last time he used this technique back in the Sea of Constellations, he had been unable to battle anyone afterward for days on end. He had a vague estimate of the duration; it would take him at least five days to recover this time as well.

With a cheerful smile, the scholar slowly counted the orbs. Seeing how annoyed Miao Yi was, desperately hanging by the counter with just his chin, the scholar finally tucked the Orbs of Will away and said in a gentle voice, "That room is still vacant. You can just continue staying in your original room."

"You son of a b*tch!" Miao Yi cursed with the last of his energy. He then crashed to the ground; he was completely drained. The other party had drained him of whatever energy he had to keep himself up on the counter. He couldn't crawl back to his room even if he wanted to now.

Fortunately, a kind-hearted person walked over to him. With hands behind his back, the cook circled around Miao Yi once, then pulled him up by the collar and dragged him back to the rear courtyard.

Miao Yi rolled his eyes in disdain. He highly suspected that this cook was just thinking of dragging him into the kitchen and butchering him like livestock.

Thankfully, his imagination didn't come into fruition. The cook dragged him all the way back to the rear courtyard, then just tossed him onto the bed after entering the room. After that, the cook shut the door behind him and disappeared.

"This shitty tavern! Shady tavern!" Miao Yi cursed. With much difficulty, he grabbed a bunch of Orbs of Will and tossed them into his mouth. He didn't even have the energy to count how many orbs there were, nor was he strong enough to sit cross-legged. He just lay on the bed and recovered. Eventually, he fell asleep, with the Orbs of Will still in his mouth. That 'Single Spear: Ten Deaths' technique was simply too exhausting to pull off...

At the Celestial Nation's Chamber of Commerce branch, inside the isolated room on the third floor, Guo Shaohai was sitting cross-legged as the white-haired old man stood firmly by the side and reported, "Miao Yi's group has encountered a mishap. According to the loose cultivators who escaped, they were attacked by two Red Lotus cultivators as soon as they stepped outside of this area. Some of the loose cultivators recognized their assailants as the assassins of Peony—Liu Yun and Liu Sha. Furthermore, based on what the loose cultivators said, it seems that the other party was after Miao Yi."

Guo Shaohai's faintly shut eyes abruptly opened when he heard this, his eyes gleaming as he asked solemnly, "Miao Yi was attacked again?"

The white-haired old man bowed slightly. "When those loose cultivators were running away, they saw that Miao Yi and the others were already engaged in battle with the two assassins. They don't know what happened after that though. However, we received word just now that Miao Yi has already returned to the Tempest Tavern. It seems he's heavily wounded. As for the other troops, there isn't any news on them at the present moment."

His eyes gleaming as he fell into deep thought, Guo Shaohai was suddenly taken aback by the old man's statement. He asked in astonishment, "Miao Yi came back? He managed to escape from two Red Lotus cultivators?"

"Yes, sir! The only thing we know is that he's wounded. However, we are unsure of the extent of his injuries."

Guo Shaohai said solemnly, "First, it was the Hive Gang. And now, the assassins of Peony have set their sights on Miao Yi. The other groups are all fine. Why is he the only one who keeps getting into trouble? Don't you think there's something unnatural going on here?"

The white-haired old man replied respectfully, "I am not sure. Perhaps Miao Yi has made some kind of enemy. Those loose cultivators have made it very clear that the two assassins were only after Miao Yi."

"I sure wish that it's just a personal feud of his. But what if the Hive Gang was also after him specifically? As I recall, these two groups are up for hire, correct?" Guo Shaohai asked in a cold tone.

The white-haired old man was slightly confused, but as he quickly pieced two and two together, he couldn't help his shock. He asked, "That can't be possible, can it?"

Guo Shaohai scoffed. "If these two groups were after him specifically, then we have a big problem on our hands. The details of their route as well as the timing are all highly confidential information. There are only a handful of people who know about this. What does it mean for Miao Yi to be attacked the second he set foot in the desert? It means that someone on our side has leaked the information!"

He then narrowed his eyes and asked coldly, "This entire mission was organized by Taibao, correct?"

The white-haired old man immediately replied, "There is no way that Master Huyan would leak the information. And even if he did, there's no need for him to go to such an extent just for a little Miao Yi."

Guo Shaohai's gaze turned incredibly icy as he slowly said, "I sure hope so! Arrange for someone to get in touch with Miao Yi and ask what happened exactly!"

"Sir!" The white-haired old man acknowledged, then excused himself.

That same night, an expressionless white-robed person entered the tavern. They handed over the payment at the counter and was then led to the rear courtyard by one of the employees.

Not long after, a spirit eagle flew over from across the night sky. Miao Yi's windows and door were tightly shut, so the eagle had no way of going in. As such, it landed on the railing in front of Miao Yi's door and cawed. However, there was no sign of Miao Yi stepping out of his room.

In contrast, the white-robed person who had just checked in quickly came over. They quietly made their way to Miao Yi's door, fed the spirit eagle then set it off into the sky.

It seemed that this person was using this method to determine the exact location of Miao Yi's room. It wouldn't be wise to knock on every single door after all.

The person walked up to Miao Yi's door and gently knocked. However, it seemed the door wasn't even closed. It easily opened up with a gentle knock. The white-robed person furrowed their brows, then pushed open the door and stepped inside, quickly disappearing into the darkness of the room.

Meanwhile, inside the small house located at the tallest point of the tavern, the Lady Boss was standing right behind the window and saw all that just happened from the tiny gap in the window. She couldn't help frowning faintly...

As soon as the white-robed person entered the room, they discovered Miao Yi snoring lightly as he slept on the bed. The white-robed person examined Miao Yi's face, and after making sure that this was the person they were looking for, they gently tapped on Miao Yi's shoulder. However, Miao Yi still didn't wake up. This was very strange. There was no way a cultivator could fall into such a deep sleep.

The white-robed person quickly placed their fingers on Miao Yi's wrist and examined his body. As they quickly found the reason behind his fatigue, they gently placed a palm on Miao Yi's body and injected him with transcendence energy.

Miao Yi slowly opened his eyes. When he saw that there was an unfamiliar face in the darkness, he was utterly startled. He then started coughing harshly, spitting out several dozen Orbs of Will. This ambush was a little too sudden, and the other party fell on the receiving end of Miao Yi's spit.