Chapter 831 - 829: Black-Scaled Thunder Horse

Chapter 831: Chapter 829: Black-Scaled Thunder Horse

Returning to the outside of Courtyard Seven, Xu Yang knocked on the door.

There was no response from within, but footsteps echoed out. Soon, someone opened the courtyard door.

"Did Yong send you?" the young man inside asked, sizing Xu Yang up.

"Indeed," Xu Yang nodded slightly.

"Come in."

Xu Yang stepped into the courtyard, surprised to find three people already there. Aside from the young man who opened the door, there was a middle-aged man and an old man. Including him, that made four.

"Fang Yeheng?" the old man looked at Xu Yang in surprise.

Xu Yang raised an eyebrow slightly. In his mind, he instantly crossed into the Minor Immortal Realm to slap the unconscious Fang Yeheng awake. As he walked further in, he looked at the old man and smiled leisurely. "I didn’t expect Mr. Wu to be here as well."

He had gotten his answer. This old man was Wujiang, one of the older residents of Hualuo City. He wasn’t particularly close to Fang Yeheng; they had only interacted a few times and had no grudges against each other. This made Xu Yang feel slightly relieved. It was better that they weren’t close.

"Mr. Wu, do you know what this is all about?" Xu Yang asked curiously.

Counting him, there were four people in the courtyard, all at the Peak of Celestial Immortal. He only recognized Wujiang.

Wujiang smiled bitterly. "I don’t know either."

The young man who had opened the door earlier laughed. "What’s there to worry about? Yong is a direct descendant of the Ye family. I’m guessing we’re going to the Evil Wind Abyss to look for something. The reward will definitely be generous."

That made sense. However, Ye Yong was acting so mysteriously that it was probably not going to be that simple.

"Hmm?" Xu Yang’s pupils suddenly shrank as he discreetly glanced at the backyard.

He faintly sensed an extremely weak trace of a bloody and murderous aura. It didn’t seem like something left behind by a cultivator, but rather like it was leaking from some kind of bloody, evil artifact. It was somewhat similar to the bloody aura he had sensed outside Courtyard Nine just now. This discovery shook Xu Yang. This was Ye Yong’s courtyard. Could it be...

Just then, the courtyard door was pushed open from the outside, and a figure strode in. It was none other than Ye Yong.

"Yong."

"Mr. Ye."

The group hurriedly bowed in greeting.

Ye Yong swept his gaze over the four of them and said flatly, "Everyone is here. Fang Yeheng, Wujiang, Duan Yalou, and Li Zheng, you should get to know each other. The four of you are all extremely familiar with the Evil Wind Abyss. I’ve gathered you together this time to search for a certain item."

The four men exchanged glances, wondering what exactly they were supposed to find.

"A Black-Scaled Thunder Horse!" Ye Yong enunciated every word.

"A Black-Scaled Thunder Horse?" Wujiang muttered subconsciously. The next moment, his eyes widened abruptly. "A Black-Scaled Thunder Horse? There’s a Black-Scaled Thunder Horse in the Evil Wind Abyss?"

"Hiss, Yong, is it really a Black-Scaled Thunder Horse?" Duan Yalou, the young man who had opened the door for Xu Yang, was filled with shock and disbelief.

"That’s right," Ye Yong said calmly. "I accidentally discovered the residual tracks of a Black-Scaled Thunder Horse in the Evil Wind Abyss, but I couldn’t find the beast itself. This time, as long as we find the Black-Scaled Thunder Horse, each of you will receive a Fake Golden Saint Elixir. The one who actually spots it will get an additional tier-three Immortal Technique."

GULP!

Wujiang swallowed hard, his eyes shining brightly. The other two men also looked excited.

Xu Yang immediately feigned excitement while continuing to question Fang Yeheng in his mind. He knew about the Black-Scaled Horse, but he didn’t know what a Black-Scaled Thunder Horse was. But judging from their reactions, this beast was clearly quite astonishing. Soon enough, he got his answer.

The Black-Scaled Thunder Horse was a mutated variant of the Black-Scaled Horse. This mutation usually occurred after the beast suffered a lightning strike or wandered into a Thunder Land, where its bloodline would be baptized and imbued with the power of lightning. A Black-Scaled Thunder Horse like this was a treasure from head to toe. Its immortal tendons, in particular, having been tempered and baptized by lightning, were comparable to tier-three materials—even for those at the Peak of Celestial Immortal. They could be used to forge incredible tier-three immortal treasures and were exceedingly precious.

At the same time, they were extremely rare. Surviving a tempering baptism of lightning was already an incredibly lucky occurrence, and the number of Black-Scaled Horses that could survive and achieve this mutation was countable on one hand.

Over the past century, only two Black-Scaled Thunder Horses had ever appeared in the Evil Wind Abyss. Each time, they caused a massive sensation, even drawing out Golden Immortals to fight over them. Armed with this information, Xu Yang finally understood why Ye Yong was being so secretive and offering such extravagant rewards.

The Fake Golden Saint Elixir could increase the chances of breaking through to the Golden Immortal realm. Even if a breakthrough failed, it could still significantly enhance the foundation of someone at the Peak of Celestial Immortal. It wasn’t something that could be bought with just tens of millions of tier-two Immortal Crystals. As for a tier-three Immortal Technique, that went without saying. For the cultivation levels of the four people currently in the courtyard, these rewards were extremely precious—opportunities that could only be chanced upon, not sought after.

Logically speaking, as a direct descendant of the Ye family, Ye Yong had the immense power of his clan at his disposal. Yet he had chosen to recruit four outsiders instead. It was obvious that he was afraid of being exposed and wanted to keep this a secret. Although he was a direct descendant of the Ye family, a Black-Scaled Thunder Horse was too precious; if he captured and raised it until it broke through to the Golden Immortal realm, it would be even more astonishing. However, if the Ye family found out, it would undoubtedly no longer remain his private property. Wujiang, Duan Yalou, and Li Zheng had clearly picked up on this as well, choosing not to pry any further.

"Let’s move out." With that command, Ye Yong shot up into the sky.

The four men exchanged glances and quickly followed.

In his heart, Xu Yang wondered if Ye Yong had any connection to Xueze. Although Ye Yong’s personal strength wasn’t overwhelming, his status as a direct descendant of the Ye family was no small matter. If Xueze had a stronghold here, having Ye Yong on their side would undoubtedly make things much more convenient and provide excellent cover for their sleeper agents. But these were all just guesses; he had no solid proof.

As they left Hualuo City and approached the Evil Wind Abyss, Xu Yang suppressed his distracting thoughts. He would focus on finding the Black-Scaled Thunder Horse first. Once they returned, he planned to conduct a thorough investigation under the cover of night. Once he confirmed his suspicions, he would strike directly.

Upon entering the Evil Wind Abyss, Ye Yong took out four Pocket-sized Talismans and handed them over. "If you find any trace of the Black-Scaled Thunder Horse, crush this immediately. Through it, I’ll be able to sense your location and rush over at top speed.

"Since the four of you are extremely familiar with the Evil Wind Abyss, you should also know the habits of the Black-Scaled Thunder Horse. I’ll leave the tracking to you. All I care about is seeing that beast," Ye Yong said, his expression turning stern.

The four men nodded hastily.

Ye Yong waved them off.

Xu Yang and the other three exchanged glances, and without wasting any words, they each picked a direction and sped off. The one who found it would earn an extra tier-three Immortal Technique, so naturally, they weren’t going to search together.

Watching the four depart, a grim look flashed across Ye Yong’s face.

"If I find the Black-Scaled Thunder Horse, I will possess a treasure capable of threatening a Golden Immortal. Its resources will even allow me to take my cultivation a step further.

"As for these four, they’re perfect for me to refine into four Primordial Spirit Blood Soul Arrows."

His muttering faded. Ye Yong’s body flickered, and he sped off into the depths of the abyss.

Not long after he left, a ghostly figure suddenly emerged from beneath a cliff face, not far from where he had been standing.

Xu Yang stared off into the direction Ye Yong had taken, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Primordial Spirit Blood Soul Arrows... Forging arrows from the Primordial Spirits of cultivators. Even if you claimed you had no connection to Xueze, I wouldn’t believe it."

This was arguably the most useful piece of information he had obtained so far.

Ye Yong had mastered the Evil Refining God Skill. The faint bloody and murderous aura present in both his courtyard and Courtyard Nine was proof enough of his ties to Xueze. Now that he had a clear target, everything would be much easier to handle.

Xu Yang immediately followed Ye Yong’s trail from the shadows.

As for the Black-Scaled Thunder Horse? He would let the other three waste their time looking for it. The Fake Golden Saint Elixir and tier-three Immortal Technique were completely useless to him. Besides, even if they did find the beast, Ye Yong had no intention of leaving them alive.