“We’ll divide the Diamond Sand first then flee!”

Zhuo Fan was getting eager to get his share of the spoils when he saw the glittering dust and gave the two the cold shoulder.

Xue Ningxiang and Xie Tianyang smiled bitterly.

Ever since they ran into Zhuo Fan, they were led by the nose. Zhuo Fan did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

The same went for abusing the critter and setting an array to steal all Diamond Sand.

But all turned out fine in the end, everything he did was flawless and brought success. So, despite Zhuo Fan making no sense, which added to their worry, the two believed he had a failsafe in place.

So Xie Tianyang dropped the issue and was excited by all the glittering dust before him.

Whoosh!

The dust flowed like water out of the net and filled a one-meter tall bucket; and that was just a third.

So everyone started taking out any containers they had from their rings, and the coveted Diamond Sand soon filled vessels of all shapes and sizes.

Seeing such a haul, Xie Tianyang was smiling in excitement.

At first, he hoped to use the Burrowing Mouse to get a bit of Diamond Sand, and now, with a weirdo like Zhuo Fan around, they got everything in no time at all.

In refining a 5th-grade spiritual weapon, a handful of Diamond Sand was enough to raise its power, making it a top 5th-grade spiritual weapon. But with heaps of Diamond Sand, who knew how many such weapons could be made, and he could even add as much dust as he wanted in the refining process.

When refining, people would add a gram, fuse it well, then add another gram; thereby increasing the amount of Diamond Sand progressively.

[With this much yield, it’s even possible to make a pure Diamond Sand spiritual weapon, ha-ha-ha…]

Xie Tianyang started laughing. Despite his high position in Sword Marquise Abode and not being poor in the least, compared to the Diamond Sand before him, it was no different than being a beggar…

Zhuo Fan saw Xie Tianyang laugh, his eyes flashed as he turned back to the glittering sand with a smirk.

[Sword Marquise Abodes’s disciples are ignorant of the world outside!]

Zhuo Fan then stashed half of the sand into his ring while he spoke in a flat tone, “This is my share and the rest is yours!”

Xie Tianyang blinked, then smiled, “No worries, it’s fine if you take a bit more!”

They had struck it rich this time. So, even with Zhuo Fan taking half, it was more than enough for the other two.

But in the end, this wealth was divided in two, with Xue Ningxiang having no interest in it. Compared to having such a precious item, she’d rather get out of Blue Expanse City.

Zhuo Fan only took his share, leaving her’s untouched. Xie Tianyang secretly nodded and took the rest of the Diamond Sand, and asked Zhuo Fan, “How do we escape now?”

Whoosh!

Zhuo Fan’s hand held a small bottle and took three red pills out. He ate one and gave the rest to the two.

“This is a 1st-grade pill, Energy Concealing Pill. It can hide our auras for a whole day and let us pass through the second area while not attracting spiritual beasts.”

Xie Tianyang looked at the pill with amazement, “That’s great! Where did you get it?”

Allbeast Mountain Range was a treasure trove that had the continent’s cultivators drooling over for thousands of years. Too bad the spiritual beasts were a bit savage and kept the cultivators at bay. If they knew such a pill existed, they’d be fighting over it. Moreover, it was just a 1st-grade pill!

As far as Xie Tianyang knew, the continent didn’t have such a pill, or wouldn’t the cultivators be flocking here by now?

Xue Ningxiang was also amazed.

Zhuo Fan scratched his nose, “I made it, it is unique to me!”

Xie Tianyang shouted, “You’re a freakin’ alchemist too?”

Perhaps he was a bit too amazing that Xie Tianyang even had to resort to curses. But Zhuo Fan couldn’t care less, which was evident from his shrug, “Yep, the more skills the better!”

The shock got to Xie Tianyang so badly that his cheek was twitching.

[Who the hell is this punk? He’s a Qi Condensation cultivator, yet can match me, a Bone Tempering cultivator. And now he’s an alchemist too?]

[Not only that, but he also sets up a lost array and refines unprecedented pills!]

Until now he thought that he had met a paragon like himself, just another strong opponent like the few geniuses he found his match in, in the seven houses.

But with Zhuo Fan revealing that he was also an alchemist, gave Xie Tianyang’s psyche a heavy blow. Next time around, he’d never say that he was a genius, at least not when Zhuo Fan was present!

Xie Tianyang swallowed the pill and jumped across the stream and into the second area, “Let’s go.”

Zhuo Fan and Xue Ningxiang were startled, [What’s up with him?]

They didn’t know that this proud and conceited genius had just fallen from cloud nine all the way down into the mortal quagmire.

Two hours later, a gray figure landed next to the stream. It was the seventh elder.

His face was red with rage when he saw the steaming lava, and his hawk-eyes flashed with killing intent.

“Someone… someone pulled the Diamond Sand here…”

Squinting, the seventh elder huffed a few times then calmed down. But the coldness on his face grew thicker.

He looked around and muttered, “They just got the Diamond Sand and shouldn’t have run far. If they stayed in the first area, death was only a matter of time. Then…”

The seventh elder turned to the opposite bank with a sneer, “Think you can get rid of me with parlor tricks?”

Then he soared into the second area!

A hundred miles out, Zhuo Fan’s party was running when a sudden cawing came from behind followed by crows taking to the sky.

Zhuo Fan stopped and looked back with a frown.

“What?” Xie Tianyang and Xue Ningxiang also stopped.

“What’s going on?” Zhuo Fan muttered, “That elder is charging right into the second area!”

“What?” Xie Tianyang was anxious, “What now? He will catch up in no time.”

Zhuo Fan sighed, “I don’t know. I thought that the elder would first search the first area after inspecting the lava, just to be sure. Thus, buying us enough time. Moreover, the second area is notoriously dangerous, so I guessed he wouldn’t come here to search so soon. That is why I picked this area to flee.”

“And by the time he’d figure it out, we’d have a six-hour lead. And for his safety in the second area, he’d be flying far slower to avoid 4th level spiritual beasts. At that point, we’d be in the third area and he’d ultimately given up the chase. In that area, he will be in the same boat as us, food for the spiritual beasts. So he’d never go in after us.”

Zhuo Fan squinted, “Yet he went for the second area from the start. In this case, we only have one hour lead. If he catches up to us here, we’re dead!”

“Brother Zhuo, haven’t you heard of the seventh elder and what he is famous for?” Xie Tianyang asked.

Zhuo Fan was startled, “I only knew that a Hell Valley’s elder was stationed here, but not the details.”

Sighing, Xie Tianyang shook his head, “Know your enemy and yourself and you shall win a hundred battles. It’s normal for you to make a mistake when you don’t even know how dreadful the seventh elder is.”

“Dreadful?” Zhuo Fan frowned.

Xie Tianyang said in a severe tone, “He is greatly admired in Hell Valley, and even Valley Lord You Wanshan consults with him. Or he wouldn’t have left such an important city in the seventh elder’s charge.”

“You’re saying he’s strong?” Zhuo Fan’s brow twitched.

Xie Tianyang shook his head, “Not his strength, but his schemes! He is cunning and deceitful, known as the Insidious Demon. His mind is filled with schemes. Many elders of the seven houses have fallen in his ploys. Even Veiled Dragon Pavilion’s Elder Jiu lost his Purple Lightning Gold Eye because of the seventh elder’s plot.”

“Many hate him to the bone, but even more fear him!”

No wonder Zhuo Fan’s plan fell through. [He is another who plays open schemes. This kind of plot is useless against him.]

But the die was cast and Zhuo Fan’s only choice was to beat him at his own game!

“Brother Zhuo, our only choice is to leave lady Ning’er behind. With our speed, we may be able to escape the seventh elder’s clutches.” Xie Tianyang’s eyes flashed as he spoke firmly.

Xue Ningxiang shuddered and grabbed Zhuo Fan’s arm with a pitiful look, “Brother Zhuo, you promised to get me out.”

“Brother Zhuo, this is not the time to be soft. Leave her behind. She will stall the seventh elder while we escape!”Xie Tianyang’s mind was set.

Zhuo Fan squinted as he contemplated, then sneered at Xie Tianyang, “Humph, if not for my Energy Concealing Pill, you’d have thrown me away too.”

Xie Tianyang’s mouth pursed.

Zhuo Fan laughed it off and said, “I won’t abandon anyone. As for that elder, I have my way to deal with him. I will fight him right here, with an array!”

Xie Tianyang nodded after a careful ponder. He knew of Zhuo Fan’s skills in arrays and was certain that Zhuo Fan was an array grandmaster.

Xue Ningxiang was beaming as she heard him and was swinging Zhuo Fan’s arm on and on with a red tint on her cheeks.

But they both failed to notice Zhuo Fan’s odd smile at the end…