Chapter 1969, Liu Yan? Translator: Silavin & PewPewLaserGun Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys “Are you sure you want to give me these dual swords? Their value must not be low,” Yang Kai looked at Mo Xiao Qi and asked with a frown. “If Brother Yang feels it’s inappropriate, does he want to exchange it for the broadsword I accepted?” Xu Qing asked eagerly to the side. He was not a fool and clearly understood which of these two artifacts was more valuable. Yang Kai simply glanced at him and smiled coldly. Xu Qing could not help but gawk for a moment before he scratched his head awkwardly. Mo Xiao Qi on the other hand just smiled helplessly and said, “But I don’t have an artifact Big Brother Yang needs, only these dual swords reluctantly comply with your request. If Big Brother Yang does not dislike them, please accept them.” “En... Since you’ve said as much, then I’ll respectfully accept,” Yang Kai took the dual swords from Mo Xiao Qi’s hands and threw them into the Sealed World Bead, sending them directly to the Monster Insect Queen to allow it to refine them. Only after these swords disappeared did Xu Qing and Yu Ruo Mei take back their reluctant gazes; however, thinking about how they had a super-rich teammate by their side, and about what other benefits they could obtain from her, the pair calmed down and exchanged a glance, seemingly communicating with each other secretly. Mo Xiao Qi did not seem to notice this scene at all and instead was just delighted that all three of them had accepted her gifts. Smiling, she asked, “Then we have a deal? If we can really catch that little guy later, if everyone can keep their promises, Xiao Qi will be very thankful.” “Of course, of course,” Xu Qing wore the same gentle smile on his face again from before. “We shouldn’t delay then,” Yang Kai urged. At this moment, many different teams had already assembled outside Clear Jade Mountain while others had already entered to search. Yang Kai was very worried about Liu Yan’s current situation so he didn’t want to wait any longer. “En, follow me,” Mo Xiao Qi turned around and led the way. “Brother Yang, please!” Xu Qing smiled and stretched out his hand. Yang Kai calmly said, “You two can go first, I’ll bring up the rear!” Xu Qing smiled lightly and did not refuse, “In that case, we will be troubling you, Brother Yang.” Saying so, he immediately moved forward. Yu Ruo Mei also rushed past Yang Kai and nodded lightly as she entered Clear Jade Mountain. Yang Kai looked around for a moment before chasing after the group. Clear Jade Mountain Range extended for hundreds of thousands of kilometres in all directions, and its depths were filled with many fierce beasts. However, Yang Kai’s group of four consisted entirely of Third-Order Origin Kings, so even if a Dao Source Realm-level Monster Beast were to appear, they would still be able to fight back. As such, this group did not show much tension. What’s more, they were not penetrating far into the mountains so there wouldn’t be any truly powerful Monster Beasts. Mo Xiao Qi really seemed to know the exact location of the Firebird and, after entering Clear Jade Mountain, she did not even hesitate to lead the group forward at a rapid pace. Her performance also gave Yang Kai some additional confidence. However, what surprised Yang Kai was that as Mo Xiao Qi traveled forward, she didn’t put up her guard against them at all, as if she really trusted all three of them from the bottom of her heart. As for Xu Qing and Yu Ruo Mei in the middle, covert Spiritual Energy fluctuations were being exchanged between them as they obviously conversed with each other in secret. The two of them felt they were being quite discrete, but in front of Yang Kai’s powerful Divine Sense, which had completely surpassed the level of Third-Order Origin King, they were unable to hide anything. At this time, Mo Xiao Qi had a mysterious origin, Xu Qing and Yu Ruo Mei were acting sneakily, and Yang Kai had ulterior motives from the start. Who would be able to laugh last was uncertain. Along the road, the sound of rushing wind could be heard occasionally, obviously signs that other teams were present and searching for the Firebird’s whereabouts. However, as time passed, such disturbances became less and less frequent. The place the four of them were travelling towards seemed quite a bit deeper into Clear Jade Mountain. After half a day, Mo Xiao Qi, who was leading the way, stopped suddenly, the other three coming to a halt right behind her. “When I saw it last time, it was just over that mountain. Everyone should prepare to fight,” Mo Xiao Qi reminded everyone. Xu Qing and Yu Ruo Mei nodded as they began to circulate their strength in preparation to take action. But Yang Kai frowned because he would have sensed Liu Yan a long time ago if she was really close by, yet even now, he didn’t feel a hint of Liu Yan’s aura, which meant there were only two possibilities. One was that Liu Yan had left this mountain to search for a new hiding place. The second possibility was something Yang Kai very much did not want to see, that it wasn’t Liu Yan here in Clear Jade Mountain, making it obvious why he couldn’t sense her. Mo Xiao Qi used a Secret Technique to conceal her aura while Xu Qing and Yu Ruo Mei did the same. The Secret Techniques used by the three of them all varied, and it was clear at a glance which was stronger and which was weaker. After Mo Xiao Qi executed her Secret Technique, her aura completely disappeared. If he wasn’t able to see her directly with their eyes, even Yang Kai felt he would find it difficult to sense her. It was clear she had cultivated an extremely high-grade Secret Technique. Xu Qing and Yu Ruo Mei were completely different. Although their techniques were not bad from Yang Kai’s perspective, they were still completely incomparable with Mo Xiao Qi. Yang Kai also used his Secret Technique to conceal his aura. Nihility! However, he did not use the full power of Nihility and instead only partially activated it. This way, he did not have to worry about revealing his mastery of Space Force while still sufficiently concealing himself. What Yang Kai couldn’t think of was that after he displayed the weakened version of his Nihility Secret Technique, Mo Xiao Qi would turn and glance at him, a look of doubt flashing across her beautiful eyes before she quickly turned back again. [Did she... notice something?] Yang Kai was surprised. The four of them moved forward silently, and soon, they arrived at a certain terrace on the mountain. Looking down from there though, Mo Xiao Qi couldn’t help exclaiming. “What happened?” Xu Qing was surprised. “It’s not here anymore,” Mo Xiao Qi spoke aloud as she stood up and flew directly into the mountain valley below. The remaining three looked at each other and no longer bothered concealing themselves as they followed after Mo Xiao Qi. In the mountain valley, there seemed to be traces of a recent battle, with flames still burning in the surrounding as well as the smell of burnt flesh lingering in the air, inducing a sense of nausea. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎 Such a scene made everyone’s eyes shrink. However, the current situation also confirmed that Mo Xiao Qi had not lied. The Firebird really did live here before, but probably killed a few of its enemies and fled after being disturbed by these people. “Isn’t that... the third Elder of the Jiang Family?” Xu Qing looked down at the corpse of an old man in brown robes and whispered. Obviously, he recognized this old man despite the severe burns on his body. “How strong was this person?” Yang Kai asked. Xu Qing’s face turned solemn as he said, “The Jiang Family is among the top forces in Maplewood City. Their third Elder was a well-known figure with a Third-Order Origin King cultivation, comparable to us!” “Is that the Vice Palace Master of Red Leaf Palace? He actually died here?” Yu Ruo Mei covered her red lips with her hands as her beautiful eyes shook. Among the various dead cultivators here, there were a total of at least eight Origin Kings, with several being Third-Order. Eight Origin Kings had joined forces but were still killed by that Firebird. This discovery caused Xu Qing and Yu Ruo Mei’s expressions to sink. The eight corpses in front of them made them suddenly feel that their approach to this situation was a bit too sloppy. It was obvious they had greatly underestimated the strength of this Firebird. After all, the two of them plus Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi only made four Third-Order Origin Kings. In terms of number and overall strength, they were definitely not any better than the eight dead corpses in front of them. This group had been brutally killed, so how could the four of them succeed? At this point, Xu Qing and Yu Ruo Mei could not help feeling the urge to withdraw, their faces gloomy. Yang Kai frowned as well. He was well aware of what Liu Yan’s strength was, and even if she was not weak, she couldn’t kill this many powerful enemies at once. The hesitation of the three was apparent to Mo Xiao Qi, so she quickly comforted, “Don’t worry too much. Although that little guy killed this group, it was also injured.” “How do you know?” Yang Kai looked up at her. “There are bloodstains on the ground,” Mo Xiao Qi smiled slightly, pointing to a place nearby. Over there, a puddle of red blood covered the ground, but this blood was actually burning with red flames. Yang Kai had not paid much attention before, but with Mo Xiao Qi’s reminder, he finally noticed it. [It’s not Liu Yan!] The moment Yang Kai saw this pool of flaming blood, his heart filled with disappointment. The Firebird in Clear Jade Mountain was obviously not Liu Yan! Because Liu Yan was an Artifact Spirit that had no physical body, even if she became injured, it was impossible for her to bleed. And judging from the situation around this bloodstain, this blood contained an unimaginable scorching power that could continue to burn for quite some time. Realizing this, Yang Kai lost most of his enthusiasm. The reason why he came to Clear Jade Mountain was that he thought Liu Yan was here. Now that he had learned the truth though, he was naturally disappointed. “If that’s the case, we may really have a chance,” Xu Qing frowned thoughtfully. Although the Jiang Family Third Elder’s party had died here, they had definitely caused some damage to the Firebird, so if the four of them were well prepared, they might not necessarily fail. “If we really encounter that Firebird, what should we do? Shouldn’t we discuss this carefully before deciding whether to proceed?” Yu Ruo Mei asked. The eight dead people in front of her made her feel uneasy, and if it weren’t for her greed towards Mo Xiao Qi, she would have already left. Although treasures were good, one first needed their life to enjoy them. “En, we should discuss this carefully. Let’s talk about our Secret Techniques and methods briefly so we can cooperate smoothly when the time comes,” Xu Qing suggested. Hearing what he said, Yang Kai immediately shot him a meaningful glance. Mo Xiao Qi, however, just smiled and waved her hand confidently, “No need, once we meet him, you three only need to help me tie him down for a time. I can take care of the rest.” Saying so, she put on a look of absolute confidence, not that any of the others knew why that was.