Li Gang self-introspected after the battle!
'I was lucky that he was injured in his foot, otherwise killing a rank 3 Warrior would have been difficult! It seems the Spirit Dragon Clan is hunting me down. It must be because I ignored their majesty and entered the portal before them. But it's good that I knew about it beforehand. I was suspicious before too, but being suspicious and having a confirmed judgment is a huge difference, even though it doesn't seem much different. Now the enemy is in the open, and I am in the shadows. I can make use of this fact to loot them properly! If you want to kill me, then you should be prepared to lose something.'
As he was thinking these things, he also took out all the possessions of Long Xuan. He looked through all the space rings Long Xuan possessed, and was surprised to see that Long Xuan was so poor.
Li Gang murmured, "Why is my luck so bad here? The great Spirit Dragon Clan Warrior doesn't possess anything more valuable than this grade 4 sword? It's a pity that I don't use swords, but it can be used to deceive others!"
What Li Gang didn't know was that those great clans and sects had hierarchical divisions, and only based on their contributions were they awarded Spirit Weapons and other resources.
Li Gang collected the Beastly Core and thought, 'Removing traces is quite time-consuming. No one is going to find me with just these traces anyway. As long as I remove the traces of poisons in these traps and his body, it will be fine!'
Then, he started burning Long Xuan's body. He didn't leave until he saw with his own eyes that the body had turned to ashes. After that, he removed all possible traces of poison he had left nearby. Then he immediately started moving in the opposite direction of the river's flow.
'I have been traveling through these rivers all this while, but met only a few people. It is very likely that most people were teleported in the opposite direction. I have wasted a lot of time. They may have already gathered their allies and may even have found the inheritance!'
With that thought, Li Gang continued his journey deeper into the forest, in the direction opposite to the flow of the river.
At the same time, somewhere in the Small World, inside a certain cave.
Wang Xueyao looked into the void in a certain direction and said, "Come out!"
A sudden surge of Spiritual Essence filled the cave as a man with an immortal-like temperament appeared. Despite his presence, he looked at Wang Xueyao humbly and said,
"As expected of the Great..." The man paused and then continued, "someone like me can't comprehend you!"
Wang Xueyao looked at him coldly. "Have you been targeting 'him' all along?"
The man said, "What can I do? It is the order from above. We have to eliminate all the variables that may threaten this world."
Wang Xueyao frowned. "He isn't a threat at this moment. He doesn't even possess a 'Special Ability.' How did you judge him as a threat? You should be aware of that, since as the one in charge of this place, you should be able to monitor every existence here, even their…" She paused and didn't continue.
The man looked at her and said in a deep, unquestionable tone, "Whether he possesses them or not, it is my duty to eliminate all the variables, no matter how insignificant."
She suddenly changed the topic. "I don't care what hindrance you cause him, but as long as you don't go too far, I won't interfere. I hope you understand what I mean—after all, he is the husband 'I' approved!"
The man was shocked and immediately began sweating. "Then, if he is under your care, I wouldn't dare to cause him the slightest harm."
Wang Xueyao rejected it immediately. "Don't think too much. He is just 'my' husband."
The man immediately understood her implication. "Okay, I understand!" Saying that, he left. Wang Xueyao looked at the void where the man disappeared and smiled coldly.
"Do you think I don't know what those 'guys' are plotting? Although these Wanderers are sent here as a threat to this world, the main reason they are targeting them is for those 'fragments.'"
At the same time, in the void, a sigh of relief sounded.
"Finally got rid of her. Even though she is just a clone, she is terrifying! I couldn't even withstand her murderous aura! Since she doesn't mind, then there's no need to change plans. I don't know what she is thinking, but as long as it doesn't hinder the bigger plan, it won't matter anyway."
18 months later, Somewhere in the Forest5th September, Year 42020 of the Elemental Era
An average-sized camp had been formed, and the area was bustling. Many people chattered, and many were excited.
In a certain tent, a young man opened his eyes and sighed.
"I still haven't reached the peak stage of rank 3, but I am only half a step away. In a few weeks, I will definitely reach it."
This was a camp of Azure Mountain locals. Here, the Wang family, the Li family, and many other small villages had set up their own camps separately, but also together at the same time.
Li Yuxong came out of his tent and saw many people gathered. He looked at Li Cheng and asked,
"What happened, Uncle Cheng?"
Li Cheng replied in a solemn voice,
"The Shadow Phoenix Sect has executed Li Gang. They sent his head to the Spirit Dragon Clan in exchange for 50 Soul Stones!"
Li Yuxong was shocked. "What?"
His eyes turned red, tears welled up, and his voice cracked. He fell to his knees and said tremblingly, "How? How can Big Brother fall? I don't believe it. Say, Uncle Cheng, is it possible that they faked this?"
Li Cheng looked at Li Yuxong and said, "I am afraid not, young master Xong. He was brutally murdered by that bastard from the Shadow Phoenix faction about 6 months ago."
There was a great distance between their faction and the Shadow Phoenix faction, and so, it had taken this long for the information to reach them.
Li Yuxong wiped his tears and said in a deep and firm voice, "I promise, I will avenge him. I will kill anyone who harmed him."
Li Cheng sighed. That day the entire camp was filled with a heavy atmosphere, after all, Li Gang was the son of the Village Head.
The next day, Li Yuxong came to Li Cheng and said, "Uncle Cheng, I will leave today for a journey. I will look for opportunities on my own."
Li Cheng was shocked and immediately refused. "No, young master Xong, you can't do this. The Li family will depend on you. I can't let you do something so dangerous."
Li Yuxong said solemnly, "I am not requesting you, Uncle Cheng. I respect you, so please don't stop me. I have decided. I will now go on a journey alone."
His face, his expression, and his behavior, they all had signs of sadness. He continued with his resolute eyes. "A caged bird may be safe, but it will never learn the sky was meant for its wings. Uncle, I must leave!"
Li Cheng realized that Li Yuxong had made up his mind and sighed as he thought of Li Hao. 'Forgive me, Senior Brother Hao, I can no longer take care of him.'
He said, "Okay, but you have to be careful and return safely."
Li Yuxong nodded, collected everything he would need, then went to one of the tents and asked, "Is the map available?"
The man said, "Yes, young master, there are still 23 pieces available."
Li Yuxong nodded, took one, and started leaving.
As he was leaving, he heard many people murmuring.
"Li Gang was the son of the Village Head, Li Minghui. It's a pity that he didn't possess as good a talent as Li Yuxong."
"Yes, if he had even B-grade talent, maybe he wouldn't have been caught."
"23"
"He was also a humble person. I hope God gives his soul peace."
After living for over a year in this environment, Li Yuxong had learned many things—even about the true inheritance that would open within 3 years.
He looked at the map in his hand and started planning his future journey.
A year ago, the map of the Small World had somehow been leaked and made available to everyone. Now, everyone knew where the camps of each faction were, and even the inheritance.
The true inheritance was at the center of this Small World, from where countless streams of rivers spread throughout like the roots of a tree.
At the top of the map, the camps of the Spirit Dragon Clan, Shadow Phoenix Sect, and Moonlight Sect were marked, while at the bottom were the Thunderous Peak Sect and the camp of the Azure Mountain faction. The Azure Mountain faction had been created 3 months after the map was leaked. But there were still over 30% of people who hadn't joined because they were unaware of it. Even if you had a map, if you weren't aware of your current location, the map was entirely useless.
There were also many regions marked here, and some dangerous regions were highlighted as well.
The place where Li Yuxong was heading was the one marked 23. Each region was numbered. Regions 20–25 lay between the Thunderous Peak Sect and the Azure Mountain faction.
As he was moving toward his destination, he suddenly saw a young man with a few companions going in the same direction. Li Yuxong was shocked and immediately yelled,
"Big Brother, stop!"
The party was surprised, and everyone turned to look at the source of the sound. But Li Yuxong's momentary happiness turned into sadness as the young man turned around.
There were three members in the party—a young man and two middle-aged men. One of the middle-aged men was quite thin, and the other was burly.
Li Yuxong murmured, 'He is not him.'
Sometimes, hope is crueler than despair. Despair only kills you once, but hope brings you down every time it breaks!
He immediately apologized. "I am sorry, I mistook you for another person."
The young man looked at him and said cheerfully, "It's fine. It seems you are separated from your elder brother."
Li Yuxong responded with a bitter smile. "Yes, I am separated." He could no longer continue.
The young man introduced himself.
"Come on, don't worry about it. You will meet him again soon. If you are going in the same direction, would you like to come with us? I am Ren Ying, and these are our partners."
Li Yuxong also introduced himself. "I am Li Yuxong, native of Azure Mountain."
The slim middle-aged man also spoke. "My name is Jin Lei, and this is my partner Cao Wei. We are lone cultivators."