e Sun?
Qi Ping cast only a single glance, yet a powerful, scorching sensation rushed toward him! The Law-Dao Rhyme contained within the manual was incredibly intense. With just this, Qi Ping could tell that this cultivation technique was extraordinary.
"Because time was short, I could only find this manual for you, Brother Qi. I currently only have two Foundation Establishment techniques on me. The other is a secret transmission of my sect, so this is the only one I can give you."
Meng Yan continued his explanation. "However, the quality of this technique is considered top-tier among Foundation Establishment manuals. I struggled with choosing which one to use for my own breakthrough. In terms of raw power, the Golden Flame Manual is actually superior. It is only because the other technique is more suited for artifact refining that I chose it."
Hearing Meng Yan's explanation, Qi Ping spoke with deep gratitude. "Brother Meng, this is already more than enough! If not for you, I would have struggled to obtain even the most common Foundation Establishment technique. This is perfect for me!"
Qi Ping was self-aware. Being able to obtain a manual of the Golden Flame Manual's caliber was a stroke of immense good luck.
As he took the manual, Qi Ping handed a storage bag to Meng Yan. Inside were the ten thousand spirit stones he had earned from selling honey over the past six months. Meng Yan might make excuses to refuse the money, but Qi Ping could not simply not pay. In fact, he intended to pay slightly more than the market value.
However, just as the spirit stones touched Meng Yan's hand, Qi Ping's expression suddenly shifted.
Through the bee swarm, he received a frantic warning: two auras at the Foundation Establishment stage were approaching his position at full speed! A moment later, Meng Yan's expression also changed drastically. Two Foundation Establishment auras were streaking toward them from the distance with terrifying velocity.
"Brother Qi, leave quickly! These two are from the Moxiao Sect and the Heaven-Fire Pavilion. I will stay behind to cut them off! Run! Do not hesitate—I might not be able to hold them for long!"
Meng Yan's voice was urgent. He thrust the storage bag back into Qi Ping's hands and drew his massive hammer, charging toward the incoming cultivators. He did not know how they had tracked him here, but he would never allow Qi Ping to be implicated or killed because of him.
Thinking of this, Meng Yan's aura surged. His muscles bulged instantly, and scorching, resilient fire spiritual energy, infused with the True Meaning of Fire, wrapped around his great hammer. Like a fierce beast, he lunged at the two approaching figures.
The two Foundation Establishment cultivators saw Meng Yan immediately enter a berserk state, and their expressions wavered. They had experienced Meng Yan's strength before. Although he was only a newly ascended early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, his desperation made him terrifying. They had no desire to die alongside this madman. Consequently, the two immediately shifted from offense to defense, planning to weather Meng Yan's assault together. Meng Yan's injuries had not yet healed; he wouldn't be able to maintain this intensity for long.
On the other side, Qi Ping remained calm despite the sudden outbreak of a Foundation Establishment battle. While he was normally cautious to the point of appearing cowardly, that was simply to avoid drawing the attention of Golden Core or Nascent Soul powerhouses. It did not mean he was afraid of a fight. If there was a reason he must fight, he would never be soft-hearted.
Qi Ping glanced at the Golden Flame Manual, the storage bag Meng Yan had returned, and the sun hanging high in the sky. Could these two Foundation Establishment cultivators, who hadn't even triggered a sense of crisis in his Natural Perception, truly do anything to him?
In the blink of an eye, Qi Ping summoned Ya Ya from his spirit beast bag.
"Ya Ya, go help Brother Meng kill those two!" Qi Ping commanded urgently.
"Gah! Gah! (Understood, Boss! Leave it to me!)"
Realizing the situation, Ya Ya did not delay for a second. Transforming into a black-and-gold afterimage, the crow charged into the battlefield where Meng Yan and the two cultivators were locked in combat. As for Meng Yan, the two-legged beast who had once helped it, Ya Ya would certainly not allow any harm to come to him.
In the battlefield, although Meng Yan's offensive was as fierce as a tiger after forcing his spiritual energy, he was, after all, heavily wounded. Facing two cultivators at once, his situation was becoming precarious. Meng Yan knew that if this continued, he was doomed. He needed to confirm that Qi Ping had escaped so he could use his own life-saving methods to flee.
However, just as he tried to check on Qi Ping, he sensed a new Foundation Establishment aura rushing toward them! Meng Yan's heart tightened. Two opponents were already his limit—how could he fight a third?
Just as despair began to take root, he realized something was wrong. This aura... why was it so familiar? The image of a large crow that loved sunbathing immediately appeared in his mind.
'It couldn't be...'
But how was it possible? He truly could not link this Foundation Establishment aura to the large crow whose strength had once fallen to the mid-level of Rank 1.
He had been shocked enough when the crow, with Qi Ping's help, had recovered to the peak of Rank 1 and evolved into a Sun-Fire Crow. Back then, when Ya Ya had puffed out its chest and told him it would pay back his kindness whenever he needed help, Meng Yan had felt a bit of pride. He believed he would never truly need the help of a crow.
It wasn't that he thought Ya Ya was weak; on the contrary, he respected and admired the bird, which was why he had gone through the trouble of finding it a master who could restore and nurture it. He simply had enough confidence in his own strength and his arrangements in Qingshi County to handle any hardship. And throughout the Qi Refinement stage, that had been true.
But once the Foundation Establishment battlefield opened and he was forced to break through, he had slowly begun to lose ground. Eventually, he had to rely on his master's influence to arrange an exit from Qingshi County. Even now, he didn't know how his trail had been discovered.
The recent string of events had taught him that there was always someone better. The war between sects was far more unpredictable than he had estimated. As a pawn, no matter how clever he was, he remained just a pawn. And now he had fallen to this state—he wasn't even sure if he could escape.
What Meng Yan expected least was that, in such a dangerous situation, the one charging into the fray to save him would be that sun-loving crow from the attic!
Sure enough, a gold-and-black figure soon appeared. Wrapped in golden-red flames and surrounded by dense solar power, it slammed into his two opponents with unstoppable force!
The moment Ya Ya appeared, Meng Yan recognized it. Though its size and appearance had changed significantly, he was certain this was the crow that had once basked on his balcony.
Especially when Ya Ya, after blasting the two back with a single move, turned its head and shouted:
"Gah! Gah! (Little brother Meng Yan, your Lord Crow is here to help!)"
"Gah! Gah! (Leave the rest to me! Beneath the sun, these two-legged beasts won't be making any waves!)"