Li Tongya soared into the air with the couple and flew out of the market, heading southward for several hours.
He was not afraid of a sneak attack or siege from these rogue cultivators. After all, the cultivation technique practiced by the rogue cultivators was only of Grade One quality, having consumed various unrefined qi.
Even if three or five rogue cultivators surrounded him, they would not be able to hold him back, especially with his superior River True Essence. Li Tongya decided to assess the situation when they arrived.
As they traveled, Li Tongya carefully discussed details with the couple. He discovered that the cave dwelling they sought was located on the south shore of Moongaze Lake, more than two hundred miles away from Lichuankou Village.
The twists of fate in this world are truly unpredictable. Our family has been farming the south shore for decades, yet we never stumbled upon this cave... Xu Yangping and his wife simply landed on this small continent in the lake for a rest, and by chance, they encountered this valuable discovery during the great drought.
While silently caught in his thoughts, Li Tongya spotted an ordinary-looking man seated on the jagged rocks ahead, with a long saber resting on his knees. He seemed to be meditating.
“Brother Zhang!” Xu Yangping landed and called out with a smile, cupping his fists.
The man turned to face Xu Yangping.
“This is Brother Zhang Yun, a Qi Cultivator who has attained the third heavenly layer and is quite knowledgeable about formations... he just arrived at Moongaze Lake a few days ago to visit the market and has kindly agreed to assist us,” Xu Yangping quickly explained.
Zhang Yun quickly got up and cupped his fist respectfully, silently observing Li Tongya’s River True Essence. Xu Yangping proceeded to introduce Li Tongya to him.
In return, Li Tongya cupped his fist in respect.
As he observed Zhang Yun’s bright and thorough true essence and listened to his claims of expertise in formations, Li Tongya secretly evaluated him.
I suspect this person isn’t just a rogue cultivator. There’s no Zhang Family in this region, and if he isn’t using a false name, he likely has connections to the three sects and seven gates.
While Li Tongya remained vigilant, Zhang Yun continued to explain patiently—though his excitement was evident.
He pointed toward the water beside the small continent.
“During your absence, I studied this cave dwelling... it appears to belong to a cultivator of the Foundation Establishment Realm, dating back at least two to three hundred years,” he explained.
Upon hearing this, Xu Yangping’s eyes lit up with excitement as he exclaimed, “That’s rare indeed!”
Zhang Yun nodded.
“I’ve heard that in ancient times, Moongaze Lake was known as the Great Moon Pool, spanning an area of three thousand miles and was abundant with Mountain Pool Spiritual Qi... in fact, this was where the Moonlight Origin Mansion used to be located. There were numerous cave dwellings, but as the landscape changed, the lake gradually dried up—leaving only the present Moongaze Lake,” he spoke, his eyes unreadable.
Unable to contain her curiosity, Lin Jingyi eagerly asked, “Do you know how to get us inside, Brother Zhang?”
“Of course.”
Zhang Yun nodded confidently. The group performed a series of hand seals and cast Water Avoidance Spell on themselves before stepping into the water, stopping at a break in the riverbed.
With a swift motion of his long saber, Zhang Yun revealed numerous patterns on the stone wall, followed by the emergence of a dazzling white formation.
Zhang Yun reacted quickly and performed another hand seal, shooting out three long and thin jade wedges, each nailing into the formation. With a strong tug, three long and thin glowing white chains materialized in his hands, each connected to the jade wedges.
“Take these, fellow Daoists,” he instructed as he tossed out two chains to the other two men with him. Together, they poured their mana into the jade wedges.
This guy really sure knows a thing or two...
Li Tongya felt as though he had broadened his horizon as he channeled his mana through his hand. He grew more convinced that Zhang Yun had an extraordinary background, and his presence here could possibly be calculated.
Li Tongya began meticulously scanning the surroundings around him, searching for potential escape routes.
With heightened caution, he made a conscious effort to conserve his mana. After a full day of channeling mana, they finally saw the silver formation begin to flicker as night fell. After a slow night, the formation finally shattered—revealing the dark abyss that was the entrance to the cave dwelling.
As a huge amount of lake water rushed in, they swiftly cast a few Water Avoidance Spells at the entrance to block it.
Standing before the dark entrance, the four hesitated. A silent exchange ensued, their eyes meeting in a moment of mutual hesitation. In each other's gazes, they discerned the same shade of uncertainty.
“Shall I go first?” Zhang Yun offered, brandishing a light yellow wooden shield from his storage bag.
Xu Yangping looked at the dharma weapon in his hand from behind him, then followed silently behind Li Tongya with a serious look on his face.
After only a few steps into the cave, a foul stench invaded their senses, immediately causing the couple to gag. Li Tongya, who had been holding his breath since entering the cave remained unaffected and unfazed.
He silently glanced at Xu Yangping, and the two immediately recognized the vigilant look in each other’s eyes. Their true essences surged, poised for action at a moment's notice.
Xu Yangping seems to have doubts about Zhang Yun’s true intentions... if he was indeed working with Zhang Yun to deceive me, he wouldn’t get Lin Jingyi involved in the first place. Looks like he has sensed that something must be off, hence becoming on guard.
As if in response to his thoughts, Xu Yangping’s voice echoed in Li Tongya’s mind. It was transmitted through his spiritual sense and his voice was tinged with apprehension.
“Brother Li, I fear this man may not be an ordinary rogue cultivator. Jingyi and I must have misjudged him... I fear this won’t end well for us.”
Zhang Yun surveyed the cave dwelling ahead of them, the glow of the spell in his hand illuminating every corner of the cave.
Within the cavern, a wide space unfolded. At its center stood a towering crystal column, adorned with the coiled skeleton of a massive snake. Among the eerie white bones and fangs, a lone blood-red orb was suspended inside its jaws.
The orb hovered gently, emitting a faint crimson light that contrasted starkly against the pristine white lance embedded in the ground—its silver gleam casting an ethereal glow throughout the cave.
The spiritual qi within the cave dwelling was as rich as in the cave dwelling on Mount Meiche. This cavern, spanning several acres, seemed to stretch endlessly into the depths, its atmosphere tinged with an overwhelming yin qi.
“Oh, it seems we’ve stumbled upon a demon general’s lair!” Zhang Yun exclaimed, kicking aside decayed bones before turning back to address Li Tongya and the couple with disappointment.
“I thought this would be a cave dwelling that belonged to a cultivator of the Foundation Establishment Realm... but it seems like it belongs to a serpent demon instead!”
Xu Yangping and the others shared in Zhang Yun’s disappointment. Demons of Foundation Establishment Realm have taken form, and often possess knowledge in formations and alchemy. However, demons were notorious for their lack of inheritance, preferring to consume spirit items rather than passing them down to others... This meant that there would not be much left for them to discover.
“There were countless little snakes in this cave, but all of them have been preyed upon by the demon and turned into sustenance for its cultivation,” Zhang Yun remarked as they navigated through the labyrinth of snake remains.
The group explored the entirety of the cave. All of the remains, bones, and ashes in there belonged to either humans or animals—their belongings, including their storage pouches, had vanished.
“Hmm?” Zhang Yun muttered as he scanned the surroundings with his spiritual sense. From the ashes, two jade slips emerged. After a brief inspection of them, he tossed them aside in disappointment.
“What a poor demon... it must have exchanged all its treasures into spirit items and spirit elixirs to aid in breaking through to the Purple Mansion Realm... the jade slips have been sealed. Since the demon couldn’t sell them, they were left here buried in the ashes,” Zhang Yun explained as he turned around to face his companions.
He chuckled and continued, “The Purple Mansion Realm is no easy feat to achieve!”
“What are the contents of those two jade slips, Brother Zhang?” Xu Yangping asked inquisitively as he cupped his fist in respect.
Zhang Yun shot him a glance before replying.
“One of them is the Blood Dharma Manual from my sect—the Golden Feather Sect—while the other is the long-lost River Mountain Sutra of the Lingyu Gate after it was destroyed. You’ll need the secret seal of the Golden Feather Sect to unlock the first one, and a secret technique to unlock the other one... both of you should just give up on them.”