47: old acquaintance

The Wang Family Great Elder's face lit up with joy; this seemed to be exactly what he was looking for.

He quickly put down the other Jade Slips in his hand and immersed his mind in this Jade Slip.

However, as the content of the Jade Slip gradually imprinted itself on his consciousness, the joy on the Wang Family Great Elder's face disappeared, replaced by a deep gloom.

It turned out that of this entire Jade Slip, only this one sentence was useful; as for the rest, it was all jumbled, incomprehensible nonsense.

The Wang Family Great Elder felt stifled; the Immortal Cave owner's personality must have been extremely malicious.

It was as if he knew someone would come here, deliberately leaving this Jade Slip to raise one's hopes, only to then send them plummeting off a cliff.

Playing tricks on him.

At this moment, the other Elders also arrived. Seeing his gloomy expression, they were about to ask what was wrong.

The Wang Family Great Elder handed the Jade Slip to the four of them.

The four took it and examined it one by one.

Their reactions and expressions were exactly the same as the Wang Family Great Elder's.

After a while, the Sun Family Grand Elder spoke:

"With this one sentence, it can be proven that this Immortal Cave indeed belongs to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator."

"Since it's not here, then we'll search again."

Upon hearing this, the others dispelled the gloom from their faces and nodded in response.

They then checked the remaining Jade Slips before leaving the place.

As soon as they left, someone shouted:

"Grand Elder, there's a secret room here."

Upon hearing this, they followed the voice and quickly left the area.

Deep within the Immortal Cave, in front of a stone door, stood several Cultivators.

The voice had come from one of these Cultivators. Seeing the five arrive, he immediately stepped forward and said:

"Grand Elder, this stone room should be a place for secluded cultivation. We did not dare to open it without permission."

"Move aside!"

The Li Family Great Elder commanded in a deep voice.

The five came before the stone door, carefully examined it, found no traps, and then exchanged glances.

The Li Family Great Elder stepped forward, circulated his spiritual power, and pushed open the stone door.

The other four were inwardly vigilant, already prepared for defense.

The imagined danger did not arrive.

Only when the stone door was completely open did the five relax.

This stone room was not large; it was quite spacious inside.

There was only a bed, seemingly made of crystal, against the far wall.

A shriveled, emaciated figure sat cross-legged upon it, shrouded in a black cloak that concealed his entire face in darkness.

A Jade Slip rested on the figure's lap.

Seeing what was in the room, the five's hearts stirred again, filled with fervent excitement.

This withered figure must be the Immortal Cave's owner, but seeing that he had no vital signs, he had probably been dead for countless years.

The Jade Slip, placed so solemnly on his body, must be his Legacy.

The five's eyes flickered as they stepped forward, but their vigilance remained.

Each of them circulated their spiritual power, forming hand seals, ready to strike.

It wasn't until the five reached the figure that no change occurred, and only then did they slightly relax.

The Wang Family Great Elder took a step forward, came before the crystal bed, and bowed to the figure:

"Senior, I apologize for the intrusion."

After speaking, he reached out his hand, placed it on the withered figure's lap, and carefully took the Jade Slip into his hand.

"Hmm?"

The Wang Family Great Elder was about to retrieve the Jade Slip.

He saw a withered hand grip his arm, which held the Jade Slip.

The Wang Family Great Elder's face changed drastically. Spiritual power surged wildly from his hand, attempting to break free from the figure's restraint.

However, this withered hand was as heavy as a thousand jun, locking him firmly in place.

At this moment, the emaciated figure, sitting cross-legged, raised his head and looked at the five.

"It's you?"

"You're actually not dead?"

Not only the Wang Family Great Elder, but the other four also had drastically changed expressions. Without thinking, spiritual power surged wildly through their bodies, and they retreated towards the stone door.

As for the Wang Family Great Elder, his face was ashen, and no one came forward to save him.

But before the four could escape, the stone door slammed shut with a roar.

Spiritual power surged from the four, and Magical Artifacts bombarded the stone door.

Alas, the stone door only trembled slightly.

The four's faces were ashen, filled with despair and unwillingness.

"Don't waste your energy. Once you've entered here, don't even think about leaving."

The emaciated figure spoke hoarsely, his tone indifferent.

"At this moment, the entire Immortal Cave has been sealed. Not a single one of the people you brought will escape."

The figure continued, like a Yama King, directly pronouncing the death sentence for the Cultivators outside.

"Are you going to kill your Liu Family members as well?"

The Wang Family Great Elder's mind raced, seemingly finding a glimmer of hope.

"Heh..."

The figure chuckled softly, but did not answer.

The other four were startled; it seemed that since entering this Immortal Cave, they had not seen the Liu Family Second Elder again.

"Liu Minzhao, what profound calculations you have."

This emaciated figure was none other than the Liu Family Old Ancestor, Liu Minzhao, who was thought to be dead.

"I merely employed a small trick."

"If you weren't blinded by your inner greed, how would you have come here? In the end, it's just seeking your own demise."

Liu Minzhao chuckled softly.

He had returned severely injured, with not much lifespan left. If not for a certain exotic treasure in his Family prolonging his life, he would have died long ago.

However, this exotic treasure could not bring him back to life; it could only allow him to cling to life for a while.

He couldn't even leave this crystal stone bed.

If not for this, he wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to set up this arrangement here, luring the Five Families' Elders into this place.

"Although you are all Juniors, you are at least old acquaintances."

"On this Yellow Springs Road, with so many of you accompanying me, it won't be lonely."

Although Liu Minzhao said this, his face was filled with loneliness.

Who in the world doesn't want to live?

If he hadn't feared that after his passing, Liu Wenyan alone wouldn't be able to suppress these ambitious individuals, he wouldn't have been so ruthless.

Indeed, just as he expected, within a month of the news of his 'death', these people had already impatiently jumped out.

So, their deaths were not unjust.

"Kill him!"

As soon as Liu Minzhao finished speaking, the five simultaneously attacked, intending to ambush and kill Liu Minzhao here.

Killing Liu Minzhao would naturally lead to a way out.

"Heh..."

Liu Minzhao was not at all surprised by their actions. Seeking life in the face of death was human instinct.

"Explode!"

Liu Minzhao spoke inwardly, with a hint of unwillingness.

"Rumble..."

The entire Immortal Cave instantly shook violently, causing the entire Qilian Mountain to tremble.

The Immortal Cave collapsed, giant boulders fell, and brilliant light exploded. All living things within the Immortal Cave were reduced to ashes by such immense power and might, Liu Minzhao himself being no exception.

Outside the Immortal Cave.

Mo Xuan noticed that the Liu Family members had quietly retreated after everyone entered the Immortal Cave.

His intuition grew increasingly uneasy.

Sure enough, not long after, the entire Qilian Mountain began to shake.

Everyone outside's faces changed, and they all retreated frantically.

Then, a thunderous roar shook the heavens, and the entire Qilian Mountain was reduced to ruins, a cloud of dust engulfing the sky.

The remaining members of the Five Families, seeing this sudden change, their expressions drastically altered, and a sense of unease spread throughout their bodies.

One Immortal Cave had actually buried half of the Five Great Families' elites, including several Late Qi Refining Stage Elders and the strongest individuals from each Family.

The Five Families were severely weakened by this, their Origin Qi greatly diminished.