173: Run into an acquaintance

Liu Ruyan gazed at the distant sea horizon and softly continued, "Just the periphery has such an atmosphere; the full extent of this relic... I'm afraid it's beyond imagination."

"Alas, it's a pity. There are actually quite a few hidden Immortal Caves in the periphery, but Young Master Qi probably wouldn't be interested," Lü Feng sighed.

"You said the Three Great Factions appeared simultaneously this time. Are they targeting that mysterious palace in the core region?" Widow Lu suddenly asked in a hushed voice.

"Most likely!" Lü Feng nodded with a serious expression.

"If we go to the core region with our strength, wouldn't it be certain death?" Widow Lu shivered.

You immediately sent a voice transmission to Lü Feng: "Why don't you talk to Young Master Qi and suggest we check out that hidden Immortal Cave you found last time first?"

Lü Feng looked at you, a thoughtful smile appearing on his face.

Then he shouted towards the pavilion, "Young Master Qi, we discovered a hidden Immortal Cave last time. There might be some Opportunity there. How about we go take a look first?"

Young Master Qi's faint voice came from inside the pavilion: "Alright!"

Under Lü Feng's guidance, the spirit boat quickly flew in a certain direction.

Three days later, a black speck appeared on the distant sea horizon.

As the spirit boat approached, the black speck rapidly grew larger, transforming into a majestic island.

Upon closer inspection, continuous mountain ranges could be seen spanning the island. The entire island stretched for hundreds of miles, like a small continent.

Under Lü Feng's guidance, the spirit boat flew directly towards the highest peak in the center of the island. At the peak, the entrance to an Immortal Cave glowed with flowing light, faint patterns rippling like water.

However, at this moment, the Immortal Cave entrance was surrounded by over a dozen Loose Cultivators. From their positions, they seemed to be from different factions.

"When I came last time, this Immortal Cave was still obscured by a dense fog formation. I didn't expect it to be discovered so quickly," Lü Feng said in a hushed voice, a hint of surprise in his tone.

"Why aren't these people going in?" Liu Ruyan asked curiously.

"Every Immortal Cave is extremely dangerous. They might be waiting for others to scout ahead," Widow Lu said indifferently.

She paused, then continued, "Or... they're waiting here to ambush someone."

You scanned the several groups of Cultivators sitting around the Immortal Cave, and one group of three caught your attention.

The leader was a handsome man with an imposing demeanor. Behind him stood a beautiful and charming woman and a young girl.

Especially the girl with a ponytail, who was only about a meter tall, with a round face.

She reminded you of someone—Meaty from the Heavenly Sword Sect.

These three felt somewhat familiar to you.

"It can't be such a coincidence, can it?" you muttered to yourself.

The girl happened to meet your gaze and stuck out her tongue at you.

The handsome man smiled and nodded at you: "My disciple is mischievous, Young Friend, please don't take offense."

You smiled: "It's nothing."

You originally wanted to use your Divine Sense to probe their strength, but after thinking about it, you decided not to alert them.

At this moment, Qi Wei walked out and whispered to the old man beside him, "Elder Jia, what do you think?"

Elder Jia immediately spread his Divine Sense to probe the Immortal Cave.

Then he frowned slightly and whispered, "Young Master, the Restriction at the entrance of this Immortal Cave is very strange. It can block Divine Sense but doesn't prevent people from entering. In this old man's opinion, it would be better to let these people go in and scout first."

Qi Wei nodded, then scanned the Loose Cultivators on the various mountain peaks and called out indifferently, "Everyone, go in quickly."

"Someone has already gone in, but they haven't come out yet. Why don't you go in and try?" an old man chuckled.

"Exactly, why don't you go in first and take a look? We'll stand guard for you here," someone echoed with a laugh.

Clearly, these people did not recognize Qi Wei.

After all, Qi Wei's reputation was only effective in Tianyang City.

Hearing their words, Qi Wei understood—these people were guarding the entrance, planning to ambush anyone who came out.

Qi Wei smiled and looked at Elder Jia: "Elder Jia, teach them some manners!"

Elder Jia nodded slightly, no longer concealing his aura.

As his thoughts turned, a magnificent Nascent Soul pressure spread outwards like a tide—

This pressure was almost tangible, as if a thousand-zhang-tall mountain was crashing down. The faces of the Loose Cultivators on the surrounding peaks immediately changed drastically, and those with weaker cultivation had their legs turn to jelly, involuntarily kneeling on the ground.

"This... this is a Nascent Soul powerhouse!"

"How can a Nascent Soul Senior come to the periphery of this relic?"

"How unlucky, to encounter a Nascent Soul Cultivator like this."

Terrified whispers rose from the crowd.

The Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators were the most disheveled, their faces pale, veins bulging on their foreheads, and even breathing became extremely difficult.

Even Golden Core Cultivators could only barely circulate their spiritual power to protect their heart meridians, struggling to stand under the pressure.

However, everyone's gaze turned to the handsome man and the two women—

A faint golden light enveloped them, and the Nascent Soul pressure had no effect on them.

Only then did everyone understand that the handsome man was actually a Nascent Soul Cultivator in the Middle Stage.

Elder Jia looked over with a solemn expression, cupped his hands and said, "This old man is Jia Feiyang, a revered guest of the Qi Family in Tianyang City. May I ask Fellow Daoist for your name?"

The handsome man returned the salute: "Ziyang Star, Heavenly Sword Sect, Wuji."

Hearing the handsome man reveal his identity, you were slightly startled.

You didn't expect your guess to be correct.

Then the two women behind the handsome man must be Nangong Xueyu and Meaty, respectively.

You didn't expect them to have come here as well.

Elder Jia cupped his hands and said, "Fellow Daoist Wuji, it's a pleasure to meet you. How about we let these ants go in and scout the way? What do you think, Fellow Daoist?"

Peak Master Wuji shook his head: "I cannot decide the affairs of others."

Meaty, behind Peak Master Wuji, stepped forward: "Brother Wuji, this old fellow is clearly telling others to go to their deaths!"

Peak Master Wuji shook his head at her: "Have you forgotten what I told you before we left?"

Meaty pouted and mumbled: "Alright!"

Seeing this, Elder Jia coldly shouted at the others, "Everyone, you have two choices: either die by this old man's hand, or enter the Immortal Cave and fight for a slim chance of survival."

With that, he waved his hand, and the boundless Nascent Soul Power stirred the energy of heaven and earth, forming a black cloud that enveloped the sky.

Immediately after, countless streaks of light transformed into sharp blades, cutting across the wrists of many Cultivators, and a drop of vital blood floated in mid-air.

The next second, he formed a hand seal and cast a spell, throwing out several jade tablets that outlined mysterious runes.

The vital blood of those people attached to the jade tablets, instantly creating life tokens.

He looked at these Cultivators and said indifferently, "You have ten breaths to consider."

The Cultivators' faces were pale, but they had no choice. They transformed into streaks of light and fled into the Immortal Cave.

After only a few breaths, only two groups of people remained outside the Immortal Cave.

Everyone stared intently at the life tokens suspended in mid-air.

A quarter of an hour later, the light of the first life token dissipated—indicating that this person had died.

Immediately after, the second, third, fourth...

One by one, the life tokens extinguished.

Half an hour later, the light of all the life tokens had dissipated.

This meant that within a mere half hour, everyone who went in had perished.

Seeing this result, everyone's expressions turned solemn.