Mangniu Ridge

The next day, Xiang Yang finished making his preparations, changed into the Ice Toad Robe, strapped the Demon Suppressing Blade Casket to his back, and set out with Xuan Qingzi and his three-man party for Mangniu Ridge, more than a hundred li away.

Along the way, Xiang Yang learned more about Xuan Qingzi and his disciples. The three truly had come from a proper Daoist lineage, but their hearts were crooked. They had long since been expelled from their sect and now scraped out a living guarding a small Daoist temple of their own.

Xuan Qingzi himself was something of a talent. He had combined Daoist internal cultivation and qi-refining arts with unorthodox harvesting and supplementation methods. Though he had lost the essence of orthodox internal power, he had gained greater depth and force, making him a notable figure among acquired martial artists.

The four traveled on, crossing mountains and ridges and passing through several small villages before finally reaching a range of layered peaks, thick with a vast and ancient wilderness aura.

"Mangniu Ridge lies in a remote place. Wolves, tigers, leopards, poisonous insects, and bogs are scattered throughout the mountain. Even the most skilled hunters dare not come here. That is why High Person Six Yin chose it as his dwelling place, where few outsiders could disturb him."

As Xuan Qingzi explained this to Xiang Yang, two young men in black, their yin aura gloomy and chilling, darted down from a small path on the high ridge and approached them.

At the sight of the two men, Xiang Yang's heart turned cold as ice and snow. With a sweep of his spiritual perception, he gave a slight nod. Their internal strength was decent, even stronger than Xuan Qingzi's two disciples, who cultivated unorthodox arts. They were likely either