Senior's Cave Mansion

However, the middle-aged man was still unconvinced. The broadsword in his hand kept swinging as he continuously fended off Yang Lingtian's attacks.

Yang Lingtian's gaze was icy. His figure suddenly moved, and in an instant, he appeared behind the middle-aged man again.

The longsword in his hand stabbed down viciously. The middle-aged man turned around in terror, able only to receive the strike head-on.

With a resounding clang, sword and blade collided. The middle-aged man was sent flying and crashed heavily to the ground.

The broadsword in his hand nearly slipped free, while a large amount of blood sprayed from his mouth. His face turned pale.

Terror and despair filled his eyes. "You... how can you be so strong? What cultivation level are you?"

From beginning to end, Yang Lingtian had not used Spiritual Power, relying solely on swordsmanship and physical strength to beat the man into the ground.

As a result, his opponent still could not discern Yang Lingtian's actual cultivation level.

Yang Lingtian looked at him coldly, the longsword in his hand pointed at him, its tip still trembling.

"I gave you a chance, but you failed to seize it. Now, all of you can go to hell."

Yang Lingtian's voice was cold and low, sending shivers down one's spine.

The middle-aged man also knew that he was no match for Yang Lingtian, so he hurriedly begged for mercy in terror. "We failed to recognize Mount Tai and offended you."

"Please spare us. All the Spirit Stones and treasures on us are yours."

"Too late!" Yang Lingtian said coldly.

He raised his sword and was about to finish off the middle-aged man when the latter hurriedly shouted,

"Wait! I have an important piece of information. I hope it can buy me my life!"

Yang Lingtian's brows furrowed slightly. "Oh? What information could buy your worthless life?"

"Tell me. If I think it's useful to me, I may consider sparing you."

The middle-aged man immediately replied, "My men heard some rumors outside."

"In a dense forest to the north, there is a Senior's Cave Mansion where an expert once cultivated. According to the rumors, it belonged to a peak Foundation Establishment expert."

"People speculate that there are many treasures inside, even spiritual weapons, martial techniques, and various medicinal pills."

Yang Lingtian's heart stirred slightly when he heard this. "Is this information real? Could someone have spread it as false news?"

"People have already rushed over there. It should be true. We were planning to go there as well," the middle-aged man continued.

"Hmph. Since everyone else has already gone, am I supposed to go there and drink the leftovers?" Yang Lingtian snorted.

"That won't happen. It is said that a powerful Second-Order Beast is guarding the cave mansion."

"They can only wait until more people arrive and then attack the beast guarding the cave mansion together. Only then might they be able to enter."

"With your strength, you will certainly be able to get a share," the middle-aged man hurriedly explained.

"Oh? A powerful beast is guarding it, yet you told me to go. Are you trying to send me to my death?"

"This information is useless to me. It isn't enough to buy your life. Go to hell!" Yang Lingtian shouted harshly.

Before the middle-aged man could react, Yang Lingtian's swift sword pierced straight through his throat.

As blood gushed from his throat, the middle-aged man died just like that.

One could not show mercy toward people like this. Otherwise, they would come back for revenge later.

The remaining men were horrified when they saw their leader killed so easily.

They knelt one after another and begged for mercy, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

They were merely underlings, and Yang Lingtian could not be bothered to act personally.

After making them leave behind the Spirit Stones they carried, he released the group.

Bandits truly were wealthy. From this bandit group, he plundered nearly five hundred thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones and some first-order medicinal pills.

However, to Yang Lingtian, these were merely a drop in the bucket. They were nowhere near enough to let his cultivation break through again.

At this moment, he thought of the cave mansion mentioned by the bandit leader.

This cave mansion would surely attract many Foundation Establishment experts. As for Golden Core experts, they probably would not come.

After all, how could Golden Core experts possibly care about the cave mansion of a peak Foundation Establishment expert?

But it was only a rumor. Who could say for certain that the cave mansion did not belong to someone of an even higher cultivation level?

Thus, Yang Lingtian decided to go take a look. Perhaps he might even obtain some fortuitous opportunity.

Yang Lingtian traveled north for half a day before arriving at a lush forest.

A place like this would normally be deserted, but the farther forward he went, the more people he saw.

They must all have come after hearing the rumors.

"I heard that many Foundation Establishment experts from Qingfeng City have also arrived. They fought the beasts inside several times, but were forced to retreat helplessly each time."

"Exactly. I heard that several Foundation Establishment Early Stage experts even died in those battles."

"The beast guarding the cave mansion is simply too powerful. It's probably a peak Second-Order Beast, and I heard there's more than one."

"The news has already spread. Even more experts will probably come, and experts from other cities might show up too."

Along the way, Yang Lingtian heard everyone's discussion, which made him even more certain that there truly was a Senior's Cave Mansion ahead.

Before long, Yang Lingtian followed the crowd to a flat, open area that had been artificially carved out in the forest.

Several hundred people had already gathered there, clustering together in groups of three or five.

After sensing carefully, Yang Lingtian discovered that most of them were Qi Refining Stage cultivators.

That was understandable. The nearest city to this place was Qingfeng City.

There were probably only around a hundred Foundation Establishment experts there, and only a small portion of them could make it here.

Those Qi Refining Stage cultivators were probably merely the helpers or subordinates of the Foundation Establishment experts.

At that moment, a group of people in tattered clothes and miserable condition emerged from the depths of the forest.

Among them, several middle-aged men still had blood at the corners of their mouths, and their faces were pale. Clearly, they had suffered serious injuries.

Their return attracted everyone's attention. A moment later, discussions broke out.

"Looks like they failed again. They're the most powerful bandits in the nearby mountains."

"The one at the front is the chief. I heard his cultivation has already reached Foundation Establishment Late Stage. Even they were defeated."

"Hmph, those few people actually thought they could drive back the guarding beasts. Without dozens of Foundation Establishment experts joining forces, success is nearly impossible."

"Let's wait a little longer. Once there are more people, I refuse to believe so many of us still won't be able to break in."

"I heard Qingfeng City's Four Heavenly Talents have already arrived. Once they get here, they should be able to attack their way inside."

Hearing these discussions, Yang Lingtian immediately became interested and asked the person beside him, "Are the Four Heavenly Talents very powerful?"

The person beside him looked at Yang Lingtian suspiciously and replied, "You're from out of town, aren't you? You don't even know Qingfeng City's Four Heavenly Talents?"

"Yes, I only arrived in Qingfeng City recently, so I don't know much about the situation here." Yang Lingtian smiled faintly.

"All right, I'll tell you. The Four Heavenly Talents are Gu Jianfeng, Shi Weiran, Ling Mu'er, and Lei De."

"They all broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm before turning twenty-five. Ten years have passed now, and they have all reached Foundation Establishment Late Stage."

"It's practically certain that they'll break through to the Golden Core Realm in the future. By then, they'll stand among Qingfeng City's top experts."

"Don't be fooled by the fact that they're only at Foundation Establishment Late Stage. Their true strength is far greater than that of ordinary Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivators."

The person beside Yang Lingtian continued speaking at length, though it seemed he had simply been bored from waiting here for so long and thus explained everything in such detail.

Yang Lingtian, however, did not care about the so-called Four Heavenly Talents. He merely listened casually out of boredom.

Several hours passed. During this time, no one else dared to provoke the beasts guarding the cave mansion.

Yang Lingtian had originally planned to rely on his knowledge of beast speech to enter and take a look, but then he remembered that beasts and humans had always been enemies.

Now that such a huge commotion had been caused, the beasts inside had definitely already been enraged.

Even knowing beast speech probably would not convince them to let him enter. He could only wait and follow the crowd inside later.

Suddenly, several powerful auras came from the distance.

"It's the Four Heavenly Talents! They're here!" the crowd exclaimed.

Yang Lingtian looked toward the direction from which the auras came and shook his head, muttering inwardly,

These Four Heavenly Talents really know how to show off. They released their auras from so far away, as if they were afraid no one would know they had arrived.

The arrival of the Four Heavenly Talents instantly drew everyone's attention, and their eyes were filled with awe.

Most of the people here were from Qingfeng City. The Four Heavenly Talents had long since made a name for themselves there, and their strength had already become deeply rooted in everyone's hearts.

Yang Lingtian, however, remained disdainful.

The so-called Four Heavenly Talents were only famous in a small place like Qingfeng City.

If they were placed in a larger lineage or sect, such talent would merely be considered decent.

However, the four of them were often the center of attention, which had fostered a certain arrogance in them. Their eyes were filled with contempt.

It was as though, in their eyes, everyone present was nothing more than trash!

Gu Jianfeng swept his gaze across the crowd and sneered, "So many people, yet you can't even break into a cave mansion."

"You still had to wait for us to arrive. You really are a bunch of useless trash!"

The crowd's expressions changed slightly. Though displeasure showed on their faces, none of them dared say anything.

After all, the strongest people here were the Four Heavenly Talents.

If they accidentally offended them, they would certainly suffer the consequences.

Yang Lingtian was also highly displeased. Without the slightest fear, he gave a cold snort.

"Heh, what are you bragging about here? If you have the ability, charge in alone and take a look."

Gu Jianfeng turned his head toward Yang Lingtian, his gaze turning sharp.

"What did you say? Where did you come from, you wild brat? How dare you question me!"

In an instant, everyone's gaze turned toward Yang Lingtian, and astonishment appeared on their faces.

"We're doomed, we're doomed. This kid actually dared to speak to Gu Jianfeng like that."

"Of the Four Heavenly Talents, Gu Jianfeng has the worst temper. Of all people, he actually had to provoke him."

Everyone lowered their voices and discussed among themselves.

Yang Lingtian remained calm and unruffled as he said, "Why are you acting so high and mighty with me? If you have the ability, charge into the cave mansion right now."

"Hmph, I naturally will charge into the cave mansion."

"But before that, I'll teach you a lesson." Gu Jianfeng glared viciously at Yang Lingtian.

Just as Gu Jianfeng was about to act, Mu Ling'er's moving voice rang out. She was the only woman among the Four Heavenly Talents.

"All right, Brother Gu, why bother arguing with a hotheaded young man?"

"The most important thing now is to deal with the beasts inside the cave mansion first."