The Return Journey

However, even when one is happy, there are always some unpleasant matters. Upon sensing that the strength within his body was about to regress, Xiao Ling's expression changed drastically, and he flashed downward.

"Faster... faster... a little faster..."

He was over ten thousand meters above the ground; if he fell from here, he would likely ascend to heaven on the spot.

As Xiao Ling's speed increased, a sonic boom appeared around him. Just as the wings behind his back were about to fade away completely, he reached a position a hundred meters from the ground.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Xiao Ling flashed toward the ground.

"Boom!"

The Purple Sable King covered its eyes with its tiny paws, leaving a small gap to peek at the humanoid crater.

"Damn it... that was close... I almost kicked the bucket..."

Xiao Ling grumbled as he leaped out of the crater. He looked at the Purple Sable King, which was peeking at him while covering its little eyes, and felt a stir in his heart, beckoning it over.

He planned to take this little guy back with him; after all, it couldn't have drunk his Earth Core Life Pulse Marrow for nothing, right?

Seeing this, the Purple Sable King's small, agile eyes rolled, shifted upward, and then looked at the white-clad youth. It moved its stubby legs and, in a few blinks, arrived by his side.

Watching the Purple Sable King tugging at his hem, Xiao Ling saw right through its thoughts—it was clearly eyeing his real Earth Core Life Pulse Marrow.

To that, he could only say that it could dream, but that was all it could do.

Before leaving, Xiao Ling looked at the bottom of the pool and swiftly scraped off a layer, leaving only then, feeling satisfied.

Along the way, Xiao Ling reverted to his original personality, humming a little tune as he climbed up the stone steps. Just as he neared the exit, he restrained his demeanor, returning to his usual indifferent self.

Stepping onto the final stair, Xiao Ling looked at Kagang, who was pacing anxiously, felt a warmth in his heart, and teased, "Brother Kagang, what kind of footwork are you practicing? How did you manage to get yourself into such a state of agitation?"

Hearing this, Kagang looked at Xiao Ling appearing at the cave entrance. He visibly relaxed and rolled his eyes.

"Brother Ling Xiao, you were down there for three or four hours. How could I not be worried?"

"Haha, sorry to have made you worry, Brother Kagang. It's just that there was a bit of an incident down below."

Xiao Ling explained with a smile.

With that, he took out three thumb-sized, milky-white soft jades and a chest of gold coins, handing them over.

"Brother Kagang, take these, and give one each to Mo Yang and Xiaofeng to assist in their cultivation. Remember, do not show them to anyone else. I will also compensate the other team members with ten thousand gold coins each."

"This..."

Kagang stood frozen on the spot, not knowing whether to accept or decline. He could tell from Ling Xiao's tone that these milky-white jades were definitely treasures.

"Could it be... that there is an unknown mineral vein down there?"

Kagang thought to himself, then looked at the white-clad youth before him and accepted the items with a solemn expression.

"Brother Xiao Ling, please rest assured. Not a single word will leak from my lips."

"Haha, Brother Kagang, you're being too formal."

Xiao Ling waved his hand with a smile and walked out of the cave, then struck a palm toward the rear.

"Boom!"

After a loud crash, the entire cave collapsed completely. From the outside, no one would ever guess that a heaven-defying treasure on the level of the Earth Core Life Pulse Marrow had existed there.

"Chi chi..."

Along the way, because of the little Purple Sable King, the group was not attacked by any more magic beasts.

After all, in the outer reaches of the Magic Beast Mountain Range, third-rank magic beasts were already the ceiling; it was impossible for any blind ones to come and provoke them.

At this moment, the little guy was clutching the hem of the white-clad youth's robe, its curious little eyes constantly scanning the surrounding environment.

It would chirp happily from time to time. The others no longer paid attention to its reactions, instead casting their gazes around to maintain basic vigilance.

Whenever their eyes swept over the white-clad youth, there was a hint of respect and surprise in everyone's eyes, because each of them had received a reward of ten thousand gold coins.

To them, this was a huge sum of money, so how could they not be happy?

As for Qingxin, who was walking in the middle of the group, every time she looked at the white-clad youth beside her, a touch of tenderness would appear on her cold, pretty face, and her thoughts became much more active.

Because she had also received a reward from Brother Ling Xiao—a drop of a heaven-defying treasure she had never even heard of.

"Is it not here?"

Xiao Ling muttered to himself. He had not forgotten his goal throughout the journey, using his soul power to scan the surrounding environment from time to time.

However, he did not find the cliff cave from his memories.

Clearly, his direction had been wrong; otherwise, he should have discovered it long ago.

Because of the excessive use of his soul power, his face had turned pale, making him look as if he had been overindulging in debauchery, which gave the little girl beside him a fright.

"Brother Ling Xiao, are you alright?"

"Eh?"

"I'm fine..."

Xiao Ling, having snapped back to his senses, hurriedly offered an explanation before temporarily abandoning the idea of searching.

He planned to see tomorrow if he could join the Wanyao Pavilion team to enter the Magic Beast Mountain Range and take a look.

After all, in the original story, Xiao Yan had also followed the Wanyao Pavilion team, which was how he discovered the secret of the Little Fairy Doctor.

Just like that, the group managed to walk out of the Magic Beast Mountain Range as the sun was setting. Looking at the small town not far away, Kagang laughed heartily.

"Brother Ling Xiao, thank you very much for this time. If there is anything you need from us later, just give the word."

"That's right, Boss Ling Xiao, just say the word if you need anything. Kagang and the rest of us will follow your lead."

Hearing this, the team members chimed in one after another.

Seeing this, Xiao Ling smiled and changed the subject, then said seriously.

"Alright, all of you go back and focus on your cultivation first. Otherwise, with only the cultivation of a Dou Zhe, you will be stuck in this tiny place called Qingshan Town."

With that, Xiao Ling waved his hand and left alone with the Purple Sable King.

The team members stood there with complex expressions, a hint of determination showing in everyone's eyes.

Especially Mo Yang, Xiaofeng, and the others; as they watched the white-clad youth walk into the town, a flash of light crossed their eyes before the group left under Kagang's lead.

On the other side, Xiao Ling walked along the bluestone-paved street with the Purple Sable King. Everyone he met along the way looked at him with awe, but Xiao Ling paid them no mind.

However, the Purple Sable King at his side was different. With one small claw clutching the corner of Xiao Ling's robe, its tiny eyes kept scanning the novel sights around it like a curious baby. Its adorable appearance drew the attention of many female mercenaries nearby.

Seeing this, Xiao Ling had no choice but to take it and duck into the nearby Wanyao Pavilion. He also planned to buy some medicinal herbs along the way to try and refine a Tier 3 Mirror Breaking Pill.

After all, he had about 140,000 gold coins on hand, so he could afford Tier 3 medicinal herbs; he just didn't know if Wanyao Pavilion had them in stock.