Return Journey

However, when people were happy, something always came along to spoil it. The moment Xiao Ling felt his strength about to fade, his expression changed drastically, and he shot downward in a flash.

"Faster... Come on... Faster..."

He was more than ten thousand meters above the ground! If he fell from that height, he'd probably ascend to heaven on the spot.

As Xiao Ling picked up speed, a sonic boom rang out around him. Just as the wings on his back were about to fade completely, he reached a point a hundred meters above the ground.

He let out a sigh of relief and darted down in a flash.

"Boom!"

The Purple Sable King covered its eyes with its tiny paws, peeking through a narrow gap at the humanoid crater.

"Holy crap... That was close... I almost died..."

Cursing under his breath, Xiao Ling leaped out of the crater. He glanced at the Purple Sable King, which was peeking at him with its paws over its tiny eyes. A thought struck him, and he beckoned to it.

He planned to take the little fellow back with him for now. After all, he couldn't just drink its Earth Core Life Pulse Marrow for free, could he?

The Purple Sable King's nimble little eyes darted around. It glanced upward, then looked at the White-robed Youth. Its tiny legs carried it over to him in a few quick dashes.

Seeing the Purple Sable King clutching the hem of his clothes, Xiao Ling saw right through its intentions. It was after his own "Earth Core Life Pulse Marrow."

All he could say was that it could dream about it—but that was all.

Before leaving, Xiao Ling glanced at the bottom of the pool and quickly scraped off a layer. Only then did he depart, satisfied.

On the way back, Xiao Ling let his true personality show. Humming a little tune, he climbed the stone steps. When he was almost at the exit, he reined himself in and once again became composed.

As he stepped onto the next stair, he spotted Kagang pacing anxiously nearby. A warmth stirred in his heart, and he teased him, "Brother Kagang, what kind of footwork are you practicing? Have you gone into cultivation deviation?"

At the sight of Xiao Ling appearing at the cave entrance, Kagang visibly relaxed. He rolled his eyes and said, "Brother Ling Xiao, you've been down there for three or four hours. How could I not worry?"

"Heh, sorry for the trouble, Brother Kagang. Something unexpected happened down there."

Xiao Ling smiled as he explained.

Then he took out three thumb-sized pieces of milky white soft jade and a box of gold coins, and handed them over.

"Brother Kagang, take these. Give one to Mo Yang and one to Xiaofeng to help with their cultivation. Remember, don't show them to anyone. I'll also compensate each of the other team members with ten thousand gold coins."

"This..."

Kagang stood there, unsure whether to accept them. He understood what Ling Xiao was implying: these milky white stones were definitely treasures.

"Could there be... an undiscovered vein down there?"

Kagang wondered. Then he looked at the White-robed Youth and accepted the items with a solemn expression.

"Rest assured, Brother Xiao Ling. Not a word of this will leave my lips."

"Haha, you're taking it too seriously, Brother Kagang."

Xiao Ling smiled and waved his hand. He walked out of the cave, then struck the mountain behind him with a palm.

"Boom!"

After a deafening crash, the entire cave collapsed. From the outside, no one would ever guess that a heavenly treasure like the Earth Core Life Pulse Marrow had been inside.

"Squeak, squeak..."

With the Purple Sable King along, the group didn't suffer any more attacks from magical beasts on the way.

After all, third-tier magical beasts were the strongest creatures in the outer reaches of the Magic Beast Mountain Range. None of the others would be foolish enough to pick a fight with them.

The little fellow clutched the White-robed Youth's clothes, its curious little eyes constantly taking in the surroundings.

Every so often, it gave a happy squeak. The others had stopped paying attention to its antics and instead kept watch around them, remaining on guard.

Whenever their gazes passed over the White-robed Youth, every one of them showed a hint of respect and delight. Each had received a reward of ten thousand gold coins.

That was a fortune to them. How could they not be happy?

Qingxin walked in the middle of the group. Whenever she looked at the White-robed Youth beside her, a touch of tenderness appeared on her cool, pretty face, and her thoughts grew lively.

She had also received a reward from Brother Ling Xiao: a drop of a heavenly treasure she'd never even heard of before.

"Nothing?"

Xiao Ling wondered to himself. He hadn't forgotten his goal on the way back. Every so often, he scanned the surroundings with his soul power.

But he still hadn't found the cliffside cave from his memories.

Clearly, he was heading in the wrong direction. Otherwise, he should have found it by now.

Overusing his soul power had left him pale. He looked as though he'd overindulged, which gave the young girl beside him quite a fright.

"Brother Ling Xiao, are you all right?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm fine..."

Xiao Ling hurriedly explained, coming back to his senses. For the time being, he gave up on searching.

Tomorrow, he planned to see if he could join Wanyao Pavilion's group on an excursion into the Magic Beast Mountain Range.

After all, in the original story, Xiao Yan had gone with Wanyao Pavilion's group and discovered Xiao Yi Xian's secret.

The group finally emerged from the Magic Beast Mountain Range at sunset. Looking toward the town not far away, Kagang laughed and said, "Brother Ling Xiao, thank you for everything this time. If you ever need anything from us, just say the word."

"That's right, Boss Ling Xiao! Just let us know if you need anything. Brother Kagang and the rest of us will follow you."

At that, the team members all chimed in.

Xiao Ling smiled and changed the subject. Then his expression grew serious. "All right, when you get back, you'd better focus on your cultivation. If you're only Dou Zhes, you'll be stuck in a little place like Qingshan Town."

With that, Xiao Ling waved and left on his own with the Purple Sable King.

The team members stood there with complicated expressions, each with a spark of determination in their eyes.

Mo Yang and Xiaofeng in particular watched the White-robed Youth walk into town, a glint passing through their eyes. Then they left under Kagang's lead.

Meanwhile, Xiao Ling walked along the flagstone streets of Qingshan Town with the Purple Sable King. Everyone they passed regarded him with awe, but he paid them no mind.

The Purple Sable King at his side was different. One little paw clutched Xiao Ling's clothes, while its tiny eyes kept darting from one curious sight to another. It was the very picture of a curious little baby, and its adorable appearance drew glances from many female mercenaries.

Seeing this, Xiao Ling had no choice but to take it to Wanyao Pavilion nearby. He also planned to buy some medicinal ingredients and try his hand at refining a third-tier Mirror Breaking Pill.

After all, he had around a hundred and forty thousand gold coins on hand. He could afford third-tier ingredients; he just wasn't sure whether Wanyao Pavilion had any.