Leaving the Underground Secret Chamber, Activating the Cultivation Token

Xu Yang's cultivation had reached a temporary standstill. Without the aid of Spirit Stones, medicinal pills, and other resources, his progress was far too slow; at this rate, he would never reach the Foundation Establishment Realm even if he practiced until he died.

It seemed it was time to leave this place and venture into the world of cultivation. Once he made up his mind, Xu Yang acted quickly, packing the secret manuals from the bookshelf into his Qiankun Bag. He walked to the side of the stone bed and pressed his hand against a circular stone.

With a deep rumble, the stone bed slowly sank into the ground. In a moment, it vanished, leaving a large hole in its place. Xu Yang stepped down into it, following the carved stone stairs until he quickly reached the bottom.

The bottom was a long, narrow tunnel. Xu Yang followed it forward and soon arrived at a junction. Originally, there had been two paths here, but one had already collapsed. Xu Yang knew that the collapsed path led directly to the grand hall he had entered that day.

That hall was a fake tomb set up by Old Man Tianjue; once the skeleton within the hall was disturbed, the mechanism would trigger, destroying the entire structure. The other path led directly to the outside world—a retreat left behind by Old Man Tianjue for his true successor.

Xu Yang proceeded along this path. Along the way, he saw the monsters from the labyrinth, but they were all dead now. They had been raised by Old Man Tianjue using special forbidden techniques; normally, they remained in a sealed state and would only awaken when they encountered an intruder.

Once they awoke, they would exhaust their full potential, becoming incredibly violent, and their death would follow the moment that potential was spent. After walking for a while longer, Xu Yang arrived before a stone wall, which marked the end of the tunnel.

He reached out and knocked on the wall, finding it wasn't very thick. He immediately gathered his energy into his hands and struck it hard. With a thunderous boom, the stone wall shattered under Xu Yang's blow, sending chunks of rock flying outward as rays of sunlight immediately poured in.

Xu Yang shielded his eyes and looked out. The scene before him was desolate, covered in withered branches and fallen leaves. Xu Yang was stunned for a moment before he realized: he had been in the underground cave for about half a year, so it must be the dead of winter now.

Seeing this, Xu Yang leaped out of the opening and looked around. This was not the place where he had climbed the mountain; it must have been a different path, as he had no memory of it at all.

Following this small trail, Xu Yang headed down the mountain. The journey was silent, with no sign of human life. It wasn't until he reached the foot of the mountain that he saw a familiar spot—the place where he had spent the night previously. Now, however, it was a scene of devastation, clearly the site of a fierce battle.

Back then, Lei Dong and the others had tried to break out of the grand hall. He wondered if they had succeeded, or if they had been wiped out entirely. He held no attachment to them; ever since they had abandoned him, Xu Yang no longer considered them allies. Now, he was merely curious.

After looking around and finding nothing, Xu Yang headed toward the Mountain City. With his current strength, it took him only about an hour to reach the city gates. The gates were still wide open, and Xu Yang paid the entry fee and walked inside.

He went straight to the former headquarters of the Shunfeng Escort Agency in the west of the city, only to find that it had changed owners. The original sign had been taken down and replaced with one for the Fire Venerable Mansion.

Xu Yang found this strange. Could the Shunfeng Escort Agency have truly been defeated so thoroughly? Given the support of the imperial court, they shouldn't have been so incompetent! With this thought, his curiosity piqued, he leaped into the compound.

Xu Yang quickly found his target. In a study, two people were conversing. Xu Yang peeked inside and saw two familiar faces: Fire Venerable and Zhang Yi. Xu Yang felt a surge of joy; now he could finally learn what had happened after the grand hall collapsed.

Xu Yang gently pushed the door open and walked in. The two men inside were immediately startled. They let out a fierce shout and charged at him. Xu Yang laughed, stretched out his hands, and struck toward them. With two crisp slaps, the pair flew backward even faster than they had charged.

Xu Yang followed closely and tapped them with his fingers, sealing their movements. Fire Venerable looked terrified and stammered, "Who are you? Why attack us? Are you not afraid of the Yin Moon Hall's retaliation?"

Hearing Fire Venerable's words, Xu Yang paused, then laughed, "I didn't realize Fire Venerable was so forgetful. We've only been apart for half a year, and you've already forgotten me? And you, Zhang Yi, you surely haven't forgotten me, have you?"

Zhang Yi, who was standing to the side with a look of horror, froze at Xu Yang's question. He scrutinized Xu Yang, his pupils suddenly dilating as he exclaimed in shock, "You are Xu Yang! How can it be you? Didn't you die in Cangwu Mountain?"

Xu Yang smiled at Zhang Yi, "I survived a great disaster; I have a lot of luck." His expression suddenly darkened as he said to Zhang Yi, "I am the one asking the questions now, not you. If you want to live, tell me what happened after the grand hall collapsed."

Xu Yang tapped the air, and Fire Venerable, who was standing nearby, immediately fainted. He then said to Zhang Yi, "Don't try any tricks; I'll be asking Fire Venerable the same thing in a moment. Now, you may speak. Of course, if you'd rather die, you can stay silent."

Seeing this, Zhang Yi's face turned ashen, and he recounted the events of that day. Afterward, Xu Yang knocked him unconscious, woke up Fire Venerable, and asked him the same questions. Once he had heard Fire Venerable's account, Xu Yang struck them both down, killing them to prevent any future trouble.

According to them, Lei Dong and the others had taken advantage of the hall's collapse to escape the cave. However, the area outside Cangwu Mountain had been completely surrounded by troops dispatched by Prince Fu, and they were too weak to break through.

With no other choice, they had to play hide-and-seek with the enemy within Cangwu Mountain. Eventually, all the subordinates of the Shunfeng Escort Agency were killed, leaving only experts like Lei Dong. Just as they were about to collapse, reinforcements from the Shunfeng Escort Agency arrived. After a fierce battle, the agency suffered heavy casualties, and even the young master, Lei Yue, had died in the fray.

In the end, Lei Dong and the others retreated from Cangwu Mountain in bitterness. This battle had severely weakened the Shunfeng Escort Agency, and the Yin Moon Hall hadn't gained much either; the treasures in the cave were all buried beneath the mountain. Fortunately, they had completely wiped out the Shunfeng Escort Agency's influence in the Mountain City, cutting off one of their arms.

Xu Yang shook his head, sighing inwardly. He hadn't expected Lei Yue to be dead; this would surely cause internal strife within the Shunfeng Escort Agency. Zhao Qiankun would likely not let such an opportunity pass.

Xu Yang turned and left the area, heading toward the east of the city. He stood quietly before a sprawling mansion, observing it for a moment before turning away. He could already sense that the place was empty; it seemed Yao Yao and the others were no longer there.

Walking along the bustling streets of the Mountain City, Xu Yang looked at the lively crowd and felt a strange sense of detachment. He felt as if he and these people were incompatible, as if they belonged to two different worlds. He shook his head, knowing this was a change in his mindset. He had embarked on the path of cultivation and now had the hope of transcendence; he was no longer an ordinary person.

Noticing this shift in his mentality, Xu Yang's heart sank. His keen sixth sense told him this was not a good thing. Thinking about it now, perhaps his strength had increased too rapidly, leading to an unstable foundation and a failure to keep his state of mind in sync.

Cultivation was not easy; if one's state of mind lagged behind, the best-case scenario was hitting a bottleneck, while the worst was the birth of inner demons and falling into a state of deviation. Since he had noticed his own shortcomings, he had to find a way to solve them. But he was merely a rogue cultivator and had no idea how to proceed.

Thinking of rogue cultivators, Xu Yang's heart stirred. He immediately took a token from his Qiankun Bag. The token was pitch black, and with his current knowledge, he realized it was a communication token. As long as one channeled internal energy into it, one could send messages to the owner of the token.

Seeing this, Xu Yang felt a surge of joy. He immediately found an inn to stay in. After the attendant left his room, he couldn't wait to take out the token and slowly channeled his energy into it.

As the energy flowed in, the patterns on the token began to glow one by one. Then, these patterns formed a talisman that flew off the token and vanished before Xu Yang's eyes.

Seeing the talisman disappear, Xu Yang knew it must be heading toward its master. Now, he just had to wait quietly; he figured it wouldn't be long before that cultivator arrived.

Sure enough, three hours later, the token in front of Xu Yang emitted a flash of light. Xu Yang, who had been sitting cross-legged in meditation, immediately opened his eyes and picked up the token. He instantly felt a message transmitted to him. As his divine sense touched it, a booming voice echoed in his mind: "Come find me at the hill ten miles north of the city."

After hearing this, Xu Yang tucked the token into his robe and rose to head north quickly. Once outside the city, he pushed his speed to the limit, and in just a moment, he reached his destination. A small hill came into view; Xu Yang slowed his pace and walked up the slope.

At the same time, Xu Yang gathered all the energy in his body, ready to strike at a moment's notice. The world of cultivation was too cruel to allow for any carelessness; it was better to be cautious in all things.

Soon, Xu Yang reached the top of the hill. He looked up and saw a burly man standing before him. The man's muscles were bulging, his face was covered in thick, aggressive flesh, and he radiated a fierce aura. He was currently staring at Xu Yang with wide, unblinking eyes.

Xu Yang was stunned. He had never expected the man to look like this. In his mind, he had always assumed the owner of the token would be an imposing elder or a handsome, dashing scholar.

Xu Yang thought with a bitter smile, "It seems I was misled by those novels and storybooks. I must never let my imagination run wild like that again."