The Change and the Entry

After they had traveled for half an hour, Ling Feng suddenly stopped. Xu Yang looked startled and asked him, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Ling Feng crouched and studied the ground beneath his feet. "This is bad. It seems someone else has been here!" Qin Shuang's expression changed at once. He hurried over to look at the ground by Ling Feng's feet, then his face darkened.

Xu Yang lowered his head to inspect the ground, but saw nothing unusual. He looked up and asked, "What's wrong with the ground? I don't see anything."

Ling Feng explained, "The valley where the cave dwelling lies is just ahead. This is its only entrance. We set up a Restriction here earlier, not to block anyone, but to warn us. If anyone passes through, the Restriction disappears automatically, alerting us."

"I see. The Restriction has vanished, which means someone entered the valley. But that doesn't necessarily mean they came for the cave dwelling. They might have wandered in by accident!" Xu Yang said seriously to Qin Shuang and Ling Feng.

Qin Shuang's expression shifted as he heard this. "Xu Yang makes a good point, but there's no doubt someone is already inside the valley. This will seriously hinder our plans, and what if they did come for the cave dwelling? We should enter the valley at once!" With that, Qin Shuang led the way.

Xu Yang and Ling Feng immediately answered and followed Qin Shuang into the valley. A short while later, the three of them arrived inside. Xu Yang was surprised to find no demonic beasts in the valley—not even any large animals. The surroundings were utterly still, eerily quiet.

Qin Shuang and Ling Feng did not pause. They led Xu Yang straight toward the depths of the valley. In the distance, Xu Yang saw a towering cliff rising ahead. When they reached its base, they found four cultivators—three men and a woman—standing there.

The other party spotted the three of them as well, and both sides immediately eyed each other warily. The leader of the four was an old man with a sallow complexion and a head of white hair and beard. He wore a golden-brown brocade robe and had an imposing air. He was a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

The other two men and the woman looked utterly ordinary, with nothing distinctive about them. They looked even more like background characters than Xu Yang. But their cultivation was no joke: both men were at the middle stage of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, while the woman was slightly weaker, at the peak of the eighth layer.

Fortunately, Xu Yang had learned the Detection Technique from Qin Shuang. As long as someone wasn't in the Golden Core Realm, he could probe their cultivation to some extent. That was how he had clearly determined the cultivation levels of all four.

The Detection Technique was a spell specifically designed to assess a cultivator's cultivation. It was far more effective than simply scanning with divine sense. Qin Shuang had taught it to Xu Yang aboard the Flying Boat. Now that Xu Yang had tried it, he saw just how useful it was. He would be able to assess opponents' cultivation more accurately from now on, and avoid provoking a powerful cultivator only to be wiped out.

Once he had assessed the four, Xu Yang breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Qin Shuang was at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, enough to suppress the old man at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. He and Ling Feng could handle the other three, so there was no need to fear them.

Qin Shuang and Ling Feng had clearly reached the same conclusion. From the corner of his eye, Xu Yang saw them quietly relax as well, their expressions softening a little.

The four cultivators opposite them, on the other hand, looked rather troubled. They didn't think much of Xu Yang and Ling Feng, but they were deeply wary of Qin Shuang. His cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage was enough to dominate the entire scene.

The old man in yellow stepped forward two paces, his expression grave. "Greetings, fellow Daoist. I am Huang Ting. May I ask your surname and why you've come here?"

Qin Shuang smiled as he replied, "Greetings, Daoist Huang. I'm Qin Shuang. Surely that's a question I should be asking you! We've been here in this valley for days and even set up a Restriction outside it. Why have you barged in?"

Qin Shuang's words made Huang Ting's expression change. He hadn't expected Qin Shuang and the others to have arrived in the valley long ago. It seemed they must know about the secret here too. This was going to be difficult.

"This... I'm truly sorry. We didn't know you were here and barged into the valley. But we came here on important business, so I hope you'll forgive us." Huang Ting thought for a moment before replying.

Qin Shuang's expression changed when he heard this. He knew that Huang Ting and his companions had already discovered the valley's secret, and murderous intent surged within him. Just as he was about to strike, Xu Yang interrupted him with a voice transmission. Qin Shuang immediately turned to look at Xu Yang, unsure why he was stopping him.

"Senior Qin, please don't act rashly. Judging by the situation, they've definitely discovered the secret in the valley. There's no point in fighting now. They outnumber us, and if even one of them escapes, the secret will be exposed completely. That would be disastrous. Better to be frank with them and invite them to explore the cave dwelling together. It belongs to a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator—who knows what dangers lie inside? Wouldn't three extra cannon fodder be useful?"

"And once we enter the cave dwelling, only you and Huang Ting will be left outside. If you're confident you can take him down, you can strike then. Otherwise, wait until Ling Feng and I return, and the three of us can surround him together!"

Qin Shuang listened to Xu Yang, considered his words briefly, then nodded in agreement. He sighed inwardly. I was too hasty. I nearly ruined everything. As he thought this, he regarded Xu Yang in a new light. He hadn't expected him to be so calculating.

Qin Shuang then faced Huang Ting, his expression solemn. "Daoist Huang, there's no need to hide anything. Since you've already discovered the secret in the valley, I have nothing more to say. If our two sides fight to the death, we may only give others an advantage. So I propose that we join forces and explore the cave dwelling together, taking the treasures we find. As for how we divide them, let's follow the rules of the cultivation world and allocate them according to the strength of our cultivation. How does that sound?"

Hearing the first half of Qin Shuang's words, Huang Ting's expression changed dramatically. He was about to leap back and assume a defensive stance when Qin Shuang proposed that they join forces. Huang Ting quickly stopped himself, his thoughts racing as he tried to figure out Qin Shuang's intentions and weigh the pros and cons of an alliance.

After giving it some thought, Huang Ting realized Qin Shuang's proposal was the best solution available. He let down his guard a little and stepped forward two paces. "That's a good proposal, Daoist Qin. We have no grudge against each other, so there's no reason to fight to the death. We might really end up giving someone else an advantage. I agree to join forces, and we'll divide the treasures according to the strength of our cultivation, just as you suggested!"

"Haha! Since you agree, there's no need for us to remain so wary of each other. Let's introduce ourselves. You'll be exploring together and facing the dangers inside the cave dwelling, so it's best to get acquainted." Delighted that Huang Ting had agreed, Qin Shuang turned and gestured to Xu Yang and Ling Feng.

Xu Yang and Ling Feng understood at once. They stepped forward and greeted the two men and woman behind Huang Ting. "Greetings, fellow Daoists. I'm Xu Yang, and this is Ling Feng. We look forward to working with you."

Seeing this, Huang Ting signaled to the three behind him. At his gesture, they hurried forward and replied to Xu Yang and Ling Feng, "You're too kind. We hope you'll guide us as well." Then each of them introduced themselves.

Of the two male cultivators, the taller, thinner one was Liu Peng. The other, a short man with a face full of fat, was Hu Xinrong. The female cultivator was Zhao Man, Hu Xinrong's Dao companion. All three were disciples of Huang Ting.

After that, the two sides lowered their guard and gathered together to talk. Only then did Xu Yang learn that Huang Ting and the other three were members of the Loose Cultivator Alliance, making them fellow disciples of sorts with Qin Shuang. Qin Shuang and his wife were members of the Loose Cultivator Alliance too, but the alliance was so scattered and lacked the cohesion of the righteous and demonic factions. It was merely a loose collection of forces.

After some discussion, the two sides finalized their alliance. The five cultivators at the Qi Refining Realm, including Xu Yang, also had a chance to get acquainted. With that settled, neither side wanted to delay for fear of another unexpected turn of events. They immediately went together to the foot of the cliff.

Xu Yang looked up and saw that the cliff towered high above them, steep and treacherous. Its face was smooth, with nowhere to get a foothold. Apart from that, it seemed completely ordinary, with nothing unusual about it.

Qin Shuang and Huang Ting exchanged a glance and nodded to each other. They raised their right hands together and struck the middle of the cliff. A stream of yellow True Essence and a stream of silver True Essence shot skyward, hurtling toward the cliff's center. Just before the two streams struck, a black Restriction appeared and blocked them.

As the Restriction appeared, an immense pressure surged outward, making it hard for Xu Yang and the others to breathe. They nearly suffocated. Fortunately, the pressure vanished almost at once, before they could pass out. Even so, they trembled uncontrollably and gasped for breath. The two cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Realm fared much better; their faces were merely flushed.

After appearing, the black Restriction slowly transformed into a doorway. Black light swirled endlessly within it, forming a dark vortex. From the outside, it looked like the gaping maw of a monster, ready to devour anyone who came near.

When the doorway appeared, Qin Shuang turned to Xu Yang and Ling Feng. "Hurry through. This doorway will only last a little while before vanishing. And be careful. I'm counting on you."

Xu Yang and Ling Feng nodded to show they understood. They immediately sprang up and rushed toward the doorway. At the same time, the three people behind Huang Ting followed them, heading for the doorway as well.

Midair, Xu Yang saw the doorway shrinking rapidly. He hurried forward faster. Suddenly, Ling Feng's expression changed, and he swung a palm at Xu Yang. Xu Yang was startled and quickly raised his hand to block the attack.

But his body was propelled forward against his will, straight into the doorway, and vanished inside. Three attacks hurtled toward Ling Feng from behind. He barely blocked two of them, but the third struck him in the chest, sending him flying into the doorway.

Huang Ting's three disciples then entered the doorway as well. The black portal gradually shrank and disappeared.