Over the next three days, Yi Yang followed the beast-hide scroll Mu Yanluo had given him deeper into the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains. He had little time left. He needed to act swiftly and secure what he wanted before a long night bred too many dreams.
He avoided the well-trodden mountain paths, choosing rugged trails where people rarely ventured.
The Thousand Illusions Mask art made him look like an old man in his seventies. He also suppressed his aura to the late True Astral Realm, presenting himself as an ordinary martial artist trying his luck in the mountains.
This disguise not only concealed Yi Yang's true appearance but also lowered other people's guard. After all, the late True Astral Realm hardly amounted to anything in the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains.
During those two days of travel, Yi Yang once detected a group from afar with his divine sense.
There were five of them, dressed in the regulation armor of the Heaven Patrol Office at Crossing Peak Stronghold. Their leader was an officer in the early True Astral Realm.
They appeared to be clearing paths through the forest and searching for resources. Their steps were synchronized and their formation tight-clearly elite soldiers tempered by a hundred battles.
But Yi Yang had no interest in dealing with them. He remained out of sight and took a wide detour as soon as he detected them.
Another two days passed.
At noon, even the shade of the forest could not shield him from the sun's scorching heat.
Following the scroll's vague directions, Yi Yang crossed a ridge bristling with jagged rocks, and the view before him suddenly opened up.
Comparing the scroll with his surroundings, Yi Yang realized he had reached the marked destination.
It was a natural stone terrace encircled by mountains, roughly