The group kept a wary eye out for flying arrows as they set about chopping down the bamboo.
Half an hour later, only short stumps remained of the bamboo grove. Everyone's Storage Bag was filled with ink cloud bamboo several hundred years old, netting them a modest profit.
Once the bamboo grove had been felled, a winding mountain path leading upward appeared before them.
Xu Qingtong studied the path closely. The longer he looked, the more uneasy he felt. He slowed his steps and fell to the rear. Xiang Chenxi, who was ahead of him, turned to glance at him, but seeing his face as unruffled as an ancient well, she said nothing more.
They walked for about a quarter of an hour, yet still had not reached the end. Xu Qingtong grew even more uneasy.
"Xiao Bai, your Innate Divine Ability lets you see the past. Take a look at this path. What was it like before?" Xu Qingtong controlled the Seven-Star Bracelet, allowing a wisp of Xiao Bai's Divine Sense to extend outside.
Xiao Bai's Divine Thought reached him. "Master, I've already used my Innate Divine Ability once, and I need some time to recover. However, I can sense that the person at the very front has been here before!"
Xu Qingtong was startled. Something was fishy here! Huang Chengquan had previously acted as though he had never been here, and had even joined forces with them to break the bamboo grove's formation. Yet Xiao Bai said that he had been here before!
He quickened his pace, caught up behind Huang Chengquan, and called out to stop him. "Fellow Daoist Huang, we've already come this far. Aren't you going to tell us what exactly is going on with that cave abode?"
Huang Chengquan turned, his gaze somewhat cold.