Entering the Cave Abode

After expending considerable effort, the group traversed the area and arrived at the core region near the foot of the mountain, a journey that took them almost half a day.

Huang Tao looked up at the mountain peaks, shrouded in mist and appearing and disappearing, and suddenly sighed, "I heard that this place was once the residence of a powerful person, but she seems to have died in the great war between good and evil more than ten years ago, and it is said that her body was never found."

"I never imagined that this place would change like this just over a decade after her death. Life is truly unpredictable."

Wang Ziqi chuckled and said, "Brother Huang is indeed quite sentimental, but how do you know this place hasn't always been like this?"

"Although I, Wang, have only been in the cultivation Immortal Realm for a mere fifty years, I have still heard some rumors about powerful individuals. The one living here is an Evil Cultivator, even more hateful than Devil Cultivator Evil Cultivator. So, let such a person die as he is; what's there to lament?"

"Brother Ziqi is right. Although most people don't know, our Han Household does know a thing or two. The Ghost Demoness who lives in White Bone Mountain is a Golden Core Stage expert who loves to play with men. However, if she hadn't been misled by an elder of the Devil Creek Sect more than ten years ago and gotten herself involved in something she shouldn't have, I would never have come within a hundred miles of this area." Han Li said gently, waving his folding fan, a magical Law Artifact, with a refined and elegant demeanor, giving him a somewhat aristocratic air at first glance.

"Alright, it doesn't matter who lived here before, they're all dead anyway. What's important now is to get to the innermost part as quickly as possible."

"Stop talking nonsense. I estimate we don't have much time left. Let's put in our best effort and charge straight there. Although the cave abode of a Golden Core Stage Rogue Cultivator is rather poor, it might still hold some useful treasures for us."

After saying this, Yang Chong took the lead and cleared the way. Shen Ge and Huang Tao exchanged a glance, and Huang Tao shook his head helplessly, saying, "My senior brother has always been like this, decisive and impatient."

"Let's go. Judging from the Corpse Sha that have appeared around here, we're not too far from the cave abode. The sooner we finish searching, the sooner we can go back."

The group advanced slowly, and with everyone working together, they killed as many of the Corpse Sha as they came. Actually, they were lucky; there were very few Corpse Sha at the Foundation Establishment Realm Foundation Establishment, let alone those above.

After spending nearly an hour clearing away all the unstable elements in the surrounding area, the group gathered in front of a cave entrance.

Huang Tao tested it with a wooden stick and found that there was indeed a defensive magic array at the entrance of the cave, but it was very weak.

The toxic substance that corroded the wooden stick in that instant was quite potent.

"The defensive formation itself isn't a problem, but I wonder if a poisonous mist will spew out of the cave after it's activated, or if some monsters we can't handle will emerge."

"Since you're already here, what kind of cowardice is this? Since you're worried, I'll activate the formation. You can all step back."

After saying that, Yang Chong stepped forward and summoned a large sword Law Artifact, then slashed out a fire dragon that struck the formation.

Seeing this, Wang Ziqi took a few steps back with Li Hua, his body tensing up as well, though he still held the Law Artifact in his hand.

Han Li and Huang Tao did the same thing, seemingly having no intention of facing the situation together with Yang Chong.

Shen Ge took a few steps back, secretly guessing as he watched Huang Tao and the other man's actions. Perhaps the reason he called on this senior brother was because he saw that the other man was impatient and wanted him to rush ahead and scout the way.

To scheme against a fellow disciple like this is truly insidious.

"Bang!"

The fire dragon crashed into the formation, and after only a brief stalemate, the already unstable formation was broken. A plume of green smoke suddenly billowed out and poured onto the fire dragon, accompanied by a series of hissing sounds.

Seeing this, Li Hua waved his hand, creating a gust of wind that dispersed the poisonous mist to both sides, preventing it from spreading in this direction.

Wang Ziqi nearby, took out a piece of ordinary tree branch imbued with spiritual energy and threw it into the poisonous fog. After observing it for a while, he said, "The toxicity is not great; it's a minor problem for everyone. Besides, everyone has taken Detoxification Pill, so this poisonous fog poses no threat."

"Hmph, stop dawdling. By the time you're done discussing it, I'll have taken everything inside." Yang Chong snorted coldly and strode into the still-lingering poisonous fog, not caring at all about the potential dangers ahead.

"Senior brother, be careful..." After his warnings went unanswered, Huang Tao turned to Shen Ge and said, "Brother Shen, you should have a defensive Law Artifact on you, right? Why don't you take the hits in front?"

Shen Ge was slightly taken aback, but then he Shiran. He realized that Huang Tao had invited him all the way to go treasure hunting just to use him as a meat shield.

That makes sense; Rogue Cultivator rarely possess good Law Artifact, let alone defensive Law Artifact. Without them, both treasure hunting and venturing into secret realms are quite dangerous.

Shen Ge nodded and took out the high-grade defensive shield he had previously crafted to place in front of him.

As for the top-grade defensive shield he obtained from Changliu Market, he wouldn't take it out. After all, it was an extremely valuable item, and since this was a team he had joined halfway through, Shen Ge was only familiar with Huang Tao, and the others were not familiar to him. It was inevitable that they might have the idea of killing him to steal the treasure. If five of them surrounded and killed him, Shen Ge couldn't guarantee that he could escape unscathed.

In comparison, the value of a high-grade defensive Law Artifact is not so great. Although it is tempting, it is not enough to make those people disregard Shen Ge's status as Spirit Moon Sect disciple and take action directly.

"Brother Shen truly lives up to his reputation as a top disciple of the Spirit Moon Sect. He can casually produce a high-grade defensive Law Artifact. It's truly enviable," Huang Tao complimented.

What does this mean?

Is he revealing his identity to discourage others from having greedy intentions?

Shen Ge glanced at Huang Tao with genuine surprise; she hadn't expected him to be so thoughtful.

Huang Tao smiled at him but didn't explain anything. Instead, he turned to the other three and said, "Since Brother Shen has his high-grade defensive magic Law Artifact in front of us, we'll have to be careful about what happens behind us. The situation inside the cave is unknown, so be careful."

"If everyone can cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Realm, then their knowledge and experience will be sufficient. Don't die in this wretched place then."

"Brother Huang, I didn't expect you to become so indecisive." Han Li said with a light smile, "Don't worry, leave the rest to me. At the very least, I can handle securing our escape route."

Both Wang Ziqi and Li Hua nodded, indicating that they would also keep the rest safe.

Seeing this, Huang Tao nodded and smiled, "Don't blame me for talking too much, I'm just thinking about everyone's safety. After all, if you die, you're really dead. You're all my friends, Huang Tao's friends. If you die, wouldn't I lose a few more friends?"

The group followed Shen Ge into the cave abode, their positions slightly staggered, but what they saw before them caused everyone present to gasp in shock.