Wife, you didn't really drug me, did you?

Cave entrance?

Upon hearing this, both the Grand Elder and Chen Jie were startled. They exchanged a glance and then headed straight for the direction from which the sound had come. They arrived there quickly.

Upon arriving at this place, the two saw a hole about half a person's height, but they didn't know where it led.

At this moment, Chen Jie squatted down to examine the cave entrance. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed because he saw blood residue on the soil at the cave entrance. It must have been smeared on the stone wall. Along with the blood, there was also a kind of viscous liquid that sealed the blood, making it look sticky on the wall.

Upon seeing this, Chen Jie's gaze sharpened, and a new thought appeared in his eyes. It seemed that Zhang Shicheng was indeed not dead.

The elder's eyes narrowed as he looked at the scene before him. He then said to Chen Jie, "Brother Chen, we've already caught up to this point. We can't let them take the things like this. I'll go first, and you follow behind."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie nodded slightly and said, "Okay."

The two hit it off immediately and followed each other into the cave. At this moment, the Grand Elder turned to the Jiuli tribesmen behind him and said, "You don't need to follow. Go up and tell the Western King."

"Yes!"

The Jiuli tribesmen responded and immediately turned around to climb back up. The immortal tribesmen who followed them searched around and said, "Let's search around here and see if we've missed anything."

And so, the arrangements were made. The Grand Elder and Chen Jie entered the cave one after the other, and continued their pursuit along the cave.

The cave started out very narrow, but gradually widened as you went deeper. Eventually, you started walking in a squatting position and gradually had to stand up. The cave clearly led upwards, so it was obviously a mountain path to climb.

They walked along the cave for about seven or eight hours.

Even powerful cultivators like Chen Jie and the Grand Elder, who were at the fourth level of the Fusion God realm, felt tired. Just then, a cold wind suddenly swept over them, making the Grand Elder and Chen Jiu Si shiver. The two then exchanged a sharp glance.

"windy!"

The elder looked at Chen Jie, who said, "Where there's wind, there's an outlet."

Upon hearing this, the Grand Elder immediately quickened his pace, saying, "Quick, let's go after them and see what's going on."

After saying this, the Grand Elder and Chen Jie both sped up and walked outside. They were so fast that they were soon outside and were greeted by a world of white snow.

Out!
Before me lay a vast valley, its interior blanketed in white snow.

The cave where Chen Jie and the Grand Elder were located was covered with snow and a thick layer of ice.

However, a large hole had been cut into the side of the ice, allowing the cold wind to blow in. Looking at the fragments on the ground, Chen Jie and the Grand Elder exchanged glances, concluding that it must have been Zhang Shicheng who did it.

The two then emerged from the large cave. It was still snowing outside, and everything around them was covered in white, even their footprints were hidden by the snow.

Looking at everything before him, Chen Jie exchanged another glance with the Grand Elder and said, "This time, we can't even see a trace of them."

The Grand Elder looked around and said, "This is no longer a fairyland. This seems to be the Snow-Buried Valley deep in the Kunlun Mountains."

Chen Jie looked at the Grand Elder and asked, "Has the Grand Elder been here before?"

The elder said, "Yes, I came here when I was young. The fairyland is too small after all, but in accordance with the ancient teachings, we cannot leave. So later, our clan leader and the immortal venerable made a decision that we can enter this remote Kunlun depths."

"We named this Valley Buried Snow; nobody knows what it was called before."

As the elder spoke, he slowly stepped out. He gathered his inner energy in his feet, making his body feel extremely light as he walked on the snow. Chen Jie followed behind him.

At this moment, the elder said, "There are snow pits down here. If you step on one without careful attention, you and the snow will fall directly into the snow pit and be buried by the heavy snow. It will be difficult for an ordinary person to survive."

"But it's not a big problem for us."

The elder continued walking forward with Chen Jie, saying, "The entrance to this cave is actually hidden here. It would be very difficult for an ordinary person to find it. Moreover, the entrance is so deep that an ordinary person would not be able to find it either."

As he spoke, the Grand Elder looked around and said, "Although this place is deep in Kunlun, it is well-connected in all directions. To the east, we can reach Qinghai, and to the west, we can reach Tibet."

We can't find any trace of that person here anymore; it's difficult to find them.

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie said, "Hmm, I know that man. He's cunning and treacherous. Now that he's escaped to this open area, it'll be difficult to catch him."

“This place is not only interconnected, but also full of snowdrifts. You’re right, it’s hard for someone to survive if they fall in, but if we fall in, we’ll be fine. If we search for him everywhere, he might be hiding in a snowdrift at our feet and come out after we leave.”

"Of course, he may have run away again while we were searching the snow den. Anyway, I feel it's almost impossible to catch him unless we're incredibly lucky and can find his hiding place right away."

As he spoke, Chen Jie slammed his palm into a snowdrift. The next moment, snowflakes danced and fell from the sky, and in no time, the snow covered the area again, instantly restoring it to its original state, with no visible damage.

The snow fell silently, leaving no trace. So, who could possibly find Zhang Shicheng's whereabouts?

The Grand Elder was also quite helpless. He looked at Chen Jie and said, "Brother Chen, the Tiger Soul Blade is a sacred object of our clan. It must not be lost. No matter what, I must find it."

Chen Jie nodded slightly after hearing this and said, "I understand your feelings, and I also know that person. His name is Zhang Shicheng, and he is a regional warlord. He can run away, but he can't hide. If we can't catch him, we can go directly to his stronghold to find him."

After listening to this, the Grand Elder thought for a moment and said, "Brother Chen is right. No matter what, I must take the Tiger Soul Blade."

Hearing this, Chen Jie looked at the Grand Elder and said, "Alright, since that's the case, why don't you come back to Huangzhou Prefecture with me first, and then we can go and snatch this sword back from Zhang Shicheng together."

Chen Jie suggested that the elder was a formidable fighter, and his strength as a fourth-level Fusion God was undeniable. If they could trick him into returning the elder, he would definitely be a valuable asset to them.

The Grand Elder hesitated for a moment and said, "This matter needs further consideration. I need to return to the Immortal Realm to discuss it with the Western King."

Hearing this, Chen Jie nodded and said, "That's how it should be, after all, the Tiger Soul Blade isn't something the Grand Elder can handle alone."

As he spoke, Chen Jie looked around and said, "There's no point in us staying here. Let's go back and report to the Western King."

The Grand Elder nodded upon hearing this and said, "That's the only way. It's just a pity we couldn't find that damned fellow."

Having said this, the Grand Elder and Chen Jie chose a direction and immediately set off back. Meanwhile, deep within Kunlun, a man clutched his wound, clutching a large sword as he fled in a disheveled state, but his laughter could not be concealed: "Hahaha, hahaha... He escaped, he escaped!"

The man laughed maniacally, then collapsed to the ground, lying on his back. Looking at the bright sun in the sky, he reached out and raised the Tiger Soul Blade in his hand.

The Tiger Soul Blade gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight, its blade seemingly alive with a flickering flame. Looking at the blade, the man laughed again: "Hahaha... Heaven hasn't forsaken me, Zhang Shicheng! With this blade, the world will be mine sooner or later! Hahaha..."

Zhang Shicheng laughed heartily. At this moment, he heard the voice of the golden toad in his ears: "Stop laughing. Hurry up and rest. Then escape from Kunlun. You have the divine artifact of the immortals. They will not let you leave like this. When they have free time, the first thing to do is to escape from Kunlun as soon as possible."

"You will only be truly safe once you reach Jiangnan."

Jin Chan said, and upon hearing this, Zhang Shicheng chuckled and said, "Escaping to Jiangnan is considered truly safe, but that's nothing. Escaping to Jiangnan isn't really safe either, because there's still a cheap master waiting for me there!"

Upon hearing this, the golden toad asked, "You mean that Holy Lord?"

Zhang Shicheng said, "Hehe, speaking of this cheap master, I thought of something interesting, which may be the biggest gain from my trip to Kunlun."

The golden toad asked, "What?"

Zhang Shicheng said, "I can't say that now, and that cheap master of mine is quite strong. I don't have a way to deal with him right now, but..."

Zhang Shicheng paused here, then looked at the Tiger Soul Blade in his hand and said, "I know he came to the Central Plains this time for a reason. He came for Chen Jiu Si, and Chen Jiu Si never disappoints!"

Upon hearing this, Jin Chan looked at Zhang Shicheng with confusion and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Zhang Shicheng chuckled and said, "Just you wait, everything will be clear soon. I'm really looking forward to that day."

Upon hearing this, Jin Chan looked at Zhang Shicheng and asked, "What exactly are you up to?"

Zhang Shicheng chuckled and said, "Jin Chan, actually, you and I are quite a good match."

Jin Chan frowned and looked at Zhang Shicheng, saying, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Zhang Shicheng laughed heartily and said, "We all want to swallow this egg whole!"

Upon hearing this, the golden toad said, "Eat the heavens? When did I ever want to eat the heavens? Didn't you all say I wanted to eat swan meat?"

Zhang Shicheng was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then burst into laughter, "Hahaha... Golden Toad, I really didn't expect you to be so humorous, hahaha..."

After laughing for a while, Zhang Shicheng slowly got up from the ground and said, "Let's go."

Jin Chan asked, "Where to? Back to Jiangnan?"

Zhang Shicheng said, "No, I'll go to the Northwest first and go back after I've recovered from my injuries. Besides, if I go back now, I'll be a sitting duck. Chen Jiu Si will definitely bring people from the Immortal Realm to catch me. If I don't show up, they won't be able to catch me. And at that time, my cheap master will definitely be restless. When he fights Chen Jiu Si, I can reap the benefits."

Upon hearing this, Jin Chan nodded slightly and said, "What you said seems to make a lot of sense."

Zhang Shicheng chuckled and said, "Don't worry, we won't lose this time!"

As Zhang Shicheng spoke, he walked straight ahead, his eyes filled with ambition for the future. This time, destiny truly favored him. With the Tiger Soul Blade, the complete Nine Li Demon Art, and that plan, he wondered who would be his match in the future.

Chen Jiu Si?
Hehehe... The Four Seasons Celestial Phenomenon Technique is at best a technique on par with my Nine Li Demon Art, but now that I have the matching Tiger Soul Blade, my combat power has increased by at least 50%. If I were to master this divine skill, I really don't know who in the world could be my opponent except for those two terrestrial immortals.

Zhang Shicheng thought to himself, his heart filled with excitement, "This world will be mine sooner or later!"
……

Thus, Zhang Shicheng left Kunlun with excitement. He would then spend some time in seclusion before making a sudden and spectacular breakthrough.
Meanwhile, Chen Jie and the Grand Elder finally returned to the front of the Nine-Story Pagoda after going around in circles. Then, as night fell, they entered the fairyland.

As soon as they entered the fairyland, someone reported to the Western King. Upon hearing this, the Western King immediately led his men to greet them. The two groups met before entering the fairyland.

The Western King looked at Chen Jie and the Grand Elder and asked, "How did you two come from outside the Immortal Realm?"

Chen Jie then explained that beneath this fairyland lay another grotto-heaven leading to the outside world…

Upon hearing Chen Jie's explanation, the Western King's expression gradually changed. When he heard Chen Jie say that Zhang Shicheng had taken the Tiger Soul Blade, his face darkened and he said, "They actually let an outsider take advantage of the situation."

The Grand Elder immediately said, "King of the West, we came back this time precisely to tell you that I plan to go to the outside world with Brother Chen to bring the Tiger Soul Blade back to the Immortal Realm. This is the only divine artifact left in the Immortal Realm, and we cannot afford to lose it!"

Upon hearing this, the Western King pondered for a moment and said, "The Grand Elder is preparing to leave the Immortal Realm, this..."

The Grand Elder looked at the Western King and said, "I know what the Western King is worried about, but things have come to this point and there is no other way. We can only go out of the Immortal Realm, otherwise our ancestors' treasures will really be lost."

After hearing this, the Western King pondered for a long time before speaking, "That's... that's true. In that case, let the Grand Elder make the trip. However, the Grand Elder should also return as soon as possible."

The elder thought for a moment and said, "Six months. Within six months, I will return regardless of whether I find the Tiger Soul Blade or not."

Upon hearing this, the Western King nodded and said, "In that case, I will follow the Grand Elder's advice."

After saying this, the First Elder glanced at the Western King and said, "However, I'm afraid I won't be able to make it to our young clan leader's wedding with the Little Immortal Venerable."

Upon hearing this, the Western King thought for a moment and said, "How about this, we keep the wedding simple, get married first, and then set off. The grand wedding will be three days later, how about that?"

Upon hearing this, the Grand Elder said, "That's wonderful, thank you very much, King Xi."

The elder then looked at Chen Jie and said, "Brother Chen, why don't you have a drink at the wedding before you leave?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie said, "That's great! I'll also share in the joy of our immortal clan."

"Then it's settled. The wedding will be in three days!"

With the plan finalized, three days passed before the wedding began. Hengqing married the excited Li Fang. This was a political marriage, and personal preferences were secondary.

Chen Jie also attended the wedding. After the wedding, the Jiuli tribe finally had a leader. At this time, the Grand Elder found Chen Jie, and together they returned to Huangzhou Prefecture! (End of this chapter)