Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Cui Jun said, "Our combination is perfect: a rich young master, a servant, and a bodyguard for a robber."

Zhou Yuan and Lin Zhao turned their heads at the same time: "Get lost."

Cui Jun laughed heartily and pulled out a carriage from his storage bag—it was entirely white jade-colored, but the five white horses pulling the carriage were not living beings, but rather first-tier top-grade puppets, their bodies radiating a faint spiritual light.

This is a second-tier mid-grade magic artifact, the White Jade Cloud Chariot, which can travel ten thousand miles a day and is quite comfortable to ride in.

"Come on, get in the car." Cui Jun lifted the curtain. "It's our first time exploring a cave, so it won't hurt to keep a low profile."

Lin Zhao looked at his magical carriage and remained silent for a moment.

Is this what you call being low-key?

The three boarded the carriage, and five puppet white horses reared up and took off, transforming into five streaks of white light as they sped off in the northeast direction.

The interior of the carriage was larger than it appeared from the outside, with a soft couch and a small table, and there were even several plates of spiritual fruits on the table.

Cui Jun lay sprawled on the couch, cracking melon seeds, while Lin Zhao sat by the window, watching the clouds rushing past outside.

"Junior Brother Lin," Cui Jun suddenly spoke up, "what do you think is the probability that this cave is actually a trap?"

"Ninety percent." Lin Zhao said without turning her head.

"So tall?"

"If there were really good stuff, would it be our turn?" Lin Zhao turned to look at him. "Unless that person is an idiot."

Cui Jun thought for a moment and nodded: "That's true."

Zhou Yuan, who was resting with his eyes closed, suddenly interjected, "What about the remaining ten percent?"

Lin Zhao was silent for a moment: "That person is really an idiot."

The three looked at each other and smiled, but despite the smiles, no one backed down.

After traveling for several days and tens of thousands of miles, the further northeast we went, the sparser the population became.

The sphere of influence of the immortal city gradually fell behind, and the mortal towns below became fewer and fewer, until only vast mountains and swamps remained.

The air was filled with a damp mist, carrying a faint smell of decaying grass.

We've arrived at Misty Marsh.

Looking down from the sky, there was a gray-white sea of ​​fog below, the fog as thick as cotton, which the wind could not disperse. Occasionally, flocks of birds would fly by, plunge into it, and never come out again.

Lin Zhao probed with his divine sense, but could only extend it to 70% of the normal distance—the fog in this place was strange and could suppress divine sense.

Cui Jun put away the carriage, and the three of them landed.

The token is sensitive and guides the way.

After traversing hundreds of miles of swamp, a barren mountain appeared ahead, devoid of any vegetation, its rocks exhibiting a sickly grayish-white hue, as if something had drained the mountain of its life force.

Three teams were already waiting at the foot of the mountain.

Lin Zhao glanced at them from afar: there were nine people in total, young and old, men and women.

One Foundation Establishment Peak, four Foundation Establishment Late Stages, and four Foundation Establishment Mid Stages.

Some people sat cross-legged to regulate their breathing, while others talked in hushed tones, their eyes occasionally sweeping around with a scrutinizing air.

Cui Jun strode forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and exchanged pleasantries.

He's the team leader, so he has to step in on this kind of occasion.

Lin Zhao and Zhou Yuan lagged a few steps behind, maintaining the proper distance between a "bodyguard" and a "servant".

However, Lin Zhao's divine sense, using the secret technique of Spiritual Insight, silently covered the nine people.

On the surface, their clothing and expressions were different, making them seem like three teams that didn't know each other.

But in Lin Zhao's perception, there was a faint aura between them—like they were derived from the same cultivation technique, or like they had been nurtured by taking the same kind of elixir for a long time.

Lin Zhao withdrew her divine sense and subtly transmitted her thoughts to Cui Jun and Zhou Yuan:

"They're in cahoots."

Zhou Yuan's eyelid twitched.

Cui Jun was trying to get close to the peak Foundation Establishment cultivator when his smile froze for a moment before returning to normal.

He was still exchanging pleasantries, but in his heart he was already cursing—they had made a bet on the way here. Lin Zhao and Zhou Yuan both bet that this place was a trap, while Cui Jun wanted to bet on a trap, but as the initiator of the mission, he was pressured by the two to bet that it wasn't a trap.

The stakes are a mid-grade spirit stone, not much, but embarrassing.

While dealing with their probing questions, he mentally calculated: nine people, plus the three of us, there's still one team that hasn't arrived.

When that team arrives, it will be nine against six... no, if they are a group, it will be twelve against three.

He got angrier the more he thought about it, but he still had to keep a smile on his face.

The Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator probed a few times, his gaze lingering on Lin Zhao—a black mask, a chilling aura, and two second-tier low-grade demonic banners.

A hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes as he looked away. He could eat it.

Lin Zhao clearly saw the change in his eyes and chuckled inwardly.

-----

Three days later, the fifth team arrived.

A white spirit boat emerged from the mist; it was a mid-grade second-tier vessel, its hull shimmering with a faint spiritual light.

The spirit boat landed, and three people disembarked—a young man and woman, both in the early stages of Foundation Establishment, with somewhat similar features, so they were probably siblings;

There was also an elderly man surnamed Zheng, in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, with a thin face and a calm gaze.

Lin Zhao was slightly taken aback when he saw the spirit boat.

He recognized the spirit boat.

When I returned to my sect from the Cloud Mist Mountain Range back then, this second-tier white boat accompanied me on the spirit boat of the Azure Sea Merchant Guild.

They're not a group; they're genuinely here for an adventure?

The brother and sister immediately saw the formation opposite them as soon as they came down—nine powerful Foundation Establishment cultivators, with imposing auras and unfriendly eyes.

The old man surnamed Zheng glanced around the room, his gaze lingering on the nine people for a moment, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

He strode quickly toward Cui Jun's team, which appeared to be the weakest, and bowed, saying:

"Fellow Daoist, I am Zheng Yuanshan. May I join your team for travel? We can look out for each other."

Just as Cui Jun was about to speak, Lin Zhao transmitted her voice: "They're not in cahoots."

Cui Jun was overjoyed, but his face showed just the right amount of hesitation as he glanced at the "bodyguard".

Lin Zhao nodded slightly, and Cui Jun then said, "No problem, no problem, let's do it together."

The brother and sister looked at Lin Zhao warily—a black mask, a cold aura, he didn't look like a good person at all.

The younger sister tugged at her older brother's sleeve, and the older brother, steeling himself, bowed slightly but didn't dare to get closer.

Lin Zhao was too lazy to explain.

-----

A few days later, on the night of the full moon.

The five teams gathered in front of the hill, and each team leader took out their token.

Once all the tokens were collected, dense runes began to appear on the surface of the hill, and spiritual light spread like flowing water, finally outlining a three-zhang-high gate of light on the mountain.

Inside the door, mist swirled, and a downward stone staircase was faintly visible.

Everyone's eyes lit up.

"Let's do it!"

The five captains infused their magic into the tokens, and the five tokens simultaneously emitted spiritual light, which was then injected into the formation.

The entrance to the cave slowly solidified and opened—

A quarter of an hour later, just as the cave was halfway open, the other three suddenly withdrew their magic power.

The formation in the cave lost its balance, and the violent spiritual energy surged back.

"boom!!!"

The old man surnamed Zheng was the first to be hit, spitting out a mouthful of blood and flying backward, crashing onto the muddy ground ten feet away.

Cui Jun coughed up a mouthful of blood—he was prepared, but he was going to play along, and he staggered back, his face pale.

The brother and sister were terrified. The sister screamed, and the brother released the spirit boat from his storage bag, preparing to enter the spirit boat with her.