Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

"Master of the Underworld," Lin Zhao casually introduced himself. "Please have a seat."

The three of them exchanged a glance and then carefully sat down on the nearby rock.

"You're saying they're from the Zixuan Dynasty?" Lin Zhao asked.

Zheng Yuanshan was taken aback, then nodded: "Yes. I was originally a guest retainer of the Qin Prince's Mansion in the Zixuan Dynasty. Are these two junior members of the Prince's Mansion?"

Lin Zhao didn't answer, but instead asked, "I heard that the Core Formation cultivator of the Zi Xuan Dynasty is nearing the end of his life. How much longer?"

Zheng Yuanshan paused for a moment, then lowered his voice: "At most... twenty years. Maybe even less. It's said that he hasn't shown his face much in recent years, spending more time in seclusion than in public. The whole Prince's mansion is buzzing with rumors..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Lin Zhao understood.

Everyone is waiting.

Waiting for that true master to pass away, waiting for the dynasty to collapse, waiting for a reshuffling of the deck.

Lin Zhao nodded and asked about the Zi Xuan Dynasty and the Bi Hai Chamber of Commerce, confirming their true identities.

-----

Over there, Cui Jun burned an incense stick's worth of time, finally forcing the peak Foundation Establishment cultivator into a desperate situation.

The man roared and, risking a blow from Cui Jun, turned and fled—a beam of light shot into the sky, hurtling towards the depths of the Misty Swamp.

Although Lin Zhao appeared relaxed, she was actually never truly at ease.

The Sword Eye that Pierces Illusions.

A divine sense comparable to the peak of Foundation Establishment condensed into an invisible divine soul attack, instantly catching up with the escaping light and fiercely piercing into that person's sea of ​​consciousness.

The man screamed in agony. At the same time, Zhou Yuan raised his hand, and the blood-red dagger once again transformed into a streak of blood light and shot out.

The man was struck by the combined attack of the two, his spiritual light dissipated, and he fell from mid-air.

Cui Jun rushed forward, and a circular magical artifact flew out, severing the man's head.

The battle is over.

Cui Jun stood there catching his breath, wiped the blood from his face, and turned back.

He walked up to Lin Zhao and Zhou Yuan, and seeing the two of them leisurely drinking tea and eating melon seeds, he was so angry he almost twisted his nose.

"You two..." he gritted his teeth, "I fought tooth and nail for ages, and you're just sitting here drinking tea?!"

Lin Zhao looked up at him and handed him a cup of tea.

Cui Jun snatched the teacup, gulped down two mouthfuls, and slammed it heavily on the table.

He plopped down in the chair. "I'm from a late-stage Foundation Establishment sect, and I spent ages fighting a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator while you two just stood there watching—how am I supposed to live with myself if word gets out?"

Zhou Yuan slowly cracked open a sunflower seed: "Who told you to suggest he play the bodyguard and I play the servant!"

Cui Jun choked.

"Serves you right," Lin Zhao added.

Cui Jun rolled his eyes, too lazy to argue with them.

He looked at the brother and sister and the elderly man surnamed Zheng, and lowered his voice: "What about the others?"

Lin Zhao did not answer, but got up and walked towards the two prisoners—one was a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator suppressed by Ghost Mountain, and the other was a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator being suppressed by a white pearl.

He squatted down and looked at the one being pressed down by the ghost mountain.

"I ask, you answer."

The man was trembling all over and nodded frantically.

"How many people are in your group in total?"

"Just...just the nine of us." The man's voice trembled.

Lin Zhao nodded, then asked, "Is the cave real or fake?"

"Really... or not?" The man swallowed hard. "The ancient hermit's cave is real, but... but it was left to the descendants of the Gu family."

Everything from the last few centuries is long gone. The Gu family was on their way to participate in the auction when we wiped them all out, leaving no survivors.

Later, our leader found the token and discovered that without the secret techniques passed down through the ancient family bloodline, the token couldn't open the cave at all.

"They...they set up this trap specifically to lure people here. This is truly the first time we've ever done this..."

No wonder they took action before the cave was even opened; they couldn't keep up the act any longer.

Lin Zhao stood up and walked back to the table to sit down.

After hearing this, Cui Jun's expression was complicated: "So this cave dwelling has nothing at all?"

"Yes," Lin Zhao said, picking up her tea. "There's a trap."

Cui Jun opened his mouth, but found himself speechless.

He sullenly downed another cup of tea.

-----

Half an hour later, Zheng Yuanshan, along with his brother and sister, left on a spirit boat.

As for the two late-stage Foundation Establishment prisoners, after the situation was clarified, they were naturally not spared, and the spoils were divided equally among the three.

The Misty Marsh returned to silence.

Cui Jun sat in his chair, looking in the direction the spirit boat had disappeared, and suddenly said, "Junior Brother Lin, when did you become so generous?"

Lin Zhao said, "He is indeed a member of the Bihai Chamber of Commerce. I have a friend in the Bihai Chamber of Commerce, so I'm giving him face. Besides, the Bihai Chamber of Commerce is not easy to mess with."

Cui Jun thought about it and agreed. After all, the Bihai Chamber of Commerce had more than ten Core Formation cultivators, making it one of the most outstanding forces among Core Formation cultivators.

While it's not worth arguing with them over a Foundation Establishment guest, it's always better to avoid trouble.

Of course, the most important thing is that Lin Zhao spoke up. After all, it was a matter of course. If Lin Zhao hadn't spoken up, things would have been different.

The three of them have disguised their presence today. Even if we leave them here, it won't be so easy to trace them back to them!

Lin Zhao picked up his teacup and looked at the swamp where the mist was churning.

The Purple Mystic Dynasty.

The lifespan of a True Immortal who has reached the Core Formation stage is nearing its end.

Twenty years.

A moment later he put down his teacup and stood up.

"Let's go."

Cui Jun and Zhou Yuan exchanged a glance and then stood up as well.

"Where's the cave? Aren't you going in to take a look?"

Lin Zhao turned around and glanced at him.

Cui Jun laughed first: "Okay, I know, there's nothing inside."

The three of them packed up the table and chairs, took to the air, transformed into three streaks of light, and disappeared into the depths of the mist.

Behind them, the bare, rocky mountain stood silently, like a giant tomb.

----

Several hours later, the fog above the Misty Marsh thinned out a bit.

Moonlight filtered through the thin layer of mist, casting a pale white glow on the bare, rocky mountain.

Zhou Yuan returned to this place alone and landed at the location of the cave.

Not long after the three left, Mi Wuze parted ways with Lin Zhao and Cui Jun "amicably".

The excuses are all different.

He went in circles and ended up back here.

Zhou Yuan first used his divine sense to check his surroundings—the fog was swirling and there was no sound. After confirming that no one was around, he took out a token from his pocket.

It was the spoils we received after killing those nine Tribulation cultivators.

The three of them split the tokens equally, with each person receiving at least one. No one said much at the time, but they all knew in their hearts that the matter of this cave was far from over.

Jie Xiu said that the cave had been used by the Gu family for three hundred years, and that the pills, magic tools, and spirit stones inside had long been exhausted. He believed this.

But the cave itself is a treasure trove.

The formation in this cave is truly powerful; it has been operating continuously for three hundred years and is still absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

This in itself implies that there is at least one complete third-order formation inside, as well as a core magical artifact maintaining the formation's energy.

Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators might not know, but these three are elites trained by their sects; how could they not know?