Raise a sword!

Jiang Peng let out a long sigh of relief and scrutinized Qian Laosi in front of her with a critical gaze.

Only after making Qian Laosi feel extremely uncomfortable did he finally speak, asking, "Who else knows about this?"

"Only you and I know," Qian Laosi replied.

Jiang Peng then asked, "Why didn't you enjoy such an opportunity yourself? Why did you have to tell me?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Laosi gave a wry smile and pointed at Jiang Peng.

"Brother Jiang is still as cautious as ever." After a slight pause, Qian Laosi explained, "That place is a bit deep into the Earthly Echoing Mountains. It was already an accident that we were able to find the location of that hidden cave. If I were to go there again, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to handle it alone."

Jiang Peng smiled noncommittally and then looked at the array plate in Qian Laosi's hand.

"Is this the protective formation of that cave?"

"I think so. There are some records about array formations in my family's heritage. I see that the array patterns on the array plate and the guardian array are from the same source."

"The cave's formation has been broken, and you've already arrived at the location, yet you're stubbornly resisting going down to take a look?"

The bitter smile on Qian Laosi's face grew even more pronounced.

"That cave has collapsed, and it's difficult for me to break through the entrance, which is why I thought of you, Brother Jiang... Brother Jiang is at the sixth level of Qi Refining. I don't know how good you are at fighting, but you're much better than me, a half-baked one."

Although the story of Jiang Peng killing the Li family's retainer was not widely circulated in the market, Qian Laosi, as the Song family's retainer, was naturally well aware of it.

That's why, when he realized he couldn't enjoy the opportunity alone, he immediately thought of Jiang Peng.

Qian Laosi took a deep breath and said sincerely, "To be honest, I have known Brother Jiang for many years. We may not be very close, but we know each other quite well... Moreover, Brother Jiang has not yet broken through to the late stage of Qi Refining. If there is any treasure that Brother Jiang is greedy for and wants to kill me to silence me, I am confident that I have some ability to escape."

Upon hearing this, a slight smile finally appeared on Jiang Peng's face.

"That's more like the truth."

Qian Laosi shook his head and said, "I really mean it when I say I trust you, Brother Jiang! Back then, when you got the treasure from my stall, you not only pointed out that I had made a mistake, but you were even willing to return it... It was because of this that I decided to tell you the news."

After being frank, Jiang Peng then inquired in detail about the cave dwelling.

Qian Laosi also spoke frankly: "What Brother Jiang said just now is correct. That incomplete array plate is indeed above the second rank, it is a third rank array plate! It was because of this that I concluded that the cave was the cave of a Golden Core cultivator."

"Judging from the surrounding traces, that place has not been visited for at least several hundred years and has been abandoned for a long time. There may not be any opportunities left there... But how can I be satisfied if I don't go and see it with my own eyes?"

Jiang Peng nodded and said, "That makes sense. We need to see it for ourselves... When do we set off?"

"If it's convenient for you, Brother Jiang, let's go now," Qian Laosi said impatiently. "Ever since I discovered that place, I haven't been able to do anything right these past few days. All I can think about is the treasure in that cave."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Peng pondered for a moment before finally agreeing.

"I still have some trivial matters to attend to in the sect. After I leave a message at Cangshan Pavilion, we will set off."

...

At noon, Qian Laosi and I left the market and spent most of the day walking in the Diming Mountains.

By the time the bright moon hung high in the sky, Jiang Peng estimated that the two of them had already ventured more than three hundred miles into the mountains.

The journey went surprisingly smoothly.

Although they occasionally encountered a few lone monsters, after Jiang Peng and Qian Laosi went around them, those monsters did not bother them.

In addition, Jiang Peng also picked some spiritual materials that were of some value, estimating that he had earned a few dozen spirit stones.

"Brother Qian is quite daring, daring to venture into such deep mountains all by himself," Jiang Peng exclaimed, following behind Qian Lao Si.

In this deep mountain area, one can already see monsters at the late stage of the first tier.

Only a demon-hunting team led by a cultivator at the late stage of Qi Refining could venture so deep into the mountains to explore.

Qian Laosi is only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, but he is really quite bold.

"Hehe, I only got here by chance... Last time I took a job collecting corpses, and on the way I encountered a beast tide. I was unlucky enough to be driven by the beast tide and fled deeper and deeper into the mountains."

As they spoke, the two figures swiftly moved through the forest.

Finally, when an unusually lush thicket of bushes appeared ahead, Qian Laosi stopped in his tracks.

"It's right here. The cave is hidden under the bushes. It's a natural cave, and the cave is built around it."

Qian Laosi led Jiang Peng forward, and after parting the bushes, they indeed saw a huge crack in the ground ahead.

"It must have been the earth dragon turning over that broke through the cave's protective array... While the methods of Golden Core cultivators are indeed powerful, they are ultimately still somewhat lacking when facing a true natural disaster."

Jiang Peng didn't respond, but just twitched her nose slightly.

He smelled a cold, eerie scent, a scent he was quite familiar with, so much so that even though it was very faint, he immediately noticed its presence.

"A place of Yin and Sha," Jiang Peng suddenly said.

Qian Laosi, who had already entered the underground cave, paused and turned back to look at Jiang Peng in confusion.

"Brother Jiang, you say this is a place of malevolent spirits?"

"Not bad." Jiang Peng followed Qian Laosi and jumped into the cave. He then took out a lighting talisman and activated it to illuminate the area around the cave.

The cave is quite spacious, with stalactite pillars hanging overhead, and occasionally bats can be seen hiding in the corners.

A faint, fishy stench lingered in the air, mingling with the chill that sent shivers down one's spine.

"If it is a place of Yin Sha, then we need to be more careful." Although Qian Laosi could not see any clues about the place of Yin Sha, he believed that Jiang Peng would not speak without reason, so he immediately took out a talisman, activated it, and slapped it on himself.

Then, he took another talisman and handed it to Jiang Peng.

"The Golden Sun Talisman can protect you in places of Yin and Sha."

"No need, my fire-based cultivation method happens to have a counteracting effect," Jiang Peng politely declined.

In fact, Jiang Peng's copper skin and iron bones were forged in the Yin Sha Land, so now that he has come to the Yin Sha Land, it is no different from going home.

He not only felt no discomfort, but even felt quite comfortable, and his physical body seemed to be strengthening in some ways.

However, Jiang Peng did not choose to absorb these Yin and evil energies.

Although Jiang Peng used the Purple Gold Cauldron to purify the Yin Sha Qi and unexpectedly gained his current copper skin and iron bones, further utilizing the Yin Sha Qi would not only be of no benefit but would also damage his cultivation.

The Yin Sha Body Refining method is ultimately not the right path; it is a method for creating zombies.

Unless Jiang Peng wants to become a zombie, it's just right for her Yin Sha Body Refinement to stop at its current level.

They continued to follow Qian Laosi deeper into the cave.

After traveling about a hundred feet, the outline of the so-called Golden Elixir Cave finally came into view.