On the path to immortality, I can see destiny.

At this moment, the cultivator surnamed Zhou and the young master of the workshop returned to the cave they had visited before.

Seeing that no one was around, the cultivator surnamed Zhou took out a cyan talisman from his storage bag, and with a gentle wave of his right hand, the talisman turned into ashes and disappeared.

Meanwhile, the vegetation around the cave grew wildly, blocking the cave entrance in the blink of an eye.

After doing all this, the two entered the cave.

Deep within the cave lay a pitch-black coffin, its surface adorned with eerie patterns that swirled into a vortex, so intimidating that a single glance felt as if one's soul were being sucked in.

When the cultivator surnamed Zhou and the young master arrived at the place, they scanned the surroundings with their divine senses to make sure that no one else was there before gently tapping the coffin a few times.

After waiting for a while, there was finally movement inside the coffin. The heavy coffin lid opened a crack on its own, and blood flowed out, instantly transforming into the appearance of Zhang Tie.

"That kid got away."

The cultivator surnamed Zhou remained unusually calm as he watched this bizarre scene, simply informing Zhang Tie of the result.

Zhang Tie looked at the cultivator surnamed Zhou, a hint of anger appearing on his pale face.

"Useless is useless. He can't even catch a cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining."

Upon hearing this, the cultivator surnamed Zhou snorted coldly but did not refute it.

The young master, however, looked displeased and spoke in a cold voice.

"First of all, he has already reached the sixth level of Qi Refining."

"Secondly, since you think we're useless, why don't you do it yourself?"

Zhang Tie seemed to have been hit where it hurt. He raised his head and stared intently at the young master, his blood rushing faster and faster. It seemed he wanted to make a move.

Seeing this, the cultivator surnamed Zhou immediately spoke up.

"Alright, now we're all on the same side, there's no need to be so confrontational."

"What exactly did this Zhao Fan do that you insisted on killing him with your own hands? If it weren't for that, the two of us would have captured him long ago."

Zhang Tie snorted coldly, and the blood on his body slowly calmed down, adhering back to his skin and turning into a thin layer of blood-red protective film.

He looked at the young master, the killing intent in his eyes not completely dissipated, but ultimately he did not make a move.

"I have a very close friend."

His voice was low and deep, carrying a hint of suppressed hatred.

"They have known me since I was a mortal, and together we embarked on the path to immortality. Their kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain."

Upon hearing this, the young master's displeasure subsided slightly, but he still remained somewhat wary.

"He was killed by Zhao Fan?"

A ferocious look flashed across Zhang Tie's pale face, and the killing intent in his eyes almost materialized.

The cultivator surnamed Zhou raised an eyebrow, understanding the situation.

"So you're hunting him down for revenge?"

Zhang Tie sneered.

"I wish I could eat its flesh and gnaw on its bones raw!"

"If I hadn't been severely injured by that deacon of the Suyang Sect and forced to heal in the Xuan Yin Coffin, why would I have needed to take action?"

After hearing the whole story, the cultivator surnamed Zhou nodded silently.

"In that case, we will definitely help you bring this kid back, but we hope that what you said about the Foundation Establishment Cave is true."

"That's natural."

Zhang Tie nodded.

"I, Zhang, am a man of my word. As long as you help me avenge myself, I will hand over the information on the Foundation Establishment cultivator's cave dwelling with both hands."

As he spoke, his gaze shifted to the young master, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes.

"However, I need fresh cultivator blood right now. Have you had your fun with that woman? If you have, give her to me."

"The person is still alive, locked in a cave. I'll give it to you after I've played with him for two more days."

"At most one day. I desperately need fresh blood right now. The people from the Suyang Sect haven't left yet, and I can't go out to arrest them. Give me the person and let me recover from my injuries so we can get closer to that Foundation Establishment cave sooner..."

……

Fuling Mountain, the Su family.

When Zhao Fan woke up from his coma, it was already bright outside the window. He was lying in his room, his wounds had been carefully treated and the cloths had been changed, and he could faintly smell the cool scent of the ointment.

He struggled to sit up; his whole body was still sore, but it was much better than the night before.

A person was sitting by the bed; it was Su San.

"woke up?"

Su San's voice was calm, but there was a hint of weariness in her eyes.

Zhao Fan nodded, his voice hoarse.

"Fellow Daoist Su, how long have I been asleep?"

"Not long, about four or five hours." Su San handed over a bowl of warm water.

"Drink some water first, and calm down."

Zhao Fan took the bowl, drank it down in a few gulps, and his parched throat finally felt a little better.

He put down the bowl, then, remembering something, took the mummified corpse out of his storage bag.

The corpse was curled up, its skin dry and like tree bark, clinging tightly to the skeleton.

The light blue dress was worn out, but its original appearance was still visible.

Su San's gaze fell on the corpse. After a moment of silence, he stepped forward to examine it closely.

He crouched down, first examining the fabric and stitching of the dress, then scrutinizing the corpse's fingers, earlobes, and skeletal outline. Finally, he took out a small mirror, infused it with spiritual energy, and the mirror glowed faintly, illuminating the corpse's face.

The gaunt face gradually became clear under the mirror light, revealing the outline of the bones, the arrangement of the teeth, and the shape of the skull.

After a long while, Su San put away the small mirror, stood up, and shook her head.

"It's not Zixuan."

Zhao Fan felt a sense of relief, but then tensed up again.

Are you sure?

"Sure."

Su San pointed to the corpse's hand.

"Look, the finger bones of this corpse are thicker and shorter than Zixuan's, and the thickness of the bones is also different. This dress is indeed Zixuan's dress, but it seems to be a case of substitution."

Zhao Fan looked closely and found it to be exactly as Su San had said.

"So...she's still alive?"

"Very likely."

Su San pondered for a moment.

"Those people deliberately used this corpse to lure you in, making you think Zixuan is dead, thus lowering your guard, or making you make the wrong judgment in anger."

Zhao Fan's mind flashed back to the young master's handsome face, and he couldn't help but sigh, recalling Su Zixuan's affectionate gaze at him in the market that day.

Why did he do that?

Su San sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I don't know either. He really has no reason to do this. Although our Su family is not a big family, we are still a family, not a rogue cultivator. They will not benefit from provoking us."

Zhao Fan thought for a moment and then spoke.

"I think Miss Zixuan should still be alive. If she is dead, they can just take out the real body directly. There is no need to switch them."

Su San nodded and then spoke.

"The question now is, why did they want to capture Zixuan? Was it simply to lure you in, or is there another purpose?"

Zhao Fan thought for a moment and then said.

"I killed Zhang Tie's brother, so his desire for revenge makes sense. But why are the young master and the Zhou family cultivators helping him? What are they after?"

Su San pondered for a moment, then slowly said.

"Profits. Zhang Tie has something they want. It could be a Foundation Establishment cave, a cultivation technique, or something else. Otherwise, given the Zhou family's status as cultivators, there's no need for them to get involved with demonic cultivators."

Zhao Fan recalled the blood coral that Zhang Tie and the big man fought over in the Blood Refining Array that day; that thing could produce Foundation Establishment spiritual objects.

"Foundation Building Spiritual Object".

He blurted it out.

Su San's eyes flashed, and she nodded slightly.

"That is indeed possible."