Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

"besides."

Sun Liangyu lowered her voice a few decibels, "The Tianshan Sect is a demonic sect from beyond the Great Wall. They've wanted to enter the Xuantian Dynasty for quite some time now."

Their sending of people to compete for the Tianlan Stone mine this time is probably not just for the ore itself, but also to establish a foothold in the heart of the Central Plains.

If the imperial court finds out about this, it won't be as simple as just a centurion from a thousand-household garrison coming.

"Does the master mean... to leak the news?"

"No rush," Sun Liangyu shook her head. "Information is the last resort."

If this gets out now, the imperial court will send a large army to suppress it, and the mine will be completely out of our reach.

Let them fight it out, the fiercer the better. When they're both badly injured, then we'll intervene, or decide whether to leak the information.

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the shadowy courtyard in the night: "The White Lotus Sect has been suppressed by the imperial court for so many years, and its vitality has not yet recovered."

If a portion of this Tianlan Stone vein could be acquired, it would greatly benefit the sect's weaponry replenishment.

But the prerequisite is that their identities cannot be revealed. Once exposed, not only the mine, but the entire Qinghe City branch will be destroyed.

The man in black bowed his head deeply: "Understood. Our top priority is to remain undetected."

"Go."

Deep in the vast mountains, there is an unnamed valley.

The valley entrance is narrow. The mountain walls on both sides are so steep that only two or three people can walk side by side.

The mountainside was covered with dark green moss, which gleamed with a dim luster under the moonlight.

A faint mist lingered deep within the valley—a pale grayish-white, unlike any ordinary mountain mist. It was a naturally formed barrier of malevolent energy between heaven and earth. Anyone below the Innate Realm who came into contact with it would die instantly.

Huo Tianlang lay prone on a high ground opposite the valley. His one eye peered through the gaps in the rocks, fixed intently on the valley entrance. He had been lying there for two hours, motionless, like a real stone.

Seven or eight people were lying on the ground behind him, also holding their breath.

"Boss," a lean man said in a low voice, crawling up from behind, "the Blood Demon Cult has arrived."

Huo Tianlang narrowed his one eye slightly.

Outside the valley entrance, a group of people were walking out of the mountain path.

Leading the group was a burly old man in black robes, with white hair and beard, a ruddy complexion like a baby's, and piercing eyes—Bloodhand Tu Wanshan. Behind him were four followers at the Acquired Divine Power Realm.

Walking side by side with Tu Wanshan was another old man.

Tall and slender with a thin face, he wore a moon-white robe with a long sword hanging at his waist, and exuded a chilling aura—this was Han Songzi of the Tianshan Sect. Behind Han Songzi were three cultivators at the Acquired Divine Power Realm.

Two at the Innate Realm. Seven at the Acquired Divine Power Realm.

Huo Tianlang's Adam's apple bobbed. He swallowed hard.

"Boss," the middle-aged scholar said in a very low voice, "two people at the Innate Realm."

Huo Tianlang did not answer. His one eye was fixed on the two groups of people at the valley entrance, a trace of unwillingness flashing deep in his pupils, but more so a deep fear.

He had initially thought that only one person at the Innate Realm had arrived, which would have given him a chance to take advantage of the situation after the opponent was weakened. However, the presence of two Innate Realm experts meant that their power was far beyond his capabilities.

"Withdraw." He uttered a single word.

"The boss?"

"I said retreat." Huo Tianlang's voice was low and firm. "Two people at the Innate Realm, our small force would be throwing our lives away. No matter how good the mine is, we need to be alive to take it."

The middle-aged scholar paused for a moment, then nodded. He gestured behind him, and seven or eight people began to move backward silently, their movements as slow and gentle as a group of geckos.

Just then, Tu Wanshan at the valley entrance suddenly stopped. His gaze swept towards the direction where Huo Tianlang was hiding, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally.

Huo Tianlang's heart clenched suddenly. He froze on the spot, his breath stopping.

Tu Wanshan's gaze lingered for a moment, then shifted away.

"What's wrong?" Han Songzi asked.

"Nothing much," Tu Wanshan said calmly, withdrawing his gaze. "Just a few rats."

Han Songzi didn't ask any more questions. The two, along with their respective entourages, stepped into the malevolent mist at the valley entrance. The grayish-white mist churned for a moment, then returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.

Huo Tianlang lay prone on the high ground, his back soaked with cold sweat. After a full cup of tea's time, he slowly exhaled a long breath.

"Walk."

The people of Tianlang Village, like a group of frightened wild beasts, silently retreated into the depths of the mountains and forests.

In the vast mountains, there is another dense forest.

Master Wuchen sat cross-legged on a branch of a withered tree.

His eyes were slightly closed, and his sword intent was contained within him. His sleeves fluttered gently in the night breeze, but he was like a sword returning to its sheath, its sharpness completely concealed.

We've been in the mountains for three days.

Following the marks left by Zhao Banshan, they tracked down the old man's trail. On the evening of the third day, they finally found their target in a mountain hollow.

A bonfire burned in the mountain hollow. The old man sat by the fire, holding his bamboo staff, resting with his eyes closed. The little beggar squatted beside him, poking at the fire with a twig.

Besides the two of them, there were five other people—four strong men at the Acquired Divine Power Realm scattered around the mountain valley on guard, and a black-robed man sitting directly opposite the campfire.

The black-robed man's cultivation aura was like a bottomless abyss. Just sensing it from afar, Wuchen felt a chill run down his spine.

The Innate Realm.

He did not act rashly. He was a swordsman, not a reckless brute.

A mid-stage Acquired Divine Power Realm cultivator has no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation with a cultivator at the Innate Realm.

His mission was to find out the identity and origin of the Ghost Elder, and why this group of people had appeared in the Cangmang Mountains.

But the old ghost stayed close to the man in black robes, and he couldn't find an opportunity to get close and investigate.

Just then, a very faint sound of wind breaking came from behind.

Wuchen's sword intent suddenly tightened, then relaxed again—he sensed a familiar aura.

Tian Guinong landed silently on a branch beside him, his gaze also falling on the campfire in the mountain hollow.

"My lord sent me," Tian Guinong said in a low voice. "Old Ghost?"

Wuchen nodded and gestured with his eyes to the old man holding a bamboo cane by the campfire: "That man in black robes, innate realm."

Tian Guinong's gaze lingered on the man in black robes for a moment before shifting away.

There was no urgency in his eyes, only the calmness of a hunter observing his prey.

"Have you found out the truth?" Tian Guinong asked.

"Not yet," Wuchen said in a low voice. "They gather together day and night, and I can't get close. That Innate Realm cultivator has extremely strong senses; he'll be detected if I get even slightly close."

Tian Guinong pondered for a moment: "The Lord's intention is to find out the details first and not to alarm them."

We'll split up and take turns keeping watch. While one person keeps watch, the other will search the surrounding area for clues—they must have a campsite and a route from where they came into the mountains; perhaps we can find some clues.

Wuchen nodded: "That works. You keep an eye on things, I'll go check out the surrounding area."

"Be careful," Tian Guinong said. "If you encounter someone at the Innate Realm, don't engage them head-on. Our master said that ascertaining their identity is the top priority; there's no need for a direct confrontation."

Without saying a word, Wuchen flashed and silently drifted down from the withered tree, disappearing into the shadows of the dense forest like a fallen leaf.

Tian Guinong lay on a branch, his gaze fixed on the campfire in the mountain valley.

Beside the campfire, the old ghost suddenly opened his eyes. His cloudy old eyes glanced in the direction where they were hiding, then closed again, as if it were just an unintentional action.

Tian Guinong remained motionless, even slowing his breathing to its slowest.

The perception range of a person at the Innate Realm is extremely wide, but this is a vast mountain range, with countless night birds, wild beasts, and the sound of the wind in the deep forests. As long as one remains calm and does not reveal hostility or murderous intent, even a person at the Innate Realm will not be paranoid.

He was like a stone, blending into the tree trunk and the night.

The night wind swept through the mountain valley, bringing with it the rustling sound of grass and trees.

The man in black robes suddenly spoke. His voice was deep, like the scraping of rusty iron: "Old Ghost, how far is the entrance to that mine you mentioned from here?"

The old man said, "After crossing that mountain ridge, walk another twenty li. There is a deep crevice there, the bottom of which can not be seen. The Tianlan Stone was dug out from that crevice."

"Where did you get the news about the mineral deposit?"

"I overheard it by chance," the old ghost said in a nonchalant tone. "It was said by two drunken wandering cultivators. I've already sent them on their way. No one else in the world knows this."

The man in black robes paused for a moment, then said, "I hope so."

The campfire crackled and popped.

Tian Guinong memorized every single word.

The old ghost referred to the man in black robes as "innate," but the man in black robes did not refute this—indicating that the old ghost knew the man's background.

The relationship between the two wasn't one of master and servant, but more like a partnership. The old man provided the location of the mine, while the man in black robes provided military support.

Who exactly are these people?

Without making a sound, Tian Guinong changed his perspective and memorized the faces, clothing, and features of everyone around the campfire.

The night was still long. He had plenty of patience.