Wanbaoshan, where demons and ghosts roam!

"It should have been shielded by something..."

Ye Qing's brow furrowed slightly.

"Revered Master, which way should we go?" Lin Xueer asked in a heavy voice at this time.

"Your Martial Aunt Liu followed a Demon Ghost in; we shall search for traces of the Demon Ghost." Ye Qing opened his eyes, a cold flash of lightning passing through his gaze.

"Let's pick a direction at random first to see if we can encounter any Demon Ghosts. Let's go!"

Before his voice had even faded, he had already selected a direction. Leading the two women, he transformed into a streak of light and sped away.

The Secret Realm was vast and boundless. The three of them flew for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Along the way, they saw many exotic flowers and rare herbs, and Ye Qing even conveniently harvested a few stalks of Spirit Medicine that had reached the second-tier High Grade level.

However, they found no Aura or traces of any Demon Ghosts.

Just then, from the dense forest below...

A deafening roar soared into the sky!

"Roar—!"

A violent, bloodthirsty Aura erupted with a bang.

In the next moment, a hideous Yao Beast with a size comparable to a small hill, covered in pitch-black scales and with a single horn on its head, suddenly shot out from the ground!

Its eyes were as red as blood, and there was almost no rationality to speak of within its gaze.

Its massive body carried the force of ten thousand tons as it crashed headlong toward Ye Qing's group in the sky!

"A Black-Armored Earth Dragon with Golden Core Fifth Layer cultivation!" Su Chan exclaimed, her hand pressing on her sword as she frowned slightly.

The Aura of this Yao Beast gave her a feeling that, besides being powerful, was exceptionally tyrannical!

Ye Qing's brow furrowed slightly.

It was just a Golden Core Fifth Layer Yao Beast; he didn't even give it a second look. He simply held his fingers together like a sword and made a casual slash toward the ground.

Sshhh!

A seemingly ordinary green Sword Qi tore through the sky in an instant.

That menacing beast possessed formidable defensive power.

The Black-Armored Earth Dragon, whose thick hide was enough to give even ordinary Cultivators at the sixth or seventh layer of the Golden Core a massive headache, saw its massive body suddenly stiffen in mid-air.

Immediately after, a thin line of blood emerged from its single horn and instantly ran through its entire body.

Bang!

Under the watchful eyes of Lin Xueer and Su Chan, that powerful Golden Core Fifth Layer Yao Beast was split directly into two halves in the air, without even having time to let out a wail.

Its body fell heavily to the ground.

The two women looked at each other. Although they had seen it many times, every time they saw their Revered Master take action...

...they felt it was exceptionally clean and decisive, as if it didn't carry a hint of worldly effort!

"Something is not quite right." After slaying this Yao Beast, Ye Qing's figure hovered in the air, his brow slightly locked.

"Revered Master, what's wrong?" Lin Xueer asked.

"A Golden Core Realm Yao Beast cannot possibly lack intelligence; seeking fortune and avoiding disaster is instinct," Ye Qing said slowly, his gaze deep. "Although I suppressed my Aura to the Fourth Layer of Golden Core, under normal circumstances, they wouldn't take the initiative to launch such a suicidal attack! However, just now, that Yao Beast attacked proactively, and... its state just now was like it had completely lost its mind."

As he spoke, Ye Qing's figure flickered, landing in the woodland stained red with blood.

With a sweep of his Divine Sense, he immediately captured an anomaly within a remnant piece of abdominal flesh.

"So that's how it is."

Ye Qing reached out, and a wisp of black Qi was forcibly stripped from the flesh. It spiraled and twisted in his palm, emitting a cold, eerie Aura.

"It's the Aura of a Demon Ghost!" Su Chan identified it after a moment of hesitation.

"Correct." Ye Qing nodded, a sharp light flashing in his eyes. "The abdomen of this Black-Armored Earth Dragon must have been injured long ago and tainted by the Aura of a Demon Ghost. It even eroded into its brain, causing it to lose its reason and become violent in its Heart-Nature, turning into a Puppet that only knows slaughter and bloodlust. If I hadn't killed it, it might have become a new Demon Ghost!"

At this point, Ye Qing's heart stirred, thinking to himself that his luck seemed good to have found a clue so quickly.

Liu Ruyan should have likely chased in this direction!

Ye Qing casually put the Black-Armored Earth Dragon's relatively intact single horn and scales into his Storage Pouch. These were third-tier Artifact Refining Materials of significant value and could not be wasted.

Then, Ye Qing continued:

"Let's go, continue along this direction!"

Having confirmed the target, the three of them no longer hesitated and accelerated once more.

Transforming into a green rainbow, they disappeared into the horizon.

About half a day later.

Ye Qing led his two Disciples to an open basin area.

Before they even got close, the clamor of voices reached them.

Looking ahead, in the center of the basin stood a towering, ten-thousand-foot peak.

The mountain was grayish-brown throughout, its walls as smooth as a mirror, yet vaguely shimmering with treasure light and emitting a heavy, ancient Aura.

At this moment, thousands of Cultivators were gathered here.

Furthermore, the basin had been artificially divided into inner and outer zones.

In the inner zone, near that giant peak, about several hundred Cultivators were each displaying their Divine Abilities, constantly channeling their magic power to blast out colorful attacks that slammed heavily against the mountain wall.

Whenever an attack landed, ripples would appear on the mountain wall.

Occasionally, a beam of treasure light would shoot out from within, to be swiftly snatched up by the attacker.

This would draw gazes of envy or jealousy from the surroundings.

In the outer zone, even more Cultivators were gathered, forming several long lines, doing something unknown.

"What's going on here? Why is it so lively?" Su Chan looked around curiously.

Ye Qing's heart stirred, and he released his Divine Sense.

He listened to the discussions of the crowd.

"Fellow Daoist might not know, but according to them, this mountain is called 'Ten Thousand Treasures Mountain'!"

"Supposedly, it was a treasure-hiding place used by a great expert in ancient times to test and reward Disciples. The entire mountain peak has many treasures buried inside! As long as you blast it with magic power, there's a chance to draw out the treasures buried within!"

"Although some treasures have been damaged and turned into scrap metal due to the passage of time, some have only dropped in grade and can still be used!"

The Cultivator who heard this nodded in realization, but then a new confusion arose.

"Then why are the lines in front so long? Why don't they hurry in? What are they doing?"

"Sigh, Fellow Daoist, don't be so impulsive. Be careful not to let trouble come from your mouth."

The Cultivator who had explained earlier shook his head and then continued: "Want to know why? Come, come, you few, pay me some Spirit Stones first. Good, good, thank you for your patronage! Good, good, much obliged! Cough, in fact! This place has been seized by the Blazing Sun Sect! To go in and take treasures, you must first pay them ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones!"

"Blazing Sun Sect? The one with a Nascent Soul Ancestor sitting in the Sect? That's a major power!"

“Hiss! Then we’d better wait in line honestly. We can’t afford to provoke them, can’t afford to provoke them...”

The discussions of the surrounding Cultivators clearly reached Ye Qing's ears.

Blazing Sun Sect?

A trace of an impression flashed through Ye Qing's mind.

A large Sect in the Eastern Region with decent strength. Because there was a Nascent Soul Cultivator in the Sect, it could be called a major power.

But among major powers, its strength was on the weaker side.

Compared to top-tier forces like the Taiyi Sect, it was clearly more than one level below.

However, for these Loose Cultivators and small-to-medium Sects, a Nascent Soul Ancestor was a being as high as the heavens.

Therefore, none dared to act out of line and could only follow the rules of the Blazing Sun Sect, paying Spirit Stones before entering to take treasures.

As for whether one could earn back those ten thousand Spirit Stones, it all depended on personal luck.

Fortunately, the Blazing Sun Sect also seemed to fear provoking public anger.

Therefore, Cultivators who knew each other could also choose to enter as a team, paying one set of Spirit Stones per team, with a maximum limit of eight people per team.

"Hmm..."

Ye Qing pondered slightly. He didn't have much interest in this so-called Ten Thousand Treasures Mountain; he had come here only to track the Demon Ghost.

But just as he was pondering, Ye Qing's heart suddenly stirred!

His Divine Sense keenly captured an extremely obscure and cold Aura hidden deep within the body of Ten Thousand Treasures Mountain!

Though weak, it was almost of the same source as the Aura on that Black-Armored Earth Dragon earlier!

It was clearly a Demon Ghost!

Ye Qing's gaze sharpened.

Demon Ghosts were creatures that were cunning and alert by nature.

If he were to rush over directly now, he would likely startle it immediately, perhaps even causing it to flee.

Trying to find it again in this vast Secret Realm would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

It seemed he had to find a way to approach it silently.

His gaze swept over the Cultivators waiting in line to enter the inner zone for treasures, and a plan immediately formed in his mind.

With a thought, the Aura in his body retracted once more, falling from the Fourth Layer of Golden Core he had been displaying until it steadily stopped at the level of Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer Perfection.

This level of cultivation was completely inconspicuous when mixed into a crowd.

It was perfect for entering Ten Thousand Treasures Mountain like an ordinary, oblivious Cultivator and approaching the area where the Demon Ghost was located!

"Xueer, Chan'er, get ready to go in with me," Ye Qing sent a voice transmission.

The two women understood and immediately followed suit.

Just then, a clear female voice sounded beside them.

"Fellow Daoists, please wait!"

Ye Qing turned to look and saw a young female Cultivator dressed in an emerald green silk dress with delicate features walking quickly toward them.

The female Cultivator's cultivation was at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment.

Behind her followed four people, three men and one woman, among whom was a gray-robed old man with a restrained Aura that caused Ye Qing to give him an extra glance.

This old man had Golden Core Third Layer cultivation but was disguised as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

If someone with ill intentions failed to see through the old man's strength and looked down on these five people...

...they would likely suffer a great loss once they started fighting!

"Is something the matter, Fellow Daoist?" Ye Qing asked indifferently, trying his best to fit the identity of a "Foundation Establishment Cultivator."

The green-dressed female Cultivator's eyes lit up when she saw Ye Qing's group.

The Spirit Eye Technique she practiced was not of a High Grade, and she completely failed to see through Ye Qing's disguise, only feeling that these three had extraordinary temperaments, though their cultivation was indeed only in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

She showed a friendly smile and introduced herself: "I am Ruan Qingrou of the Green Bamboo Sect, greetings to you three Fellow Daoists. It's like this: the Blazing Sun Sect stipulates that for entering Ten Thousand Treasures Mountain to take treasures, each team can have at most eight people and only needs to pay one set of Spirit Stones. There are five of us here, and we were looking to team up with you three to go in together. Firstly, it would help share the cost of the Spirit Stones, and secondly, having more people means we can look out for each other and not be easily picked on as soft persimmons."

"Do you have any interest in teaming up? If we do, we will be allies, and if one side is in trouble, the other will provide support!"

"I wonder, what do you three think?"

Ye Qing had no great interest in taking treasures and had originally intended to refuse.

But on second thought, blending into a team of ordinary Cultivators and walking grandly to the front of Ten Thousand Treasures Mountain was exactly the best way to avoid startling that Demon Ghost!

Thinking of this, Ye Qing changed his mind and nodded with a smile: "Fine."

Seeing Ye Qing agree so readily, the smile on Ruan Qingrou's face grew even wider: "Great! Thank you, three Fellow Daoists!"

With that, she took the initiative to step forward. Based on ten thousand Spirit Stones for eight people, each person would be one thousand two hundred and fifty Spirit Stones.

However, Ruan Qingrou proactively put together seven thousand Spirit Stones, so Ye Qing's group only needed to provide three thousand.

Afterward, they gathered the ten thousand and gave them to the Blazing Sun Sect Disciples in exchange for a passage token.

The group of eight successfully entered the inner zone at the foot of Ten Thousand Treasures Mountain.

"Fellow Daoists, let's try our luck in this area!" Ruan Qingrou said, pointing to a relatively open section of the mountain wall.

Everyone nodded and found their own positions, beginning to channel their magic power to attack the mountain wall.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

For a time, spiritual light radiated in all directions, and bursts of energy flew about.

To avoid drawing attention, Ye Qing also pretended to raise his hand and, with Foundation Establishment-level strength, flicked his finger.

A Foundation Establishment-level Sword Qi shot toward the mountain wall at a moderate speed.

After Ye Qing fired this sword strike...

...he paid it no more attention.

He didn't expect to gain anything at all; this Ten Thousand Treasures Mountain was too old, and even if there were treasures inside, their Rank wouldn't be very high.

At this moment, all of Ye Qing's focus was locked onto the Demon Ghost that was slowly moving deep within the mountain!

However, the instant his Sword Qi sank into the mountain wall...

Buzz—!

The section of the Ten Thousand Treasures Mountain wall in front of Ye Qing actually burst with light!

A brilliant silver light shot out from the position he had attacked and hovered steadily in front of him.

As the light dissipated, it was revealed to be a third-tier Medium Grade Spirit Sword, its entire body bright silver, with runes flowing over the blade, emitting a sharp Aura!

"Hiss! It's a third-tier Medium Grade Spirit Sword!"

"My god! What kind of luck does that kid have? He just hit it casually and such a treasure came out!"

"This 'Flowing Light Sword' is worth at least several hundred thousand Spirit Stones!"

The surrounding Cultivators instantly cast countless gazes mixed with shock, envy, and greed.

Even Ruan Qingrou and her fellow Sect members were dumbstruck.

A casual strike produced a Spiritual Artifact.

Is this Fellow Daoist's luck really that good?

One must know that many people had stayed here for a long time, blasting for half a day, and in the end, they either got nothing or only some scrap metal!

Ye Qing himself was also stunned. He casually put the Spirit Sword into his Storage Pouch, feeling somewhat between laughter and tears.

Was his luck perhaps a bit too good?

However, he had no time to worry about this now.

Just now, he had sensed that the Demon Ghost's position was quietly moving and was about to reach the point closest to him!

Now is the time!

Ye Qing's eyes instantly became as cold as an abyss, and a formless, terrifying pressure was about to lock onto that Demon Ghost to capture it in one fell swoop!

But at that very instant!

The Demon Ghost hidden deep within Ten Thousand Treasures Mountain seemed to have sensed a fatal danger with its terrifying intuition.

It actually let out a silent, piercing shriek!

Its Aura instantly surged wildly within the mountain body, and then, like a wisp of black smoke, it plunged into the ground and fled at an incredible speed toward the direction outside of Ten Thousand Treasures Mountain!