The jade strings encircling me thrummed with a rhythmic pulsation, akin to heartbeats, enveloping me in what felt like a cocoon of bright green silk. The softer strands that composed the inner layer of this protective barrier clung gently to my robes, intertwining with the fabric. The vibrant green glow cast a surreal light, isolating me from the outside world and imbuing the space with a serene, otherworldly quality.

The battle was easier than expected. His master couldn't fully manifest here, which made sense, given that an immortal had gone through the trouble to create this place.

In the end, though, I couldn't kill either of them. Neither could I sense them, which meant they had been able to escape.

I was annoyed that Hu Jin took the golden apple with him. But there wasn't much I could do about it now. Crying over spilled milk wouldn't help. I would have loved to study it and see how a Yang Fruit affected the body. The information in the Song Clan Library was detailed, but reading about it and seeing it firsthand were two different things.

However, I couldn't stay angry because I had obtained a Sky Grade Technique! Just thinking about it sent a shiver of excitement through me!

To hell with Hu Jin and whatever plans I'd need to make to kill him later! Studying this technique was far more important!

The green cocoon enveloping me began to unravel, its countless jade strings—each finer than a strand of hair—slowly shedding away. As they untangled, the delicate threads faded from sight, dissolving into the air like mist. Not long after, I was left in a silent and dark hallway.

Despite the situation, I felt rather calm. Whenever anger bubbled up at the thought of losing a treasure like the Yang Fruit, my mind wandered toward the Sky Grade Technique.

Eight Mind Phantoms was an intricate technique. While I had read about several Sky Grade Techniques and their workings, possessing one was different. The most significant difference between Sky Grade and Earth Grade Techniques was how versatile a Sky Grade Technique could be in the direction it was intended for. Also, it was complicated as hell.

I retraced Hu Jin's steps until the hallway got small enough to barely fit me, and I ended up in a dead end with a strange inscription array.

Though I was a novice in arrays, and wasn't arrogant about my knowledge. I liked to think I somewhat knew what I was talking about. But the inscription on the wall showed me that I was little more than an ignorant fool.

"A teleportation array?" I tried to decipher the inscriptions, but they left me sighing.

Sure, teleporting people outside might seem like an essential function in a tomb, but this was much more.

Teleportation arrays were unheard of in this era. Some obscure teleportation techniques were mentioned, usually Sky Grade, but achieving that with arrays was considered impossible.

Honestly, I wouldn't even stand close to it if it were anyone else's work. Teleportation was a delicate process—one wrong move, and I could end up ripped apart or, worse, trigger an explosion.

But I trusted the skill of the person who made this place.

"Shit, I could have learned so much about teleportation arrays from him," I sighed while taking out my notebook and copying down the array.

It was a shame he couldn't have become my ring grandpa... Though, I would have definitely been paranoid about him trying to take over my body if that had happened.

In the end, I couldn't stay here forever. Usually, I would have been cautious about the teleportation array, wary that it might send me to the same place as Hu Jin. Outside, his master could easily kill me.

However, it was unlikely that the immortal who created this place intended to let me die or teleport me to the exact location of Hu Jin. Even if he did, his master would still be weakened, and I might have a chance to finish Hu Jin.

I placed my hand on the array, and the world around me twisted and turned. The next thing I knew, I was in a jungle. I could sense people nearby, though Hu Jin was nowhere in sight. I had been teleported close to a group but in a different place than Hu Jin.

How could I have ended up somewhere different when the inscription was identical? It was like copying a text and having different results every time you pasted it. The logic behind it made no sense. If I knew the immortal could do this, I would have asked the ghost. This question was going to haunt me for a long while.

As I walked toward the group, some of them turned to look at me. It appeared I wasn't the first to emerge from the tomb—my cousins were here too, along with Song Song. As I got closer, she turned toward me and narrowed her eyes.

"You got into a fight," Song Song observed. "Did you at least win?"

"I'd call it more of a draw," I shrugged. "Anyway, what did everyone find?"

Liu Bo and Liu Heng showed off two scrolls, smiling. It was strange to see Liu Heng smile; he usually wore a frown like a disappointed teacher.

"Two Earth Grade Techniques," Liu Bo said. "We're planning to send them to the Clan. Since these techniques aren't part of the Blazing Sun Sect's arsenal, it doesn't break any rules."

"You can learn them if you want to," Liu Qian said from the sidelines. Even in this happy moment, she kept her emotions under wraps, telling me she must have found something better. I knew her well enough to understand that much.

Without another word, I set up a silencing array around us, giving us the privacy we needed to speak freely. As the only Array Conjurer in the group, without me, the team wouldn't have been able to talk in confidence on this journey. That was an interesting thing to think about.

"I found a Foundation Rising Pill, which helps someone break into Foundation Establishment. But it's a lost formula," Liu Qian said. "I was thinking of sending the pill to an Alchemist to see if they can reverse engineer it."

"The pill hasn't lost its potency, even after being in that tomb for who knows how long," Song Song remarked.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

The person who built this tomb must have planned exactly when it would open. There's a good chance they had an automatic system to create the pill just before that happened. Some pills retain their effects for a long time, but thousands of years is a stretch, especially for a Tier 3 or 4 Pill like the one my cousin was talking about.

From what the ghost had mentioned, the strange dark blob he used to keep things suspended in time was rare. I doubted he would use it just to store a Tier 3 Pill.

Liu Qian took a couple of scrolls from her storage ring. They looked like ordinary scrolls, with a slight purple tint on the edges, and handed them to me.

"These are some Tier 3 Pill recipes. You can have them since the Liu Clan doesn't have an Alchemist, and they're useless to me. We might send copies to the clan later," Liu Qian said.

"Well, this makes me feel a bit awkward. I didn't get many rewards," I chuckled, placing the scrolls in my storage ring.

It wasn't that I didn't have things I could give them, but handing them over now would probably get us all killed. Level 7 Arrays and Tier 6 Pill recipes in the hands of a group of Qi Gathering Cultivators, and one Foundation Establishment Cultivator... We'd be as good as dead if word of that got out. Even Core Elders would kill for such things.

"That's why you should have come with us," Liu Bo said, putting an arm around my shoulders. "We ended up in a tunnel where each of us took a test and got different rewards."

"Liu Feng doesn't lack Earth Grade Techniques," Song Song interjected, sounding offended. "Even cultivation resources and any pill he wants are at his fingertips."

"No need to be jealous of the rewards we got from the immortal tomb, Song Song," I joked. "After all, no matter how many rewards I get, I'll always remember you fondly... as a stepping stone to my goals."

"I think you've got our roles mixed up. You're the stepping stone," Song Song rolled her eyes.

...

Hours passed, and people chatted with their friends as they emerged from the tomb. Some of the disciples also made generous "donations" to their seniors.

Despite the crowd, neither Ye An nor Hu Jin showed up.

Did they elope or something?

I could understand if Hu Jin decided to return to the Sect alone if he didn't have a spare mask or didn't know how to repair it.

But the Core Elders wouldn't wait for everyone; it was clear there had been some casualties. The giant head statue that served as the entrance to the tomb now had its mouth closed.

So, we set off with some of our companions left behind in the tomb, their warm blood likely spilling there. We sped through the dense jungle canopy at breakneck speeds; the shadows of the large trees blurred past as we took a different route than the one we used to come here.

...

Later that evening, our journey brought us to a peculiar place that seemed to straddle the line between nature and civilization.

A bridge spanned a river, with imposing castle-like structures anchoring each riverbank. Grand palaces surrounded these formidable structures, their silhouettes casting long shadows in the fading light. The area was bustling with activity; figures resembling disciples and various townsfolk moved briskly along the paths, adding vibrancy to the otherwise austere setting.

Beneath the bridge, the river flowed with an unsettling dark red water. The foul odor it carried was so potent it was almost tangible, like the stench of decay. The stark contrast between the elegance of the castles and the corrupted river created an eerie atmosphere that lingered uncomfortably in the air.

What could even cause the water to be like that?

"This is the Moonlit River Sect," said one of the Core Elders, wearing a crimson robe that marked him as a member of the Blazing Sun Sect. "They're a subordinate sect under the Blazing Sun Sect. We'll be staying with them tonight. Do not cause any ruckus or pick fights with the other disciples."

After that, the Core Elders, each using their movement techniques, vanished instantly. Some left behind leaves, grass, or a spark of fire, while others left only a heavy footprint on the pale grass.

They left us on our own, so I turned to Song Song. "What do we do now?"

I knew only a little bit about the Moonlit River Sect. It was a minor sect on the outskirts of the Blazing Sun Sect's territory. The place was of little strategic importance; it was on the edge of the Western Continent and not the border of some other great sects.

The only reason I knew of this place, out of the dozens or even hundreds of similar sects under the Blazing Sun Sect's dominion, was because one of my friends lived here.

"Why are you asking me?" she raised a brow.

Because you're you're the leader—I wanted to reply sarcastically, but I held my tongue. We were in public, and this wasn't the time to undermine her authority.

"You're the guy who is supposed to know things," she said, as if that explained anything.

"I think we should still follow your decisions, Lady Song," Liu Qian interjected.

A sudden chill swept through the area, casting a palpable shiver over everyone present. The disciples around us instinctively recoiled, stepping back as Song Song shifted her focus, her intense gaze locking onto my cousin. Her blue eyes sparkled ominously in the rising moon's soft glow.

Serpentine tendrils of dark Qi unfurled, creeping through the air with a sinister grace. These tendrils, thick with malevolent energy, reached out toward Liu Qian, weaving through the space between them like dark whispers made visible.

"If I need your opinion, I'll ask for it, Liu Qian," Song Song stated, her voice cutting through the chill air with sharp precision. Her words landed heavily, causing my cousins to visibly pale.

We had been traveling together for days, and perhaps my cousins had grown too comfortable, forgetting to measure their words around Song Song. But that was a mistake. Even I wouldn't interrupt her mid-conversation—at least not when others were around.

"I don’t think my cousin meant to interrupt you," I said. "We should both calm down and explore our new surroundings."

Song Song frowned, her brows knitting together, but then her expression softened, and a smile tugged at her lips as she turned toward me.

"What do you know about the Moonlit River Sect, o'wise man?" she asked teasingly.

“The Moonlit River Sect was once known for its Moonlight Sword Arts, but they lost the technique when they tried to resist the Blazing Sun Sect. All their elders and the clan leader who knew the technique died. Nowadays, the Sect is more known for its alchemy, which is superior to that of the dozens of other sects in the area,” I summarized from memory.

The tense atmosphere dissipated, but my cousins knew to keep their mouths shut from now on. This reminded them that, despite how Song Song acted around me, she was still a ticking time bomb. It was one of the reasons I hadn’t stayed long in Goldwatch City. She would have found a way to create problems.

Whether it was wise to treat her followers this way was another matter. But I couldn’t reprimand her in front of others, even if I wanted to; otherwise, her image would be ruined. At least I could use this situation to my advantage. It seemed that Song Song didn’t work well with others, so creating a distant and intimidating boss atmosphere might be better for her.

I somewhat understood why Song Song reacted the way she did. She knew my cousins had the Liu Clan’s interests at heart, and she was likely annoyed by the thought that they might betray her if it benefited the clan. If somebody she considered a "traitor" intervened in her conversation or tried to tell her what to do... Well, that was the result.

“Wait, do you think they’ll be stupid enough to attack us out of anger for their lost technique?” Song Song asked.

“Very unlikely since the Moonlit River Sect was taken over around a thousand years ago, so there’s little animosity left,” I explained.

Despite the incident with Song Song and the foul smell from the river, I didn't let it ruin my mood and was excited to meet up with my friend.