Upon hearing this, Lin Shiqi couldn't help but feel angry. "Ah, so you want to go against us again. If it weren't for us saving you, you would have died long ago. You ungrateful person," she exclaimed.

Yi Tian Chou's face stiffened, he let out a cold snort but did not argue with Lin Shiqi.

"It's okay," Qin Yan spoke up. "I only want to obtain that sword to learn the way to travel between the mortal realm and the heavenly realm. I'm not really interested in that position of the Heavenly Emperor. If you insist on competing with me, that's fine too."

A faint smile appeared on Yi Tian Chou's stiff face. "Hmm, you're young, but your mind is broad. Alright, if I get that sword and learn the way to travel between the mortal realm and the heavenly realm, whether you want to return to the mortal realm or come back from the mortal realm to the heavenly realm, I can help you."

"Who do you think you are, acting so high and mighty? Just because you get that sword doesn't mean it's a sure thing," Lin Shiqi grumbled discontentedly.

"Okay, but..." Qin Yan interjected, "If you use despicable means to compete with me, like attacking us by surprise, I will never forgive you and will not let your plans succeed."

Yi Tian Chou coldly responded, "I'll return those words to you."

"Alright then," Qin Yan felt that Yi Tian Chou might not be lying and felt somewhat reassured.

"Oh, by the way, you have the map, right? Let me see it, I'll return it after looking," Yi Tian Chou said.

Qin Yan felt that Yi Tian Chou wouldn't borrow without returning, so he took out the map given to him by the Queen Mother and tossed it to Yi Tian Chou, who took the map and carefully examined it while continuing on their journey.

After several days, the group arrived at a vast desert area. The barren landscape was devoid of vegetation and rare creatures.

"We should be close. The Queen Mother mentioned a stone mountain in this area with a cave on it. We just need to deliver these goods to the people living in the cave," Qin Yan said.

"But this place is so vast, we can't even see the edges. How are we going to find that stone mountain?" Lin Shiqi asked.

"That's easy, you wait here," Yi Tian Chou said, not waiting for others to respond. He flew into the sky at a rapid speed above the desert and soon disappeared from Qin Yan and the others' sight.

"Typical, acting on his own without asking us first," Lin Shiqi grumbled in dissatisfaction.

Qin Yan found it strange. "Isn't he supposed to be sick? Flying around like that, what if he has a relapse midway?"

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"It's fine," Yujie interjected. "Tian Ge said he has been much better since eating the fruit the Queen Mother gave him. His illness hasn't flared up once these past few days."

"Oh no, this is bad," Lin Shiqi expressed worry. "If that means he has regained his strength and can use it against us to snatch the sword."

"Don't worry, Shiqi sister," Yujie chuckled. "We are so close, Tian Ge will take good care of you once he gets the sword, hehe..."

"Don't get too cocky. Even if your Yi Tian Chou regains his strength, he won't be able to beat us," Lin Shiqi said indignantly.

"Is that so..." Yujie looked pleased, completely unfazed by Lin Shiqi's words, as if she had already won. Her expression made Lin Shiqi itch with frustration.

An hour later, Yi Tian Chou returned.

"I've found the place, follow me," Yi Tian Chou said simply, then he led the way with the cart of goods, and the others followed suit.

Several hours later, the group arrived at a barren small stone mountain. On the mountain, there was a dark cave entrance. Without much thought, the group entered the cave.

The cave extended downward and was extremely deep and long, with no indication of where it led.

"It seems like we are underground now. Who would live in such a spooky place? These people are really strange," Lin Shiqi, who had been pulling the cart for days and was sore all over, couldn't help but complain.

Qin Yan said, "Perhaps they are worried about being attacked by wild creatures outside, so they live here."

"Why don't they live in that valley then? The valley seems safer and more comfortable than this underground cave," Lin Shiqi questioned.

"That's unclear."

After about ten minutes, the group arrived at a thick stone wall in the underground cave. Qin Yan reached out and knocked on the stone wall, hearing a clear sound.

"This wall is hollow. It should be a stone door," Qin Yan said, then began rhythmically tapping on the stone wall.

After a while, a faint voice came from behind the wall, "Who's out there?!"

"Oh, there's a voice," Lin Shiqi quickly shouted towards the stone wall, "We're here to deliver things to you. The Queen Mother sent us here. Please open the door."

"The Queen Mother, what Queen Mother?!" The person inside seemed to have a strong sense of caution and asked again.

Lin Shiqi said strangely, "How come you don't know who the Queen Mother is? She has a human head but a leopard-like body, a strange being."

"Oh, you mean the Lady of Favor?" The person inside realized, and with a "creak creak" sound, the stone wall slowly rose, revealing a large opening. Qin Yan looked inside and saw a dark and massive rocky cave. Next to the cave entrance stood several blurry figures. Upon seeing Qin Yan and the others, these figures waved and gestured for them to come in.

Qin Yan and his group pulled the cart of goods into the cave. Once everyone and the goods were inside, the people in the cave quickly operated a mechanism on the wall, causing the stone wall to slowly descend and close.

"It's so dark in here, isn't there any light at all?" Once the stone door closed, the cave became pitch black. Lin Shiqi summoned several fireballs to illuminate the surroundings.

"Hey, you are..." Suddenly, Qin Yan felt something was off. He stared straight at the people standing next to the cave entrance. These individuals were dressed in modern long clothing and pants, the men did not have long hair, and their attire and appearance were completely different from the ancient people in the valley, as if these people were modern humans.

At the same time, a woman in her forties in the cave showed a look of shock on her face. She stared blankly at Lin Shiqi and exclaimed in surprise, "Shiqi? Are you Miss Lin Shiqi?!"

"How do you recognize me?" Lin Shiqi said strangely, as she carefully examined the middle-aged woman. Suddenly, she also froze, "You are Aunt Juan, you are my grandfather's nanny, Aunt Juan?!"