Chapter 538 - 512: Rivals Converge

Hearing the long cry from the distance, a grave expression settled on Zhaang Ye’s face. Without hesitation, he took out Ximen Lieyan’s Treasure Armor and, with exceptionally swift movements, slipped it on.

Today, Zhaang Ye had already slain three True Dao Experts in quick succession, not only expending a great deal of his strength but also accumulating hidden injuries all over his body. At a time like this, he had to be more careful than ever.

"Hahaha! An Ancient Cave Mansion! It’s actually an Ancient Cave Mansion!"

Just as Zhaang Ye finished putting on his Treasure Armor, a gray-robed old man came streaking in from the distance at an astonishing speed. From hundreds of miles out, he spotted Zhaang Ye and roared, "Get out of my way! This Ancient Cave Mansion belongs to this old man!"

As he spoke, the gray-robed old man shot toward Zhaang Ye. Before he was even close, the gray Long Sword in his hand erupted with a massive Sword Gang that stabbed straight down at Zhaang Ye.

Zhaang Ye’s expression remained unchanged. Just as the Sword Gang was about to strike, his body suddenly vanished, transforming into gusts of wind invisible to the naked eye and drifting through the void.

WHOOSH!

In an instant, Zhaang Ye appeared before the gray-robed old man. The Mysterious Blade Tip slashed out, and a terrifying golden Sword Gang tore through the sky, striking the old man’s neck in a flash.

PFFT!

This gray-robed old man’s Cultivation was only at the True Dao Fourth Layer Mid Stage, and his combat prowess was far inferior to Zhaang Ye’s. Furthermore, he had gravely underestimated his opponent. In a single exchange, Zhaang Ye decapitated him.

Zhaang Ye collected the gray-robed old man’s Storage Bag and weapon, casually destroyed the corpse, then turned to the Fire Spirit. "Fire Spirit, is the stone door to the Alchemy Room open yet?"

The Fire Spirit replied, "Almost! The Prohibition on this door involves extremely Profound Mysteries, but most of it has already worn off. I just need to try a few more times, and I can open it!"

Zhaang Ye said in a low voice, "Hurry up! The commotion from that fight was too loud. Experts from hundreds of thousands of miles around are probably rushing over here now. We need to get the items and leave this place of conflict, then head back to the Sect!"

The Fire Spirit acknowledged and put all its effort into breaking the seal. Zhaang Ye, meanwhile, employed his Wind Realm to silently conceal himself within the void, awaiting the arrival of the next enemy.

WHOOSH!

Zhaang Ye had just concealed himself when another expert arrived from afar. The newcomer wore a long black robe that shrouded his entire figure, making him look like a phantom floating in the void.

The black-robed man was extremely cautious. When he was a hundred miles out, he slowed his pace and carefully scanned his surroundings. This man’s Cultivation was also at the True Dao Fourth Layer, and his Spiritual Sense was considerably powerful. If Zhaang Ye hadn’t been wearing the Treasure Armor, he very likely would have been discovered.

The Treasure Armor Zhaang Ye wore could not only withstand powerful blows but also had the marvelous effect of Qi Concealment. After Ximen Lieyan had put on this armor, even someone as mighty as the Fire Spirit had been unable to sense his presence. This robed man, whose Cultivation was only at the True Dao Fourth Layer, had no chance of discovering Zhaang Ye.

After scanning the area and sensing no danger, the black-robed man suddenly pushed his speed to the absolute limit, transforming into a streak of black light and shooting straight toward the Ancient Cave Mansion!

WHOOSH!

Just as the black-robed man was about to charge into the cave mansion, a hand suddenly shot out of the void. Like an incredibly sharp saber, the palm chopped down toward the black-robed man’s head!

"Ah!"

This sudden turn of events was far beyond the black-robed man’s expectations. He had never imagined that such a powerful expert would be hiding near the Ancient Cave Mansion. Caught completely off guard, the man only had time to let out a cry of alarm before his head was severed. The life force in his body was instantly extinguished by the palm strike, and he died on the spot.

The one who had killed the black-robed man was, of course, Zhaang Ye.

With a single chop, Zhaang Ye took the black-robed man’s head. With practiced ease, he collected the man’s belongings, destroyed the corpse, and concealed his presence once more.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

This time, three True Dao Experts arrived. Their faces were strikingly similar, as was their Cultivation—all three were at the Late-stage Third Layer of the True Dao. Evidently, they were triplet brothers, born at the same time.

When the triplet brothers were still a hundred miles out, one of them suddenly called out in a low voice, "Eldest Brother, Second Brother, I smell the faint scent of blood. Someone’s been killed within a hundred miles of here. We’d better be careful!"

Heeding the warning, the three brothers slowed their pace, cautiously approaching the Ancient Cave Mansion. Just then, a tremendous RUMBLE erupted from within the cave. A wave of incomparably pure Heaven and Earth Essence, mixed with a searing hot aura, suddenly surged out from the Ancient Cave Mansion, causing the very void to tremble!

Zhaang Ye, still hidden outside the cave, felt a surge of delight at the sound. He knew the Fire Spirit had successfully opened the door to the Alchemy Room and entered.

The triplet brothers, who had been advancing slowly, felt the tremor from the Ancient Cave Mansion. A look of joyous surprise appeared on all their faces. They cried out in unison, "The Treasure is emerging! Quick!"

Greed filled their eyes. Casting aside their last shred of caution, they simultaneously executed their Body Techniques, transforming into three shadows and charging toward the Ancient Cave Mansion.

’Humans die for wealth as birds die for food,’ Zhaang Ye thought, sighing softly as he watched the three men charge directly toward the cave. The Mysterious Blade Tip in his hand suddenly slashed out.

SHIING!

A brilliant golden light appeared in the void, slashing horizontally toward the three brothers. With their attention completely fixed on the Ancient Cave Mansion, they were utterly defenseless against Zhaang Ye’s ambush. The golden Sword Gang flashed through the air, and before the triplets could even utter a sound, their bodies were sliced into six pieces.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Zhaang Ye dispassionately collected the three men’s belongings and concealed himself in the void once more. His Wind Realm was inherently suited for stealth, and with the Treasure Armor, his aura was suppressed to the absolute limit. Not even a True Dao Sixth Layer expert could discover him.

Over the next while, more than a dozen True Dao Experts arrived. Their Cultivation levels varied; the weakest were only at the True Dao First Layer, while the strongest had reached the Peak of True Dao Fourth Layer. But none of them could detect Zhaang Ye. The moment they saw the Ancient Cave Mansion, each one let down their guard, and each one was slain—cut in two by Zhaang Ye. He collected their Storage Bags as well.

As time passed, more and more experts arrived. Finally, after Zhaang Ye had slain yet another True Dao Fourth Layer expert, a True Dao Third Layer expert sensed that something was wrong. He cried out in terror, "Someone’s here! Someone’s here! There’s an expert lying in ambush near the Ancient Cave Mansion!"

At the warning from the True Dao Third Layer expert, the gathered cultivators no longer dared to recklessly approach the cave mansion. Unwilling to leave, however, they simply congregated dozens of miles away, observing the situation with caution.

Seeing the growing number of experts outside the cave, Zhaang Ye asked in a low voice, "Fire Spirit, what kind of things are in the Alchemy Room? Have you collected them yet?"

The Fire Spirit said excitedly, "Inside this Alchemy Room, the most valuable item is an Alchemy Furnace. It looks to be of good quality; using it for Alchemy should increase your success rate by a fair amount. Besides the Alchemy Furnace, there are a few bottles of Wasted Pills and several kinds of Spirit Elixirs. All of this will be useful to you."

Zhaang Ye ordered, "Collect it all, quickly! The number of experts outside is growing. Several True Dao Fourth Layer experts have already gathered. I’m afraid that once word spreads further, True Dao Fifth and Sixth Layer experts will rush over as well. You need to move faster!"

The Fire Spirit replied, "Understood! I’ve already collected the Wasted Pills and Spirit Elixirs. It’s just this Alchemy Furnace... it has a Prohibition on it. I need to break the Prohibition before I can bring it into the Fire Spirit Realm."

Just as Zhaang Ye was about to reply, he heard a long cry coming from the distance. The cry was focused and did not dissipate, carrying a majestic and piercing aura, as if a king were suddenly descending from the heavens. The experts gathered around the Ancient Cave Mansion fell silent upon hearing it, and all turned to look into the distance.

Under their collective gaze, a short figure suddenly appeared in the void. Staring at this figure, someone suddenly exclaimed in a low voice, "Huh? Isn’t that the Short Young Master, Wan Dapeng, who’s ranked fifteenth on the Second-Grade List? I can’t believe he’s here too!"

"Sigh. The Short Young Master’s Cultivation has reached the Early Stage of the True Dao Fifth Layer, and he’s even faintly comprehended a Realm. His combat prowess is even greater than Ximen Lieyan’s. With him here, we can forget about getting anything from this Ancient Cave Mansion."

"That’s right. Anyone who can make it onto the Second-Grade List is an absolute powerhouse."

Seeing the Short Young Master, Wan Dapeng, appear, the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves.

Amid the crowd’s murmurs, Wan Dapeng flew closer and closer. His gaze was like a pair of sharp razors, sweeping hard across everyone’s faces. Under Wan Dapeng’s glare, the crowd instantly fell deathly silent, not one person daring to speak.

"Hahaha! Wan Dapeng, what an impressive display of power!"

Just as the crowd was silenced by fear, a long laugh echoed from the distance. Following the laugh, a tall, skinny young man suddenly appeared before everyone.

Seeing this tall, skinny young man, a stir went through the crowd.

"Huh, it’s Ma Xingkong, ranked sixteenth on the Second-Grade List!"

"Heh heh, this Ancient Cave Mansion has actually attracted two of the ’Young Masters.’ Now we’ve got a real show to watch!"

"That’s right! Their rankings on the Second-Grade List are close, and they often clash. They’re bound to fight over this Ancient Cave Mansion."

The crowd watched Ma Xingkong and Wan Dapeng, speaking in hushed tones.

Ma Xingkong’s gaze met Wan Dapeng’s, and it was like two sharp blades clashing violently. Sparks flew, and killing intent radiated from them both.

The two exchanged a look, then retracted their gazes and turned to face the Ancient Cave Mansion in unison. Then, both executed their Body Techniques and slowly advanced toward it.

-(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)