Black Snake Hidden Cache

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Wang Weiming opened his eyes.

Another sixth-layer disciple of Lone Moon Mountain stepped forward. "As expected of Senior Brother Wang, to be able to enter meditation so peacefully even in such a noisy environment."

The two were at the exact same cultivation level, and this person was even a few years older, yet he still respectfully addressed Wang Weiming as Senior Brother.

This was because, despite sharing the same realm, their status within the Sect was vastly different.

A close look at their attire revealed the stark contrast.

Wang Weiming's cuffs, collar, and the Lone Moon pattern on his chest were all pure snow-white, while the other disciple's were cyan-blue.

Within Lone Moon Mountain, only an Elder's personal disciple was permitted to wear snow-white.

Furthermore, the cultivation methods they practiced were entirely different.

Ordinary Lone Moon Mountain disciples all cultivated the Condensed Origin initial-level Long-River Moon-Shadow Art.

However, a personal disciple like Wang Weiming cultivated the Spirit Communion initial-level Sect secret technique, the Lone Moon Reflecting Heaven Art.

The "spiritual resonance" that Feng Lingyue had perceived when she first laid eyes on Yang Lingrui could also be glimpsed around Wang Weiming.

"Mm."

Wang Weiming gave a faint, indifferent grunt, then looked coldly toward the entrance of the Mayfly Treasure Ground.

Seeing this, the older disciple tactfully stepped aside, not daring to harbor the slightest trace of dissatisfaction.

After all, this Senior Brother Wang had been extremely prominent within the Sect over the past few years.

It was said that the Sect had previously arranged for three Qi Gathering sixth-layer disciples to serve as his breakthrough Dao Stones. Unexpectedly, none of them could withstand a single move from him and were mercilessly slain.

To rapidly advance in the cultivation of the Lone Moon Reflecting Heaven Art, one had to constantly seek out suitable Dao Stones.

Only through continuous slaughter and life-or-death crises could the true efficacy of this technique be stimulated.

The outside world widely claimed that Lone Moon Mountain's Sect customs were sinister, encouraging disciples to bitterly fight one another. This was the exact reason why.

Many within the Sect were fellow disciples and friends, yet they could just as easily become each other's Dao Stones.

Previously, Li Yuande was the prime Dao Stone that Lone Moon Mountain had selected for the Great Senior Brother of this generation.

It was just unexpected that Li Yuande would ultimately defect to the Wangchao.

Thus came the current matter of Lone Moon Mountain dispatching disciples to explore the Mayfly Treasure Ground.

Due to the lack of a Dao Stone, the Great Senior Brother of Lone Moon Mountain had to make additional preparations for his breakthrough. Therefore, he sent Wang Weiming and the others down the mountain to find Mayfly Essence, intending to refine an Origin-Transforming Pill.

Wang Weiming stared at the entrance to the Treasure Ground before him, a flash of annoyance crossing his eyes.

He had also reached a Bottleneck. He had brought it up to his master many times, but there was still no suitable candidate to act as his Dao Stone.

The stagnation of his cultivation left him in a foul mood.

Forget it. The Sect's orders cannot be disobeyed. I will simply search properly this time. If I can acquire that Mayfly Essence, the higher-ups might just arrange a Dao Stone for me.

As Wang Weiming thought this, a sudden idea surfaced in his mind.

He glanced around, and a slow, chilling smile crept onto his lips.

Perhaps he did not even need to wait until he returned. Weren't there plenty of ready-made cultivators right here?

Once inside the Treasure Ground, the outside world could not pry into what happened. He could simply slaughter them one by one. Surely, he would eventually find a suitable Dao Stone.

The Lone Moon Mountain disciple standing beside Wang Weiming suddenly felt a biting chill seize his heart, and his body shivered involuntarily.

He turned back, caught sight of the smile on Wang Weiming's lips, and couldn't help but swallow hard.

I just hope this evil star doesn't go mad once we enter the Treasure Ground and butcher me as well...

While the crowd waited for the Mayfly Treasure Ground to open, the Black Snake Hidden Cache in another location had already unsealed.

Because the sheer number of initial-stage Qi Gathering cultivators was far too large, Yang Linghu chose to act with caution. He, along with Liang Yi and Zhao Qi, waited until the main horde had squeezed inside before entering the cache with the third wave.

Just as expected, some of the cultivators who entered first had already begun to fight over various disputes.

The three of them took a detour, steering clear of these conflicts, and headed straight toward the depths of the cache.

Before long, they spotted a line of cultivators standing idle up ahead, hesitating before a valley choked with poisonous fog.

"Using spiritual power to protect the body should be enough to withstand this poisonous fog, right?"

"How would I know? Why don't you go try?"

These cultivators could not make up their minds, and absolutely no one was willing to act as the pathfinder.

This lasted until a martial cultivator at the second layer of Qi Gathering lost his patience. He spat a curse, circulated his spiritual power into a protective barrier, and strode inside.

"Damn it, what's there to be afraid of! See? I'm perfectly fine!"

He walked deeper into the poisonous fog, felt no discomfort whatsoever, and confidently continued forward.

The onlooking cultivators were delighted. They immediately summoned their spiritual power and hurried inside after him.

However, in just a few breaths, they watched the martial cultivator at the very front collapse face-first into the dirt without the slightest warning.

"Not good!"

"Fall back!"

They instantly realized something was terribly wrong. But when they tried to retreat to the Safe Zone, they felt something latch onto their feet.

Looking down, they discovered their bodies had been snagged by a type of long-leafed grass covered in sharp barbs growing along the ground.

Although these blades of grass snapped with a single tug, their sheer numbers were overwhelming.

After struggling for just a few moments, a heavy drowsiness overwhelmed their minds. The very next second, they collapsed to the ground.

The moment these people fell, the bizarre plants slithered over them. Sharp spikes extended from their roots, piercing the cultivators' skin to greedily suck away their flesh and blood.

Seeing this horrifying scene, the cultivators who had barely managed to escape, as well as those who had not yet entered, felt their scalps tingle with lingering fear.

Just as Yang Lingrui had once said, in many cases, intelligence was what saved lives.

But the vast majority of these initial-stage cultivators were Rogue Cultivators. They could not even scrape together enough resources for their daily cultivation, let alone spend precious Spirit Crystals to buy intelligence on these secret caches and treasure grounds.

Many of them had simply followed the crowd, and most of what they knew about the Black Snake Hidden Cache was mere hearsay with no reliable proof.

After witnessing this wave of gruesome deaths, the crowd's dread of the poisonous valley deepened. A portion of the cultivators simply abandoned this route and left to search for another path.

It was not until a group of Sect cultivators arrived that things changed. They each swallowed a Pill, strode calmly into the fog, and quickly vanished from everyone's sight.

"So you have to take a Pill!"

"What are we supposed to do? No one mentioned this beforehand!"

The spectating cultivators burst into anxious murmurs.

Yang Linghu observed the situation for a short while, then decided that they too should find another route.

His reasoning was simple: this path was too direct, meaning far too many people would take it.

Even if they were lucky enough to stumble upon a Black Snake shedding its skin, a vicious fight over it would be unavoidable.

He was strong enough that he wouldn't mind a battle, but he had to consider the safety of Zhao Qi and Liang Yi, who were traveling with him.

Regardless, there was still plenty of time before the cache closed, and the inner region was vast. They could afford to explore at a steady pace.

The three of them set off in a new direction. Along the way, they encountered a few roaming ghosts and minor disturbances, all of which were easily dispatched.

Two days later, they discovered another downward-sloping poisonous valley in a secluded location that no one else had found yet.

Just as Yang Linghu and Liang Yi prepared to take antidote Pills and enter the valley, Zhao Qi suddenly tripped over something. He crashed headfirst into the adjacent rock wall, causing a small bump to instantly swell on his forehead.

Miraculously, the protruding piece of rock his head had struck was pressed inward.

Click—

The very next moment, a stone door slowly rumbled open in the middle section of the poisonous valley, revealing a deep, dark cavern before the three of them.

"Junior Brother Zhao! As expected of you! To think you'd discover a hidden area just like that!"

"Hearing of it a hundred times cannot compare to seeing it once. This has truly opened my eyes."

Yang Linghu and Liang Yi were both filled with utter amazement.

They had long heard rumors of the strange phenomena that surrounded Zhao Qi, and naturally, they had been curious.

Now that they had seen it with their own eyes, it was truly as miraculous as the rumors claimed!

Zhao Qi rubbed his slightly swollen forehead and let out a dry laugh, wearing an expression that clearly said, "I am already used to this."

"But, Senior Brother Linghu, Mister Liang, I still have to say it... my luck has always been poor."

Staring warily into the deep cavern, he continued, "This cave might be an opportunity, but there is no telling what fierce dangers might be lurking inside. We must be incredibly careful."

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