Even after discovering all of this, Sha Yun stayed by his side. She still hoped that one day this young man might turn around and look at her. Unfortunately, before that could happen, Sha Yun realized that Yan Xiaobao now cared for another woman instead of her.
Although the Snake Woman lanted her emotions, as soon as she entered ditation, all of it quickly faded away. Afterward, the only thing she thought of was the feeling of being connected to the world. Absorbing the essence of the heavens, the energy rushed into her body before it entered her beast core, swirling around it and transforming into mist-like energy. This was the type of energy Magic Beasts used when activating their abilities.
As the four of them sat together in the room, ti passed slowly. The sun hanging in the sky transford into the moon, layering soft light upon the beautiful white courtyard.
Bathed in the gentle moonlight streaming through the windows, the four young individuals remained fully imrsed in their ditation. For Wang Julong, Sha Yun, and Deng Wu, this was among the longest ditation sessions they had ever experienced. Only Yan Xiaobao ditated longer than he had before.
Suddenly, the moonlight pouring through the window was blocked by soone’s silhouette. Had the young ones not been completely engrossed in their cultivation, they would have noticed Xu Biao standing there, his face wearing a complex expression, a mix of hesitation and regret.
Xu Biao let out a deep sigh, turned around, and slowly walked out of the courtyard. In his hand, he held a small mory Stone as he headed toward the main office of the rental building with steady steps.
Xu Biao entered the office and walked straight to the counter, waiting for soone to assist him. In this cave, the counter was always open and ready to accommodate anyone who arrived, no matter the hour.
Seeing Xu Biao, a man who once bore the mark of Grade B, the manager promptly sprang into action and rushed toward him, bowing deeply with both hands clasped tight.
"What can I do for you, my good sir?" he asked with a smile, his hands releasing their clasp and instead rubbing against each other. His expression revealed a hint of greed that Xu Biao did not notice, though he was powerless to counter it as he raised the mory Stone from his hand.
"I need to send a mory Stone to the main office of the Dragon Army located in the Demon Residence Cave," Xu Biao said in a somber tone, his eyes appearing darker than usual, and his deanor far from cheerful. Every ti he sent a ssage to Zhou Long, it always beca increasingly difficult.
When Xu Biao had first encountered Yan Xiaobao and his companions, the Guild Master had been intensely intrigued by them, especially upon learning that they ca from the surface world. He had harbored hopes of using his connection with these young cultivators to leave the cave and see the world Yan Xiaobao spoke of.
Noticing Zhou Long’s interest in Yan Xiaobao, Xu Biao soon realized that the Dragon Army leader was aware of the fact that this white-haired boy ca from another world. Zhou Long had made sure he knew this as well.
Upon receiving this information, Zhou Long imdiately tasked the Guild Master with the duty of reporting any critical details to him—to track their journey and ensure that Yan Xiaobao faced no danger. On the other hand, Zhou Long did not care about protecting any of the other young individuals. In fact, if only the white-haired youth survived to reach the Capital, that would be the ideal scenario.
Zhou Long had even inford Xu Biao that rcenaries would be dispatched during their journey to assassinate the young cultivators—warning them to keep Yan Xiaobao alive. Although Xu Biao felt guilty for his actions, Yan Xiaobao remained fully imrsed in his training. At the mont when the sunrise dyed the sky purple, he finally opened his eyes.
Looking around, he saw his friends still focused on cultivating. He let out a sigh and allowed his consciousness to sink into the Dantian Cave, where he noticed Lan Feng, who wasn’t cultivating. Instead, Lan Feng sat silently, seemingly deep in thought.
"I knew you’d co," Lan Feng chuckled when he saw Yan Xiaobao’s spirit projection approaching him. The white-haired boy laughed softly as he sat beside the Phoenix.
"What do you think I should do about Xu Biao?" Yan Xiaobao asked casually, though the decision had already been made. He rely valued the opinion of his lifelong companion.
’I stand by your decision.’ The bird sighed and replied, ’He bears no hostility toward you. In fact, he claims to consider you a friend. While he might be using you to strengthen his position or escape these tunnels, no one said he’s the only one capable of exploiting connections for personal gain.’ The bird’s face broke into a mischievous grin as it added, "Letting him feed information about you to Zhou Long—or potentially manipulate events to gain two King-level protectors—isn’t necessarily a bad idea."
Hearing this, Yan Xiaobao couldn’t help but smile faintly, nodding in agreent with the bird. They remained in the tranquil environnt for a while, as Yan Xiaobao’s gaze swept over the countless small caves, each of them radiating strange forms of energy.
His eyes rested on golden wings as he furrowed his brows, suddenly recalling what Lan Feng had ntioned earlier.
’Hey.’ Yan Xiaobao nudged the bird beside him, "When I flew over with my Qi Fan earlier, everyone was deeply shocked. Although we did manage to escape the illusion of the Endless Forest, Xie Lan and Xu Biao seed unable to pull it off.
"They’re King-level experts, aren’t they supposed to be capable of creating wings to fly?" Yan Xiaobao asked curiously.
"No," Lan Feng sighed, "When you flew using golden wings, the only reason you could manage it was because they continually consud martial power. Those wings require an enormous amount of it.
"For King-level experts, or even Emperor-ranked ones, using their martial power to create wings and fly wouldn’t last long before their wings disintegrated and they plumted from the sky."
’Why is that?’
"Flying belongs to the domain of birds and Saints," Lan Feng explained with a sigh. "Unlike you, no one else can truly fly. People can float, hover in place, or even fly with the aid of martial power for a limited distance, but prolonged flight using Qing Fa or martial flight wings is impossible.
"Qi Fan is a rare ability I had to pay an exorbitant price to obtain. It’s one of the most unique powers I’ve acquired. As for those wings ignoring martial power like those birthed by Heaven, I really don’t know—I wouldn’t dare examine them.
As Yan Xiaobao processed Lan Feng’s words, he fell into a contemplative silence. Flight was indeed reserved for birds and Saints. He had seen people hovering and brief bursts of flight before, but never anyone capable of long-distance flying.
"Lan Feng," Yan Xiaobao asked again as he sat beside him, his tone tinged with nostalgia.
’Yes?’ Phoenix responded, unburdened by the pressures of training or refinent. This mont offered Yan Xiaobao the best chance to get the answers he sought.
"This is a cave, and I know we’re heading toward the so-called Dragon’s Core in the middle to leave the underground city. But why can’t we simply fly to the ceiling and start digging our way out?" Yan Xiaobao asked, his gaze drifting toward the ceiling through the window.
"Digging out of a sacred dungeon?" Lan Feng suddenly burst into laughter.
’Is that impossible?’
’Indeed. Not possible. Have you ever wondered how a cave of this size manages to stand without pillars to support it?’ Lan Feng asked, reacting to the thought of simply digging out as if it were preposterous.
’These underground cities were created according to the will of my ancestors and other Divine Beasts. They are upheld by eternal magic—the World Power of the Ancestors. Even if Sha Yun rampaged through the tunnels, tearing down every wall, the ceiling still wouldn’t collapse. The cave ceiling refuses to fall; it’s protected by a failsafe barrier ensuring its permanence, while also preventing anyone from digging their way out.’
Hearing this made so sense to Yan Xiaobao. He nodded slightly. "So the only exit is the Dragon’s Core? We need to find a way to leave from there?"
’No,’ Lan Feng disagreed yet again. "When we reach the Dragon’s Core, we will be entering the portion of the dungeon that belongs to the Phoenix Descendants. Our goal is to traverse these underground cities and make it to the Mountain Source."
"That’s going to take a long ti, isn’t it?" Yan Xiaobao asked, already sensing their journey was a monuntal undertaking.
"My goal is for you to beco a King-level expert when we reach the Mountain Source." Lan Feng sighed and said, "Only while traveling these underground cities will such rapid progress be possible for you."
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