Standing atop the cliff, the young man in ck looked down at the deep, long gorge below, a trace of excitement shing across his face.


    “No doubt about it—this is the ce. This gorge must have been formed by that sword energy from years ago.


    ording to legend, when that sword energy struck, it deliberately left that creature with a sliver of life.


    If I can find it and bring it back to life, it’s highly likely that I can form a contract with it.


    With its help, I could seizeplete control when I return!”


    Muttering to himself, the young man’s excitement grew.


    After putting away the tattered, crude map in his hand, he took out a goldenpass.


    The needle on thepass trembled slightly, seemingly guiding him in the right direction.


    Following the direction indicated by the needle, the young man in ck flew down into the gorge on his weapon.As soon as he descended into the gorge, his brows furrowed.


    He sensed a significant number of presences nearby.


    “Huh?


    Someone’s been here—no, there are quite a few people stationed here!


    Could someone have beaten me to it?”


    Feeling this, the young man quickly suppressed his aura entirely, his brows furrowing even more.


    He had been in Linjiang City for several days now, searching in various ces, and it was only yesterday that he pinpointed this location.


    However, he hadn’t paid any attention to Su Jingzhen and the others, nor had he concerned himself with anything in Linjiang City or even in the greater Qingzhou region, except for a few special individuals.


    Subconsciously, he had underestimated the cultivators of Linjiang City and even Qingzhou.


    But seeing the scale of the operation within the gorge, he suddenly realized that his previous assumptions might have been gravely mistaken.


    “Even if the leaders of the top factions in Qingzhou came here themselves, they shouldn’t be able to find that creature, let alone move it in the slightest.”


    As he followed thepass deeper into the gorge, the young man continued tofort himself.


    However, thepass needle trembled more violently as he proceeded, and a sense of foreboding grew within him.


    “Could it be the Evil Moon Sect? Although this sect is a bit strange, they shouldn’t be capable of something like this, right?”


    Muttering to himself, he soon found himself near the Peculiar Land.


    By now, the needle on hispass was quivering rapidly, as if telling him that he had arrived at his destination.


    “The Heavenly Mystery Compass says it should be right here.


    But why is everything around here so deste?”


    The young man’s frown deepened.


    He kept his aurapletely hidden, wary of being discovered by the Evil Moon Sect’s cultivators.


    These cultivators, sent by Luo Yuebai, posed no real threat to him, but dealing with them would be troublesome.


    In his ideal scenario, if everything went well, he should havee and left quietly today.


    The young man in ck was convinced that he would not intersect with any cultivators from Linjiang City.


    Unbeknownst to him, however, a pair of eyes was already watching his every move.


    “Heaven and Earth are boundless; the universe borrows from thews. Heavenly Mystery Compass, show it to me!”


    At this moment, the young man’s expression was quite serious.


    The goldenpass hovered in the air in front of him.


    With a sudden gesture of his hand, thepass emitted a brilliant golden light.


    Wherever the light touched, the mist in the gorge dissipated, and the previously hidden barrier directly became visible.


    “It’s indeed here!”


    Seeing the barrier appear, the young man’s face showed a hint of excitement.


    However, before he could make his next move, several figures shrouded in demonic energy surrounded him from various directions.


    These were the cultivators from the Evil Moon Sect’s Linjiang Branch, arranged by Luo Yuebai.


    There were five individuals in total and all at least mid-Golden Core stage.


    Their expressions were solemn and angry.


    When Luo Yuebai had assigned them to guard this location, she had instructed them to prevent any suspicious individuals from entering the gorge.


    Now, after the barrier had been revealed, they realized the gravity of their failure.


    Such an offense would likely mean death at Luo Yuebai’s hands.


    Thus, their anger was palpable.


    “Impressive skills!


    To think you could catch us off guard and reach this ce,” one of the elders in thete Golden Core stage said coldly.


    The aura of the five cultivators turned sharp and menacing.


    Killing intent instantly filled the air.


    “Step aside. I do not wish to kill anyone today.


    Don’t bring trouble upon yourselves!”


    The young man in ck frowned slightly, keeping his aura concealed.


    Yet, a strong and mysterious pressure emanated from him, affecting the five demonic cultivators.


    The five’s expressions changed instantly, but they did not retreat.


    They seemed determined not to let this young man leave alive.


    At this moment, the young man in ck felt inexplicably agitated and uneasy.


    He had the distinct feeling that, although he had located the barrier, the item he sought might no longer be here.


    In fact, he even felt a growing urge to kill.


    “Seize him!”


    The leader of the demonic cultivators wasted no more words.


    The five individuals attacked in unison.


    Their auras became sharp once again, and the offensive energy they had secretly umted was instantly unleashed towards the young man in ck.


    Even a typical Nascent Soul cultivator in the early stages would have to avoid thisbined assault.


    Yet the young man in ck remained calm, showing no sign of panic.


    With a hand seal, he erged thepass once more.


    The golden light from thepass became incredibly sharp, resembling a de of light!


    “Vroom, vroom…”


    A peculiar buzzing sound filled the air as thepass spun. The formidable energy from thepass instantly shattered the attack from the five Golden Core demonic cultivators.


    Moreover, the golden light sword energy maintained its power and swiftly surged towards the five again.


    “Not good! Retreat quickly!”


    The five, who had initially thought theirbined strength would ensure victory, were now caught off guard.


    In just one round, they found themselves at aplete disadvantage.


    They quickly realized that this golden sword light carried a sense of destruction.


    With their cultivation levels, they could not withstand it.


    Even a Nascent Soul cultivator in the early stages would find themselves insufficient against this force.


    “It’s toote to escape now!”


    A sneer appeared on the young man in ck’s lips.


    He made another hand seal, causing the golden light to ze even more intensely and sharply.


    However, in the next moment, a crimson sword light suddenly sliced out from the Peculiar Land.


    The sword energy swept through, instantly annihting the golden light emitted by the young man in ck.


    “It seems I underestimated you. I didn’t expect you to be so well-concealed.”


    After helping these five demon cultivators resolve the crisis, Shen Yifeng’s voice rang out.


    Soon, Shen Yifeng, Luo Yuebai, and Su Jingzhen emerged from the barrier.


    The Killing Sword flew back into Shen Yifeng’s hand.


    Seeing the three’s appearance, the young man in ck’s expression darkened instantly.


    He was not surprised by Shen Yifeng’s strength.


    Indeed, the name Shen Yifeng was well-known to him. He had seen Shen Yifeng’s battle with Wind in Peach Blossom Alley the day before.


    At this moment, he was puzzled as to how the three of them were able to swagger out of the barrier so confidently.


    The unease in his heart had reached its peak.


    Yes, this young man was the same one Su Jingzhen had encountered at the Enlightenment School in Peach Blossom Alley yesterday.


    After Su Jingzhen and Shen Yifeng had defeated Wind, they had returned to the Enlightenment School in Peach Blossom Alley. However, by the time they arrived, the young man in ck was no longer there.


    Su Jingzhen had initially thought that the young man, fearing Shen Yifeng’s power, had fled.


    He hadn’t expected that the young man would possess such skill, not only evading the guards’ surveince but also revealing the barrier that Su Jingzhen had hidden.


    In fact, Su Jingzhen had sensed the young man’s presence as soon as he approached the Peculiar Land.


    He had clearly observed all the young man’s actions.


    It was evident that the young man had a specific goal and at least some understanding of the Peculiar Land.


    Such a person seemed to be quite rare in Qingzhou.


    At this moment, however, the young man in ck did not answer Shen Yifeng’s question.


    Instead, he asked, “How can you freelye and go in this ce?”


    To the young man, Su Jingzhen and Luo Yuebai were nothing more than low-ranking figures from Linjiang City.


    In his view, they should not have the right to enter this ce.


    This was difficult for him to ept.


    Hearing this, Su Jingzhen and the others became both surprised and solemn.


    They could sense the young man’s unwillingness in his tone, further confirming that he had some knowledge about the Peculiar Land.


    Ignoring the arrogance inadvertently revealed, Su Jingzhen asked, “Are you familiar with this ce?”


    As he spoke, Su Jingzhen narrowed his eyes slightly.


    A trace of coldness surfaced in his heart.


    While the Peculiar Land was not of particr importance to Su Jingzhen personally, it was crucial to the Evil Moon Sect’s Linjiang Branch.


    They could not afford to lose it in the short term.


    If this young man truly came from a higher-level region outside Qingzhou, Su Jingzhen felt it was necessary to deal with him.


    The Dantai family had once been prominent in Qingzhou, but they were easily destroyed by outside forces.


    Su Jingzhen was unsure how the current Evil Moon Sectpared to the old Dantai family.


    However, it is clear that the Linjiang Branch is vastly inferior.


    Therefore, if powerful external forces were to take notice, the Linjiang Branch could easily be destroyed.


    Su Jingzhen was very confident in himself, but he was also self-aware enough to know that he cannot provoke such external major forces within a short time.


    At least, he was not confident he could evene close to the Yan n members who came to take Yan Xia away.


    When the murderous intent appeared in his mind, he instinctively nced at Shen Yifeng beside him.


    Thetter’s gaze happened to meet his as well.


    There was a tacit understanding in the eyes of the master and disciple.


    As their thoughts twisted and turned, the young man in ck said arrogantly, “Naturally!


    This ce is beyond the reach of the cultivators from Linjiang City or even Qingzhou.


    If you are sensible, hand over what you obtained inside and tell me about your experiences there.


    Otherwise, the Evil Moon Sect might very well be erased from thend of Qingzhou.”


    As he spoke, the young man in ck maintained his arrogant tone and did not hide his threat.


    At this moment, his aura was no longer concealed.


    It was fully released.


    Su Jingzhen and Luo Yuebai felt a shock in their hearts. Although this guy looked to be around their age, his aura had already reached the mid-Nascent Soul stage.


    Even Shen Yifeng’s expression tightened once more.


    He had been outside Qingzhou and had even stirred up storms by the Luo River.


    He naturally understood what it meant for someone of this age to reach the mid-Nascent Soul stage.


    Such a person could be considered an absolute genius even by the Luo River.


    With Shen Yifeng’s insight, he could easily see that this young man was not maintaining his youth by some trick but was genuinely this young.


    At least on the surface, he had already surpassed their Evil Moon Sect’s Saint Zou Zeyu.


    Seeing the shock in the eyes of the three, the young man in ck once again smirked.


    He enjoyed their astonishment.


    Without waiting for Su Jingzhen and Shen Yifeng to make their next move, the young man in ck continued, “Originally, I did not wish to have any interaction with your Evil Moon Sect.


    But since we’ve met, I believe you should make the right choice.”


    He then turned his gaze to Shen Yifeng. “I know you, the Blood-Handed Shura Shen Yifeng.


    Back then by the Luo River, you were a prominent figure, someone who even the Ji n’s Ji Qinghe still remembers. I believe you have some skills.


    However, after that incident, your cultivation was destined to be unable to surpass the mid-Nascent Soul stage.


    No matter how strong your battle power is, it’s in vain.


    I might not be your opponent, Shen Yifeng, and I am very clear that my battle power is far from yours.


    But you should also understand that since I know about these things about you, the force behind me is not something your Evil Moon Sect can provoke.”


    Pausing for a moment, the young man in ck continued, “Since you, Shen Yifeng, have chosen to return to Qingzhou, then enjoy your peaceful days.


    Some things that do not belong to you will bring disaster if taken.


    But I am willing to help you bear this consequence.


    As the saying goes, ‘A wise man knows when to yield,’ giving up external things in exchange for a lifetime of peace.


    So, hand it over.”


    His tone remained extremely arrogant.


    It was as if he was certain that Shen Yifeng would not dare to act against him.


    If Shen Yifeng had not ventured beyond Qingzhou, the young man might have been somewhat cautious.


    After all, a fresh-faced rookie is fearless, and ignorance breeds courage.


    Since Shen Yifeng had made such a name for himself by the Luo River, he should be most aware that there are always greater powers and would certainly have reservations.


    Therefore, among the three in front of him, he was only concerned about Shen Yifeng.


    He did not even consider Su Jingzhen and Luo Yuebai worthy of a response.


    Of course, the mid-Nascent Soul stage cultivation did indeed grant him such arrogance.


    Shen Yifeng’s brows furrowed slightly, but his spiritual energy flowed quietly.


    “So you only speak empty words and expect us topromise?


    You should at least give me a reason to release you by revealing a specific name.”


    As soon as Shen Yifeng spoke, the young man in ck nodded lightly.


    Proudly, he said, “”Everything east of the Luo River belongs to the Celestial Dragon!”


    The young man believed Shen Yifeng must understand the meaning of these eight words.


    And these eight words were enough to intimidate!


    However, as soon as his voice fell, Shen Yifeng responded with a fierce and menacing sword light.


    “Kill him!”


    As he made his move, he also called out to Su Jingzhen.