Beast roars echoed, inundating everyone's ears.
Li Guanqi quickly gestured for everyone to halt.
They had reached the forest's edge, where beyond lay a lush grassland and towering mountains.
A nearly transparent barrier appeared before Li Guanqi.
Around the massive volcano, disciples from the Wanxian Sword Sect and the Zixiao Pavilion were fleeing in all directions.
Zhao Yuanlin held a uniquely shaped Spirit Herb in his hand.
The herb had leaves shaped like horse hooves, a pitch-black stem, and emitted a faint pink glow.
Disciples from the Zixiao Pavilion also held several Spirit Herbs.
"Flower Rain Ghost Root, Purple Profound Ganoderma!"
Li Guanqi was surprised by the appearance of these second-tier pinnacle treasures of heaven and earth.
But what caught his attention most were the two enormous demonic beasts.
One was a dark bat with a wingspan of six zhang, the other a red-eyed demon ape standing about one zhang tall!
Li Guanqi had no intention of confronting these beasts head-on.
Judging by their size, they were already at the Foundation Establishment level, and he wanted no conflict with them.
Yet, he was curious about this peculiar place.
The two beasts chased the groups, causing the ground to tremble slightly.
Ye Feng nudged Li Guanqi and whispered, "What do we do now?"
As Li Guanqi pondered, the Sword Spirit's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"There's something good in a cave a hundred zhang away."
Li Guanqi swallowed his words and asked inwardly, "What is it?"
"Taiyi Treasure Silver!"
Li Guanqi's eyes widened as he asked in a deep voice, "Really?"
"Believe it or not."
Gazing at the large cave a hundred zhang away, Li Guanqi hesitated.
He was unsure whether to lead everyone into potential danger.
After a moment of silence, he spoke, "I want to check out that cave. Will you join me?"
Zhong Lin rubbed his hands excitedly, "Of course! They've got Spirit Herbs, we've got to find some other benefits too!"
Seeing everyone eager, Li Guanqi said firmly, "Alright! Let's hurry in before those beasts return. If there's danger, run immediately."
Suddenly, Li Guanqi turned to see Ke Qin, with swollen red eyes, standing expressionlessly behind them.
"I want to go too."
Her voice was devoid of joy or sorrow, as if she had become someone else.
Li Guanqi softly said to Ke Qin, "If you've decided to change, bear it silently, don't sulk."
"If you don't want to change, no one is forcing you."
Ke Qin rubbed her cheeks, her complexion improving.
Seeing her calm down, Li Guanqi instructed, "Ke Qin, stay at the cave entrance. If the beasts return, notify us immediately!"
"The rest of you, come with me."
With that, they prepared to leave the forest.
Ye Feng turned back to Ke Qin, "Don't blame him, it's for your own good."
"Guarding the entrance means our lives are in your hands!"
"Don't let us down."
Li Guanqi commanded, "Let's go!"
Whoosh!
The five-person squad sprinted forward in a diamond formation.
They moved swiftly, covering the hundred zhang distance in just a few breaths.
The two beasts had already chased several hundred zhang away, oblivious to the situation behind them.
Ke Qin suddenly pulled a brown zither from her Storage Bag and vanished behind a large rock at the cave's edge.
The others quickly dashed into the cave.
The cave was three zhang wide and long, with a damp floor like stepping in mud.
The air was filled with a foul stench, like a long-dead fish rotting away.
Li Guanqi, frowning, fully extended his Insight and Divine Sense, making the cave's interior clear as day.
But as they delved nearly a hundred zhang deeper, his heart pounded harder.
The deeper they went, the longer it would take to escape!
Gradually, the temperature dropped.
Finally, light appeared ahead, and the space opened up!
A vast area ten zhang in size with two huge grass nests came into view.
Everyone eagerly searched for treasures.
Zhong Lin's voice rang out with excitement.
"Damn! There's a whole patch of Bivalve Grass! This is top-notch material for refining Foundation Establishment pills!"
"These are at least a hundred years old!"
He began to harvest greedily.
Li Guanqi then asked, "Where's the good stuff you mentioned?"
He knew that the Sword Spirit wouldn't care about such trivial items.
The Sword Spirit whispered, "See that pool in the corner? It's beneath that."
Li Guanqi rushed over and indeed found a three-foot-wide pool.
But this was just the entrance; the space below was much larger.
Li Guanqi instructed, "Call me immediately if anything happens!"
With that, he plunged into the pool, the weight of the Sword Box pulling him down rapidly. His Insight was blind in this place.
After releasing his Divine Sense, Li Guanqi remained calm, realizing it was draining rapidly in the water, lasting at most half an incense stick's time.
Guided by the Sword Spirit, he quickly reached a wall in the depths of the pool.
A large section of the wall glowed with a silver light!
"What is this?"
The Sword Spirit explained softly, "Taiyi Treasure Silver! A foundational material for Golden Elixir cultivators to refine magical tools, even used in some spiritual weapons."
Without hesitation, Li Guanqi drew his sword and began to strike!
But after much effort, the material remained immovable.
With little time left, Li Guanqi decisively took position underwater and, with a surge of vital energy, unleashed a strike!
Boom!
The entire chunk of Taiyi Treasure Silver was cleaved off by the sword.
With a flick of his Divine Sense, Li Guanqi quickly stowed the Taiyi Treasure Silver away.
As he was about to leave, the Sword Spirit's surprised voice came.
"Wait! There seems to be Mysterious Treasure Spirit Sand beneath!"
Just as Li Guanqi turned around, he heard the shouts from above!
After a moment's hesitation, he swiftly struck backward with his sword, which emitted a strained cracking sound.
A golden stone the size of a human head fell from the wall.
Having secured the treasure, Li Guanqi swam upwards rapidly!
Then he heard Ke Qin's urgent voice through the jade slip.
"Hurry! The two beasts are on their way back, only a hundred zhang away!"
Li Guanqi's heart sank. In just a few breaths, the beasts were already close to returning!
With their strength, unless he could break through to Foundation Establishment now, everyone would die!
But… if he broke through, he would be instantly transported out of the secret realm, leaving everyone else to certain death.
Even if they ran back now, they'd run straight into the beasts!!
"What to do… What to do!!"
Cold sweat began to bead on Li Guanqi's forehead.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas