The streets of Fantasy City remained bustling, with the sounds of vendors hawking their wares, magical artifacts clashing, and cultivators chatting and laughing, creating a lively atmosphere characteristic of the Xuanqiong Realm.

Xiao Chen walked ahead, toying with a jade slip he had just bought—it contained information about the dangerous places and opportunities around Illusory City, which he had purchased with the spirit crystals left over from the auction.

Stone followed behind, looking left and right, occasionally touching the black iron axe at his waist, and then approached Xiao Chen in a muffled voice: "Senior Brother, why do I feel... there are a few auras following us?"

Xiao Chen had just seen this iron axe and bought it for 300,000 spirit crystals, intending to give it to his junior brother. He noticed that his junior brother always fought with his bare fists.

If Lin Zhou saw this, he would definitely say, "You fool, Shi Tou's fist is the strongest!"

Although he wasn't good at sensing auras, he had fought in the mountains and forests for many years, and his intuition for danger was sharper than anyone else's. Those few eyes hidden in the gaps between the crowd were like the forked tongues of venomous snakes, sticking to his back, making him very uncomfortable.

Xiao Chen didn't stop walking. His gaze swept over a stall selling spirit fruits on the street corner. The stall owner seemed to be weighing them, but his eyes kept glancing at them out of the corner of his eye. He then glanced at the second floor of the restaurant across the street. A cultivator in blue robes was sitting by the window. His wine cup was at his lips, but his gaze was fixed on them over the crowd.

"Yes, I can feel it," Xiao Chen said calmly, his voice just loud enough for the stone to hear. "There's more than one."

He knew perfectly well what was going on. The Rejuvenation Pill had fetched a staggering six million at auction and displayed its miraculous effects in the square; it would be strange if it didn't attract covetous eyes.

Although the Sanyuan Chamber of Commerce values ​​its reputation, it cannot guarantee that there are no unscrupulous individuals within its ranks who might betray their principles for personal gain, or that they might be coerced by certain forces into leaking the client's information.

Greed is the most common poison in the cultivation world.

"These people are after the Rejuvenation Pills?" Stone gripped his axe tighter, his eyes sharpening. "Don't they know the rest of the pills have already been sold?"

“What they want might not be the pills themselves,” Xiao Chen said, “but rather ‘the person who can produce such pills,’ or the ‘power’ behind us.”

In the Xuanqiong Realm, those who can produce a miraculous medicine like the Rejuvenation Pill are either core disciples of top-tier sects or successors of some reclusive old monster.

For these trackers, capturing them might allow them to extract the pill formula, or even gain access to the forces behind them—even if they couldn't, robbing the spirit crystals from them would still be a considerable gain.

The two strolled casually, but their steps unconsciously led them towards the outskirts of the city. Passing through the bustling main street and the relatively quiet market, they reached the west gate of Fantasy City. Beyond the gate lay the undulating Black Wind Mountains, a desolate and uninhabited place.

“They’re still following us.” Stone glanced back and saw that the figures at the street corner were indeed still there, but they were further away and more concealed.

Xiao Chen nodded and quickened his pace to walk out of the west gate. The city gate guards checked their Xuan-character tokens and let them pass without asking any further questions.

As soon as they left the city, the noise vanished, leaving only the howling mountain wind and the chirping of insects. The two walked along the mountain path deeper into the mountains, the path under their feet gradually turning from stone steps to dirt, the surrounding trees becoming increasingly dense, and the light gradually dimming as the sun set.

After walking for about an hour, it became completely dark. A waning moon hung in the treetops, barely illuminating the path ahead. All around were dark mountain shadows and jagged rocks. Even the chirping of insects had become sparse, creating a deathly and oppressive atmosphere.

"This place is remote enough." Stone stopped and cracked his wrists, his knuckles making a crisp "cracking" sound. "They must be getting impatient by now, right?"

Xiao Chen stood on a huge rock, looking up at the night sky. Moonlight shone on his face, and his eyes were calm and undisturbed. He slowly closed his eyes, and his divine sense spread out like a spider web, carefully exploring the surrounding mountains and forests.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, a cold smile curving his lips: "That's about it."

"How many people?" Stone asked, already adopting a fighting stance.

“Eight are at the peak of the Dao Proving stage,” Xiao Chen said, tapping the shaft of his rusty iron spear lightly with his fingertips. “And one more… at the early stage of the Creation stage.”

This lineup is not surprising. The value of the Rejuvenation Pill justifies sending a Creation Realm expert to lead the team.

Eight peak Dao Proving cultivators were enough to trap them, and with a Creation Realm cultivator in tow, taking down two "rogue cultivators" should be a piece of cake.

Stone clicked his tongue: "There are quite a few people. Should we leave that Creation Realm cultivator to you, Senior Brother?"

"Hmm." Xiao Chen nodded. "Can you handle those eight peak Dao Proving cultivators?"

Stone grinned and patted his chest: "Just the peak of the Dao attainment stage, perfect for testing my newly refined bones!"

Having consumed many spiritual fruits and ferocious beast meat these past few days, his physical body had become even stronger, and he was looking for an opportunity to practice.

Xiao Chen smiled and said nothing more.

He had long anticipated this day. From the moment he took out the Rejuvenation Pill, he knew that this miraculous medicine would inevitably bring trouble.

At that time, he was penniless and needed spirit crystals to establish himself in the Xuanqiong Realm. Even knowing the risks, he had no choice but to take the risk.

On the path of spiritual practice, there are no absolutely safe choices.

"call--"

The mountain wind suddenly picked up, making the leaves rustle and sound as if something was moving quickly through the forest.

Xiao Chen and Shi Tou stood back to back on the rock, their eyes scanning their surroundings warily.

In the darkness, eight figures emerged from the forest like ghosts, forming a fan shape around them. Each of them possessed a powerful aura, indicating they were all at the peak of the Dao Realm, and their weapons gleamed with a cold light.

Immediately afterward, an even more powerful aura descended from above, and an old man in black robes hovered in mid-air, a greedy smile on his face: "Young friends, why are you in such a hurry? Hand over your spirit crystals and pill formulas, and I can give you a quick death."

It was that cultivator in the early stages of creation.

The eight peak-stage cultivators formed a pincer movement, blocking all escape routes; the elder at the Creation Realm held command in mid-air, controlling the overall situation.

This display of force clearly indicates a determination to win.

Xiao Chen looked at the old man in mid-air, then glanced at the eight peak Dao Proof cultivators around him, and slowly tightened his grip on the rusty iron spear.

"Want spirit crystals and pill formulas?" His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable chill. "Then you'll have to ask the gun in my hand if it agrees."

Stone roared, his black iron axe gleaming coldly in the moonlight, his fighting spirit erupting like a tangible force: "Want to steal from us? You'll have to taste my axe first!"

The night in the Black Wind Mountains was as thick as ink.

The old man in black robes hovered in mid-air, looking down at Xiao Chen and the stone on the rock. He twirled a wisp of spiritual energy between his fingertips, deliberately concealing the greed in his eyes, leaving only a feigned "gentleness".

"Young friend, why the rush to make a move?"

The old man spoke slowly, his voice carrying a hint of seduction, "I know that anyone who can produce such a miraculous medicine as the Rejuvenation Pill must have a powerful force backing them. Why don't we tell them? If we happen to know each other, it wouldn't look good if things got awkward, wouldn't you say?"

His caution was typical—the Xuanqiong Realm was teeming with hidden talents, and no one could guarantee that these two young men weren't juniors sent out by some reclusive master for training. If they really kicked a hornet's nest, forget about stealing spirit crystals; they might not even be able to leave the Black Wind Mountains alive.