Capital City, Prince Kang’s Mansion, Rear Garden.
Two figures hid behind the rockery—Zhang Yuge and Zhang Qingyao.
“Where are the pills I gave you? Take them all out,”
Zhang Yuge demanded.
“…Why? You want to take back what you just sent out again?”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Hurry up and swallow these pills. Don’t save them. When the fight breaks out, the enemy won’t wait for you to finish taking them.”
“Oh.”
Reluctantly, Zhang Qingyao swallowed several Yellow Dragon Pills in one go.
Zhang Yuge also grabbed a handful of Spirit-Concentrating Pills and swallowed them.
There were hundreds of boxes of pills in the Storage House anyway.
Even if they ate them as meals, it would take more than a month to finish.
The reason they managed to sneak into Prince Kang’s Mansion so smoothly was because they had taken Breath Concealing Pills beforehand.
Zhang Yuge led the way, with Zhang Qingyao following closely behind as they made their way into the Inner Residence.
Despite the vastness of the mansion, there were hardly any guards in sight.
Something felt off.
“Wait, did you hear anything?”
“Hear what?”
“Like someone screaming in pain.”
“I can’t hear anything,”
Zhang Qingyao shook her head.
Zhang Yuge signaled her to stay silent.
He bent down and pressed his ear against the stone floor.
“The sound’s coming from below.”
After taking the pills, Zhang Yuge’s strength had increased dramatically.
His vision, hearing, and other senses had all been greatly enhanced.
“They built an underground Secret Chamber?”
“Look around. Maybe there’s an entrance somewhere.”
Usually, Secret Chambers were opened by turning a vase, pulling out a certain book, or tapping a specific floor tile.
Soon, Zhang Yuge shifted a seemingly insignificant Ornament on the Bookcase.
Instantly, the Bookcase rotated 90 degrees, revealing a hidden door to the Secret Chamber.
“There might be traps inside. I’ll go first; you follow behind.”
Zhang Yuge summoned the Tortoiseshell Shield, which hovered in front of him as a protective barrier.
He held his Steel Blade carefully and moved forward.
One had to admit, Wu De’s treasures were indeed plentiful and mostly very practical.
As it turned out, Zhang Yuge was just too cautious.
The two passed through the passage without obstruction.
Before long, light appeared ahead, signaling they were nearing their destination.
Before their eyes stood a massive Iron-Blue Alchemical Furnace, its flames burning fiercely and illuminating the entire underground Secret Chamber.
The chamber was even larger than the garden in the Rear Garden.
A Black Robed Man sat cross-legged nearby, seemingly cultivating a skill.
Zhang Yuge couldn’t see his face clearly.
Around the Black Robed Man lay several corpses, all with dark purple-black complexions, appearing poisoned.
Among them, Zhang Yuge recognized three—Wu De’s three new disciples who had been recruited earlier that day at Jinyi Pavilion.
They all had cultivation potential, making them perfect blood bags for the Blood Nether Technique.
That Black Robed Man must be the State Preceptor.
Suddenly, a shout rang out,
“Who’s there?!”
Turning around, they saw a young man in a dark blue python robe glaring fiercely at them.
It was Prince Kang Li Yuluo.
“How dare you trespass in the mansion—seeking death!”
As he spoke, Li Yuluo extended his Dragon Claw Hand, striking at Zhang Yuge.
Zhang Yuge casually sent a palm back, sending him flying.
As expected, he was only at the Qi Refining Stage.
“I’ll leave the young prince to you. I’ll go deal with the State Preceptor.”
Zhang Qingyao nodded and moved to confront the suddenly aggressive Li Yuluo.
As Zhang Yuge approached the Black Robed Man, he found himself unable to sense any spiritual power from him.
There was no time to ponder.
Since the man was cultivating, Zhang Yuge decided to launch a sneak attack.
Perhaps it would cause him to go astray and self-destruct.
To be safe, Zhang Yuge tossed dozens of Fireball Talismans from his storage pouch toward the Black Robed Man.
The talismans transformed mid-air into a vast sea of fire magic, the enormous fiery wave rushing forward with overwhelming momentum.
This was no mere talisman attack—it was like throwing hundreds of spirit stones.
The sheer scale startled both Zhang Qingyao and Li Yuluo from afar.
The blazing fire engulfed the Black Robed Man amidst thunderous explosions.
Yet, just as the flames were about to reach him, a layer of Protective Blood Light enveloped the Black Robed Man.
No matter how deafening the explosions or how fierce the flames, the man within the blood light remained unharmed.
Instead, the corpses on the ground were all burned to ashes.
Zhang Yuge’s expression changed drastically.
He hadn’t expected the man’s strength to be even greater than he imagined.
“How did you find this place? I couldn’t detect you at all,”
a cold voice emerged from the Black Robed Man.
Zhang Yuge said nothing, gripping his Steel Blade as he slowly advanced.
“That brat from the Five Spirit Sect also couldn’t be sensed by me,”
the Black Robed Man studied Zhang Yuge and said,
“But now I can’t sense him anymore. Did you kill him?”
Zhang Yuge’s heart jumped.
How did he know?
Seeing Zhang Yuge’s expression, the man knew he was right.
“I marked him a long time ago, but half an hour ago, the mark disappeared. I planned to wait until he was no longer useful before personally dealing with him—to absorb his essence and blood. Never expected you to beat me to it. A Foundation Establishment cultivator’s strength isn’t something other small fry can compare to. Absorbing one of them is worth a hundred mortals. You’re also Foundation Establishment level, so how about replacing that guy?”
“Me? I think I’ll pass,”
Zhang Yuge waved his hand.
“His blood probably hasn’t dried yet. We should absorb it quickly. There might still be time.”
The Black Robed Man ceased his idle chatter, his gaze toward Zhang Yuge filled with resentment.
With a casual slash through the air, a gigantic Blood Battleaxe appeared above, swinging straight down at Zhang Yuge.
Zhang Yuge hurriedly summoned the Tortoiseshell Shield, but the glowing green shield was only able to barely withstand the Blood Battleaxe’s strike before cracking.
After several more blows, the Tortoiseshell Shield shattered completely.
Zhang Yuge’s heart sank.
He needed to find a way to escape this Secret Chamber.
“Since you have such strength, why haven’t you killed that Wu fellow? Why let him continue to coerce you into refining the Blood-Congealing Five Elements Pill?”
The Black Robed Man laughed.
“Hahaha, that fool thinks he’s so clever, controlling everything. Since he offered to provide us blood bags, why would I refuse? I was about to complete my pill formation here in the next couple of days and then eliminate him, but you came and ruined my plans.”
Zhang Yuge narrowed his eyes and asked,
“You want to form your pill with the Blood-Congealing Five Elements Pill? Don’t you know that it’s just a killing pill? Once consumed, it traps one forever at the initial stage of Foundation Establishment.”
A flicker of contempt passed through the Black Robed Man’s eyes as he scoffed,
“Heh, that’s just because of your limited experience. Just because you haven’t seen it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. The last person who stepped into Nascent Soul Stage with a killing pill body ascended to the Higher Realm over three thousand years ago. It’s normal you haven’t heard of it.”
Unfortunately, he perished in the Immortal-Demon War five hundred years ago.
Now, reborn, he is destined to create another legend!