...

Huangfu Jinning and Huangfu Jinyu were shaken to the core, and immediately clasped their fists in salute to accept the order.

"Yes, Ancestor."

With those words, the two leapt past Ancestor Hua Ye and directly jumped down from Falling Eagle Gorge. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

The cliff was steep enough to make any ordinary person shudder with fear, yet the two paid no heed. As soon as they descended less than ten feet, an invisible Qi force held them aloft, slowing their fall abruptly.

This was the power of a Late Stage Spirit Platform Realm Cultivator.

Having been immersed in the Black Tortoise path for over 170 years, their control over Profound Qi had reached a refined state, as if it were an extension of their limbs. Although they couldn’t fly like Celestial Human Realm Cultivators, gliding a short distance with Qi manipulation was effortless.

Looking down in the dark, the two seemed like feathers, fluttering and drifting down, landing silently in the hidden base.

As soon as they landed.

Huangfu Jinning took out a Jade Colour Bone Whistle and blew it gently a few times.

The Bone Whistle vibrated but emitted no sound.

This Bone Whistle produced a high-frequency sound inaudible to human ears; only those wearing the same type of bone fragment could feel the frequency’s vibration.

This was a specially made Bone Whistle for contacting hidden sentries; small in size but of considerable value.

Not long after.

Someone emerged stealthily from the darkness.

This person was dressed in gorgeous clothing, seemingly of some status, but his demeanor was somewhat cringing and sly. He bowed towards Huangfu Jinning and Huangfu Jinyu, saying, "Subordinate Hidden Fish, greets the two Elders."

As he spoke, he retrieved a fish-shaped ancient jade artifact from his bosom for the two to inspect.

"At ease." After inspecting it, Huangfu Jinning waved his hand, his voice aged and deep, "Do you know the task this time?"

"Subordinate knows." The middle-aged man replied respectfully, "I’ve already received the secret orders to assist the two Elders to the target’s residence. Rest assured, I have arranged the route."

"Lead the way."

A trace of joy flickered in the eyes of Huangfu Jinning and Huangfu Jinyu.

Under the lead of the middle-aged man, the three advanced secretly without alerting anyone. Soon, they reached a courtyard in the middle of the gorge.

"Two Elders, the target is inside."

The middle-aged man stopped and bowed to the two behind him.

This courtyard had been built several years ago, specifically as a small villa for Wang Shouzhe to have a place to stay while overseeing the secret base.

Huangfu Jinning and Huangfu Jinyu exchanged a glance, emboldened by their skills, and flew directly into the courtyard.

Under the dim moonlight, the courtyard was lush with greenery, resembling a verdant forest, even making the air feel fresher.

"Humph! Wang Shouzhe sure knows how to enjoy himself, even a temporary villa is so exquisite." The two Elders of the Huangfu family exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement, "Let’s do it."

The layout of the villa was simple, the main and secondary buildings clearly distinguished. The two were clear about their target, grabbed their weapons, and moved through the courtyard straight towards the main house.

However, just as they were about to charge into Wang Shouzhe’s room like wolves and tigers.

Suddenly.

Thick vines spiraled out, lightning-fast, entangling their legs.

In an instant, numerous shadows writhed in the darkness.

The vines hidden in the courtyard writhed like giant pythons, each thick and seemingly alive, crazily entangling around Elders Huangfu Jinning and Huangfu Jinyu.

"Not good!"

The faces of the two Elders changed dramatically, a surge of Profound Qi erupted from within, rolling outwards like a blast wave, aiming to break the vines.

However, the vines were incredibly tough, with only slight cracks appearing under the explosion of Profound Qi.

This action instead triggered more vines to surge up from all directions, entangling them like countless tentacles of giant pythons.

In no time, even the space above the small courtyard was laced and entangled with vines. There was no escape route in any direction.

"What kind of vines are these, so sturdy?" The two Elders’ faces were extremely grim, and they immediately raised their Spirit Swords.

"Swish, swish, swish~"

Thick Profound Qi turned into sharp Sword Aura.

Yet the expected sight of flying vine shards did not occur as the Sword Aura passed through. Instead, each Sword Aura could only cut through two or three vines.

But just as those two or three vines were severed, more vines swarmed over, increasing in number.

Though they continuously slashed at the invasive vines with sword light, they still couldn’t break free for the moment.

As time went on, the faces of the two Elders grew increasingly grim, and a hint of unease seeped into their eyes.

Under the night sky, every vine was as thick as an arm, with a metallic sheen on the surface, almost like metal chains.

This was the Iron Python Vine meticulously cultivated by Wang Shouzhe.

During their growth, they needed to absorb a large quantity of iron ore slag.

Their root systems were so extensive that they could penetrate dozens of feet underground, and the vines themselves were thick and hard. The outer skin especially resembled a coat of iron fibres, making them hard to cut with ordinary blades.

Even Spirit Platform Realm Cultivators couldn’t treat them like mere weeds.

Their biggest drawback currently was that, unlike the Witch Series vines, they couldn’t be used as portable battle plants; they must be planted on site and once planted, cannot be moved.

Moreover, their growth cycle spanned several years, growing extremely slowly.