Amid the volcanoes, Sun Hao emerged, riding his snake.

The Yin Snake beneath him moved sluggishly. Captured from a great river, it thrived in the shade and feared heat, so it utterly detested this place. Even under the forceful command of his Divine Sense, its pace was grudging.

"If you had a Cave Mansion, why are we only coming here now?"

Gazing at the sprawling volcanoes, Sun Hao felt a mix of anticipation and reproach.

For some time now, he had been following the soul’s instructions, focusing all his energy on his Cultivation. Only after he broke through to the Foundation Establishment Second Layer a few days ago did the soul finally tell him to come to Ten Thousand Fire Mountain and find a Cave Mansion.

"If we had come any earlier, would you have been able to break the Cave Mansion’s restrictions?"

Sensing his doubt, the Yin Soul in the Jade Pendant spoke:

"My Cave Mansion is protected by nine restrictions. If my physical body were still intact, I could come and go as I please, of course. But now, as a mere wisp of a remnant soul, I can only undo seven of them with the Power of my Divine Soul."

"The remaining two, however, must be broken through brute force."

"After five hundred years, how much could possibly be left in the Cave Mansion?"

Sun Hao raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued.

He knew that this Golden Core Remnant Soul had carried many of his most valuable possessions with him, but they had all been looted from his corpse when he died.

"Indeed, not much remains," the remnant soul said calmly.

Five hundred years might not be long enough to reshape mountains and seas, but it was more than enough time for many things to decay.

However, his Cave Mansion still contained a great deal of Treasure.

"But what remains will far exceed your imagination."

"Just in Spirit Stones, there are over two hundred thousand. Is that not enough for you to cultivate to the peak of Foundation Establishment Great Perfection? In the Beast Taming Chamber, there should still be one or two Golden Core Beast Eggs remaining. Obtaining just one of them will be enough for you to surpass the vast majority of Golden Core True Masters..."

Hearing Sun Hao’s breathing grow heavy, the remnant soul chuckled.

"The Twelve Celestial Dragon Array at the entrance was refined from the corpse of a Golden Core Great Demon. With someone to control it, it can even slay a Golden Core True Master! And that’s not to mention the Secret Manuals and Materials within the cave... Some of those things are nearly impossible to buy, even if you have the Spirit Stones."

Sun Hao’s eyes became bloodshot; he was incredibly tempted.

After all, his greatest wish in life had once been to simply reach Foundation Establishment. But ever since he’d obtained the Jade Pendant, even reaching the Golden Core Realm no longer seemed like an impossible dream.

"Of course!" The remnant soul’s voice drifted, filled with an unforgettable longing. "The most valuable thing I ever acquired in my life was, of course, that Xuan Peng that belongs to Chen Che. If I could get it back, what would the paltry Primordial Sect matter?"

’Form a Golden Core, kill Chen Che, and seize the Demon Beast!’

Sun Hao’s blood boiled at the words.

A scene even began to play out in his mind: himself, having achieved Core Formation or perhaps even Nascent Soul Formation, receiving the worship of ten thousand immortals.

But the image had barely formed before it shattered. He looked up to find the mountainside in complete disarray, as if a great battle had recently been fought here. There were footprints everywhere, and from deeper within the volcanoes, he could even hear the intense sounds of cultivators clashing.

’...This.’

Sun Hao’s heart skipped a beat.

The remnant soul cried out in alarm,

"Get to the Cave Mansion, quickly!"

Stepping into the valley, he was shocked to find several Foundation Establishment Cultivators already fighting inside the Cave Mansion. They were all Cultivators who lived near Ten Thousand Fire Mountain and had followed the trail of clues here after hearing the commotion from the battle between Chen Che, Tang Youliang, and the others.

"They dare enter my Cave Mansion..."

The moment True Master Chilong saw this, he roared, "Kill them for me!"

...

「A moment later.」

The handful of Foundation Establishment Cultivators inside the Cave Mansion had been slaughtered.

Sun Hao sat cross-legged and began to go through the cultivators’ Storage Magical Artifacts. But after inspecting them, his expression darkened. The Major Cultivators hadn’t managed to get their hands on a single piece of the Cave Mansion’s Treasure!

"Someone got into the Cave Mansion before them!"

"Who was it?"

"Who exactly was it that robbed my Cave Mansion?"

At that moment, True Master Chilong could no longer contain his rage. His immense Divine Sense surged out madly, causing the valley cliffs to crack and collapse. Chunks of rock rumbled down, crashing to the ground with a tremendous ROAR.

However, just at that moment, another Major Cultivator stepped into the Cave Mansion.

They looked up and saw Sun Hao, who was in the middle of gathering the Storage Magical Artifacts.

...

However, what Sun Hao and True Master Chilong could never have guessed, not even in their wildest dreams, was that Chen Che and Meng Changtu—the ones who had actually taken the Treasure—were already long gone. To avoid being followed on their return journey, they had not only concealed their Cultivation Realms but had also deliberately taken a detour that led them through more than a dozen major states.

Along the way, the pair also heard a piece of news:

"’True Master Chilong’s Cave Mansion has appeared! Hundreds of Foundation Establishment Cultivators have rushed to Ten Thousand Fire Mountain, resulting in countless casualties. One of them, a snake-riding Major Cultivator named Sun Hao, furiously cut down several others to fight his way out. His current whereabouts are unknown, but some suspect he made off with the majority of the treasure from inside the Cave Mansion...’"

"Sun Hao!"

"True Master Chilong!"

Upon hearing this news, the father- and son-in-law exchanged a look.

As the realization dawned, their eyelids couldn’t help but twitch.

’So,’

’the original owner is back.’

’Good thing we acted quickly!’

Meng Changtu gazed toward Ten Thousand Fire Mountain, a thought bubbling up in his mind.

Chen Che nodded in agreement.

After all, the resources in the Cave Mansion were substantial. With True Master Chilong’s assistance on top of that, it was a ready-made package for Sun Hao to reach Core Formation.

This was no small matter.

As time went on, the rumors didn’t die down; instead, they grew even more widespread. Even with reports that the Cave Mansion was already empty, Major Cultivators who received the news late were still rushing to Ten Thousand Fire Mountain from thousands of miles away, hoping to try their luck.

Even some Qi Refining Cultivators had caught wind of it.

By the time Chen Che followed his father-in-law back to Yunzhou, it was already mid-July.

The head of a family and the master of a valley had both vanished overnight without explanation. If they hadn’t sent word back during their journey, the Meng Family would have undoubtedly been in an uproar.

Back at the Meng Family estate.

Chen Che lay down, still fully dressed, and wearily closed his eyes. Continuously activating the Sword Pill had left his Divine Soul utterly exhausted. Throughout their hurried journey, he’d had almost no time to rest and recuperate.

Meng Changtu also spent several days in quiet recuperation.

In order to break the Array, he had reversed the flow of his True Essence and consumed a great deal of his Essence Blood. It would take him at least half a year to fully recover.

"You’re not staying a few more days?"

At the end of July, when Chen Che announced his departure, Meng Changtu did his best to persuade him to stay.

"There are still many matters to attend to In the Valley. I also gained a lot of insight from the battle and plan to return for a period of secluded cultivation..."

Chen Che could only decline politely.

After all, there were many affairs waiting for him back in the valley.

Besides, he had to report to the Zhurong Daoist School at the end of August and couldn’t put it off any longer. Matters concerning the Earth Element Star couldn’t be delayed either.

"That’s truly a pity."

His father-in-law shook his head regretfully.

The corner of Chen Che’s mouth twitched. He naturally knew what Meng Changtu was planning.

Their trip to True Master Chilong’s Cave Mansion had yielded countless scrolls and Secret Manuals. Meng Changtu was preparing to use this opportunity to seize complete control over the family’s discourse. After all, over the long years, a certain faction had inevitably lost its ambition and grown complacent.

With these Secret Manuals in hand, he finally had the leverage he needed to negotiate with the clan elders.

...

「Two days later, Chen Che was back in Jinyun Valley.」

Almost immediately, Hu Yao, Rong Zhongxuan, Zhao Deyou, and the others hurried over for an audience. They mostly reported on the affairs within Jinyun Valley, but since everything was on the right track, it was largely just a matter of revenue.

Then there was the matter of the Haizhou Hu Family.

Jinyun Valley had previously negotiated a deal to procure Pills from several families in Chi State. Unexpectedly, those families had suddenly reneged on the agreement, going so far as to forfeit their deposits to break the contract. Only later did they discover that the Hu Family had been applying pressure behind the scenes.

Furthermore, word was that the Hu Family was also preparing to put a Foundation Establishment Pill up for auction.

"Hmph. Gutter rats, only capable of such disgusting little tricks."

Chen Che casually tossed a medicine vial to Rong Zhongxuan.

"Spread the word!"

"A Foundation Establishment Cultivator broke into Ten Thousand Fire Mountain, obtained True Master Chilong’s Treasure, and found a Dragon Fish Pill whose effects are several times more potent than a Foundation Establishment Pill! This person has entrusted Jinyun Valley with auctioning this Pill!"

He had been planning to bring out the Dragon Fish Pill for some time.

This was the perfect opportunity to ride the coattails of the excitement surrounding True Master Chilong’s Cave Mansion.

Besides...

No one would doubt it. Even if they did, True Master Chilong wouldn’t dare show his face to deny it. Since he’d already fleeced the sheep that was True Master Chilong, he might as well keep shearing.

"There are three in this bottle..."

Rong Zhongxuan glanced inside and froze. But he quickly understood: one was for Rong Shisan, and the other was for Hu Yao.

An ecstatic expression immediately appeared on his face.

’Soon, Jinyun Valley will have two more Foundation Establishment Cultivators!’

...

...

Just as Hu Yao and the others were leaving, a series of extremely faint footsteps could be heard from outside the main hall. The newcomer moved with extreme caution, as if afraid of stepping on an ant.

"Valley Master!"

The newcomer stood at the edge of the square and bowed from afar.

"Come in!"

Having received permission, a burly old man tiptoed into the main hall.

Upon seeing Chen Che, he quickly bowed low again.

"How goes the search for the items?"

Chen Che asked coolly.

The man was none other than Liu Yuanqing, the head of the Liu Family. Because his family specialized in Spirit Plants, Chen Che had tasked him not only with cultivating Spirit Grass for Jinyun Valley but also with searching for some rare Materials on his behalf.

Liu Yuanqing respectfully offered a Storage Pouch with both hands.

Chen Che beckoned with his hand, drawing the pouch to him. He opened it casually, and dozens of Spirit Herbs flew out. One particular branch, with a pinecone hanging from it, made him nod in satisfaction.

A Tier Two High Grade Spirit Tree:

Thousand Pine Branches.

This was one of the main ingredients for refining a Peiyuan Pill. With this, he had everything he needed to begin Alchemy and continue expanding his meridians.

But after searching through them carefully, he frowned.

"No Divine Court Wood?"

"None!"

Liu Yuanqing was so frightened he immediately dropped to his knees. "Valley Master, please forgive my incompetence!" he said, trembling with fear. "I have scoured every ancient text I could find and have found no mention of this item... I suspect it must be a Tier Three, or perhaps even a Tier Four Item."

"’That’s very likely.’"

Chen Che nodded slightly.

’An item with such a miraculous effect on Divine Sense growth would have to be of a high tier.’ He glanced at the terrified Liu Yuanqing and waved his hand dismissively. "It’s no matter if you can’t find it. But if you do manage to locate it, I will appoint you as a First-class Tributor and reward you with an additional five thousand Spirit Stones!"

"I understand!"

Liu Yuanqing was ecstatic, his face flushed with excitement.

As the saying goes, "to serve a king is to live with a tiger." But a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was a hundred times more terrifying than any mortal king.

He had expected to be punished, but he never imagined the Valley Master would be so generous.

Five thousand Spirit Stones!

A First-class Tributor!

"Rest assured, Valley Master! I will find it even if it costs me my life!"

Liu Yuanqing declared with a deep bow.

"You are dismissed."

After instructing him on a few other matters, Chen Che let him go.

’The Divine Court Wood is the key to improving my Divine Sense. It’s worth spending any amount of Spirit Stones.’ Besides, after the haul from True Master Chilong’s Cave Mansion, he was currently carrying one hundred and thirty thousand Spirit Stones. He was flush with cash.

「The next day.」

News of the Dragon Fish Pill spread from Jinyun Valley. Upon hearing it, Loose Cultivators and Foundation Establishment Cultivators alike rushed over, desperate for a chance to meet Chen Che and trade for the Divine Medicine whose effects were said to far surpass those of a Foundation Establishment Pill!

Unfortunately...

Chen Che had already announced that he was entering seclusion and would not be seeing any visitors.