Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Taking advantage of this brief respite, Lin Zhao once again activated the Crimson Feather Golden Phoenix.

The golden phoenix raised its head and opened its mouth to draw five-colored spiritual light to gather in front of it—the Five Elements Extinction Divine Light shot out with a roar.

The five-colored divine light swept out, forcibly disintegrating the spiritual power of the five elements wherever it passed.

The protective barrier of the Cold Crow Immortal shattered instantly. He screamed in agony as his ghostly body disintegrated in the divine light.

His soul hastily merged with the Demon Scorpion Mirror, transforming into a streak of black light as he attempted to escape.

Master Wujiu also drove the three light discs, Jin Yang, Yin Yue, and Bai Chen, to fly out.

The light of the Crimson Feather Golden Phoenix, the Zhou Tian Star Tower, and the black light of the Demon Scorpion collided violently in the air.

The entire cave trembled violently in the shockwave, the stone walls cracked inch by inch, and the underground cave was torn apart in an instant by the violent spiritual energy storm—the ground collapsed, the stone pillars broke, and the restrictive spiritual patterns of the Xuanwu Zhenyue Formation flickered wildly in the impact.

Half a day later, the smoke and dust slowly dissipated.

The underground cavern had completely disappeared, leaving behind a massive sinkhole spanning dozens of miles on the ground. The rocks at the bottom of the sinkhole had been scorched by the high temperature into a dark red, glazed hue.

Two figures appeared in the air.

The Immortal Wujiu stood with the Celestial Tower atop his head and held in his hand the bronze lamp, a trophy he had salvaged from the explosion.

Lin Zhao was dressed in a crimson phoenix robe and held another trophy in her hand—the Scorpion Mirror.

On his shoulder, the Crimson Phoenix reappeared, but it looked rather pathetic—half of the phoenix's wing had been melted by the aftershocks of the explosion, the metal had turned into droplets and was still flowing, and the originally intricate metal structure had been damaged in many places.

Master Wujiu glanced at the little phoenix's miserable state and showed a hint of apology on his face: "I'm sorry, I couldn't stop myself at the last moment."

Your magical artifact is full of spiritual power. If it is severely damaged, I can compensate you—"

Lin Zhao shook her head.

"fine."

The golden light from the Crimson Feather Golden Phoenix Robe flowed into the Golden Phoenix's body, and the Heavenly Dawn Gold's transformation ability was activated—the damaged structure reorganized itself in a few breaths, and the Golden Phoenix shook its wings and returned to its original state.

It let out a clear cry, transformed into a stream of light, and returned to its robes, where it once again became a phantom of a phoenix.

The two put away their magical artifacts, glanced at each other, and while their teamwork was still there, it was their first meeting.

Master Wujiu spoke first: "Han Wujiu from Lanyue Peak."

"Tianxing Peak, Lin Zhao."

Han Wujiu raised an eyebrow slightly: "So you are the legendary secret disciple of the sect."

"It's all just empty fame."

The two exchanged another glance, both knowing that the other hadn't gone all out.

Lin Zhao did not use the Five Prisons Suppressing Heavenly Dragon, nor did he use the Heavenly Treasure Spirit Wheel, and the bow form of the Crimson Feather Golden Phoenix Robe was not unfolded.

Han Wujiu's Zhou Tian Star Tower is also a top-grade third-tier magic weapon, clearly possessing more than just the three attack methods: Golden Sun, Silver Moon, and White Star.

Lin Zhao estimated that this should be a magic treasure that can set up a star array. If it is fully activated, its power will be far more than this.

The two sides spent a lot of time verifying a lot of information about the sects and discussing a few recent developments of the sects.

After testing each other for a while, they finally confirmed that they were indeed fellow disciples and of high status.

Han Wujiu's situation was rather special.

He held the title of a regional leader in the sect's law enforcement hall and was stationed in the Nether Bone Domain to monitor the situation there.

This can be considered a thorn planted by the sect in the Nether Bone Domain.

He wasn't entirely a ghost cultivator—his aura was strange, possessing both the chilling coldness of a ghost cultivator and the vitality of a living person, with a delicate balance between the two.

Lin Zhao's cave dwelling has been completely destroyed.

Han Wujiu invited Lin Zhao to stay temporarily at one of his temporary lodgings on the outskirts.

Lin Zhao was silent for a moment, then nodded.

The two flew away from the collapsed pit one after the other and disappeared into the gray sky of the Nether Bone Domain.

Han Wujiu's cave dwelling was a vast underground palace, primarily constructed of the gray-black stone common in the Nether Bone Domain, but clearly meticulously crafted.

Every ten steps, a pale blue phosphorescent lamp is embedded in the wall, its light not glaring, casting a hazy, cool hue over the entire corridor.

Lin Zhao was somewhat surprised; it was someone who lived here.

They were all female ghosts.

Moreover, each of them was exceptionally beautiful, some as aloof as frost, others as alluring as flames, dressed in colorful gauze robes, drifting gracefully through the corridors.

They possessed the faint yin energy of ghost cultivators, and their cultivation levels were not high, roughly between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment. The edges of their souls were stable and gentle, without any trace of resentment or malevolence.

When they saw Han Wujiu enter, they gathered together at a distance, chattering amongst themselves and occasionally glancing at the two of them with curiosity rather than fear in their eyes.

Han Wujiu was clearly used to this scene. Without stopping, he simply waved his hand, and the female ghosts dispersed with laughter.

Lin Zhao's gaze towards Han Wujiu changed; she hadn't realized this guy was so cunning.

Han Wujiu noticed his gaze, coughed lightly, and a rare hint of embarrassment appeared on his face: "I have nothing to do with them. They were all innocent people who died unjustly. I took pity on them and took them in."

As for why he only takes in stunningly beautiful female ghosts—he does so as he pleases.

Lin Zhao did not dwell on this topic.

Han Wujiu, with his peak Core Formation cultivation, was the master of a peak within his sect. In the outside world, he would be the ruler of a dynasty. Let alone keeping dozens of female ghosts in the underground palace, he could fill the entire underground palace without anyone interfering.

Furthermore, the defense of this underground palace does not rely on those female ghosts.

Lin Zhao had already checked the underground palace with his divine sense on the way in. The palace was only defended by a single ordinary third-order formation, which posed no threat to him.

The truly strong one is Han Wujiu himself; this guy is also a prodigy of his sect.

The two walked through several corridors and entered the depths of the underground palace.

A gentle-looking woman in a white dress approached them. She nodded slightly to Han Wujiu and bowed to Lin Zhao before leading them to an elegant little hall.

The interior of the hall is simply furnished, with a landscape painting of misty rain hanging on the wall and a bronze incense burner in the corner emitting wisps of smoke.

The woman arranged the tea set properly and then left.

The palace doors closed gently, leaving only the two of them sitting facing each other.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries. After the formalities were over...

Lin Zhao put down his teacup and asked the question he was most curious about—the aura emanating from Han Wujiu.

He noticed it from their first meeting: this person possessed both the chilling aura of a ghost cultivator and the vitality of a living cultivator.

Lin Zhao had never seen this state of being neither alive nor dead before.

Han Wujiu remained silent for a while, then picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Then he said that he was indeed not a living person, but he was indeed a ghost cultivator.

In his youth, he cultivated the Way of the Stars and was a true disciple of the sect, a prominent figure, and possessed extremely strong combat power among cultivators of the same level, with few rivals.

After he achieved the Golden Core stage, he went on a journey and stumbled into a dangerous place—he didn't specify what the dangerous place was, only using the word "extremely ominous" to describe it.