Retirement begins with summoning Yuan Tiangang

The stone hall was so quiet that you could hear your own heart pounding against your ribs.

Shadow Eight looked at the five members of the Shadow Pavilion on the ground—one of them had three black blood spurting from his brow, throat, and chest, and was completely dead;

The four were sprawled out like mud, their tendons in their hands and feet severed, convulsing in pain but daring not to utter a sound—they only felt their throats dry and the hairs on the back of their spines standing up in salute.

When and how were those three streaks of dark light emitted?

He didn't see it at all!

The methods of those at the Celestial Realm are terrifying!

Captain Zhao, being the most experienced, was the first to recover and barked, "Collect the spoils!"

Two Grandmaster-level members of the Bad Guys immediately stepped forward and swiftly searched the five members of the Shadow Pavilion, taking their storage bags, personal weapons, armor, and other items.

The items on the Grandmaster's corpse were naturally left to Captain Zhao to handle.

Shadow Seven and Shadow Eight weren't idle either; they stepped forward to help and picked up the few scattered pieces of trash on the ground.

"This...you killed him already?"

Shadow Eight leaned close to Shadow Seven's ear, his voice still a little weak.

Ying Qi swallowed, nodded, then shook his head, and whispered:

"Lord Shangguan... is establishing his authority. He's also telling others that anyone who messes with us, the Bad People, will pay the price."

He looked at the bright silver figure who was facing away from them, poking at the ball of light on the stone platform with his finger, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

There was a sense of awe, relief, and a touch of indescribable excitement.

Following a boss like this... seems to give me a sense of security?

"Ugh, this restriction is so crude, it's like it's made of paper."

Guan Yunque muttered, a wisp of silvery-white true energy swirling around his fingertips, probing into the leftmost cyan sphere of light like a serpent.

With a soft pop, the sphere of light shattered, revealing a thin, metallic-looking booklet inside.

He picked it up casually and glanced at the cover:

"The Everlasting Spring Technique of Green Wood? Mid-grade Profound level? Tsk, trash."

With a flick of his wrist, the booklet traced an arc and landed precisely in... Shadow Eight's arms.

Kageya caught it in a flustered manner, looking completely bewildered.

"Take it and play with it. It's a wood-attribute cultivation technique, which isn't really suited to you two, but you can still get some spirit stones by selling it."

Shangguan Yunque didn't even turn his head, continuing to poke at the second crimson orb.

"That old man Xuanjizi, all he does at the ninth level of the Celestial Realm is leave behind this junk? How pathetic."

"Pop!"

The crimson sphere shattered, revealing a pill the size of a longan, entirely crimson, with faint flame-like patterns flowing within it. A rich fragrance instantly filled the air, and even a single breath made one feel their internal energy become more active.

"Crimson Fire Breakthrough Pill? Top-grade Yellow Rank, it's somewhat useful for breaking through minor bottlenecks in the Grandmaster realm."

Shangguan Yunque held the pill in his hand, looked at it, and then casually tossed it behind him.

This time, the elixir ended up in Captain Zhao's hands.

Captain Zhao took the pill, a hint of joy appearing on his face.

He's been stuck at the first level of Grandmaster for quite some time now; this pill might help him break through that bottleneck.

The third earthen-yellow orb was opened, revealing a palm-sized, ancient-looking tortoise shell covered with natural patterns.

"Black Tortoise shell plates? Interesting. They can slightly enhance defense and also predict trivial matters."

Shangguan Yunque put it away himself this time, stuffing it into his sleeve, "It's mine now, I'll study it."

The three precious orbs of light were divided up quickly and efficiently, without any hesitation.

It was as if he hadn't just killed a grandmaster and crippled four other grandmasters, but rather casually picked a few wild fruits from the roadside.

By this time, the spoils of war had been counted.

The five members of the Shadow Pavilion didn't have a huge amount of loot, but they still had a few hundred low-grade spirit stones, some ordinary healing and recovery pills, and a few weapons of decent quality.

According to the rules, spirit stones and general-purpose items belong to the public, while other items suitable for individual use can be distributed at the discretion of the individual.

Captain Zhao distributed the pair of poisoned short daggers used by the Grandmaster to Shadow Seven and Shadow Eight. These weapons were ruthless and cunning, perfectly suited to the style of the "Shadow Twin Technique".

Shadow Seven held the pair of short thorns, which felt cool to the touch and faintly glowed with blue light, her feelings complicated.

Is this what they call murder and robbery?

It seems... to be easier than I imagined?

No, it's because Lord Shangguan is here.

"Are you done cleaning up?"

Shangguan Yunque turned around, brushed off non-existent dust from his hands, and glanced at Ying Qi and Ying Ba. Seeing that although their faces were still a little pale, their eyes were relatively calm, he nodded in satisfaction.

"I'm still in a good mood; I didn't wet my pants. Let's go, there's nothing to see in this run-down hall."

"grown ups,"

Captain Zhao cupped his hands and asked,

"Should we continue deeper, or seek out other brothers to join us?"

Shangguan Yunque tilted his head and thought for a moment, the jade hairpin dangling in his hair: "This cave is quite large. Since we were randomly teleported in, it won't be easy to gather everyone together. The source of that restriction fluctuation just now should be deeper inside. Let's head towards the central area. If we run into them along the way, great; if not... they probably won't die."

He paused, his almond-shaped eyes curving into a mischievous smile: "Besides, we've made such a big fuss, I bet a lot of old friends have caught wind of it. Perfect, let's give them a little surprise."

Everyone: "..." They felt that the surprise that Lord Shangguan mentioned was not quite the same as the "surprise" that others understood.

The group set off again, this time with Shangguan Yunque leading the way, strolling leisurely.

Shadow Seven and Shadow Eight followed closely behind, followed by Captain Zhao and his two companions.

The rest of the journey seemed to go much more smoothly.

The passageway became wider, and some relief murals began to appear on both sides, mostly depicting scenes such as clouds, cranes, and monks discussing Taoism, exuding an ancient charm.

The spiritual energy was also more concentrated, and even condensed into milky white spiritual mist in some corners.

They also encountered other monks.

Lone cultivators, upon seeing this well-equipped, imposing, and especially uniquely styled team, mostly kept their distance.

There were also small groups of pathfinders who exchanged wary glances and then tacitly chose different paths.

Clearly, news of Shangguan Yunque establishing his authority in the Stone Hall has spread like wildfire in some areas.

A Celestial Realm expert who can instantly kill a Grandmaster and cripple a Grandmaster like cutting vegetables is enough to make most people think twice about their own strength.

Of course, there are also those who don't believe in superstitions, or those who are overly confident.

They were stopped while passing through an underground cave filled with stalactites.

The group blocking the way consisted of six cultivators, all dressed in matching dark blue outfits with a mountain embroidered on their chests.

The leader was a burly man with a square face, a wide mouth, and a full beard. He carried a giant axe that looked like a door panel, exuding a powerful aura. He was clearly a Grandmaster at the fifth level!

The five people behind him also had cultivation levels of Grandmaster level seven or eight.

"Northern Profound Mountain Rift Sect!"

Captain Zhao said in a low voice, his face slightly grim.

The Rift Mountain Sect wields considerable power in Northern Xuan, known for its immense strength and violent temper, making it a formidable force.

The burly man with a thick beard swept his gaze across the group of Bad Guys, fixing it firmly on Shangguan Yunque. He said in a gruff voice, "That stone stalactite pool ahead is our Rift Mountain Sect's territory! Those who know what's good for them will take a detour!"

The so-called "Stone Milk Spirit Pool" is a small, naturally formed pool in the center of the cave, filled with milky white spiritual liquid. It is filled with spiritual energy and is obviously an excellent resource for cultivation.

Beside the pond, there grew several jade-white, fragrant medicinal herbs.

Shangguan Yunque didn't even lift his eyelids, continuing to toy with the newly acquired tortoise shell in his hand, and casually said, "Oh? You've claimed it? You've written your name on it?"

The burly man with the thick beard was taken aback, then roared, "I saw it first, so it's mine! What, you disagree?"

"So, the first one you see is yours?"

Shangguan Yunque finally raised his head, blinked his peach blossom eyes,

"So, this entire cave dwelling, which I saw as soon as I entered, shouldn't it all belong to me?"

"you!"

The burly man with the bushy beard choked, his face turning red. He slammed his giant axe on the ground, sending pebbles flying.

"Stop talking nonsense! Either get lost, or..."

Before he could finish speaking, a flash of silver light appeared before his eyes!

"Snapped!"

A crisp, loud slap echoed clearly in the cave.

The burly man with a bushy beard remained frozen in place, his axe raised as if about to chop, and a clear handprint quickly swelled up on his left cheek.

He was stunned, and so were his five junior brothers behind him.

Who hit him? How did they hit him? I didn't see it clearly!

Shangguan Yunque had already withdrawn his hand and was wiping his fingers with a handkerchief in disgust, as if he had just touched something dirty.

He frowned and said in a coquettish voice, "Oh dear, you're so shameless! You made my hand hurt!"

"You...you're asking for it!"

The burly man with the bushy beard finally reacted, filled with shame and rage. He roared, his muscles bulging, and swung his giant axe in a wide arc, bringing with it a powerful wind that could split mountains and shatter rocks, cleaving it down towards Shangguan Yunque's head!

The full-force strike of a Grandmaster at the fifth level was terrifying!

Shadow Seven and Shadow Eight felt a strong wind rushing towards them, making it hard to breathe!

However, faced with this ferocious attack, Shangguan Yunque simply extended two fingers.

Yes, two fingers.

Slender, fair-skinned, and adorned with a light, almost colorless henna.

"Ding!"

A crisp, metallic clang rang out!

That massive axe, powerful enough to shatter fine iron, was actually held firmly by those two seemingly soft and boneless fingers, just three inches below the axe blade!

It can no longer fall even a fraction!

The burly man with the bushy beard nearly popped his eyes out. He felt as if his axe had struck a towering iron mountain, and the force of the recoil made his arms numb and his tiger's mouth split open!

Shangguan Yunque twisted his finger gently.

"Snap!"

The axe blade, forged from high-quality steel, was twisted in half as easily as fragile glass!

"roll."

Shangguan Yunque loosened his fingers and uttered a single word.

The burly man with the bushy beard was struck as if by lightning. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and flew backward, along with his broken axe, crashing into a stone wall in the distance. He slid down and lost consciousness.

The remaining five junior disciples of the Rift Mountain Sect were so frightened that they dared not linger. They carried their unconscious senior brother and fled in a panic, not daring to utter a single harsh word.

Shangguan Yunque clapped his hands, as if he had only chased away a few flies.

He walked to the edge of the Stone Milk Spirit Pool, squatted down, scooped up a handful of spiritual liquid, smelled it, and pursed his lips: "The spiritual energy is alright, but there are too many impurities. You guys, put some in jade bottles and use them sparingly. Pick those jade marrow grasses too; they're not very old, but they'll do."

Captain Zhao and the others were already used to this man's style of doing things, and immediately stepped forward to collect the money.

With Shadow Seven and Shadow Eight also helping, they gained a more intuitive understanding of the significance of the words "Celestial Realm"—Grandmaster Level 5? They could take care of it with a flick of their fingers!

"My lord Kamui!"

Shadow Eight couldn't help but whisper.

Shangguan Yunque glanced back at him and chuckled, "You little flatterer. Cultivate your skills well, and you'll be able to do the same in the future."

He paused, then looked at Ying Qi.

"When that brute slashed at you just now, you instinctively tried to dodge to the left, while simultaneously preparing to stab him in the ribs with your right hand, right? The idea was good, but your movements were too slow, and the third node of your internal energy flow became stagnant. You two haven't mastered the second level of 'Shadow Twin Technique,' 'Following Shadows,' yet."

Ying Qi was shocked and stared at Shangguan Yun Que in disbelief.

In that split second, the thought did flash through his mind, and he even began to circulate his true energy according to the "Shadow Twin Technique." However, his opponent attacked too quickly, and he didn't have time to react.

Lord Shangguan actually noticed where his internal energy was stagnant.

Don't look at me like that.

Shangguan Yunque waved his hand.

"This Star Lord is, after all, quite knowledgeable. Your cultivation method is on the right track, but the timing and skill are far from perfect. I'll give you some pointers when I have time."

Shadow Seven and Shadow Eight were overjoyed and quickly bowed, saying, "Thank you, sir!"

"Alright, stop standing there. Hurry up and get your stuff, this lousy pond smells weird."

Shangguan Yunque pinched his nose in disgust and turned to walk towards the passage at the other end of the cave.

The others quickly followed.

Shadow Eight secretly tugged at Shadow Seven's sleeve, lowered his voice, and excitedly said, "Brother! Lord Shangguan is going to give us some pointers!"

Ying Qi nodded, his heart also filled with excitement.

A casual remark from a Celestial Realm expert could be the key to a breakthrough for them!

Joining the Bad Guys seems like the right move ever!

The team continued deeper into the area, collecting some more spiritual herbs and ores along the way.

Shangguan Yunque seemed to have little interest in ordinary treasures, and distributed most of them to his subordinates.

His attention was focused more on observing the structure of the passageway, the content of the murals, and the tortoise shell in his hand, occasionally revealing a thoughtful expression.

"This mystery is quite interesting."

He stroked the patterns on the tortoise shell and murmured,

"The layout of the cave dwelling subtly aligns with the celestial constellations, yet carries a hint of reversing the Five Elements... It doesn't resemble a proper place for meditation and death; rather, it seems... waiting for something, or... trapped something?"

His voice was very low, and only Ying Qi, who was closest, could vaguely hear a few words, but he didn't understand them.

Just as they passed through an unusually long staircase leading down into a more expansive space that resembled an underground plaza, they heard sounds of fierce fighting and a cacophony of voices ahead.

The air was filled with a strong medicinal aroma, and... the smell of blood.

At the end of the square, there seemed to be several different entrances to passageways.

In the center of the square, hundreds of people were gathered, divided into several camps, and were in a standoff.

There were still several corpses in the scene, and the ground was stained red with blood.

"Looks like we've arrived."

Shangguan Yunque's eyes lit up slightly, and he licked his lips.

"The show is about to begin."