I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

Delving into the best of Xianxia novels,

Zhou Yuan did not return to the "Ke Yun Lai" inn arranged by the Yan family.

Although the place was quiet, it was always under the watchful eyes of the Yan family, and every move they made could be observed.

On a relatively secluded street lined with ordinary shops and inns, he found a small shop called "Yuelaiju".

He rented a secluded courtyard with just a few ordinary coins.

The shopkeeper was an honest, middle-aged mortal. Seeing Zhou Yuan's extraordinary demeanor (even though he had suppressed most of his spiritual pressure), he assumed he was a wealthy young master traveling abroad and didn't think much of it.

After checking in, Zhou Yuan immediately set up several simple warning and soundproof barriers in the room.

Over the next two days, when he went out, he had already taken off his conspicuous Yellow Maple Valley uniform and put on a plain blue long gown made of ordinary fabric.

His style leaned towards that of a rogue cultivator from Yuanwu Kingdom or a nearby small country. He concealed his aura to the level of an early Foundation Establishment cultivator, blending into the growing crowd of foreign cultivators and remaining completely inconspicuous.

That afternoon, a commotion broke out at the entrance of Yanling Fort.

Zhou Yuan pretended to browse a street stall selling low-level talismans, but his divine sense quietly extended over there.

A group of about twenty cultivators filed in. Most of them were wearing uniform dark green robes and had a cold aura. More than half of them had gray eyes and yellow hair and had exotic features.

The group also included some ordinary-looking cultivators who appeared to be locals from Yue, but their eyes and mannerisms were exactly the same as those of the green-robed men, clearly indicating that they came from the same sect.

At the front of the procession, a tall, imposing young man wearing a hideous mask walked with his hands behind his back, his steps composed. Although his face was obscured, his arrogant and conceited demeanor was undeniable.

A faint crimson aura swirled around him, indicating that his cultivation had reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage!

What made Zhou Yuan even more uneasy was the old man and the young man following closely behind the man with the ghost face.

The old man was hunched over, with a head full of sparse white hair and deep wrinkles on his face. He leaned on an inconspicuous ebony cane and walked silently, as if he had blended into the shadows on the ground.

The boy-like cultivator, with rosy lips and white teeth, looked no more than eight or nine years old. Dressed in a bright red robe, he hopped and skipped around, but when his eyes occasionally swept over his surroundings, they revealed a coldness and vicissitude that were completely different from his appearance.

"Core Formation stage...and two of them!"

Zhou Yuan immediately looked away, pretending to study a fireball talisman in his hand, but in his heart he was already certain, "Wang Chan really came! The ones accompanying her should be the Li brothers arranged by the Ghost Spirit Sect, both of them are Core Formation stage elders..."

With two Core Formation cultivators guarding him closely, the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect certainly has quite the entourage.

Zhou Yuan did not panic; instead, he became even calmer.

Now that he already knew the plot, he was naturally not foolish enough to follow his fellow disciples from the seven factions of Yue Kingdom to the pre-arranged "slaughterhouse" on the day of the treasure hunt.

He mingled in the crowd, silently observing as Wang Chan and her group were respectfully welcomed by several Foundation Establishment managers of the Yan family into the depths of the fortress. That direction led directly to the location of the tallest and most central building of Yanling Fortress—the Flying Cloud Pavilion.

"The Yan family surrendered, formed a marriage alliance, and committed a blood sacrifice... the plot unfolded as expected."

Zhou Yuan sneered inwardly, a daring thought quietly taking root within him like a venomous snake's tongue: "The Ghost Spirit Sect's young master's storage bag... how many treasures must be inside? Top-tier cultivation techniques? Vast amounts of spirit stones? Perhaps... an opportunity to form the Core Formation?"

This idea is extremely tempting, but also extremely dangerous.

Wang Chan himself is quite strong, and he is also accompanied by two Core Formation cultivators. To mess with him would be like pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth.

Zhou Yuan quickly suppressed his excitement and reminded himself, "The potential profits are enormous, but the risks are even greater. Unless I have absolute certainty, I must not act rashly!"

He continued to wander seemingly aimlessly around the castle, but in reality, he was getting familiar with the various places.

To pave the way for possible evacuation routes.

As evening fell, he saw two familiar figures enter Yanling Fort one after the other.

It was Han Li and Dong Xuan'er.

Although the two arrived together, they were several feet apart. Han Li remained expressionless, his eyes warily scanning his surroundings.

Dong Xuan'er frowned slightly, her face showing some impatience and a hint of disgust, clearly indicating that the journey had not been pleasant.

Not long after entering the fortress, the two parted ways as if by prior arrangement. Dong Xuan'er headed straight for the core area of ​​the Yan family, while Han Li cautiously chose a relatively bustling street.

The figure quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Zhou Yuan wore an ordinary wooden mask that he had prepared beforehand, blending in with several other rogue cultivators who were also concealing their faces, and no one noticed him.

That night, deep within Yanling Fortress, the towering Feiyun Pavilion was brightly lit, with a powerful array faintly emanating from it, isolating the inside from the outside.

Although Zhou Yuan could not see it with his own eyes, he knew in his heart that a deal and conspiracy that would determine the future of the Yan family and the fate of many Yue Kingdom cultivators was taking place inside.

The negotiations between the Yan family patriarch and Wang Chan, the fate of Yan Ruyan, and the bloody agreement targeting the Foundation Establishment elites of the seven factions in Yue Kingdom are probably being finalized one by one.

The next morning.

As dawn broke, a number of cultivators had already gathered in front of the notice board in the central square of Yanling Fortress. A Foundation Establishment steward from the Yan family announced loudly:

"Fellow Daoists, due to the significantly higher number of participants in this treasure hunt than expected, in order to avoid overcrowding on the arena and affecting everyone's performance, the Yan family has decided to divide the venue into two locations!"

"Fellow Daoists from the seven sects of Yue Kingdom, please proceed to the 'Qixia Peak' arena, thirty miles to the west; fellow Daoists from other kingdoms and sects, please proceed to the 'Luoying Gorge' arena, twenty-five miles to the east! Both locations have been prepared, and disciples of my Yan family will guide you. The reward rules remain unchanged, and the final winner will still receive the 'Qiankun Tower' talisman!"

These words caused a slight stir among the crowd. Most of the non-Yue Kingdom cultivators simply felt that the Yan family's consideration was thorough and had no objections.

As for the twenty or thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators from Yue Kingdom, although some of them felt it was a bit strange to be separated, they saw that the Yan family had made orderly arrangements, and there was the seemingly reasonable reason of "too many people". In addition, they trusted the Yan family's reputation as the number one cultivation family, so they did not think too much about it.

Guided by the enthusiastic disciples of the Yan family, the twenty or thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Yue Kingdom (including several disciples from Huangfeng Valley, Qingxu Sect, Huadaowu, and other sects) unleashed their magical artifacts, transforming into streaks of light as they flew towards Qixia Peak to the west.

Zhou Yuan stood far away at the entrance of an alley, coldly watching his fellow disciples and "allies" leave excitedly, his heart unmoved.

He knew that the area around the Qixia Peak arena had already been set up by the Yan family and the Ghost Spirit Sect with a deadly array, just waiting for these "sacrifices" to arrive.

He did not follow the Yue Kingdom's army, nor did he go to Luoyingjian on the east side.

After most of the crowd had dispersed, he leisurely left Yanling Fortress, then boarded the Divine Wind Boat and flew low along the foothills for dozens of miles in the opposite direction from Qixia Peak.

Finally, he landed on a ridge with a relatively open view and the cover of the forest.

From here, one can vaguely see the outline of Qixia Peak on the western horizon. Zhou Yuan's choice of this location and the terrain he had observed beforehand were the result of his repeated deliberations. If we follow the original story, Han Li, having narrowly escaped the great formation and fled in panic, would most likely have chosen a breakout direction far from Yanling Fortress, with its complex terrain and ease of concealment, in the northeast or north, given his cautious nature and the circumstances at the time.

The ridge where Zhou Yuan was currently located was situated on the extension line in this direction, and its high elevation made it easy to observe.

He concealed all his aura, lying in wait as quietly as a mountain rock, his gaze fixed on the direction of Qixia Peak in the distance, while his divine sense spread out cautiously in all directions like a fine spider web, guarding against any possible patrols or accidents.

On Qixia Peak.

Han Li mingled with the Yue Kingdom cultivators and landed on a spacious platform at the summit.

In the center of the platform stood a massive blue stone arena, its perimeter engraved with intricate runes, from which spiritual energy faintly emanated. Dozens of Yan family disciples, all smiles, were scattered around the arena to maintain order.

However, Han Li's eyes, which had been tempered by countless life-and-death trials, keenly caught some discordant details.

Several "Yan family disciples" who were close to him, although dressed in uniform, had fingernails that faintly revealed an unnatural pale green color, which was extremely similar to the characteristics of the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators he had seen when he entered the fortress yesterday!

Moreover, although these people seemed to be standing casually, their positions subtly blocked several possible escape routes, and their eyes were too calm, even carrying a hint of indifference that was hard to detect.

Something's not right...

Alarm bells rang in Han Li's mind. Without making a sound, he slowly moved away from the center of the arena, retreating towards the outer edge of the crowd and closer to the mountains and forests.

At the same time, a question arose in his mind: "Master said that Senior Brother Zhou was also ordered to come, so why has he not been seen for the past few days? With Senior Brother Zhou's alertness and strength, if he were here, perhaps..."

Urgent! Major plot twist! Watch now!