Gou Zai created a blessed land in the immortal abode

night.

The moon hangs above the willow tips.

Crackling sounds!

Beside a stream, a bonfire blazed and crackled softly.

Three people were sitting near the fire, one of whom was holding a map.

"Brother, according to this map, that cave should be nearby."

A tall, burly man nodded slightly and said:

"Alright, let's go into that cave and take a look first thing tomorrow morning."

The three of them sat around the campfire, whispered a few more words, then closed their eyes to regulate their breathing and fell silent.

The campfire crackled, casting flickering light on the three faces.

On a distant hillside, behind an old tree, Li Chengming held his breath and frowned slightly.

He had traveled all the way from the market to Cangwu Valley, a journey that took him five days. Unexpectedly, he ran into these three people when he was near the abandoned cave.

"Three mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators..."

Li Chengming secretly assessed the other party's cultivation level.

The man called "Big Brother" had the most powerful aura, probably around the sixth level of Qi Refining, while the other two were slightly weaker.

In a direct confrontation, even with the Black Gold Bow, he, a mere fourth-level Qi Refining cultivator, would be no match for the three of them.

But if you just follow from a distance and wait for an opportunity to enter.

"No rush, let them scout ahead first."

Li Chengming made up his mind and then hid in the immortal abode.

…………

The next day, it was dawn.

Li Chengming emerged from the immortal abode, found a high vantage point, and gazed into the distance.

The three had rested by the stream overnight and were now setting off, heading deeper into the valley along a winding mountain path.

"That's cautious enough."

Li Chengming noticed that the eldest brother was walking at the front, holding a palm-sized bronze mirror in his hand, which should be a magical artifact.

He dared not get too close, so he trailed far behind, using the trees and rocks as cover as he followed.

After walking for about half an hour, the three people ahead stopped in front of a cliff.

The cliff face was covered with old vines, and at first glance it looked no different from an ordinary mountain wall. But then the three of them chanted incantations and made hand seals, unleashing their magic.

The cliff trembled, and a crack appeared a moment later.

"A formation?"

Li Chengming raised an eyebrow.

Logically speaking, since many people have entered and exited this cave, the formation should have been destroyed long ago.

Why are they still here?

"Either someone is rearranging it, or how could it possibly fix itself?"

"If it's the latter, then it means there must be a spiritual vein inside this cave!"

Formations require a large amount of spiritual energy and are usually set up on spiritual veins.

Watching the three enter the cave, Li Chengming did not rush to follow.

"Let them scout ahead; if there are any traps or obstacles, they'll be the ones to take the hits."

It is always best to be cautious in everything you do.

After waiting for about half an hour without any movement, Li Chengming quietly entered the cave.

The cave was dark. After walking about a hundred steps, the passage suddenly opened up, and a stone chamber appeared in front of us.

The stone chamber was not large, about two zhang square, with a stone table in the center, on which were several jade bottles covered in dust.

Upon closer inspection, Li Chengming found the jade bottle covered in cracks, and its contents had already been removed.

"As expected, it's been almost completely searched."

He shook his head and continued walking deeper into the area.

Faint voices could be heard coming from ahead.

He immediately stopped, held his breath, and listened intently.

"Brother, we've searched this area too, but there's nothing there."

"Don't rush, this cave has more than one level, keep going down."

The sound came from around the corner ahead, not far away.

Watching the three figures disappear into the distance, Li Chengming hesitated for a moment before choosing to walk in the other direction.

After walking for a while, Li Chengming discovered that the cave was interconnected and contained many stone chambers, most of which had restrictions, but these restrictions had been lifted.

But this also means that the spirit inside has been taken away.

"Are we really going to make a wasted trip?"

Li Chengming frowned slightly.

Li Chengming had spent a lot of effort and spirit stones on this trip, and he would be really unwilling to return empty-handed.

Gradually, a thought arose in his mind to ambush and kill those three cultivators.

With the help of his immortal abode, Li Chengming could launch a series of sneak attacks, and his chances of winning were actually not low.

At least we won't lose.

Just then, Li Chengming suddenly heard a muffled sound from afar, followed by a slight tremor throughout the entire cave.

"They've started fighting?"

A thought struck him, and he immediately reached out towards the direction from which the sound came.

The sound came from deeper within the cave, in the direction the three cultivators were heading.

Li Chengming pressed himself against the stone wall and cautiously approached.

At the end of the passage was a downward stone staircase, from which a faint light shone and intermittent voices could be heard.

Li Chengming hesitated for a moment, then tiptoed down the stone steps.

At the end of the stone steps was a huge underground stone chamber, more than ten feet square.

Several fist-sized luminous pearls were embedded in the stone walls surrounding the stone chamber, emitting a dim yellow light.

In the center of the stone chamber stood a three-foot-high stone platform, on which were placed three jade boxes, one large and two small.

At this moment, the three cultivators were confronting a massive demonic beast.

The monster resembled a lizard, its entire body covered in gray-black scales. It was nearly ten feet long, with thick limbs and a tail that swayed slowly, each sway accompanied by a whooshing sound.

"An Iron-Scaled Lizard at the late stage of Qi Refining!"

Li Chengming was startled.

This kind of demonic beast has thick skin and tough flesh, making it difficult to be harmed by ordinary magical artifacts. Even a cultivator in the late stage of Qi Refining might not be able to defeat it in a one-on-one fight.

The three cultivators were clearly not expecting to encounter this thing. They were standing back to back, each holding a magical artifact, their expressions solemn.

"Brother, how come there's a late-stage Qi Refining demon beast in here? Wasn't this cave supposed to have been ransacked several times?"

"How come I've never heard of this beast before!"

The tall man asked in a low voice, a hint of nervousness in his tone.

The cultivator addressed as "Big Brother" had a gloomy expression, and the bronze mirror artifact in his hand emitted a faint spiritual light.

"Stop talking nonsense, get ready to fight."

Before the words were finished, the iron-scaled lizard suddenly moved.

It was incredibly fast, completely unlike its bulky size.

With a single swipe of its claw, it aimed straight for the older brother's face.

The elder brother dodged to the side, and suddenly shone the bronze mirror in his hand. A beam of spiritual light shot out and hit the iron-scaled lizard, leaving only a shallow white mark.

"Its skin is too thick! Use magic to blast its eyes!" the eldest brother shouted.

The other two reacted immediately. One cast a fireball spell, and the other threw an ice spike spell, both aiming at the Ironscale Lizard's head.

The iron-scaled lizard cried out in pain, its tail sweeping across the room, creating a gust of wind.

The cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining on the left was unable to dodge in time and was struck on the shoulder by the tail. He was sent flying backward and crashed into the stone wall, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Second Brother!"

The other person exclaimed in surprise, his hands still forming spells, and another fireball smashed into the iron-scaled lizard's head.