The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

"Reporting to Lord Xuanye, there are approximately two hundred people who have come."

The black-clad guard knelt on one knee and spoke rapidly: "Moreover, their clothing is mixed and their weapons are different, so they don't seem to be from the same force. The observers below have carefully examined them and found no standard robes or insignia of the ten major sects. They speculate that most of them are independent cultivators or ordinary sect warriors."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Ye, holding his black prayer beads, nodded slightly.

"Understood, go now. Properly entertain our guests according to plan."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The black-clad guards acknowledged the order and withdrew.

Ji Luo scoffed from the side, his thick arms crossed over his chest, his face full of disdain.

"Two hundred or so scattered soldiers, without even the background of a major sect, dare to trespass into my Xuan Yin Stone Cave? They're simply courting death."

Xuan Ye shook his head with a faint smile, his gaze fixed on the direction of the cave entrance.

"Junior brother, don't be careless. There are many hidden masters among the wandering cultivators in the martial world. Some people just don't like the constraints of the sect, which doesn't mean they are not strong enough."

After speaking, Xuan Ye paused, a faint smile still curving his lips: "However... Junior Brother, you're not wrong either. Two hundred rabble, even if there are a few tough guys among them, they can't cause any trouble."

Not far away, Huai Cheng was tightly bound by iron chains on a stone pillar. He breathed a few weak breaths and looked at Xuan Ye and Ji Luo.

"You are too arrogant."

Huai Cheng's voice was hoarse, but every word was firm and resounding: "Those who do many evil deeds will surely perish. Your perverse actions have angered both heaven and man, and sooner or later you will suffer a complete defeat."

"lose?"

Xuan Ye seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He slowly turned around, looked down at Huai Cheng, and spoke with undisguised sarcasm.

"Junior Brother Huaicheng, you know far too little about us."

He raised his hand and pointed to the bluestone dam wall of the Wanzhen Cangdi not far away.

"Do you think we chose this location for our headquarters simply because it's secluded?"

Xuan Ye slowly walked forward, his fingertips brushing over the intricate hidden mechanisms and channels on the dam wall.

"Many of these structures are relics left by the craftsmen who built the Wanzhen Cang Embankment five hundred years ago. I ordered people to modify them on the original basis and divert a section of living water from inside the embankment to create this artificial lake."

He turned around, his gaze intense.

"Normally, the lake's water level is kept constant by the drainage system, but once the drainage channel is closed and the diversion system is activated..."

Xuan Ye's voice suddenly lowered, carrying a cruel yet triumphant smile: "The raging floodwaters inside the dam will pour into this sealed cave in a very short time. Junior Brother Huai Cheng, tell me, how many people could be drowned by a sudden flood in this enclosed cave?"

Upon hearing this, Huai Cheng's pupils contracted, and all the color drained from her face.

It's true that martial arts masters can move on water using their lightness skills, but only on still or slow-moving water. It's extremely difficult to stand on water in a flood using lightness skills, and one can easily be submerged, let alone in a confined space.

Huai Cheng opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

This was no longer a conspiracy; it was an outright murder plot that would turn two hundred lives, along with the entire grotto, into a giant water tomb.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Jiluo laughed wildly, his voice booming like a bell, shaking the surface of the artificial lake.

"When the floodwaters pour in, we'll seal off some of the passageways and gates inside the grotto, leaving them with nowhere to go, not even a god could escape. They'd all drown in this grotto!"

Xuan Ye clapped his hands and laughed, his eyes filled with smugness and cruelty; his kind and gentle demeanor was gone forever.

However, they did not know.

In this seemingly flawless killing scheme, they overlooked one person.

And that being was currently rushing upwards along the outer wall of the Xuan Yin Grotto.

... ... ...

The top of the Xuan Yin Grottoes.

Qi Ji's four hooves trod on the rugged rocks. His "Spirit Foot" allowed him to walk on the near-vertical cliff face as if it were flat ground. With a few leaps, he reached the highest point of the cave.

The mountain wind howled, stirring Qi Ji's pure white hair.

He did not enter the grotto through the main gate with Su Yanji and the others.

This was a task that Su Yanji had specifically assigned to him before the operation.

According to the information extracted from Duan Chi, the core area of ​​the Xuan Yin Grottoes, where the evil monks imprisoned children and refined the Pure Karma Bodhi Pill, was built right next to the dam wall of Wanzhen Cangdi.

Therefore, Su Yanji devised a plan that combined overt and covert tactics.

On the surface, a force of over two hundred men stormed into the grotto through the main gate, drawing the attention of all the human traffickers and keeping the enemy's main force firmly tied down in the outer grottoes and the passageways of the traps.

In secret, Qi Ji acted alone.

Using the [Spirit Foot], climb to the top of the cave from the outside, then run along the top to the end of the cave, near the dam, and smash through the thick rock shell from above. Like a divine soldier descending from the sky, they directly penetrated the enemy's core alchemy site.

This plan has two strict requirements for those who implement it.

First, one must be able to easily climb the steep and smooth outer wall of the Xuan Yin Grotto, which is dozens of feet high.

Secondly, it must be able to shatter the hard rock layer several meters thick at the top of the cave in a short period of time.

Qi Ji happens to possess both of these abilities.

Qi Ji looked down at the mountain rocks below.

"Su Yanji and the others should have entered the cave by now, and they may have already engaged in combat with the outer guards of the human traffickers."

A glint flashed in Qi Ji's golden deer eyes. With a burst of energy from its four hooves, its white figure, like a streak of light, raced along the top of the cave towards the dam.

The cave's top was open and flat, with jagged rocks, but it did not hinder his steps in the slightest.

In just a few breaths, he had already leaped to the end of the grotto, right next to the Wanzhen Cangdi embankment.

"The humidity here is really high."

Qi Ji felt the rich, humid air.

Because of its proximity to the dam, this location is constantly exposed to endless water vapor.

With more moisture, various green plants and mosses can easily grow.

A number of tenacious green plants have grown in this area. Green moss can be seen everywhere, between the rocks and in the crevices at the top of the cave, adding a touch of vitality to this gray and white rocky landscape.

Qi Ji took a few steps forward and looked up at the inner side of the embankment.

As far as the eye can see, there is a vast expanse of water, its misty waves stretching to the horizon.

What made Qi Ji's heart tighten was that the water level inside the dam was only a dozen meters away from the top of the dam!

"Isn't this water level a bit too high?"

(⊙▽⊙)

Qi Ji clicked his tongue in amazement: "Is it the flood season in the Yunqi Great Swamp now?"

Qi Ji shook his head, suppressing his distracting thoughts.

Whether it's the flood season or not is irrelevant; the most urgent task is to break through the rock strata as soon as possible and penetrate into the core area.

Qi Ji took a deep breath, and golden-green spiritual energy rippled across the deer antlers, activating the power of [All Trees Pay Homage to the Source].

"Buzz~~~"

Although the ground beneath his feet was not fertile soil, but hard, cold rock, as long as there was even a single plant seed remaining in the cracks of the rocks, Qi Ji's abilities would have a purpose.

In an instant, a rumbling sound came from the rock strata beneath their feet.

Thick tree roots, like giant pythons awakening, burst forth from the cracks in the rocks, winding their way downwards.

"Click-clack bang~~~~"

Wherever it passed, rocks crumbled and rock fragments flew everywhere.

Qi Ji's gaze sharpened, and he increased his spiritual energy output, manipulating the tree roots to drill downwards with even greater ferocity.

When he encountered an exceptionally hard rock layer, he lowered his head, his forehead flashing with spiritual light, and unleashed the power of [Thousand Peaks].

"Boom!"

The hard rock strata shattered instantly, and a huge hole was carved out.

The tree roots surged in, continuing downwards, downwards, and downwards again.

... ... ...

Almost at the same moment.

The core area at the deepest part of the Xuanyin Grottoes.

Xuan Ye and Ji Luo stood side by side on the high platform, in front of them was a row of mechanisms that controlled the flood discharge and diversion.

"bring it on."

Xuan Ye sneered as he reached out to press the mechanism.

"First, let a small amount of water in to give the guests outside a bath. Once they're in a panic, then open the floodgates and catch them all at once."

"Senior brother is right. I really look forward to seeing what kind of expressions those people will have then."

Ji Luo stood to the side, rubbing his hands together, his face full of anticipation.

However, before Xuan Ye's hand could touch the mechanism, a dull thud came from above.

"Boom!"

Immediately afterwards, countless pebbles fell from the top of the cave, crashing to the ground with a crackling sound.

"!"

The entire room fell silent.

Xuan Ye and Ji Luo looked up at the same time, their smiles freezing on their faces.

"What happened?"

One of his subordinates looked up blankly, scratching his head. "Is this... a natural collapse?"

"impossible."

His companion immediately objected, his face grave: "The top of this grotto is encased in a complete layer of rock, as stable as Mount Tai. How could it possibly collapse naturally for no reason?"

Before the words were finished—

"BOOM!!!"

A deafening roar erupted, more than ten times more violent than before!

A large, thick layer of rock shattered with a deafening roar, crashing down from the top, carrying clouds of dust and debris, like a meteorite falling to earth.

"Oh no, watch out!"

Everyone was terrified and scattered in all directions.

Xuan Ye and Ji Luo reacted extremely quickly, striking out with their palms simultaneously. Their powerful palm strikes shattered several boulders that were crashing towards the platform, sending fragments flying everywhere.

Before they could even catch their breath, the sight above completely stunned them.

A huge gap had been torn open in the top of the cave, and countless thick, python-like tree roots hung down from the gap, baring their fangs and claws, like an upside-down dense forest.

Through the huge crack, you could even see the azure sky outside and a few white clouds drifting by.

"What... what's going on?!"

Ji Luo's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.

Xuan Ye's face also darkened, his mind racing, but he couldn't figure it out no matter what.

How could someone have broken through the thick, solid rock layer at the top of the grotto from the outside? And with... tree roots?

In the instant the two were shocked and stunned.

A figure in pure white leaped down from between the drooping tree roots.

A white deer treads through the air, its long, white tail fluttering like dust, its golden eyes gleaming in the smoke and dust, like a god descending to earth...