Chapter 290: 266 Curtain of Darkness, Part 2

“Interesting, very interesting.”

The crescent moon peeked out from behind the clouds, casting its glow.

Zhang Rongfang looked down pleasantly at the three people lying neatly in a row on the ground.

Initially, he thought this night vision was of little use; at most, it just helped him not to be blind at night.

But in actual combat, he discovered that this seemingly unimpressive visual ability was surprisingly useful??

Especially its ability to collect extremely weak light, which extended to a shallow level x-ray vision ability.

Combined with his keen perception, he could sense changes in the opponent’s shallow Qi and blood circulation to a certain extent.

Earlier, when he made a move, he didn’t use any martial arts techniques, just precisely pointed his finger at his opponent’s Qi and blood supply nodes.

Thus, causing a short-term disconnection in the Qi and blood circulation loop.

Without Qi and blood supply, all of a person’s activities would instantly cease.

This is the reason why the ghost-faced man suddenly acted abnormally.

The most terrifying part was that this visual ability could even sense which moves were feints and which were real attacks.

Because feints definitely couldn’t gather much Qi and blood.

No matter how many tricks the opponent used to conceal or hide, a real killer move must be where the most power gathers.

“Who exactly are you!? I am from the Thousand Stone Sect under the Sensing Sect! I came here for official business from the sect, if you don’t want to cause trouble….”

Shhh!

He suddenly raised his hand, a flying knife slipped from his palm, shooting towards Zhang Rongfang’s chest.

Then, without looking at the outcome, he turned to flee.

But before he could run a few steps, he felt a large hand grasp his neck from behind, pulling him backward.

Bam!!

The ghost-faced man was thrown out, slamming into a tree trunk, causing severe pain in his internal organs and spewing blood on the spot.

“Don’t be hasty, regardless of which sect you belong to, answer my question. Otherwise, nobody leaves.”

Zhang Rongfang thought of the subordinates of Isebas who were supposed to be here to meet him, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes.

He didn’t believe in coincidences; why did Isebas’s people have accidents just after finding the Celestial Extreme Cave and ceased communication?

Clearly, either someone followed them, trying to exploit.

Or there’s been someone hanging around here for a long time.

It’s likely these people know the approximate location but lack more clues to find the exact spot.

It was when Isebas came with records from ancient books that they found the Celestial Extreme Cave together.

Of course, there’s a third possibility, which is that Isebas’s remaining men betrayed them.

At this moment, with him easily suppressing the situation, both the ghost-faced man and Ding Luo and Mu Chunxiu lay honestly on the ground.

The former dared not move, the latter two lay together, glaring at the ghost-faced man with hatred.

“Now, let me ask you three.” Zhang Rongfang gathered his thoughts and looked at the three on the ground.

“Do you know the Celestial Extreme Cave?”

Ding Luo and Mu Chunxiu’s eyes were full of hatred and agony, unable to listen to anything about the Celestial Extreme Cave, only glaring at the ghost-faced man, wishing to eat his flesh and drink his blood.

However, the ghost-faced man’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

He quickly looked at Zhang Rongfang, his face innocuous as he opened his mouth to speak.

“Esteemed sir….”

“Seems like you know.”

Zhang Rongfang interrupted, looking at him meaningfully.

The fluctuation of Qi and blood, the subtle changes in expression, all were as clear as fireflies in the night to his eyes.

The ghost-faced man’s expression drastically changed; he intended to deceive the other with words, not expecting…

“Take me there,” Zhang Rongfang’s voice changed.

“Esteemed sir…. I don’t know what you’re talking about!?” the ghost-faced man attempted to feign ignorance.

Just as he finished speaking, a shadow appeared beside him, kicking down.

Crack.

The ghost-faced man’s right arm was broken on the spot.

He didn’t even react to how the opponent made his move.

Too fast!

The gap between them was not just a grade or two, but like a Super Grade crushing a low grade!

Ah!

The ghost-faced man screamed miserably.

“I’ll take you! I’ll lead the way!!” he screamed urgently.

Beside him, Ding Luo laughed loudly in delight.

“You too have your day!! Senior, this man is ruthless, he even kept a Black Tiger before, allowing it to consume people! Guilty beyond measure! He also massacred over ten members of my Ding family! Utterly heartless!! I beg of you, sir….”

But his words weren’t finished, yet the two figures next to him were long gone.

Zhang Rongfang, at some unknown time, had already grabbed the ghost-faced man and left the scene.

He had no interest in the grudges between them.

What the ghost-faced man did had nothing to do with him.

He only cared about the location of the Celestial Extreme Cave. And whether the Mystical Yang Reishi was inside.

A moment later.

In front of a cliff wall covered with climbing tigers.

The ghost-faced man lightly landed, standing on a small clearing in front of the cliff wall.

This cliff wall was located midway up a sheer precipice, above was the mountaintop a hundred meters away.

Below was a valley shrouded in fog.

Zhang Rongfang gently landed on the clearing, looking at the crevice on the cliff wall.

The crevice was very narrow, just enough for one person to enter and exit.

Both sides were densely covered with layers of climbing tigers, dead branches, and live leaves piled together, perfectly concealing this cave entrance.

“Here it is,” the ghost-faced man said in a low voice. “Sir, I’ve brought you here, so you see if….”

“In a hurry for what?” Zhang Rongfang glanced at him. “You go in, once I confirm the treasures inside are still there, I’ll let you go.

Rest assured, I always keep my word.”

“….” The ghost-faced man’s heart increasingly felt horrified. Because such words were extremely familiar to him.

Usually, before he killed someone to silence them, he would also comfort others this way….

“Alright, you lead the way inside first.” Zhang Rongfang said gently.

The ghost-faced man looked at the cave entrance, his heart sinking into an abyss, his mind frantically spinning, trying to find a way to survive.

“Get in!”

Seeing the other standing still, Zhang Rongfang’s expression suddenly changed, shouting fiercely.

The ghost-faced man shivered, gritting his teeth, he could only walk in front, pushing away climbing tigers, heading into the Celestial Extreme Cave.

“Don’t be afraid, as long as you behave, I won’t do anything to you.” Zhang Rongfang’s tone softened again.

“…” The ghost-faced man gritted his teeth, as he proceeded into the cave, the hope in his heart along with his progression, became increasingly silent, losing confidence.

Following behind him, Zhang Rongfang also cautiously entered the cave.

Both of them held torches, struggling through a narrow passage, soon it opened up inside.

It was a large stone hall with gray rocks as walls.

The stone hall was hemispherical, with all sorts of strange monster patterns carved everywhere on the inner walls.

At a glance, it was obviously man-made.

Inside the stone hall, the ground was divided into sunken stone-pit medicine gardens.

They resembled planted fields; each plot was extremely square, and the herbs inside were either lush or already withered.

“By the way, how did you know about the Celestial Extreme Cave…?” As Zhang Rongfang moved forward, he asked.

“Reporting to you, sir, this was originally one of the hidden medicine gardens of our Sensing Sect, but it lost its trace because a certain generation of the Moon King suddenly disappeared. We’ve been searching around for many years.” The masked ghost-faced man answered honestly.

“It was originally a medicine garden of the Sensing Sect?” Zhang Rongfang understood, no wonder there were specialized herbs needed for the Golden Toad Skill here.

It was not natural; it was entirely man-made.

“Then why have you only found it now?” Zhang Rongfang asked again.

“That’s because while we knew the approximate location, we were missing one last clue. And those Huxi people brought the final trace. So, I followed them and secretly found this place.” The masked man explained.

“And what was this final clue?”

“It was using a type of toad called the Heart Toad to lead the way.

This toad particularly likes to devour Heart Grass. And inside the Celestial Extreme Cave, a large amount of Heart Grass is planted. Its unique scent can guide the Heart Toad to keep approaching.

I only realized this after those Huxi people used this trick.” The masked man answered.

“I see.” Zhang Rongfang nodded.

The two had already walked to the innermost part of the Celestial Extreme Cave.

Then they stopped by a stone table and stone chairs embedded in the stone wall.

Next to the stone table and chairs, there were also three special herbs enclosed with transparent blue crystals for planting.

One was an unusually black reishi, palm-sized.

The reishi’s cap was seemingly crawling with white insects, covered in many white hairs.

The second was a stalk of white grass that was already dead and dried.

The third was a vine-like plant, arm-length, with triangular green leaves and light red flowers resembling small trumpets.

Overall it looked much like an ordinary trumpet vine.

At the sight of this vine plant, Zhang Rongfang noticed the masked man’s heartbeat and Qi and Blood suddenly accelerated.

Although he maintained his composure, the fluctuation in Qi and Blood couldn’t be concealed.

“What are these three herbs? Could you introduce them to me?” Zhang Rongfang suddenly asked.

“These three herbs are the Black Sun Flesh Reishi, centuries-old Heart Grass, and… the Red Sound Flower.”

“Red Sound Flower? What’s that? You seem very nervous?” Zhang Rongfang asked curiously.

“This is… the Immortal Flower that the Spirit Court has been searching far and wide for, capable of extending the lifespan of Spiritual Veins!” The masked man did not intend to hide it, knowing that the information would eventually be discovered.

Extending the lifespan of Spiritual Veins…

Zhang Rongfang’s eyes lit up.

With the Black Sun Flesh Reishi already, now he also had this Red Sound Flower!! What an unexpected delight!

If this treasured medicine truly works, perhaps… it could provide a glimpse into the mysteries within the Spiritual Veins.

“Very well…” Zhang Rongfang’s eyes shone slightly.

Swish!

He suddenly lunged forward, his figure ghost-like, pouncing toward the masked man.

“You!!? You broke your promise!” The masked man hurriedly tried to flee. But….

Awhile later.

A heartrending scream echoed within the Celestial Extreme Cave, abruptly ceasing, leaving only silence.

*

*

*

At the foot of Citong, under the Agarwood Palace.

During the deep stillness of the night.

Two patrolling Daoists from the Great Dao Teaching suddenly fell to the ground with a muffled groan, their foreheads pierced by two slender throwing knives.

A figure swiftly approached the Agarwood Palace. The person was dressed in black, masked and wearing a purple scarf.

“Who goes there!?”

Suddenly a newly recruited skilled hand from the Great Dao Teaching dashed out, blade in hand, chasing the intruder.

Yet before he got far, he felt a sharp pain in his chest, a knife embedded, and fell dead.

As the masked man in the purple scarf was about to leap over the palace walls, suddenly a voice echoed.

“Such audacity, daring to intrude upon the Agarwood Palace!!”

With fluttering sleeves, a figure leapt over the palace walls, charging towards the purple-scarved person.

The person was none other than Chen Han, the one always on guard here!

He wielded a blade in one hand, a shield in the other, clad in leather armor, wearing a helmet with metallic wings, charging face-to-face.

The masked intruder turned and ran on seeing this.

Chen Han hurriedly pursued.

In no time, the two had run several hundred meters.

“You think you can run after killing someone from the Agarwood Palace!?” Chen Han suddenly burst forth, entered Extreme State, his speed increasing as he swung his blade toward the intruder’s back.

Bang!!

Suddenly white dust exploded, obscuring Chen Han’s vision.

“Yingtian Chapter!!”

Chen Han pressed forward with his shield, channeling power through his left arm, launching a killing move from the Spirit Gathering Talisman technique.

The shield pushed forward with a peculiar vibration and spin.

Bam!!

Just then, within the dust and smoke, the shield struck something.

It felt like flesh.

Chen Han snorted coldly, his other hand’s blade flashing.

Swish.

The opponent was struck in the chest, from shoulder to pelvis, creating a massive gash.

Blood splattered wildly, and the man collapsed with a cry.

Chen Han faintly sensed something was amiss.

The person seemed to have slack muscles and no resistance.

Once the dust cleared, he looked again.

In the forest lay a masked man in purple scarf and black attire.

The man’s chest was exactly where Chen Han’s blade had struck, the blood gushing out uncontrollably.

It was clear he would not survive.

Chen Han observed the man’s eyes, feeling increasingly that something was wrong….

This person clearly matched the figure and appearance of the earlier killer, yet…..

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