Zhang Rongfang sped up, slamming his shoulder into whatever blocked his way.

Boom!!!

A large chunk of the rock wall's edge was forcefully smashed off by him, flying and tumbling into the creek.

Zhang Rongfang managed to stabilize himself after several staggering steps on the ground.

He opened his eyes and looked back.

The cave was filled with a mass of gray-white rocks.

Those rocks, like surging water, seemed alive, quickly filling the entire cave from the inside out.

Xue Tong stood to the side, shaking his head slightly.

"You failed. Strange, what did you encounter in there? How could the cave of the statue collapse?"

He looked at Zhang Rongfang with curiosity.

"Logically, with my protection, it shouldn't have been difficult. You just needed to suppress your fear, break the statue with a few hits, and get out safely."

"Senior... I didn't encounter a statue inside, but I met a person!" Zhang Rongfang approached and quickly explained his recent experience.

"A person? Did they have a soft body?" Xue Tong was surprised, clearly never having encountered such a situation.

"When I went in back in the day, I also encountered a golden statue... but you..." He was utterly baffled.

"Senior, what do we do now?" Zhang Rongfang recalled the previous situation, feeling increasingly uneasy.

He didn't know where this feeling came from, but inexplicably, this feeling surged in his heart.

"No rush... there's still a way. Follow me," Xue Tong glanced at Zhang Rongfang carefully.

He changed direction, leaning against the rock wall, moving forward.

Zhang Rongfang followed closely behind.

He glanced back at the recently collapsed cave, but in the blink of an eye, it had mysteriously disappeared.

"How many people did you bring here?" Xue Tong suddenly asked.

"About sixteen."

"Are they all important?"

"Of course! They came for me. I should take responsibility for them!" Zhang Rongfang replied in a deep voice.

"What if someone wants to harm them?"

"Then they must die!" Zhang Rongfang declared firmly. "Anyone who dares to touch my people, I'll make them pay!"

"You're a good leader. But not a good leader..." Xue Tong sighed.

"I never wanted to be a leader," Zhang Rongfang replied.

"In that case, I understand," Xue Tong said. "From now on, if you don't want your people to be harmed, you must control yourself and not kill anyone. Absolutely no one!"

"No one?"

"Yes, here, anyone you encounter could be one of your own," Xue Tong said as he walked.

"Now, I'll tell you a secret I've summarized myself, regarding these gods. Promise me you won't spread it."

"Alright! I swear I won't spread it!" Zhang Rongfang swore as naturally as drinking river water, without hesitation.

"Your oath seems too casual, do you often do this?" Xue Tong glanced at him and shook his head.

"I..." Zhang Rongfang wanted to explain further.

"There's no need to say more, if you spread this, first, no one will believe you. Second, after leaking it, every sect in the world will target you for death. Think it over yourself," Xue Tong responded.

"....." Zhang Rongfang's heart sank, knowing this secret was no small matter.

"Do you still want to listen?"

"Of course," Zhang Rongfang said decisively. If he were afraid, he wouldn't have come this far.

At the beginning, he could've just found a place near Qinghe Palace to live out his days amidst beautiful mountains and rivers.

Why go out and explore?

"I'm beginning to like you a bit," Xue Tong sighed. He was always fond of sighing.

It seemed there were many things he couldn't say, and things he couldn't do.

Powerless, feeling incapable, he grew fond of sighing.

"Please tell me, Senior. I'm all ears," Zhang Rongfang urged.

With every moment delayed, the likelihood of death or injury for his subordinates increased.

So it must be quick!

"In today's world, there are many gods, generally divided into Bright Gods and Secret Gods.

Bright Gods are those recognized by the Spirit Court, worshiped openly by legitimate sects.

Secret Gods are those worshiped by the secret sects.

The difference is, one is legal, the other is not."

Xue Tong explained comprehensively.

"What we're encountering now is a Secret God, and a particularly unique one at that."

"And you must remember, no matter what kind of god, they all have one common trait."

"That trait is immortality!"

"Immortality?" Zhang Rongfang suddenly recalled the many god-worshipping martial artists he had defeated. "Is it similar to those god-worshipping martial artists?"

"No... gods are absolutely immortal... unlike the god-worshipping martial artists. They can only be forgotten, lost in some corner, gradually falling into stillness. But they won't die," Xue Tong replied.

"Additionally, I'll tell you a secret, the Eastern Sect's long-pursued mystery of god-worshipping immortality was actually divided into three parts, preserved in three separate secret locations."

".....You even know this!?" Zhang Rongfang was startled.

"Of course. These three parts... oh, we've arrived," Xue Tong abruptly stopped, looking ahead.

Zhang Rongfang also stopped and looked forward.

In front was a dense grassland.

On the grassland stood a small, brown wooden house, plainly visible.

The house had two windows and a chimney.

It was exactly like the wooden house Zhang Rongfang had seen before.

"Now, walk over there, not quickly, slowly. Here, you need to slow your mind, not be hasty or impatient. Impatience here will prevent you from ever approaching the house."

"Once you're over there, as long as you can touch any part of the house.

You can escape this cloud of doubts." Xue Tong explained.

"I understand!" Zhang Rongfang nodded, preparing to approach step by step.

"By the way, I haven't told you about the secret of gods, have I?" Xue Tong suddenly spoke again, lowering his voice.

"No, you haven't," Zhang Rongfang replied.

"Then, now, I'll tell you this secret... which is... beneath the gods, all the god-worshipping martial artists, they're actually not really....."

Creak.

Suddenly, the door of the cabin opened on its own.

The sound of the door interrupted Xue Tong's words at that moment.

Inside the door, a beautiful woman with fair skin and a white dress slowly looked at Xue Tong and Zhang Rongfang.

"Here it comes!" Xue Tong stopped speaking, his tone urgent. "Now, I will buy you some time, I'll attract its attention while you sneak around the side. You cannot let it see you.

Remember, you absolutely cannot be seen by it, otherwise you'll never be able to touch the cabin!"

"Alright!" Zhang Rongfang noticed that the eyes of the woman in the white dress were indeed not on him, but on Xue Tong.

He felt relieved instantly and maneuvered around to the back of the cabin, quietly moving closer.

As he walked forward for a distance, Zhang Rongfang suddenly sensed something wrong.

From the edge of the cabin, he glimpsed a hem of the white dress, coming towards him.

Instantly, he made a quick turn and began running around the cabin.

He was positioned only about a hundred meters from the cabin.

At that distance, it would take Zhang Rongfang only two blinks to rush past.

After calculating in his mind.

Avoiding the woman, Zhang Rongfang immediately dashed forward fearlessly.

Thud!

Bent over and crouched, he raced towards the cabin, sticking close to the ground.

Fifty meters!

Thirty meters!

Ten meters!

One meter!!

Zhang Rongfang reached out his hand, to touch the brown exterior wall of the cabin.

Thud!

At that moment, a hand suddenly reached out from beneath the soil, grabbing his wrist tightly.

The arm was pale and rigid, covered with rotting mold spots on the surface, yet incredibly strong.

The immense strength instantly halted Zhang Rongfang's sprinting body.

"Almost there, break free, touch it!!" Xue Tong's voice came from behind.

Boom.

Zhang Rongfang's arm swelled, entering Extreme State, forcibly breaking free from the grip, his five fingers clawed toward the wall of the cabin fiercely.

Suddenly, another arm pierced out of the soil, clutching his forearm tight.

A torrent of immense force surged in, this was even more terrifying than those from the Spirit Court Grandmasters.

Zhang Rongfang didn't even have time to react before being flung high, thrown back several dozen meters.

In a loud crash, he landed heavily by the creek, right beside where Xue Tong stood.

"What's going on!? I calculated the position, there shouldn't be any issues! How could there be two hands?"

Xue Tong's expression turned serious, his hands swiftly weaving various hand signs, seemingly calculating something in a certain way.

He hadn't encountered such a situation in many years. The Wish Girl's condition had been stable all along.

Others who accidentally entered before were sent out by him using this method.

But now....

"It seems.... Elder, your method isn't working."

Zhang Rongfang, standing up from the ground beside him.

He lowered his head, his long hair scattered messily from the fall, obscuring his face.

"Rather than all this trouble.... I'll handle it myself!!"

With a sudden loud boom.

The dirt beneath Zhang Rongfang's feet exploded.

His body shot out like a bullet, charging straight toward the cabin.

"Don't act recklessly! The ones you kill now are your own subordinates!!" Xue Tong's expression shifted slightly as he loudly reminded from behind.

Zhang Rongfang looked at the gentle-faced woman in the white dress in front of the cabin, his body technique accelerating, his expression turning gradually fierce.

"I'm not killing people!"

"I'm only killing it!!"

Suddenly, when he was only ten meters away from the cabin, he grabbed a flash from his waist pouch and hurled it forward.

Swish!

A red shadow suddenly flew out, shooting straight towards the cabin.

At the same time, Zhang Rongfang let out a wild roar, his body rapidly swelling from over two meters tall, transforming into three meters.

He reached out a palm directly for the woman.

His palm was almost as large as her face, like Mount Tai collapsing overhead!

Whoosh!!

Violent winds howled and exploded.

Zhang Rongfang's palm cast a shadow, swiftly covering the woman's body.

She lifted her face, still wearing a faint smile.

Sizzle!

In an instant, his palm hovered in mid-air.

Below, numerous pale arms burst from the earth, clutching Zhang Rongfang's arm, waist, and shoulders tightly.

Massive power surged in, making him completely rigid, unable to move.

"You...." The woman in the white dress raised her arms gently towards Zhang Rongfang's face.

"Now, you are mine...."

At this moment.

Boom!!

In an instant, the cabin behind the woman exploded violently.

Amid deafening thunders, countless blood water erupted from within the cabin, rushed out, coalescing into a massive ten-meter-tall figure.

Boom!!!

A gigantic bloody hand descended from the sky, crashing down on the spot where the woman stood.

Amidst the thunderous roar, the woman shattered, the soil exploded, and the debris turned into powder, shooting out.

The terrifying airflow surged directly, forming a ring spreading out, blasting away everything it touched.