Ding Yu looked around, making sure there was no one nearby.

Immediately he looked up at the ventilation outlet.

These days, he used the excuse of a weak body to obtain some supplements from Lan Siyi's disciple, Zhou Yuan.

He carefully replenished the depleted Qi and Blood in his body.

In the past two days, Lan Siyi had gradually relaxed her vigilance towards him.

As a result, he finally regained some strength.

'Success or failure hinges on this moment!' Ding Yu never placed all his hopes on the paper ball he threw before.

During his time outside, he closely observed the ventilation structure of this underground sect.

He found that although the ventilation outlet was small, it could accommodate him if he squeezed himself in.

This was obviously an escape route deliberately left for him by the Five Tripods Sect.

After confirming this, he began looking for opportunities...

Lan Siyi's habit was to go out every morning and return at night to play games with him.

Then the next morning, around seven, she would go out again.

So he had a lot of free time every day.

After ensuring no one was around, Ding Yu gathered his strength, borrowed force from the walls, and jumped up.

He reached out to touch the stone wall of the ventilation outlet.

With a snap, that stone wall actually retreated inward; it wasn't a stone wall at all, but a stone slab.

Landing on the ground, Ding Yu was overjoyed. He jumped again, grabbing the edge of the dark gap revealed once the stone slab was pried open.

Using the force, he pulled himself up.

At once, he was inside the passageway.

'Made it!' Ding Yu bent down and looked around. The passageway slanted upwards to the right, clearly leading to the surface.

He couldn't think too much, using both hands and feet to climb forward in the passageway.

The purpose of the ventilation outlet was air exchange, so it was unlikely to be poisoned, nor likely to house poisonous creatures as a defense.

Ding Yu climbed all the way upward, the entire passageway empty and somewhat damp and slippery.

About ten minutes later, he finally saw the white light ahead!

Thump.

He kicked away the obstructing stone with force and crawled out from the ventilation outlet.

"Finally, out!!" Ding Yu only felt his whole body go soft and weak. Though the medicine effect had somewhat waned due to the supplement, it was still there.

Thankfully, he has finally come out and can go back...

In an instant, the hope and smile on Ding Yu's face quickly turned to despair…

Outside the ventilation outlet was a cave perched high on a cliffside.

And at the shallow entrance of the cave, coiling there was a white giant python as thick as a man's waist, over ten meters long.

The giant python seemed to be startled awake, slowly lifting its head and looking over here.

Hiss...

Seeing this, how could he not understand?

The ventilation outlet he just climbed... likely wasn't a ventilation outlet at all!

But a snake path!!

At this moment, beside the white giant python, a middle-aged woman wearing a snake-shaped gold earring slowly walked out.

The woman had gold jewelry on her hands and feet, looking haughty, with green pupils, seemingly not of pure Great Spirit descent.

"You are.... that ugly girl Lan Siyi's newly raised pet?"

"Me???" Ding Yu quickly spoke.

"She said she wanted to give you to the sect master as a new drug material, but nothing happened. Today I'll help bring you over."

The woman sneered coldly, "This isn't me catching you; it's you trying to escape and coming here....."

"You... don't mess around!! My boss is the current Daoist of the Great Dao Teaching! If you harm me! He absolutely won't spare you!!" Ding Yu's face was pale, gritting his teeth.

He didn't want to die! Couldn't die!

He still needed to live to seek revenge on Sea Dragon! How could he die here in this remote place where no one knows!!

"The sect master now has his divine skills perfected, surpassing any past precedent. Great Dao Teaching? Hmph, not to mention the Daoist, even if Yu Yan were here, let her try arrogantly, and she'd still surely die!" The woman said disdainfully.

"You sit in a well and look at the sky, having no idea of our sect's Ten Thousand Devouring Heart Scripture's might!"

Ding Yu was dumbfounded.

He'd seen arrogance, but such arrogance was his first encounter.

He didn't know who Jin Yuyan was, but judging by the way she spoke, she was clearly a top expert in the Great Dao Teaching.

"Never mind, I long told Lan Siyi to give you a diluted Celestial River Water, swallow it and you won't run away, but she wouldn't listen. Since she's reluctant, I'll do it myself."

The woman stepped forward, taking a pale blue glass bottle from her bosom, approaching Ding Yu.

*

*

*

Crunch.

Thick fallen leaves were crushed under heavy boots, making a sound.

The wind blew the tree branches, producing the same sound.

Zhang Rongfang looked up around, comparing it to the instructions on the secret letter.

"It's right here." He looked down at the ground between the fallen leaves, confirming.

"Senior, how do you plan to approach the Five Tripods Sect? They excel at using poison and operate secretively; everyone is under control by a drug called Celestial River Water, slightly displeased, and they find no succor in life nor respite in death.

Even Celestial Lock Teaching back then found them a headache." Chen Zhaoqiao brought Uncle Tan, who had been previously captured by Zhang Rongfang, acting as guides, leading the way personally.

She clearly identified entirely with Zhang Rongfang's perspective, considering it for him.

"Celestial River Water? There's such a drug in this world?" Zhang Rongfang heard about it for the first time; in this era, there's such a thing.

"Yes, the existence of Celestial River Water prevents all Five Tripods Sect members from leaking secrets or easily betraying.

Once captured, most of them would choose swift suicide. Hence, Celestial Lock Teaching only superficially suppressed and managed them. As long as they didn't cause widespread chaos, they'd turn a blind eye." Chen Zhaoqiao obviously had done thorough homework these days.

"No rush, since we're already here. Let's take a good stroll."

Zhang Rongfang looked at the surrounding woodland, his expression calm.

On the surface, he seemed to casually stroll around, slowly walking.

But in fact, his eyes had switched to night vision, constantly scanning the ground for traces.

Suddenly, his nose slightly moved....

"What is... this smell!??!"

Zhang Rongfang's heart shuddered.

He doubted he smelled wrong.

Quickly closing his eyes, he carefully sensed.

Sensing the subtle scent wafting with the wind....

Yes...

That was the scent of complete flesh and blood he had been seeking for so long!

Sss...

Zhang Rongfang took a deep breath, as if trying to absorb every thread of the aroma into his body.

He turned around and followed the scent slowly forward.

A large tree blocked his path.

Crack!

The trunk was snapped in half and tossed aside, and Zhang Rongfang stepped straight over the broken stump, continuing forward.

Along the way, there were no bends; everything that stood in his way, shrubs, rocks, large trees, were smashed open or torn apart by him.

Behind him, Chen Zhaoqiao and Uncle Tan were sweating all over.

"I've lived so many years... this is the first time I've seen such... such..."

Uncle Tan's skin tingled as he struggled to find a suitable word to describe it, but his limited vocabulary didn't allow him to accurately portray Zhang Rongfang's current performance.

Unbridled!

Rampant!

As if there was no one ahead worth noting, confronting enemies was like a stroll through the forest, doing whatever he wished, no one could stop him!

This feeling...

Just like...

Chen Zhaoqiao looked at Zhang Rongfang's back, vaguely, as if seeing a transparent, fierce flame burning on him!

The flame was unrestrained, crazily sweeping away everything around it, with faces of mocking laughter occasionally appearing in the floating sparks.

But a blink later, she realized it was only her illusion.

Hoo...

Zhang Rongfang finally stopped.

He raised his head, and right in front of him was an oval, tall door made of two heavy stone slabs.

The door was three meters high and four meters wide, carved with a multitude of various insect patterns.

At the very top was the image of a divine holding a lotus and jade pestle, with a dragon's head and a human body.

"That is the Great Spirit Desire of Heaven, a deity revered by the Five Cauldrons Sect." Chen Zhaoqiao explained from behind.

"It's rumored that the Great Spirit Desire of Heaven was once the Moon God's child, guarding spirituality and instinctual desire. This stone gate here should represent the protective stone gate of the Five Cauldrons Sect headquarters. Looks like we found the right place." Chen Zhaoqiao continued.

"Senior, this gate is not as simple as it looks, its thickness is astonishing, the only way in would be to find..."

Boom!!!

Before she could finish.

A sudden loud noise.

Zhang Rongfang's arms had already penetrated deep into the stone gate, straight through.

"No need to be that troublesome..."

He gently inhaled the haunting aroma wafting from the door seam, feeling his body rapidly getting excited!

Saliva was secreting.

Stomach acid was churning!

Every pore in his body was cheering!

Cheering for the impending complete flesh and blood!!

"I'm starting to like it here..."

Bang!!

The entire stone door suddenly cracked, spreading large fissures, collapsing, shattering into pieces.

Inside the passageway, two gray-clad disciples of the Five Cauldrons Sect looked over dumbfounded.

Though still gripping their curved knives, their hands were trembling.

"Enemy... enemy attack!!!"

One disciple finally reacted, shouting sharply, and slammed a protrusion on the wall.

"The wail of the weak."

Zhang Rongfang raised his hand, signaling the two behind him to stop.

"You both wait outside for me."

"Yes." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Chen Zhaoqiao tightened her fist, her blood boiling.

Inexplicably, although this had nothing to do with her and continuing might plunge her into extreme danger.

Following this far was already sufficient.

But for some reason, her blood surged with heat, and her feet unconsciously followed forward!

She wanted to follow along! To follow that figure and advance together!

Bang!

The floor beneath Zhang Rongfang exploded, and he charged between the two female guards.

A phantom flashed, the curved knives in the two women's hands shattered and flew up, hurtling like being hit by a rhino, crashing into the stone wall, and tumbling to the ground.

In a blink, their breath was gone.

*

*

*

Beneath the Five Tripods Sect, deep underground.

Jingle...

The sound of a tinkling bell kept ringing faintly inside the stone chamber.

The sect leader Xu Mengyan furrowed her brow, startled from her compounding.

"Someone actually managed to breach the Dragon Gate Stone?"

She set down the crystal vial in her hands and turned toward the door.

"Come!"

A woman quickly entered, wearing a thick black mask, not daring to even raise her head.

"What are your orders, sect leader?"

"The Dragon Gate Stone has been broken, some pests have entered; have the people from Toad Hall deal with it," Xu Mengyan ordered casually.

"Yes!" The woman quickly bowed.

"Tell them not to bother me unless necessary! If it happens again, you all know the consequences!" Xu Mengyan's tone was icy.

"Yes!!" The woman shivered all over, pale-faced, and quickly retreated.

"A bunch of useless trash! I am destined to traverse the world and become the strongest beyond the position of the Moon King! It appears that now this trash can no longer match my current level of strength and status..."

Xu Mengyan impatiently snorted coldly.

Initially, she planned first to annihilate the Celestial Lock Teaching, then infiltrate the Great Spirit's territory, and unify the Sensing Sect.

Unfortunately, the Celestial Lock Teaching was now utterly silenced by the Great Dao Teaching, disrupting her plans.

Now there's a nuisance inexplicably showing up, disrupting her medicine-making, which further soured her mood.