C20 He Accidentally Entered the Demon Locking Stream.

Zou Zhifa aimlessly roamed the Cloud Deriving Sect's headquarters and, without realizing it, stumbled upon a secluded spot bathed in moonlight. There, he discovered a small door with a single character etched upon it: "Tomb!"

Zou Zhifa surmised that this must be the graveyard Xu Daozhen had spoken of—the final resting place for the Cloud Deriving Sect's ancestors.

Had Xu Daozhen not expressly warned Zou Zhifa to steer clear of the graveyard, the thought of venturing inside might never have crossed his mind. Yet, the warning only heightened his sense of mystery.

Compelled by curiosity, Zou Zhifa stepped into the sacred grounds. Here lay the sarcophagi of the Cloud Deriving Sect's lineage of Sect Masters, dating back three hundred years to its founding. The current Sect Master, Yun Wuchen, was the fifteenth in this venerable line, and his predecessors all found their eternal peace in this hallowed place.

Xu Daozhen's admonition wouldn't have been necessary if only the Sect Masters' coffins were interred here. But there was more to this graveyard than met the eye.

In its deepest corner, a peculiar four-square-meter mound rose from the earth, shaped like an umbrella, with several shallow moats encircling it, perpetually fed by a trickling stream. To the uninformed, it might appear to be a whimsical quirk of nature, but its origins were far from natural.

Half a millennium ago, amidst the turmoil of incessant warfare, Phoenix Tail Mountain bore witness to a massive battle between sects. The bloodshed was so severe that a palpable aura of death enveloped the mountain. This aura, infused with the yin of the earth and the radiance of the celestial bodies, coalesced into the form of a stunning woman. Born from violence, she was as frigid as frost and harbored a lethal nature. She called herself Chiu Qingluan and wreaked havoc across the land, becoming a formidable menace to the world.

Led by Guo Mingsi, five Great True Lords united to hunt down Chiu Qingluan. Driven to desperation, she fled to Phoenix Tail Mountain, to the very site of the Cloud Deriving Sect's graveyard. There, Guo Mingsi wielded the magical Dream Flower Fall, an enchanted paper umbrella, and subdued her. To ensure she could never escape, the True Lords sealed the umbrella and christened the site Demon Locking Stream.

Since then, the site had been left undisturbed, avoided even by the Cloud Deriving Sect's own members.

As Zou Zhifa wandered through the graveyard, the moonlight revealed the umbrella-like formation, piquing his curiosity. He approached for a closer look, but a sudden, malevolent gust swept through, and Zou Zhifa collapsed into unconsciousness...

Xu Daozhen awoke with a start, a sense of foreboding gripping him. His divinations confirmed his fears: something was amiss. He dashed out of room number four and scoured every room beyond number twelve, but Zou Zhifa was nowhere to be found.

Realization dawned on Xu Daozhen—Zou Zhifa had ventured into the graveyard and was surely in peril. With a swift incantation, Xu Daozhen flew towards the graveyard and, as he feared, found Zou Zhifa lying motionless beside the Demon Locking Stream.

"Mr. Zou..." Xu Daozhen called out, reaching to feel Zou Zhifa's pulse.

Thankfully, the pulse was still there.

Without hesitation, Xu Daozhen carried Zou Zhifa back to his room.

After administering emergency care, Zou Zhifa finally came to.

"Immortal Xu, it feels like I just took a stroll through the gates of hell," were the first words Zou Zhifa uttered upon awakening.

"Mr. Zou, you're lucky I found you when I did, or you'd be a goner. Haven't I warned you about the cemetery on the back mountain? Why didn't you heed my advice?"

"I was restless and couldn't sleep, so I wandered around and ended up in the cemetery by accident..." Zou Zhifa explained.

"What if something had happened to you? How could I face Patriarch Soong?" Xu Daozhen pressed.

"Immortal, it's just a cemetery. How could I have fainted? I'm an atheist; ghosts don't scare me..."

"There are no ghosts in that cemetery, Mr. Zou, but it is home to a thousand-year-old female demon!"

"A thousand-year-old female demon?" repeated Zou Zhifa, taken aback.

"Ordinary folks like you faint at the mere presence of demonic energy. Stay too long, and it could be fatal. Luckily, I found you in time, and your genuine qi hadn't fully dissipated. Otherwise, not even the Jade Emperor could have saved you."

Zou Zhifa felt a chill of fear at the thought.

Xu Daozhen produced a pill.

"You're still tainted with demonic energy. Take this pill and meditate quietly for three hours to be truly out of danger. Sit down and follow the incantation I give you."

Zou Zhifa settled onto the cushion.

Xu Daozhen began to chant an incantation that Zou Zhifa couldn't quite grasp.

"Immortal, I don't understand..."

"Just calm your mind, focus on your breath, and then..."

Following the instructions, Zou Zhifa meditated. Three hours later, he felt rejuvenated.

"Immortal, I feel fantastic!"

"Thank heavens, you're finally safe," Xu Daozhen said with relief.

"Thank you, Immortal. I must return to the Soong Mansion," Zou Zhifa said.

"Very well, but I can't let you walk back in your condition," Xu Daozhen replied.

"Don't worry, Immortal, I have a horse!"

"Close your eyes," instructed Xu Daozhen.

Zou Zhifa complied.

Upon opening his eyes, he was astonished to find himself on horseback, right at the gates of the Soong Mansion.

"How did this happen?" Zou Zhifa wondered aloud.

Then, as if on cue, Xu Daozhen's voice echoed in his ears: "You must not speak of the Cloud Deriving Sect's affairs to anyone!"

It dawned on Zou Zhifa that Xu Daozhen had used his magic to swiftly transport him and his horse back to the Soong Mansion.

Truly, the tales of Immortal magic were no mere myths!

...

The Five Tigers had been taking turns guarding the rice mill and had completely forgotten about acquiring the cultivation spell.

On the third night, as they chatted in their room, Wuh Zhihao suddenly remembered.

"Guys, we've overlooked something important," Wuh Zhihao blurted out.

Lee Chunhu chuckled, "You're just realizing this now? You should have visited the Young Master to get the cultivation technique the day before yesterday."

"I'm heading out right now!" declared Wuh Zhihao.

"We've already delayed a few days; a little longer won't hurt. Besides, it's quite late—Young Master might be asleep by now. Better to wait until tomorrow."

"You've got a point. Let's do it tomorrow," Wuh Zhihao agreed.

"Hey, boss, have you noticed how eerily quiet it's been these last couple of days? It's unsettling," Shea Daming remarked.

"Idiot, are you hoping for trouble?" Lee Chunhu chided.

"Not at all, but it's odd, isn't it? The Yin family seized the Soong family's assets, yet there hasn't been a peep from them. Could the Soong family truly be intimidated by the Yin family?" pondered Yan Aze.

"Quit the wild speculations. If you ask me, this silence could spell trouble. How does that saying go?" Wuh Zhihao mused.

"It's the calm before the storm," Lee Chunhu interjected.

Guo Tiehtou chuckled, "Exactly. My bet is the Soong family is biding their time. We can't afford to get complacent just because things seem quiet..."

"Tiehtou's right. We can't afford to take this lightly. With some downtime on our hands, we should be honing our skills. I think I'll head over to Young Master's and retrieve the cultivation spell," Wuh Zhihao resolved.

"Good idea, I'm with you. Let's head out!" Lee Chunhu concurred.