Chapter 54: The Immortal Mansion Cave

Seeing that Su Yifan was about to slaughter them, panic swept through the crowd.

At that moment, a grandmaster shouted, “All those below grandmaster, fall back! The rest, defend with me!” The command snapped everyone out of their fear. The martial artists below grandmaster rank retreated quickly, leaving seven grandmasters to stand shoulder to shoulder at the front.

Together, the seven unleashed a protective shield.

Daoyuan watched from the sidelines, his eyes filled with complicated emotions.

The next instant, a crack resounded. The shield shattered, and in the blink of an eye, nearly thirty martial artists, including several grandmasters, were obliterated into a bloody mist by the overwhelming force.

Daoyuan was dumbstruck by the scene before him. With a casual wave, Su Yifan had slain thirty martial artists, grandmasters among them—was this really not a joke?

When Daoyuan first saw Su Yifan, he sensed no trace of martial energy, assuming the man to be a pampered wastrel. He never expected such terrifying power. Fortunately, he’d made the wise choice earlier.

Perhaps, if he followed Su Yifan, he might gain some benefit from the Immortal Estate cavern this time.

As he pondered this, Su Yifan came before him. “Your name is Daoyuan?”

“Yes, senior,” Daoyuan replied truthfully.

“Judging from your name and appearance, were you once a monk?” Su Yifan asked.

Daoyuan dared not lie and nodded. “Senior, you’re correct. I spent three years at Dharma Temple as a monk, then returned to secular life.”

In truth, “returned to secular life” was a euphemism—he’d been expelled by the abbot. The reason: he often used alms-seeking as an excuse to indulge in food, drink, and vice. Once, he even slept with a lady from a martial family. When discovered, the family sent assassins after him, chasing him to the temple. The abbot, enraged, cast him out.

He’d spent years on the run, and only recently heard rumors of an Immortal Estate cavern in the Taihang Mountains, so he gathered some martial artists to seek treasures, hoping to strengthen himself and exact revenge.

Su Yifan didn’t know his full story, but from his actions, it was clear Daoyuan wasn’t upright—what honest monk betrays his comrades?

Still, Su Yifan didn’t mind. Should Daoyuan try any tricks, he’d send him off to learn his lesson.

“If you know where the Immortal Estate cavern is, lead the way,” Su Yifan said.

Before Daoyuan could react, he felt his feet leave the ground as Su Yifan lifted him effortlessly.

In the next moment, Su Yifan soared skyward, carrying Daoyuan toward the mountain.

…

Meanwhile, on a plateau before a cavern midway up the Taihang Mountains, four or five teams had gathered.

“Elder Xiao Peng, we’ve been here for quite some time. Why hasn’t the person to activate the formation arrived?” a man in gray robes asked suddenly.

“Please be patient, everyone. I believe the person is already on the way,” Xiao Peng replied.

He was an elder of the Xiao family, leading their group today.

“If Elder Xiao Peng says so, we’ll wait a bit longer. I hope the Xiao family won’t make us come for nothing,” the gray-robed man said gravely.

“Who do you think you are, to speak to the Xiao family like that? If you’re unwilling to wait, feel free to leave now!” a Xiao family disciple snapped.

As the foremost martial family in Jinling, when had anyone dared speak to the Xiao family in such a manner? It was practically courting death.

Seeing the Xiao youth’s brazen words, the gray-robed man’s expression darkened. “Very well, Elder Xiao Peng. If you won’t discipline your own disciples, I’ll do it for you!”

No sooner had he spoken than he stamped his foot, lunging forward like a leopard toward the Xiao disciple.

Seeing the threat to his disciple, Xiao Peng flashed in front of him and struck out with his palm.

“Boom—”

Their palms collided, and a wave of energy radiated from the two as its center.

“Feng Wudao, is it necessary to quarrel with a youngster?” Xiao Peng said, exerting force to push Feng Wudao back several steps.

Feng Wudao waved his hand, his voice stern. “Everyone here came because of the Xiao family’s message. You owe us an explanation.”

His words drew the attention of everyone present to the Xiao family.

Indeed, if not for the Xiao family’s message, none would have come. If no one arrived to activate the formation today, the Xiao family would have to account for it.

Seeing their reaction, Xiao Peng replied coldly, “It’s true the message came from my Xiao family, but we never forced you to come.”

“And besides, the matter isn’t settled yet. If you’re impatient, you’re welcome to leave now.”

Two days ago, the Xiao family learned someone would come to the Taihang Mountains today to break the formation on the Immortal Estate cavern. Knowing they couldn’t monopolize it, and uncertain what guardians or traps lay inside, they spread the word, hoping these people would scout ahead.

“What nonsense!” a voluptuous woman in red robes protested. “We traveled thousands of miles, and now you tell us to leave with nothing?”

“Exactly. If the formation breaker hasn’t arrived, we’ll wait,” another chimed in.

The atmosphere in the field became tense and complicated.

…

Just then—

“Aah!”
“Senior, save me…”

A voice rang out from the distant sky.

Then—

“Bang!”

A burly figure hurtled from afar and crashed heavily to the ground.

“Ow, ow, that hurts… I’m dying here,” Daoyuan groaned painfully, forcing out a complaint, “Senior, couldn’t you have warned me before letting go? If I weren’t so tough, I’d be a bloody pulp by now.”

Had he not activated a protective shield to absorb some of the impact, he would have been dead or badly wounded.

He didn’t realize that, at this very moment, all eyes in the vicinity were fixed on him.

What was going on? Where had this man come from? Had he really fallen from the sky?

Many people’s gazes shifted to where he’d flown in from.

The next moment, they saw a figure flying toward them from that direction.

Everyone was startled.

People began to murmur:

“Am I seeing things? Is that… a person?”
“It is a person! Someone who can traverse the air!”

As the din rose, Su Yifan arrived overhead, descending slowly like a celestial descending to earth.

Only when he landed did the crowd get a good look at his face.

Everyone was astonished.

This man was so young! How could it be? Was he rejuvenated?

After Su Yifan touched down, Daoyuan hurried over, eager to speak, “Senior, just now—”

But before he could finish, Su Yifan glanced at him. “Silence!”

Daoyuan was baffled. Had he said something wrong?

As Daoyuan stood there confused, Su Yifan swept his gaze around and asked in a deep voice, “Which of you here belong to the Xiao family?”