5 Chapter 005: The Movie Star’s Possession!
Translator: 549690339
Behind Changyue Peak, Yang Zhen was in a pile of rubble and weeds, expelling all the impurities brought on by his Spirit Marrow Cleansing. He was about to stand up when he suddenly heard murmured voices carrying over to him.
“Senior… Senior Brother, are you sure the Spirit Marrow Cleansing is here? This place is in the middle of nowhere; can it really have something as precious as this?”
Uh-oh!
Yang Zhen’s eyes widened in surprise. What was happening?
Spirit Marrow?
Just by hearing the name, he knew it had to be something valuable!
Driven by curiosity, which is an excellent tradition, Yang Zhen decided to find out what the two were planning to accomplish in this place.
Parting the bushes in front of him, Yang Zhen gasped.
Two disciples of the Shangyuan Sect, a man and a woman, were acting suspiciously, their demeanor betraying their guilty intentions. They were clearly up to no good.
“People these days, always up to no good!”
As Yang Zhen shook his head, he sneakily approached the pair. “In broad daylight, a man and a woman up to such mischief. Stealing is disgraceful; stealing is disgraceful indeed.”
Although the two were alert to their surroundings, they were unable to spot Yang Zhen. After a while, they relaxed once again.
“Junior Sister, do you remember the cave at the foot of the mountain?” the male disciple asked with satisfaction.
Puzzled, the female disciple nodded, “You mean the cave we got trapped in last time?”
“Yes, the place where we first met. I visited it a few days ago, and I believe there might be a treasure waiting to be discovered. Once I obtain it, my cultivation will increase significantly, and I might even be taken under the wing of the sect elder or the leader.”
“Ah!” the female disciple exclaimed delightfully. “Don’t forget about me then.”
“How could I!” The male disciple leapt over a rock, chuckling sinisterly, “Follow me, Junior Sister.”
“Senior Brother, wait for me!” the female disciple cried out.
…
Yang Zhen blinked in surprise, the cave at the back mountain?
He knew the place, and this was getting interesting.
Instead of following the same route as the pair, Yang Zhen chose to sneak away quietly, reducing the chances of being discovered.
Such brilliance! Yang Zhen gave himself a mental pat on the back.
Finding a particular cave in the vast, limitless mountain was no easy task. Fortunately, Yang Zhen was quite familiar with the area and soon found the cave in question. The moment he entered, he could sense something unusual.
Waves of spirit energy that felt refreshing flowed over him. The concentration of spirit energy in here was even higher than outside, which was why the male disciple from the outer sect had claimed there was a treasure to be discovered.
The deeper he walked, the more certain Yang Zhen felt that there truly was treasure hidden in the cave.
The cave wasn’t just a straight passage; it wound around several turns. Yang Zhen wasn’t sure how long he had been walking when he suddenly heard a voice.
“Senior Brother Duan, are you sure there is Spirit Marrow Cleansing here?”
Yang Zhen froze. Why would there be a woman’s voice here?
The woman’s voice sounded young and pleasant, sweet and mellow.
Senior Brother Duan?
Could it be Duan Langcai?
Yang Zhen hid around a corner, eavesdropping. A throaty voice echoed, “Junior Sister Fang, why would the Spirit Marrow Cleansing be in a place like this? You know very well what sort of person Duan Langcai is. Be careful, he might have some kind of plot.”
The woman called Junior Sister Fang sighed, “Senior Brother Lu, the Spirit Marrow Cleansing is of utmost importance to me. I have to give it a shot as long as there’s even a slight chance.”
Senior Brother Lu snorted but didn’t say anything more.
Yang Zhen followed the others at a steady pace. Duan Langcai was at the peak of the Ninth Layer of the Nascent Stage, just one step away from breaking through the Foundation Establishment Stage, which attested to his formidable strength.
He didn’t know the level of cultivation that Senior Brother Lv and Junior Sister Fang possessed, but they were likely of considerable power. Why else would they accompany the notorious Duan Langcai into a mountain cavern?
The back mountain had already exceeded the territorial influence of the Shangyuan Sect. Yang Zhen gripped his long sword, peering inside the cavern via the faint luminescence.
A young man with a top knot laughed heartily and said, “Senior Brother Lv, it would be unfair to accuse me so. Despite the controversy surrounding me, Duan Langcai is no despicable person. Why would I deceive others about such a matter?”
“Hmph. No matter how eloquent you are, if we don’t find the Spirit Marrow Cleansing, you’ll have to answer for it.”
Duan Langcai looked at Senior Brother Lv with a smirk, “Senior Brother Lv, it’s true you have feelings for Junior Sister Fang, but you can’t possibly curse her not to find the Spirit Marrow Cleansing. Are you not aware of its significance to her?”
“You…you’re spouting nonsense!” Senior Brother Lv was so enraged that he could not find any words to respond.
“Senior Brother Duan, Senior Brother Lv, please stop arguing,” Junior Sister Fang interjected, her beautiful face flushed with anger as she stomped ahead discontentedly.
Duan Langcai quickly followed, asserting loudly, “Junior Sister Fang, rest assured. This information was unintentionally disclosed to me by an outer sect disciple of the Shangyuan Sect. I’ve been here before, and there indeed is Spirit Marrow Cleansing inside. It was just not ripe yet.”
“Really?” Junior Sister Fang was taken aback and looked at Duan Langcai in surprise.
“Would I lie about that?”
“Thank you, Senior Brother Duan!” Junior Sister Fang, somewhat embarrassed by Duan Langcai’s gaze, hastened away.
Yang Zhen watching from the rear, was shaking his head. In terms of emotional intelligence, Senior Brother Lv was as tongue-tied as a block of wood in front of Duan Langcai.
And how big a blabbermouth must that outer sect disciple be to leak such information?
Seriously questionable intelligence!
Now that Duan Langcai and the others were present, it was virtually impossible for Yang Zhen to covertly take the Spirit Marrow Cleansing.
He had to think of a strategy!
Just then, a fork in the road suddenly appeared ahead of them.
Junior Sister Fang, pausing in hesitation, turned to Duan Langcai and asked, “Senior Brother Duan, which way should we take?”
Duan Langcai laughed heartily, “Either way works, but the left path is shorter. How about this? You accompany me on the left while Senior Brother Lv goes right. Last time I was here, there was a Red Candle Fruit about to ripen on that side. Senior Brother Lv, you can gather it along the way.”
“Red Candle Fruit?” Junior Sister Fang exclaimed, clearly aware of the value of the Red Candle Fruit.
Senior Brother Lv, visibly interested, glanced at Junior Sister Fang and gritted his teeth, “There are only three of us here anyway. We can return through that path and gather the Red Candle Fruit later.”
Junior Sister Fang nodded, “That’s a good idea.”
A flicker of mockery emerged in Duan Langcai’s eyes, which he quickly transitioned into a smile, “In that case, let’s all take the left path.”
Junior Sister Fang glanced at Duan Langcai and suddenly suggested, “To avoid unforeseen circumstances, let’s take the right one. There’s no rush in harvesting the Spirit Marrow Cleansing. If someone sneaks in and plucks the Red Candle Fruit now, that wouldn’t be good.”
As the trio started walking right, Yang Zhen exulted, rushing left, accelerating to the maximum speed.
Clearly, the woman surnamed Fang wasn’t an easy mark. But Yang Zhen didn’t care; he just wanted the Spirit Marrow Cleansing.
With the Spirit Marrow Cleansing, Yang Zhen could break through the Foundation Establishment stage in the quickest time possible. Moreover, the woman surnamed Fang was obviously savvier than she appeared and might eventually outwit both Duan Langcai and Senior Brother Lv.
The world of cultivation was merciless: one moment people talked and laughed, the next they drew their blades. The sight was all too common.
Yang Zhen’s current anxiety was how to collect the Spirit Marrow Cleansing or eat all of them before the trio arrived.
Spirit Marrow Cleansing took a considerable amount of time to condense, reportedly maturing only once every ten years. When Yang Zhen reached the deepest part of the cave, the trio hadn’t arrived yet. He hurriedly rubbed his hands, intending to collect the Spirit Marrow Cleansing.
“Who’s there?” A sharp rebuke came from behind, startling Yang Zhen.
They had caught up after all.
Yang Zhen took a deep breath, turned around, and in the next instant, his aura changed. He looked profoundly at the newcomers, his gaze sharp as if gazing upon an immeasurable starry sky, and a meaningful smile playing on his lips.