"Who goes there?" Elder Cat called out, his voice sharp with vigilance.
"Fellow Daoists, fear not. We have a matter to discuss," a steady voice resounded. Another group, consisting of seven men, slowly approached.
"Discuss what? We are strangers," Elder Cat frowned, his guard never lowered. The opposing group held the advantage in strength. Although led by only one Complete Foundation Establishment cultivator, the remaining six were all at least Complete Qi Condensation or higher. Should a conflict arise, his side would be at a complete disadvantage.
"We are the Sand Sea Group. We need to discuss a vital matter with you, one I trust you will find of interest," a hawk-nosed man, an Early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, enthusiastically stated.
"What exactly is this matter? If you don't explain clearly, please leave," Tran Lam said, a hint of fear in his voice, utterly devoid of the arrogance he displayed towards Luo Ren earlier.
"My name is Lam Hai, leader of the Sand Sea Group," the leading man, a Complete Foundation Establishmentcultivator, introduced himself. Seeing Elder Cat's continued suspicion, he cut straight to the chase:
"We discovered a mysterious Immortal's Abode within the Forest of Trees, likely left behind by a venerable expert. We seek allies to explore it together."
"Mysterious Immortal's Abode?" Tran Lam and Yang Li's eyes lit up, their breathing becoming ragged.
"Mysterious Immortal's Abode?" Elder Cat wasn't as agitated as them, but a subtle tremor in his voice betrayed his thoughts.
In the cultivation world, countless powerful major forces existed, but simultaneously, there were also countless reclusive cultivators of formidable strength, without sect or faction. They often left behind their Immortal's Abodes or other places, preserving their inheritances for future generations, for those with destiny to discover. On the Ice Heaven Continent, many legends of inheritances circulated: some unknown commoner once received the inheritance of a Void Refinement Realm expert, soaring to fame and becoming a Heaven's Chosen admired by all; others, afflicted with incurable diseases on the brink of death, accidentally discovered a Medical Immortal's Immortal's Abode, obtaining immortal pills that cured their ailments and simultaneously vastly increased their strength, attracting wealth and beauties… all of which inspired countless admirers.
"Hehe, why would you be so willing to share such good fortune as an Immortal's Abode inheritance with us?" Hong Lien covered her mouth and laughed charmingly, directly hitting the crux of the issue.
Luo Ren noted Hong Lien's shrewdness, secretly nodding in praise. As for the little girl Tinh Nhi, she continued to gnaw on roasted meat, carefree, as if nothing concerned her.
"Indeed," Elder Cat and his two companions also regained their composure, eyeing the Sand Sea Group with suspicion.
It was then that the Sand Sea Group members noticed Hong Lien and Tinh Nhi, their eyes widening in admiration. They audibly swallowed, clearly captivated by the women's beauty.
Lam Hai, the leader, was the first to regain his composure. He explained: "The entrance to the abode is fortified with a formation. We lack the strength to break it, so we require allies."
"So that's it," the Green Cat Group members suddenly understood.
"How will the spoils be divided?" The young man Tran Lam hastily asked, making Luo Ren secretly shake his head. This fellow was already calculating the division of spoils before even understanding the truth, his schemes utterly superficial.
"We discovered the abode. We take seven, you take three," a Sand Sea Group member stated the terms.
"No way, that's too little! Let's split it fifty-fifty!" Yang Li's face flushed red as he argued.
"Are you joking? In terms of effort and strength, we surpass you all," Lam Hai said in a deep voice.
"Alright, a sixty-forty split then. We will give our full support," Elder Cat decided. His cultivation was no less than Lam Hai's; he had nothing to fear from the other party reneging on their word. At worst, they would all perish together.
"Agreed. We'll depart tomorrow morning," Lam Hai assented, leading his group to sit down around the campfire.
"Young one, you've seen it yourself. We have matters tomorrow and cannot escort you out of the Forest of Trees," Elder Cat said to Luo Ren, a hint of awkwardness in his voice. Faced with the benefits of the mysterious Immortal's Abode, he found himself in a slight predicament.
"No matter. This junior will simply follow along and observe, as a means to gain some worldly experience," Luo Ren smiled unconcernedly.
"Where did this Mid-stage Qi Condensation kid come from? Following along will only be a hindrance," a Sand Sea Group member frowned and asked.
"No need for you to worry, esteemed sirs. This junior merely seeks knowledge. Life and death are fated," Luo Ren calmly replied, then turned to wipe a piece of meat from Tinh Nhi's lip, causing the little girl to blush faintly.
"Hmph, truly ignorant of life and death. Inside an expert's Immortal's Abode are all sorts of trials. A cultivation like yours entering is no different than a fish entering a net," Yang Li sneered, not forgetting to mock Luo Ren.
"Alright, let him be. His life or death is his own responsibility," Lam Hai said, mediating. Inwardly, he secretly thought that having this fellow along as cannon fodder wasn't bad at all.
Hong Lien also quietly ate her meat, occasionally glancing at Luo Ren, her thoughts a mystery.
The Mysterious Immortal's Abode
The night swiftly passed. As all of them were cultivators, they merely sat in meditation; sleep was no longer a crucial necessity.
The Green Cat Group, guided by the Sand Sea Group, finally arrived at the place called the mysterious Immortal's Abode.
Luo Ren began to observe his surroundings. It was a cave located at the foot of a mountain, surrounded by countless towering ancient trees that obscured it. The winding entrance was extremely difficult to spot, and it was clear that the cave entrance had been carved out by someone, not naturally formed.
"By chance, our third brother was chasing a demonic beast when he discovered this Immortal's Abode," Lam Hai explained to everyone. The third brother, as he referred to him, was a round-faced cultivator at Early-stage Foundation Establishment.
The group approached the cave entrance. Indeed, a flickering, four-colored light screen covered the entrance. It appeared thin and fragile, but Luo Ren knew that this type of formation was far from simple.
"We already tried attacking it with extreme force, but it was futile," a Sand Sea Group member said with a wry smile.
"Alright, let's try again. Let's join forces," Elder Cat observed the formation, unable to discern anything, and asked everyone to attack.
"Understood." The group no longer objected. Their auras surged, and they activated their spiritual energy to launch attacks.
Elder Cat possessed an Earth-attribute spirit root.
Yang Li and Tran Lam both coincidentally had Ice-attribute spirit roots.
The Sand Sea Group included Lam Hai and two individuals with Water-attribute spirit roots, while the remaining four also coincidentally had Earth-attribute spirit roots like Elder Cat.
Various types of spiritual energy continuously circulated. Different martial skills were simultaneously unleashed, striking hard against the formation.
BOOM!
The formation trembled slightly but quickly settled down again.
Standing outside as spectators were Hong Lien, Luo Ren, and Tinh Nhi.
Seeing that Hong Lien had no intention of acting, Elder Cat and his group frowned and asked: "Are you not going to contribute?"
Tinh Nhi and Luo Ren's strength wasn't great, but Hong Lien was different. She was a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator; she certainly needed to exert herself.
"I'm observing this formation. I've found a clue," Hong Lien said, pouting her red lips.
"Sister Lien, quick, tell us!" Yang Li and Tran Lam impatiently asked, the Immortal's Abode before them making them restless as ants on a hot pan.
"This is called a Four Spirits Formation. It requires four types of spiritual energy attributes to simultaneously act upon it to break it," Hong Lien explained.
Luo Ren feigned a surprised expression, though in his mind, Kim Nhi had long since explained this formation to him.
Tinh Nhi still stood calmly beside him. Seeing Luo Ren's surprised expression, she giggled naughtily: "Tinh Nhi also knows how to break the formation, but watching them make a fuss is fun too."
Luo Ren didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this girl.
Hearing Hong Lien's explanation, the group suddenly realized. Their previous attacks only consisted of Earth, Ice, and Water-attribute spiritual roots. Clearly, they couldn't break the formation.
"Hong Lien, join forces with us," Elder Cat suggested.
"Hehe, no problem," Hong Lien still smiled charmingly. However, Luo Ren felt the ambient temperature rapidly increase. He said in a deep voice: "Do you possess a Fire-attribute spirit root?"
"Yes, and her flames have evolved, their level similar to Young Master's Profound Water."
Kim Nhi's voice echoed in Luo Ren's mind, surprising him slightly. Before he could regain his composure, he heard Kim Nhi continue: "Little Tinh Nhi isn't bad either. She has Wood-attribute and Wind-attribute spirit roots."
"I spit on this! Are geniuses walking everywhere like dogs?" Luo Ren couldn't help but curse inwardly. Since when did cultivators with two spirit roots continuously appear before him like this?
At this moment, Hong Lien had already joined forces with the group. Fire-attribute spiritual energy enveloped her. Her delicate hands moved, and a scorching red lotus appeared in her grasp, striking the formation alongside the group.
HISS! HISS!
There was no fierce collision sound. Only the formation trembled. It absorbed all four attributes, and after a few breaths, it gradually disappeared.
"It actually worked?" The Sand Sea Group members rejoiced, while Tran Lam and Yang Li, unable to hold back, had already dashed into the Immortal's Abode.
"Ah! Ah! Ugh, hurry, come help!"
Two terrified screams echoed from within the cave.
The rest of the group, about to enter, shivered.