Lin Feng Qiang, Liu Yi Lin, Ying Zi Yi, Ming Yu Han, and Zhao Yu Xuan led the way through the entrance of the cave, while the rest—comprising the leaders of the mercenary group and no fewer than twenty other cultivators—followed closely behind.
The cave entrance stood like a dark gateway carved into the mountainside—not narrow or tight, but wide enough for five or six people to walk shoulder to shoulder, allowing a steady flow of cultivators to pass without obstruction. The edges of the stone arch were rough and timeworn, draped in wild hanging vines and dotted with patches of moss that pulsed faintly with spiritual energy. It was clear this was not an ordinary cave, but one that had been quietly nurtured by nature and time.
A soft breeze flowed outward from within, carrying the cool breath of the earth—and with it, the faint scent of ancient herbs and spiritual medicine. The moment they crossed the threshold, the atmosphere changed. The sunlight behind them dimmed, replaced by a diffused, otherworldly glow that seemed to radiate from the very walls. Spiritual crystals embedded along the stone surfaces emitted gentle light, flickering like stars caught in amber.
The main passage was broad and tall, enough to fit even the crowd of outer cultivators, mercenaries, and sect disciples walking in formation. Their footsteps echoed off the high walls, while a cool mist hugged the floor like a silk carpet drawn tight against the ground. The temperature dipped with every step inward, but not unpleasantly—more like the kind of chill found in places that had never been touched by sunlight.
As they walked deeper, the walls began to change in color—rich veins of silver, gold, and pale blue ran through the stone like buried rivers of energy. Here and there, low-tier spirit herbs grew between the cracks, their faint glows hinting at the richness of the cave's environment. Some cultivators couldn't help but glance at the herbs longingly, but no one dared pluck them. Not yet.
"Strange..." Qichen, who was among the cultivators chosen to enter, muttered in surprise as he looked around. The cave was filled with herbs growing in abundance—how could such a place have remained undiscovered until now?
"It seems someone set up a formation around here to conceal the cave," Ya Ying said softly beside him, still hidden in her invisible state.
Realization slowly dawned on Qichen.
Ya Ying continued, "The formation also functions as a spiritual gathering array. That's why the spiritual energy here is so rich—it's been accumulating for a very long time."
"Then what happened? Why was it discovered so easily now?" Qichen asked, furrowing his brows. If the formation had lasted this long, how had it suddenly failed?
"It was destroyed... about four days ago," Ya Ying replied calmly.
A sharp light flashed through Qichen's eyes. Four days ago—wasn't that when he had regained his memories? When that mysterious twelve-colored light had burst forth?
'It must have been that twelve-colored light,' Qichen thought to himself, a shiver running down his spine.
The path twisted gently, not in sharp turns but in a long, spiraling descent, as if leading them into the heart of the mountain itself. It was vast, stable, and naturally formed, but carried the feeling of a hidden sanctuary.
And then, after several long minutes of steady movement, the passage suddenly opened up.
They emerged into the deep part of the cave, and gasps rippled through the group.
A grand underground chamber stretched before them—wide as a small valley and high as a cathedral, with a ceiling partially open to the sky far above. A massive break in the stone let sunlight stream through in radiant beams, illuminating the entire chamber with a surreal, golden glow. Floating dust shimmered in the light like spiritual motes dancing in the air.
All around the chamber, herbs of all kinds grew in wild, thriving abundance—on the walls, the floor, and even from jutting rocks. Qi-drenched grasses, glowing stalks, and petals that flickered with elemental energy. The sheer richness of the place was staggering.
But at the center of it all, resting on a raised patch of black and white soil that seemed to pulse with balance, stood a single tree.
It was neither large nor ancient, yet its presence commanded reverence. Its leaves were split—half dark as moonless night, half bright like golden fire, and hanging from one of its branches was a single fruit: one half black, one half white, rotating slowly in the air.
The Twilight Harmony Fruit—a rare spiritual treasure of Yin and Yang—born only under perfect elemental equilibrium.
The chamber was silent, as if even sound had paused to honor the sacred scene.
Zhao Yu Xuan's eyes gleamed.
"This is it."
They all stared at it with greed showing in their eyes.
"Roar....?" A roar was heard "Ah....." The next second a cultivator fell to the ground with hia lifeless body.
"Its the darkshade Phanter! Becareful of the shadows" Liu Yi Lin shouted.
"Go...!" Ming Yu Han didn't care at all aboit the life of those cultivators and shot out towards the direction of the cave.
Seeing this, the reat also followed.
Zhao Yu xiao eyes were descisive and she quickly circulated her Qi.
"Willow step dancing through the wind.." She said quietly and her speed increased to the fullest bypassting the othera.
When the others saw this their eyes became bloodshot.
They've already expected this from the biginning.
Every one knew that out of all the sect in the white tiger domain, it was the willow leaf sect thag exceeds in speed the most and that was all because of one person. The flounding ancestor of the willow sect.
It is said that the 'willow step dancing through the wind' is a movement technique developed by the founding ancestor of the Willow Leaf Sect, said to have observed the way willow leaves glide and flutter through storms without resistance. This movement technique emulates that effortless flow, allowing the user to move with elegance, unpredictability, and incredible speed.
The cultivator's steps become light as feathers, as if their body turns insubstantial and rides the wind.
Zhao Yu Xuan's steps were elegant and flawless, as if she were stepping on air. Even while running, she appeared more beautiful.
Ming Yu Han's eyes turned sharp. He gritted his teeth and quickly reached into his storage bag, pulling out a small jade vial.
Without hesitation, he removed the cork and tossed the pill inside directly into his mouth.
It was a Medium Yellow Tier Agility Enhancement Pill, a rare elixir that temporarily increased a cultivator's movement speed and lightness of body by stimulating Wind-element Qi within the meridians. This particular pill was crafted by none other than the Willow Leaf Sect.
Ironically, he was using something made by the Willow Leaf Sect to compete against the Willow Leaf Sect's core movement technique.
Although his speed didn't quite match Zhao Yu Xuan's, he wasn't left too far behind.
The others, seeing this, quickly followed suit—each reaching into their own storage bags and taking out Wind Stride Pills, consuming them without delay.
They were getting closer and closer to the Twilight Harmony Fruit when—
"Sssss..."
A chilling hiss echoed through the chamber.
Suddenly, a snake—its body appearing to be forged entirely from light—emerged from seemingly nowhere in the glowing air above the cave. It was as if the creature had bent the light itself to conceal its form..
The snake was three to four meters long, its body tall and serpentine. Each of its scales was crystalline and prism-like, catching and bending light into dazzling patterns. Under natural sunlight or the glow of spirit lamps, its body shimmered like liquid glass, casting rainbow halos or vanishing entirely into its surroundings. Its eyes were silver with narrow vertical pupils—eyes capable of piercing through illusions and detecting weak spiritual formations.
This creature possessed a powerful innate ability—Refraction Camouflage.
By bending and scattering light around its body, it could render itself nearly invisible while still. Only cultivators with sharp vision or specialized sensory techniques could detect the faint flicker of its presence.
"Ssssss!"
It hissed again and, with a sudden burst of motion, lashed its tail toward the nearest person—Zhao Yu Xuan.
She broke out in cold sweat. If that blow landed, she would suffer serious injuries—possibly worse.
Though her cultivation was in the middle of the Innate Realm, the same as the Light Refracting Snake, her physical body lacked the monstrous durability of a beast.
Without hesitation, she channeled Qi into her legs and activated Willow Steps Dancing Through Wind—and with a hair's breadth to spare, she evaded the strike.
The 'Willow Steps Dancing Through Wind' also granted its user heightened reflexes, allowing them to react to danger with near-instinctive speed.
Boom!
The snake's tail slammed into the ground where Zhao Yu Xuan had just been, sending up a cloud of dust and fractured stone.
"Ssssssa!"
The Light Refracting Snake let out a furious hiss, enraged that its ambush had failed. Its silver eyes glinted with murderous intent as it whipped its tail around again—this time, targeting Ming Yu Han.
His scalp went numb, and his pupils shrank in alarm.
Although he had taken an Agility Enhancement Pill crafted by the Willow Leaf Sect, it could only increase his movement speed—not his reflexes.
He instinctively reached for his weapon, drawing a Medium-grade Yellow Tier spiritual sword from his waist in one fluid motion.
But there was no time to activate any sword technique.
He could only brace himself and try to defend.