At first, Han Xuan thought that the Chen Family had finally given up on harassing him.
But now it seemed more likely that they were simply too busy fighting over the mineral mine.
Yet… that didn't feel right.
The Chen Family had always been domineering.
They never tolerated losses, let alone humiliation.
A Ninth Stage of Qi Refining cultivator was a true cornerstone of any family. Losing one was tantamount to carving flesh from their own body. How could they possibly swallow such a loss without retaliation?
However, a full month had passed.
During that time, Han Xuan received no response from the Chen Family, not even a probing move from Chen Wuye.
This silence made him uneasy.
For a moment, he even doubted his own conclusion.
Could it be that the middle-aged man who ambushed him and his son wasn't from the Chen Family after all?
But that thought was quickly dismissed.
The Thunder Severing Finger was unmistakable.
It was the Chen Family's signature spell.
There was no mistaking it.
'…Are they truly so entangled in the struggle over that mine that they have no time to deal with me?' Han Xuan thought.
Although being temporarily free from trouble should have been a good thing, Han Xuan instead felt increasingly uneasy.
Suddenly, Han Xuan lowered his gaze and looked at Baobao.
Almost instantly, Baobao, who is motionless, suddenly became alert as it noticed a strange gaze from Han Xuan. Its round body stiffened, its eyes narrowing slightly as it let out a low croak.
"Do you still remember Chen Wuye?" Han Xuan asked.
Baobao paused, then nodded.
As a spirit beast that always stayed by its master's side, it clearly remembered that annoying human who always made its master unhappy.
"Can you track him and see what he's been doing?" Han Xuan asked.
Baobao immediately croaked in dissatisfaction.
It puffed up slightly, as if to protest that it wasn't a dog. Tracking wasn't its specialty.
Han Xuan rolled his eyes. He reached out, lightly tapping Baobao's head with the small twig clenched between his fingers, "You don't need to sniff him out like a dog. Just track his spiritual energy."
He continued calmly, "You've done it before. Back in the Hundred Beasts Mountain, didn't you follow that demon beast purely by its spiritual energy? Do the same thing."
Baobao froze.
Memories surfaced.
After a brief moment of hesitation, it slowly nodded.
"Good." Han Xuan's expression turned serious, "Once you find Chen Wuye, don't act. Don't steal. Don't get close. Just hide and observe. After that, come back and tell me everything you see. Understand?"
Baobao straightened and patted its chest confidently.
In the next instant, its figure blurred and then vanished silently into the void.
Han Xuan stared at the empty space for a long moment before letting out a soft sigh.
He wasn't worried about Baobao's safety.
With its innate ability to hide within the void, unless it encountered cultivators proficient in space-attribute techniques, discovering it would be nearly impossible.
What truly concerned him was something else.
It was Baobao's habit!
Whenever it discovered precious treasures, it had an almost instinctive urge to swallow them.
Han Xuan rubbed his temple. He muttered, "Hopefully, it won't get carried away and reveal itself just because it finds something shiny..."
✽ ✽ ✽
Skyfall Mountain loomed beneath the dim sky, its jagged ridges like scars left behind by the heavens themselves.
Inside a concealed cave halfway up the mountain, two figures stood amidst flickering torchlight.
One was Chen Wuye.
The other was an elderly man with sharp eyes and a calm, oppressive presence. He was his Fifth Uncle, Chen Mingyuan.
The cave entrance was hidden behind layers of concealment formations, completely sealing off spiritual fluctuations from the outside world.
Chen Wuye broke the silence first, his expression gloomy, "Fifth Uncle, has the Lu Family made up their mind yet?"
Chen Mingyuan nodded slowly, "They agreed, but not completely."
Chen Wuye sneered. "As expected, those two-faced bastards!"
"They are willing to betray the Meng Family," Chen Mingyuan continued, "But only after confirming the mine's value and exact location. So far, all they know is that it's a rare ore and that it lies somewhere within Skyfall Mountain."
Chen Wuye's brows knitted tightly, Is there really a rare mine in this place?"
He swept his gaze across the rocky cave walls.
Skyfall Mountain was infamous throughout Blueleaf County—a barren mountain with thin spiritual energy, its spiritual veins long destroyed. Even casual cultivators avoided it unless they had no other choice.
"Wuye, do not underestimate this mountain," Chen Mingyuan let out a soft sigh. He paused, then spoke in a lower voice, "According to old records, Skyfall Mountain was once home to a Rank Two spiritual vein."
"A Rank Two spiritual vein?" Chen Wuye's eyes widened slightly.
"Yes," Chen Mingyuan nodded, "Long ago, a massive meteor fell from the heavens and struck this mountain. The impact nearly shattered it in a single night. Though the mountain itself remained standing, the spiritual vein was completely destroyed. That event turned Skyfall Mountain into what it is today."
"No wonder…" Chen Wuye nodded in realization.
After a moment of silence, his expression suddenly darkened. He said coldly, "Fifth Uncle, in the past month, our people have clashed with the Meng Family again and again here over that damn fake mine they deliberately exposed. We bled for it and still found nothing."
Chen Mingyuan remained calm. He said evenly, "The Meng Family has always excelled in formations and illusions. It is highly likely that the mine is concealed beneath an extraordinary illusion array."
Chen Wuye took a deep breath, suppressing his frustration. However, his expression suddenly turned curious as he looked at his uncle's calm face.
"Fifth Uncle, you returned to the family yesterday. Could it be that the family has a solution?"
Chen Mingyuan smiled and then slowly took out a palm-sized orb.
The orb was translucent gray, its surface rippling like water. Strange runes drifted within it, constantly rearranging themselves.
"This is the Illusion Breaking Orb," Chen Mingyuan said, "We acquired it at the cost of a fortune. In short, any illusion beneath the Foundation Establishment level will be forcibly revealed in its presence."
Chen Wuye lit up his eyes, "In that case, we can counter the Meng Family!"
He looked toward the depths of Skyfall Mountain. He sneered coldly, "No matter how well the Meng Family hides it, this time… I want to see where that mine is really buried."
Chen Mingyuan's words echoed faintly within the cave.
"Alright, let's go. The time has come."
He turned and strode deeper into Skyfall Mountain alongside Chen Wuye, their figures soon swallowed by layers of concealment formations.
Unbeknownst to them, far above the cave, hidden within a sliver of distorted space, Baobao had already arrived.
It had taken hours for it to reach here.
Unlike hounds or tracking beasts, Baobao did not rely on scent. As a True Spirit, it perceived the world differently. In its eyes, spiritual energy was not invisible—it flowed like rivers of light.
Every living being carried a unique hue. Some were dull and muddy. Some were sharp and bright. Some flickered with instability.
Chen Wuye's spiritual energy was one Baobao remembered clearly. It was sharp, restless, crackling faintly with thunder-aspected fluctuations.
Baobao hovered silently, following the thin thread of that familiar energy across valleys and ravines, through broken ridges and barren slopes, until it finally reached Skyfall Mountain.
Soon, Baobao spotted him.
Chen Wuye was walking alongside an unfamiliar elderly man.
That man's aura was calm and deep, like still water concealing a whirlpool beneath. In his hand was a glowing purple orb.
The moment Baobao saw it, its eyes lit up.
It was a treasure!
Baobao's instincts to steal and swallow it kick in.
Its small body unconsciously leaned forward, claws flexing as if ready to tear open space.
Then, it froze.
Its master's voice echoed clearly in its mind.
Don't act. Don't steal. Don't get close. Observe, then come back.
Baobao trembled.
For a brief moment, its gaze flickered between the purple orb and the two Chen Family cultivators.
After a painful second of hesitation, Baobao reluctantly pulled itself back into the void. Its cheeks puffed slightly in grievance, as if deeply wronged by the world.
Still, it did not forget why it came.
Without making a sound, Baobao turned and vanished, slipping through space like a bubble popping in water.