Chen Fan and Bai Mulan delved deeper into the uncharted cave. Their initial plan was to descend immediately and head straight for the other door. However, they decided to find a way out of this place first. Chen Fan had absolute confidence in his strength, and their enemies had clearly never expected him to be capable of contending with a Nascent Soul cultivator. With careful planning, he was certain he could eliminate them all.
"As expected, I can't contact them," Bai Mulan said, glancing at Chen Fan after checking her phone. "Maybe they aren't inside the realm right now." Though her words carried hope, uncertainty still lingered in her voice.
"With the number of enemies scattered here, that possibility is slim," Chen Fan replied, his thoughts mirroring Bai Mulan's own. However, unlike him, she disliked dwelling on the worst-case scenario. The only reason she was still safe was because of the anomaly that was Chen Fan. There was no way the others could stand against the enemy when even she—the Saintess—had been reduced to mere bait. Even though they had successfully slain a Nascent Soul cultivator before, it had only been due to the element of surprise. They didn't have the luxury of moving without extreme caution.
"This is the last cave," Chen Fan murmured, his gaze fixed on the final unexplored area. Every other cave had led to a dead end. Walking slightly ahead, he cautiously approached the looming darkness. His concealing talisman had only ten minutes of effectiveness left, which meant he had to be ready to unleash his full power at any moment should an enemy appear. If he extended his spiritual sense, he was confident he could mask it from a Golden Core cultivator, but against a Nascent Soul, there was always a chance he'd be discovered immediately.
Noticing the flicker of an approaching light, Chen Fan wasted no time activating the concealing talisman. Bai Mulan instinctively halted, no longer looking in his direction—they were already accustomed to this routine. Chen Fan scanned the surroundings carefully. Seeing no immediate threats, he swiftly deactivated the talisman and signaled to Bai Mulan that it was safe to proceed.
As they stepped forward, an eerie landscape unfolded before them—a dense forest of withered, leafless trees with darkened bark, their twisted limbs stretching under a crimson sky. Looking around, they found themselves completely surrounded by the same unsettling scenery, the oppressive silence making the atmosphere even more foreboding.
Chen Fan scanned the area, searching for any clues, when he discovered a footprint in one direction—likely a trace left by an enemy from earlier. Perhaps the enemies, having completely viewed them as prey, hadn't bothered to erase their tracks or act cautiously. Naturally, if they chose to follow this path, there was a possibility they might encounter the enemy's main base. Moreover, the chance that the enemy could communicate with each other was not zero, meaning that taking this route could lead them straight into the enemy. However, if they wanted to rescue the other sect members, this option appeared to be their best choice.
"Let's walk this path," Chen Fan said, looking toward Bai Mulan and seeking her opinion.
"All right," Bai Mulan replied without hesitation. She knew that Chen Fan would never do something unless he was confident in it.
Soon, they began to head in that direction with caution. Maintaining silence along the way, they were fully aware that now was not the time to let their guard down. After a while, they heard a faint footstep. Immediately, they hid behind one of the trees, concealing their presence. As the sound of the footsteps grew louder, Chen Fan estimated that there were around four to five people running in their direction. Without hesitation, he activated his concealing talisman and prepared to launch a surprise attack. Peeking out from behind the tree, he saw a scarred man running toward them, with four figures in dark robes chasing him.
Chen Fan quickly assessed the situation and timed his attack perfectly. Not long after, the injured man passed by, immediately followed by the other four men. They promptly noticed Bai Mulan and Chen Fan's presence, which caught them off guard. Just as they were about to halt, Chen Fan unleashed a slash powered by annihilation qi, instantly slicing their bodies to pieces. Their eyes remained wide open in shock at their sudden demise—they clearly hadn't expected to be killed so swiftly. The injured man looked on with widened eyes.
"It's you," Jiang Haoran exclaimed, staring at Chen Fan with a slightly unbelieving expression. He hadn't expected that an enemy, who had driven him to desperation, could be dispatched as easily as if he were killing a chicken.
Chen Fan observed as Jiang Haoran's expression shifted from shock to bitterness. "Do you have a healing pill?" he asked.
Jiang Haoran immediately steadied his mind—now was not the time for sentimentality. "Yes," he replied promptly, taking a healing pill from his phone and swallowing it. Within seconds, his injuries began to mend.
"Are there any pursuers besides them?" Chen Fan inquired as he searched for any belongings left behind. He noticed Bai Mulan had reverted to her characteristic icy demeanor and couldn't help but chuckle softly, an action that caused her neck to redden slightly. It was as if her body unconsciously reacted this way whenever others were present.
Observing how skillfully Chen Fan examined the corpses, Jiang Haoran regarded him with a strange look. "No, they are the only ones."
"Do you know any other peoples or have any information about this place?" Chen Fan asked, glancing at his spoils with a faint smile.
"I'm alone from the start, but up ahead is the enemy's main base. It'll take about an hour to get there," Jiang Haoran said, looking back toward the path Chen Fan and Bai Mulan had come from. "I don't recommend moving forward—it's too dangerous. It'd be safer to hide and avoid them."
Chen Fan studied Jiang Haoran. Naturally, he didn't expect him to join them—prioritizing one's own safety was understandable. "I don't like being on the passive end. If we choose to hide, who knows how long it'll take us to escape this place?"
Jiang Haoran felt a wave of embarrassment. Compared to the man before him, he truly had nothing worth mentioning. Yet, the recent ordeal still weighed heavily on his mind.
He was afraid.
Standing at the edge of death had forced him to face himself.
He was nothing more than a coward.
A flower nurtured in a greenhouse—without the sect's protection, he was just someone with decent talent. Even knowing this, he still couldn't summon the courage to step into a broader world.
"Then this is where we part ways. If you follow this path, you'll reach a cave—it should be safe there," Chen Fan said, making no effort to persuade Jiang Haoran to come along.
Jiang Haoran hesitated, his expression conflicted, but after a moment, he retrieved a few items from his phone.
"I have plenty of concealing talismans. As for teleportation talismans, they don't work in this place." He handed over four concealing talismans. "Thanks for saving me earlier. This is the only useful thing I have to offer right now."
Chen Fan's eyes lit up slightly—concealing talismans were exactly what he needed at this moment. Without hesitation, he accepted them. "Thanks."
Jiang Haoran gave a small nod, and before long, they went their separate ways.
Chen Fan and Bai Mulan continued forward with caution. Along the way, they encountered several Golden Core cultivators, but as always, Chen Fan eliminated them effortlessly, looting their belongings before pressing on.
Finally, they arrived at the enemy's main base.
Standing before an eerie-looking shrine, Chen Fan observed several black-robed figures stationed as guards. The entire area was surrounded by an open field, leaving little cover for concealment. While the concealing talisman could mask their qi presence, it wouldn't be of much use if the enemy could spot them with their eyes.
Chen Fan furrowed his brows, his mind racing as he tried to formulate a plan. Bai Mulan was also deep in thought, considering various strategies—assassination, diversion, or even disguising themselves as the enemy. However, each approach carried significant risks. They had too little information about the number of enemies inside. If there were multiple Nascent Soul cultivators, even Chen Fan would find it difficult to handle.
Fortunately, in a worst-case scenario, they could use the red teleportation token to return to the previous door, giving them some margin for error. For now, they decided to observe the situation.
At that moment, they spotted a black-robed cultivator carrying an injured cultivator with broken arms and legs. The wounded man weakly struggled on his shoulder as the black-robed figure entered the shrine without issue. Shortly after, another black-robed cultivator arrived, blood dripping from his mouth. In his right hand, he clutched a still-beating heart, his hand completely soaked in blood.
Chen Fan's eyes narrowed at the gruesome sight. As he watched the man enter the shrine unimpeded, a thought struck him—earlier, he had seen a faintly breathing cultivator enter without triggering any sort of reaction. This meant there was a high chance they could slip inside unnoticed if they played their roles correctly.
However, considering that the enemies were all at the Golden Core or Nascent Soul stage, any Foundation Building cultivator would likely be noticed immediately. Their best bet now was to find a way to get inside without drawing attention.
"It seems the best approach is to let ourselves be captured," Chen Fan said, turning to Bai Mulan for her thoughts.
"But what if they decide to eat us the moment we're caught?" Bai Mulan countered, voicing the same concern lingering in Chen Fan's mind. They both knew some enemies preferred immediate consumption over taking captives.
"Since we're right at their base, the chances of them taking us inside first are higher," Chen Fan reasoned. His words made sense, and Bai Mulan found herself reluctantly agreeing.
"Now, we need to figure out how to make it look natural," she added.
Chen Fan nodded. He had already thought of a plan. "Here's what we'll do," he said, before explaining the details to Bai Mulan.