"Heh, didn't expect this, did you? My Treasure Jade has five distinct abilities. I've been keeping this one hidden, just waiting for you to walk into my trap."

Zhang Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead and dragged himself up from the corner, though his legs trembled violently as he stood.

At the moment the jade barrier had shattered, the stark terror of impending death had shaken him to his core, leaving him with a lingering dread.

Even now, with Yang Linghu severely wounded and collapsed on the ground, Zhang Chen did not dare draw too close. He halted his advance three zhang away.

Wary of any further complications, Zhang Chen circulated his cultivation and condensed a ball of flame, intending to end Yang Linghu's life once and for all.

"Wait!"

Yang Linghu suddenly spoke. "If I transcribe a copy of my family's cultivation method for you, will you spare my life?"

The Yang family's cultivation method!

Hearing those words, Zhang Chen's heart stirred, and he stayed his hand.

"The Yang family's cultivation method... Even Zhang Tianqi praised it as an extraordinary treasure."

He kept his eyes locked on Yang Linghu, remaining alert to any sudden movements while he calculated rapidly in his mind.

Reclaiming the mine would certainly restore his family's face, but compared to the value of the Yang family's cultivation method, it was practically worthless.

If he could bring that scripture back, it would be a monumental achievement.

"Hmph. When that time comes, the question of who is superior between me and Zhang Yao will finally be settled!"

With that thought, he extinguished his flame.

"Very well. If you hand over the cultivation method, sparing your life is not out of the question."

Knowing Yang Linghu could not escape, Zhang Chen casually took out the letter paper and brush he carried with him and tossed them over.

As for reinforcements-ha! The distance from here to the Yang family estate would take even a mid-stage Qi Gathering cultivator four hours of hard running.

Could a tiny Yang family, established for a mere two or three years, truly possess some secret treasure that allowed them to discern events thousands of li away?

Watching Yang Linghu struggle to crawl forward and pick up the brush, a sneer flashed through Zhang Chen's eyes.

"Do you really think this young master is so easily fooled? Who knows if what you write is real or fake? Once you finish, I will knock you unconscious and drag you back to be imprisoned. If it proves false, I will extract the truth through slow torture!"

Under Zhang Chen's watchful gaze, Yang Linghu began to write down the cultivation text line by line.

Naturally, this was a heavily modified version of his own creation, completely distinct from the genuine Nether-Spirit Dao-Seeking Scripture.

He had previously sent a letter back home with the clan soldiers, and once Lingqing received it, she would surely make arrangements.

For now, his priority was to stall for as much time as possible. He had already resolved himself to a desperate final stand-if no rescue arrived, he would expend his last breath to drag Zhang Chen to the grave with him.

Time trickled away. A quarter of an hour later, Yang Linghu finished transcribing the first half of the manual and tossed the sheets to Zhang Chen.

"This is the first half. Look it over to see if there are any issues."

Zhang Chen caught the pages and began to scan them. After a few leaves, his gaze grew feverish, recognizing that the inherent quality of the manual was indeed extraordinary.

"To think the Yang family actually holds such a heritage. This might very well be of the Condensed Origin quality!"

At that realization, his impatience flared. He conjured two clusters of flame, waving them threateningly. "If you want to live, write faster! This young master's patience has its limits!"

Afraid of provoking a premature attack, Yang Linghu knew he could no longer drag his feet. He nodded and accelerated his brushstrokes.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and he completed the second half.

Unable to restrain his eagerness any longer, Zhang Chen did not even wait for the pages to be thrown; he stepped forward and snatched them from Yang Linghu's hands.

"Excellent! Brilliant! What a marvelous cultivation method!"

Zhang Chen was ecstatic. Imagining the astonished looks of his clansmen upon his return, a profound sense of smug satisfaction washed over him.

Seizing this exact moment of distraction, Yang Linghu quietly shifted forward a few inches, bringing the enemy within his striking range.

"Hmm, you have done well. This young master keeps his word; I shall grant you a path of life."

Even as the words left his mouth, Zhang Chen struck without warning, driving a palm toward the back of Yang Linghu's neck.

Yet Yang Linghu had remained vigilant. He flipped his body backward, evading the lethal palm strike while unleashing a full-powered punch fueled by his remaining strength.

Thud!

A dull impact echoed. Yang Linghu cursed inwardly at the wretched turtle shell before he was violently sent flying by Zhang Chen's counter-kick.

"Hmph! I knew an unbridled dog like you wouldn't submit so easily, always plotting to ambush this young master."

Zhang Chen sneered, "Did you truly believe the protective barrier of my Treasure Jade hadn't recovered? Let me tell you, I can deploy it twice more. Tell me, do you feel despair? Hahaha-"

Yang Linghu propped himself against a stone pillar and sat up. He was now utterly spent, unable to muster the strength to move a single finger.

"An ungrateful wretch who rejects mercy deserves to perish!"

Watching the consuming flames surge toward him, Yang Linghu let out a quiet sigh in his heart.

There was no resentment, only a faint sense of lingering regret.

Whoosh-

Right then, a sudden chill bit at Yang Linghu's ear as the howling of a fierce wind pierced the air.

His tightly strung nerves relaxed completely in that single instant, for he knew that death would not claim him today.

A violent gale erupted, instantly extinguishing the descending wall of flame.

"What!?"

Horrified, Zhang Chen hastily urged the Treasure Jade to manifest its protective barrier once more.

Yet in the blink of an eye, a sharp blade of wind born from the raging gale sliced through the air, piercing the barrier as effortlessly as tearing through damp paper.

Splat!

"Ah!!! My hand!!!"

His left arm was severed cleanly at the shoulder, causing Zhang Chen to let out a agonizing shriek.

To shatter his jade barrier so effortlessly required the strength of a mid-stage Qi Gathering cultivator at the very least. Consumed by unmitigated terror, he scrambled onto all fours, desperate to flee.

Unfortunately, the newcomer had no intention of leaving a witness. As a sudden chill bit into his spine, Zhang Chen's vision spun violently. The last thing he saw before his consciousness faded into eternal darkness was a familiar silhouette descending before him.

After decapitating Zhang Chen with a single strike, Yang Lingrui rushed to Yang Linghu's side. He carefully poured the newly harvested Spirit Liquid from the Four-Leaf Spirit-Holding Grass into his brother's mouth, then produced a healing pill and urged him to swallow it.

"Brother Hu, save your breath. Focus entirely on refining the Spirit Liquid and the medicinal essence!"

As he spoke, he pressed his palm to Yang Linghu's back, steadily transferring his own spiritual power to stabilize his brother's condition.

After a brief moment, Yang Linghu's color improved, and he managed to steady himself on his feet.

"You certainly moved fast. I was hoping you might leave him alive for questioning,"

Yang Linghu remarked, looking down at Zhang Chen's lifeless corpse.

Yang Lingrui cast a cold glance at the body. "Brother Hu, he reduced you to such a state. Letting him draw breath for even a single second longer would be an act of unmerited mercy."

"Haha, cough, cough..."

"Take it slow, Brother Hu."

Leaning heavily on Yang Lingrui's shoulder, Yang Linghu managed a wry smile. "Your arrival was impeccable. A moment later, and the clan would have been preparing a coffin for me."

"I only made it in time because of the timely warning from the Spirit Stone Immortal Venerable,"

Yang Lingrui explained. "I had just broken through my seclusion when I received the Immortal Venerable's divine sense transmission informing me that you were in mortal danger. I rushed here without a moment's delay."

"Did the letter I sent not reach the estate?"

"The clan soldiers escorting the laborers back apparently ran into a band of ruthless rogue cultivators on the road. The casualties were severe; only a small fraction survived to return."

Yang Linghu shook his head helplessly upon hearing this. He had intended to grant those people a chance at survival, yet they had still succumbed to calamity.

"We owe our deepest gratitude to the Immortal Venerable for his salvation this day."

Yang Linghu felt a profound surge of reverence in his heart. Had Chen Yang not alerted Yang Lingrui, no reinforcements would have arrived, and his bones would have bleached in this wilderness.

"Brother Hu, what is the situation at the mine? Are there any remaining pursuers?"

"The pursuers are dealt with, but there are still loose ends that require our attention."

After disposing of Zhang Chen's corpse, Yang Linghu sat in meditation for half an hour to fully assimilate the Spirit Liquid, recovering nearly half of his depleted spiritual power. Together, the two brothers retraced their steps back to the clearing where the initial clash with Liao Feng and Zhang Chen had occurred.

By now, dawn had broken, illuminating the stark trails of blood left upon the earth. Unsurprisingly, Liao Feng's body was missing, having been removed from the scene.

Following the residual aura and physical tracks left behind, the two moved cautiously through the terrain, eventually halting before the entrance of a secluded mountain cave.

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