The four of them finally managed to walk out from the mountainous pile of bat corpses, but they were all in a wretched state, their bodies covered with dark-colored blood that reeked of an unbearable stench.

  They were all from the Qingyun Gate, and they had always been clean. Especially Xiao Zhufengs 6th Snow Chi, who was even more pure and innocent. The current situation was truly more painful than being stabbed three times.

  The four of them hastily walked away from the distance, and at this moment they just wanted to get as far away from that pile of disgusting bat corpses as possible. After walking for a long time, they came to a relatively flat rock, where the four of them patted their clothes and tidied up for a while, but only managed to brush off some miscellaneous objects. However, those bat blood stains and foul smells were something that no matter how hard they tried, they couldnt get rid of.

  Zhang Xiaofan and the other two men were slightly better off, but Liu Xueqis normally icy face was now even more frosty, as she vigorously brushed and scrubbed at her clothes, determined to get rid of these disgusting things on her body.

  These bloodstains seemed particularly thick, and soon, Qi Huan, Zeng Shu Shu, and Zhang Xiao Fan all gave up their efforts, leaving only 6 Xue Qi still pale-faced and refusing to give up. The three men looked at each other in dismay, even the usually composed Qi Huan now looked somewhat embarrassed, unsure of what to say.

  Just as the four of them were silent, with only Xue Qi frowning and rubbing her clothes, several whistling sounds suddenly came from the sky. Everyone looked up to see four flashes of light appearing on the horizon, two yellow, one white, and one green. After a moment, these four flashes of light landed in front of them, and after a flicker, four figures appeared.

  On the left were two monks, one slightly later than the other, tall and strong, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, a face full of flesh, not angry but majestic. If he wasnt wearing monks robes, people might have thought he was a bandit who blocked the road to rob. But standing in front of him was another monk, a young monk who was a head shorter than him, completely different from him, with fair skin and bright eyes, wearing a white monks robe, looking somewhat weak, but without any disdain.

  The two people on the right side, a young man and woman, the man handsome, the woman elegant, standing together extremely matching, just like the golden boy and jade girl in front of the gods seats.

  The four of them looked at the four people from Qingyun Gate and saw the bloodstains on their bodies, all furrowing their brows. The young and fair monk was the first to chant a Buddhist mantra, saying: "Amitabha Buddha, may I ask if the four masters are from Qingyun Gate?"

  The four people in Qingyun looked at each other, and Qi Huan stepped forward, bowed, and said: "Indeed, I am Qi Huan. May I ask who you all are..."

  The young monk smiled slightly and said, "I am Tianyin Temples Faxiang, this is my junior brother Fashan. The two beside them are the outstanding disciples of Fengxiang Valley, Li Xun and Yan Hong."

  The tall and majestic Fashan asked with a loud and clear voice, but Li Xun and Yan Hong from Fengxiang Valley were both arrogant and only slightly nodded their heads, which was already considered as having exchanged greetings.

  Qī Hào furrowed his brow, and immediately ignored the two from Huǒ Xiāng Gǔ. He turned to Fǎ Xiàng and said: "Ah, Ive long admired the great name of Master Fǎ Xiàng of Tiān Yīn Temple, who has been praised by Zhèng Dào Xiū Zhēn as a talent rarely seen in a thousand years. Today, I finally get to meet you, and indeed your demeanor surpasses that of ordinary people!"

  Fa Xiang smiled slightly and said, "Qizhi Shixiong is really misjudging me. I am dull-witted and only fortunate to have Master Pu Hengs guidance, teaching me the true way, hoping that I can do some good deeds for all living beings under heaven. However, I dare not compare myself with the esteemed masters of Qingyun Gate."

  Qihao burst out laughing, waving his hand repeatedly, saying: "Master Fasheng is too modest, come, let me introduce my younger siblings to you." As he introduced Zhang Xiaofan and the others to them, Zhang Xiaofan followed suit in greeting them, but somehow, he felt that when Qihao was introducing him, Fashengs gaze seemed to brighten for a moment, taking an extra glance at him.

  At this time, Feng Xiang Lis face, who had been left aside since the conversation began, was not looking good. After Qi Huan finished introducing himself, he suddenly spoke coldly: "Qi Shixiong, your Qingyunmen has always claimed to be the leader of the righteous path, and the true method of Taoism is unparalleled in the world. How come today, one by one, you all look so wretched?"

  The four people of Qingyunmen changed their faces, and Zhang Xiaofan looked at him with a high-profile posture, which made him even more disgusted. The corner of his eye swept away, but saw that Xueqi had stopped wiping her clothes for some reason, her jade face was frosty, coldly looking at the two people from Fengxiang Valley, but more so she was staring at the beautiful woman named Yanhong.

  Zi Huan, after all, was more experienced in human relationships and worldly affairs. Although he had a slight anger in his heart, he quickly recovered and smiled, saying: "To be honest with you all, I came here with three fellow disciples last night to search for the Wan Bat Cave, but unexpectedly encountered countless bats..."

  The four Dharmas heard this, their faces changed. The tall and majestic Fa Shan widened his eyes and said in a rough voice: "Hmph, thats the countless beasts in the Wan Bat Cave, ferocious and cruel, very difficult to deal with."

  Zi Hao and others were quick-witted, and as soon as they heard this, they knew that the four people in front of them had probably arrived a few days ago and had also encountered these troublesome guys. His mind was racing, but suddenly he heard a long laugh behind him, and Zeng Shu walked up to him, smiling at Fa Shan: "Fa Shan, it seems that you have also met these blood-sucking bats?"

  Fa Shang nodded and said, "Yes, there were too many bats, so we had to retreat."

  Zeng Shu let out a sigh and said, "To be honest with you all, we also encountered those bats last night. We wanted to get rid of them for the peoples sake, but no matter how hard we tried from dawn till dusk, we just couldnt kill them off. In the end, we could only drive these fierce creatures back into their caves, but ended up getting ourselves dirty in the process. Alas, shameful, shameful!"

  He turned his head to look at Qi Hua, and the two of them looked at each other and smiled, saying in unison: "Ashamed! Ashamed!"

  Everyones face changed, but Li Xuan from Fengxiang Valley hummed and had a look of disdain on his face. The beautiful woman Yan Hong seemed a bit shy, but her face also clearly showed a disbelieving expression. Fah Sheng from Tianyin Temple smiled silently, while Fah Shans face showed admiration. Zhang Xiaofan was stunned for a moment, looking at the two people who were smiling brightly.

  After a moment, Fa Xiang smiled and said: "This time the Empty Mulberry Mountain affair, our three factions elders originally wanted us young generation to gain some experience. Now that everyone has arrived, but the Qingyun Gate brothers have come from afar and are tired, why dont we rest for a day first? Tomorrow morning, we can enter the Wan Bat Cave to explore."

  Li Xuan, who was standing beside him, snorted and said, "Brother Fa Xiang is right. Otherwise, once we go in, someone will find excuses again."

  Apart from Zhang Xiaofan, Qi Huan and Zeng Shushu, who came from the prestigious Qingyun sect, and 6 Xueqi, which one did not receive the favor of their masters in their respective lineages? Which one didnt have some arrogance in their bones? At this moment, Qi Huan let out a cold snort and said: "Elder brother Li Sulan is right. Otherwise, with my current exhausted body, I would still need to rescue you later, that would be helpless!"

  Li Xuan obviously didnt expect that the people under Qingyun Gate would also be so arrogant. He came from Fengxiang Valley and had been valued by his superiors since he was a child, practicing the true way of Taoism. Among his peers, except for a few people, no one was not far superior to other ordinary fellow disciples. As a result, he developed an overbearing personality that looked down on everything. How could he tolerate this tone? His face changed in an instant, staring at Qi Huan: "So it seems that Brother Qis cultivation is far superior to mine. Id like to ask for your guidance."

  Its a matter of the sects face, Qi Hua straightened his body and was about to leave when he suddenly saw Xue Qi walking out from behind him. She stood elegantly in the arena and said coldly: "No need for Brother Qi to make a big show, Ill take on the challenge of Huo Xiang Gus divine method."

  Li Xun was suddenly stunned, and saw that although Xue Qis body was covered in blood, her jade-like face was even more radiant and white as snow. Her expression was cold, but amidst the chilliness, there was a hint of elegance and refinement that seemed to transcend the mundane world. He had never seen such an extraordinary beauty before, and for a moment, he was stunned into silence.

  At the same time, Tianyin Temples Fa Xiang walked out with a smile and said: "Fellow masters, we came here to investigate the remnants of the Demon Sect. Before we left, our seniors must have taught us that if they find out were using our powers for personal gain, well be punished when we return. Besides, its just a small matter, so lets all take a step back and yield."

  Li Kun came back to his senses, hummed a sound, and looked up at the sky. Although he didnt say anything, his meaning was quite clear. Qi Huan thought of Dao Xuans words before they parted ways, and felt some regret in his heart. Taking advantage of the opportunity to step down, he called out from behind: "Sixth Sister, Fa Xiang said something reasonable, lets prioritize harmony after all."

  Xue Qi glanced at the crowd, snorted, and walked back. Seeing Zhang Xiao Fan looking at her, she swept a glance over his face before walking away alone to one side.

  Zhang Xiaofan was given a glance by her, and suddenly felt a chill in his heart, with an indescribable feeling rising to the surface.

  Fa Xiang and others said: "Since thats the case, lets go down the mountain first and come back up at dawn tomorrow to investigate."

  At this time, everyone had no objection, so Fa Xiang led the way, and the crowd followed him to ride a sword and come to a small hill thirty miles away from Kong Sang Mountain. There was actually a bay of clear spring water here, which was exactly what the people of Qingyunmen needed. At that time, the crowd washed their hair by the water, changed their clothes in a quiet place, and then came out to meet Fa Xiang and others.

  Xue Qi was a woman, not very convenient, and the place to change clothes was also the farthest, so she was the last one to come out. Everyone looked over and saw that after washing up, she looked refreshed and radiant, and in her original clear beauty, she had added a few more touches of charm. Suddenly, everyones eyes lit up, not to mention Zeng Shu Shu and Li Xun, even Yan Hong, who had been silent all along, also took several glances at her.

  These eight most "excellent" disciples of the three major sects of the Orthodox School sat in a circle, discussing and talking. Zhang Xiaofan only learned from Fashengs mouth that the bats in the "Wan Bat Ancient Cave" on Kong Sang Mountain were actually a strange species raised by the Demon Sect back then. They were ferocious, cruel, and bloodthirsty, originally serving as accomplices to the Demon Sect. After the Demon Sect was destroyed 800 years ago, a small number of bats remained, and over time, they multiplied and thrived, eventually growing to their current massive scale. Every time they went out to hunt, they left the surrounding area within a radius of 500 miles completely devoid of human life.

  However, these bats seem to be afraid of sunlight, so they are only active at night and rest in the Wan Bat Cave during the day. The people from Qingyun Gate happened to encounter them last night, if they had gone up the mountain during the day, nothing would have happened.

  Upon hearing this, Zeng Shu said: "Dharma Master brother, since those beasts are all inside the Wan E Cave, how can we go in to investigate?"

  Fa Xiang hesitated for a moment, then said: "According to my observations over the past few days, these beasts only hang upside down from the top of the ancient cave during the day and do not move. We might be able to go in, but its not certain."

  Zeng Shus face turned pale, but Zhang Xiaofan couldnt help but say: "That is to say, Master Fa Xiang, you also dont have any confidence, who knows those guys might see us entering the cave and rush over, what can we do then?"

  In his eyes, there seemed to be a faint glimmer of light, but his expression remained gentle. "Thats right," he said. "To be honest, I dont have 100% confidence either, but since the master has ordered it, we must do it. Why not try our luck? If it doesnt work out, we can always withdraw. Today, I and my fellow monk Fa Shang were planning to sneak in with two donors from Huixiang Valley to gather some information. We didnt expect to run into all of you, but this is also good - more people means more support!"

  "Hmm", but Li Xun, who was standing aside, let out a cold hum, and the four people from Qingyunmen turned to look at him simultaneously. Li Xun didnt show any fear, but his expression changed slightly when he saw Xue Qis gaze turn towards him.

  Zi Hao didnt bother with him and turned his head to Fa Xiang, saying: "Theres still one more thing, Id like to ask for your advice, Brother Fa Xiang."

  "Please speak, Brother Qi," said Fa Xiang Dao.

  Zi Hao said: "Three months ago, I was a disciple of Qingyunmens Long Gate. My senior fellow apprentice, Xiao Yicai, had arrived here ahead of me. Does anyone know where he is now?"

  Fa Xiang shook his head and said, "We came here with the two from Fengxiang Valley, but we havent seen Xiao Shixiong before."

  Zi Hao furrowed his brow and fell silent.

  ※※※

  The next day, at dawn, Zhang Xiaofan and the other eight people arrived on Kong Sang Mountain. The whole mountain was desolate, with sand and rocks covering the ground. On this vast mountain, not even a single birds chirping sound could be heard. It seemed that either they had made those fierce bats their breakfast earlier or they had already migrated out of this mountain peak.

  The crowd had been searching for the location of the Wan Bat Cave for several days, and finally found it. Everyone followed closely, being extremely careful along the way, until they arrived at the entrance to the cave.

  Here is a huge semi-cave, located in the shade of the mountain and facing the sun, slightly inclined downwards. There was only a little light at the entrance to the cave, and further inside it was pitch black. Standing five or six zhang away from the entrance, everyone felt the cold wind blowing out of the cave, brushing against their faces, chilling them to the bone. At the same time, there were faint rustling sounds coming from within, like whispers, like ghostly wails, making peoples scalps tingle.

  Zi Hao took another look at the cave and turned back with a forced smile, saying: "In that case, lets go in."

  Everyone fell silent, and Fa Xiang nodded: "Thats right, but the inside of this cave is full of unpredictable dangers. Everyone should prepare their magical instruments to be on the safe side."

  It was a matter of life and death, so no one dared to slack off. Everyone took out their magic weapons, but when Li Xuan, Yan Hong, and the two monks from Tianyin Temple saw Zhang Xiaofan take out a black fire poker, they were all stunned and looked at each other in dismay. Zhang Xiaofans face turned red with embarrassment, but fortunately, just then, Xue Qi spoke up coldly under her Tianque blue light: "Lets go." She was the first to head towards the dark cave entrance, and everyone else followed quickly, thus resolving the awkward situation.

  Just as the fast-paced cave entrance, that gust of cold wind was getting colder and colder, Fa Xiang seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally approaching Zhang Xiaofan. Zhang Xiaofan felt it, smiled at him, and Fa Xiang responded with a smile, saying in a low voice: "Zhang Shidi, the danger ahead, you can follow behind me."

  Zhang Xiaofan was stunned, but saw Fa Xiang had already walked into the darkness. For a moment, he didnt have time to think much and seeing everyone else enter the cave, he hastily followed them in.

  Just as they stepped into the cave, Zhang Xiaofan felt his feet sink into something soft and smelly. He was shocked but fortunately only sank up to his ankles before stopping. The others were also in the dark, but their magical artifacts and treasures lit up, casting a warm glow. When Zhang Xiaofan looked down, his face turned sour - he had stepped on a thick layer of bat dung. The smell was unbearable, and his feet were stuck in it. He glanced at the others and saw that they all had similar expressions, especially the two women, Xueqi and Yanhong from Fengxiang Valley, who had their brows furrowed and looked pale.

  Zhang Xiaofan shook his head, barely calming down. After everyone got familiar with the environment, they continued to move forward. At this time, the rustling sound that was like a demons whisper also grew louder, as if it came from afar, yet seemed to be right beside them, all around, everywhere.

  They walked another 30 or 40 feet when Qi Huan, who was in the lead, suddenly said in a low voice, "Slow!"

  Everyone immediately stopped, and only saw that Qi Huas icy sword slowly rose, its light gradually brightening, illuminating the cave in front of them. At this moment, everyone held their breath.

  This is a huge cave, the top of the cave is extremely high from the ground. Under the shining of the white light of the Ice Fairy Sword, everyone suddenly saw that at the top of the mountain cave, there were countless black bats hanging upside down densely, almost unable to see the rocks in the cave. And that "rustling" sound was born from the friction and low hum of these beasts.

  In the darkness, the bats illuminated by the white light seemed to feel uneasy and moved one by one, but did not fly away. Instead, they climbed on the rocks with their claws towards the dark place, some even grasped onto each others bodies. Those terrifying fangs and huge mouths in the darkness were startling.

  Everyone held their breath, paused for a moment, and everyone felt that although the light here was particularly eye-catching in the darkness, these bats seemed to be really quiet and would not attack. Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and Fa Xiang said in a low voice: "Fortunately, the little monks judgment is correct, lets continue on our way."

  The crowd turned their heads and continued to walk deeper into the terrifying ancient cave, towards the end of the even darker darkness. As they walked, the bat dung under their feet grew thicker, and under the shining white light of the Ice Fairy Sword, the bats on the top of the cave seemed endless, more and more, with sharp teeth and low hums, all around them whizzing by. If it werent for the fact that these eight people were all practitioners of the Orthodox Daoist method, with firm hearts and minds, ordinary people would have gone mad.

  Like this, he didnt know how long he had walked, Zhang Xiaofan was walking in the middle of the team, while Fa Xiang was also always walking in front of him. Looking at the young monk in front of him with a few stains on his white monks robe, Zhang Xiaofan suddenly thought of Pu Zhi.

  Is the person in the depths of memory from the same place as this monk in front of me?

  Suddenly, a faint cry came from ahead: "Ah!"

  Zhang Xiaofan hadnt come back to his senses yet and only felt that the soles of his feet were a bit strange, as if one foot had stepped on solid ground.