In the stone forest ahead, a stout, middle-aged woman stood clutching a thick beast bone, muttering under her breath. Her face was sallow, her clothing a riot of mismatched colors, and her fat cheeks bunched up, revealing an unhappy scowl on her wide mouth.

"Don't move! Move again! If you move again!"

The woman slapped the incessantly trembling beast bone, grumbling, "Ever since I got that brat to contribute a bit of his blood, you’ve been acting up, haven't you? I'm your mistress, and you dare defy me!" As she cursed, she swung her hand down hard against the bone again and again.

Not far away, concealed behind a boulder, Ji Changkong watched the middle-aged woman with a complex expression, unable to decide whether to laugh or cry. The familiar voice reached him, and he instantly recognized her as Yu Ziling.

Before Zhongli Jingyi departed, he had mentioned that the Yu Ziling he saw might not be her true appearance. Now, having left the Ji family and witnessed more of the world, Ji Changkong strongly suspected that the Yu Ziling encountered at the Yunmeng Fuzhe must indeed be an assumed guise.

Up ahead, the corpulent woman continued to mutter curses while forcefully striking the beast bone in her hand. The familiar voice, the identical demeanor—especially that peculiar, almost spiritual connection emanating from the bone—confirmed it. Yu Ziling, her appearance entirely altered, gripped the bone tightly, sensing its violent struggle to break free of her control. This bone, which rightfully belonged to her, was becoming increasingly disobedient.

Whimper! Whimper!

The beast bone vibrated repeatedly in Yu Ziling's grasp, seemingly trying to fly towards Ji Changkong’s location.

"What 'from—'"

Yu Ziling suddenly shrieked with a coarse voice, her grip loosened, and the beast bone shot out, flying directly toward Ji Changkong behind the rocks.

However, the bone—now infused with Ji Changkong’s blood—did not attack him upon arrival. Instead, it circled him excitedly, much like the ten Black Ghost Worms he had nourished with his own blood.

"Useless things, all of you turning against your master!"

Yu Ziling stormed over in a rage. Without a word, she launched an attack toward Ji Changkong—a burst of fierce crimson flame coalescing into a large vermilion bird, sending waves of heat washing over him.

"Yu Ziling! I am Ji Changkong!"

As the phantom of the Sacred Beast Vermilion Bird loomed before him, Ji Changkong suddenly shouted out the name.

Yu Ziling froze, then hastily recalled the Vermilion Bird illusion. After staring at Ji Changkong in shock for a moment, she narrowed her eyes and smiled slyly, "Who helped you with your disguise? Quite skillful, too. I didn't think you'd actually go through to the Tianwu Kingdom. I’ve finally found you!"

"You were looking for me?"

"Of course! Look at what you’ve done?" Yu Ziling pointed at the beast bone still dancing excitedly around him. Angrily, she slammed her hand down, knocking the bone to the ground. She spat out with exasperation, "Ji Changkong, what is the deal with your blood? Why did this fellow become so agitated after soaking up a drop of it? This thing is getting more and more audacious; it even dares to disobey me!"

"You came looking for me because of this beast bone?" Ji Changkong asked, bewildered.

"Without its cooperation, the power of my spiritual treasure is severely diminished. It’s all your fault!" Yu Ziling huffed, grabbing the bone from the ground and tossing it into his hands. "You broke it, so you are responsible for fixing it for me."

Shhh! Shhh!

Just as his hand closed around the bone, he heard the faint sound of cautious footsteps approaching from his flank. Ji Changkong stiffened, extended his awareness, and suddenly realized that several cultivators he had previously sensed nearby were now converging on their location.

"Sister Ugly! Sister Ugly!" several cultivators called softly from a distance.

"All of you, come over here," Yu Ziling barked in her rough voice, a hint of arrogance coloring her tone.

A moment later, three rugged-looking men and one woman covered in pockmarks arrived. All four were cultivators at the Five Elements Heaven Realm. The three men wore grim expressions, while the woman, though unattractive, possessed a strangely seductive air; none of them looked like people one should trifle with.

"Big Sister Ugly, who is this?" the pockmarked woman asked with a smile, glancing at Ji Changkong, who still held the beast bone.

"My man,"

Yu Ziling replied casually, casting a sidelong glance at Ji Changkong before haughtily demanding, "Have you found any news of that brat yet? Humph, someone said he would certainly pass through here. We have quite a few people chasing him nearby; we need to hurry up."

Her man?

Ji Changkong stared, stunned. Looking at Yu Ziling disguised as the stout woman, and then considering his own current appearance, he nearly burst out laughing. A fat, ugly middle-aged woman, and a burly man with reddish-blue birthmarks across his face—it was certainly an amusing pairing.

"It's Big Brother Ugly!" the pockmarked woman simpered upon arriving.

"Sister Ugly, that brat hasn't shown up yet, but we can take care of another job first. We were a bit short-handed before, but now that Big Brother is here, what do you say?" suggested the man missing an ear, his tone gloomy.

Hearing this, Yu Ziling glanced at Ji Changkong, hesitating slightly. They seemed to have some sort of plan, but they lacked the necessary strength. Yu Ziling knew Ji Changkong’s base strength wasn't exceptional, leaving her uncertain.

"Let's go to Yangshuo Mountain!" After a moment of contemplation, Yu Ziling steeled her heart and suddenly made a decision.

Except for Ji Changkong's inexplicable presence, the other four immediately stood up, sharpening their senses, seemingly eager to charge toward Yangshuo right away.

The four, buzzing with excitement, cheered briefly before setting off toward Yangshuo Mountain, with Yu Ziling and Ji Changkong trailing behind.

"What are you playing at?" Ji Changkong lowered his voice once they had put some distance between themselves and the first four.

"Someone spread news about you. The Du family has offered a sky-high price for your life, and there are rumors you possess the spiritual treasures seized at the Spiritual Treasure Convention. Those who left the convention empty-handed and aren't too powerful are now seeing you as a plump target."

"Uh... I needed to see you. I've been hanging out with them, occasionally joining in on some robberies. There are quite a few idle cultivators roaming this path. Since I have nothing better to do, I've been messing around with them..." Yu Ziling also spoke in a low voice, explaining haltingly.

"You came to capture me too?" Ji Changkong asked, his expression strange. "When those people from Gang Zhou mentioned 'that brat,' they meant me?"

Yu Ziling chuckled and nodded. Seeing a hint of annoyance in his eyes, she quickly soothed him in a low voice, "Relax, why would I come to capture you? I was just using them to track down information about you. By the way, now that the bone is in your hands, do you feel anything special about it? I don't care; you have to help me tame it—it’s all because of your blood!"

"Stop changing the subject. What's this about Yangshuo Mountain?" Ji Changkong frowned, clearly displeased.

"Don't rush. You'll know when we get there. Heh heh, if you stick with us, no one will ever guess your identity. Just be a bit more careful—change your manner of speaking and your movements slightly. Ah, you're new to this kind of act, so you might not be good at it, but that's fine. Just talk less."

A faint life fluctuation drifted in from outside the stone forest. Some cautious cultivators were lying hidden beneath the earth outside, seemingly waiting silently for someone's arrival.

"Stop!" Ji Changkong suddenly frowned and spoke up.

"Big Brother Ugly, what's wrong?" the one-eared Five Elements cultivator ahead turned back questioningly.

The pockmarked woman giggled, smiling sweetly, "Big Brother Ugly, did you and Big Sister Ugly cook up some clever idea?"

"What is it?" Yu Ziling tugged at his sleeve, asking casually.

"There are several people hiding beneath the gray ground outside the stone forest. They seem to be waiting for you to pass by?" Ji Changkong looked at Yu Ziling and asked, "Have you offended anyone recently?"

"Isn't Big Brother Ugly being overly suspicious?" another cultivator, whose eyes were as small as soybeans, looked clearly doubtful and displeased. "Before the four of us came over, we carefully avoided those people. We came from this direction, and there was no activity before. Are you suggesting that we just led them here?"

"Big Brother Ugly, you must be mistaken. There was absolutely no abnormality here when we arrived. It’s only been a moment; there’s no way they could burrow into the earth that fast, right?" the gloomy, one-eared cultivator added, his voice low and irked.

"Oh, if you don't believe me, don't believe me. Just keep moving forward," Ji Changkong said, shrugging nonchalantly. "There are six people underground: one at the Six Harmonies Heaven Realm, three at the Five Elements Heaven Realm, and two at the Four Symbols Heaven Realm. Among the three Five Elements cultivators, one practices the Earth element, and two practice Metal and Stone energy. The two Four Symbols cultivators are in communication with the Sacred Beast Black Tortoise."

Hearing him speak with such conviction, the four looked doubtful, half-believing and half-skeptical.

It was Yu Ziling whose expression shifted slightly. She let out a coarse, 'charming' laugh. "Husband, you truly are still so formidable! To sense their movements from such a distance!" Yu Ziling’s 'fat face' suddenly turned serious, and she said in a deep voice, "There's no need to doubt; there are definitely people down there. Their target isn't you—it's me!"

"Which side are they from?" The pockmarked woman frowned, her expression flickering uncertainly.

"Forget which side! Do we fight? Are we a match for them?" the gloomy man missing an ear licked his lips, his eyes full of greed. "Do they have cultivation materials we need?"

"Naturally, they do," Yu Ziling cackled strangely, then fiercely grabbed Ji Changkong in a corner where the other four couldn't see, pulling him back slightly. She whispered, "You hide further away to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Once things are settled, I’ll take care of it. I can handle them."

"Alright, let's attack!" The gloomy man in front chuckled darkly, looking at Ji Changkong, who was now behind Yu Ziling, with admiration. "Big Brother Ugly is indeed impressive. With you here, we’ll surely take them down today!"

"Such trivial matters don't require my man to lift a finger; the rest of us can handle it," Yu Ziling said dismissively. She walked unhurriedly to the side of the four, conferred with them quickly, and then the five of them, cackling sinisterly, crept toward the exit of the stone forest, several dozen yards ahead.

Ji Changkong did not hide as Yu Ziling instructed. He smiled, shook his head, and quietly followed behind them.