"Well now, was it just as expected, or have I been long admired," Feng Qingtian said, completely at ease.

"........" I was momentarily stunned, then offered a wry smile. "Alliance Leader is truly fond of joking. I am but an unknown nobody; how could I possibly merit the compliment of 'long admired'?"

"Haha," Feng Qingtian laughed. "An unknown nobody? You are certainly modest."

"........." Long Xin and the others’ faces changed drastically; they subconsciously tightened their grips on their weapons.

"Where exactly did I slip up?" Seeing the composed expressions of Xia Ya and Feng Qingtian, it was clear they had confirmed my identity, so I could only offer a helpless, bitter smile.

"This must be attributed to coincidence," Xia Ya said. "Bai Ling told us that when the Vanguard Hall was completely annihilated, it was you who hastily reorganized the Battle Hall into the 'Vast Sea Raging Waves' sword qi formation. Later, it was your quick wit that allowed the Phoenix Nest Gang and the Heavenly Spider Gang to save most of their people under the attack of the Yellow Springs Cult Master."

"I was merely trying to protect myself!" I smiled wryly. "Can you truly confirm my identity based on just those incidents?"

"Certainly not," Xia Ya replied. "However, those two events made us suspect you were no ordinary wandering hero. That’s why I paid attention and inquired about your origins. Bai Ling said you were from Bi Qi, and your name was Xing Chen. Tell me, what does hearing that name make me think of?" Xia Ya continued, "Moreover, the powerful anti-magic ability you displayed afterward—if we still couldn't guess your identity after that, we would be too foolish."

"I suppose that must be it!" I felt a bit helpless. In truth, when I decided to join the Thunder Formation, I knew my identity might be exposed; I had just been clinging to a sliver of luck.

"Before we decided to act, we considered every possible outcome: failure, success, and of course, the possibility of being exploited during the chaos. The one that worried us most was you, the Blue Lightning," Xia Ya said. "Truly, your reputation precedes you. Blue Lightning, Magic Immunity." Xia Ya sighed. "If I hadn't witnessed it firsthand, I truly wouldn't have believed that someone could actually achieve magic immunity."

"Then tell us, what is your purpose for being here?" Feng Qingtian asked, his tone darkening.

"If I say I truly never harbored any ill intentions toward you, would you believe me?" My scalp was tingling slightly.

"What do you think?" Feng Qingtian countered.

"But I am speaking the truth!" I said with a bitter smile. "Appearing here was merely coincidence. As for the reason, it’s not something that can be explained in a single sentence."

Feng Qingtian and Xia Ya stared at me with strange looks: "Isn't that too much of a coincidence?"

"I swear, I am telling the truth," I made a final attempt. "And look, from beginning to end, I haven't done anything improper, have I? Furthermore, without me, could you all have left the Yellow Springs World alive? Should the mere four words 'Blue Lightning' erase everything I did for everyone in the Yellow Springs World?" I tried to adopt a pitiable demeanor.

"Well, that does seem to be the case," Feng Qingtian's expression softened considerably. "But I am very eager to know why you came here."

"You've heard that I ruined the plans of Shaba Ke and the Four Great Sects. I couldn't stay in Bi Qi anymore, so I had to seek refuge in Cang Yue, and they came with me," I glanced at Long Xin and the others. "We are just a small guild. Our first reason for coming here was refuge, and the second was cultivation. Shana can attest to this; we met her while cultivating in the second level of the Bone Demon Cave, and Bai Ling knows everything that happened afterward."

"Yes, when I met them, they were indeed cultivating in a fork on the second level," Shana explained nervously, looking at us.

"Exactly!" Bai Ling chimed in anxiously. "The Wandering Dragon Gang entering the Yellow Springs Barrier was truly accidental. If he had truly been after the Yellow Springs Hammer from the start, they would have infiltrated the Vermillion Bird Alliance as soon as you entered the barrier. In fact, they arrived on the Cang Yue Continent a full month before the Vermillion Bird Alliance even made their move—Brother Xia and Brother Fang should know this. If Xing Chen and the others were targeting your previous actions, yet chose to enter the Yellow Springs World with us, it only means they are divine, able to predict your failure and even having to issue open Tiger-level quests, and then coincidentally finding the only group of us who entered the Yellow Springs World."

"That does make a certain amount of sense," Xia Ya conceded. "It seems we have misunderstood you."

"I told you so," I felt a significant weight lift from my heart.

"This isn't entirely our fault," Xia Ya argued. "After all, you have a prior record, and your appearance was simply too coincidental." Sigh! A prior record—it makes me sound like a convicted felon.

"Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, right!" Long Xin asked.

"Everyone, put away your weapons," Feng Qingtian relaxed. "Since you didn't deliberately try to sabotage us, then we are friends."

"Don't worry, we aren't unreasonable either. After all, we shared life and death," Xia Ya added. "Moreover, you saved my sister."

"Brother Xia is being too polite."

"It’s nothing, really, I just don't appreciate being treated like a fool by you all," Feng Qingtian said good-naturedly, though with a slight edge in his tone.

"Well, we were afraid of causing unnecessary misunderstandings," Long Xin admitted guiltily.

"I already said we aren't pursuing it, look how tense you are," Feng Qingtian laughed, looking at Long Xin's obvious unease. ...................... The alarm was lifted, and Long Xin and I, along with the others, felt an inexplicable lightness and relief.

"What are your plans next?" Feng Qingtian asked. "Interested in paying a visit to the Vermillion Bird Alliance headquarters?"

"We'll certainly pay a call next time," Long Xin replied. "This time we came to cultivate, and we didn't expect to end up in the Yellow Springs World, which cost us quite a bit of time."

"Is that so?" Xia Ya said. "That's a shame; we haven't properly thanked you yet."

"Sister, you all must come visit my home in the future!" Shana said with great reluctance.

"Of course, once we finish our cultivation, we will definitely visit your home," Dong Guan smiled.

"A promise is a promise." Although Shana found Dong Guan's thick skin somewhat irritating, their relationship had progressed significantly during their time in the Yellow Springs World. It looked like that kid Dong Guan had a chance. Long Xin and I exchanged glances with the others, inwardly chuckling and nodding.

"Since you plan to continue cultivating, when you return to the Hero Guild, I will help you report the mission progress for the Wandering Dragon Gang's participation in this operation!" Xia Ya declared. "The reward will be deposited into your guild's treasury account!"

"We'll trouble you then," Long Xin replied.

"Not at all! If you ever need help in the future, just let us know." Xia Ya added, "We in the Vermillion Bird Alliance still have some influence in Cang Yue." Speaking of which, Xia Ya looked toward me and then said with a fawning smile, "But with Xing Chen, the number one expert from Bi Qi, holding court, I doubt anyone would dare provoke you."

"Brother Xia, please stop teasing me," I said sheepishly. "With my 'three-legged cat' skills, how could I be the number one expert in Bi Qi?"

"Hahaha, 'three-legged cat,' how amusing," Feng Qingtian laughed. "If your three-legged cat is already this formidable, what would happen if it grew a fourth leg?"

Everyone burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Come visit Fan City sometime," Bai Ling also said, looking visibly sad to part.

"Tian Yin City also welcomes your visit anytime," Han Yunzhen added.

"We certainly will," Long Xin and I clasped our hands in farewell.

"Take care!"

"Until we meet again!" ................................ Although there was reluctance, all good things must come to an end. After bidding farewell to Feng Qingtian and the others, the few of us decided to remain in the Bone Demon Cave to continue our cultivation. We chose a hidden corner on the third level of the Bone Demon Cave, partly for security. Although I doubted anyone in the Cang Yue Hero world would bother us, an innocent man possessing great treasure invites trouble. While the slaying of the Yellow Springs Cult Master largely depended on the terrifying power of the Thunder Formation, it was undeniable that my anti-magic trait played a crucial role in the operation. We worried that certain interested parties might harbor ill intentions toward me. After all, to outsiders, I must possess some special skill to achieve this, and this so-called anti-magic skill holds a fatal allure for many. It was best to be cautious.

Of course, the biggest gain from this trip to the Yellow Springs was dissolving the hostility the Cang Yue Hero world held toward me, and making good friends with Feng Qingtian and the others. Additionally, I learned the Feng family's unique secret technique, Thunder Battle Qi—this was an unexpected bonus.

For Long Xin and the others, the journey into the Yellow Springs truly showed them what large-scale group combat looked like, and it made them recognize the power of the Thunder Formation. This boosted their enthusiasm for studying formations based on team coordination to an unprecedented height. As the old saying goes, a hundred drills make a strong soldier, a hundred battles make a refined soldier. After this operation, noticeable changes had occurred in Long Xin and the others. Though I couldn't pinpoint exactly where the change lay, I knew they had genuinely become stronger. This strength wasn't measured by an increase in battle qi or refinement of skills; rather, it was an intangible aura, a powerful confidence. I believe this confidence will play a crucial role in their future growth.

A day later, we finally reached a fork in the road southwest of the Bone Demon Cave's third level. The vastness of the Bone Demon Cave was far beyond what ordinary people could imagine. I figured that even if someone knew we were cultivating here, finding us would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

After turning into the fork and walking another eight hundred meters or so, we saw a dense mass of Skeleton Axe Wielders far ahead.

Perhaps it was my imagination, but seeing this thick swarm of Skeleton Axe Wielders gave me a strange sense of familiarity, as if those grim and ugly skulls seemed somewhat endearing. However, they were not friendly to me; they spotted us from afar and charged over, brimming with murderous intent.

"Fire Sea Formation, commence!" Long Xin and Dong Guan simultaneously ignited dense seas of fire. Time seemed to revert to the period when we first arrived at the Bone Demon Cave.

In the sea of fire, countless Skeleton Axe Wielders frantically charged the large rock occupied by Long Xin and the others, only to be cleanly smashed down every time by Long Zhan and the two little skeletons. I, using the cover of the Fire Sea Formation, moved among them, my Moon in the Well occasionally harvesting a skull or two.

The power of the Fire Sea Formation had clearly strengthened significantly. I had also switched to the heaviest custom-made God of War armor from my spatial pouch, and the weapon in my hand, Moon in the Well, was replaced with my heaviest one. The total weight I carried, including the armor, reached a terrifying one thousand jin. To be honest, I never thought my frame could withstand such heavy cultivation results, but compared to pure strength-based warriors, my power was still far from sufficient. For me, however, this was immense progress. I've always had a strange affinity for weighted training, believing my speed should be even greater the day I take this armor off.

However, I still hadn't made any substantial progress in cultivating the Eye of Death Desire; perhaps it all depended on destiny.

As for skill cultivation, I subconsciously channeled the Thunder Battle Qi while hacking at monsters and killing enemies. Only now did I truly understand what a terrifying method of battle qi circulation the Thunder Battle Qi was.

In the Thunder Formation, the role of Thunder Battle Qi was to construct a massive cyclical energy field. But in individual cultivation, Thunder Battle Qi could form another independent, circulating battle qi field within the body. When I ran the Thunder Battle Qi, I distinctly felt my internal battle qi cycling along a unique path. Although the overall energy of the battle qi did not increase, whenever I swept out a Fire Flame, a Half Moon slash, or an Assassination Sword Qi, the consumed battle qi energy was rapidly replenished due to the effect of the Thunder Battle Qi. It felt as if the battle qi inside me had become a constantly seeping spring. This situation filled me with immense joy. It also reminded me of Xia Chao's exaggerated Fire Flame Sword Qi. I recalled that when killing high-level undead, Xia Chao could unleash more than a dozen Fire Flame Sword Qis in one breath—it turned out all those benefits came from Thunder Battle Qi. While I couldn't match Xia Chao's exaggeration yet, unleashing seven or eight Fire Flame Sword Qis in one go was completely manageable. The Fire Sea Formation occasionally flashed with dazzling iridescent light; catalyzed by the Thunder Battle Qi, the Fire Flame Sword Qis exploded intermittently, each one acting like a surprisingly potent armor-piercing round, continuously penetrating the bodies of three to five Skeleton Axe Wielders.

This speed was more than double what it was before. Even now, we still found it hard to believe how powerful the Fire Sea Formation had become. It took less than ten minutes to kill thousands of Skeleton Axe Wielders within the sea of fire, and Long Qi even jumped off the rock specifically to draw monsters for me. Even so, we frequently had to change our cultivation spot because our current monster-killing speed surpassed the monsters' refresh rate. ............................ Bai Ri Men, Moon Sect Headquarters, Divine Moon Palace!

"Sister, is that news about Xing Chen?" Qian Yue looked at Yan Luo's flushed, crimson cheeks and said with a flattering smile, "Is he coming back soon?"

"Naughty boy, he pulled off another big job this time," Shen Yue exclaimed, staring at the letter scroll in her hand. "Heavens, he actually teamed up with the experts of Cang Yue's Vermillion Bird Alliance to kill the Yellow Springs Cult Master!"

"Ah! Why?" Qian Yue was horrified. "The—the—Yellow Springs Cult Master?"

"That's right. This is going to be major trouble," Shen Yue said solemnly. "His identity is definitely exposed."

"Yes," Qian Yue worried. "Counting the time, Long Yuan Fei Xue and the others should have arrived in Cang Yue by now. What should we do? We haven't received a reply to the letter we sent last time."

"It seems they've been staying in the Bone Demon Cave and haven't come out at all," Shen Yue observed. "Otherwise, they should have seen our letter."

"So what should we do?" Qian Yue asked.

"Distant water can't quench a nearby fire; we can only pray to Heaven for blessings," Yan Luo stated firmly. "Closely monitor every move of the Hero Association. If Xing Chen falls into their hands, there will surely be news."

"Yes," Yan Xi, standing by, hurried out of the hall. ......................... Dragon Shadow Villa!

"The Yellow Springs Cult Master?" Jian Li was surprised. "When did this news arrive?"

"It arrived half a month ago," the Dove Group Executor reported respectfully. "Under the circumstances where Xing Chen and the younger generation experts of the Vermillion Bird Alliance, the Nine Great Elders, and most elite disciples were killed, he, along with Feng Qingtian, Xia Ya, and the remaining disciples, utilized the Thunder Formation to slay the Yellow Springs Cult Master. The specifics are still under investigation, but it's certain that Xing Chen participated in this operation."

"Thunder Formation?" Jian Qiu looked puzzled. "What exactly happened? Even Feng Yuan Xiao and those old fellows died—how could Xing Chen and Feng Qingtian possibly kill the Yellow Springs Cult Master?"

"Regardless, this is rare good news," Jian Qiu was overjoyed.

"Indeed. Once the negotiations with Shaba Ke are settled and we enter the Treasure Pavilion, that boy's experience in the Yellow Springs World will be of great use," Jian Fei exclaimed excitedly.

"That fellow is born to do great things," Jian Fei mused. "First the Zuma Cult Master, and now he dares to kill the Yellow Springs Cult Master."

"Hahaha, the Feng family, Han family, Xia family—you old fellows must be spitting blood with anger right now," Jian Qiu chuckled maliciously. "They sent out so many experts, only to be smashed to death by a single hammer from the Yellow Springs Cult Master. In the end, they had to rely on our precious disciple to turn the tables."

"Tell me about it. This time, our Bi Qi Hero world's standing will be much firmer; we can drown those old guys in mere saliva," Jian Li said slyly. "They wanted fame; hehe, but instead, they glorified that boy Xing Chen."

"Just imagine, if the whole world knew Xing Chen was a disciple of the Dragon Shadow Villa, how prestigious would that be," Jian Fei laughed.

"I think the old man from the Feng family will die of anger," Jian Li commented.

"Hahahaha!" The few unscrupulous old men once again let out carefree, wild laughter.

"Continue monitoring Xing Chen's movements," Jian Qiu said solemnly after their laughter subsided. "Report any situation immediately."

"Yes!" The Dove Group Executor had long grown numb to these unscrupulous old men. Cang Yue Jinhai Pier!

"Hoo! We've finally arrived," Xiong Ba Tian Xia stepped onto the solid ground with a feeling akin to tears welling up. "I thought I'd never see land again in this lifetime." According to the original plan, reaching Cang Yue by sea should have taken about three months. However, this ship was cursed with bad luck; they encountered a rare storm at sea and nearly capsized. After barely surviving the storm, they realized they had deviated from the course.

After immense hardship, they finally reached Cang Yue, but these few were utterly broken by the ordeal. The dangers and twists of this journey could fill a novel. At this moment, Xiong Ba Tian Xia and the others truly felt like they had been given a second life.

"I swear, I will never take a ship again," Long Yuan Fei Xue said, still traumatized, remembering the nearly four months which felt like a nightmare.

"Blue Lightning!" Ying Zhen Kuang Ren ground his teeth. "This time, you're done for."

"Action starts now," Hu Xiao Shan Ye said grimly. "We must find him; we absolutely cannot let him escape."