"Dead Man's Cave?" Upon being questioned by the unscrupulous old man, Yang Yi indeed recalled the strange voice that often echoed in his mind when he was injured. After a brief pause, he replied, "En, I've been inside."

"Then how did you get out?" A sharp glint flashed in the unscrupulous old man's eyes as he immediately pressed, "How did you get out?"

"I just got out like that..." Yang Yi shrugged dismissively.

"Just like that?" The unscrupulous old man was nearly choked with frustration. The kid's answer was as good as saying nothing! He shot Yang Yi a glare, annoyed, "Stinking brat, can you explain clearly? How exactly did you get out? Did you encounter anything inside?"

"Encounter anything?" Yang Yi was puzzled. Why was this unscrupulous old man asking such strange things today? Did this old man have some sort of scheme? He stared back with a face full of suspicion...

The unscrupulous old man was practically boiling over with the urge to grab Yang Yi and give him a good thrashing. Suppressing the impulse, he asked, "Stinking brat, let me tell you, as long as you tell me what you saw in there, I guarantee you'll receive unimaginable benefits...!"

"Benefits? You tell me what benefits first?" Yang Yi wasn't a fool. Although the old man's questions were bizarre, they hit the mark—he had encountered something in the Dead Man's Cave. But how could the old man know?

The unscrupulous old man knew exactly what Yang Yi was thinking. Even if the kid was using mind-reading skills right now to shield his thoughts, based on the old man's years, he could guess. He was inwardly furious. "Stinking brat, don't get any crooked ideas in your head! I'm telling you, few people in Huaxia have ever emerged from the Dead Man's Cave. I know most of those who did, but they aren't the ones I'm looking for. I'm just curious why you, little fellow, would think of coming to the Dead Man's Cave while injured?"

"Uh!" Seeing the angry expression on the unscrupulous old man's face, Yang Yi was momentarily stunned, then smirked inwardly. This old guy... Yang Yi immediately pushed away the thought, as the old man's expression was growing increasingly furious, and he knew he wasn't the old man's match. Therefore, he quickly said, "Like everyone else, I went in to find things. What I encountered were martial arts manuals..."

"Besides those?" the unscrupulous old man quickly asked.

"En?" Yang Yi pondered for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "There was also a voice, an elder's voice."

"A voice? About what? What meaning did the voice convey?"

"I don't know. He just said that whenever I feel my life is in danger, I should go back and find him."

"Find him?" The unscrupulous old man strode forward, his large hand shooting out and gripping Yang Yi's arm before Yang Yi could react. He said, "Come with me."

"Hey... Old man, old man, can you be careful?" Although Yang Yi felt a slight pain in his hand, he also felt a bit awkward. In fact, the way the old man was gripping him felt rather intimate. (It felt a bit like forced restraint, sweat!)

"Uh!" The unscrupulous old man quickly released Yang Yi's hand, instantly realizing he had been impolite. Unable to suppress his excitement, he took a deep breath, trying to calm his state of mind. He said, "Come with me, I will explain the origin of that voice to you."

"Uh... oh!" Yang Yi responded.

The unscrupulous old man reached the edge of the 'cliff' and jumped without a second thought, only pausing three times mid-air before landing.

Yang Yi, however, felt a wave of awkwardness. This old man's strength was truly terrifying. He glanced at the 'cliff,' still feeling a sense of emptiness, but Murong Lianxue laughed sweetly, "Brother Yi, jump! Lianxue will wait for you below."

"I'm sweating. Isn't that like urging me to my death?" Yang Yi thought to himself. Sometimes, he truly doubted if Murong Lianxue was just a little girl. Seeing her jump down as well, he quickly shook his head, urged his internal energy, clenched his jaw, stomped hard with his feet, and then leaped down.

It was hardly surprising; Yang Yi's current strength was simply too weak. Even the small Murong Lianxue was stronger than him now. At least she was a Grandmaster-level expert, and she was only eight years old—one could imagine her limitless future potential.

"Follow me inside." The unscrupulous old man shifted towards the Dead Man's Cave with a posture that was utterly unrestrained, even more roguish than Yang Yi's. After all, could a master hermit behave this way?

Yang Yi couldn't help but offer a wry smile. He was no stranger to the Dead Man's Cave. Though he had only entered once, the experiences within had made him see through many things. If he hadn't, he would have surely died in there.

The three slowly walked into the Dead Man's Cave. They were met by absolute blackness, so dark that one could not see their own fingers. Even breathing and walking produced no sound, making the atmosphere incredibly eerie. Indeed, even if Yang Yi screamed until his throat was raw, no one would hear him, not even the unscrupulous old man and Murong Lianxue who were maintaining their path nearby.

One life as a man, Chen Chen Chen Chen... Three lives as a minister, Luo Luo Luo Luo... Six lives born, Mie Mie Mie Mie...

A soaring voice echoed in the minds of everyone who entered the Dead Man's Cave, including Yang Yi, but one voice was a distinct exception...

"Child, you have finally arrived!" Another voice resonated in Yang Yi's mind. But with it came a sudden drop in his body's pressure, and with a 'Pfft!', as if blood was worthless, he coughed up a mouthful. Immediately, the entire Dead Man's Cave began to slowly transform.

"It really is him!" The unscrupulous old man beside him felt a resonance, his eyes fixed on the cave now shimmering with purple brilliance, a look of excitement on his face.

It was not as bloody or cruel as imagined, perhaps compared to the skeletons of those who had previously entered the trial but failed to escape... Here, it remained utterly dark, yet within the darkness pulsed scattered points of brilliant purple light, making the whole cave blaze like the colored disco ball in a karaoke hall.

"Who exactly are you? Why has your voice always appeared between my mind and my thoughts?" Yang Yi stared at the purple, brilliant dots with an intense, cold gaze.

"Junior, Mu Qingfeng pays his respects to Patriarch Senluo..." The unscrupulous old man suddenly sank to one knee, then cupped his fists with utmost reverence, raising his head to call out respectfully.

Yang Yi frowned, muttering inwardly, What is this unscrupulous old man doing? Could the old man's voice that often echoes in my ear be the Patriarch he speaks of?

"Hey—Old man, have you gone senile? There's no one here, what are you shouting for?"

"Patriarch, your junior is the chief disciple of the Xuanmen, the current sect master. I only hope the Patriarch will grant an audience..." Mu Qingfeng, the unscrupulous old man, continued to speak with deep respect.

Just as he finished speaking, the purple brilliance slowly began to swirl, and a purple afterimage slowly coalesced into the shape of a human figure. This sight left Yang Yi dumbfounded, and the only thought in his mind was: Could this guy be an immortal? Do such beings still exist in modern society?

"Rise," The figure formed from the accumulated purple brilliance was an elder, with flowing white hair, wearing a purple Daoist robe, and possessing an aura of profound ethereal wisdom. His voice was extremely steady and detached.

"Yes, Patriarch!" Mu Qingfeng was extremely agitated. This was his Patriarch, the sole genius spoken of in all the Xuanmen sects. Although he had perished, his deeds were eternally passed down through the Xuanmen.

"Child, your aura of slaughter seems to have deepened again," the old man said to Yang Yi with a faint smile.

"Who are you?" Yang Yi narrowed his eyes, staring at the old man.

"This is your second time entering. The so-called Dead Man's Cave is merely a Xuanmen formation I laid down long ago. Over hundreds of years, few who entered here have managed to leave safely, and you are the one I value the most," the old man said calmly, unconcerned by Yang Yi's somewhat cold expression.

"Hundreds of years?" Yang Yi's mouth dropped open, his mind reeling, "What hundreds of years? Damn it, Old Man, you aren't... are you the same as this old man?"

"En? The same as what?" the old man asked doubtfully.

"Unscrupulous!"

"Heh heh, it doesn't matter if you don't believe it. What is unfolding before your eyes is undeniably real!" A flash of melancholy crossed the old man's eyes.

From start to finish, Mu Qingfeng stood still, staring at the old man without speaking. Seeing the melancholy in the old man's eyes, it seemed he understood the sorrow the elder was feeling, and his own expression became instantly unnatural.

"Undeniably real?" Yang Yi truly found it hard to believe; the situation occurring before him was far too bizarre. But there was one thing he did know, and he maintained a sliver of clarity in his heart as he asked, "Tell me, why has your voice appeared in my mind repeatedly? And why is this Dead Man's Cave different from when I entered last time?"

Yang Yi knew and understood that if this old man could be so mysterious, he must be intimately familiar with the Dead Man's Cave, especially since his current visit was completely different from the last.

"Heh heh—Let me address your second question first," the old man chuckled. "The so-called Dead Man's Cave is actually a Xuanmen Eight Trigrams Array created by my ancestor through his lifetime of effort. The only difference between this ancestor and your name is a single character: his name was Zhou Yi!"

"Zhou Yi???"