Three jade bottles were before him; two were good, but the last one also piqued Zhang Yang’s interest. To Zhang Yang now, Yinlong Mountain felt like a massive, untapped treasure trove.

“Saintess Pill?”

Opening the final jade bottle, Zhang Yang softly exclaimed. Inside was a Saintess Pill, capable of assisting inner strength cultivators in advancing.

The breakthroughs across the first four levels were often fraught with difficulty, but the Saintess Pill could smooth the path entirely. If these pills were available elsewhere, they would undoubtedly be coveted treasures for which inner strength cultivators would fight tooth and nail.

However, Zhang Yang had already acquired Saintess Pills and even managed to concoct several himself, so their allure for him had diminished somewhat.

But regardless, these were still exceptionally fine treasures.

Two divine weapons were present, one of which was a defensive set, alongside three bottles of excellent spiritual medicine. Zhang Yang surmised these belonged to a Fourth-Level expert who had perished here. Understanding the true might of the Illusory Rat, he felt a great wave of sympathy for the Fourth-Level experts who had attempted to ascend this mountain.

Reaching the Fourth Level of inner strength placed one among the very highest echelons of the cultivation world. Achieving the Fourth Level was no small feat; not everyone was as fortunate as he, blessed with numerous spiritual medicines and a system that acted as a form of cheating to aid his advancement.

For others, reaching the Fourth Tier by the age of forty was the mark of a peerless genius; most managed it only before sixty, and countless others never reached the Fourth Level at all.

To toil in cultivation for half a lifetime only to meet their end on Yinlong Mountain—it was indeed regrettable.

Putting the items away, Wuying scampered forward again, and Zhang Yang quickly followed.

With Wuying leading the way, searching for treasures was no longer a blind endeavor. Yinlong Mountain truly was a natural treasury. Besides the Cold Spring Sword Zhang Yang had previously obtained, Wuying led him to three more divine weapons and seven or eight varieties of excellent raw materials.

Zhang Yang harvested some of these materials while leaving others untouched—specifically, those raw ingredients with the potential to grow for a thousand years and become spiritual herbs. Gathering them now would merely be a waste.

What surprised Zhang Yang the most was that Wuying had also discovered a genuine Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure.

It was a thousand-year-old He Shou Wu (Fo-Ti root), appearing to be just past its millennium mark. While considered ordinary among spiritual herbs, any Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure that had grown for over a thousand years yielded spiritual elixirs of significant efficacy.

Zhang Yang could easily gather such treasures now, but upon reaching the Fifth Level, he would be able to directly absorb energy from the cosmos, converting the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth for his own use, rendering these external materials unnecessary.

While harvesting the thousand-year-old He Shou Wu, Zhang Yang couldn't help but marvel at the power of the Fifth Level, fostering within his heart a deep yearning for that stage.

“Chirp chirp!”

After Zhang Yang gathered the He Shou Wu, Wuying cried out again, soliciting praise. These were all found with its help, and it expected a generous share of the resulting medicine later.

Zhang Yang laughed heartily and promised Wuying that it would receive plenty once the medicine was refined.

“Boom!”

Zhang Yang suddenly stood straight, his eyes fixed on the direction of the summit.

Wuying immediately straightened as well, its small eyes also locked onto the peak. Just then, a massive energy fluctuation had erupted from the summit, strong enough to be felt across almost all of Yinlong Mountain.

“Is that… an advancement?”

Zhang Yang murmured, his eyes widening. He was intimately familiar with such an energy ripple; he had caused a similar disturbance when advancing at the Long Family Plain. An advancement causing such a massive wave could only be the breakthrough from the late Third Level to the Fourth Level.

“Chirp chirp!”

Wuying was also chirping, clearly recognizing this energy signature, as familiar to it as it was to Zhang Yang. This energy clearly carried the aura of Zhui Feng.

After a moment, Zhang Yang and Wuying exchanged glances, both holding a trace of joyful surprise in their eyes. Zhui Feng had advanced, moving from a Third-Level spirit beast to the Fourth Level. This was absolutely tremendous news for them. Zhui Feng at the late Third Level was already incredibly fast; once he reached the Fourth Level, even a Great Perfection expert might not catch them. If this had happened before their journey to Tianshan, they wouldn't have been chased so miserably by Hu Yan Feng.

“Chirp chirp!”

Wuying called out once more, darting toward the summit as it cried.

Zhang Yang hesitated briefly but immediately followed. He had never ventured to the summit because he hadn't received permission from the Illusory Rat. Now, however, Wuying was beckoning him, and judging by the Rat’s attitude toward Wuying, it likely wouldn’t be angered by his ascent alongside the smaller beast. Zhang Yang dared not offend this powerful Illusory Rat; moreover, the creature had saved his life.

Only parts of the Yinlong Grass grew on the mountainside. The higher they climbed, the more concentrated the grass became, until near the summit, the ground was almost entirely covered in it. Yinlong Grass—a plant imbued with spiritual energy but not classified as a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure—Zhang Yang wondered what purpose it served for the Illusory Rat that it guarded it so fiercely, never leaving.

Zhang Yang was astonished to find a small, stone-built shelter at the summit. Though small, the structure appeared quite comfortably furnished. Beside the shelter was an open clearing where Zhui Feng stood, and Lightning was nearby, but the powerful Illusory Rat had vanished.

“Hiss hiss!”

Seeing Zhang Yang, Zhui Feng immediately trotted over happily. A flash of white light, and Zhui Feng was beside Zhang Yang. An intense wave of energy emanated from Zhui Feng; he had indeed advanced, becoming a Fourth-Level spirit beast just like Wuying.

His advancement was certainly aided by the Illusory Rat, but the eight Essence Blood Pills Zhang Yang had previously administered also played a significant role. The stored energies had been transformed by the Rat into pure benefit, surging into Zhui Feng’s body. This energy, combined with the Rat’s assistance, finally propelled Zhui Feng to break through and become a Fourth-Level Spirit Heavenly Steed.

With Wuying advancing, followed immediately by Zhui Feng, Zhang Yang’s heart was soaring with delight. The ordeal of being hunted across a thousand miles had been perilous, but the outcome was entirely unexpected. Under normal circumstances, it was hard to say when Wuying and Zhui Feng would have ever reached the Fourth Level. Spirit beast advancement was significantly more arduous than human cultivation advancement.

“Chirp chirp!”

A cry sounded, distinctly different from Wuying’s. It was the Illusory Rat. Hearing it, Zhui Feng immediately stood alert, his demeanor suddenly grave—a rare sight for the usually proud steed. Zhui Feng held an unusual reverence for the Illusory Rat, stemming both from the Rat’s status as a powerful Fifth-Level spirit beast and the profound help it had offered him. He was keenly aware that without the Rat’s intervention, not only would he have failed to advance, but he might have been left with hidden internal trauma, condemning him to a life of chronic pain.

Zhang Yang possessed methods to heal the wounds Zhui Feng suffered, but doing so would have taken a decade, as the injuries were chronic internal fatigue that spiritual medicine could only marginally address; healing required slow energetic massage. Now, Zhui Feng needed no decade; he was instantly cured, and had successfully advanced to a Fourth-Level spirit beast. The Illusory Rat’s aid was tantamount to creating him anew.

The Illusory Rat uttered only one sound, quickly translated by Wuying: Zhui Feng was fine, the pursuer had been driven off, and they could now depart. The Rat favored solitude; without Wuying, they never would have gained entry to Yinlong Mountain.

“We are leaving immediately!”

Zhang Yang mounted Zhui Feng, bowing his clasped hands toward the empty space atop the mountain. Wuying and Lightning leaped onto his back. Zhui Feng stamped a hoof, and in the next instant, he appeared far in the distance. His instantaneous burst speed had increased many times over compared to before.

In a short while, Zhui Feng reached the foot of the mountain, standing there gazing back at Yinlong Mountain. Zhang Yang stood beside him, looking back too. He hadn't harvested much of Yinlong Mountain's bounty, which was slightly regrettable, but the mountain hadn't forbidden their return; there would be future opportunities. As long as Wuying was with him, Zhang Yang could return here anytime.

“Zhui Feng, let’s go, home!”

After standing still for several minutes, Zhang Yang spoke softly. He was growing increasingly worried about the situation back home. The Illusory Rat had only said it chased Hu Yan Feng away, not that it had killed him. Zhang Yang didn't know Hu Yan Feng’s current condition. And Long Feng was still waiting for him in Ba Shi County. Upon finding a place with signal, Zhang Yang would call Long Feng and tell him to return on his own; Zhang Yang wouldn't rendezvous with him. Ba Shi County was in Wei Jiang, while he was currently in Nan Jiang—the distance was simply too great.

Zhui Feng bolted forward again, his speed even greater than on the way in. After reaching the Fourth Level, his speed genuinely surpassed that of a Great Perfection expert—though, this was assuming the Great Perfection expert wasn't pushing their body to its breaking point. A Great Perfection expert fighting recklessly could be terrifying; the Great Perfection stage was almost half of the Fifth Level, whose power defied easy comprehension.

Running swiftly, they quickly left the Nan Jiang territory. Looking back at the endless mountains of Nan Jiang, Zhang Yang felt a slight regret. If not for the urgent need to return, he would have visited the place Chu Yuntian mentioned where thousand-year spiritual milk was produced, and gathered some of that milk. Zhang Yang hadn't even used the spiritual milk he obtained last time, but who could ever have too much of a good thing? The more, the merrier.

Leaving Nan Jiang, Zhang Yang arrived at the first town and called Long Feng. Long Feng was indeed waiting in Ba Shi County. From Long Feng, Zhang Yang finally received news about the Hu Yan family. His greatest fear had materialized: Hu Yan Feng had not died and had truly managed to escape back.

However, Long Feng reported that although Hu Yan Feng fled, his condition was far from ideal: he had lost an arm and sustained severe injuries. For Zhang Yang, this was good news. Hu Yan Feng, being so grievously wounded, would surely require time to recover, giving Zhang Yang a window to act. The Hu Yan family was powerful, but the Zhang family was not weak either; the Zhang family also possessed individuals at the Great Perfection realm.

A day and a half later, Zhang Yang finally returned to Chang Jing. After leaving Nan Jiang, the cities became more frequent, making it unsuitable for Zhui Feng to maintain a full gallop. They had to rent a car for the final leg; otherwise, at Zhui Feng's speed, they would have been home long ago.