Zhang Yang seized the opportunity, scooping up Da Lei and Xiao Lei with one hand each, tossing them onto Zhui Feng's back, and shouting to Wu Ying Shan Dian and the Golden Three-Eyed Beast.

On Savage Mountain, the two parrots had been urging him to ascend. Now that the Three-Eyed Demon Beast had been scared off by Da Lei and Xiao Lei, this was the perfect moment for Zhang Yang to make his move up the mountain.

"Roar!"

Zhui Feng spread its hooves, turned, and charged uphill without delay. Behind it, the Golden Three-Eyed Beast leaped up, gathering Wu Ying Shan Dian, Da Lei, and Xiao Lei onto its body, following Zhui Feng into the mountains!

Pu Tian'en had no time to bother with Zhang Yang. He desperately commanded the Three-Eyed Demon Beast not to fear the two newborn cubs, but no matter what he said, the beast remained stubbornly unwilling to return, lingering just outside Savage Mountain.

"Damn it!"

Pu Tian'en weighed his options repeatedly, his expression shifting from one shade to another. In the end, he could only turn, ascending the mountain alone in pursuit of Zhang Yang!

The strength Zhang Yang had displayed was too astonishing. Pu Tian'en could not begin to imagine the outcome once Zhang Yang was fully recovered.

No matter the cost, Pu Tian'en had to slay Zhang Yang and eliminate this future threat!

Entering the heart of Savage Mountain from its foot covered several hundred li, but under Zhui Feng's desperate gallop, it took only a very short time.

While using the Golden Three-Eyed Beast's ability to fly directly to the center of Savage Mountain would have been the fastest route, it would have completely exposed their movements. Therefore, Zhang Yang and the main spirit beasts advanced on foot, bypassing the dense jungle and muddy swamps.

Because Zhang Yang had been there once before, he knew the location of the cave belonging to the two parrots perfectly. Zhui Feng led the way, while Zhang Yang worked to obscure the residual traces of their passage, aiming to cause trouble for the pursuing Pu Tian'en.

Pu Tian'en did not lose Zhang Yang's trail, but neither did he manage to get ahead of him.

The center of Savage Mountain was no different from its base. Due to the preceding battle, the Heaven and Earth Energy there had already been completely drained. The energy refilling from the vicinity had not yet reached this area. The higher they climbed, the more sparse the already thin ambient energy became.

Eventually, the presence of Heaven and Earth Energy could no longer be felt in the surroundings; Savage Mountain resembled a peak on the verge of withering.

It was not just inner strength cultivators who relied heavily on Heaven and Earth Energy; spirit beasts were equally dependent. Upon reaching this elevation, the ambient energy was entirely depleted. This made Zhui Feng and the others visibly uncomfortable, yet they knew a formidable enemy followed close behind, so none of them voiced a complaint.

"Roar…"

Da Lei and Xiao Lei, being young and immature, immediately let out distressed cries.

Zhang Yang, having reached the Fifth Layer, felt the lack less acutely. He possessed spiritual energy within his Dantian, which could itself be converted into Heaven and Earth Energy.

To ease the discomfort of Zhui Feng and the others, Zhang Yang expended a small measure of his spiritual energy, catalyzing it into ambient energy and distributing it around Zhui Feng and the Golden Three-Eyed Beast. He paid particular attention to Da Lei and Xiao Lei, allowing slightly more of this diffused energy to surround them.

At this critical juncture, the spiritual energy within their bodies might well be the deciding factor in the eventual confrontation between Zhang Yang and the arriving Pu Tian'en, yet Zhang Yang showed no stinginess toward his spirit beasts, even under such pressure.

Wu Ying Shan Dian and Zhui Feng understood Zhang Yang’s intentions. This solidified their resolve that even if they were to perish here, they would never allow Zhang Yang to meet his end.

"Hurry in, all of you!"

The two parrots detected Zhang Yang and the others' arrival and immediately flew out of the cave. Simultaneously, they sensed that Pu Tian'en was about to catch up.

"Go."

Zhang Yang raised his hand, guiding Zhui Feng and the others entirely into the cavern.

"Zhang Yang!"

Pu Tian'en found the location only after Zhang Yang had entered the cave. Unfortunately, the spirit parrot had already triggered the mechanism, sealing the entrance.

This cavern had originally been constructed by the parrots' master, filled with numerous traps and powerful Qimen Dunjia techniques. Delaying Pu Tian'en for even a short while would not be difficult.

Pu Tian'en had heard of the Qimen Dunjia arts of Huaxia. He knew these were miraculous methods often employed by Huaxia cultivators to overcome stronger opponents. Many high-level spirit beasts had met their end against these formations, and even the cleverest among them could not break arrays that humans themselves might struggle to decipher.

Pu Tian'en dared not rush into the cave rashly.

"Do you think you can run away? I've already scouted this area; this cave has only this one exit. I don't believe you can hide in there forever!"

Pu Tian'en had known about this secret, trapped cave beforehand. If Savage Mountain were rich in Heaven and Earth Energy, he could easily use brute force to shatter his way in. But here, the ambient energy was utterly vacant. To be safe, Pu Tian'en was unwilling to waste his own spiritual energy trying to force entry. He decided simply to wait outside, knowing that replenishment from the surroundings would not take long. He would need only a little ambient energy to disable all the cave's mechanisms.

Inside the cave.

"Clatter-clatter-clatter!"

A sound suddenly echoed from the surrounding cavern walls, and a swath of bright light flared to life. The walls were dotted with numerous lamp apertures, and the oil lamps within began to illuminate one by one.

Zhang Yang and the three great spirit beasts showed no surprise. However, the Golden Three-Eyed Beast glanced around, revealing an expression of wonder; it seemed it, too, was unaware of this hidden sanctuary.

Da Lei and Xiao Lei stared with wide eyes, watching the surroundings with intense curiosity—everything here was astonishing to them.

"My esteemed friends, I truly apologize. I should have come to escort you away after breaking through to the Great Perfection of the Fifth Layer, but now, not only can I not help you leave, but I have also brought another powerful enemy upon you."

Zhang Yang shook his head with a wry smile. He could not be sure how long the Qimen Dunjia techniques within the cave could hold Pu Tian'en, but for now, they were safe.

The two parrots circled overhead in the passageway, having already passed the initial section and entered the main hall deep within the cavern.

It was in this very hall that Zhang Yang had once achieved complete enlightenment regarding the Dao of Nature, successfully achieving entry and reaching Great Perfection.

Returning here for a nostalgic visit this time, Zhang Yang looked around the cavern walls and sensed that the inscriptions this time were different from the last time he saw them.

Looking at them now, the characters on the walls were not nearly as obscure and difficult to memorize. This time, the script seemed imbued with spirituality; as Zhang Yang swept his gaze over them, the characters seemed to leap off the stone surfaces and drill directly into his mind.

At this moment, Zhang Yang did not need to consciously decipher what the characters meant. Instead, each symbol represented a specific trajectory for controlling a type of Heaven and Earth Energy. They surged in and simultaneously exploded within him.

In the eyes of the Golden Three-Eyed Beast, Zhui Feng, and Wu Ying Shan Dian, Zhang Yang had merely stepped into the hall, glanced around casually, and then frozen on the spot, appearing utterly mesmerized.

No one knew what was happening to Zhang Yang, but the two parrots simultaneously halted their flight, intensely signaling the great spirit beasts not to disturb him.

The parrots were perfectly aware of Zhang Yang's state; he had clearly entered a deep immersion.

This time, it was even more profound than the last. All superficial veils masking the characters had vanished.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

A sudden gust of wind swept through the cavern—a wind of energy, generated by Zhang Yang rapidly absorbing Heaven and Earth Energy and converting it into inner strength. At this moment, Zhang Yang's Dantian acted like a sponge, greedily soaking up the ambient energy from outside.

However, the wind rose and fell instantly. Since Zhang Yang had advanced to the Fifth Layer, his Dantian could now only retain spiritual energy, and the Heaven and Earth Energy outside Savage Mountain was already exhausted. The energy within this cave was devoured by Zhang Yang in the blink of an eye.

It could be said that the cave's mechanisms and Qimen Dunjia arrays lost their function at the exact same moment.

Without the support of Heaven and Earth Energy, even the most formidable Qimen Dunjia was nothing more than ordinary mechanisms, no different from children's toys to a cultivator of Pu Tian'en's caliber.

Outside the cave, Pu Tian'en immediately sensed the change within!

"Hahaha, Heaven aids me!"

Pu Tian'en did not know what had happened inside the cave, but he detected the auras of Zhang Yang and the others. Although the presence of two Fourth Layer spirit beasts had been added, this was unequivocally good news for Pu Tian'en.

A Great Perfection Golden Three-Eyed Beast, two cubs of the Three-Eyed Beast King, plus so many Fourth Layer spirit beasts—once Zhang Yang was dealt with, they would all become Pu Tian'en's spoils!

"Watch me capture all these spirit beasts back. I'm certain that with this many Fourth Layer beasts, I can refine yet another Fifth Layer Demonic Beast!"

Pu Tian'en grinned menacingly, drawing his narrow saber and advancing into the cave.

However, upon entering, Pu Tian'en did not rush straight toward the hall where Zhang Yang was. He proceeded step by measured step. Since there was only one exit, he wasn't afraid of Zhang Yang escaping.

He moved so slowly entirely out of caution, worried that Zhang Yang had laid some other trap. But this deliberate slowness granted Zhang Yang precious time.

And that sliver of time was worth a thousand times more than gold to Zhang Yang!

The two parrots, the Golden Three-Eyed Beast, and the three great spirit beasts watched Zhang Yang intensely. Anxiety brewed within them; Pu Tian'en's aura was drawing nearer, yet Zhang Yang remained trapped in his trance-like state.

In Zhang Yang's vision, countless things manifested: the Cold Spring Sword, the Tai Chi Staff, the Tang Clan Forging Method, the Heaven-Shattering Single Strike, and the cultivation heart method of the Shaolin Patriarch Bodhidharma—all these suddenly integrated into his mind at once.

The characters on the rock walls were actually simple; their purpose was purely guiding. They guided internal strength cultivators who gazed upon them to align their Dantian's inner strength flow according to the specific Heaven and Earth Energy trajectory designated by the character best suited to them—it was an absolutely profound technique.

The owner of those two parrots was a true genius!

"One inhale, one exhale, the Great Heavenly Cycle—so that's how it is!"

"Hahaha, I have comprehended it!"

Zhang Yang suddenly opened his eyes, his face alight with pure joy! (To be continued) No Pop-up Novel Network