Wearing a mask of human skin, altering his height and bulk, the completely transformed Teng Qingshan tailed them from behind.

Even if he were discovered by men from the Ironclad Sect, they would never realize he was Teng Qingshan... It was likely that even if someone told them directly, "That person is Teng Qingshan," the Ironclad Sect members wouldn't possibly believe it!

"Not a single trace!" Wei Canglong and the other Ironclad Sect members searched tirelessly. After consuming over an hour, given the speed of these experts, they were nearing the mountaintop.

"Senior Brother, the summit is just ahead. If it's not there, what do we do?" Wei Canglong worriedly asked.

Deng Geng looked up towards the peak and gritted his teeth. "Ever since our Ancestor founded the Ironclad Sect and passed from this world, he left behind a final instruction: successive generations of disciples must search for this treasure map! For over a thousand years, generation after generation of our sect has never given up. Let's put everything into this; this is the closest our Ironclad Sect has ever come to obtaining the map!"

"Yes."

A wave of excitement surged through the disciples hearing this.

It was true that the Ironclad Sect had never ceased its search for this map for over a millennium. In fact, throughout the entire world, it wasn't just the Ironclad Sect; experts from other clans were also searching.

"Once we obtain that map, within decades, our Ironclad Sect is certain to surpass Guiyuan Sect and Green Lake Island, becoming the premier sect in Yang Province. We will rank among the Eight Great Sects of the world!" Deng Geng declared with robust confidence. "Whether the Ironclad Sect flourishes depends entirely on this endeavor. Search diligently, everyone; we will find it!"

"Right, we absolutely must find it!"

These few men widened their eyes, searching with extreme focus.

...

"Searching for a treasure map? To surpass Guiyuan Sect and Green Lake Island?" Teng Qingshan was greatly astonished. "For a single sect to dominate a province, it requires a massive number of experts, or rather, dozens of Innate Realm powerhouses! Only then would it be sufficient to rule a whole province! Yet, judging by their words..."

"Relying solely on one treasure map is enough? What kind of secret does this map conceal?" Teng Qingshan couldn't comprehend it.

One treasure map. Enough to allow the Ironclad Sect to dominate Yang Province within mere decades?

What secret lay within that map?

"And it seems the Ironclad Sect has been searching continuously since the Ancestor founded it," Teng Qingshan deduced. This map had existed for at least over a thousand years. It must contain an earth-shattering secret, otherwise, a sect wouldn't maintain the search for a millennium.

What secret?

What treasure map?

"Looks like I've caught a big fish this time," a smile touched Teng Qingshan's lips as he quietly followed.

The group of five from the Ironclad Sect searched all the way, but eventually, they reached the mountaintop. Only the summit remained unchecked.

"If we can't find it on the summit, this will be troublesome," Wei Canglong and the others also ascended.

"Search! Go over every inch of this summit! We must find it!" Deng Geng commanded with a stern face, clearly losing his patience. In truth, he had only revealed a fraction of the secret to his subordinates; the complete truth was known only to the Innate Realm experts of the Ironclad Sect.

Precisely because he knew this secret, Deng Geng desired that treasure map even more intensely!

...

Because the area was rarely visited for many years, the mountaintop was overgrown with weeds and thorny brambles.

"Stone huts!"

"Senior Brother, look, those stone huts," Wei Canglong and the others cried out in delight. Located on the northern side of the peak, there stood three stone huts. However, these huts were now covered in creeping vines, their walls thick with moss, and faint cracks visible in the stones—clearly uninhabited for ages.

In front of these three huts lay a wide expanse of water, a lake easily ten zhang across.

"Uncle-Master, look at this mountaintop, there are massive pits here. Look, long trenches running everywhere," the Ironclad Sect members pointed out peculiar markings on the summit.

Those large pits and deep gullies looked as if a giant had struck them with a massive hammer. The trenches were long and extremely scattered.

Deng Geng examined them closely, a smile appearing on his face. "These are clearly traces left from a battle between two Innate Realm experts, and... both of these individuals were immensely powerful. One used a blunt weapon like a large hammer or his fists. The other must have used a sword! If I’m not mistaken, these large pits are marks left by Senior Wei Dan's bare fists. And those ravines were created by a sword-wielding powerhouse."

The others nodded in agreement.

"These pits and ravines are merely damage caused by the residual innate vital energy of two seniors!" Deng Geng stated confidently. "For these two experts to be unable to fully contain their innate vital energy... these two must have been engaged in a fight to the death!" Deng Geng was also an Innate expert; he understood Wei Dan's strength perfectly!

An expert at the Innate Golden Core stage maintains complete control over their innate vital energy with every move. Only when facing a life-or-death struggle against a formidable foe would containment fail.

"Everyone, search quickly! Go through the huts completely, and search the surroundings thoroughly. Don't rush to find the treasure map yet; find the skeletal remains first!" Deng Geng commanded, then charged into one of the stone huts, while the others rushed to various spots on the summit.

...

Teng Qingshan remained hidden several dozen zhang below the peak, relying only on his hearing. With his acute hearing, he could discern what these people were doing.

After a while, Teng Qingshan listened to the sounds of the rocks and sensed the footsteps converging in one spot.

"Senior Brother, nothing found."

"Uncle-Master, we didn't find anything either."

"We've searched everywhere, Senior Brother, what now?"

Evidently, Deng Geng fell silent. After a long pause, he suddenly said, "Look there!"

"The bottom of the lake?"

"Yes, the only place left to search on this summit is the lakebed. Everyone jump in now and search carefully. Human skeletons are the easiest to find; once we find a skeleton, finding the treasure map will be much simpler," Deng Geng instructed. "Don't dawdle; move! Get into the water." Before the command even finished echoing, Teng Qingshan heard a 'splash.'

Splash! Splash!...

Five consecutive sounds of entry into the water.

Teng Qingshan smiled faintly. "Looks like they've all gone to the bottom." He moved toward the summit edge as nimbly as a snow ferret, darting upwards. Teng Qingshan concealed himself in the tangle of vines and thorns at the edge, watching the distant lake water quietly, waiting.

"Pffft!" After a moment, someone surfaced, gasped a couple of breaths, and sank again.

"Terrible breath-holding ability," Teng Qingshan secretly shook his head. "Houtian experts. Only their internal strength is formidable; their five organs are average. Plus, their skin pores can't breathe. They truly can't last long. Innate experts, however, can generate innate vital energy shields that contain oxygen, allowing them to last a long time."

Among the five Ironclad Sect members, the four Houtian experts had to surface for air after struggling underwater for a bit. But the Innate expert, 'Deng Geng,' remained submerged.

"Bang." Wei Canglong surfaced, clutching a skeleton, shouting in surprise. "I found it! I found it!" His voice echoed across the mountaintop.

Pffft! Pffft! Pffft! Pffft!

The other four surfaced almost simultaneously. Deng Geng immediately ordered, "Everyone get out of the water!"

Teng Qingshan lowered his head, observing intently.

As the five Ironclad Sect members scrambled ashore, they gathered around the skeleton. Even from a distance, Teng Qingshan clearly saw that the skeleton's hands were clad in purple gauntlets.

"The fingers are thick and powerful. Even after all these years, apart from two broken bones in the chest, the rest of the skeletal structure is undamaged... Definitely an Innate expert. Furthermore, the gloves on his hands—they must be the 'Heavenly Eagle Claws,' famous six hundred years ago!" Deng Geng explained.

The others nodded in agreement. "Senior Wei Dan fought using only his hands. The weapon, the 'Heavenly Eagle Claws,' was indeed his unique armament."

"It looks like someone killed Senior Wei Dan. Judging by the location of his chest wound, he was likely stabbed through a vital point," Wei Canglong remarked.

"It's probably connected to the combat traces we saw around here," Deng Geng shook his head. "We assumed Senior Wei Dan died of old age, but instead, he was murdered! However... the killer didn't take the 'Heavenly Eagle Claws,' suggesting they were a supreme expert, uninterested in these claws. You all pack away the 'Heavenly Eagle Claws' and take them back to the Ironclad Sect; this is a fine weapon." Deng Geng instructed.

"Yes," the men replied.

"Senior Brother, what about the treasure map?" The others hadn't found any map on the remains.

"Hundreds of years have passed, submerged in water. Senior Wei Dan's clothing must have rotted away, but the treasure map wouldn't decay. Either the sword-wielding expert took it, or the underwater current swept it to another part of the lake bottom," Deng Geng immediately rose. "You two stay here and watch; the other two follow me back into the water to continue searching for the map."

"Yes."

Left on the shore were Wei Canglong and the one-armed middle-aged man. The other three re-entered the water successively.

"Uncle-Master, look at this little trinket Senior Wei Dan wore on his chest," the one-armed middle-aged man picked up a small pendant from the skeleton's chest. Wei Canglong glanced at it and chuckled. "I didn't realize Senior Wei Dan liked wearing pendants. It must be a family heirloom or have some special meaning. Never mind the pendant; look at the 'Heavenly Eagle Claws'! That is an incredible divine weapon."

As Wei Canglong spoke, he took out the pair of purple gauntlets, the 'Heavenly Eagle Claws,' and slipped them onto his hands, then suddenly raked his grasp toward the ground.

Hiss! Hiss!

The stones on the mountaintop surface were easily torn away in large chunks, like soft mud.

"Worthy of being the weapon of an Innate Golden Core master, truly astonishing. I don't even know what material these are forged from," Wei Canglong marveled. The one-armed middle-aged man beside him set the pendant aside, his gaze completely fixed on the divine weapon, the 'Heavenly Eagle Claws.'

...

Teng Qingshan, who was observing calmly from his distant vantage point, suddenly had his eyes widen into perfect circles the moment his gaze fell upon the pendant.

With Teng Qingshan's vision, he clearly saw that the pendant item was a small black cauldron, only the size of a single finger!

"This little cauldron..." Teng Qingshan felt his heart race, his mind struck as if by lightning. "It is identical to the little cauldron Little Cat left for me!" Ever since Little Cat died, Teng Qingshan had treasured that small cauldron, wearing it daily. However, since his own death and arrival in the Kyushu World, the little cauldron existed only in his memory. He never expected to see an identical object!

"Action!" Teng Qingshan narrowed his eyes, pushed off the ground, and instantly darted out soundlessly, a cold, gleaming throwing knife in each hand!

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