On the mountaintop of Silver Horn Mountain, by the lake, Wei Canglong and the one-armed middle-aged man were joyfully discussing the divine weapon, the 'Skyhawk Claws,' when suddenly, Wei Canglong turned his head toward the rear as if sensing something.

"Die!"

Just as Wei Canglong began to turn, Teng Qingshan hurled the two flying daggers in his hand. Whoosh! Whoosh! Two beams of cold light shot through the air. At a mere ten-plus zhang distance, given Teng Qingshan's throwing speed, how could two Houtian masters caught completely off guard possibly defend themselves?

Thud! Thud!

The two flying daggers pierced in from behind their heads and exited through their mouths!

Wei Canglong and the one-armed man’s eyes widened; they slumped down powerlessly, landing atop the nearby pile of bones.

Whoosh!

The moment the two fell, Teng Qingshan landed lightly behind them. He couldn't be bothered to spare a glance for the dead men. With his left hand, he casually picked up a pebble, while his right hand gripped the small black cauldron resting on the ground, his entire focus fixed upon it. His right hand trembled slightly as he caressed the surface of the small black cauldron.

"It's this one, it’s this one, exactly the same!"

The memento of his wife, which he had cherished most in his previous life, yet here in this life, he had found it again. Past and present seemed to converge the moment Teng Qingshan held the small black cauldron.

"This material, this texture... it's identical." Tears shimmered faintly in Teng Qingshan's eyes. Afterward, Teng Qingshan solemnly fastened the small black cauldron pendant around his chest once more. Feeling the cauldron resting against his breast, he took a deep breath, looked down at the skeleton submerged at the bottom of the lake for hundreds of years, and thought to himself, "Senior Wei Dan, you also obtained this small cauldron. Though separated by six hundred years, we share a bond of fate."

Just then—

Splash! A figure emerged from the surface of the water—it was one of the Houtian masters from the Ironclad Sect who had dived to the bottom of the lake searching for the treasure map.

Teng Qingshan’s gaze turned cold, and the pebble in his hand shot out.

Thud!

The center of the figure’s brow was pierced directly by the pebble, and the body began to sink limply downward.

Teng Qingshan, already airborne from the lakeshore, snatched the corpse out of the water, landed on the opposite bank, and casually tossed the body onto the shore.

"Down in the lake, if the water were a bit deeper, with the undercurrents churning, they would never know who killed them," Teng Qingshan remained calm on the shore. "There were three people in the lake: one Xiantian, two Houtian. Once the Houtian masters are dealt with, I can safely handle the Xiantian."

Teng Qingshan waited silently.

...

"Where on earth is this treasure map? This lake is so deep, and the bottom is covered in thick sludge, how can I find it?" The white-haired elder frowned. Holding his breath, he meticulously searched the lakebed. This time, only two of the masters sent by the Ironclad Sect were white-haired: Elder Tian, who he was, and Wei Canglong.

Although Elder Deng Geng was similar to him in age, Deng Geng had been a Xiantian expert for many years, making his outward appearance less aged.

Hoo! He exhaled some air. "Time to go up and catch my breath."

Elder Tian shot directly toward the surface.

Bang!

As his head broke the water, his face still slick with moisture and unable to see clearly, Elder Tian greedily sucked in several breaths. But just after taking the first one—

Puff! Elder Tian felt an intense pain in the center of his brow and across his entire head, followed immediately by unconsciousness.

...

Teng Qingshan, like a bird, flew across the lake surface, snatched Elder Tian’s corpse, and landed on the opposite bank, gently placing the body on the ground with almost imperceptible movement. In this quick round trip, Teng Qingshan returned to the side where Senior Wei Dan’s bones lay.

"Now, only Deng Geng remains!" Teng Qingshan gripped his flying daggers in his right hand.

The best opportunity to deal with Deng Geng was the moment he surfaced, striking with a flying dagger! Teng Qingshan had been an assassin in his previous life; the training he received emphasized achieving the objective by any means necessary, eliminating the opponent at the lowest possible cost. He wouldn't be foolish enough to pursue a fair fight, especially since Teng Qingshan was uncertain of the opponent's true strength.

Teng Qingshan's gaze unintentionally fell upon Wei Canglong's hands.

Wei Canglong was wearing a pair of purple gloves.

"Hmm?" Teng Qingshan recalled the earlier conversation. "This must be the divine weapon, the 'Skyhawk Claws,' they mentioned! And Wei Dan... according to them, he was also a Xiantian Golden Core master, a super expert who once ranked in the top ten of the Heavenly Ranking. A personal weapon of such a strong master must be extraordinary."

Teng Qingshan removed the pair of gauntlets, the 'Skyhawk Claws,' from Wei Canglong's hands. Throughout the entire process, Teng Qingshan’s right hand never let go of the flying daggers, ready at any moment to strike Deng Geng when he surfaced.

"Quite heavy." He weighed the pair in his left hand, his eyes revealing surprise. "These 'Skyhawk Claw' gauntlets look rather thin and light at first glance, suggesting they should be light, but in reality, they weigh dozens of jin."

Teng Qingshan realized that the value of this weapon might not be lower than his own Reincarnation Spear.

Teng Qingshan first donned one gauntlet in his left hand. Although heavy, the 'Skyhawk Claw' was supple, feeling like a layer of skin adhered to his hand. At the joints and fingertips, however, the dark purple metal appeared exceptionally sharp. Wearing the glove, Teng Qingshan casually swung his hand.

Chiii!

It sounded like a sharp sword slicing through the air.

"No wonder Wei Canglong, wearing these gloves, could easily shatter rocks," a thought flashed through Teng Qingshan's mind. "With this pair of gloves... I can fully rely on them to engage in close-quarters combat against others wielding sharp divine weapons! My Xing Yi Quan will finally have a place to be used!"

Although Teng Qingshan's bare hands were harder than steel, they could not compare to materials like 'Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron.' Teng Qingshan dared to catch or block the sharp blades of ordinary experts with his bare hands. But if it were a sword of the caliber of the Reincarnation Spear, trying to catch it barehanded would likely result in his hand being severed!

"Hmm, starting today, the Scarred Man identity will wear the Skyhawk Claws in battle!" Teng Qingshan had already decided to make his avatar a famous figure. Later... using a renowned 'avatar' would bring unexpected benefits.

His right hand, as swift as lightning, also donned a glove.

"With this pair of 'Skyhawk Claws,' I can fully engage in close combat with Xiantian experts." As he put on the gloves, Teng Qingshan simultaneously gripped a flying dagger in each hand, silently staring at the lake bottom.

Once Deng Geng showed his head, two flying daggers would immediately shoot out!

...

Time passed; nearly half an hour went by, yet Deng Geng still hadn't emerged.

"This Deng Geng really can hold his breath underwater," After waiting for half an hour, Teng Qingshan remained utterly unruffled. He squatted slightly, the flying daggers in his hands steady, without the slightest tremor. A faint smile played on his lips: "To reach Silver Horn Mountain and obtain this small cauldron is the greatest and most unexpected harvest."

While feeling moved and happy upon obtaining the cauldron, Teng Qingshan also harbored doubts.

"The size, style, and texture are exactly the same as the small cauldron from my previous life!"

"But this small cauldron has been soaking in the lake bottom for six hundred years! What kind of metal can endure six hundred years underwater without any effect?"

"In my past life, I couldn't figure out what material the small cauldron was made of, and even now, I still don't know the material of this cauldron!"

"Most importantly... in my past life, it was Earth; in this life, it is the Nine Provinces Continent. Regardless of geography, historical development, or anything else, they are completely different worlds, by no means the same. Yet... why would an identical small cauldron exist in two different worlds? Such a small cauldron is not easy to forge!"

Teng Qingshan held a certain status in the Nine Provinces Continent and knew of many precious materials.

If even he hadn't heard of the material, how could it remain unchanged after six hundred years underwater? Who could possibly forge such a small cauldron? Could it be that this small cauldron appeared in both his past and present lives by sheer coincidence?

These questions forced Teng Qingshan into deep contemplation.

"Is it such a coincidence that the small cauldron appeared in two worlds? Or perhaps, the one I wore in my past life also traveled to this world with me, only arriving six hundred years earlier?" Thinking this, Teng Qingshan shook his head, dismissing the idea. It was all too absurd.

While his mind raced, his gaze remained locked onto the lake surface.

...

Deep at the bottom of the lake, the light filtering down from the surface was faint.

However, there was a large white light shield deep underwater, and Deng Geng was inside it! He projected his Xiantian True Essence outwards to form a protective light shield around his body. The shield contained just enough air to sustain Deng Geng underwater for a very long time, given his breath-holding capabilities.

"Could it be that the treasure map was taken by the expert who killed Senior Wei Dan?" Deng Geng frowned, his head bowed. The light shield only extended to his elbows, leaving his hands submerged in the lake water. His hands were continuously digging and pushing through the lakebed silt. "No matter what, I must thoroughly search this entire lake bottom."

Deng Geng was very patient.

He searched inch by inch, turning over fragments of stone, and the rotting corpses of poisonous birds and snakes.

He searched the lake bottom for an entire shichen! Yet, Deng Geng had only managed to search a small portion of the vast lake floor.

"Hmm?" As his hand swept through the silt, Deng Geng suddenly felt something hard. He felt no excitement, casually pulling the hard object out. Encountering hard objects at the bottom of the lake was common—skeletons of birds and rocks were everywhere. However, the moment he pulled it out, his eyes widened.

It was a hard object shaped like a square.

Deng Geng quickly wiped away the surface grime with both hands. Under the illumination of the Xiantian True Essence light shield, he could clearly see—it was a piece of black metal. On one side of this black metal were densely packed lines etched as if carved by a blade.

This familiar material, these familiar markings, caused Deng Geng's heart to tremble with excitement.

"Hahaha, it is it, it is it!" Deng Geng's hands shook uncontrollably. "The Black Iron Treasure Map! Hahaha, my Ironclad Sect has finally obtained this latter half of the Black Iron Treasure Map! Ancestral Master! Our Ironclad Sect has hope for prosperity again, hahaha! Our Ancestral Master obtained the first half over a thousand years ago. We only lacked this second half. Now, with both halves united, it is complete! The Ironclad Sect can now open the legendary Yu Huang Treasure!"

Deng Geng trembled with unprecedented excitement. Before his death, the Ironclad Sect's Ancestral Master had entrusted every successive sect leader to never give up the search for the second half of the Black Iron Treasure Map! The Ironclad Sect possessed the first half, and as long as it wasn't leaked... others finding the second half wouldn't allow them to open the treasure either. Thus, as long as the Ironclad Sect worked hard, success was inevitable one day.

"Over a thousand years, hahaha..." Deng Geng was overwhelmingly thrilled. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened. "Eh? This Black Iron Treasure Map has small writing?"

Beneath the dense markings of the Black Iron Treasure Map, there was actually a line of text—"Whoever obtains this treasure map will surely die if they force entry. To claim the treasure, one must carry one of the Nine Cauldrons. This point must be remembered!"