At this moment, deep underground somewhere, Ye Yunfei and the palace came to a halt, catching their breath.
Having exhausted every trick to escape from those top experts earlier, they were now safe, but feeling utterly exhausted.
"Kid, you’re on their radar now too. We’re birds of a feather in misfortune," the voice of Xuanlong Daozhang sounded from within the palace.
"So many top experts from the Tianxiong Domain are hunting you down. What kind of incredible treasure or secret do you possess, to make them go to such great lengths?" Ye Yunfei suddenly asked.
Such a large group of Tianxiong Domain's top experts chasing this Xuanlong Daozhang all this time couldn't be for nothing. All of these experts were old-timers from various major sects and clans across the Tianxiong Domain, with high cultivation and formidable strength. Ordinary treasures simply couldn't lure them to pursue someone so relentlessly over great distances. It must be something of staggering value to attract them!
"Kid, what nonsense are you spouting? Don't try to wheedle information out of me. I don't have any incredible treasures or secrets on me. The reason they're after me is because back in my heyday, my relationship with those major sects and clans wasn't exactly friendly—I provoked a few conflicts with them. So now they're trying to take advantage of my weakened state to settle the score," Xuanlong Daozhang replied, seeming somewhat guarded.
"Fine, if you don't want to say, forget it. I was just asking casually," Ye Yunfei said with a shrug.
Ye Yunfei felt that so many top experts hunting Xuanlong Daozhang must be due to something highly attractive. After all, these were all old-timers—for them, the most important thing was to seclude themselves to cultivate and break through to new realms, which could grant them more longevity and allow them to live much longer lives.
"Really, there's no treasure of astonishing value, kid. Stop letting your imagination run wild. You said you had a way to help me recover rapidly in a short time, even potentially restore me to my peak state from ancient times. You’d better keep your word. We're in the same boat now—those old coots have already marked you, and they’ll definitely be hunting you down everywhere from now on. So, you'd best hurry up and help me recover my strength. That way, I'll have the power to deal with them and keep you safe," Xuanlong Daozhang said.
"I'm not afraid of them. You mentioned earlier that you have several secret vaults you're willing to split with me. That's what I'm interested in," Ye Yunfei said indifferently.
"Kid, I'm so many generations older than you, and I was once the number one expert in the Tianxiong Domain. Shouldn't you show me a little more respect? All you talk about is benefits," Xuanlong Daozhang sounded somewhat displeased.
"Those experts were originally chasing *you*. Now I've been dragged into this for no reason and become their target as well—all because I got entangled with you. Being targeted by the top experts of the Tianxiong Domain, how many peaceful days do you think I'll have left? Enough chit-chat. Stick to the terms we agreed on, or forget about it," Ye Yunfei retorted impatiently.
"Fine then. You may be young, kid, but you're brutally pragmatic. How about this—this palace of mine also holds some cultivation resources. I'll give you a portion now. First, help me recover part of my strength. After that, we can go to the places where I hid my treasures in the past," Xuanlong Daozhang said after a moment of silence.
He felt that Ye Yunfei had indeed been implicated because of him. The consequences of a young cultivator being targeted by such powerful old-timers were rather severe.
Swoosh! Swoosh!...
Several spatial rings flew out from the palace and landed in front of Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei's Soul Power probed them and found them filled with large quantities of Law Crystals, spiritual herbs, and medicinal pills. Their grades were quite good, and the amounts were substantial. A large batch of Spatial Law Crystals particularly satisfied Ye Yunfei.
In his previous life, Ye Yunfei had mastered many spatial martial skills. Besides Spatial Blades, Spatial Swords, and Spatial Teleportation Art, he knew several even more powerful ones—they simply required his spatial energy level to reach a certain height before he could practice them.
"Alright, consider this a down payment for our cooperation. I'll start by helping you recover part of your strength first," Ye Yunfei said as he stored away the spatial rings.
"You…" Xuanlong Daozhang was at a loss for words.
Given his seniority and strength, ordinary young cultivators would likely be too intimidated to even breathe loudly in his presence. But this kid was the opposite, haggling over every ounce of profit as if he had no fear whatsoever of a top expert who once dominated the entire Tianxiong Domain.
Following this, Ye Yunfei roamed underground with the palace, specifically seeking out locations rich in Earth Qi Energy to set up large Earth Formations to gather it, allowing Xuanlong Daozhang to refine and absorb it.
Simultaneously, Ye Yunfei personally concocted some medicinal pills, tossing them into the palace for Xuanlong Daozhang to consume and refine.
However, for the herbs needed to concoct these pills, Ye Yunfei made Xuanlong Daozhang supply them himself.
As the former number one expert of the Tianxiong Domain, Xuanlong Daozhang must have amassed a large collection of spiritual herbs. So whenever Ye Yunfei needed a particular herb, he simply asked Xuanlong Daozhang for it. Xuanlong Daozhang didn't disappoint him; he could produce most of the required herbs.
"Kid, your alchemy skills are unexpectedly high!" Xuanlong Daozhang exclaimed in shock after consuming some pills Ye Yunfei had concocted and finding them remarkably effective.
After all, in everyone's perception, even the most talented master alchemists required long years of grinding and accumulation before finally becoming renowned Pill Masters in their generation. For Ye Yunfei, so young, to display such incredible alchemical skill truly astonished Xuanlong Daozhang!
"That guy called Master Huang Gong is using Geomancy Technique to track us," Ye Yunfei suddenly frowned, sensing an Earth Dragon swimming toward this direction from afar.
Based on Ye Yunfei's experience, this Earth Dragon was clearly being controlled by someone, searching for something underground. It was most likely sent by that Master Huang Gong!
"Let's go!" Ye Yunfei shouted lightly.
Immediately, over a dozen white Earth Dragons rushed over, forming an Earth Formation that lifted Ye Yunfei and the palace, carrying them away at extreme speed.
Approximately half an hour later, Master Huang Gong arrived in this underground region with over a dozen experts.
"They've stayed here! After them!" Master Huang Gong said after taking out a Compass and inspecting the area for a moment. He then rushed off in a certain direction, with the dozen-plus experts following closely.
Over the next few days, Ye Yunfei led Xuanlong Daozhang east and west in evasion, while Master Huang Gong brought those Tianxiong Domain top experts in hot pursuit. Ye Yunfei could vaguely sense that Master Huang Gong was persistently using Geomancy Technique to track him and Xuanlong Daozhang.
While gathering Earth Qi and concocting pills to help Xuanlong Daozhang recover strength, Ye Yunfei also began utilizing the resources Xuanlong Daozhang had given him to cultivate and enhance his own power.
"Damn it! That kid knows I'm tracking him. He slips away every time just beforehand!" Master Huang Gong became increasingly frustrated after failing to catch up to Ye Yunfei and Xuanlong Daozhang for several days straight. He tried every method he could think of, deploying all sorts of techniques, swearing he would definitely pinpoint the exact whereabouts of Ye Yunfei and Xuanlong Daozhang.
However, Ye Yunfei and Xuanlong Daozhang both possessed formidable perception abilities. Every time, they could sense Master Huang Gong and the other experts approaching in advance and leave promptly. This made Master Huang Gong and the others increasingly impatient, practically hopping with rage.
Ten days later.
"Haha… Kid, you're really something! In just ten short days, you've actually helped me recover part of my strength!" Xuanlong Daozhang laughed heartily, quite pleased, somewhere underground in the Tianxiong Domain.
"This is only a portion. If you want to recover more of your strength, keep fulfilling your promises. I think it's time we visited those secret vaults you mentioned," Ye Yunfei said from the side.
"You, kid... you've still been eyeing my treasures all along," Xuanlong Daozhang said, somewhat displeased.
"Enough talk. If you still have any treasures hidden away, bring them out. You need to recover your strength, and I need cultivation resources. We both need to improve our power," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.