Magic Daoist Stone Qianhan

After Yang Fan had answered all their questions, the two elders dismissed him.

Before leaving, the Elder Chu of Rain Mist Manor put on a show of generosity, gifting him one hundred spirit stones and a few magical artifacts, smiling warmly as he said, "You've contributed quite a bit to the manor's trial this time, even risking your life. Consider this a little extra reward for your efforts."

"Thank you, Senior," Yang Fan responded politely. He wasn't one to refuse benefits when they were offered, so he respectfully accepted the gifts before making his way out.

The actions of Elder Chu did not go unnoticed by the elder of the Yang family, whose eyes flickered with a hint of disdain. Compared to the treasures inside the storage bag of the "Fat Ghost Daoist," the spirit stones and artifacts given by Elder Chu were trifles, barely worth mentioning.

Without lingering any further, the group swiftly departed from Ghost Corpse Mountain, an area of dreadful taboo. It was still daytime, so the mountain posed less of a threat, but come nightfall, not even the most daring low-level cultivators would dare remain in such a place.

Yang Fan exhaled slowly, casting one last glance back towards the "Millennium Tomb." His eyes were distant and deep, as if lost in contemplation. 

Surviving such a perilous place and reaping considerable rewards was not just a testament to his strength and cunning, but also to his luck. And all these elements were indispensable.

"Let's get going before nightfall," someone called out.

Yang Fan, following the other cultivators, set off, leaving Ghost Corpse Mountain behind. 

As they walked, conversations buzzed around him, the topic inevitably revolving around the treasures hidden in the tomb and the two survivors who had escaped the recent ordeal. When Yang Fan, the Qi Refining-stage alchemist, was mentioned, most of the cultivators dismissed his survival as nothing more than a stroke of outrageous luck.

Yang Fan heard their words but only smiled, making no attempt to deny them. 

Indeed, luck played a key role in everything... As he thought this, his gaze met that of his younger brother, Yang Lei.

"Brother, you managed to escape the tomb alive. Was it really just your absurdly good fortune?" Yang Lei transmitted his thoughts directly to him, a subtle, almost unreadable smile curling his lips.

"Luck is part of one's strength," Yang Fan replied coolly, brushing off his brother's skepticism and speculation.

Though the two were brothers by blood, they walked different paths. As long as neither was in mortal danger, neither would intervene in the other's affairs.

"Ha, brother, I'll be going ahead," Yang Lei said with a smile, his aura suddenly surging. He summoned a top-grade magical weapon, drawing the attention of the surrounding cultivators. Clearly, he intended to fly ahead, leaving the Qi Refining cultivators far behind as he soared from Ghost Corpse Mountain.

"Sister, how about I give you a ride?" he asked, flashing a bright smile and bowing slightly to a beautiful woman in white beside him.

Yang Fan glanced over. Wasn't that Yang Man, the family head's daughter? 

Back when Yang Fan had been the top genius of the family, Yang Man had admired him deeply, often casting him secret glances. But Yang Fan had never reciprocated her feelings.

"Mm," Yang Man responded softly, her delicate face flushing slightly, a charming hint of shyness in her demeanor.

Yang Lei's confidence only grew as he took her hand, and the two of them took to the sky on his sword, flying off like celestial lovers. Below, many cultivators looked on with admiration and envy.

From a distance, some could even see the pair whispering sweetly to each other in the sky.

Watching this scene, Yang Fan could only shake his head, murmuring to himself, "Brother... can you truly not see her true nature?"

Some of the Yang family's accompanying cultivators began whispering among themselves.

"Isn't Senior Brother Yang Guang still pursuing Senior Sister Yang Man? If he saw this, he'd probably challenge Junior Brother Yang Lei to a duel."

"Hmph, Junior Brother Yang Lei has just broken through to the Condensing Spirit stage. Among the third generation of the family, who could stand against him? Senior Brother Yang Guang probably wouldn't dare challenge someone of the Condensing Spirit stage."

"I heard Senior Brother Yang Guang has been in closed cultivation recently. He didn't come to Ghost Corpse Mountain, but perhaps when he emerges, he might also break through to the Condensing Spirit stage…"

Yang Fan continued walking, listening passively to their discussions. From these conversations, he gathered a general sense of the current situation in the Yang family stronghold.

As they walked a little farther, a startling announcement suddenly came from the direction of Rain Mist Manor:

"Bad news! Junior Brother Hu Fei has gone missing!"

"Junior Brother Hu Fei is missing!"

The news spread like a bombshell across the crowd of cultivators, sparking disbelief and confusion.

Rain Mist Manor's disciples descended into chaos.

Hu Fei, missing…? Upon hearing this, Yang Fan's expression turned contemplative.

Back in the Millennium Tomb, Hu Fei had acted as though he was determined to claim all the spoils for himself, with no intention of sharing with others. 

And not long ago, under the interrogation of the two ancestors, it was clear to anyone with half a brain that these spoils would likely be taken by their elders.

"Did he flee because of that…? Even at the cost of becoming an enemy of Foundation Establishment cultivators?" 

Yang Fan sighed lightly. Hu Fei was truly a strange one.

Still, given that Hu Fei had no family or ties, running away like this wasn't a bad plan—though it carried enormous risk.

Soon, a dazzling streak of sword light shot from the distance, and Elder Chu of the Chu family arrived, disbelief written across his face. "He really ran—"

"Reporting to the Elder… Junior Brother Hu Fei said he was stepping aside to relieve himself and would return shortly. But after he left, he never came back. We searched the area thoroughly, but found no trace of him."

A nervous disciple explained.

Ting!

Just then, another streak of sword light shot towards them. It was the elder of the Yang family, who arrived with a smile, offering some consolation. "Brother Chu, no need to worry. Perhaps the boy simply flew ahead of us, returning to Rain Mist Manor."

Elder Chu's face darkened. He was beginning to realize that Hu Fei might have fled with the spoils.

If that were the case, and if a Condensing Spirit cultivator had indeed fled with treasures in hand, finding him in such a vast world would be no easy task.

Whoosh!

Elder Chu's face hardened, and he flew off toward Rain Mist Manor in a beam of sword light, clinging to the last vestiges of hope.

Elder Yang, watching him depart with a smirk, seemed to take some pleasure in his misfortune.

After a time, the cultivators managed to leave Ghost Corpse Mountain before nightfall.

Thus, the Ghost Corpse Mountain incident came to a temporary close with the rescue of the two survivors. 

However, Yang Fan knew this was far from over. Whether it was Hu Fei's escape, the remaining Foundation Establishment-stage corpse in the tomb, or the terrifying headless demon corpse, these were all inevitable factors that would come into play.

After leaving the mountain, Yang Fan immediately distanced himself from the crowd. He had no intention of flying straight home; even though it would be faster, it would draw unwanted attention from those watching closely.

Barely a few miles from the mountain, Yang Fan's expression suddenly shifted, though he quickly regained his calm. He murmured softly to himself, "Just as I thought. Even after leaving the Millennium Tomb, no matter how low I keep my profile, I'll still attract some flies…"

Indeed, he had already sensed people tailing him.

In response, he deliberately chose to take a more secluded and hidden path, quickly shaking off some of the pursuers.

Yet a few were still relentlessly following, clearly unwilling to give up until they achieved their goal.

The situation stirred a killing intent within him.

Yang Fan didn't need to know their exact purpose for following him. Since they had chosen to become his enemies, they would have to pay a heavy price.

After walking a little further, Yang Fan suddenly slipped into a dense forest. He donned a mysterious mask and changed into a long black robe.

Then, he activated the "Transformation Art," causing his body to stretch taller by half a foot, and his face to undergo a significant transformation.

At this moment, the gentle and approachable aura that had surrounded him was gone, replaced by a cold, merciless air of killing intent.

Before long, two or three black-clad, masked figures stealthily entered the forest.

"He went in here. This is the perfect place to strike," one of them whispered, making a hand signal to attack, his face full of murderous intent.

The three of them were all Qi Refining cultivators. The leader was in the late stage of Qi Refining, while the other two were in the mid-stage.

Rustle! Rustle!

The three leapt silently, moving through the dense forest.

"Huh? Where did he go?" one of them asked, puzzled.

The three searched the forest back and forth for some time, but completely lost track of Yang Fan.

"Damn it! He got away… We'll have to find another chance," the leader muttered in frustration.

With that, they removed their masks and changed their clothes, transforming into righteous-looking cultivators with an air of nonchalance as they strolled out of the forest

.

At that moment, a cold voice rang out.

"Who said I'm letting you leave alive?"