Stay still and Don't panic!

"Why chief suddenly summoned us to the main hall?" Pay Ling frowned. As a branch family disciple who had never been favored by his parents, he had seen the chief fewer than five times in his entire life.

"Seventh Young Master," the servant replied, already turning to notify the next family member. "It's because Immortal Master Zheng has returned and asked the chief to gather everyone. You should hurry over. Immortal Master Zheng doesn't seem to be in a good mood."

Pay Ling's heart sanked. He quickly weighed the feasibility of continuing his escape plan.

Unfortunately, the survival rate was practically zero.

Although he had just broken through to the 3rd layer of the Qi Refining Stage and could now overpower lions and tigers, he was no match for even the power of the Pay Clan, let alone a highrank disciple of the Abyss Pit Sect.

The real issue was the Pay Clan's strict rules. If the clan leader summoned someone and they failed to appear within the time, martial would immediately be sent to investigate and deal with the matter.

Especially since this summons was related to Kinson Zheng, the Pay Clan would act even more swiftly to avoid losing face in front of the Abyss Pit Sect disciple. If Pay Ling tried to flee now, he likely wouldn't even make it past the manor gates.

"Don't panic!" Pay Ling steadied himself, analyzing the situation calmly. "If Zheng knew I had entered his room and stolen the Bone Tempering Pills, he would have already ordered the Pay Clan to capture or even kill me on the spot. He wouldn't have just sent a mortal servant to summon me…"

With this in mind, he called out to the servant, who had already walked some distance away. "Did Immortal Master Zheng go straight to the main hall after returning? He didn't go back to the Evergreen Courtyard to rest?"

"No," the servant shook his head, then urged him again. "Seventh Young Master, please hurry over. Don't keep the immortal master waiting! Otherwise, the chief won't go easy on you."

Pay Ling quickly weighed his options. "Alright, I'll go."

A short while later, Pay Ling arrived at the Pay Clan's main hall.

Clan Chief Pay Xuan sat upright in the seat of honor, with the clan heir, Pay Honine, standing respectfully at his side. The three clan elders sat below, their expressions solemn.

In the seat reserved for the most distinguished guest sat a young man with a face as flawless as jade and a strikingly handsome, resolute appearance—none other than Zheng Kinson, an inner sect disciple of the Abyss Pit Sect!

Pay Ling entered and paid his respects to the chief. Pay Xuan waved his hand dismissively, signaling for Pay Ling to stand with the others and await further instructions.

From beginning to end, no one paid him any attention.

This indifference finally gave Pay Ling a sense of low-key security.

Clearly, Kinson Zheng had no idea about what had happened in the Evergreen Courtyard.

This is really too good to be true!

Pay Ling breathed a quiet sigh of relief and quickly adjusted his expression, mirroring the curious and reverent looks of the other Pay Clan disciples as they gazed quietly at the five figures seated at the front of the hall.

In this world, the cultivation realms were divided into the Qi Refining Stage, the Foundation Stage, the CoreForm Stage, and beyond. The Qi Refining Stage itself was further divided into nine layers. after breaking the ninth layer led to the Foundation Stage, which had three phases: Junior, Intermediate, and Advanced. Beyond the late Foundation Stage lay the Core Formation Stage.

Realms stage beyond Core Formation? The Pay Clan's files held no information. After all, even in the vast Deerspring, there wasn't a single Foundation cultivator. The strongest known figure was Pay Xuan, the clan chief, who had reached the 7th layer of the Qi Refining Stage.

Even Pay Honine, the clan heir who had been sent to the Abyss Pit Sect's outer sect with high expectations and abundant resources, had only reached the 4th layer of the Qi Refining Stage so far.

In contrast, the two Abyss Pit Sect disciples visiting the town were on an entirely different level. Kinson Zheng, despite his youth, was already at the intermediate Foundation Stage.

In other words, if Kinson Zheng rampaged, he could single-handedly slaughter everyone in Deerspring.

This was why, when Kinson Zheng issued an order, the entire Pay Clan dared not show the slightest hint of negligence.

As Pay Ling pondered the purpose of Zheng's summons, he suddenly sensed a hostile gaze directed at him.

He instinctively turned his head and saw his half-brother, Pay Tu, glaring at him with undisguised malice.

"Did I do something wrong today?" Pay Ling wondered inwardly. Although his relationship with this half-brother had never been good, ever since he had been marginalized within the family, his stepmother and her son had largely ignored him, treating him as if he were beneath their notice. Why were they suddenly showing such clear hostility now?

Pay Ling's mood grew heavy. "Or have I become overconfident after activating the system without realizing it?"

He began carefully reviewing his recent behavior, wondering if he had inadvertently strayed from his cautious ways. Just then, a servant approached Pay Xuan and whispered something into his ear. Pay Xuan nodded slightly, cleared his throat, and the hall immediately fell silent.

With an extremely respectful tone, Pay Xuan addressed Kinson Zheng, "FellowDao Zheng, all the disciples of our humble clan are now present. Please feel free to issue your instructions."

Kinson Zheng opened his eyes, which had been closed in meditation, and swept his gaze indifferently over the crowd. In a cold, detached voice, 

"The traitor of our sect, Wu Tinshee, has fled into the depths of Mountain Yuan. His whereabouts are unknown. You will hike at once and hunt him down. Whoever uncovers the trace of Wu will be rewarded with fifty Bone Tempering Pills."

"Speak if you have something worth saying. Otherwise, move. Now."

After hearing Kinson Zheng's instructions, the Pay Clan disciples exchanged uneasy glances, their eyes instinctively shifting toward the clan leader, the clan heir, and the elders.

Pay Xuan wore a troubled expression. He cleared his throat and said, "FellowDao Zheng, this Wu Tinshee was, after all, a former disciple of your esteemed sect and a direct disciple of Sect's Elder Luo. I've heard that his cultivation has reached the 7th layer of the Qi Refining Stage. The disciples of our humble clan are weak and inexperienced. This task might be…"

"It's nothing" Kinson Zheng interrupted coldly. "Wu is currently severely injured, with less than a tenth of his power remaining. Even a novice cultivator could capture him. He's nothing more than a stray dog now, too afraid to show his face."

Pay Xuan visibly relaxed. He glanced around the hall and declared, "Do you all understand? Anyone who dares to slack off and jeopardize FelloDao Zheng's task will face the full wrath of Pay clan!"

With that, he formed a hand seal, and an image of a man materialized in the air above the hall. The man had a sinister face, sharp eyes, and disheveled hair. Pay Xuan explained, "This is the traitor of the Abyss Pit Sect, Wu Tinshee. If you discover his whereabouts, do not delay. Immediately send the clan's smoke signal, and FellowDao Zheng will arrive to capture him."

The Pay Clan disciples responded in unison, "Yes chief! We will obey the orders!"

Pay Xuan nodded. "Get moving!"

Seeing the others eagerly preparing to leave, Pay Ling quickly put on an expression of suppressed excitement and blended into the crowd as they filed out of the hall.

Once outside, he subtly maneuvered himself to the front of the group.

He had already made up his mind. Once they left the town and everyone headed toward Mountain Yuan, it would be the perfect opportunity for him to slip away unnoticed and disappear far from Deerspring.

He had already packed his most important belongings and was ready to flee anyway

If he stayed, there was no telling what would happen when Kinson Zheng returned to his room and discovered that someone had broken in and stolen the Bone Tempering Pills. Pay Ling's fate would be sealed!

As the Pay Clan disciples departed, Pay Xuan turned to Kinson Zheng with a smile. "FellowDao Zheng, our humble clan has recently acquired some rare spiritual tea. Would you love to join for a tasting?"

"No need," Kinson Zheng replied curtly, rising to his feet. "I must return to the Evergreen Courtyard. I'll take you up on your offer another time."

He hurried back to the Evergreen Courtyard but didn't go to his own room. Instead, he made his way to a more secluded and elegant lodge at the rear of the courtyard.

The lodge had a refined appearance, with a wind chime hanging from the eaves. The chime swayed gently in the breeze, complementing the low-hanging roof and the rustling bamboo surrounding the area, creating a serene atmosphere.

However, upon closer inspection, the wind chime was made of human skulls strung together. Countless ghostly faces twisted and writhed on the surface of the skulls, their silent screams filling the air.

Even Kinson Zheng, an intermeiate Foundation cultivator, felt a wave of dizziness when he accidentally glanced at it.

Kinson Zheng quickly steadied his mind and averted his gaze to the ground. He bowed respectfully outside the cottage door, but before he could speak, an icy voice came from within. "Found him or not?"

"Senior Sister, I've confirmed that Wu Tinshee has fled into Yuan Mountain. All of Elder Luo's other disciples have been dealt with, so the Six Desires Secret Tomes must be in Wu's hand," 

Kinson Zheng replied hurriedly. 

"I've already instructed the Pay Clan to..."

"Useless!"

The voice cut through the air, icy and merciless. 

"I have no time to waste on incompetence. Stop standing there like a fool—go and search for it yourself!. If the Six Desires Spell Tomes isn't in my hands within three days, I'll rip out your soul and forge it into a tool for my artifacts. Now move!"

Kinson Zheng's face paled, and he immediately dropped to his knees. "Aye, Senior Sister!"

After a moment, when no further orders came from within the cottage, he cautiously rose to his feet and backed away, careful not to make a sound.

Once outside, he realized his back was drenched in cold sweat.

He glanced toward his own room, hesitating for a moment, but ultimately decided not to delay. Without even notifying the Pay Clan, he rushed out of the manor and headed straight for Mountain Yuan.

Meanwhile, Pay Ling took advantage of the group passing through a dense forest to slip away unnoticed.

Mountain Yuan lay to the north of Deerspring. After exiting the forest, he quickly oriented himself and headed southwest. This direction led to an open plain, beyond which was an official road connecting to several other cities.

He had already made up his mind: he would head to the nearest city first. If he managed to arrive without being caught, he would disguise himself and quickly join a traveling caravan, putting as much distance between himself and Deerspring as possible.

Although the Bone Tempering Art didn't emphasize speed, achieving the Iron Bone stage had filled his body with immense strength, making his movements naturally faster than before.

Worried that Kinson Zheng might have already discovered the intrusion into his room, Pay Ling didn't dare to slack off. He ran for over an hour without stopping, only allowing himself to relax slightly when he confirmed that no one was around.

But soon, he felt something was wrong.

Someone's watching him!