Xu Hei wasn't too worried about this group of competitors; the only concern was that Core Formation stage cultivator.
He had faced off against Core Formation stage opponents before and knew well how troublesome they could be.
In the Blood Corpse Cave, even with the help of corpse spirits and the opponent falling into a trap, having been heavily injured by Xu Qingfeng, Xu Hei still almost got countered by Zhou Qing despite having the advantage of time, place, and people.
If it weren't for his dumb luck in pulling out a Minor Annihilation Talisman, who knows what might have happened.
Xu Hei dared not be careless.
"Elder Liu, come quickly!"
Suddenly, a shout came from afar.
The Core Formation stage cultivator's expression changed, and he hurriedly followed the sound to the entrance of a tavern.
The tavern was half-collapsed and in ruins, but inside, there were numerous historical projections, with all sorts of people entering, sitting at tables and benches, drinking and talking loudly.
"Listen carefully, what are they saying?" a young disciple said excitedly.
Elder Liu spread out his Divine Sense, carefully capturing each person's conversation.
This man was named Liu Chengfeng, appearing middle-aged, dressed in a long green robe, with a handsome appearance, about the same age as Xuan Yangzi, but with a much higher status.
He was the head of the Pill Hall of the Snake Catchers Sect!
Speaking of which, he was also the Dao companion of the head of the Purple Mist Sect, and no one dared to provoke the Purple Mist Sect precisely because of his backing.
Liu Chengfeng's cultivation wasn't outstanding, but his pill refining skills ranked first in the sect, and all factions sought his help. Even the Grand Elder and the sect head treated him with respect.
He was not content with solitude, which was why he came to explore the ancient relic.
If he didn't want to, the Heavenly Puppet Sect wouldn't force him; such talent in pill refining was rare anywhere.
"Brother, you're too decadent, spending all day either in the birdhouse or drinking. How can that be? Look at me, I'm also well-off, yet I work an hour every day," said a scholarly-looking man at the table.
Opposite him sat a drunken burly man, who cursed, "What do you know? Recently, a new Earth Temple was built in the east of the city, and I've been working overtime every day, so busy that I can't get home until noon, missing lunch. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have quit my job."
Their conversation was full of resentment. If the mortals outside heard it, they'd be furious, calling them ungrateful.
However, Liu Chengfeng caught a keyword: "Earth Temple?"
Xu Hei was eavesdropping from afar and also heard the words "Earth Temple."
But he subconsciously thought it couldn't be such a coincidence that it was the Earth Temple. These historical projections shouldn't be so accurate.
"Missing lunch? No way, the City Lord of Wuyou wouldn't exploit labor like that. Is this Earth Temple really that important?" the scholar frowned, as Wuyou City's labor laws strictly limited work to no more than two and a half hours a day.
"Haha, why would I lie to you? Even the dogs are exhausted, let alone people!" the burly man cursed.
"Exactly! Even the dogs are exhausted; it's inhuman!"
As they talked, a voice chimed in, sounding like a dog's bark.
It was a phantom of a big black dog, speaking human words.
No one was surprised that a dog could talk in these historical projections. Wuyou City's technological level had surpassed that of cultivation sects, with machines replacing much of the manual labor.
There were even mechanical birds that could deliver goods to your door, allowing you to shop from home.
Xu Hei shuddered, focusing his Divine Sense repeatedly to confirm he wasn't mistaken.
"This black dog is..."
Xu Hei's pupils contracted, and his breath caught.
This phantom of a big black dog looked so much like a certain Huang.
A common dog looks the same, right? What's the difference?
It's just an ancient projection, nothing to be surprised about.
Xu Hei exhaled, dismissing it.
But what happened next was rather bizarre.
The big black dog continued, "I heard the City Lord of Wuyou personally went to the Earth Temple to perform a ritual, leaving something behind, and no one is allowed to approach."
As soon as these words were spoken, Liu Chengfeng jumped up, eyes shining, and immediately killed the shocked young cultivator beside him.
This information was too important; he was almost certain that it was the third inheritance site.
It was likely the Earth inheritance!
But if he left alone, it might arouse suspicion, and he didn't want the inheritance to be shared with others.
"Hmph! I'm the only one at the Core Formation stage here; who can stop me? I'll leave an External Incarnation here to pretend to search while my true self sneaks away to the Earth Temple."
Liu Chengfeng quickly made up his mind.
But just as he was about to gather his External Incarnation with full True Essence.
A pitch-black figure suddenly appeared behind him.
"Hall Master Liu, you suddenly killed to silence someone; did you discover a secret you want to keep to yourself?"
Liu Chengfeng trembled all over and looked back to see an old man with a ghostly aura, thin and smiling, but the smile was eerie and sinister.
It was the Thirteenth Ancestor of the Snake Catchers Sect!
Liu Chengfeng was startled, cold sweat breaking out on his back, but he quickly regained his composure.
"So it's the Thirteenth Ancestor. I saw this person as a spy trying to leak information to outsiders, so I acted decisively."
Liu Chengfeng lied without blushing or gasping, effortlessly.
The Thirteenth Ancestor didn't press further; everyone knew the truth, and it wouldn't do to speak it aloud.
He had coincidentally come to find Liu Chengfeng to appraise a Longevity Pill to see if it was consumable, and happened to witness this.
But now, with Liu Chengfeng's dubious intentions, he wouldn't bring it out, nor would he trust the appraisal.
Regardless, he would first check out the Earth Temple.
The Thirteenth Ancestor acted swiftly, waving his hand and leaving the tavern, heading east of the city.
Liu Chengfeng hesitated for a moment and said, "What about the disciples outside?"
"They're tired and want to sleep."
The Thirteenth Ancestor sneered, flicking twenty small snakes from his sleeve into each disciple's sleeve, causing them to feel dizzy and collapse to the ground within a breath.
Liu Chengfeng's mouth twitched, and he quickly followed the Thirteenth Ancestor.
Shortly after they left, Xu Hei emerged from the ruins.
As soon as the Thirteenth Ancestor arrived, Xu Hei retracted his Divine Sense and concealed himself.
His Invisibility Talisman could hide him from early-stage Core Formation, but he wasn't confident against mid-stage Core Formation.
"The Thirteenth Ancestor is here too; this is troublesome!"
Xu Hei's face was heavy. If the Earth Temple was indeed the Earth Path inheritance, it might be taken by the Snake Catchers Sect, leaving him with nothing.
These two were not easy to deal with, acting ruthlessly and decisively, unwilling to allow any chance of information leaking.
Xu Hei knew his limits; facing these two old foxes, it would be difficult to snatch the treasure from their hands.
Just then, Xu Hei felt a chill in his heart.
The historical projections inside the dilapidated tavern suddenly disappeared.