CHAPTER 501: CHAPTER 486: FANGS EMERGE!

Guo Jinhong seemed eager to know what happened that day in the "Black Death Secret Realm." As soon as Zhouyang reached the outside of Haoyang Mountain, his voice directly transmitted into Zhouyang’s ears from a distance.

"Come directly to Valley of Forgetfulness to see me."

If a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator exerts their full strength, their Divine Sense can cover hundreds of miles. Zhouyang found it unsurprising that Guo Jinhong could transmit his voice to him from over a hundred miles away.

Facing the direction of Valley of Forgetfulness, he cupped his hands in salute and flew straight towards the valley as instructed. Along the way, no cultivators from the Haoyang Sect came forward to stop him, indicating they had received instructions from Guo Jinhong.

Moments later, Zhouyang appeared outside the Valley of Forgetfulness. The person who received him was Qin Zhiyun, Guo Jinhong’s most favored concubine.

"Stop staring, get in quickly, the Patriarch is eager to see you!"

Seeing Zhouyang slightly dazed, Qin Zhiyun frowned slightly, somewhat displeased, and waved a token to open a path through the array.

Seeing this, Zhouyang had no choice but to suppress his thoughts and quickly followed her into the valley.

Once inside the valley, upon arriving outside the grand hall for the third time, Zhouyang’s mood was different from the previous two visits.

The first time he came here, he was full of anxiety and unease, unsure of Guo Jinhong’s purpose in summoning him.

The second time, he was compelled to come, filled with worry and helplessness, his heart full of resignation.

Today, on the third visit, he was still anxious, but this anxiety was no longer about his own safety, but about the impending earth-shattering battle.

Guo Jinhong probably never imagined that Zhouyang, a disciple he could easily kill with a slap, came this time with the intention to kill him!

With a heart full of anxiety, Zhouyang stepped into the grand hall for the third time.

Inside the vast hall, only Guo Jinhong sat high on the Jade Bed, just as he did the last time Zhouyang visited.

"Let’s skip the usual formalities; you should know why the Patriarch summoned you here today!"

In the grand hall, Guo Jinhong waved his hand, dismissing Zhouyang’s salutation. His piercing gaze fell on Zhouyang, full of inquiry.

"Yes, please allow the disciple to explain."

Zhouyang respectfully replied and began to speak according to the prearranged script.

Actually, at this time, he was puzzled, puzzled by why the Celestial Killer Corpse King had not yet acted.

Judging by Guo Jinhong’s demeanor, he clearly hadn’t detected anything unusual about Zhouyang. Such a good opportunity, and yet the Celestial Killer Corpse King hadn’t acted. What was he waiting for?

Unfortunately, despite his confusion, Zhouyang didn’t dare show any anomaly in front of Guo Jinhong, fearing the latter might notice something and endanger his own life.

"This is how things went: while Senior Brother Liu and the others were vying for the dark golden coffin, I had already escaped outside to meditate and recover my injuries. After hearing the screams from beneath, I fled the secret realm directly, not daring to turn back and check the situation!"

Zhouyang recounted according to the prearranged script, detailing his experiences and how he survived.

The script matched the actual events perfectly up until the opening of the coffin, except the original plan of three-party negotiation for treasure was recast as Zhang Xuanzhi and Red Eyebrow Old Monster uniting to seize the treasure, whilst Liu Boyong, unwilling to give up, coveted behind.

As for whether this script could deceive Guo Jinhong, Zhouyang wasn’t very confident, only doing his best and leaving the rest to fate.

After all, even if Guo Jinhong turned hostile, he still had the Celestial Killer Corpse King as his trump card.

However, things went unexpectedly smoothly. After Guo Jinhong listened to Zhouyang’s account, he merely asked a few additional questions. Upon receiving fluent responses, he nodded slightly and said, "Alright, since you’re fine, the Patriarch can relax. Don’t worry, even though you didn’t bring what the Patriarch wanted this time, the reward I promised you still stands."

After speaking, he waved his hand, and a white jade bottle landed in front of Zhouyang: "Focus on your closed-door cultivation to achieve Core Formation on Haoyang Mountain next. The Cyan Origin Sword Sect agreed to give you the ’Jade Liquid Golden Pill,’ and the Patriarch has secured it for you!"

Looking at the white jade bottle suspended before him, and realizing the treasure within was the "Jade Liquid Golden Pill," Zhouyang surprisingly felt little joy.

He was now almost certain that Guo Jinhong had ulterior motives for taking him as a disciple.

Moreover, the time for the other party to truly show his fangs would likely be when he successfully achieved Core Formation.

Considering the Celestial Killer Corpse King was also waiting for him to complete his Core Formation before assisting his cultivation, the allure of the Golden Core Stage plummeted instantly.

If he didn’t achieve Core Formation, he could live longer; if he did, neither Guo Jinhong nor the Celestial Killer Corpse King would likely allow him to live many more years.

In other words, if he successfully achieved Core Formation, his life would begin its countdown!

But could he afford not to achieve Core Formation?

No!

Because even if Guo Jinhong doesn’t push him, the Celestial Killer Corpse King wouldn’t allow him to keep delaying, not to mention if he wants to break free from the control of the Celestial Killer Corpse King, Golden Core Stage cultivation is also a prerequisite.

So, despite not feeling much joy in his heart, he still grabbed the Jade Bottle and put it away, then respectfully bowed and said, "Thank you for the gift, Ancestor. I will definitely not fail the Ancestor’s expectations!"

"Alright, you may step back now. Yue’Er will take you to the place of seclusion!"

Guo Jinhong glanced at him, gently waved his hand, and dismissed him.

"Yes, disciple takes his leave."

Zhouyang bowed once more and quickly exited the grand hall.

Qin Yue’Er, who appeared outside the grand hall at some point, was immediately filled with joy upon seeing Zhouyang come out. She stepped forward to greet him and then led him to the seclusion cave mansion that Guo Jinhong had arranged for him.

After Zhouyang left the Valley of Forgetfulness, Qin Zhiyun inside the grand hall looked puzzled as she gazed at Guo Jinhong and asked, "That boy is obviously lying, why didn’t Ancestor expose him?"

"Expose him? Why expose him?"

"No matter what he is hiding, as long as he doesn’t leave Haoyang Mountain and is never out of my sight, do I fear he will cause trouble?"

"Moreover, once he succeeds in Core Formation, it will be the time for him to meet his end. Why should I be in a hurry?"

Guo Jinhong’s face coldly smiled, indeed preparing to take Zhouyang’s life after his Core Formation, just as Zhouyang thought.

On the other side, Zhouyang, under Qin Yue’Er’s guidance, flew over Haoyang Mountain for a while and then stopped at a hot mountain stream.

"This mountain stream is called Fire Sun Stream. Inside the stream, there’s a natural cave mansion named Fire Sun Cave. The cave is rich with Fire Attribute Spiritual Qi and has always been a coveted cultivation treasure land by the cultivators of the Haoyang Sect. Now, the Ancestor has vacated this place for your exclusive use for Core Formation."

While explaining the origin of the mountain stream to Zhouyang, Qin Yue’Er waved her jade hand, releasing a spell upon a Red Token, which released a red light onto a certain part of the mountain wall in the stream, opening the grand array of the cave mansion.

"Are you also going to stay in this cave mansion with me?"

Zhouyang glanced at the cave mansion’s open door, frowned, and looked at Qin Yue’Er, asking.

"The Ancestor instructed Yue’Er to always be at your side, to be at your service."

Qin Yue’Er replied with her eyes lowered, clearly having heard the displeasure in Zhouyang’s words.

Hearing her words, Zhouyang didn’t say more, immediately flying into the cave mansion.

The Spiritual Qi inside this "Fire Sun Cave" was indeed abundant, more so than the cultivation chambers in Haoyang Immortal City’s "Extreme Yang Cave".

If Zhouyang’s cultivation hadn’t already reached its limit, he estimated that cultivating here for one day would at least be equivalent to cultivating for three days in a normal Tier Four Cave Mansion, effectively doubling his cultivation speed!

Such a cultivation treasure land, it’s no wonder Qin Yue’Er said that the cultivators of the Haoyang Sect would fight each other desperately to cultivate here.

What put Zhouyang slightly at ease was that although Qin Yue’Er was in the same cave mansion, she did not stay by his side. After he entered the cultivation chamber to close off, she only guarded outside as his guardian.

Since he didn’t know if Guo Jinhong was monitoring him, Zhouyang, even while being in a sealed cultivation chamber, didn’t dare to contact the Celestial Killer Corpse King actively. He could only feign normalcy, reciting some mind-calming incantations and spells daily, preparing for Core Formation.

This went on for about two months, and finally, after waiting for something all along, he got a proactive contact from the Celestial Killer Corpse King.

"Don’t worry about anything. With me here, no one can harm you. Just focus on forming your core!"

How could Zhouyang not be worried?

He immediately retorted, "Senior, why didn’t you take action at the Valley of Forgetfulness? My master didn’t seem to notice your presence at all!"

Upon hearing this, the Celestial Killer Corpse King huffed coldly, "Hmph, do you think I didn’t want to act? At that time, there wasn’t just one Nascent Soul Stage cultivator in the Valley of Forgetfulness, and although Guo Jinhong didn’t notice me, he remained vigilant. If I had acted then, I wouldn’t have been sure of killing him!"

More than one Nascent Soul Stage cultivator?

Zhouyang was shocked in his heart, but he wouldn’t doubt the judgment of the Celestial Killer Corpse King, just startled by the opponent’s unfathomable methods, sensing through the spatial treasure and the coffin’s seal another Nascent Soul Stage cultivator hidden by Guo Jinhong.

Thoughts racing in his mind, Zhouyang couldn’t help but follow up, "When do you plan to act, Senior?"

"Naturally, after you form your core!"

"If I’m not mistaken, after you successfully form your core, your master will surely visit you here at the first moment. At that time, he won’t have anyone else with him; that will be the best time for me to act!"

The Celestial Killer Corpse King emphasized the words "visit you," clearly having noticed the hidden discord between Zhouyang and Guo Jinhong, this master-disciple pair.

Zhouyang instantly didn’t know what to say.