ay very humbly."Haha! Everyone can see your contributions. Perhaps the Marquis will let you lead a portion of the troops, and then we'll still have opportunities to cooperate."Ripples smiled humbly an..."It should be these intruders who dug this, their purpose is likely to hide from the oasis's drain on life force at night."

After thinking for a moment, Mo Shangchen said.

The shirtless man listened to this, and glanced at Mo Shangchen.

"Keep going."

The ripples issued another command.

The bare-chested man's feet, unheeding his commands, strode toward one of the cave openings.

Ripples is still the first one, but this time Mo Shangchen cleverly inserted himself in front of Lian Xi Ye, separating the two. He did this because he felt safe, but it made Lian Xi Ye a little unhappy, although he didn't show it.

As everyone pressed onward, several of them could feel they were descending a slope, meaning they were going deeper. Along the way, they also discovered piles of bones, both human and animal, which caused everyone to furrow their brows.

A gust of wind swept past, ruffling her hair into ripples. She frowned because she smelled something foul, like rotting flesh, mixed with a strange, cloying fragrance. The two odors mingled together, assaulting her nostrils and nearly causing her to faint.

So ripples subconsciously closed her sense of smell. Just like that, she realized she could manipulate spiritual power. So she slightly turned her wrist, pulling the shirtless man back to a standing position.

"Hey, what's wrong"

Mo Shangchen warily asked.

"Try channeling some of your spiritual energy and see if you can use it."

Ripple opened her mouth, wanting to know if this was a coincidence or if everyone felt the same.

"Hmm Okay!"

Mo Shangchen's eyes lit up, and he immediately began trying to move the spiritual energy within his body.

Others also naturally heard Ripple's words and tried the same thing.

"Wow, I can move my spiritual energy!"

"I can too!"

"Since we can still mobilize our spiritual energy now, everyone take out your weapons just in case!"

Lien Xi at the right time reminded.

No one can guarantee that spiritual energy will always be available in this strange oasis, so it is essential to be prepared beforehand.

Everyone instinctively summoned their natal treasures, equipping their defenses and activating their spells.

In just a few breaths, everyone was ready. The shirtless man was incredibly surprised and said in disbelief:

"How is that possible You can actually manipulate spiritual energy here, but I can't"

The man tried with some disbelief, but the spiritual energy in his meridians remained completely still, as if asleep.

The ripples didn't provide the other party with an answer, but instead continued to ask his teammates:

"Don't you smell something strange"

"There was a stench in the air."

Du Yan held her natal spirit sword, the first to speak.

This smell comes and goes, it must have been blown over by the wind just now.

Lian Xiye carefully added.

Ripples nodded after hearing this, saying nothing. Apparently, that strange fragrance could only be smelled by her. Could it be because she was a fox demon and had an exceptionally sensitive nose

However, she wasn't going to say anything about it. She didn't want to stand out or attract suspicion from others.

"I-Dao friend, how did you discover the ability to use spiritual energy"

As expected, Ye Qing immediately asked a question the next moment.

"That was the most foul stench I'd ever smelled, so instinctively, I shut my nose. That way, I naturally discovered that I could use my spiritual energy."

Why doesn't that man work then

Ye Qing continued to ask.

"What do you think the difference is between us and him"

Ripples asked, "Is that any way for a good cultivator to act Can't you think for yourself"

He arrived before us, stayed longer than we did, and even resorted to cannibalism to survive. He also smeared himself with a dark, viscous plant sap.

Du Yan listed them one by one, and when she said this, she also glanced at Ye Qing. She always felt that Ye Qing was somewhat targeting Eileen.

"Only Daoist Du noticed it so carefully, I thought I was the only one who saw it."

Ripple smiled and chuckled at Du Yan's words, a hint of sarcasm playing on her lips.

It really lives up to the saying that birds of a feather flock together and people are divided into groups. The male cultivators surrounding Lian Xiye are all of one ilk. They are arrogant and conceited, and most importantly, they are full of themselves. They really think that after they reach the Nascent Soul stage, they are someone special. At most, they would just be an average elder back in their sect. It's not yet time to tear them apart, otherwise, I would have killed them long ago.

Ye Qing seemed to also notice Lian Ri's displeasure, especially the sarcastic look in her eyes. Although he was a little annoyed, he knew this wasn't the time for infighting, so he could only say dryly:

"Still, it's you female cultivators who are meticulous."

Mo Shangchen aptly smoothed things over:

"Ido, do you suspect that the real limitation on spiritual energy use is from the liquid he has painted himself with"

"Well, it must be something in the oasis that gave him this illusion, making him think he couldn't use his spiritual power, and his life force was rapidly draining away. Then he willingly smeared himself with it, falling right into their trap."

Ripple offered her own speculation.

"Since the other party has already been exposed by us, let's go and see what is actually influencing these people."

In the evening, he spoke with righteous indignation.

"Keep moving forward!"

The ripples instructed the bare-chested man calmly. Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

The man's expression was off. He had heard the conversation between the others just now, and at this moment, he realized the problem, but it was too late.

The shirtless man finally led them six into a grotto with stalactites. Then, everyone saw a woman sitting on a throne, her eyes unfocused and staring straight at them.

"Honorable guests, we are delighted that you have arrived and found your way here."

The other party's voice was very pleasant to hear, melodious. They were wearing a black robe with intricate patterns, and their accessories were all silver. At their feet, some people who had also painted themselves black lay prostrate.

"Honorable senior, we meant no disrespect. We only accidentally stumbled into this place. Could you please allow us to leave"

A courteous greeting with a bow.

"This is natural. The reason why I've persisted with such an embarrassing method until now is to wait for the destined people, and you are my destined people."

A wry smile played on the woman's pale face as she readily admitted her wrongdoing, but also explained that there was a reason behind her actions.

"What do you mean"

That evening, he immediately asked.

He felt that he was the destined one.

"I am the mount of Lord Yun Xi, guarding his cave dwelling for a long time. I sacrificed my own elixir to heal my master, and because of that, I can no longer advance in rank. Alas, my master ultimately perished. As time passes, I will also dissipate."

But because no one has ever come to inherit the master's mantle, I have no choice but to use this method to barely survive. On one hand, it is to help the master select an heir; on the other hand, it is to prolong my own life.

"Luckily, I didn't disappoint you all. Finally, I have met you who have passed the test."

After the woman finished speaking, she pressed a button on her seat. The chair moved backward, revealing a staircase leading down.

"Below are the master's possessions, but only one of you may go down."ave you prepared firewood and warm clothes at home"Thanks to Miss To, the money from selling the wild boar plus the compensation from my uncle, we bought blankets and new cotton-padded clothes for me...