He smiled faintly, pointed his finger, and cast a spell toward the spirit. The black-robed scholar suddenly shivered, as if jolted awake.

He turned back and saw Zhang Yan standing not far away. Overjoyed, he hurriedly threw away his fishing rod, walked across the water in haste, and knelt before him, bowing deeply. He said, "Is it you, my lord? Since the True Master left, this humble one has been waiting here for twenty years."

Zhang Yan glanced at him and smiled. "When I visited this place long ago, Master Gui said that the books, elixirs, Dharma treasures, and other items within this cave were entrusted to you. He told me to request them from you in the future. Tell me, is this true?"

The black-robed scholar quickly nodded and said, "Indeed, it is true! When the True Master ascended, this residence was left with 237 volumes of books, three elixir rooms, one Alchemy Treasure Cauldron, 25 high-grade spiritual artifacts, two mystical artifacts, one true artifact, as well as various refining materials and strange medicines, spiritual flowers, and the like. Apart from me being required to guard this cave mansion and maintain its prohibition arrays at all times, all else is at your disposal for sacrificial refinement or usage."

Zhang Yan nodded in acknowledgment, then smiled. "Lead me to the repository of books so that I may take a look."

Gui Congyao, known for his compassionate nature and reluctance to harm others, had ensured that the two mystical artifacts left behind were not offensive weapons. Hence, Zhang Yan wasn't in a hurry to claim them.

But the books were of a different value. Gui Congyao, though a Cave Heaven Demon, might not have practiced cultivation techniques stronger than those of the Mingcang Sect, yet his insights on the path of cultivation could be priceless. For this reason, Zhang Yan was eager to inspect them first.

The black-robed scholar, now under new ownership, dared not disobey. He pointed with his hand, and from a distant clearing, a silver-walled cloud tower arose from the ground. Its gates and windows opened wide, revealing rows of neatly arranged bookshelves inside.

Zhang Yan swept his sleeve and walked into the tower. Pausing to observe for a while, he then picked up a book and skimmed a few pages. Upon finding it to be merely a travelogue, he shook his head, replaced it, and proceeded toward the second floor.

At this moment, the black-robed scholar suddenly perked up, tilting his head as though listening attentively. He then spoke, "My lord, someone is outside the cave mansion, loudly demanding that you return their two disciples."

Zhang Yan raised an eyebrow and sneered. "They've come quickly, haven't they? Very well, let us settle this first."

In a flash, he vanished from the "Little Pot Mirror" and headed toward one of the palace halls.

Inside the grand hall, two Daoists with unfriendly expressions had arrived. One was named Tu Xuan, the other Song Zhe, both noble family disciples of Xuanmen. The Tu and Song clans were influential families within the Mingcang Sect. The two had come because their disciples had been captured by Zhang Yan.

Tu Xuan, with a long, thin face and a slightly pointed chin, sported three strands of blue beard. His gaze betrayed greed and envy as he chuckled sinisterly, "Since the Three Pools Demon Clan was driven out, I've visited Surging Wave Lake a few times, yet never seen anything so exquisite. What merit or capability does this Zhang Yan have to claim such a Cave Heaven Blessed Land for himself?"

Song Zhe appeared slightly startled and glanced around cautiously, whispering, "This cave mansion was personally granted by the Sect Leader Master. Brother Tu, you mustn't speak carelessly. Keep in mind that the master-disciple lineage is looking for excuses to act against us. We must tread carefully."

Tu Xuan picked up a tea cup from the table and, upon hearing this, smashed it onto the stone table with a "bang," retorting indignantly, "Zhang Yan is just a Xuan Guang Practitioner. If I had the Beiming Sword in hand, I wouldn't be inferior to him. What skill does he have anyway?"

Song Zhe shook his head repeatedly, smiling wryly. "Brother Tu, it's one thing to grumble now, but when you meet Zhang Yan later, please don't go too far. Show him some courtesy. All my nephews are in his hands. If you provoke him and he loses his temper, their lives will be at risk."

Tu Xuan snorted but said nothing more.

Song Zhe sighed in relief. From the moment Zhang Yan had killed Wan Zhang and Wen An without hesitation upon returning, completely disregarding the Zhengqing Institute's intervention, Song Zhe had been deeply shocked. Though he knew it was humiliating to plead, the lives of his clan's juniors left him no choice but to come.

Tu Xuan, on the other hand, had initially resisted. Although the captured disciples were from the Song Clan, they were his apprentices. As their master, he had no choice but to make the trip as well.

After they waited briefly, Zhang Yan emerged from the inner hall, bowed slightly to the two, and said, "I did not know Brother Tu and Brother Song were visiting. Apologies for the lack of proper welcome."

Tu Xuan shot to his feet and, pointing with both fingers, bellowed angrily, "Zhang Yan, why did you capture my disciples? Release them at once!"

Zhang Yan sneered. "Your disciples unjustly bullied those under my sect, so I captured them. Since the two of you didn't come to apologize, there's nothing more to discuss. Please leave." With a swish of his sleeve, he turned to leave.

Seeing things take a bad turn, Song Zhe panicked. If they angered Zhang Yan, how could they retrieve their clan members? In just three days, given Zhang Yan's decisiveness, he might truly execute them. He hurriedly stepped forward to mediate, chuckling, "Brother Zhang, please don't go! Brother Tu and I both trained under Master Du. He just has a fiery temper that you needn't take to heart. On behalf of the Song Clan, I apologize."

Though his words were conciliatory, there was a subtle reminder of their shared teacher. Zhang Yan recognized this implication and understood there was more behind it. After some thought, he recalled a name and asked, "You are both disciples of Daoist Du De?"

Song Zhe quickly nodded. "Exactly."

Zhang Yan pondered inwardly, "How coincidental. The Wang Pan I killed that day was said to also be a disciple of Du De."

Although Wang Pan was a disciple of Du De, he was merely at the Ming Qi Third Realm and had only recently joined. He was so insignificant that even his fellow disciples barely knew him. As one of the Ten Great Disciples of the sect, Du De had over a hundred disciples under his name, and Wang Pan's death had not warranted any attention from him.

While Song Zhe pleaded humbly, Zhang Yan remained unmoving, standing silently. Suddenly, a light of inspiration flickered in Song Zhe's eyes. He slapped his forehead and muttered to himself, "How could I forget this?"

He quickly stepped back, retrieved a jade box from his sleeve, and respectfully offered it, saying, "Brother Zhang, I've heard that you've recently experienced some disturbances in the sect. This item is a Dharma Sword refined by my clan, called Qiuhong. Please accept it as a token of our goodwill to calm your mind."

...

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