Chapter 115: The Eternal Star Path

"Rest assured!"

"I want to go home even more than you do," Xiao Cai said, her voice taut.

Gongsun Yan paused, hesitated for a moment, then nodded, her expression returning to normal.

"That's good. Still, that boy is our benefactor after all. Even if we end up on opposite sides, I will spare his life once!" Gongsun Yan said with a shrug, though her gaze remained fixed on Xiao Cai’s face.

Xiao Cai offered only a blank nod.

At that moment, having received orders from Gongsun Yan, Lei Hu had already set out from the depths of the mountain range to track down Tu Lu. Although Gongsun Yan had provided a general direction, it was merely an estimate; even she was not certain of Tu Lu’s precise location.

For some reason, no matter how hard Lei Hu searched, he could not find him. Tu Lu seemed to have vanished from the world entirely. Even when Lei Hu passed directly by the entrance of that withered cave, he failed to notice anything.

It was the same for Tu Lu inside. He felt as though he had been isolated from the world, and perhaps only upon stepping out of the cave would he realize what had transpired.

In the meantime, he recovered from his injuries without incident.

Time passed. His wounds eventually healed completely, and by continuously absorbing the energy of nature, he successfully reached the proficiency stage in the *Natural Scripture*. With this, the techniques within the scripture no longer held any barriers for him, though moves like the "Great Destruction Fist" still could not be executed to their full potential.

Additionally, he had mastered the "Brilliant Strike" during his recovery—a feat made easier by the fact that it was an explosive secret technique.

The "Ghost Corpse False Life" technique, however, was entirely out of reach, as it required vast resources, most notably the remains of a powerful cultivator—something he had no way of obtaining.

As for his cultivation base, he remained at the peak of the early Purple Mansion stage, though his foundation had become significantly more solid. With the *Natural Scripture* at the proficiency level and the "Brilliant Strike" at his disposal, his combat power had soared. While it was unlikely he could directly threaten a Spirit Transformation expert, he could now manage to unleash an attack capable of inducing a "Dao Wound," similar to his previous strikes, even without relying on the shattering of the Blood God Gloves.

Though, the "Brilliant Strike" remained a one-shot technique.

"I wonder how things are on the outside," he mused.

He glanced toward the cave entrance, finally contemplating his departure. It was unrealistic to expect further progress in the short term, and given how much time had passed, Zhen Ling should have left by now.

Drawing from his experience in the Quicksand Swamp, he had learned his lesson and kept a large supply of food in his Heavenly Dragon Token. It should have lasted four to five months under normal consumption, but now, most of it was gone. By that measure, at least three months had passed outside. If a Spirit Transformation sovereign could loiter openly in the Thunder Demon Mountain Range for three months, the range would have been conquered long ago.

Yet, he felt a strange sense of unease regarding this withered cave. At first, he had feared discovery by Zhen Ling, but as time passed, he realized he had been overthinking it. Not only was Zhen Ling absent, but there was not even a fly to be found in this part of the range.

It was precisely this that felt unsettling. If Zhen Ling’s absence was strange, the fact that not a single Great Demon had appeared in the depths of the Thunder Demon Mountain Range for months was even more abnormal.

"Could it be these murals?"

He hesitated, then followed the murals deeper into the cave. After long familiarity, he no longer felt the agitation they once induced, but he still dared not look at the final mural in the deepest part of the chamber.

Yet, before leaving, he decided to take one last look.

Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted in his mind!

Countless blurred images flashed before his eyes, and the world seemed reduced to mere black and white. He let out a sharp cry of agony.

At that instant, the Ancient Buddha’s Green Lamp within his Heavenly Dragon Token flared of its own accord, shooting a spark into the final mural.

In a heartbeat, one of the three stars hidden in the mist on the wall began to glow with a blinding light!

The mural transformed into a massive vortex, and a terrifying force of suction seized him, dragging him inside.

His expression shifted—it all happened in a split second—and then he vanished from the cave.

The moment he disappeared, a thunderous boom shook the skies above the Thunder Demon Mountain Range. A colossal bolt of lightning, spanning millions of miles, tore across the firmament as if the heavens themselves were splitting asunder!

Gongsun Yan, Xiao Cai, the powerful Demon Sovereigns lurking in the depths of the range, and the human experts confronting them all looked up at the lightning, their faces pale with shock.

"How is this possible? The Ancient Star Path has manifested!"