“Not good! They’re sending messages to others. There are seven or eight Foundation Establishment cultivators on that ship. We’re no match for them!” a member of the Qin family cried out in alarm.

The Foundation Establishment family member also spoke up, urgency in his voice. “Elder Brother, they’ve already entered. Our family alone can’t drive them out. We should notify the other two families and unite to search for the sect’s relics. That’s the only way!”

Seeing that Qin Hu seemed unmoved, he added in a lower voice, “Elder Brother, while we fight tooth and nail here, Qi Li and Ji Xiaotang are searching for spirit medicines… If we take heavy losses against these outsiders, who will keep the other two families in check?”

Qin Hu glared at him fiercely, but the logic was sound. Outsiders entering was a crisis for all three families; the Qin family shouldn’t bear the brunt alone.

With a resentful grunt, he spat, “We’ll let them go for now. Let’s move!”

With a wave of his hand, the family members retrieved their magical instruments and swiftly retreated from the canyon entrance, disappearing into the dense forest in an instant.

Meanwhile, Wang Hao had just slain a low-grade second-rank Four-Horned Sheep when he felt the communication talisman at his waist grow warm.

“What’s wrong, Fifth Brother?” Wang Wenmei asked urgently.

Wang Hao checked the message and his expression tightened. “Wenwu and the others are in danger. We need to go support them quickly!”

The two swiftly stored the demon beast carcass and snatched a few nearby yellow spirit flowers before hurrying toward the valley.

Shortly after, the Wang and Li families regrouped.

“We’ve been discovered. The group that just ambushed us was one of the three parties,” Wang Wenwu said, his face dark with resentment. “We were attacked as soon as we left the valley entrance. Their strikes were vicious—clearly aiming for our lives.”

Entering someone else’s ruins and seizing their resources—of course they’d attack you.

The thought crossed Wang Hao’s mind, but he didn’t say it aloud. Instead, he projected calm.

“We just need to be careful. We’ve mostly searched the area in front of the mountain peak. Let’s head up the mountain.”

Having searched the outskirts thoroughly and gathered a satisfactory amount of spirit medicines, everyone nodded in agreement.

“I suspect a third-rank demon beast is likely on the mountain. We must be cautious,” Li Derong cautioned.

While gathering herbs earlier, she had sensed a terrifying aura—faint but undeniable—of a third-rank demon beast. She wasn’t certain of its location, but the warning was necessary. With their numbers, they weren’t afraid of second-rank beasts or the rival families, but facing a third-rank monster meant only one thing: run.

After two ke, the group reached the mountain’s base.

A weathered stone tablet stood amidst the overgrowth. On it were inscribed three large, faded characters: “Pill Cauldron Sect.”

None of them had heard of this sect before. It likely wasn’t a top-tier power; even destroyed major sects like the Sun Moon Sect left behind legends. This one had vanished into obscurity.

Wang Yanping smiled. “It sounds like an alchemy-focused sect.”

The Wang Family specialized in alchemy. This was a perfect match. A glimmer of anticipation lit up the eyes of several Wang family members.

The Li family members, however, felt a pang of envy. Their inability to practice alchemy wasn’t due to a lack of talent, but a lack of heritage. If they could obtain a legacy from the Pill Cauldron Sect, cultivating their own alchemists might finally be possible.

“Don’t celebrate too soon,” Wang Hao said, tempering their excitement. “After so many years, any remaining pills would surely be unusable. The ancient formulas might also differ from current ones, requiring spirit medicines that are now extinct.”

Everyone nodded, though their faces showed little disappointment.

Li Derong added, “The pills and formulas might be problematic, but as an alchemy sect, they would have cultivated spirit medicines on a large scale. After all these years, some rare herbs must have grown to a high rank.”

“And there are cultivation techniques,” Li Dedao supplemented eagerly. “Any sect capable of establishing itself here in the vast sea would have had at least Golden Core-level strength. Their techniques would be far superior to what we currently possess.”

Wang Hao considered this. “While spirit medicines are precious, they pale in comparison to cultivation techniques and alchemy heritage. Let’s check the Scripture Pavilion first.”

He glanced toward the denser vegetation further up. “Moreover, with so many beasts here, the Spirit Medicine Garden is likely a nest. The third-rank demon beast is probably guarding the best herbs.”

If they went to the medicine garden first and encountered the beast, they’d be forced to flee, potentially losing the chance to explore the rest of the ruins. The Scripture Pavilion was the smarter, safer bet.

The Scripture Pavilion was typically part of the core area near the summit. Wang Hao and the others began their ascent.

Along the way, they passed various structures, though most had collapsed into ruins—broken walls and debris scattered everywhere. It looked as if a fierce battle had destroyed the sect centuries ago.

Crack!

A crisp sound rang out. Wang Hao felt his shoulder jolt violently, his steps faltering as if he had walked into an invisible wall.

“What happened?” Li Derong asked, looking over sharply.

Wang Hao rubbed his shoulder. “It must be remnants of a restriction formation. We’re in the core area now. It’s not strange for defensive formations to linger between structures. Even broken, they have force. Everyone, be careful.”

His Ice Muscle and Jade Bone Technique had reached the fifth layer; the impact was startling but harmless. For others, it might have drawn blood.

As soon as he finished speaking, a low rustle rustle rustle arose from the grass, putting everyone on high alert.

Wang Wenmei gripped her sword. “Could the formations still attack us?”

“It doesn’t feel like formation power,” Wang Hao said, scanning the ground. “It sounds like living creatures.”

Everyone hurriedly cast protective shields and readied their magical instruments.

Moments later, a swarm of white ants—each as thick as a finger—surged toward them. Their spiritual energy fluctuations were weak; they weren’t even graded beasts, just ordinary ants mutated by the spiritual environment.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Fireball spells flew from their hands, incinerating the ant swarm in seconds.

“We shouldn’t linger,” Wang Hao said, kicking aside the charred remains. “Who knows what else might be attracted? Let’s hurry.”

They soon reached the mountainside, where the structures were denser. Faint light curtains shimmered between buildings here and there; some places even glowed with flowing colors—manifestations of lingering restriction formations.

These visible remnants weren’t particularly dangerous; it was the unseen ones that posed the real threat.

In front of a dilapidated hall, everyone paused. Wang Wenmei tilted her head to read an askew plaque hanging by a single nail.

“Administration Hall,” she read softly.

A collective sigh of disappointment went through the group. They had hoped the intact structure held treasure, but an Administration Hall would only contain account books and mundane records. Any low-rank items temporarily stored there by disciples would be worthless to them now.

They turned away and headed for the next structure.

“Enforcement Hall!”

“Training Grounds!”

“Instruction Hall!”

“Fifth Brother,” one member said anxiously, scanning the sprawling complex of unexplored ruins. “There are too many structures! If we keep searching blindly, when will we ever find the Scripture Pavilion?”

Wang Hao frowned. The Pill Cauldron Sect spanned a vast territory. The distance between major halls could be dozens of li. Without flying swords—risky due to aerial beasts—their foot travel was agonizingly slow.

“We’ll split up temporarily,” Wang Hao decided. “Work in pairs. Do not separate too far. Ideally, two groups should check adjacent buildings to support each other.”

“Yes!”

The group split, heading off in four different directions.

One shichen later, after fruitlessly searching several buildings, Wang Hao and Wang Wenmei arrived before a cluster of cyan-colored structures.

A plaque lay on the ground, covered in a thick layer of dust. Wang Hao waved his hand, a gentle gust of wind blowing the dirt away to reveal the inscription.

“Alchemy Hall!” Wang Wenmei exclaimed in delight. “Fifth Brother! This place is dedicated to alchemy!”

Wang Hao smiled, hope rising in his chest. “Finally, something useful?”

Aside from a few demon beast carcasses and some roadside herbs, they had acquired nothing of value since ascending the mountain. This could be the breakthrough they needed.