"This... is this the Trapping Dragon Pearl?" Senior brother Yun Tian was astonished upon seeing the pearl, not expecting to encounter it here, knowing its sky-reaching capabilities.

"No... no, this isn't the Trapping Dragon Pearl." After speaking, senior brother Yun Tian closely examined the pearl, eventually recognizing what it truly was.

"So it's the Cage Pearl!" Senior brother Yun Tian shook his head in disappointment.

"Dragon Capturing Pearl? What's the difference from the Trapping Dragon Pearl?" Ye Tianfan was puzzled; both pearls restrain dragons, just differing by a single character — was it necessary to treat them differently?

Senior brother Yun Tian immediately understood Ye Tianfan's implication, that Ye Tianfan took both "dragon" characters as referring to real dragons. He explained to Ye Tianfan, "The 'cage' in Cage Pearl means a literal cage, only capable of holding people, and is merely a low-tier imitation of the Trapping Dragon Pearl."

Upon hearing this, Ye Tianfan nodded and said, "I see now; so the difference is quite significant."

"However, what's puzzling is why the Cage Pearl is here. It shouldn't appear in this place nor is there a need to imprison anyone here," said senior brother Yun Tian.

"Wait, imprison people — could it be those living corpses?" Ye Tianfan suddenly spoke.

"Yes! Aren't those living corpses what the pearl imprisons?" Yun Tian's eyes lit up as he spoke.

"Then should we take the Cage Pearl away now? If we do, wouldn't its effect vanish?" Ye Tianfan asked.

"No, we can't take it," said senior brother Yun Tian. "If we do, the remaining living corpses would surge forth. Though we don't know exactly how many remain trapped, we must be cautious. If suddenly thousands of corpses emerged, we won't be able to come here for several days."

Senior brother Yun Tian was unsure of how many corpses lay still sealed, but this wasn't a gamble he could risk. Should tens of thousands of them flood out by opening the pearl, the entire mayor's estate would be inaccessible for days, awaiting their dispersion.

Otherwise, how long would it take to kill that many living corpses?

Having convinced Ye Tianfan not to remove the Cage Pearl, senior brother Yun Tian faced a new dilemma: why was the Bei Yao Mu emblem present here? Could there be a link between the living corpses and Bei Yao Mu?

If they were truly related, it was urgent to report to his master. After all, if Bei Yao Mu was intervening in the cultivation world, the ramifications were significant.

No matter their intentions, both the righteous and demonic paths couldn't ignore it. Bei Yao Mu had contributed immensely, preventing the cultivation world from descending into chaos. Without them, each sect wouldn't be as prosperous now and would dispatch at least two-thirds of their members to guard the extreme western lands.

However, senior brother Yun Tian decided to seek some clues first to ascertain if this was indeed Bei Yao Mu's involvement. If it was, they needed a counter-plan, which meant they came without benevolent intentions.

"Senior brother Yun Tian, do you smell something strange?" Ye Tianfan sensed a peculiar scent.

This aroma was indescribable, seeming like a mix of durian's fragrance with the sharp tang of stinky tofu.

After hearing Ye Tianfan, senior brother Yun Tian quickly covered his nose and instructed Ye Tianfan, "Cover your mouth and nose, hold your breath; although I don't know what exactly you're smelling, don't inhale this strange scent — we're not in a safe zone; we're in a very dangerous place~"

As senior brother Yun Tian spoke, his voice softened, and he lay limply on the ground.

While Ye Tianfan felt nauseous, he didn't collapse like senior brother Yun Tian, weak and powerless. Yet, Ye Tianfan pretended to be weak as well, knowing if both fell, hidden enemies might emerge, allowing them to seize the opportunity.

"Damn! It's the Lingering Spirit Muscle-Dissolving Powder," senior brother Yun Tian said regretfully, "If only Lu Waner were here, she could provide the antidote."

"Lingering Spirit Muscle-Dissolving Powder?" Ye Tianfan was unfamiliar with this medicine, though he knew about Ten Fragrance Muscle-Dissolving Powder.

"Lingering Spirit Muscle-Dissolving Powder, as the name suggests, dissolves the spiritual power within you, making your muscles soft and limp," said senior brother Yun Tian. "Looks like we're doomed to die here today."

After speaking to Ye Tianfan, senior brother Yun Tian summoned all his strength and called out to the surroundings, "Those hiding behind the scenes, your plan succeeded, can you reveal yourselves now?"

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

From the room directly opposite in the yard, applause sounded. The door then opened, and several people walked out.

Upon seeing them, senior brother Yun Tian's pupils shrank suddenly, exclaiming, "It's you all?"

Ye Tianfan too was shocked upon seeing them, not expecting it to be them!

"That's right, it's us. You are the third batch of cultivators we've tricked," the person standing in the middle of those emerging from the house said.

"Chen Haolan! Are you people from Bei Yao Mu?" At this moment, Ye Tianfan suddenly asked.

"Dying and still curious about our origins? Might as well enlighten you!" Chen Haolan spoke, leading his team slowly toward Ye Tianfan and Yun Tian, crouched down, and continued, "Indeed, we belong to Bei Yao Mu. However, we're different from the typical Bei Yao Mu, being part of the new Bei Yao Mu faction. The old-fashioned ones stagnate, clinging to their limited land in the extreme west; we are different, aspiring to the loves and hates of the cultivation world, yearning for slaughter. Hence, we ventured into the cultivation world to carve out our domain."

After speaking, Chen Haolan grabbed his beard and peeled away a layer of his facial mask.

But as soon as it was pulled off, Chen Haolan screamed in pain.

However, Ye Tianfan noticed the group leader, Sanji, seemed somewhat fatigued, prompting Ye Tianfan to ask, "Did you all have the antidote to the Lingering Spirit Muscle-Dissolving Powder in the air?"

Initially gloating, Chen Haolan's group was dumbfounded upon hearing Ye Tianfan's question, looking around at each other.

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