Crossing Over: The Strongest Mage

"This time, I'm definitely going to eat and drink for three days and nights!" Hú Bái said wistfully, recalling his past indulgences. "The magical tools Master left you are of no use to me. Watch over my money pouch, though—it's the only thing I care about."

Hú Bái forced Yan Huo to show him everything that Zhongyangzi had left behind. After inspecting it, Hú Bái was disappointed. None of it was useful to him—not now, anyway. As for the elixirs, he'd already consumed one, and another wouldn't improve his cultivation; at best, it would only replenish his demon energy. So, what caught Hú Bái's attention was the treasure chest. The box contained priceless treasures, each item gathered over the past few centuries by Hú Bái from all over the mountain and caves. Every piece was a rare gem, something he'd carefully sought after during his years of solitude.

In Hú Bái's words, after hundreds of years, his ability to identify treasures was unparalleled. To exaggerate a bit, he could determine the value of any item just by sniffing it. Although Hú Bái hadn't entered the human world for centuries, he understood the world better than Yan Huo. For instance, he knew that food required money, but Yan Huo had never even seen money before. Yan Huo also didn't know that Hú Bái, aside from being able to change forms, had another ability—he could see into people's hearts and discern their thoughts. However, this ability only worked on cultivators with a lower level of cultivation or on mortals.

"Junior brother, are you really practicing the cultivation method that the old man taught you?" Hú Bái asked, looking at Yan Huo curiously as they reached the mouth of the cave.

"Yes! Why do you ask, senior brother?" Yan Huo replied with a smile.

"That's strange. Even though our cultivation paths are different, your cultivation is lower than mine. If you hadn't told me you're at the late stage of Dao Solidification, I wouldn't have been able to see your cultivation level at all. But why can't I discern your true cultivation level? And I can't even figure out what you're thinking. Are you deliberately hiding your cultivation from me? Actually, your cultivation is higher than mine, isn't it?" Hú Bái said, confused.

"Fox senior brother, we're both fellow disciples now, so why would I hide anything from you? If your cultivation is higher than mine, I don't know how you can't tell," Yan Huo explained. As he spoke, a thought flashed through his mind. "Could it be because I have the Nine-Five Dragon Phoenix Body? No, that can't be it!"

"Don't call me Fox senior brother! You're being too disrespectful—just call me senior brother. Don't tell me you're afraid that others might find out my true form!" Hú Bái scolded.

"Got it," Yan Huo laughed.

"Really, wasting time like this... Don't you care about your cowardly friends?" Hú Bái said with some irritation.

"Why should I worry? I've only been here for a few hours. They're definitely waiting outside the cave for me," Yan Huo said confidently.

"Haha! Little junior brother, sorry, I didn't tell you earlier, but the old man set up a time restriction inside the stone tower. One hour inside is equivalent to one day outside. You've been inside for four hours, which means four days have passed outside," Hú Bái said with a smirk.

"Ah!? Four days!?" Yan Huo was utterly shocked, but he believed Hú Bái without a doubt, because he knew Zhongyangzi had the ability to manipulate time.

"Why didn't you say so earlier!" Yan Huo scolded, then rushed towards the cave entrance in a hurry.

"You didn't ask me," Hú Bái retorted as he chased after Yan Huo.

"Four days... How could Yang Da Ge and the others not have come back in to check the cave? If they didn't see me coming out, they'd definitely try again. Even if it's for that non-existent treasure, they'd come back in. Why hasn't anyone come in?" Yan Huo thought, his pace quickening as he considered the possibility that something had gone wrong.

Yan Huo and Hú Bái moved with astonishing speed, quickly arriving at the entrance of the cave. Yan Huo manipulated the mechanism on the cave door, and with the light of the sun, the door slowly opened.

"Haha! The sun!" Hú Bái exclaimed, unable to suppress his excitement. "I haven't seen it in centuries, haha! Finally out of this hell! Wait—strange! The air smells so strongly of blood! It's almost like human blood."

The thick scent of blood in the air was not just noticed by Hú Bái, but Yan Huo too. He frowned, his anxiety and anger masked by his expressionless face. His gaze hardened as he stared out into the distance.

"Senior brother, you have two choices now," Yan Huo said solemnly. "One, stay here and wait for me to return. Two, don't leave my side for even a moment."

Hú Bái seemed to understand what was going on. "Alright! I'll choose the first one. Don't think it's because I'm afraid—I just don't want to get involved in your personal matters."

"Then stay here. I'll be back soon," Yan Huo said lightly. As he exited the cave and leapt over the wall, he walked toward the Daoist temple. All along the way, he took slow, deliberate steps.

Looking at the sun, it was around noon, yet, apart from the overwhelming stench of blood, Yan Huo hadn't seen a single person along the way—not even one Daoist. By the time he reached the main square in front of the temple, there was no one to be seen. However, this absence of people didn't fool him—Yan Huo's divine sense told him that there were at least a few hundred people hiding around the area.

"You plan to stay hidden forever?" Yan Huo called out loudly, his voice ringing through the empty square.

"Hehe! We just wanted to see your reaction when you found the temple deserted. Didn't expect you to be so calm," a voice responded, followed by a soft chuckle. "Li Lao, it looks like you won this round."

"Hehe! Then I'll thank you for your 10,000 taels, Ma Lao," another voice replied, laughing.

At the same time, the door of a side hall on the left side of the square creaked open. Two middle-aged men in splendid robes walked out. One of them was missing an ear, while the other had a horse-like face.

"What happened to the people of the temple?" Yan Huo demanded, his voice laced with fury.

"Kill them," the man with the horse face said flatly, his voice cold and indifferent.

"Kill them? There were several hundred Daoists and pilgrims in this temple. You killed them all?" Yan Huo's eyes began to bleed with rage, and a fierce killing intent surged in his heart.

"Hehe! What's wrong with that?" the man with the horse face smiled mockingly.

"You are lawless! Aren't you afraid of others finding out about your crimes?" Yan Huo's eyes burned with fury as he glared at the two men.

"Haha! The mountain paths have all been sealed. Now that we've killed you, who will know we're the ones responsible?" the man with the horse face laughed. "Do you think your disguises will fool the eyes we've placed everywhere? Ridiculous. I control the entire Yan City. If you think anyone's coming to rescue you, you're dead wrong. The Li family in Yan City is in just as bad a situation as you."