At these words, Ling Tianyou and Bing Wushuang both fell silent at once. A Primordial Spirit old monster already stood at the very pinnacle of the Tai Gu Small Jianghu—and this thing ranked above even an ordinary Primordial Spirit old monster. Did that not put it nearly on par with the highest combat power of the Tai Gu Small Jianghu?

This tiny Great Snake Island, of all places, should harbor such hidden dragons and crouching tigers—it was simply beyond belief!

The three pressed on for nearly another hour, and by now they had penetrated deep into the heart of Great Snake Island, having long since left the clearly marked path behind. This was a remote and marginal place indeed—so remote that Wei Zhao could even hear the waves crashing against the reefs.

"We're here," Ling Tianyou said, halting his steps.

Wei Zhao and Bing Wushuang both froze. Ahead lay neither the deep mountains and dense forests they had imagined, nor any danger-ridden deathtrap. Instead it opened up so vast and empty that their hearts surged—for ahead of them was the sea, and beneath their feet a cliff scores of zhang high.

"Here?" Bing Wushuang frowned. The place was nothing but bare rock, everything laid out plain to the eye. It did not look at all like somewhere a Spirit-Consciousness Fruit could grow.

Wei Zhao was puzzled as well, but after a moment of sensing, his brows suddenly lifted. "There's a cave below the cliff?"

"Brother Lin is sharp as ever!" Ling Tianyou grinned, then explained, "It was pure chance. Last time my master and I came here, we ran into an Armor-Shell Snake. It's one of the most vicious and terrifying spirit beasts on Great Snake Island—a mature one is close to a Primordial Spirit old monster in strength. Once it fixes its eyes on you, even my master could only flee for his life. But the thing came and went like a ghost, utterly impossible to shake. We failed to lose it time after time, and in the end it drove us to this very spot. With no way out, we had no choice but to jump into the sea."

The vast waters around Cloud-Step Island teem with ferocious and terrifying sea beasts, and it is no different here in the Tai Gu Small Jianghu. As a rule, no one jumps into the sea unless absolutely driven to it—especially not in a place as remote and perilous as Great Snake Island. Still, compared with the Armor-Shell Snake right in front of them, jump they must.

"And then?" Wei Zhao gestured for Ling Tianyou to go on.

"And then we discovered there was actually an enormous cavern down there, its entrance less than five zhang beneath the water. My master and I swam some distance inside, and once in, it was a world of its own. Only, a strange sense of danger clung to the place, and my master had been wounded by the Armor-Shell Snake, so we didn't dare go too deep. We lingered near the entrance a while, then withdrew." Ling Tianyou's voice carried a sigh.

"Interesting," Wei Zhao said, a faint curve tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"From tail to head, Great Snake Island has been combed over inside and out—not just by my master and me, but by countless other cultivators. If there really were a Spirit-Consciousness Fruit, it would have been plucked long ago. Only that unknown cavern remains, a blank spot everyone has overlooked." Ling Tianyou grinned with a flicker of excitement.

Had their strength not been so lacking, and had the Armor-Shell Snake not frightened them off, Ling Tianyou and his master would have combed that cavern below thoroughly last time. After all, where a Spirit-Consciousness Fruit was concerned, no one who came here could remain unmoved.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Wei Zhao glanced at the other two and at once moved to take the lead down.

"Brother Lin, wait," Ling Tianyou hurriedly stopped him.

"What? Does Brother Ling have something else to warn us about?" Wei Zhao turned to look at him.

"Not that. With your strength and Brother Bing's, even a sea of blades and a mountain of fire below would hold no fear for you. It's only that..." Ling Tianyou paused, then shook his head. "I actually didn't plan on going down this time."

"Oh?" Wei Zhao and Bing Wushuang exchanged looks. By his own account, the Spirit-Consciousness Fruit was very likely in that enormous cavern below—and yet, having come all this way, he did not intend to go down? What kind of game was this?

As the saying goes, hearts are hidden behind flesh. Though Wei Zhao owed Ling Tianyou his life, no one could say what the man was really scheming. This Great Snake Island trial might truly be repayment of a debt—or it might be a snare laid. At this moment, no one could be sure.

However you looked at it, Ling Tianyou's sudden retreat here was more than a little abrupt.

"Don't misunderstand, you two. I mean nothing ill toward you. Even if we grant the worst—with your strength, are you the sort anyone could trap just because they wished it?" Ling Tianyou hastened to clarify with a bitter smile.

"Brother Ling needn't worry so much. I believe you wouldn't harm us," Wei Zhao said with a nod. Frankly, it was not Ling Tianyou's character he trusted, but purely the strength of himself and Bing Wushuang.

After all, whatever the trap, for anyone to truly snare the two of them would require Primordial Spirit old monsters—and a good number of them. Two or three would be of no use at all.

And in the Tai Gu Small Jianghu, the movements of even a single Primordial Spirit old monster draw close attention, let alone three or more gathering quietly all at once—that was little short of a fantasy. Unless the entire Tai Gu Alliance declared war on Wei Zhao, Ling Tianyou alone could never command such influence.

What was more, even if so many Primordial Spirit old monsters could be assembled, the moment they set foot on Great Snake Island they could not escape Wei Zhao's spirit-sense. So the odds that Ling Tianyou was setting a trap for the two of them were vanishingly small.

"My thanks." Wei Zhao's trust left Ling Tianyou somewhat flattered. He went on, "The truth is, my purpose in coming to Great Snake Island this time is different from everyone else's. I'm not here specifically for the Spirit-Consciousness Fruit—only to do two things."

"What two things?" Wei Zhao asked.

"The first is to bring you here. Whether or not there's a Spirit-Consciousness Fruit in that enormous cavern below, this is my gesture of goodwill—a small token of thanks for Brother Lin saving my life." Ling Tianyou spoke sincerely; these were his true feelings. From the very beginning he had never intended to go down with Wei Zhao and Bing Wushuang—not merely because his own strength was too lacking, but chiefly to avoid awkwardness.

What if they really did find a Spirit-Consciousness Fruit down there, and only one or two of them? What would he do then?

Of course, fretting over that was a bit like the man of Qi who feared the sky would fall. Whether there was a Spirit-Consciousness Fruit down there at all was still unknown; to start worrying about dividing the spoils now would seem to others like overthinking things.

"And the second?" Wei Zhao pressed.

"The second is the main reason I came this trip. I intend to go to the snake's head and challenge my own limits." As Ling Tianyou said this, his eyes held a resolve unlike anything before. (To be continued.)