Compared to this dharma-robe's magnificent exterior, Shen Yi placed greater value on its practicality.

After a bit of testing, its effect proved decidedly astonishing.

Even the Heaven-Killing Five-Thunder Sword Art he'd only just cultivated to Perfection probably couldn't harm it in the slightest.

No wonder it had so preoccupied Xuanguang Cave's hearts and minds.

The formidability of the Nanyang Sect could likewise be glimpsed through this one dharma-robe.

He only wondered whether the others had ever come by treasures of equal rank — or even finer.

This was something a steward had given an Elder as a birthday gift, and it already possessed defensive power this formidable. So what lay within that Elder's own cave estate... and, going further, the Sect Master's?

And the Nanyang Sect, which had possessed treasures like these — why had it left behind only cave estates, without a single living cultivator?

Curiosity welled ever stronger in Shen Yi's heart.

If only he could pin down the location of an Elder's cave estate — then presumably most of his questions could be readily resolved.

"..."

The instant he stepped out of the small building, Shen Yi changed back into that towering, powerful Gold-Eyed Lion Emperor, only turning the fist-claw puncture wound on his belly into a sword wound instead.

He put away the golden dharma form and shot off toward the cave estate's exit.

As for the corpses of the black bear and the silver-backed ape emperor — since, for the moment, demon-blood had no use beyond replenishing his presence, Shen Yi wasn't in any hurry to render them down, and instead stowed them inside a storage treasure.

No sooner had he left the cave estate than he received the Lion Emperor's voice transmission.

"Reporting to my lord, I've located one of the five herbs the fox spoke of, but this is the Dark-Tail Demon Emperor's territory. How would you have me proceed?"

"Understood."

Shen Yi didn't alter the direction of his advance.

What "Dark-Tail Demon Emperor's territory"? In the Thousand Demon Den, whoever had the biggest fist — that was whose territory it was.

And…