Top-tier Unruly Master

The old crone fell into deep thought, her eyes suddenly widening as if she had realized something.

"My disciple died not far from here; you might very well be the murderers. Even if I kill a thousand by mistake, I will not let a single one of you go!"

As the old crone spoke, she let out a low shout, and a very formidable aura burst forth from her.

Whoo... That aura was so strong that the sand and stones on the ground were instantly blown away. Although Ding Fan and the two women were still far from the old crone, they could still feel her fierce Inner Strength.

At this moment, Ding Fan couldn't help being secretly shocked.

With just a low shout from the old crone, the aura was so strong. Martial Artists of the Heavenly Level indeed stood out from the rest.

By now, the woman who had been bickering with Ding Fan and her companion both had ugly expressions on their faces. They hadn't expected the old woman's cultivation to be so heaven-defying. The two girls, now nervous, stepped back and didn't dare to speak anymore.

"Hua Zhimo... why bother troubling these commoners? These three, the two women are merely of Human Level Fifth Grade, and that man is only Human Level Sixth Grade. None of these three, even combined, could possibly have killed your disciple," said a deep voice at this point.

As the voice settled, a powerful breath rushed forward.

Ding Fan could clearly feel that the newcomer's presence was overwhelming, even more powerful than that of the old crone.

Ding Fan glanced at the newcomer, whose age seemed quite advanced, his face covered in wrinkles. In terms of cultivation, he was likely on par with the old crone.

"Wu Bing, what are you doing here... My affairs are none of your business," the old woman called Hua Zhimo coughed and said.

"Hehe..." Wu Bing chuckled. "I'm just here to see how this mad old woman will avenge her disciple. Are you planning to kill every Martial Artist in Qiu Mountain for your disciple's revenge?"

With a light snort, Hua Zhimo's gaze swept over Ding Fan and the two women before she suddenly disappeared in front of everyone.

Ding Fan watched the old crone leave, now secretly heaving a sigh of relief.

Ding Fan had refined the Magic Artifact concealed on his person again, allowing him to hide as much of his cultivation as he wished according to his desire.

The cultivation that Ding Fan displayed at the moment was merely that of Human Level Sixth Grade.

Later on, both Wu Bing and the previous Hua Zhimo hadn't seen through his disguise, which made Ding Fan secretly breathe a sigh of relief again.

After Hua Zhimo left, Wu Bing turned his gaze towards Ding Fan and the two women beside him.

"This cave is known as the Human Level Cave Mansion, which means only Human Level Martial Artists can enter. There are many treasures inside that you may obtain... However, the three of your cultivations are too weak. I suggest you three team up and proceed together... You three are quite lucky; this Cave Mansion only opens once every few centuries..."

After speaking, Wu Bing gave a faint smile at the three of them and then disappeared right before their eyes.

"Thank you for the advice, senior!" The two disciples from Peach Blossom Female Sect hurriedly bowed in martial salute towards the emptiness and said.

At this time, Ding Fan didn't do the same. Wu Bing had long since left, and saying anything else now would be unheard.

Ding Fan was now thinking about Wu Bing's parting words, that the place was called a Human Level Cave Mansion. Human Level? It probably meant a retreat for Human Level Martial Artists...

Ding Fan had a moment of realization.

It was somewhat like a retreat in the Cultivation World designed to prevent High Grade Martial Artists from entering and snatching away resources, hence certain places restrict entry to High-Rank Martial Artists.

Just like this Cave Mansion in front of them, which was restricted to more advanced Martial Artists, only Human Level ones could enter.

"This friend..."

Just when Ding Fan was still considering whether or not to go in, the two disciples from Peach Blossom Female Sect approached.

Ding Fan was momentarily startled.

"Friend, as the senior before us mentioned, this Cave Mansion opens once every few centuries. The treasures inside must be incredibly precious. If we each act on our own, it will be hard to gain anything upon entry. Why don't we three team up?"

After listening to the woman's words, Ding Fan understood that they wanted him to join their team.

Ding Fan was momentarily contemplative, not about whether to team up with the two women. He had a significant connection with Peach Blossom Female Sect, and he would naturally not ignore their affairs.

What Ding Fan was actually concerned about was that his cultivation was not merely at the Human Level.

Ding Fan's current cultivation was at the Ninth Level of Qi Cultivation, which if measured by the Ancient Martial Arts level on Earth, would be at the Peak of the Earth Level.

Wu Bing had made it clear, this Cave Mansion was limited to Human Level Martial Artists; with his rank, he feared he truly could not enter.

"Sister, don't bother with this rich young man. He must be harboring some crooked idea now..." At that moment, the girl who had previously been teased by Ding Fan pouted and said.

Ding Fan couldn't help but laugh. He had no such intentions or crooked ideas.

Right then, a strong Mental Power swept over them.

Ding Fan felt a shiver that wasn't from the cold and thought about how he had killed the disciple of Hua Zhimo. It would be dangerous to stay here. If he could enter that cave, he could hide there…

"If the two younger sisters don't mind, I have no problem with that…" Ding Fan once again put on a slick and smooth facade as he spoke.

"My name is Qu Waner, and this is my junior sister, Qin Min..." The elder sister, Qu Waner, made the introductions.

"Elder Sister, why do we need to tell this dandy our names?" The junior sister, Qin Min, said discontentedly.

"Our Master has taught us to be open and honest with others. We are about to enter this cave together. It is truly a moment of cohesion in adversity; how could we conceal anything?" Qu Waner said with a solemn tone.

Although Qin Min was unhappy, she didn't say anything more and, sticking out her tongue, kept her distance from Ding Fan.

"Let's enter now, or if someone else sees us later, there will be additional trouble," Qu Waner said.

Ding Fan and Qin Min both nodded.

"Ye Fan, you go in front," Qin Min said commandingly to Ding Fan before entering the cave.

"I have no problem going in front, but you have to tell me why…" Ding Fan said teasingly.

"Because among the three of us, you are the only man. If there's danger, naturally you should go first," Qin Min said as though it was the most logical thing.

Ding Fan just smiled; he hadn't expected the young girl to come up with such a reason.

However, even if Qin Min hadn't mentioned it, Ding Fan never intended to let these two women walk in front of him.

Ding Fan had a profound connection with the Peach Blossom Female Sect; he surely couldn't expect disciples of the Peach Blossom Female Sect to shield him from danger by walking ahead.

"Alright, alright... Who am I to defy the manly spirit? I'll go in front then," Ding Fan continued to jest.

Having said that, Ding Fan didn't pay any more attention to Qu Waner and Qin Min and strode ahead into the cave. At this moment, his Divine Sense was of no use. The best Ding Fan could do now was to use True Qi to form a protective barrier around his body for buffering against any immediate dangers...

"Elder Brother Ye, we are in the same boat. If you face danger, we definitely won't stand idly by. You lead the way this time, and I'll take the lead next time…" Qu Waner said to Ding Fan from behind.

Ding Fan didn't look back but made an OK gesture towards her.

The three of them walked down along the tunnel in the cave. The direction of the cave led towards the earth's core, so as they went farther, the slope of the tunnel became steeper.

What Ding Fan worried about the most now was whether his cultivation could remain concealed.

In the Cultivation World, it was typical for caves restricted by rank to trigger their Great Formations if someone of a higher rank entered, repelling the high-ranked Martial Artist trying to enter.

Ding Fan was concerned that he might be ejected by the cave's Formation.

The three had no idea how far they had walked when suddenly a powerful oppressive force bore down in the tunnel.

The pressure was immense, so strong that in that confined space, it seemed to take control of the body. Under such force, merely wanting to move an arm or a leg was an arduous task; to think of continuing to walk was even more out of the question.

Instead of using his True Qi to counteract the pressure, Ding Fan pulled back a significant amount of his Protective True Qi.

Ding Fan pondered and realized something.

This pressure was definitely a test to assess the cultivation of those entering the cave. Under such a powerful force, one would need to display substantial cultivation. As soon as sufficient cultivation was displayed, it would be possible to determine the exact rank of the Martial Artist.

Ding Fan felt sure his reasoning was correct. Therefore, he dared not reveal his cultivation at all.

"It's... so hard to bear..." Qin Min, following behind Ding Fan, said breathlessly with a red face and struggled to walk.

Ding Fan gestured for her to be quiet and then grabbed Qin Min's hand.

Under this pressure, if you chose to stay put, you would undoubtedly die from the spatial oppression. After all, one's Inner Strength can become depleted, but the oppression of the space is never-ending, waiting for your cultivation to run out before you would be crushed to death by it.

Qin Min was very uncomfortable at that moment; she couldn't care less about Ding Fan holding her hand. At that moment, a warm current flowed through Qin Min's palm.

Qin Min was startled, thinking she might be mistaken. However, the warmth spread from her palm to her dantian, then from her dantian, it coursed through her entire body. What was originally an unbearably uncomfortable sensation became much more tolerable as the energy flow continued inside her.

Qin Min glanced at Ding Fan and realized for the first time that not only was he dragging her along, but he was also pulling her Elder Sister, Qu Waner.

The current situation was such that Ding Fan alone was forcibly dragging the two of them forward. In a tunnel with such severe spatial oppression, he chose not to abandon them; on the contrary, he stepped forward and pulled the two of them towards the outside.

Now, Qin Min's impression of Ding Fan had improved significantly. Although it was her first time out, she had heard from others that even married couples would flee separately in times of crisis, not to mention their mere acquaintance... Yet in such circumstances, Ding Fan still chose to drag them along together.

Perhaps this person wasn't so detestable after all.