"Brother Ye, do you have any idea where we should head next?" Wan Ling, following behind Du Fei, asked with a look of confusion.

Upon hearing this, Du Fei chuckled and replied lightly, "Brother Wan, you're the one who brought me here. If you don't know where the treasures are, how could I possibly know?"

Hearing Du Fei's words, Wan Ling smiled awkwardly.

"However, it's not entirely hopeless. The layout of these ancient sects usually follows certain patterns. The pill room is typically the most important. Since it's here, it's unlikely that other important structures are nearby. So, our best bet is to try our luck elsewhere." After pausing for a moment with his eyes closed, Du Fei continued.

"So, Brother Ye, you're suggesting..."

"Let's head in that direction." Du Fei pointed towards a deeper section of the hall and calmly spoke.

Truth be told, he didn't really know the best way to navigate this palace. However, Little Bai was rather familiar with such structures, which allowed Du Fei to have a general idea of where the treasures might be located.

Since Du Fei had already located the most important pill room earlier, Wan Ling had considerable trust in Du Fei's judgment. Thus, he nodded in agreement and followed Du Fei deeper into the hall.

This time, the duo didn't hold back. Whenever they encountered a structure, they would casually explore it. While their search wasn't entirely fruitless, most of the martial techniques and pills they found were either ineffective or not up to their standards. Still, they didn't lose hope. After all, important items of such a large sect would definitely be stored in the same location. Their current random exploration was merely a shot in the dark.

Continuing this pattern of stop-and-go, after almost half a day, they finally arrived at the end of a corridor where a grand structure stood before them. At this moment, subtle yet peculiar fluctuations emanated from within the structure. Both of them were familiar with these fluctuations. Clearly, these were emanations from some martial techniques or talisman treasures.

The two exchanged a glance and wasted no time, swiftly moving to the entrance of the room. Almost simultaneously, they both pushed against the massive door, forcing it open, and their gazes quickly swept the surroundings.

Inside the room, there were shelves carved from jade placed everywhere. On these shelves, it seemed like there should have been numerous scrolls stacked. However, at this moment, these shelves were completely empty.

The two looked at each other, seeing the confusion mirrored in each other's eyes. After all, the aura they had sensed earlier couldn't have been mistaken. How could there be nothing here?

Filled with confusion, Du Fei and Wan Ling didn't hesitate, and they swiftly cleared the jade shelves around them. Their eyes kept darting around the room until almost simultaneously, both of their gazes settled on a wall to the south. That faint peculiar aura seemed to emanate from there.

"Something's off..." Du Fei muttered with a slight frown. He signaled Wan Ling to step back. Once Wan Ling had retreated, Du Fei waved his right hand, and the Purple Demon Blade shimmered, sending a beam of light that struck the wall, creating an opening in it.

"This is... a talisman treasure..."

As the wall broke open, a staggering wave of energy immediately emanated from the gap. Their eyes caught sight of a hidden chamber within the wall. Inside the chamber floated a talisman treasure that appeared to be made from some creature's scales, and it radiated an astonishing aura.

Finally finding the first valuable item since entering the hall, the gleam in their eyes flickered momentarily. After a short pause, Du Fei, suppressing his excitement, calmly said, "Brother Wan, according to our agreement, this item is yours."

Hearing Du Fei's words, Wan Ling was slightly taken aback. He thought that "Ye Fei" wouldn't want to miss out on this treasure, so he didn't expect Du Fei to be so polite. However, recalling the terms they had agreed upon, it made sense to Wan Ling. After all, Du Fei wouldn't jeopardize their relationship over a single item.

However, Wan Ling was also quite corteous. After pondering for a moment, he slowly shook his head and said, "If it were some martial technique or cultivation method from the Ancient Sword Pavillion, I wouldn't hesitate to take it. But since it's a talisman treasure, I'll let you have it. Judging by the appearance of this talisman, it seems to be of a defensive type. Whenever you're out on your own and having conflicts with formidable families like the Yunshui Long Family, it's always good to have something extra for protection."

Du Fei didn't expect Wan Ling to say such words. He stared at Wan Ling for a moment, and when he saw the seriousness in his expression, before nodding slightly, "If that's the case, then I'll..." His voice trailed off as his gaze suddenly shot towards the outside of the room. "It seems we don't have the time to be courteous anymore..."

"Hehehe... Since both of you are being so modest, why not just hand that item over to me?" Just as Du Fei spoke, a slightly cold laugh suddenly echoed from outside the room.

"Who's there?"

The sudden voice made Wan Ling's face change drastically, his Qi surging out in an instant. Du Fei's expression also darkened slightly.

With both of their strengths at the peak-level of the Half-step Martial Master Realm, they were astonished that someone could approach them so silently.

"Whoosh—"

In the blink of an eye, as the expressions of Du Fei and Wan Ling changed dramatically, a dark figure appeared, moving like a ghost, and quickly positioned himself at the room's exit. With a playful look in his eyes, he glanced at Du Fei and Wan Ling, then coldly chuckled and said, "Considering you both found this treasure for me, I won't kill you. Now, leave!"

As his words fell, the shadowy figure took a light step, and an overwhelming aura immediately filled the space. The cold, chilling sense within that aura made both of them shiver.

"Half-step Martial Master, Peak Realm!"

"You're from the Ghost Faction! You're not Ghost Hand Luo Kai! Who are you?" After his gaze lingered on the newcomer's robe for a moment, Wan Ling seemed to have recalled something and asked in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Du Fei's eyes narrowed slightly. He had encountered people from the Ghost Faction before and was well aware that they were extremely tricky to deal with. However, the person who appeared now was not among those he had seen before, making him wonder where this powerful figure had come from.

Nonetheless, facing two powerhouses at the peak-level of the Half-step Martial Master Realm, this man's arrogance indicated that he undoubtedly had some cards up his sleeve. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare to challenge them.

"My Eldest Apprentice Brother indeed has a reputation that precedes him. However, do you really think our Ghost Faction only has Ghost Hand Luo Kai as our powerhouse at the peak-level of the Half-step Martial Master Realm? Wan Ling... the Wanjian Faction also has its fair share of hidden prodigies, doesn't it?" The man from the Ghost Faction said with a cold smile after hearing Wan Ling speak.

"You..." Wan Ling's gaze flickered for a moment before he said calmly, "You should leave! Although I'm not sure how you got in here, we got here first. If you don't want to start a faction war, it's best not to act rashly!"

"A faction war?" The man from the Ghost Faction chuckled and said, "Broken Sword Wan Ling, others might fear you, but not me... Rest assured, as long as I kill both of you here, no one will know what happened, and the faction war you're worried about naturally won't happen... Hehehe..."

"Arrogant wretch!"

Seeing this, a chill flashed in Wan Ling's eyes. They were all powerhouses at the peak-level of the Half-step Martial Master Realm, so there was no reason for one to be afraid of the other. Since this guy was acting so recklessly, they probably had to engage in a fight.

"Fine, we'll go!"

Du Fei suddenly said with a faint smile.

"Brother Ye, you..." Hearing this, Wan Ling was stunned.

"Hehehe, this one knows their place. In that case, I'll take it for myself!" Hearing Du Fei speak, the man from the Ghost Faction chuckled with a hint of triumph. He then moved swiftly, darting towards the secret chamber within the room.

"Brother Ye—" Seeing this, Wan Ling's expression darkened even more.

"It's fine," Du Fei said with a slight smile, "I don't think the treasures hidden by a faction are so easy to obtain!"

At the moment Du Fei said this, the figure from the Ghost Faction had already reached the secret chamber in the blink of an eye. He extended his right hand, reaching out to grasp the treasure inside the chamber.

"Whiz—"

However, just as his palm was about to touch the treasure, a burst of blue light suddenly emanated from it, instantly repelling the man of the Ghost Faction.

Clearly, he had not expected the treasure to be capable of attacking people, and his face shifted slightly. However, as a powerhouse at the peak-level of the Half-step Martial Master Realm, he was still quite capable. The moment his feet touched the ground, he propelled himself forward again.

"Boom—"

This time, the martial technique formed in his hand viciously collided with the phantom emanating from the treasure. The phantom trembled briefly before both the light and shadow instantly disintegrated into specks of brightness.

"Now's our chance!" Seeing this, Du Fei smiled. His right hand swiftly extended, lightly tapping between his eyebrows.

"Swoosh—"

Almost instantly, as Du Fei's finger touched his forehead, the treasure vibrated, then rapidly flew towards him.

"You little brat! You must have a death wish!"

Seeing the treasure he had just breached being intercepted by Du Fei halfway, the man from the Ghost Faction had cold light surging in his eyes as he shouted menacingly.

"Swish—"

As his voice fell, the treasure had already landed in Du Fei's hand. Then, under Wan Ling's bewildered gaze, Du Fei flipped his palm and stored the treasure within his storage ring. He then smiled faintly, preparing to simply turn and leave.

However, just as he was about to turn around, the air behind him suddenly seemed to grow colder, and an overwhelming murderous intent surged forth.

"Kid, I don't know where you came from, but I'll give you a chance! Hand over the item, sever one of your arms, and perhaps I might spare your life!"

Standing at the entrance of the secret chamber, the man from the Ghost Faction's face twitched slightly. His eyes, cold and sinister like a vengeful spirit, fixated fiercely on Du Fei. The murderous intent in his voice was undisguised and palpable, indicating that he might strike at the slightest provocation.

However, upon hearing his words, Du Fei's expression remained unchanged. He slowly turned his head, casting a look that was somewhere between amusement and indifference upon the man. After a moment's pause, he finally spoke lightly.

"You amuse me."

Du Fei's words were simple, consisting of just those three short words. However, they caused the man from the Ghost Faction to tremble violently with rage...