Outside Huixun City, inside a remote and quiet gorge, tens of people lived in seclusion here and concealed their whereabouts.

Among these people, 2 elders were especially eye-catching. They were the 2 pillars from the Teng family—Teng Donglin and Teng Xingwen, who were top-grade Spiritualists.

Far in Donglin City, these 2 powerhouses were extremely respectable figures and were even supreme powerhouses at the tip of the pyramid. Inside Donglin City, they were the real rulers. As such, even the Xue family, which had top-grade Spiritualists as well, was eliminated due to their sneak attack.

Nonetheless, the 2 overbearing powerhouses were staying in a simple cave in the gorge at the moment without a single hut as their shelter.

Teng Dongli stood at the foot of the hill and looked into the distance. His eyes were hollow and unpredictable such that nobody knew what he was thinking about.

A figure arrived next to him. Given that someone dared to interrupt his train of thoughts at this time, it could only be Teng Xinwen, who was the other top-notch powerhouse from the Teng family.

"What are you thinking about? Are you worried about the Wu family?" Teng Xingwen asked in a deep voice.

Teng Donglin sighed and answered, "I was just thinking if we made the wrong move by attacking the Xue family this time."

Although Teng Xingwen had a square face, he had a fierce and ruthless look on his face, which was evident that he was a true powerhouse adept in combat. He scoffed and responded, "Since Xue Yan's not willing to sell the Self-examination Mirror to us, his end has been set." He paused for a while and added relentlessly, "Our clan must get our hands on the Self-examination Mirror—there can be no mistakes."

Teng Donglin smiled bitterly and replied to him, "If we're able to get the Self-examination Mirror, it'll be worth it in the end regardless of the price paid but…" He shook his head and continued, "We don't know where the mirror is now, and we ended up getting an enemy, whom we'll fight to one's last gasp."

Even though Teng Donglin was a fine powerhouse from the Teng family, he was known for his notable combat power.

Even so, being the patriarch, the problems that he had to consider were entirely different.

Teng Xingwen raised his eyebrows and expressed, "Most of the people from the Xue family are nothing to be afraid of—even Xu Yan was severely injured. Hmph, once we find the opportunity to kill him, they'll turn into scattered sand and won't be able to do anything."

The 2 elders had only traveled so far and hid their identities to solve their biggest hidden trouble and find the Self-examination Mirror's whereabouts.

If they did not do this, given their identities, they would surely have places in Huixun City despite it being watched over by 2 Venerable Ones.

A luster flashed in Teng Donglin's eyes as he uttered, "You're right, we must wait for a one-hit kill." Nevertheless, he somehow could not be completely at ease.

However, whether or not he regretted his decision from before, what was done could not be undone. Between the Teng family and the Xue family, one must be eliminated.

Neither he nor the Teng family could retreat anymore.

All of a sudden, a strange shout was heard coming from outside the gorge. It sounded like a special bird, but everyone in the gorge became alert when the sound was heard.

Teng Donglin turned to look in that direction.

He knew it was a signal from the blind mortise and tenon, which meant that someone was here.

The gorge that they occupied was off the beaten track. Even if someone were to get close, he or she would have been scared away by the guards far away. Having said that, they sensed something unordinary from the warning this time.

Sure enough, a black figure charged in from the gorge's entrance after a brief moment.

The figure looked like he was entering a no man's land as he strutted toward the 2 elders. He was stopped by the Teng family's powerhouses along the way, but he dodged them with ease. When the man occasionally counterattacked, he looked like he only made light movements but caused his opponents to stagger backward.

Teng Donglin and Teng Xinwen tensed up and vaguely released their cold intents.

They were sharp-eyed enough to tell that the person's cultivation base was not inferior to theirs.

If they were still in Donglin City, they would not be nervous even if they suddenly encountered such an opponent. Now that they were hiding outside Huixun City, which was guarded by 2 Venerable Ones, they became alert when someone came looking for them.

The figure immediately sensed the killing intents from the 2 elders. He stopped right away.

It was worth noting that he stopped at an ingenious spot. If he were to take another step forward, the Teng family's powerhouses might be triggered by his Qi momentum and attack him. This would lead to a violent life-or-death fight between them.

Who knew, the figure stopped right before the critical point. His control over the situation was unparalleled.

Teng Donglin and Teng Xingwen were taken aback. They had graver looks on their faces.

As the former waved his sleeve gently, the other powerhouses from the Teng family stopped behind them and did fist salutations before they dispersed.

In actuality, earlier when the figure barged in, the Teng family's powerhouses knew they were not his opponent. He showed mercy by not harming anyone along the way but if they were to pester him without an end, nobody could predict the outcome.

That said, the powerhouses could not flinch in the presence of their patriarch.

Therefore, they were relieved when they saw Teng Donglin's gesture.

"Heh, top-grade Spiritualists from the Teng family, why did you come so far to Huixun City instead of living with ease and comfort in Donglin City?" The black-clothed masked man asked.

The gorge had been occupied by the Teng family, but the person sounded as if he was the master here.

Teng Donglin answered coldly, "Your Excellency, we don't need to report our purpose here to you, do we?"

The black-clothed man could not help but laugh. "Brother Teng, you don't need to guess who I am." He paused for a while and added, "Besides, if you find out who I am, it might be problematic instead."

Teng Xingwen's face turned cold. He clenched his fists and was about to attack.

At this moment, Teng Donglin waved his hand and said, "Wait."

Teng Xingwen hesitated for a while, but he slowly calmed down his momentum, which he had accumulated to an extremity.

In terms of combat power alone, perhaps Teng Xingwen had the upper hand between them, but Teng Donglin had a far better vision of overall situations, so much so that Teng Xingwen was also convinced. This was why when Teng Xingwen was stopped by the patriarch, he was displeased but would not disobey him.

"Since you say that, Your Excellency, I won't ask further," Teng Donglin said calmly, "We're here for sightseeing but didn't want to disturb our old friends, so we're staying here a few days. If you have nothing else to say, please return."

The black-clothed man was slightly stunned. He laughed and remarked, "You're worthy of being the greatest person in Donglin City indeed; you have a well-deserved reputation." He showed a thumbs-up and continued, "Alright, as matters stand, I'll be frank with you." He looked ahead with bright eyes and noted, "As far as I know, the Teng family and the Xue family from Donglin City had a bloody conflict, and it seemed like you're determined to eliminate each other. Heh, now that Xue Yan fled to Huixun City and sought shelter from the Wu family, judging from how you're following him so closely, I suppose that you're planning to uproot them."

Teng Donglin looked at him and was not surprised by his words.

"So what if that's true… Or not?"

"Heh, I've come to deliver you some news today," the black-clothed man uttered seriously, "The Xue family, which you're trying to get rid of, found a God-favored one, and they're trying very hard to recruit him. Once they succeed, things will be different in Donglin City."

Teng Donglin's eyes turned cold as he shouted, "You're scaring us on purpose!"

"Hmph, whether or not I'm scaring you, you can find out by sending someone to as around." The black-clothed man was indifferent. "Yu Tianrui, who obtained 2 top-grade blood crystals on his own during Huixun City's recent Hunting Meet, represented the Xu family and the Wu family."

There was finally a subtle change in Teng Donglin's expression. He did not pay too much attention to the Hunting Meet.

That being said, it did not mean that he knew nothing about it.

"What did you say? Yu Tianrui's a part of the Xue family?"

The black-clothed man shook his head and answered, "I have no idea, but I heard that he entered the city with some people from the Xue family. Moreover, he killed the Teng family's God-favored siblings in the Forest of Death!"

"What? He was the one who killed them?" Teng Xingwen's eyelids twitched as he yelled.

The black-clothed man responded without any hesitation, "It's true!"

Upon hearing this, the green veins on Teng Donglin's forehead twitched, but they quickly went back to normal. He looked sternly at the black-clothed man and questioned, "Why are you telling us about this?"

The black-clothed man laughed out loud and replied to the elder, "I'm only here to warn you because I admire your reputation, Brother Teng. Heh, Yu Tianrui's not an ordinary person for sure, and I'm guessing that he's being backed by a formidable force. Once he decides to support the Xue family…" He cast an interesting look at Teng Donglin and chuckled. "I hope that the Xue family will forget about the enmity between you and live in peace with you."

He was making a scornful remark, but it was an indisputable truth.

Once the Xue family gained power, the Teng family would not end well.

Teng Donglin had a colder look in his eyes as he asked, "You're not just here to warn us, are you?"

The black-clothed man nodded hard. "You're right. Apart from warning you, I'm here to give you a meager gift too." An interspatial bag flew out as he shook his hand.

When Teng Donglin accepted it and looked inside, he was dumbfounded because it contained some fine pieces of equipment and pills. While the pieces of equipment might not be better than the main ones that were being worn by the 2 elders at the moment, they would be more than enough to assist them.

The black-clothed man finally had a grim look on his face. He no longer looked like he was joking around.

He stated firmly, "Gentlemen, there'll definitely be a change in Huixun City after a few days. If everything goes well, Yu Tianrui will probably leave the city and head to the Forest of Death. Heh, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you what to do when that happens."

Following that, he raised his hands and flew up like a roc, then he zoomed through the gorge and vanished in the blink of an eye.