The man closed the door after him, leaving Xie Yimu to his thoughts. His eyes flashed wickedly and his lips curled into a sinister smirk. Covered in a black cloak with his face hidden behind the hood, the man resembled nothing less than the devil from hell.

'Xie Yimu, I hope you will not fail my expectations.' He mused. He had shown the path to him and the man was sure that his foolish disciple would act upon it quickly. Xie Yimu was the perfect puppet; with him around, the man had no problems achieving his goals.

Glancing one last time at the closed door behind him, he vanished from the place, erasing all traces of him.

Xie Yimu looked in the direction his Master had gone and his hatred for Zhelan increased by leaps and bounds. Zhelan had been a hindrance to him since the time he was born. Xie Yimu was just a year older, yet he had to bow in front of his half-brother only because he was born to the principal wife of his father, unlike him who was birthed by his father's consort.

And to add more to his wounds, Zhelan was much more powerful and better than him at cultivating, surpassing and astonishing everyone in the kingdom with his abilities. How could he not loathe the man who had been an impediment since the beginning?

'Master is right.' He gnashed his teeth and closed his eyes. When he opened them next, they were filled with resolve, a strong killing intent. 'I cannot allow Zhelan to live anymore. He has to die for me to live peacefully. I will not allow him to return to Kingdom Idora ever. Zhelan...just you wait.'

Meanwhile, Zhelan had no idea that his half-brother, who he did not even care about, was conspiring against him. He kept proceeding towards Mount Dao which seemed still far away from reach. They were yet to reach the base of the mountain, the peak was still a dream to them.

They had walked on the path for more than half a day. But to Zhelan, it seemed like days had passed. His body was screaming in pain and he was filled with fatigue. He did even not have much strength in him.

After becoming a mere human, his ability to withstand pain and maintain his energy had reduced drastically. Zhelan was exhausted and he was on the verge of collapsing. He could not continue anymore.

Zhelan glanced at the young man beside him and was secretly relieved that he was not the only one in misery. Yi Meng too was in bad condition after walking more than half a day without resting, unlike his trained guards who did not show any signs of tiredness, which Zhelan had predicted.

Zhelan raised his head and stared at the sky. The sun was inching closer to the west and Zhelan decided to call it a day. Anyway, he was depleted of all his energy to move any further.

"We should rest for the day." He declared all of a sudden, much to Yi Meng's delight. Being a pampered Young Master of a renowned family, he had never strolled in the kingdom on foot, let alone hike for a long time. The expedition had rendered him wretched and all he wanted was for them to stop walking. Moreover, he was famished and he wanted nothing more than to eat to his heart's content.

"It will be dusk soon and we need to find a suitable place to rest. Otherwise, we might become prey for wild beasts." Zhelan tried hard to conceal his fatigue and put on a strong front to keep up his face. "And it is dangerous to trek at night." He emphasized and looked at Yi Meng, who reacted exactly the way he wanted.

"Yes, Master. We should stop for the day. We can continue at dawn tomorrow. Find a suitable place for us to rest tonight. Also, find some food for us. There should be something edible here." Yi Meng readily agreed and he ordered his men before he sat on the dry ground beside Zhelan while Yi Meng's men scattered to find a good location.

Zhelan did not speak a word, allowing Yi Meng to handle his men. Once again, he was glad that he had decided to join the group. With them around, he had nothing to do.

In no time, Yi Meng's men found a good spot to rest for the night and they set up a small tent.

Zhelan looked at Yi Meng's men, impressed by their work. Not only had they built a fire, but they had also even captured three wild hares. At least, he did not have to worry about his dinner.

The group spent the time eating and watching the sky turn dark slowly. However, they had barely finished eating when they heard a rumble that was louder than the loudest thunder they had ever heard. Zhelan and Yi Meng jumped to their feet immediately and the other men followed suit.

They could not make out what was happening and they looked around them in fear. Even Zhelan, who had never feared anyone in his life, was scared out of his wits. He was now a powerless human and he did not wish to die this early, not when he was yet to kill the man who had reduced him to such a pathetic state.

Again, the group heard the boom. But they could not make out from where the sound was coming. It was reverberating from all directions and Zhelan picked up a burning wooden stick from the fire while the other men clutched their swords tight.

This continued for quite some time and after hearing the rumble another three times, it went eerily silent. The rumbling stopped. Yet, none of the men put their guards down for a long time.

"Master, what was that?" Yi Meng whispered. He had never heard such a precarious sound before and he was mortified. It was the young man's presence that kept him sane.

Zhelan's face scrunched up and he blinked a few times. He too did not know what the sound was and he started to have an ominous feeling all of a sudden, one which he could not comprehend.

'Why did Tian Ma not warn me about this sound?' He wondered and sat on the ground again. His entire back was drenched due to fright. But he was in no mood to worry about it.

Zhelan bit his lip and looked around him. But he could not see anything worthy of his attention.

The group waited for some time and it was only when they did not hear any sound that they withdrew their swords.

Zhelan thought for a while when he recalled two small books he had seen in his treasure trove. While one of the books was entirely blank, the other was filled with some unimportant information about Mount Dao. Since it had nothing noteworthy, he had not given it much thought.

Zhelan's eyes lit up when he thought about the book. He stood up immediately and picked up his bundle of treasures before commanding domineeringly, "Give me some time. I will try to find out what the sound is. Do not enter the tent until I say so."