The sun blazed overhead.

At the foot of a mountain in the Celestial Cloud Mountain Range, a large crowd had gathered.

Everyone was there for the cave mansion.

Just then, a group of five arrived at the edge of the crowd. One of them wore a mask, making his face hard to see and giving him an unassuming presence.

The others were rather unremarkable, but the one thing that drew attention was a long-bodied Spirit Beast.

It had short limbs and a rather long body, with a dog-like face. Yep, at first glance, it really did look like a long-bodied, short-legged dog.

If not for the slightly uncanny feeling one got from looking at it up close, many people really would have mistaken it for a dog.

But no one paid it much mind. In the Cultivation Realm, anything was possible when it came to Spirit Beasts.

"So many people gathered for a single cave mansion? What’s the deal with this? How could the opportunities and benefits possibly be split evenly?" Zhong Yiyang said.

The newcomers were, of course, Jiang Zuo’s group.

Not long ago, Jiang Zuo and the others had learned that the fake gate was about to open. Yongxi had no choice but to grow four short legs first; otherwise, the consequences would have been dire.

Afterward, thanks to Ximen Chuihuo’s disguise, this Yongxi-dog actually looked the part.

With their preparations complete, Jiang Zuo’s group made their way to the cave mansion, stopping at the edge of the crowd.

The entrance to the cave mansion wasn’t huge, but it was by no means small.

The great gate was five meters high and three meters wide. It was exposed directly before everyone, without the slightest sign of concealment.

It was like a house standing out in the open, completely unconcerned about prying eyes. At the top of the stone gate were inscribed the words—Temporary Cave Mansion.

Seeing this, Jiang Zuo was rather speechless. The owner of this cave mansion was far more brazen than he was.

Even his old temporary residences weren’t like this.

Of course, the main reason he didn’t bother with a gate was because of Jiu Xi. That woman just loved to smash them down.

’Kicking down doors is so satisfying, isn’t it?’

Ximen Chuihuo said, "The news spread too quickly. There are always people who want to fish in troubled waters."

Li Ya asked curiously, "Didn’t you say this was Demon Cultivator territory? Are Demon Cultivators kinder than orthodox Cultivators?"

Ximen Linglong said with disdain, "They must be plotting something. I refuse to believe they’re that kind-hearted."

Ximen Chuihuo smiled. "And here comes the plot."

Just then, a group of people descended from the sky. They were all Demon Cultivators.

Among them was a Tier Six Peak Demon Cultivator. Their appearance meant the great gate was about to open.

Then, the Tier Six Demon Cultivator spoke. "Fellow Daoists, the gate to the cave mansion is about to open. However, when it does, a powerful Barrier will obstruct entry. After long research, we have finally found a way to break it."

After saying this, the Tier Six Demon Cultivator paused deliberately, as if giving the crowd time to discuss it.

Ximen Chuihuo laughed. "These Demon Cultivators are surprisingly business-like, openly selling tickets to make a profit. It looks like the price won’t be low, either."

The entry to this cave mansion was restricted to those below Tier Six, which meant their target audience was mostly Tier Four and Tier Five Cultivators. Therefore, it couldn’t possibly be cheap.

The others in the crowd weren’t fools; they naturally guessed as much. There was nothing to say about it. It wasn’t just Demon Cultivators; those who discovered Immortal Spirit Cave Mansions did the same thing.

Since everyone understood, the Tier Six Demon Cultivator saw no reason to beat around the bush. "To ensure all you fellow Daoists can enter smoothly, we have specially developed a type of Jade Rune. Holding this Rune will allow you to enter and exit.

Of course, if any of you fellow Daoists have the ability, you are free to enter and exit on your own. We will absolutely not interfere.

Once inside the cave mansion, we will not ask about anything you obtain. All spoils will belong to you and you alone."

At this moment, someone shouted directly, "Senior, just tell us how many Spirit Stones. It looks like the gate is about to open."

"One Fifth-Grade Spirit Stone. Also, you must exit before noon tomorrow. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for the next time it opens, and it’s hard to say what accidents might happen," the Tier Six Demon Cultivator kindly reminded them.

As soon as the price was announced, a commotion naturally erupted below, especially among those with lower Cultivation.

"A Fifth-Grade Spirit Stone? Why don’t they just rob us? How long would it take to earn that back?"

"It would take us a long time, but it’s quick for Tier Four and Tier Five Cultivators."

"Looks like there’s no hope for us to get in."

"The main thing is, even if we get in, it’s hard to say if we can even make our money back. That Secret Realm cave mansion last time was better. You were guaranteed not to lose out."

"We should just focus on whether we want to go in or not. If we’re late, we’ll miss the best time."

These people were generally around Tier Three in Cultivation. If they gritted their teeth, they could still afford it.

As for the Tier Four and Tier Five Cultivators, they didn’t even hesitate. They had already come all this way; how could they not go in?

"A Fifth-Grade Spirit Stone... Should we just head back?" Zhong Yiyang said.

Li Ya also frowned. She was a Mage and didn’t have any Spirit Stones.

Jiang Zuo, however, asked, "Is a Fifth-Grade Spirit Stone a lot?"

’It was true that Fifth-Grade Spirit Stones were a little hard to come by, but he’d managed to earn that much several times in the past month.’

Ximen Linglong said in dissatisfaction, "Of course it’s a lot!"

Then she added, "For them, it’s a lot."

As the prized daughter of the Spiritual Control Sect, she might be short on cash, but not on Spirit Stones.

In reality, Zhong Yiyang wasn’t really short on them either; he could earn them by running his own shop.

He just hadn’t brought any with him.

Then Jiang Zuo added, "I once met a Tier Three Cultivator, also from the Spiritual Control Sect, who asked me to pay for a Ninth-Grade Spirit Stone for him.

So, is one Fifth-Grade stone really that difficult?"

Ximen Chuihuo smiled. "You must be talking about Senior Brother Tang Shui, right? Senior Brother Tang Shui is rather special. He has good financial resources; after all, not just any Tier Three Cultivator can make a Six-tailed beast willingly devote its everything to them."

Jiang Zuo didn’t really have a good grasp of such matters, but after a moment’s thought, he could understand some of it.

’Cultivation required Spirit Stones. These people might earn them occasionally, but they certainly had essential uses for them. So, a single ticket costing a Fifth-Grade stone would naturally sting. It was like a member of an ordinary family having to spend ten thousand to see a movie. It wasn’t that they couldn’t afford it, but that they were unwilling to part with it. Of course, there were also those who truly couldn’t afford it.’

"So, are we going in or not?" Zhong Yiyang asked.

’He was surrounded by young masters and young ladies, or else big shots; they definitely weren’t short on money. At worst, he could just pay them back when he returned.’

At that, they all looked toward Jiang Zuo. After all, he was the one who had wanted to come.

Jiang Zuo, however, asked Yongxi, "Are the Restrictions on the two entrances the same?"

"Of course they’re not the same. That person surnamed Qin isn’t an idiot. The correct entrance is definitely a hundred, even a thousand times harder to get into.

The fake one was just thrown together for fun. Otherwise, how could these people possibly break it? If it were a properly laid Restriction, even after all these years, they wouldn’t stand a chance of cracking it," Yongxi said with contempt.

Jiang Zuo nodded and said nothing more.

’For him, this was good news. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about Su Qi and the others entering the real entrance. Once he confirmed that the periphery was truly safe, he could enter the interior with more peace of mind. He never worried about being unable to get in. Restrictions, Arrays, Barriers, Array Patterns—they were all different paths to the same goal, and there was nothing he couldn’t decipher. If there was, it would only be a matter of his Cultivation being insufficient, which would just mean he’d need a lot of time.’

Just then, the great gate began to slowly swing open, and the sale of the Jade Runes commenced. It was a fiercely profitable venture. And by the looks of it, they could probably make a killing one more time, since everyone would have to get back out.