Lin Hao knew exactly what the turtle egg was so anxious to do. He smiled and shook his head as he watched it depart.

"Who goes there?!" Suddenly, a resonant voice boomed from the direction of Heaven-Stepping Peak, and two figures approached at extreme speed.

The arrivals were, of course, Wu Taichu and Elder Gu.

"Martial Grand—" Their speed was incredible; in the blink of an eye, they had arrived at the God-Attesting Platform. Wu Taichu hurried to greet Lin Hao, but when he saw Yunxi and Marquis Mo standing behind him, he choked back the rest of his words.

"It seems we have distinguished guests. I, Wu Taichu, have been remiss in my welcome. Please forgive my discourtesy." Although Yunxi and Marquis Mo remained silent, they carried an extraordinary air. Since they had arrived with Lin Hao, Wu Taichu naturally treated them as his friends. He wouldn’t dare be impolite to friends of his Martial Grand-Uncle, so his tone was exceedingly respectful.

"Her name is Yunxi, a maidservant I’ve brought back. And this is Marquis Mo, servant to the turtle egg. Elder Gu, I’ll trouble you to get them settled."

Lin Hao’s words left Wu Taichu and Elder Gu slightly stunned.

However, they weren’t qualified to question Lin Hao’s affairs, so they quickly nodded in understanding. Elder Gu personally took action, grabbing one person with each hand before leaping away toward Heaven-Stepping Peak.

"Martial Grand-Uncle, you’ve reached the Soul Gathering Realm First Layer!" Once the others were gone, Wu Taichu perceived Lin Hao’s cultivation level and was utterly shocked.

After Lin Hao had left, Wu Taichu had cultivated day and night, even consuming numerous elixirs. He had also discovered a God-Demon Secret Realm and trained there for a time, yet his cultivation had only reached the Fifth Layer of Soul Gathering Realm. For Lin Hao to have already soared to the Soul Gathering Realm First Layer... this speed left Wu Taichu at a loss for words.

"It was all thanks to that. Here, take this jar of wine. It will be beneficial for the current disciples of the Heaven-Stepping Sect." Lin Hao retrieved a wine jar from his spirit storage ring and handed it to Wu Taichu.

Wu Taichu accepted it, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"A single small cup of this wine can raise your cultivation by an entire layer," Lin Hao explained with a smile.

"What?!" Wu Taichu cried out, his hand trembling so violently he nearly dropped the entire jar.

"Drink two cups at most. Any more will not be beneficial for one’s cultivation. Distribute it amongst the disciples. Our sect’s strength is far too weak." As he spoke, Lin Hao produced another jar.

The great Heaven-Stepping Sect was founded by an Emperor Venerable, yet the Sect Leader’s cultivation couldn’t even match the top few disciples on the Saint Institute’s Holy Stele. ’We’d be a laughingstock if anyone found out.’ With this wine, the sect’s strength could be raised by a huge margin.

A single cup could raise his cultivation by a full layer; the value of one jar was beyond imagination. Yet Lin Hao had given him two without a second thought. The gesture shook Wu Taichu to his core.

Lin Hao, unconcerned with Wu Taichu’s inner turmoil, was focused on his goal. He asked directly, "I want to obtain Emperor Hongtian’s Soul Gathering Realm Cultivation Technique. What do you know about it?"

"Martial Grand-Uncle, I knew this day would come," Wu Taichu said, not at all surprised. "I’ve been searching for this Cultivation Technique in secret for some time, but I’ve had no luck. Perhaps my aptitude is too poor to earn the Great Emperor’s acknowledgment. If you wish to obtain the technique, you should visit our sect’s secret grounds." He had pointed Lin Hao toward a possible path.

Wu Taichu then led the way, bringing Lin Hao directly to the spot where he had first guided him into the Saha World.

"The sect’s secret grounds are inside the Saha World?" Lin Hao asked.

"That’s right. Rumors of an inheritance from the Emperor Venerable have always persisted within the Heaven-Stepping Sect. For centuries, countless experts have coveted it, but none have ever succeeded. That’s because they could never enter the secret grounds. I’ve explored it myself many times without finding anything, but if the Emperor Venerable’s inheritance truly exists, any clues must be in there."

Wu Taichu nodded, his expression firm and certain.

Lin Hao nodded as well. With a single thought, he and Wu Taichu appeared inside the Saha World.

The Saha World was unchanged. Ancient trees towered toward the sky, and a thick, ethereal mist wafted from nearby, making the area feel like a pristine, otherworldly paradise.

"Martial Grand-Uncle, the sect’s secret grounds are just below," Wu Taichu said, standing at the edge of the Saha World and gazing at the mist-shrouded area. "I hope you find success right away."

From Wu Taichu’s tone, it was clear he didn’t intend to go down with him. Lin Hao said nothing, merely nodding in acknowledgment.

At the edge of the Saha World, vines from an Ancient Tree hung down. Lin Hao noticed that the thickest vine was worn smooth. ’It must be from generations of Sect Leaders using it to get up and down,’ he thought.

Lin Hao grabbed hold of it and leaped down.

After sliding down the vine for a full several minutes, he reached its end.

Lin Hao looked down into a bottomless expanse of swirling mist.

Beside him, however, was a cave entrance just over a man’s height.

’This must be the secret grounds of the Heaven-Stepping Sect.’

Lin Hao entered and headed straight in.

The cave was unremarkable, but Lin Hao proceeded slowly, carefully examining every inch.

After about a hundred meters, he reached what appeared to be the end of the cave.

However, the moment his hand touched the wall, a RUMBLE echoed through the cave.

The wall parted, revealing a new passageway.

Lin Hao’s eyes narrowed as he took in the sight.

As far as he could see, the walls of the corridor were embedded with gleaming Luminous Pearls every ten meters, and the floor was paved with white marble.

The passage wasn’t ostentatious, but it was undeniably luxurious.

Lin Hao stepped onto the marble and continued inward.

After several hundred meters of twists and turns, he emerged into a vast underground palace.

Standing at the entrance, Lin Hao scanned his surroundings, taking in everything within the massive chamber.

The first thing that caught his eye were nine colossal stone pillars, each covered in exquisite, lifelike reliefs.

Lin Hao stared at the relief on one of the pillars for only a moment before the world began to spin. He violently spat out a mouthful of blood.

Wiping the blood from his lips, Lin Hao’s expression turned to one of utter horror. He realized that not a single trace of what he had just seen remained in his mind.

The memory of the relief had been silently erased from his mind. Such a method was simply beyond his comprehension.

’There’s something strange about these reliefs. I’ll check out the rest of the palace first.’

Lin Hao forced himself to avert his gaze from the reliefs, turning instead to examine the rest of the palace.

A quick scan revealed nothing else of note, until his gaze passed between the nine pillars and landed on a stone door.

This whole place was strange and extraordinary; there was no way Lin Hao was going to ignore that stone door.

He walked over and opened the stone door with ease. Looking inside, he saw countless spirit tablets.

Behind the stone door were the enshrined spirit tablets of the Heaven-Stepping Sect’s past Sect Leaders, each one recording their life story.

Lin Hao examined them one by one, spending over ten minutes reading through all of the tablets.

Suddenly, Lin Hao’s eyes flew wide open!