"With Ice overseeing things here, I can now visit Green Wood City without worrying about anything." Jiu Shen muttered to himself as he went back to his store.

Just right outside his store, Jiu Shen met Emperor Elyk who had just exited. The latter was somewhat surprised when he saw Jiu Shen, but he immediately let out a smile filled with complicated emotions. "Wine Master Jiu, I heard that you will be going to Green Wood City. What might your reason be for visiting that place?" He inquired with a curious look.

Jiu Shen glanced at Emperor Elyk and remained silent for a moment before he replied in a calm voice. "Nothing special. I'll just pluck a few spiritual plants and other ingredients for my wines."

Emperor Elyk looked at Jiu Shen deeply, but he could not read the latter's expression, so he could only choose to accept his reason. "Hm, I see. I wanted to discuss more things with you, Wine Master Jiu, but it appears that you are in a hurry, so I won't take much of your time. For now, I'll just return to the imperial palace and tell those two little brats of mine to immediately come here and work for you. Hahaha! Be careful on your journey, Wine Master Jiu!" Emperor Elyk chuckled before he left with his men. He was eager to let the fourth prince and the fifth princess work in Jiu Shen's wine store. If they receive Jiu Shen's guidance, their growth would surely increase by leaps and bounds.

Jiu Shen watched their disappearing backs indifferently and turned to walk inside his store. He also ignored the two alchemists who were still kneeling outside his store. This made the two old men bitterly shook their heads.

If they thought that it was that easy to move Jiu Shen's heart, then they are terribly wrong...

Inside the store, Jiu Shen saw that Xia Xinyue was already there waiting for him. He could also see the excitement in her eyes as she talked with Lu Sulan and the other elders of the Ice Cloud Sword Sect, but when the ladies saw Jiu Shen's figure walking towards them, they abruptly stood up from their seats and bowed respectfully at him.

Jiu Shen waved his right hand and gestured for them to sit down before he turned his attention to Xia Xinyue. "Have you prepared your things?" He asked.

Xia Xinyue put on a meek appearance as she faced Jiu Shen's expressionless face. "Yes, Sect Master Jiu. I've already prepared everything on my end." She replied while stealthily looking at his eyes. She didn't dare stare at him for too long, afraid that she might be enchanted by his charms again.

"Good! Let's go." Jiu Shen turned around as he said those words, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked at Lu Sulan with a serious expression.

"Sulan, you stay here and handle the store for me, okay?" He said solemnly.

Lu Sulan nodded her head at her master and smiled gently. "Master, don't worry about the store and just focus yourself on your journey. With Young Miss Theia and Lord Ren's presence, no one will dare to create a ruckus here."

Jiu Shen nodded his head at Lu Sulan and beckoned at Xia Xinyue to follow him. He then communicated with the system inside his head. "System, give me the mission details."

- Ding!

- Mission: A hidden cave was discovered within the territory of Green Wood City. However, this was once a dwelling of a peak stage Nascent God who failed to break through to the Origin God Realm. In the deepest part of the cave, the system has detected the presence of several God Crystals which can be of help to the Host's cultivation.

"God Stones... Could it be... System, are the God Stones in that cave sufficient to help me break through to the Nascent God Realm?" He asked with a hint of anticipation.

- Ding!

- Host, you have to find out about this yourself. Please work hard!

Jiu Shen's face twitched when he heard the system's reply, but he was now feeling slightly expectant about this hidden cave. The owner of the mysterious cave was an Origin God Realm expert which was the next realm after the Nascent God Realm. With his strength, he should have a lot of treasures in his possession, but this was nothing to Jiu Shen since what he lacked right now were not treasures, but resources that could help him promote his cultivation level. Aside from that, the mission provided by the system only stated about the God Stones, so Jiu Shen's number one goal in this trip was to get those God Stones from the cave.

"Lord Sect Master, can I know your purpose in visiting Green Wood City?" Xia Xinyue asked while looking at Jiu Shen's side profile.

Jiu Shen glanced at her with a calm face and replied indifferently. "You'll know soon."

Xia Xinyue pursed her lips at his reply, but she didn't ask him about that again. However, she was really curious as to what made Jiu Shen decide to visit Green Wood City. 'Just what could it be...'

Jiu Shen then looked at Master Fengzi and Supreme Elder Qi Hongtian who were still prostrating before him and sighed in his heart.

"The both of you should stop doing this. You will only waste your time here since I will never change my mind." Jiu Shen said in a cold tone.

Master Fengzi and Supreme Elder Qi Hongtian stared at Jiu Shen unyieldingly.

"Wine Master Jiu, even if you don't accept the both of us as your disciples, we will still willingly follow you." Supreme Elder Qi Hongtian balled his thin and weak-looking hands as he gazed at Jiu Shen.

Master Fengzi remained silent, but his expression was the same as the supreme elder.

Jiu Shen shook his head and grabbed Xia Xinyue's waist tightly in his embrace before he unfurled his inky black wings. While ignoring Xia Xinyue's embarrassed look, he soared through the skies as he hugged her supple figure tightly.

Xia Xinyue was still at the peak stage of the 7th-rank Emperor realm, so she was still incapable of flying. Only when one breaks through the 8th-rank Divine realm will they be able to use their true essence to manipulate the power of the elements and allow themselves to fly in the skies.

Xia Xinyue's face was beet-red as if she was drunk, and she also appeared to be in a dazed state as she held Jiu Shen's arms tightly, afraid that she might fall from the sky.

With the power of Jiu Shen's dark wings, it wouldn't be long before they would arrive in Green Wood City. He didn't use his ability to cut through space as it consumes a lot of his true essence. Furthermore, he already expected that the mysterious cave wouldn't be safe, so he must conserve his strength. The deceased expert was an Origin God Realm, and that kind of cultivator was still too strong for Jiu Shen. He might have placed some traps inside the cave, so every bit of Jiu Shen's true essence was needed for the exploration within the mysterious cave.

* * *

More than several hundred cultivators were standing outside the mysterious cave. Some of them were in groups, while a few others were lone travelers. All of them were wearing cautious expressions as they glanced at the cultivators around them.

"Boss Scar, we've been waiting here for several hours already, but no one is still willing to go inside first. It looks like everyone is afraid that there might be some traps laid inside the cave." Liu Xiufeng muttered as he alertly observed the other cultivators around them.

Boss Scar nodded his head gravely and replied. "No one here is dumb enough to send themselves to an unknown place. Later, the stronger groups might force the weaker ones to lead the exploration, so everyone must prepare for that."

Liu Xiufeng and the others nodded their heads solemnly. Although their group was fairly strong, they still remained alert as they waited for things to happen.

The atmosphere suddenly became tensed as all the cultivators held the handles of their weapons tightly. No one wanted to become the cannon fodder, so they didn't dare step forward to go inside the cave...

"Fellow warriors, I have a suggestion!" A bald man with dark skin shouted in a loud voice which instantly made everyone glance his way. The bald man looked like a monk, but the dangerous presence he emitted was similar to those who had gone through countless battles, so no one dared to make any rash moves.

Here it comes...

After getting everyone's attention, the bald man smiled and said plainly. "I can see a few friends here who are at the 2nd-rank Elite Warrior realm. How about letting these friends lead the way for us?"

Everyone's expression turned weird when they heard his words. They understood his intentions and they could not help but feel that this bald man was truly vicious. He was actually suggesting to send the weakest among them to lead the exploration! But upon thinking it through, they also thought that his suggestion was reasonable, so they didn't oppose the idea.

Boss Scar and his buddies heaved a sigh of relief. The weakest among his group was already at the 3rd-rank Crusader realm. They felt that they had just survived a disaster at that instant.