Corpse Recovery Diver

"Come on, let's go!"

Zhao Yi walked up to Li Zhiyuan and crouched down slightly.

The Taoist temple was on the mountain, usually accessible by foot, but time was of the essence now.

Li Zhiyuan climbed onto Zhao Yi's back.

Zhao Yi straightened up and began to move forward. His pace wasn't fast, not even bumpy, yet the scenery on either side seemed to zoom past.

Lin Shuyou's Three-step Praise focused more on practical combat, while Run Sheng prioritized impact. In terms of movement technique proficiency, neither matched Zhao Yi at this moment.

This guy has indeed mastered his movement technique to the pinnacle, effortlessly and gracefully.

"How do you feel about my Jiujiang Zhao family's 'Chasing the River Step'?"

"You altered the 'Wuxing Plum Blossom Step' a bit, and it became a Zhao family thing?"

Zhao Yi laughed, for the young man was right.

Zhao Wuyang rose from obscurity. Although this laid the foundation for Jiujiang Zhao's status in Jianghu, the family remained weak at its core. Throughout the years, no other Dragon King emerged, so naturally, they resorted to adopting things from others to enrich their heritage.

Zhao Yi: "So, I've always thought that the most remarkable aspect of my Zhao family, aside from our ancestors, is this knack for business."

Li Zhiyuan: "Indeed."

Zhao Yi: "After this is over, I'll transcribe a few sets of cultivation techniques for you to review."

Li Zhiyuan: "Aiming too high."

Zhao Yi: "For long-term cooperation, occasional incentives are essential. As an honorary captain, shouldn't I offer some perks?"

Li Zhiyuan: "Let's talk about it later."

Zhao Yi: "Come on, accepting favors makes one obligated. You don't want our next meeting to start with a conflict, do you?"

Li Zhiyuan: "That puts my mind at ease."

There was still some distance to the coordinates Sun Yan had given, but disturbances were already noticeable.

Zhao Yi slowed down first, then found a concealed spot for observation from above.

Li Zhiyuan raised his hand and set up a simple array to mask their presence, adding an extra layer of security.

Zhao Yi: "Looks like you've fully mastered Zhen Sha'an's technique."

Li Zhiyuan remained silent, simply glancing downward.

Below, eight people were "ganging up" on an ancient tree.

These eight didn't form a team; they were clearly split into two factions.

One consisted of three, two men and one woman, dressed in white with an ethereal aura.

The other faction had five men, all dressed differently, led by a Fat man wearing a black headscarf.

Since Li Zhiyuan didn't respond, Zhao Yi chimed in, "Could I have a look too? I remember you took all those carving boards home; they should be sorted by now, right?"

Li Zhiyuan: "I threw them away."

"Threw them away?"

"Once you learn, you discard them, otherwise they just take up space."

"Where did you throw them?"

"My basement, filled with books. If you're interested, you can try stealing some."

"I'll tell you where my Zhao Family Ancestral Mansion Secret Realm is, how about you try stealing from there?"

Li Zhiyuan nodded earnestly, "Sure."

Only then did Zhao Yi recall that Li, who had started from scratch in Jianghu, might be eager to find a valid excuse to explore a grand sect's treasury.

"I was joking. Wait for the Yu Family; that's a legitimate Dragon King family with treasures aplenty."

Li Zhiyuan shifted his gaze afar, searching for Run Sheng and the pair of twin sisters.

He first spotted Sun Yan, who was hiding in a tree.

After a while, he found the position of the twin sisters. Even with their aura masked, they hadn't perfectly blended into the surroundings.

Zhao Yi: "Your Run Sheng hides well. I haven't found him yet."

Li Zhiyuan: "That's because he's likely nearby, but not looking this way."

The task had been delivered via Sun Yan's animals. After completion, Run Sheng should have found a cool place to stay.

Zhao Yi: "That's indeed something Run Sheng would do."

The three white-clothed individuals were clearly proficient in the way of arrays. Earlier, the other team of five had attempted to break the array with brute force, to little effect.

Now it was the trio's turn. The three stood abreast, hands swiftly moving as the array materials they carried flew out one after another.

One tested the large array with a small one, another focused on setup, and the third altered the surrounding feng shui configuration to aid them.

Zhao Yi: "Doesn't their technique look familiar?"

Li Zhiyuan: "Yes."

Zhao Yi: "That's Zhen Sha'an's style. Those three might be his descendants."

Li Zhiyuan: "Zhen Sha'an once asked me to pass on his research to his descendants."

Zhao Yi: "Will you return it?"

Li Zhiyuan: "We'll see, at the very least minimum interaction."

Besides, Li Zhiyuan recalled when his array at the inn in Lijiang had been besieged. A group of array masters had threatened his setup — it was these three.

When the broken jade dissipated as markers, signaling the end of the broken jade competition, everyone scattered. Before leaving, these three bowed to him in congratulation.

However, Zhen Sha'an had been more foe than friend, only recognizing his failure at the last moment and offering benefits to solicit Li Zhiyuan's help as a fallback.

Likewise, during the Lijiang incident, these three had been adversaries but showed some grace in the end.

In sum, while there's some goodwill, Li Zhiyuan indeed owes them no favors.

The trio quickly completed the preliminary preparations and began to break the array.

The first attempt caused the tree to tremble, but the array remained unbreached — a failure.