Chapter 41: Within the Ruins (Part 2)
Song Changsheng formed a seal for Heavenly Light Spell to illuminate the way, taking the lead as he stepped into the cave residence, with Zhuang Yuechan and the others closely following behind.
Beyond the door lay a passageway that was much wider than before. Bathed in the spell’s radiance, they could clearly see crude murals etched along the corridor walls.
Yet Song Changsheng and the others were utterly baffled, unable to decipher what message the creator of these murals intended to convey.
The corridor wasn’t long, they could even glimpse the spacious area carved out at its far end.
However, the walk through it was far from easy. Just as Song Changsheng had anticipated, it was riddled with formations. A single careless step, and one would die an ugly death.
But within this intricate web of formations, Song Changsheng noticed something peculiar.
"Though there are many formations, none of them are of high rank. Their methods of decryption, however, are exceptionally unorthodox. Without a unique understanding of formations, one could scratch their head bald and still be unable to break through."
Song Changsheng paused in thought, a vague understanding beginning to form regarding the intent of the cave residence’s owner.
He had already harbored suspicions outside the bluestone gate, and the discoveries within this corridor served to further corroborate his conjecture.
The owner of this cave residence was not aiming to block intruders with these formations, but rather had deliberately arranged them as a trial to seek out one with innate talent in formations to inherit his mantle.
This wasn’t wild speculation on Song Changsheng’s part, but a conclusion reached through rigorous deduction based on the circumstances at hand.
At that thought, a flicker of excitement surged in Song Changsheng’s heart. The cave master’s attainments in formation arts were clearly profound, if he could obtain such a legacy, it would be an enormous boon to him.
With full focus, Song Changsheng began to dismantle the formations one by one. As he progressed, he moved with increasing ease. In less than half an hour, they had reached the end of the passageway and entered a man-made stone chamber.
"Looks like this was used for receiving guests," Zhu Yiqun said confidently after scanning the surroundings.
"With a stone table this big, even if you didn’t say so, we could see that ourselves," Song Changsheng replied while simultaneously checking the area for hidden mechanisms.
"Tch, I won’t argue with you. I’m off to look for treasure! A Foundation Establishment cultivator’s cave ah, there’s bound to be lots of good stuff!" Zhu Yiqun’s small eyes sparkled as he darted through the entrance ahead.
Song Changsheng shook his head helplessly, then smiled at Zhuang Yuechan and said, "Let’s go too, lest that damned fatty hog all the loot."
...
While the group was exploring the cave, the Blood Demon cultivators outside were not idle.
The Black Steward stood atop a high vantage point, watching the underlings below labor tirelessly under the command of several minor leaders.
They were placing specially-made black ceramic jars around the perimeter of the formation. Upon closer inspection, one would notice that they were setting them exactly where Song Changsheng and the others had previously carved out a path, precisely at the formation’s weak points.
The method was little more than mimicry, painting by numbers but for these demonic cultivators, it was excruciatingly difficult. The moment they neared a certain radius of the formation, the Yang energy there would relentlessly erode the demonic Qi within them.
The process was agonizing and torturous. If not for the Black Steward’s cruelty and fearsome authority, they would’ve abandoned the task long ago.
Finally, amidst a chorus of screams, the last black jar was positioned. The skeletal man hurried over to the Black Steward, bowing and nodding as he said, “My Lord, the black blood has all been placed. What are your orders?”
“Then what are you waiting for? Break this formation immediately! If we fail the Hall Master's mission, I’ll make your life a living hell!”
The Black Steward’s chilling gaze sent a shiver down the skeletal man’s spine.
“Please rest assured, My Lord. This black blood was concocted through a forbidden ritual using over a hundred spirit-root children, brewed for forty-nine days. The Yin-Fiend energy it contains is exceedingly potent.
Had we gathered enough of it sooner, we could’ve shattered the Mystic Yang Skysteel Array already. Now, with the weak points exposed by their tunnel, we can arrange the Blood Demon Yin-Fiend Array it will definitely succeed in breaking through.” The skeletal man stealthily wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and hastily assured him.
“Hmph. It better,” the Black Steward replied with a frosty smile, then shut his eyes to rest.
At the skeletal man’s command, the Blood Demon Yin-Fiend Array was activated…
Within the cave residence, Song Changsheng and the others were still deep in exploration. But with more than a dozen stone chambers to check, their progress was frustratingly slow.
After yet another fruitless search, Song Changsheng turned to the others and suggested, “This won’t do. We’re moving too slowly. Let’s split up, what we find will be up to fate.”
Zhu Yiqun glanced awkwardly at Xu Yunhe beside him and asked, “But in that case, Fellow Daoist Xu…”
“As long as I don’t engage in combat, my injuries won’t be a problem.” Xu Yunhe’s eyes had rekindled with fighting spirit. Since everything was now a matter of individual fortune, he would not be a burden.
“Then let’s go with Fellow Daoist Song’s plan, everyone to their own fortune,” Zhuang Yuechan agreed as well.
With no objections, the group each chose a different path to explore.
Guided by intuition, Song Changsheng pressed forward until he came to a stone chamber. Pushing the door open, he found it barren, only some mundane furnishings, nothing of value.
This wasn’t the first time he’d come up empty-handed, so Song Changsheng didn’t dwell on it. After a thorough inspection, he moved on to the next chamber.
This one was different. The room was circular in shape, and from the arrangement inside, it appeared to be a study. The purple sandalwood bookshelves along the walls confirmed his suspicions.
The shelves were piled high with jade slips, each coated in a thick layer of dust. Song Changsheng stifled his excitement and began rummaging through them one by one.
But he quickly realized he had been too optimistic. Who knew how many years this place had sat untouched, most of the jade slips had long since deteriorated, the contents faded into nothing.
Let alone techniques or divine arts, even complete sentences were rare.
Unwilling to give up, Song Changsheng continued digging through the shelves with grim determination. Heaven favors the diligent and at long last, he managed to unearth a few jade slips that were intact.
They had clearly undergone special treatment; otherwise, they wouldn’t have survived to this day.
That alone was enough to prove how important they were.
Suppressing his excitement, Song Changsheng picked up the first jade slip and pressed it to his forehead. A faint glow flickered, and the contents of the slip immediately poured into his mind.
“Qi Transforming Force?”
He lowered the jade slip, a glint of astonishment flashing through his eyes. The jade slip actually recorded a secret art.
Secret arts differed from ordinary spells. Spells had fixed limitations, and their power was restricted by the user’s cultivation level.
But secret arts were different. Their potency scaled with the practitioner, there was no upper limit.
They were exceedingly rare. Though Song Changsheng had learned dozens of spells, he had only ever grasped one secret art before, the Breath Concealment Art gleaned from the Dao Scripture.
But what thrilled him the most was the effect of this particular secret art...
(Chapter End)