43: Silent tacit understanding, clearing the battlefield

The Leading Elder's voice was like two rough rocks rubbing against each other.

Hoarse.

Heavy.

Every word carried the unique pressure of a Golden Core cultivator, like an invisible heavy hammer, striking Lin Gou's heart.

"Lin Gou."

"You need to give us an explanation."

Instantly, the air in the entire hall seemed to be sucked dry.

All the surviving Qingyun Sect Disciples subconsciously held their breath, retreating half a step in unison, creating a subtle distance from Lin Gou.

Their gazes were incredibly complex.

There was awe, gratitude, but more than that, there was an instinctive fear and repulsion one feels when seeing something not of their kind.

To be reborn from the dead.

These four words pressed down on everyone's Dao Heart like an insurmountable mountain.

Zhao Linger's knuckles, gripping her sword hilt, had turned white from excessive force.

Her petite body, however, was now like a poised leopardess, resolutely blocking in front of Lin Gou, her taut muscles revealing her inner determination.

Lin Gou met everyone's gaze, his face, which had just condensed from specks of light, showed no trace of panic.

[Here it comes, the standard interrogation segment.]

[The acting must be on point, emotions full, and the gaze sincere with three parts sorrow and seven parts exhaustion.]

He slowly, deeply inhaled, as if to draw all the weariness of surviving the ordeal into his chest.

When he exhaled, his eyes were veiled with a carefully calculated layer of gloom and fatigue.

"Elder, Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters."

His voice carried a just-right sense of weakness, as if it would dissipate with a gust of wind.

"This matter is the greatest secret of my Family, never revealed to outsiders."

He once again brought out the script he had already drafted, but this time, his performance was more invested, more genuine.

"I am not immortal."

"It's just that my lineage possesses a… extremely costly secret art of substitution."

He gave a bitter smile, his expression full of self-mockery and sorrow, as if ridiculing his own pathetic fate.

"Every direct descendant, upon reaching adulthood, receives a 'Substitute Ancestral Talisman' refined by our ancestors, pouring their life's blood into it."

"This talisman can die once on one's behalf."

His voice grew even lower, carrying an unspeakable pain.

"The cost is immense."

"Each use will permanently damage my future Dao Foundation, making my hope of reaching the Grand Dao a bit more distant."

He looked up, scanning the crowd, his gaze finally resting on the Leading Elder's solemn face, his eyes filled with unprecedented sincerity and honesty.

"And just now…"

"That was my last Ancestral Talisman."

"From now on, Lin Gou, like all of you, only has this one life left."

As his words fell.

Inside the hall, a pin drop could be heard.

This explanation, while incredible, perfectly fit the Cultivation World's law of "nothing is impossible."

It was entirely plausible for some Hidden Families, with Legacies spanning tens of thousands of years, to possess Heaven-Defying life-saving trump cards.

More importantly, Lin Gou said this was the last time.

This meant that he had transformed from an incomprehensible "monster" back into a comprehensible "person" who was merely incredibly lucky and had exhausted his trump cards.

This caused everyone present to secretly let out a huge sigh of relief.

The Leading Elder's sharp, hawk-like eyes stared intently at Lin Gou, trying to find the slightest flaw in his face.

But he couldn't see anything.

Lin Gou's expression was open, sincere, and carried a hint of weakness after exhausting his secret art.

It was perfectly flawless.

After a long while.

The Elder let out a heavy sigh.

He knew that now was not the time for thorough investigation.

Heishan had escaped, and the Blackwood Sect's Sect Master could come at any time; if internal strife broke out now, everyone would die.

Moreover, without Lin Gou, they would have long become souls under the Puppet's blades.

"This matter, upon returning to the Sect, I will report to the Sect Head."

The Elder's voice regained the authority of a Golden Core cultivator.

"Before that, no one is allowed to reveal a single word of what was seen today!"

His eyes sharpened as he swept over all the Disciples present.

"Everyone, make a Heart Demon Oath!"

"If violated, heaven and earth will punish you, your Dao Heart will collapse, and you will never be reborn!"

Heart Demon Oath.

This was the most malicious oath in the Cultivation World.

Just as everyone was still hesitating, weighing the pros and cons.

"I, Zhao Linger, hereby swear!"

A clear and resolute voice was the first to ring out, firm and unwavering.

It was Zhao Linger.

She didn't hesitate at all, being the first to raise three fingers, swearing to the heavens.

Her gaze was fixed on Lin Gou, her clear eyes showing no trace of doubt or wavering, only complete trust and undeniable support.

Her action was like a thunderclap piercing the darkness.

Instantly, it shattered all the suspicion and estrangement in the hearts of the Disciples.

"I, Wang Meng, hereby swear!"

"I, Chen Yue, hereby swear!"

"I…"

Those Disciples whom Lin Gou had saved from the Puppet's blades came forward one after another, all making the Heart Demon Oath.

Their actions spoke volumes.

Whatever Lin Gou's secret was.

He had saved their lives.

This kindness was greater than the heavens!

An internal crisis that could have torn the team apart was quietly resolved with Zhao Linger's selfless support.

The Leading Elder watched this scene, his eyes complex, finally just nodding in relief.

"Alright."

"Clean up the battlefield, tally the gains."

"We must leave here as soon as possible!"

The oppressive atmosphere finally dissipated.

Everyone began to move, collecting the remains of their fallen fellow Disciples and looting the Storage Pouches of the Blackwood Sect Disciples.

It was a tragic victory.

Nearly half of the Qingyun Sect Disciples were dead or injured, but the gains were also immense.

Especially the destroyed Golden Core Puppet.

Near its exploded chest, the Elder found a palm-sized, ancient bronze mirror covered in cracks.

Although the mirror surface was broken, a faint trace of Earth Rank Magic Treasure Qi fluctuation remained on its edges.

"Heart Protection Mirror fragment."

The Elder held the fragment and solemnly handed it to Lin Gou.

"You are the chief contributor to this battle."

"This item rightfully belongs to you."

Lin Gou did not decline, accepting it calmly.

It felt cold to the touch, and a thick, ancient aura emanated from it.

[Ding! Detected high-grade Magic Treasure fragment: damaged Kun Yuan Heart Protection Mirror.]

[Can be repaired by consuming "Gou Dao Points."]

Lin Gou's heart skipped a beat.

[Gou Dao Points… can be used like this?!]

[Isn't this the legendary universal Material? I've been 'Gou'ing for so long, turns out the biggest reward was waiting here!]

He forcibly suppressed the ecstasy in his heart, silently putting the Heart Protection Mirror into his Storage Pouch.

He walked to a Puppet's wreckage, crouched down, pretending to inspect the Materials, but in reality, he was calming his excited emotions.

A graceful figure walked over, silently crouching beside him.

It was Zhao Linger.

She said nothing, just helped him collect the scattered black iron parts, her movements gentle and focused.

Neither of them spoke.

Around them was the noisy sound of their fellow Disciples cleaning the battlefield.

But between the two of them, there seemed to be an invisible barrier, isolating everything from the outside world.

He could smell the faint herbal fragrance emanating from her, mixed with a trace of the bloody scent left after the battle.

She could feel the strange and reassuring aura on him, which had not completely dissipated after experiencing "death" and "Rebirth."

Finally, he looked up at her.

She was also looking at him.

Their eyes met.

His eyes held a trace of unmasked apology, and a heartfelt, deep gratitude.

Her eyes no longer held the previous worry and fear, only a watery gentleness and a firm expression of "I understand, I believe, I will help you keep your secret."

A single exchange of glances.

Was worth a thousand words.

An unspoken understanding flowed quietly between them.

The team rested briefly.

Although everyone was injured and exhausted, the immense gains and the relief of surviving the ordeal reignited the team's morale.

Especially Lin Gou's presence.

This young man, who had repeatedly created miracles and remained steady even after exhausting his trump cards, had become the pillar of stability in everyone's hearts.

As long as he was there, it seemed that no danger, however great, could not be turned into safety.

Lin Gou did not waste time.

He took out the tattered beast skin ancient book, which was the "Illustrated Guide to Undead Creatures (Incomplete)" he had obtained during his previous death.

He flipped through it, his brows sometimes furrowed, sometimes relaxed, as if searching for something.

A moment later, his eyes suddenly lit up.

He walked over to the Elder and Zhao Linger, who were meditating cross-legged, lowered his voice, and spoke with a hint of barely suppressed excitement.

"Elder, Senior Sister."

"From some murals and ancient book fragments in this ruin, I have deduced an astonishing piece of information."

"The core area of this ancient ruin is not a Magic Treasure vault or a Legacy hall…"

"But a… legendary ancient Spirit Medicine garden!"

He pointed to a picture in the guide, depicting a small grass that was crystal clear, as if carved from ice crystals, emitting a faint precious light.

His voice was like the whisper of a devil, full of fatal temptation.

"If I'm not mistaken, deep within this ruin, a top-tier Spirit Medicine, long extinct in the current era, should be growing."

"foundation establishment grass!"

The moment the three words "foundation establishment grass" came out.

The Leading Elder and Zhao Linger's breathing simultaneously hitched.

Even a few Disciples who were cleaning the battlefield, hearing these three words, instantly froze, their eyes bursting with intense light.

For Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators, these three words represented a step to heaven!

That meant the legendary… Perfect Foundation!

"Is this… true?"

The Elder's voice even carried a hint of imperceptible tremor.

Lin Gou looked at the greed and desire burning in everyone's eyes, and smiled inwardly.

He nodded heavily, his tone incredibly certain.

"Eight or nine times out of ten!"

The team's objective instantly became incredibly clear.

Find the foundation establishment grass!

Under the "guidance" of Lin Gou's tattered guide, they cautiously bypassed several deadly Restrictions, heading all the way to the deepest part of the ruin, towards the direction where the Spiritual Qi was most concentrated.

Finally.

They passed through a narrow passage, and their vision suddenly opened up.

An incredibly huge underground cave appeared before everyone.

The dome of the cave was not rock, but inlaid with billions of soft-glowing crystals, forming a brilliant underground galaxy that illuminated the entire space as bright as day.

And beneath that galaxy, in the very center of the cave.

There was a clear, bottomless pool of water.

Above the pool water, visible to the naked eye, a dense Spiritual Qi, almost solidifying, permeated the air.

Just taking a breath made everyone's tired bodies feel a sense of comfort.

In the very center of the pool.

A small grass grew quietly.

It was crystal clear, as if carved from the purest flawless jade in the world, each leaf flowing with a soft and sacred precious light.

foundation establishment grass!

It was it!

The Leading Elder's breathing instantly became heavy.

Zhao Linger's beautiful eyes also widened from excessive excitement.

The other Disciples, even more so, had shining eyes, staring intently at the divine object, their Adam's apples uncontrollably bobbing up and down.

They found it!

Ecstasy, like a breached flood, instantly overwhelmed everyone's reason!

However.

In the very next instant.

This overwhelming ecstasy seemed to be violently choked by an invisible hand.

Everyone's smiles froze on their faces.

A bone-chilling coldness, without warning, surged from the ground beneath their feet, rushing madly up their spines to the top of their heads!

They were not the first ones to arrive here.

By the edge of the pool.

A group of people had silently appeared at some unknown point.

At the forefront was a Young Master dressed in moon-white luxurious robes, holding a white jade folding fan.

His face was like a jade crown, so handsome that he didn't resemble a Mortal.

But the aura emanating from him was like a bottomless abyss; just looking at him from afar made one's Divine Soul tremble and instilled fear.

Behind him, four black-armored guards stood silently.

They were like four silent iron towers, their aura blending with the surrounding darkness, unfathomably deep.

They just stood there.

As if they had been standing there for thousands of years.

Yet, none of the Qingyun Sect A group of people, from the Elder to the Disciples, had detected their presence beforehand!

How was this possible?!

The young Young Master seemed to sense their gaze and slowly turned his head.

His peach blossom eyes, which should have been full of emotion, gently swept over Lin Gou and the others one by one.

His gaze was cold.

Indifferent.

Without a trace of human emotion.

As if he was looking at a group of… dead, troublesome ants.