214: Chapter 214 The Gaze from Behind

During these ten days, Ye Tian felt as if he had been in a particularly long and exhausting dream.

But now, he could see everything much more clearly than before—not visually, but through his Divine Sense.

The Illusory Sea Heart Sutra was too profound. Now, by utilizing this Illusory Heart Cave, he had barely managed to Cultivate it to Minor Achievement, which was sufficient for his current Realm.

"It seems these ten days of suffering were not in vain."

Ye Tian felt much more at ease.

He stood up and stretched his stiff arms and legs, feeling that his condition had never been better.

It was time to leave.

Walking back along the original path, those flashy illusions and intimidating strange noises in the cave no longer had any effect on him.

Just as he was about to reach the curtain at the cave entrance, Ye Tian suddenly stopped in his tracks.

For a split second just now, he had felt something distinctly different.

It wasn't the chaotic feeling from within the cave, but a gaze that felt as if someone was staring at him from behind.

This sensation vanished very quickly; had his Divine Sense not just experienced a Breakthrough, he would never have detected it!

It was not an illusion!

There was truly something watching him from the shadows!

Ye Tian's heart skipped a beat, and his entire body tensed up.

He did not immediately turn around to look; instead, he quietly circulated the Illusory Sea Heart Sutra and spread his Divine Sense silently toward the direction where he had sensed the problem.

His Divine Sense meticulously swept over the uneven stone walls and the drifting gray mist, not letting any suspicious spot escape his notice.

But the feeling of being watched was gone, as if it had just been his imagination.

The depths of the cave remained the same as before.

Was it Yun Zhiying who had snuck back?

Or had this strange cave spawned some kind of evil thing itself?

Several thoughts flashed rapidly through Ye Tian's mind.

He couldn't guess who it was or what they wanted, but this feeling of being targeted made his mood, which had just relaxed a little, tighten up again.

"It seems that even hiding within the Sect is not one hundred percent safe."

Ye Tian's gaze turned cold.

Finding nothing, Ye Tian no longer delayed and stepped through the curtain of rippling water-like light in a single stride.

Outside, the sunlight was dazzling and the air was fresh; it was like two different worlds compared to the gloomy atmosphere inside the cave.

The old deacon guarding the cave was still snoring in the pavilion.

Ye Tian did not wake him up; he cupped his hands in a salute toward the pavilion and then turned and hurried toward Tianshu Peak.

He had to quickly go see his Master and report what had just happened.

On the way back to Tianshu Peak, Ye Tian deliberately slowed down, keeping a close watch on his surroundings.

He wanted to see if that cold feeling from before would appear again.

It was great having a stronger Divine Sense; now he could "see" the veins on leaves a hundred zhang away, hear the faint sounds of insects crawling underground, and even sense the flow of Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth more clearly.

This feeling of having everything under control was truly somewhat addictive.

But Ye Tian quickly suppressed this excitement and remained vigilant.

Having greater ability was a good thing, but trouble often followed.

Upon returning to his Immortal Cave near Tianshu Peak, Ye Tian keenly sensed that there were several stealthy gazes watching him from around.

The cultivation of the owners of these gazes was not high; most were ordinary Inner Sect Disciples. They were looking quite obviously, but it was definitely not that cold, chilling gaze from inside the cave.

"Did that guy Gao Ling send them to tail me? Or are they just others with nothing better to do, looking for some excitement?"

Ye Tian understood in his heart that after causing such a big commotion in the Secret Realm and during his missions, it would be difficult not to attract attention.

He pretended not to notice anything and directly opened the Restriction of his Immortal Cave and walked inside.

Everything inside the cave was normal, and the few small Formations he had set up previously had not been triggered, indicating that no one had entered.

He tidied up a little, changed into clean clothes, and went to Tianshu Hall to find his Revered Master.

Elder Tianshu seemed to know he was coming; as soon as he reached the entrance of the hall, a deacon Disciple led him inside.

"Revered Master." Ye Tian bowed respectfully.

Elder Tianshu, sitting on a meditation cushion, carefully observed Ye Tian. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes, which then turned into gratification: "It seems your ten days in the Illusory Heart Cave were not in vain.

Your aura is much more stable than before, your eyes are bright, and your Divine Sense has condensed significantly. You have finally made some progress with the Illusory Sea Heart Sutra."

"Master, your judgment is sharp."

Ye Tian did not hide anything. "Disciple was lucky and had some new insights into the Heart Sutra, so my Divine Sense has strengthened a little."

He still kept his surface cultivation suppressed at the fourth level of the True Martial Realm, but with his increased Divine Sense, it was difficult to completely hide it from an expert in the Sea Transformation Realm like Elder Tianshu.

"Good! Good!"

Elder Tianshu said "good" twice in succession. "Cultivating the heart and mind is much harder than simply accumulating True Qi. It is very difficult to have achieved this progress.

This way, you have gained a bit more means for self-protection when dealing with those Evil Paths of the Shadow Calamity Tower in the future."

Ye Tian thought about it and felt it was better to bring up the strange incident in the cave: "Master, before I came out of the Illusory Heart Cave, I felt something was a bit off."

"Oh?"

Elder Tianshu's expression became serious. "Tell me in detail, what happened?"

Ye Tian detailed the feeling of being watched in that instant, including how subtle and cold it was, and how it was completely different from the power of the illusions in the cave.

After hearing Ye Tian's words, Elder Tianshu frowned slightly and thought for a while before saying: "The Illusory Heart Cave is a vital area of the Sect, with Restrictions left behind by our Ancestral Masters. It is almost impossible for someone from the outside to sneak in without me discovering them.

Even if a Cultivator of Yun Zhiying's level were to sneak in, it would be impossible for me to not feel anything at all.

Unless..."

He paused, his eyes becoming somewhat grave: "Unless the one watching was not from the outside, but related to the Illusory Heart Cave itself...

Or rather, related to the fundamental power that creates those illusions in the cave."

"Master, do you mean... there might be something... ancient in the cave? Something that has gained spiritual consciousness?"

Ye Tian was startled.

"Not necessarily a complete spiritual consciousness."

Elder Tianshu explained slowly, "The Illusory Heart Cave has existed for too long. Countless generations of Disciples have cultivated inside, leaving behind countless thoughts and fragments of Heart Demons.

Over the long years, it is not impossible for it to have nurtured something with a bit of simple spiritual nature, or even the instinct to mimic peeping."

"Of course, we cannot completely rule out some kind of extremely powerful stealth technique."

He looked at Ye Tian, his tone serious: "Keep this matter to yourself for now; do not tell anyone else.

The Illusory Heart Cave concerns the fundamentals of the Sect, and I will investigate it quietly.

Your Divine Sense has strengthened, and your senses are so sharp that you were able to discover this anomaly—you did very well.

But on the path of cultivation, every step must be taken with caution."

"Disciple will remember this." Ye Tian nodded earnestly.

"Hmm,"

Elder Tianshu's expression softened a little. "Now that you have come out of seclusion, what are your plans next?"

Ye Tian had already thought it through and replied: "Disciple intends to first stabilize the gains from this time, and then take on a few Sect missions to go out and gain experience.

It is not good to always Cultivate behind closed doors; true ability must be honed in actual combat."

"What you say is correct."

Elder Tianshu nodded. "At the True Martial Realm stage, it is indeed not advisable to stay within the Sect for quiet cultivation; you need more actual combat to help you become stronger.

However, the matter with the Shadow Calamity Tower is not over yet, so you must be extremely careful when going out.

Take these three 'Minor Teleportation Talismans'; they can save your life at a critical moment."

He flicked his sleeve, and three Talismans shimmering with silver light and carrying spatial fluctuations flew in front of Ye Tian.

"Thank you, Master!"

Ye Tian took the Talismans, feeling a warmth in his heart.

These Minor Teleportation Talismans were good things; they could instantly teleport a person randomly to a location a hundred miles away, making them treasures for escaping.

After coming out of Tianshu Hall, Ye Tian returned to his Immortal Cave.

He sat cross-legged and did not immediately start cultivating, but instead slowly spread his Divine Sense, carefully sensing everything around his Immortal Cave.

Those stealthy gazes were still there, staring like flies.

A cold light flashed in Ye Tian's eyes. "It seems some people are endless..."

He whispered to himself, "Then let's wait and see who will have the last laugh."