140: Chapter 99 Ancient Cave

The flying boat headed north.

The outline of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range appeared on the horizon, and the Demonic Qi was much denser than it had been five years ago.

Chen Xuan stood at the side of the boat, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, his Divine Sense spreading forward.

Within ten thousand zhang, there was no Golden Core aura.

However, there were many auras of Foundation Establishment Yao Beasts scattered throughout the mountains, like flickering ghost fires.

The flying boat landed at the location marked by the Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce.

It was a canyon with a narrow entrance, steep cliffs on both sides, and a faint mist permeating the valley.

The mist was not Demonic Qi; it was Spiritual Qi.

Chen Xuan jumped off the flying boat and landed at the entrance of the valley.

The ground was paved with bluestone slabs, and moss grew in the cracks between the stones; it was clearly man-made.

He crouched down and reached out to touch the stone slabs.

Runes were carved into the slabs; most of them had worn away, but judging by the remaining patterns, it was at least a second-tier Formation.

An ancient Immortal Cave.

President Liu Yishou walked out from the canyon, dressed in a green brocade robe with the token of the Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce hanging at his waist.

His aura was much stronger than it had been five years ago, and his Middle Stage Foundation Establishment cultivation was stable and solid.

"Daoist Yun, you have arrived."

"Where is the Immortal Cave?"

President Liu Yishou turned around and walked toward the depths of the canyon.

"Follow me."

Chen Xuan followed behind him, walking into the canyon.

The cliffs on both sides grew higher, and the mist in the valley became denser.

After walking for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, President Liu Yishou stopped in front of a stone wall.

The stone wall was as smooth as a mirror, with a few large characters carved into it.

The handwriting was already blurred, and it was impossible to see what was written.

One could only vaguely make out four characters; the strokes were vigorous, as if carved with a knife and axe.

Ancient with the passage of time.

President Liu Yishou pointed at the stone wall and lowered his voice.

"It is right behind this. The Chamber of Commerce's detection Formation discovered Spiritual Qi fluctuations behind the stone wall, with at least the concentration of a third-tier Spiritual Vein. However, there is a Golden Core Formation guarding the stone wall, and the Chamber of Commerce's Foundation Establishment Cultivators cannot get in."

Chen Xuan walked to the stone wall and reached out to press his hand against it.

He probed the stone wall with his mana, touching an invisible barrier.

The barrier was thick and hard, like a wall.

But due to the passage of time, most of its spiritual power had dissipated, and cracks had appeared.

Chen Xuan withdrew his hand.

"It can be broken. It will take time."

President Liu Yishou nodded.

"How long will it take?"

"Three days."

Chen Xuan took out a set of Formation Plates from his Storage Pouch and set them up in front of the stone wall.

It was a second-tier Formation-breaking Formation Plate, which he had spent half a year refining successfully.

The Spirit Stones on the Formation Plate lit up, and the spiritual light transformed into countless fine threads, probing into the cracks on the stone wall.

The threads spread through the cracks like tree roots taking hold in the soil.

Chen Xuan sat cross-legged in front of the Formation Plate, closing his eyes to control it.

Three days later, the barrier on the stone wall shattered.

It did not collapse with a boom; it dissipated silently.

Like morning mist dispersed by sunlight, it faded bit by bit until it completely disappeared.

A door appeared in the center of the stone wall.

The door was three zhang high and two zhang wide; the lintel was bare, with nothing on it.

Chen Xuan stood up and walked to the door.

Inside the door was a corridor, with night-luminescent pearls embedded in the walls on both sides, illuminating the path ahead.

He stepped inside.

President Liu Yishou followed behind him, holding a Magical Artifact in his hand and looking around vigilantly.

The corridor was very long, and it took about half the time it takes to burn an incense stick to reach the end.

At the end of the corridor was a spacious stone chamber. The stone chamber was circular with a diameter of one hundred zhang, and countless Spirit Stones were embedded in the vaulted ceiling, like stars in the night sky.

In the center of the stone chamber was a high platform, and on the platform lay a Jade Slip.

The Jade Slip was entirely green, emitting a faint fluorescence.

Scattered around the high platform were a dozen or so Jade Slips, lying on the ground in disarray.

Besides that, there were several withered skeletons in the stone chamber.

The skeletons were wearing Daoist robes, which had mostly decayed, but judging by the remaining fabric, they were the attire of ancient Cultivators.

Chen Xuan walked to a withered skeleton and crouched down to examine it.

There were cracks on the bones, which had been severed by a Sharp Weapon.

These people had not died of old age; they had been killed.

"Daoist Yun, look." President Liu Yishou pointed at the high platform.

On the high platform, besides the green Jade Slip, there were several empty jade bottles and a few damaged Magical Artifacts.

Chen Xuan stood up and walked toward the high platform.

His footsteps were very light, but with every step he took, the Spiritual Qi in the stone chamber would fluctuate slightly.

Someone was there.

He stopped, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

"Come out."

The stone chamber was silent for a moment.

Then, three figures walked out from the shadows.

Two men and one woman, all of them Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

The leader was a middle-aged man, at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, with a rugged face and sinister eyes.

He held a long saber in his hand, and there was blood on the blade that had not yet dried.

The other man and woman stood behind him; one was at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment, and the other was at the Early Stage. Judging by their attire, they were Cultivators from some Family in the Southern Region.

The middle-aged man looked at Chen Xuan and grinned.

"A direct disciple of the Liuyang Sword Sect?"

Chen Xuan did not answer.

"You have good things on you; that sword is worth quite a lot of Spirit Stones." The middle-aged man's gaze fell on the Three Luminaries Moon Sword, and he licked his lips. "Hand it over, and I will spare your life."

Chen Xuan looked at him as if looking at a dead man.

"Did you kill the people from the Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce?"

The middle-aged man laughed.

"Just a few Qi Refining Cultivators; killing them is no big deal. What, are you going to avenge them?"

Chen Xuan drew his sword.

Sword Light Differentiation.

Nine sword lights transformed into nine bolts of thunder, striking toward the three of them.

The middle-aged man's expression changed drastically, and he swung his saber to block.

The saber light collided with the sword light, exploding in a burst of spiritual light.

The middle-aged man was knocked back several steps, and cracks appeared on his long saber.

The other man and woman fared even worse.

The Middle Stage Foundation Establishment man had his right arm severed by the sword light and fell to the ground, screaming.

The Early Stage Foundation Establishment woman was grazed on the shoulder by the sword light; blood splattered, and her face turned pale.

The middle-aged man looked at the long saber in his hand, then at Chen Xuan, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Foundation Establishment Level 5? How can you be so strong?"

Chen Xuan did not waste words.

The sword light differentiated again, and the nine sword lights merged into one.

Nine Heavens Unity.

The Sword Qi was like a rainbow, heading straight for the middle-aged man's chest.

The middle-aged man wanted to dodge, but the sword light was too fast.

It was so fast that he only had time to raise his long saber to block.

The Sword Qi severed the long saber and pierced his chest.

Blood gushed out.

The middle-aged man looked down at the sword wound on his chest, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something.

But he couldn't say anything.

He fell to the ground, his eyes still open, the light in his pupils fading inch by inch.

The other man and woman were already terrified out of their wits.

The Middle Stage Foundation Establishment man knelt on the ground, clutching his severed arm wound, his voice trembling.

"Spare me! Senior, spare me!"

The Early Stage Foundation Establishment woman sat slumped on the ground, her face pale, her lips trembling, unable to speak.

Chen Xuan walked up to them and looked down.

"Who sent you here?"

The Middle Stage Foundation Establishment man's voice trembled.

"It was... it was Manager Zhou of the Wanbao Pavilion. He said there was an ancient Immortal Cave here and told us to come and scout the path. He also said that if anyone got here first, we were to kill them without mercy."

Wanbao Pavilion.

The second-ranked Chamber of Commerce in the Southern Region, which had always been at odds with the Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce.

Chen Xuan was silent for a moment, then raised his hand and struck out with a sword light.

The sword light severed the two people's mana Meridians.

He did not kill them; he crippled their cultivation.

The Middle Stage Foundation Establishment man screamed and passed out.

The Early Stage Foundation Establishment woman slumped on the ground, her eyes hollow, like a walking corpse.

President Liu Yishou walked over, looking at the two people on the ground with a deep frown.

"Daoist Yun, regarding the Wanbao Pavilion..."

"Take these two with you."

"We will discuss other matters when we get back." Chen Xuan sheathed his sword and walked toward the high platform.