213: Secret Vault Message

The residual power of the Astral Wind Thunderstorm finally dissipated completely, and the world returned to a deathly silence like that after a storm.

Only scorched earth and broken trees remained, ravaged into a mess.

Lu Chen sat cross-legged on a relatively intact earthen slope. His internal aura slowly calmed and solidified with his long breaths, and his Foundation Establishment Mid-stage cultivation gradually stabilized.

He opened his eyes, and a flash of silver-purple lightning seemed to pass through his pupils before being withdrawn.

The scale of the Astral Wind Thunderstorm he encountered this time was limited, far from the world-destroying scenes in the depths of the Thunder Roar Ruins.

It could only be considered an accidental, weakened version of a baptism by heavenly might.

But it was precisely this accident that became an excellent opportunity for him to break through his Bottleneck and temper his Divine Ability.

Feeling the majestic magic power surging like a great river within him, as well as the Thunder Gang True Flame dormant deep in his Meridians that contained a terrifying aura of destruction.

Lu Chen clearly perceived that his strength had leaped to a whole new level.

Changing into a clean green robe, Lu Chen was in no hurry to leave.

Instead, he stood still, as if waiting, and also as if reminiscing about the danger and gains he had just experienced.

About an hour later, a slight sound came from the distant woods. A white figure, looking somewhat disheveled but moving quickly, rushed over; it was Li Yuanbai.

When he saw that Lu Chen was not only safe and sound but also had an even more profound bearing, with the faint remnants of a thunder-fire aura that made even him feel palpitations.

An expression of unbelievable shock couldn't help but surface on his face.

Surviving under such heavenly might was already a miracle, but looking at Lu Chen's appearance, it seemed... he had another fortuitous encounter?

"Inspector Lu, I will remember this life-saving grace in my heart!"

Li Yuanbai stepped forward quickly and bowed solemnly, his tone sincere.

"It was my duty, there is no need for thanks."

Lu Chen gave him a slight supporting gesture, his gaze falling on several new scratches and scorch marks on Li Yuanbai's body.

"But you, how did you fall into the hands of those two?"

A flash of lingering fear and resentment crossed Li Yuanbai's face, and he sighed. "To be honest, Inspector Lu, that Envoy Wu and Yue Qing belonged to the same squad dispatched by the Soul Returning Hall as I did. There were five of us in total on this trip, and our mission was to assassinate a target. Unexpectedly, something went wrong during the operation. Although the target was heavily injured, he escaped using a secret technique, and we lost two companions instead."

He paused and continued, "Since the mission failed, I originally intended to retreat to Ruins Abyss City immediately. Who would have thought that Envoy Wu had somehow seen through my true identity and suddenly attacked and injured me. He didn't kill me on the spot, but interrogated me about the location of a secret vault left behind by the Shenxiao Sect in this area."

"Secret vault?"

Lu Chen's eyebrows twitched slightly, and a flash of genuine surprise crossed his eyes.

He held a high position in the Shenxiao Sect and was also responsible for inspections, yet he had never heard of any secret vault left by the sect in the Thunder Roar Ruins.

"Exactly."

Li Yuanbai shook his head with a bitter smile. "I had never heard of this matter, but my life was in his hands at the time, so I had to feign compliance. I lied and said I knew the approximate location and needed to go deep into the Thunder Ruins to find it. In reality, I intended to stall for time, hoping my master would notice the abnormality and come to my aid. I didn't expect to wait for you first, Inspector Lu."

Lu Chen was lost in thought and said slowly, "I have never heard of the secret vault either. It seems there may be hidden details, or it may be a rumor; it's hard to say. I can only verify it with the sect later."

His tone was calm, but he had already locked onto a person in his mind.

"Since your identity has been exposed to Envoy Wu, returning to the Soul Returning Hall would be like walking into a tiger's den," Lu Chen reminded Li Yuanbai.

Li Yuanbai shook his head, his expression turning firm. "Envoy Wu and Yue Qing were both very suspicious. They didn't tell the other two members of the squad about my identity; they likely intended to hog the credit or had other motives. Now that they are both dead, no one knows my background. Although this mission failed and we lost people, I will just face punishment when I return. But the water in the Soul Returning Hall is very deep, and there may be significant implications behind it. Since I have already infiltrated, I want to investigate further. Besides, although it's dangerous, it's truly an excellent place for tempering oneself. I don't want to give up just like this."

Lu Chen looked deeply at Li Yuanbai. Seeing his clear and firm gaze, he knew his mind was made up and stopped trying to dissuade him.

Instead, he asked, "Are there any other clues about the target of your assassination mission? If you need to finish this task, I can help you."

Li Yuanbai's spirits lifted, and he hurriedly said, "Yes! That target took a combined blow from us and was extremely heavily injured. He definitely couldn't have fled far, and his aura is unique. I have a secret technique that can roughly track him..."

Seven days later, two figures quietly emerged from the edge of the Thunder Roar Ruins; they were Lu Chen and Li Yuanbai.

In a desolate and deserted mountain hollow, the two stopped.

"Many thanks to Inspector Lu for your help this time. Not only did you save my life, but you also helped me complete this mission."

Li Yuanbai cupped his fists again, a look of relief on his face.

With Lu Chen's help, they searched carefully based on the clues and finally found the target's trail deep in a very hidden natural cave.

The man was lying prone on the ground, having long since lost his breath. His body was cold, clearly dead for a long time. A nameplate at his waist clearly identified him as a manager of the City Lord's Mansion.

After a careful examination, Li Yuanbai confirmed that this was indeed the target of the assassination, and he then properly put away the body.

By bringing this item back, he could finally give an account to the Soul Returning Hall, which might offset part of the punishment for the mission's failure.

Lu Chen nodded slightly. "Be careful in everything. If there's an emergency, use the old method to contact me."

"Yes! Take care, Inspector Lu!"

Li Yuanbai said no more. With a movement of his body, he sped off towards Ruins Abyss City, his figure quickly disappearing into the vast mountain forest.

Lu Chen stood alone, watching the direction Li Yuanbai had left. His gaze was calm, but there was a faint glimmer deep within, as if he were contemplating something.

The mountain wind swept past, rustling a corner of his green robe.

"Could it be... that Wu Haoqian was able to survive until now because of the secret vault within these Thunder Roar Ruins?"

Thoughts raced through Lu Chen's mind, and a suspicion gradually became clear.

He had long harbored doubts.

Wu Haoqian's cultivation had been crippled and his dao foundation destroyed. He was of no use to the Black Flood Dragon Society anymore, and since he knew their secrets, he should have been silenced long ago.

Why was he kept imprisoned until he was rescued by Lu Chen?

Wu Haoqian's initial explanation was vague, and he refused to elaborate on the details.

Lu Chen's suspicions were not fully laid to rest then, but now, hearing about this secret vault, the two pieces of information corroborated each other, and he suddenly understood.

As the former patrol envoy who had been stationed in Ruins Abyss City for many years, Wu Haoqian's understanding of the Thunder Roar Ruins far exceeded that of ordinary people.

If this so-called Shenxiao Sect secret vault was not groundless, he very likely knew some inside information or even held key clues or tokens.

The Black Flood Dragon Society imprisoned him without killing him, using all sorts of torture to interrogate him, likely precisely for this secret.

And Wu Haoqian gritted his teeth and refused to speak, perhaps because he was unwilling to let the secret treasure fall into enemy hands, or perhaps... because he knew the dangers within and was unwilling to open it easily?

"Yes, that must be it!"

A flash of realization crossed Lu Chen's eyes.

In this way, Wu Haoqian's ordeal, the Black Flood Dragon Society's intentions, and even Envoy Wu and the others' sudden appearance here to interrogate Li Yuanbai...

Many clues seemed to be strung together by an invisible thread, all pointing faintly towards this secret vault of uncertain authenticity.

"I'll go find him after a while; it's also time to go back and take a look."

Lu Chen weighed the pros and cons and suppressed the urge to immediately question Wu Haoqian.

The truth of the secret vault was unknown, but it was clearly a pool of murky water that was not suitable to jump into rashly.

He cleared his thoughts and decided to put this matter aside for the time being.

Wu Haoqian's current hiding place was quite hidden, and he should be safe.

However, just as he intended to turn and leave, his gaze involuntarily cast towards a certain direction deep within the Thunder Roar Ruins again.

The Old Mine Pit.

Before going back, he still had to take a look at the Old Mine Pit.

There were still great secrets in that place.

With a movement of his body, Lu Chen no longer hesitated. He turned into an imperceptible phantom and quietly plunged back into the desolate and dangerous region of the Thunder Roar Ruins, rushing towards the Old Mine Pit.