20: Chapter 20 Peeping Through the Door, Terrifying Sword

The vibration coming from the Inner Chamber, combined with that cold and tyrannical aura, felt like a basin of ice water poured over Lin Ye's heart.

The deputy xuanyuan token in the ancient ring space was burning hot for no reason, further fueling his ominous premonition.

Break in? Facing unknown and clearly alarmed danger, with his Second Level of Qi Refining cultivation and newly learned combat techniques, it would be no different from suicide.

Retreat immediately? Not to mention whether he could safely pass through the waterway, the Ice Eye, and the underground river to return to the surface, the potential secrets in the Inner Chamber—related to his own golden patterns and the ancient ring—made it hard for him to give up.

Then, only one choice remained—at a safe distance, "see" as clearly as possible what was happening behind the door.

Lin Ye took a deep breath, adjusting his state to the best. He activated the Qi Concealment Technique, making himself almost blend in with the cold Pill Furnace behind him. Then, he closed his eyes, carefully separating the finest strand of his spiritual sense—which had just broken through to the Second Level of Qi Refining and become much more refined—like a snail extending its tentacles, slowly extending towards the door of the Inner Chamber on the north side.

At the same time, he deliberately activated the ancient ring on his left index finger. That sharp intent fused with Geng Metal Qi attached itself to his spiritual sense, not for attack, but to enhance the "penetration" and "perception" of his spiritual sense, especially regarding the fluctuations of metal, iron, Evil Qi, and Formations.

The spiritual sense tentacle slowly approached the stone door covered in pale blue runes.

Three feet from the stone door, he felt a powerful, tough, invisible barrier—that was the outer protection of the Inner Chamber's Restriction. His spiritual sense was blocked outside, unable to advance an inch.

Lin Ye had anticipated this and did not force a Breakthrough. He pressed this strand of spiritual sense tightly against the Restriction barrier, like pressing his ear against a thick wall, to listen to the sounds on the other side.

Then, he waited patiently.

Time passed bit by bit.

The stone room was silent, with only his own barely audible breathing and heartbeat.

The cold and tyrannical aura from the Inner Chamber, after the initial eruption, seemed to have settled down, but it did not disappear; instead, it was like a dormant volcano, slowly flowing and brewing behind the door.

Suddenly!

Boom!!!

Another vibration, far more intense than before! The entire stone room was shaking, and dust filled the air!

The spiritual sense pressed against the Restriction "saw" the pale blue runes suddenly erupt with blinding light, flickering violently and uncertainly, as if enduring some huge impact!

Now is the time! The moment when the Restriction fluctuated most violently and a temporary gap might appear in the protection!

Lin Ye's thoughts raced as he poured all his concentration into that strand of spiritual sense. Aided by the sharp intent of the ancient ring, like the finest needle, he fiercely "pierced" at the point where the Restriction's light flickered most frequently and was most unstable!

Hum—

His spiritual sense felt a sharp pain and dizziness, as if it had crashed into a rapidly spinning copper wall.

But in this instant of contact, an extremely brief, blurry, and fragmented image, mixed with a massive stream of chaotic information, forcibly rushed into Lin Ye's mind along the connection of his spiritual sense!

In the image:

It was a wider and more dilapidated palace. In the center was a high platform, and on the high platform sat a tall skeleton (Master Xuanyuan?). In the skeleton's arms was a sheathed long sword that was pitch black, covered in dark red cracks, and constantly emitting terrifying Evil Qi!

And at this moment, that black evil sword was shaking violently! The dark red cracks on the sword body flickered like breathing, and every flicker erupted with monstrous, fierce, cold, and tyrannical Sword Intent, impacting everything around it! Around the high platform, there were eight huge stone pillars, and pale blue chains extended from the stone pillars, tightly wrapping around the black evil sword, seemingly suppressing it.

But at this moment, three of those pale blue chains had snapped! The remaining five were also dim in light, precarious under the impact of the evil sword!

The skeleton seemed to be swaying slightly under the impact of the evil sword.

And what shocked Lin Ye even more was that in front of the skeleton, below the high platform, there seemed to be... two figures kneeling?! The figures were blurry, their auras weak, as if they had been dead for a long time, but their posture was like... worshipping, or as if they were instantly stripped of their lives while performing some ritual?

The information stream contained fragmented, chaotic thoughts:

"...Evil Qi backlash... cannot suppress..."

"...Rebellious disciple... stole the token... disturbed..."

"...Gui Water... echoing... the Formation has a flaw..."

The spiritual sense contact lasted less than a breath before being violently repelled by the more violent Restriction fluctuations!

"Pfft!"

Lin Ye groaned, his face turned pale, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. Forcibly peeking into the interior of the Restriction, especially in such a chaotic and tyrannical environment, caused a significant impact on his spiritual sense.

But he couldn't care about adjusting his breath. He immediately cut off the spiritual sense connection, kept his aura to the lowest level, leaned tightly against the Pill Furnace, and his heart beat wildly.

The images and information he just saw, although fragmented, revealed too much information!

Core of the Inner Chamber: The remains of Master Xuanyuan, and a terrifying "evil sword" being suppressed. The evil sword was impacting the Seal, causing the Inner Chamber to vibrate and the Restriction to become unstable.

Rebellious disciple and stealing the token: It seemed that a disciple of Master Xuanyuan had betrayed him, stolen something (possibly the main token?), leading to a gap in the suppression Formation, disturbing the evil sword.

Gui Water echoing: "Gui Water" likely refers to the "mystic yin true water" outside. Is the power of the true water related to the suppression Formation of the Inner Chamber? The Formation has a flaw, so the true water moved abnormally (the Ice Eye true water dissipated earlier), which in turn affected the Seal of the evil sword?

Two kneeling figures: Who are they? Rebellious disciples? Or other intruders?

The most critical thing—that evil sword! The fierce Evil Qi it emitted made the ancient ring on Lin Ye's left hand produce a strong vibration, a mixture of desire and fear! The ancient ring needed metal, iron, and Evil Qi to recover and grow, but the Evil Qi of this evil sword was too high-level and too tyrannical; it was definitely not something ordinary items could withstand!

And the point of "Gui Water echoing" also made Lin Ye immediately think of Chen Mo! Chen Mo colluded with the Yinkui Sect, plotting the mystic yin true water... Could their real goal be not just the true water, but also this suppressed evil sword? Or, did they want to use the power of the true water to completely destroy the suppression Formation here and release the evil sword?

Lin Ye wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes flickering.

The Inner Chamber is now a volcano about to erupt! Once that evil sword breaks through the Seal completely, the first one to suffer will be himself, who is closest!

But... risks are often accompanied by opportunities.

The evil sword is suppressed by eight chains (three of which have broken) and a possible true water Formation, indicating its power is earth-shattering. If he could find a way, even if he only obtained a trace of its escaping Evil Qi, it would be a huge benefit for the recovery of the ancient ring!

Moreover, Master Xuanyuan's remains are there; are there no other treasures beside him? Did the two kneeling figures leave anything behind?

More importantly, the conspiracy of Chen Mo and the Yinkui Sect seems to revolve around this place. Only by mastering more information can he have the initiative when he encounters them in the future.

Now, the path in front of him seems a little clearer, but also more dangerous:

Should he immediately flee this place of right and wrong?

Or... take a risk, and while the evil sword is impacting the Seal, the Restriction is unstable, and the "rebellious disciple stealing the token" might have caused some loopholes, do something?