28: Chapter 28 Secret Passage, Trembling Sword Remains

Telekinesis? The Restriction is on the verge of collapse, and the evil sword is close at hand. Any fluctuation of Qi could become the spark that detonates the powder keg.

Communicate with the evil sword? That is gambling with one's life. Betting that the ancient sword, which has devoured the demon shadow and is filled with monstrous ferocity, still retains a shred of rationality or room for communication? Lin Ye dares not, nor can he afford to gamble.

Then, only one path remains—the small hole in the stone platform.

The faint pull of the bone ring "bone ring" cannot be fake. Since Master Xuanyuan left behind a secondary key (the bone ring) and passed away in the Inner Chamber, it is highly likely that he left a final path of survival or a place of Legacy for himself (or his successor).

He must gamble. Gamble that the small hole is a passage, and gamble that he can pass through before the evil sword awakens.

Lin Ye held his breath, maintaining his Qi Concealment Technique and Turtle Breathing state to the extreme. At the same time, he channeled his Mystic Jade Body with all his might to suppress the fluctuations of his blood and Qi, making himself seem truly like a lifeless block of ice that was slowly melting.

Then, he began to move.

Not walking, not running, but like the slowest snail, using his right elbow and left side (which seemed tougher after the Fusion of Evil Qi) that could still barely exert force, he inched bit by bit toward the stone platform three zhang away.

Every movement tugged at the injuries all over his body, the pain sinking into his marrow. But he gritted his teeth, not even letting out a muffled groan, forcing it down solely with his willpower.

Sweat (ice water) mixed with bloodstains, dragging a winding damp trail beneath him, but it was quickly eroded and dried up by the surrounding Evil Qi.

One chi, two chi...

The distance was slowly and steadily shortening.

His eyes were locked onto the evil sword hovering and rotating in the center of the hall. Every imperceptible tremor of the sword body made his heart stop.

Fortunately, the evil sword seemed to have truly entered some kind of deep "hibernation" or "recovery" state, showing no reaction to this "little bug" slowly moving in the corner.

Finally, after moving for who knows how long, he arrived beneath the stone platform.

The stone platform was built from some kind of dark cyan jade, about half a zhang high, ancient and heavy. Master Xuanyuan's remains sat cross-legged upon it, embracing the evil sword (the sword had already flown away). Even though he had been dead for who knows how many years, it still exuded a faint pressure that made one dare not look directly at it.

Lin Ye dared not look up to examine the remains closely, focusing all his attention on the inconspicuous small black hole at the edge of the stone platform.

The hole was only the size of a fist, bottomless, with smooth edges; it did not look naturally formed. Upon getting closer, he could feel a trace of an extremely faint, cold airflow flowing downward.

The pull of the bone ring "bone ring" became more obvious, even becoming slightly hot.

This is it!

But how to get in? The hole is too small.

Lin Ye tried to reach his hand inside and discovered that there seemed to be a downward slope, and the walls of the hole were exceptionally smooth, as if something frequently rubbed against them.

He hardened his heart and took out the scrapped, half-broken short blade from the ancient ring space (most of the fragments had been destroyed, but the hilt and part of the blade remained). With all his might, he fiercely stabbed it into the main body of the stone platform at the edge of the small hole!

Chii!

The short blade pierced in an inch or so, barely fixing itself.

He used this to gain leverage, moving his body bit by bit to the hole, then, with his head down and feet up, he extended his legs into the hole first.

Although the hole was small, the interior seemed slightly wider and exceptionally smooth. He squeezed in, bit by bit, with great difficulty, like a loach.

The moment he entered the hole, a powerful suction force came, as if there was a slide below!

He no longer resisted, sliding downward with the momentum.

The slide was steep, winding, and long.

Everything around was pitch black, with only the faint sound of his body rubbing against the smooth walls and the whistling wind.

Lin Ye curled his body, protecting his vital points, and let the slide carry him into the unknown depths.

He slid for a full stick of incense worth of time, perhaps deeper.

Finally, a glimmer of light appeared ahead.

Splash!

He fell into a pool of ice-cold water.

The water was not deep, just reaching his knees. He struggled to stand up and discovered he was in a small cave made entirely of cold ice. The ice walls emitted a soft, pale blue light, illuminating the cave.

In the center of the cave, there was a small ice platform, on which sat a Jade Slip and a palm-sized ice-blue jade box.

Besides this, there was nothing else.

There were no other exits; this seemed to be the end of the slide, a completely enclosed ice cave.

Lin Ye's heart sank. Could this be the end? A sealed place of Legacy?

He first vigilantly observed his surroundings, and after confirming there was no danger, he walked toward the ice platform.

He first looked at the Jade Slip. When his gaze fell upon it, information appeared in his vision:

[Master Xuanyuan's Last Testament (Recording)]: Left by Master Xuanyuan before he passed away, it requires the Qi of the Ice Soul Sword Art or the secondary key of bone ring to activate.

He picked up the Jade Slip, hesitated for a moment, and did not activate it immediately. Instead, he looked at the ice-blue jade box first.

The jade box had no lock and opened with a gentle lift.

Inside, there were no legendary Secret Manuals or earth-shattering Magic Treasures as imagined, only three things:

A crystal-clear, deep blue rhombic crystal that seemed to have liquid flowing inside (a crystal of mystic yin true water?).

A milky-white Medicinal Pill the size of a dragon's eye, exuding rich vitality and a refreshing fragrance (a holy medicine for healing?).

And... a neatly folded, pale blue Talisman that was neither silk nor skin, drawn with complex water patterns, emitting spatial fluctuations that were of the same origin as the fragment of the "gui water escape talisman", but countless times stronger!

[gui water escape talisman (Complete)]!

Lin Ye's heart pounded wildly! The item in the leather pouch outside was indeed an escape Talisman, and here was a complete one! Master Xuanyuan had actually left one here too?!

He suppressed his excitement, picked up the complete gui water escape talisman, and took out the leather fragment from his embrace. The fragment became slightly hot, pointing toward the complete escape Talisman; the aura of the two instantly connected.

Then, he picked up the Jade Slip and injected a trace of the icy Qi of the Ice Soul Sword Art into it.

Hum...

The Jade Slip lit up, and a blurry phantom of a man in green robes, formed by light and shadow, appeared above the ice platform. His features were unclear, but his aura was ancient and gentle.

The phantom spoke, its voice resounding directly in Lin Ye's mind:

"Latecomer, to be able to reach this place means you are fated, and you also inherit my Karma."

"I am Master Xuanyuan, suppressing the remnant soul of the 'demon abyss sword' (the evil sword) here. However, my Lifespan is coming to an end, and the power of the Seal is weakening day by day. My Rebellious Disciple 'Mo Chen' (Chen Mo?), seduced by demonic thoughts, stole the 'Master Key of bone ring', intending to release the demon sword and seize the demonic power. His heart deserves death!"

"Since you came holding the secondary key, you must know the dangers of this place. The secret path in the stone platform is the final path of survival I reserved. The 'mystic yin crystal' in the jade box can help you Cultivate the Ice Soul Sword Art, and the 'life creation pill' can heal your wounds. The 'gui water escape talisman' was refined by me using my life-bound true water; holding it, you can borrow the water veins of this place to escape a thousand miles in an instant, but it can only be used once."

"The demon sword is about to emerge; you cannot stay here long. Leave quickly and Cultivate diligently. If you achieve success one day, I hope you will remember the grace of this gift, retrieve the 'Master Key of bone ring', re-establish the Seal, or... completely destroy the demon sword."

"My Dao is vast and distant; may my successor strive."

As the voice fell, the phantom dissipated, and the Jade Slip turned into fly ash.

The amount of information was immense!

Chen Mo was indeed 'Mo Chen', Master Xuanyuan's Rebellious Disciple! He had stolen the 'Master Key of bone ring' that controlled the entire Immortal Cave!

And Master Xuanyuan leaving this place was not just for the sake of Legacy, but also for a commitment! He hoped the latecomer could stop Chen Mo, re-establish the Seal, or destroy the demon sword!

Lin Ye took a deep breath and put away the mystic yin crystal and the life creation pill. He did not immediately take the Medicinal Pill, but picked up the complete gui water escape talisman.

Now, the path of survival was in his hands.

But... in the leather pouch outside, there was another escape Talisman (possibly incomplete). Moreover, in the Inner Chamber, once the 'demon abyss sword' completely broke the Seal and flowed into the outside world, it would surely cause monstrous slaughter. Master Xuanyuan had used his body as the Seal, and having received his Legacy, could he really just walk away like this?

More importantly, Chen Mo (Mo Chen) was still active in the outside world, plotting something big. After he went out, could he escape his pursuit?

Using the escape Talisman could immediately remove him from danger.

But leaving now, he was unwilling, and it would leave endless trouble.

Lin Ye held the escape Talisman, standing in the enclosed ice cave, facing a choice.

Should he immediately activate the escape Talisman and leave this place of trouble?

Or... risk returning to the Inner Chamber and try to do something before the evil sword (demon abyss sword) completely broke the Seal? For example, use the mystic yin crystal or the life creation pill to briefly increase his strength, cooperate with the two rings to interfere with the evil sword in some way? Or, at least get the escape Talisman from the leather pouch outside (an extra trump card for survival)?

Or perhaps, in this relatively safe ice cave, first take the life creation pill to heal, refine the mystic yin crystal to increase his Cultivation, and then make plans? But time waits for no one; how much longer could the Restriction outside hold?