40: Chapter 40 The Rift's Horror, the Remains of the Stone Palace

Scarlet specks of light in the darkness, like ghost fires, approached from the distance. The rustling sound of crawling was exceptionally jarring in the silent crevice.

Was it the pursuing force from the Yinkui Sect? Or a Yao Beast that naturally existed in the depths of this crevice?

Lin Ye made a prompt decision, lowering his voice to say to Xiao Yun and that male Disciple: "You two stay here on guard and do not make a sound. I will go take a look."

Xiao Yun's face was pale, but she nodded and tightly covered her mouth. The male Disciple also nervously clenched his fists.

Lin Ye grasped the front half of the broken bone spike in his hand, pushing his Qi Concealment Technique to the limit. His figure seemed to merge into the surrounding darkness, silently sneaking toward the direction of the light spots.

The crevice was twisting and deep. The further he went, the more spacious the area became, and the ground changed from gravel to smooth stone slabs. The air was filled with a musty smell of dust, mixed with a faint... scent of blood?

Those scarlet light spots were getting closer and closer.

Lin Ye held his breath, pressed against a protruding rock, and slowly poked his head out.

The scene before him made his pupils shrink.

It was not any Yao Beast, nor was it the Yinkui Sect pursuing force.

It was a group of about a dozen jet-black, spider-like weird insects, each the size of a washbasin with scarlet compound eyes! They were devouring the corpse of an animal that had long since rotted and was unrecognizable. Their sharp mandibles chewed on the bones, making a tooth-aching "crunching" sound.

[Gold-Devouring Ant (Variant)]: Early Stage 1 Yao Beast, fond of eating metal Ores, occasionally preying on small creatures. Gregarious, with hard carapaces and sharp mouthparts, fearing fire and strong light. Information appeared in his field of vision.

Early Stage 1, equivalent to Qi Refining Stage 1 or 2. A single one was not to be feared, but a group of a dozen gathered together was quite troublesome. Especially in this narrow crevice, once surrounded, it would be difficult to escape.

What made Lin Ye even more alarmed was that behind this group of Gold-Devouring Ants, at the end of the crevice, there seemed to be a half-hidden, dust-covered, thick stone door! Faint spiritual light seeped out from the cracks of the stone door.

There was actually a stone door here? Could this crevice lead to another ruin or Immortal Cave?

The Gold-Devouring Ants seemed to be full and began to crawl aimlessly, with a few crawling toward the direction where Lin Ye was hiding.

He could not force his way through. Alerting the ant colony and attracting more would be troublesome.

Lin Ye's thoughts raced. He took a few Low-Grade Spirit Stones (rich in Spiritual Qi, attractive to Gold-Devouring Ants) from his ancient ring space and, with all his might, threw them hard toward the direction the ant colony came from, away from the stone door!

The Spirit Stones smashed against the rock wall in the distance, making a crisp sound, and rich Spiritual Qi dispersed.

The Gold-Devouring Ant colony was instantly attracted. Their scarlet compound eyes turned in unison toward the direction of the Spirit Stones, emitting excited hisses as they surged over like a black tide to fight over the Spirit Stones.

Opportunity!

Lin Ye did not hesitate. His figure moved like lightning, darting out from his hiding place, hugging the rock wall, and rushing toward the half-hidden stone door at top speed!

Swish, swish, swish!

Two Gold-Devouring Ants that were closer noticed the movement, turned around, and pounced toward Lin Ye, their mouthparts opening and closing as they emitted threatening hisses.

A cold light flashed in Lin Ye's eyes. He infused the half-broken bone spike in his hand with icy spiritual power, transforming it into two pale blue afterimages that precisely pierced into the relatively fragile connection between the compound eyes and the carapaces of the two Gold-Devouring Ants!

Puchi! Puchi!

The two Gold-Devouring Ants twitched and stopped moving.

Lin Ye didn't even look, kicked aside the insect corpses blocking his path, and rushed to the stone door.

The stone door was heavy, covered in dust and cobwebs, but it was not difficult to push open. He slipped inside and immediately turned to close the stone door.

"Wait for us!" Xiao Yun and the male Disciple also followed closely and rushed over, behind them was the Gold-Devouring Ant colony that had realized they were tricked and were chasing with hisses.

Lin Ye exerted force with his arms, pushing the stone door open just enough for one person to pass through. Xiao Yun and the male Disciple squeezed in dangerously. He immediately pushed the stone door with all his might.

Boom!

Just before the last few Gold-Devouring Ants pounced, the stone door slammed shut, cutting off the hissing and crashing sounds outside.

Behind the door was not an Immortal Cave filled with traps and treasures as imagined, but a small, square, dust-filled stone hall.

The stone hall was empty, with only a stone table in the center, on which sat a long-extinguished bronze lamp. The surrounding walls were carved with some blurry murals, seemingly depicting scenes of a Cultivator performing Alchemy.

And in the corner of the stone hall, two long-weathered skeletons sat against the wall. The skeletons' clothes were tattered, and scattered around them were some decayed jade bottles, fragments of a Pill Furnace, and a few dim Medicinal Pills that seemed to have lost their Spiritual Qi.

It looked like a temporary Alchemy quiet room for an ancient Cultivator, who had passed away here.

Lin Ye scanned the area vigilantly, finding no other exits and no signs of living creatures.

Safe for now.

He breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the stone door and panting slightly. The old injury on his left shoulder throbbed with hidden pain due to the strenuous exercise just now.

Xiao Yun and the male Disciple were even more so, collapsing directly on the ground, still shaken.

"Many thanks... Many thanks to Senior Brother Lin for saving our lives!" The male Disciple struggled to climb up and bowed deeply to Lin Ye. "I am Zhao Ming, an Outer Sect Disciple of Danxia Peak. If not for you, Senior Brother, we would have become offerings."

Xiao Yun also bowed timidly, her eyes full of gratitude and lingering fear.

Lin Ye waved his hand, signaling that there was no need for such formalities. He walked to the stone table, picked up the bronze lamp to take a look; it was just an ordinary object, already rusted. He then looked at the murals on the wall; the workmanship was rough, and the content was nothing more than common Alchemy knowledge, of little value.

Finally, he walked toward the two skeletons.

The skeletons were yellowish in texture, obviously very old. One of the skeletons held a palm-sized cyan Jade Slip tightly in its hand. Hanging from the waist of the other skeleton was a grey, unremarkable cloth pouch.

Lin Ye picked up the Jade Slip first and probed it with his spiritual sense.

What was recorded in the Jade Slip was not a Cultivation Technique or Secret Manual, but a fragmentary set of Alchemy insights, as well as a Pill Formula for a Tier 1 Medicinal Pill called "Quenching Fire Pill." The Alchemy insights were of average level, and the Quenching Fire Pill was only the most basic Body Refining auxiliary Medicinal Pill, of little use to Lin Ye.

He was a little disappointed and picked up the grey cloth pouch again.

It felt light in his hand, as if it were empty. But when he tried to inject a trace of spiritual power—

Hum!

The surface of the pouch shimmered, and it actually opened a space about three feet square!

A Storage Pouch! And a Storage Pouch with more space than both the ancient ring and the bone ring!

Lin Ye's spirit lifted, and he immediately checked the interior.

There were not many things in the Storage Pouch: a few dozen Low-Grade Spirit Stones (the spiritual power had already drained away mostly); a few empty jade bottles; a rusty but good-material short sword (a Tier 1 Medium Grade Magical Artifact, but its spirituality was lost); and a piece of palm-sized, entirely crimson, warm-to-the-touch Ore.

[Crimson Fire Copper Essence]: Tier 1 fire-attribute spiritual Ore, can be used for Artifact Refining or to assist in the cultivation of fire-attribute Cultivation Techniques. Information appeared in his field of vision.

The harvest was average, but the Storage Pouch itself was valuable, and the Crimson Fire Copper Essence might be useful in the future.

He put away the Storage Pouch and also put the Crimson Fire Copper Essence and the short sword inside.

Just then, his gaze swept over the ground beneath the two skeletons, and there seemed to be a stone slab that was slightly different from the others.

He crouched down and tapped it lightly.

Dong dong... The sound was hollow!

There was something underneath!

Lin Ye signaled Zhao Ming and Xiao Yun to keep watch on the stone door (although it was closed, who knew if the Gold-Devouring Ants would dig), while he carefully pried open the loose stone slab.

Under the stone slab was a small pit about a foot square, containing a sealed, fist-sized jade box.

The jade box felt warm and cool to the touch, and its surface was engraved with simple spirit-sealing runes, well-preserved.

Lin Ye felt a stir in his heart and cautiously opened the jade box.

There were no Medicinal Pills or Magic Treasure in the box, only a deep blue pill the size of a dragon's eye, crystal clear, with what looked like liquid flowing inside, and a neatly folded piece of animal skin.

The pill emitted a refreshing, cool fragrance; just one breath made one's spirit lift.

On the animal skin, a few lines of small characters were written in cinnabar:

"I and my close friend refined the 'Ice Heart Pill' here, intending to break through the Bottleneck, but the earth fire went out of control, the pill was ruined, we were injured, and our Lifespan was coming to an end. I specially leave this only finished 'Ice Heart Pill' and one drop of 'Earth Fire Spirit Marrow' obtained from my lifetime of Alchemy in the box, to be gifted to those with affinity. The Ice Heart Pill can clear the mind and focus the spirit, breaking through the Heart Demon, and is of great use when breaking through small Realms. The Earth Fire Spirit Marrow is sealed within the pill and cannot be extracted without a cultivation level above Golden Core or a special technique; be cautious. The Immortal Cave is on the verge of collapse, left for those who come later. — Written by Qingdan Sanren."

Ice Heart Pill! Earth Fire Spirit Marrow!

Lin Ye's heart pounded. The Ice Heart Pill was exactly what he urgently needed! Although there was no major Bottleneck for breaking through from Qi Refining Stage 4 to 5, this pill could clear the mind and focus the spirit, assisting in the Breakthrough, and was of great value. And the Earth Fire Spirit Marrow was an even greater Heaven And Earth Treasure of fire-attribute, although it could not be extracted for the time being, it might have great use in the future.

This was the true Treasure Trove of this Immortal Cave!

He carefully put away the jade box, restored the stone slab to its original state, and bowed to the two skeletons.

Having received the legacy of those before, one should be respectful.

After doing all this, he returned to the stone door to join Zhao Ming and Xiao Yun.

"Senior Brother Lin, what should we do now? Those strange insects outside..." Zhao Ming looked worriedly at the closed stone door. The crashing sounds of the Gold-Devouring Ants outside had stopped, but who knew if they had left.

Xiao Yun also looked at Lin Ye expectantly.

Lin Ye pondered for a moment. Returning the way they came was definitely not an option; not only were there Gold-Devouring Ants outside, but it was also likely already blockaded by the Yinkui Sect.

This stone hall had no other exits; it was a dead end.

But... Qingdan Sanren left a message saying "The Immortal Cave is on the verge of collapse," yet they were able to pass away here, which meant this place was not a dead end; perhaps there was a secret exit, only they were too severely injured to find it.

His gaze carefully scanned every inch of the walls, floor, and ceiling of the stone hall again.

Finally, on the wall facing the stone table, in a mural depicting "Earth Fire Alchemy," in the center of the flame pattern representing "Earth Fire," there was an extremely subtle, seemingly natural depression.

Lin Ye stepped forward and pressed it with his hand, but the depression did not move.

He thought for a moment and took the [Crimson Fire Copper Essence] he had just obtained from the Storage Pouch.

The Crimson Fire Copper Essence was a fire-attribute spiritual Ore, and the mural depicted Earth Fire...

He gently pressed the Crimson Fire Copper Essence into the depression of the flame pattern.

It fit perfectly!

Hum...

The entire wall vibrated slightly, and the flame pattern on the mural seemed to come alive, emitting a faint red light. Immediately after, a gap only wide enough for one person to pass through slid open silently in the center of the wall, and behind it was a deep, pitch-black stone stair passage leading downwards!

There was a secret passage!

The three of them were energized.

But Lin Ye did not enter immediately, instead listening intently.

Deep in the passage, there was a faint sound of wind, mixed with a trace of... murmuring water?

Was it an underground river? Or something else?

Ahead was an unknown passage, and behind were Gold-Devouring Ants (and possibly Yinkui Sect pursuers).

Staying in the stone hall was waiting for death, but entering the passage might offer a glimmer of survival.

Lin Ye did not hesitate any longer and stepped into the passage first. Xiao Yun and Zhao Ming followed closely.

The passage was narrow and damp, the stone steps covered in moss, extending downwards, leading to who knew where.

The further they went down, the clearer the sound of water became, and the heavier the water vapor in the air.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, a faint light appeared ahead.

Walking out of the passage, the view suddenly opened up.

They had actually arrived in a huge underground karst cave! Countless stalactites hung from the top of the cave, emitting a faint fluorescence. In the center of the cave was a wide underground river, the water deep and flowing endlessly.

And on the opposite bank of the underground river, a stretch of broken walls and ruins could be vaguely seen, seemingly the remains of an ancient building. Deep within the ruins, a weak spiritual power fluctuation came, and more importantly, through the bone ring " Xuan Yuan," Lin Ye could clearly sense that the water vein fluctuation coming from there was of the same origin as the mystic yin true water, but even more... violent and chaotic?

Could it be that this place actually led to some important tributary of the mystic yin true water vein? Or even... close to the pool of true water?

At the same time, the black "Shadow" token in his bosom became slightly hot again, sending a new message full of urgency and ecstasy:

"... The Holy Sword has appeared! Lord 'Shadow Envoy' is currently fighting the old dog of the Qingyun Sect... Quickly bring the 'Blood Guide' to the 'Eye of True Water'... Complete the final ritual... Receive the power of the Holy Sword... Do not make any mistakes!"

Eye of True Water? Blood Guide?

Lin Ye looked sharply at Xiao Yun and Zhao Ming behind him.

Could it be that the "Blood Guide" needed by the Yinkui Sect was not just low-level Disciples, but required Cultivators with specific attributes (such as water-attribute?) or special Physiques?

And Xiao Yun and Zhao Ming happened to be Outer Sect Disciples, and able to be selected as "Cauldron," did that mean they met some condition?

Was the spiritual power fluctuation and water vein abnormality in the ruins on the opposite bank of the underground river the so-called "Eye of True Water"?

Was the final ritual of the Yinkui Sect being carried out there?