537: Chapter 537 Mysterious Cave

Inside Qilin Hall, the air seemed to have been sucked dry.

nine heavens star iron!

As soon as those words were spoken, the blood drained from Wang Deyong's pig-liver-colored face, leaving it deathly pale.

That was the Wang Family's heirloom, passed down for ten thousand years! It was a divine metal refined from an extraterrestrial meteorite during ancient times; impervious to fire and water, resistant to all techniques, and said to be an excellent material for forging Immortal Artifacts!

Its value simply could not be measured in gold!

"You... don't even think about it!" Wang Deyong's voice was trembling—not from anger, but from shock and fear.

"Oh?" Li Heng raised an eyebrow, his nonchalant manner making it seem as if he were discussing a trivial matter. "It seems Minister Wang's treasure is more important than his own dignity and life."

"You...!" Wang Deyong nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Those words were far too cutting!

He dared to bet his life because he was certain Li Heng was doomed.

But to bet the family heirloom... what if? What if this kid really did have some heaven-defying trick up his sleeve?

Xuanyuan Hong also grew anxious and hurriedly stepped forward, bowing deeply to Li Heng. "Master, the nine heavens star iron is the foundation of the Wang Family. This matter is absolutely out of the question..."

Li Heng ignored him completely, merely looking at Wang Deyong lazily while wagging a finger.

"Fine, fine. A gentleman doesn't take what others cherish. Since Minister Wang is so reluctant, let's just forget about this bet."

He yawned, turned around, and started walking out of the hall, muttering under his breath.

"How boring. I was going to lend a hand, but now it seems I'd be more comfortable going back to sleep."

"As for the Evil Qi of the Black Wind Abyss, whoever wants to deal with it can. It's not like I'm the one who's going to die anyway."

He walked slowly, but every step felt like it was treading on the hearts of Wang Deyong and Xuanyuan Hong.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Wang Deyong's forehead.

He suddenly realized a terrifying problem.

If Li Heng left just like that, then he, Wang Deyong, would become the eternal sinner who drove away the Divine Dynasty's only hope!

When the Evil Qi of the Black Wind Abyss erupted and the people suffered, the Emperor would be the first to hold him accountable!

At that time, never mind the family heirloom—his entire Wang Family would be torn to shreds by the fury of the people and the imperial power!

This kid... he wasn't betting at all; he was forcing his hand!

"I'll bet!"

Just as Li Heng's foot was about to cross the threshold of Qilin Hall, Wang Deyong used all his strength to practically roar that word.

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at Li Heng's back, looking as if he wanted to swallow him whole.

"This old man will bet with you! As long as you can resolve the Black Wind Abyss, I will present the nine heavens star iron with both hands!"

Li Heng's footsteps stopped, but he didn't turn around.

"It would've been over if you'd just been this decisive from the start. What a waste of time."

As his voice faded, his figure vanished into thin air, as if he had never been there.

Leaving the entire court of civil and military officials standing there, dumbstruck... In the next instant.

Three hundred miles east of the Divine Capital, the Black Wind Abyss.

The sky here was perpetually shrouded in a layer of grayish-black Evil Qi, and the ground was scorched black and barren. A nauseating scent of decay filled the air, as if even light itself were being swallowed.

A figure in green robes appeared at the edge of the abyss without warning.

Li Heng frowned and fanned the air in front of his nose.

"Is this it? The smell is a bit pungent."

He swept out his Divine Thought, instantly covering the entire Black Wind Abyss.

Soon, he discovered dozens of fragmented skeletons on the cliffs and at the bottom of the abyss.

Atop these skeletons, faint but pure fluctuations of spiritual power still remained; the strongest among them had even reached the Late Stage of the Body Integration Stage.

"It seems that old man wasn't lying; quite a few experts did die here."

Li Heng clicked his tongue.

The state of these skeletons was very peculiar. They weren't killed by external force, but looked more like their entire essence, energy, and spirit had been sucked dry instantly, turning them into mummified corpses.

His Divine Thought continued to penetrate deep underground, passing through layers of Evil Qi.

Suddenly, ten thousand meters underground, he "saw" an Immortal Cave shrouded in a powerful Restriction.

"Found it."

Li Heng's figure flickered, and he appeared directly in front of that Immortal Cave.

At the entrance of the Immortal Cave, there was an invisible Illusion Formation. This Illusion Formation was extremely sophisticated, enough to confuse the Divine Souls of Soul Transformation Stage Cultivators, making them spin in circles until they were eroded to death by the Evil Qi.

Li Heng, however, stepped right inside as if he were strolling through his own back garden.

To him, the Illusion Formation was no different from air.

Passing through the Illusion Formation, a deep corridor lay ahead.

The moment he stepped into the corridor, countless blood-red runes suddenly lit up on the stone walls on both sides!

*Buzz—*

Beams of energy powerful enough to tear through space shot out from all directions, forming a web of certain death that completely enveloped him.

This was an Ancient Killing Formation, powerful enough to instantly heavily wound a Body Integration Stage grandmaster!

Li Heng didn't even lift an eyelid.

He didn't even bother to resist, letting those energy beams blast against his body.

*Crackling!*

After a series of sounds like fireworks exploding, the energy beams were all annihilated, and not even a corner of Li Heng's clothes was wrinkled.

"Even for a scraping massage, the pressure is too light."

He shook his head and continued walking inside.

At the end of the corridor was a massive bronze stone door.

Incredibly complex Formation patterns were carved onto the stone door, with countless flows of spiritual power circulating within them, forming a perfect, indestructible closed loop.

This wasn't just a defensive Formation, but an exquisite Seal.

To break it, one either had to use absolute force to smash it open or find the core node of the Formation to break it with finesse.

Li Heng walked to the door and lightly tapped a finger on the complex Formation patterns.

*Crack.*

A crisp sound rang out.

All the Formation patterns on the entire bronze stone door instantly dimmed.

That indestructible Seal was turned off by him just like that, with nonchalant ease.

*Rumble—*

The heavy stone doors automatically opened to both sides.

Behind the door was a massive underground karst cave.

At the center of the cave, a mass of black-purple Evil Qi, so dense it wouldn't disperse, floated there, pulsing slowly like a heart.

The Evil Qi of the entire Black Wind Abyss was being continuously emitted from this very spot.

And directly beneath that mass of Evil Qi was an ancient altar.

Upon the altar sat skeleton after skeleton in a cross-legged position—the very same Body Integration Stage Cultivators Li Heng had detected earlier with his Divine Thought!

Their skeletons were in a bizarre posture, hands raised high as if they were worshiping something.

And without exception, a small hole had been pierced through each of their crown bones.

Li Heng's gaze moved past the altar and landed on the deepest part of the cave.

There stood an even more ancient stone tablet.

The tablet was made of an unknown material, pitch black and covered with the marks of time.

Li Heng walked over slowly and brushed away the dust on the stone tablet.

A line of blood-red characters written in Ancient Divine Script entered his sight.

"Those who trespass here are not intruders, but offerings."

"With your Divine Souls, welcome the return... of my Lord!"