16: Chapter 16 The Secret of the Mineral Vein

Amidst the flowing green light, the stone wall behind his father's remains slowly moved aside, revealing a descending staircase.

At the end of the stairs, a simple and ancient stone gate was faintly visible.

And that cold, gloomy aura was emanating from behind the stone gate.

Li Changsheng clenched his fists.

Advance or retreat?

His father mentioned "suppressing some kind of evil entity"; this place behind the stone gate was likely the site of the suppression.

But his father also said that the Immortal Cave had Restrictions, and no one except those who practiced Spirit Ape Fist could enter.

Perhaps, this was an opportunity.

He felt the True Qi of the Spirit Ape Fist within his body and then circulated the Iron Casting Body Refining Technique.

Iron Casting Body Refining Technique, Spirit Ape Fist, plus the Spirit Ape Health-Preserving Technique he had just obtained...

Perhaps, he was exactly the person who could unravel this secret.

"Father, your child will walk the path you did not finish."

He stepped onto the stairs.

The stairs weren't long; after about twenty steps, there was the stone gate.

The stone gate was ancient, carved with patterns of the sun, moon, and stars, with a palm print in the center.

Li Changsheng tried to push the door, but it didn't budge.

He thought for a moment, circulated the Spirit Ape Fist, and pressed his palm onto the print.

The stone gate vibrated and slowly opened.

Behind the door was a massive natural cave.

In the center of the cave, there was a pool ten yards square; the water was dark green, shimmering with an eerie luster.

A green crystal floated above the pool, and sealed within the crystal was...

...a writhing mass of black shadows!

The whispering sound was coming from that black shadow.

"Let... let me out..."

Around the pool stood nine stone pillars, each covered in runes.

Two of the stone pillars were already broken, their runes dim.

It was the breaking of these two pillars that caused the Seal to loosen, allowing the evil entity to emit its aura.

Li Changsheng gasped.

The aura of this evil entity was more terrifying than any Martial Artist he had ever seen!

Just as he was about to exit, he suddenly discovered several items scattered on the ground near the pool.

A broken longsword and a few animal hides.

And...

...a skeletal remains in black robes!

On the right hand bone of the remains, there were clearly six fingers.

This was exactly the characteristic of the person who had ambushed his father!

Li Changsheng approached cautiously.

Beside the black-robed remains, words were carved:

"I, an Outer Sect Disciple of the Blood Fiend Sect, was ordered to search for the treasures of True Lord Xuan Yun."

"I entered this cave by mistake and was fortunate enough to obtain the True Lord's legacy technique, but I triggered the Seal and suffered a severe backlash, leaving me beyond help."

"Let those who come after remember."

"This Seal suppresses the Ancient Demonic Thought 'Spirit Devourer'; it must never be broken."

"If the Seal is completely shattered and the demonic thought is released, every living being within a hundred miles will be annihilated."

Blood Fiend Sect?

Could it be a Demonic Path Sect?

Li Changsheng's heart sank.

His father's death was indeed not a simple Family struggle, but involved the Demonic Path!

"Obtained the True Lord's legacy technique?"

"Could it be those animal hides from just now?"

Li Changsheng hurried to check the animal hides he had seen earlier.

"At the time, I thought they were similar to the animal hide of the Spirit Ape Health-Preserving Technique my father obtained; they actually turned out to be the subsequent parts of the Cultivation Technique."

Li Changsheng gave the animal hides a quick flip through. Overjoyed, he quickly gathered them together.

However, he needed to calm down and investigate first.

He returned to the side of the black-robed remains to continue his investigation and found a black token among the remains.

On the front, the words "Blood Fiend" were carved, and on the back was the number "Seventy-Three."

In addition, there were two thin booklets.

One was the Blood Refining Art.

This was the basic Cultivation Technique of the Blood Fiend Sect.

The other was a mission log.

Flipping through the mission log, Li Changsheng's pupils contracted:

"Year 375 of the tianwu calendar, by order of the Elder, went undercover in Qinghe Town to find the Relics of True Lord Xuanyun."

"Discovered that Li Zhenyue of the Li Family seemed to have gained something, followed him into the mine."

"Li Zhenyue obtained the True Lord's legacy technique; was unable to defeat him in combat."

"Ambushed him with the Blood Fiend Palm, but I was also heavily wounded myself..."

The record ended there.

The truth was out.

His father was ambushed by this Blood Fiend Sect Disciple, but the other party didn't succeed either and ultimately died here.

After being heavily injured, his father struggled back to the stone room, left his last words, and passed away.

"Blood Fiend Sect..."

Li Changsheng clenched his fists.

He would remember this grudge.

Just as he was about to put these two things away, the black shadow in the pool suddenly began to struggle violently.

"Let me out..."

"I can give you power..."

"Endless power..."

The seductive voice of the demonic thought transmitted directly into his mind.

Li Changsheng sneered.

"A suppressed demonic creature, how dare you speak of power?"

He walked to the two broken stone pillars and observed them carefully.

Although the runes were incomplete, he could see they were part of some kind of suppression Formation.

If he used the True Qi of the Spirit Ape Health-Preserving Technique, combined with the vitality of his body which contained the Dao of Longevity, he might be able to temporarily repair it.

No sooner said than done.

Li Changsheng sat cross-legged and began to comprehend the Cultivation Technique on the animal hides.

Due to his deep understanding of the Spirit Ape Fist, Li Changsheng learned very quickly.

An hour later, he had mastered the first level of the Mind-Cultivation Technique.

[Basic Manual: Level 1 of Spirit Ape Health-Preserving Technique fully mastered, significant self-improvement. Reward: 5 points of Mental Energy. Remaining Mental Energy: 10 points.]

Circulating the Spirit Ape Health-Preserving Technique, the True Qi was indeed several times purer than that of the Spirit Ape Fist.

And it carried a mysterious sense of endless vitality.

He tried to channel the True Qi into his fingers to carve runes onto the broken stone pillars.

"It really works!"

With every stroke, the stone pillar brightened a bit more.

Before he knew it, an hour had passed.

By the time Li Changsheng's True Qi was exhausted again, he had finally finished drawing the runes.

"The last rune is complete."

Suddenly, both stone pillars lit up simultaneously, connecting with the other seven to form a Formation!

"No—!"

The demonic thought let out a shrill roar as it was suppressed back into the crystal.

Shortly after, the cave returned to tranquility.

Li Changsheng let out a long breath.

Li Changsheng's harvest this time was also massive, but he knew this was no place to linger.

He took all the items left by the man in black.

He returned to the stone room.

He restored the hidden compartment to its original state.

He then carefully collected his father's remains.

He bowed three times toward the spot where his father had originally passed away, then exited the grotto the way he came.

By the time he came out, it was already evening.

The sunset was like blood, dyeing half the sky red.

Just as Li Changsheng returned to the camp, Li Changhu hurriedly came to meet him.

"Brother Changsheng, you're finally back!"

"People from the Zhao Family came. They said they were 'inspecting,' but they've been constantly asking about your whereabouts."

"The Zhao Family?"

Li Changsheng's gaze turned cold.

"How many people came?"

"Just the brothers Zhao Feng and Zhao Lei, with four guards. But..."

Li Changhu lowered his voice.

"I feel like there are others in the shadows."

As expected, they're all getting restless.

"The Zhao brothers didn't run into you earlier; they said they'd come by tomorrow to have a chat with you."

"I reckon they're up to no good, so we must be on guard."

Li Changhu thought for a moment and continued.

Li Changsheng patted Li Changhu on the shoulder.

"It's fine, I have my ways to deal with it."

"Go gather the guards and heighten the alert."

"Lately, I'm afraid things won't be peaceful."

He looked toward the depths of the mine and felt the animal hides and token in his robe.

Father, the path you did not finish, your child will continue to walk.

And some people should also pay the price.

The night deepened, and the moonlight over the mine was exceptionally cold.

Inside the stone house, Li Changsheng sat cross-legged.

Two scrolls of Cultivation Techniques were spread out before him.

The first three levels of the Spirit Ape Health-Preserving Technique and the complete version of the Iron Casting Body Refining Technique.

"The Spirit Ape Health-Preserving Technique actually focuses on internal Qi, while the Iron Casting Body Refining Technique focuses on the Physical Body. If the two could be combined..."

He closed his eyes and began to deduce.

In his mind, the two Cultivation Techniques were constantly being dismantled and reorganized, searching for points of compatibility.

An hour later, he opened his eyes, a sharp light glinting in them.

"It's feasible!"