254: Chapter 254 Grotto Heaven

From the moment the Groundhog appeared, Ye Yisong concluded that this little black mouse was not simple. To be able to freely enter a Formation capable of trapping a Tier 5 Demon King, how could it be an ordinary character!

Now it seemed, that was indeed the case!

The Groundhog was actually the guardian beast of an Immortal Cave; the naive White Lion had actually been deceived by this little black mouse.

Fortunately, Ye Yisong had kept a guard up.

Ye Yisong looked into the opening and discovered that it truly contained a world of its own. Unlike the birdsong, fragrant flowers, and bright sunshine of the valley, the inside was dead silent and chillingly eerie, making Ye Yisong involuntarily shiver.

"You go in first. Don't try any tricks, or you know the consequences," Ye Yisong urged, pushing the Groundhog.

Upon hearing Ye Yisong's urging, the Groundhog's hind legs visibly trembled. It walked toward the opening shakily, wearing an expression like it was attending a funeral.

When it was only a step away from the opening, the Groundhog immediately turned and fled, a pitch-black shadow darting away at high speed.

The Groundhog didn't get far before it was caught by Ye Yisong and pinned firmly to the ground.

"Great Master, spare my life! I really don't dare to go in. Inside... inside there is..."

"What is inside? To make you so afraid?" Ye Yisong asked sternly. Fortunately, he had kept his guard up and hadn't let the Immortal Cave dazzle his eyes.

"There is a Legacy inside," the Groundhog said, seemingly recalling something terrifying, shaking its head desperately, refusing to enter.

"A Legacy?" Ye Yisong asked, puzzled. With such a good thing, what was the Groundhog afraid of?

"A Legacy that costs a mouse its life." Based on the Groundhog's description, Ye Yisong gained some understanding of the newly discovered Immortal Cave.

It turned out that it was an Immortal Cave temporarily opened by a severely injured powerful expert. To ensure their sect's Legacy would not be cut off, before passing away, they had specially set up a Legacy Immortal Cave, leaving it for those destined to find it.

But that did not mean anyone who came could obtain this powerful expert's Legacy; one needed to pass three trials.

However, if one failed the trials and angered the gatekeeper inside, there was a high probability of losing one's life on the spot.

The Groundhog had stumbled into the Immortal Cave by accident back then, and the first trial had almost cost it its mouse life.

"A powerful expert? Based on your experience, what was the strength of the fallen Senior inside during their lifetime?" Ye Yisong did not rashly enter the Immortal Cave but instead asked the Groundhog for some key information.

"At the very minimum, a Tier 5 Late Stage powerhouse," the Groundhog estimated conservatively.

"Besides you, has anyone else entered the Immortal Cave?"

"Counting from when I entered here, a total of nine people have entered the Immortal Cave, and only one left, severely injured," the Groundhog replied after thinking for a long time.

Those who could enter the Wangchuan Secret Realm and discover the Immortal Cave were all Prodigy Martial Artists from the East Sea Prefecture who possessed great Luck.

Their strength was at minimum that of a Martial Ancestor Late Stage Martial Artist; Ye Yisong did not believe he was stronger than them right now.

This Immortal Cave of unknown danger—should he enter? Or not?

With his own talent and cheat, coupled with the gains from this trip, after leaving the Secret Realm and cultivating in seclusion for a few years, perhaps he could achieve a Breakthrough to the Martial King realm.

Was it necessary to take this risk?

The answer was yes!

The Opportunity was right before him. It was highly likely to be the Legacy of a Martial King Late Stage powerhouse, or even a Martial Emperor powerhouse. To give up such a huge windfall, Ye Yisong was very unwilling.

Most importantly, the stone for entering and leaving the valley had been taken away by the White Lion. If he didn't enter the Immortal Cave, he probably wouldn't be able to get out.

"Screw it!"

Ye Yisong withdrew all hesitant thoughts, made up his mind, and resolutely stepped into the entrance of the Immortal Cave. Before he went in, he didn't forget to bring the Groundhog along.

In any case, he had to drag someone along as a cushion.

"Great Master, you've ruined me!" the Groundhog wailed, its body curled into a ball, staring at the darkness before it with eyes wide with terror.

"Little black mouse, why have you come in again?" an aged voice came from the darkness, cold and bone-chilling.

"Senior, it wasn't my wish to come in; I was forced in. Spare my life!" the Groundhog begged, kneeling on the ground.

"Get out."

A wave of Qi surged from the darkness, throwing the Groundhog out of the Immortal Cave. Although the Groundhog was knocked dizzy, it was incredibly happy inside.

"Young man, come here, come here."

An aged voice in the darkness kept calling to Ye Yisong, urging him to walk forward.

After Ye Yisong entered the Immortal Cave, it was like falling into an ice cellar. His whole body felt bone-chillingly cold. The liquid spirit energy in his Dantian seemed dead, stagnant, and frozen. His Tier 5 Mental Energy was also compressed inside his body, unable to move, making it impossible to investigate the situation of the Immortal Cave at all.

The aged voice continued to call out, like a kindly grandfather from next door, amiable and approachable, making Ye Yisong unable to resist walking forward.

Ye Yisong took a step forward but suddenly felt something was wrong. He had a feeling that if he followed the old man's guidance and kept walking forward, he would step by step fall into an abyss, doomed forever.

Guarding his Heart-Nature, he sat on the ground, discarding external interference, and waited for the changes in the Immortal Cave.

Suddenly!

A beam of light came from afar, breaking the dark background. An old man wearing magnificent robes looked at Ye Yisong, who was sitting on the ground, and said expressionlessly:

"Your Heart-Nature is not bad. You realized it after only taking one step."

"Ye Yisong pays respects to Senior." Ye Yisong stood up, raised his hands, and bowed respectfully. Raising his eyes, three palaces came into view. An overwhelming aura rushed toward him, making him involuntarily take two steps back.

"Hmm." The old man nodded faintly and said, "Follow me."

"Yes." Ye Yisong followed closely in the old man's footsteps, crossed the open space in front of the palaces, and arrived before the three magnificent and imposing palaces, looking at them with curiosity.

One, named Blood Slaughter, was filled with oppressive Evil Qi. The entire perimeter of the palace was surrounded by a mass of blood Qi that condensed but did not dissipate. It was unknown how many Martial Artist bones were piled up in front of the palace.

Such signs made Ye Yisong involuntarily frown. Although he knew the cruelty of the cultivation world, this was the first time he had seen such a brutal Martial Artist with his own eyes.

One, named Green Lotus, had a calm and tranquil palace, with no movement at all. The decoration was simple and elegant, as if left by a Senior who loved quiet cultivation.

The aura emitted by the palace vaguely had a faint connection with Ye Yisong, making him feel inexplicably moved and wanting to approach it proactively.

One, named Wangchuan, coincidentally matched the name of this Secret Realm. Ye Yisong couldn't help but take a few more looks. Could it be that legendary figure?

This palace was the most luxurious. Compared to the other two, it was a full three stories higher, firmly overshadowing the other two palaces.

"You may choose any one of the palaces to accept their Legacy," the old man's aged voice sounded here, as if he were speaking of the most ordinary matter.

"If you can inherit the Senior's mantle, you can leave the valley alive and carry forward the Senior's unique skills."

"If you fail, unless you are one with great Luck, you will die and your Dao will vanish."

"You have the time of one incense stick to consider. If the time is up and you have not made a choice, I will designate one for you directly."