85: Jade Fairy

In the dark night, that fiery figure was extremely conspicuous. Qin Chi's gaze swept towards the front, and just as Qi Ze had described, deeper within was a hidden valley. The valley's surface was barren, devoid of plants, but flames continuously burned there.

Just as Qin Chi approached,

the fiery figure sensed him, turned, and looked over.

Under his watchful eye, Qin Chi piloted the azure lightning dark halberd, slowly stepping forward.

Footsteps echoed, shaking the heart.

Emerging from the darkness, illuminated by the firelight, Qin Chi arrived at the front of the deep valley.

That fiery figure was none other than Ding Yang.

At this moment, his aura had greatly intensified. In this treasure land, the potential within his physique was being unleashed, granting him even greater strength.

Firelight flickered.

Ding Yang had initially watched the approaching behemoth cautiously. As the distance closed, he saw its form, and the flames around him dimmed slightly, revealing a human figure. He hesitated, unsure, and asked, “Lord Sacrificial Spirit?”

“Indeed, you recognized me.”

Qin Chi’s voice resonated in his mind.

Accompanying the familiar voice, the flames rising around Ding Yang receded, and the patterns on his body dimmed: “It really is you!”

“Qi Ze came here before and said you would come after your breakthrough.”

He quickly explained, bowing respectfully.

For Ding Yang, joining the Si Huo Tribe was like being reborn.

Qin Chi stepped past Ding Yang, walking towards the depths of the valley.

Seeing this, Ding Yang quickly followed.

“You’ve been stationed here and experimenting for a while now. Have you made any other discoveries?”

Qin Chi’s voice rang out.

Hearing this, Ding Yang, who was following behind the massive azure lightning dark halberd, a little nervous, softly said, “I searched nearby and did find some fire-attributed rare fruits.”

“Besides that, the flames burning here are quite beneficial to me.”

“That barrier only appeared because I absorbed the flames here. I’ve been trying to continue absorbing them all this time, but the effect has been mediocre, and I haven’t seen any changes in the barrier.”

At this point, Ding Yang’s voice lowered: “Lord Sacrificial Spirit, I’m useless.”

“It’s already good that you discovered this place.”

The azure lightning dark halberd stepped onto the flames.

These constantly burning flames, which water could not extinguish, caused no damage to the super-extraordinary mecha with its impressive defensive capabilities.

Behind him,

Ding Yang stepped into the flames, showing no unusual reaction, and even seemed somewhat comfortable.

They delved deeper.

After advancing about a thousand meters, their path was blocked.

“Lord Sacrificial Spirit, it’s here.”

Qin Chi’s gaze looked towards the front.

In the silent night, the flames illuminated the surroundings. At the front, a water-curtain-like barrier appeared, mirroring the outside valley. However, the ripples that occasionally spread across it revealed its existence.

“It looks like some kind of formation restriction.”

After acquiring the mountain and river, he had already speculated about what might exist in the ancient Great Wilderness, and now he was not surprised in the slightest.

The azure lightning dark halberd stood still, and power of vows, wrapped around mental energy, flowed out from within the mecha!

As the mental energy spread out, it was amplified by the azure lightning dark halberd, becoming even more powerful.

Martial Artists are the most suitable pilots for super-extraordinary mechas.

Precisely because everything they possess will be amplified by the mecha.

The mental energy flew out, instantly making contact with the water curtain barrier. A sense of obstruction continuously emanated, and layers of ripples spread across the exposed barrier.

Ding Yang keenly noticed this and immediately realized that Lord Sacrificial Spirit was attempting something. He remained silent, waiting quietly. “It’s different from the shan he remnant piece.”

“That fragment, once wrapped in power of vows, was easily entered.

“This defensive formation, if there’s no trick to it, will probably remain active indefinitely.”

His mental energy, protected by power of vows, bore the pressure of obstruction, sensing the barrier’s strength.

Inside the cockpit, Qin Chi’s eyes lowered slightly, and a powerful voice resonated, echoing through the deep valley.

“Step back.”

“Step back?”

Ding Yang froze for a moment but immediately realized that Lord Sacrificial Spirit was about to act.

He almost without hesitation turned around and retreated, putting some distance between them. After thinking for a moment, he retreated even further before stopping, his gaze fixed forward, eyes shining with anticipation.

When he first joined the Si Huo Tribe, he saw Lord Sacrificial Spirit return to the Tribe dragging a python head.

That scene left a deep shock in him.

But he had never personally witnessed Lord Sacrificial Spirit in action, and now his heart was filled with curiosity.

“I wonder what method Lord Sacrificial Spirit will use.”

At the front.

Looking at the barrier, a sharp glint flashed in Qin Chi’s eyes.

According to the information obtained by his mental perception, the strength of this barrier was within a certain range.

Perhaps this formation barrier was quite effective in the past, but with the passage of long years, it had clearly diminished greatly. Otherwise, it wouldn't have appeared directly because of Ding Yang, no longer hidden.

Qin Chi was always a decisive person. He didn't intend to waste too much time here. Since his mental perception couldn't find any flaws,

if diplomacy failed, then resort to force!

He had just changed to a new mecha!

If it couldn't be broken by force, then he would try other methods.

Even if this formation had some design that would destroy everything inside if broken, it wasn't a big problem for Qin Chi.

Compared to gaining some treasure here, he was more curious about the sealed ancient history of the Great Wilderness.

As long as some traces remained inside, it would be enough for him, who knew nothing, to obtain a lot of information.

With a slight mental movement, the weapon module detached from the azure lightning dark halberd's arm.

The mystic dragon halberd descended and transformed, being grasped in his hand.

The moment it was grasped, the great halberd swung forward, now held with both hands. As it was raised high, lightning power surged from Qin Chi's physique, amplified by the mecha, and gathered on the mystic dragon halberd. Runes lit up around the azure lightning dark halberd, lightning surged, and in the simplest and most direct way, it fiercely slashed down towards the barrier in front of it!

As the halberd fell,

a booming thunderous sound echoed in this area!

Accompanying the thunderous sound, above the great halberd, a torrent of lightning power gathered, striking the barrier along with the descending mystic dragon halberd.

Heaven and earth spiritual energy permeated the Great Wilderness, and now, under Qin Chi’s attack, he successfully leveraged the lightning-attributed spiritual energy.

One halberd strike!

The mystic dragon halberd collided with the barrier, emitting a deafening metallic clang.

Violent ripples spread across the barrier, like a mirror shattered on the ground. The ripples spread, and amidst the explosive and rampant lightning power,

it shattered with a crash.

In front, there was no longer any obstruction.

The previously reflected mirror image shattered, revealing the true appearance within.

Qin Chi’s gaze swept over,

and inside, there was actually a bamboo forest.

The bamboo leaves were a golden-green color, appearing to be no ordinary plants. Looking deeper inside, one could even see bamboo houses within the bamboo forest,

appearing as if someone had once lived there. Faintly, the sound of flowing stream water could also be heard.

In the distance,

Ding Yang was still shaking from Qin Chi's strike. Seeing Qin Chi break through the barrier, he ran closer.

Qin Chi looked to the front, and the radar equipped on the azure lightning dark halberd activated, scanning the area.

A moment later,

the results were in.

No living creatures were present.

He was just about to step into this hidden place when, at that moment, the bamboo forest in front of him began to sway. Although there was no wind, they continuously moved. As they swayed, Qin Chi clearly saw the bamboo leaves wither, and the bamboo stalks decay. In just a few breaths,

this bamboo forest seemed to have passed through a long expanse of time, gradually withering, breaking, decaying, until it completely merged into the soil.

The sound of flowing stream water also quickly disappeared.

As the bamboo forest withered, looking inside, the riverbed, which resembled a small stream, had completely dried up.

Deeper within,

under Qin Chi’s gaze, that bamboo house also collapsed with a crash.

Everything happened in just a few breaths.

Behind him,

Ding Yang clearly witnessed all of this, his eyes rippling, and his steps halted.

Inside the cockpit, Qin Chi’s eyes lowered slightly.

He looked down at the place where the barrier had been, and thought to himself: “The level of this formation seems higher than expected. Everything inside clearly couldn’t be maintained after the formation broke, and thus completely perished.”

“Did this formation block the passage of time? Or was it because too much time had passed, and everything inside was not suitable for the current Great Wilderness environment, causing it to perish upon appearing in the present world?”

“In any case, one thing is certain.”

“This formation has lasted too long, and its power has almost completely dissipated, which is why it appeared in the world.”

Qin Chi stepped forward, the azure lightning dark halberd entering this hidden place, mental energy probing in all directions.

He sensed something and strode towards the location where the bamboo house had collapsed.

That place had already become a ruin.

But within the ruins, a faint light bloomed, and even though it was buried, a corner of it could still be seen.

Mental energy, surrounded by power of vows, moved out, enveloping the object emitting the faint light, and continuously rose, landing in the palm of the azure lightning dark halberd.

This was a jade pendant.

Its appearance seemed somewhat ancient, with intricate patterns on it, depicting a luan bird. In the center of the luan bird, two characters of unknown meaning were encircled.

“Is it a magical treasure similar to the mountain and river, or something else?”

With the experience of exploring the mountain and river, Qin Chi separated strands of mental energy, enveloped them with power of vows, and, always ready to disconnect, actively contacted the jade pendant in his palm, attempting to enter and explore its interior.

The moment of contact.

Above the jade pendant, the two unknown characters glowed. A sensation similar to when exploring the remnant fragment came over him, and Qin Chi’s mental energy entered the world within the jade pendant.

The moment his mental energy entered, a gentle female voice, like a spring breeze, resonated within it.

“Latercomer.”

“It seems we ultimately lost.”

“Lost?”

Qin Chi’s thoughts raced, and an inspiration struck him. He subconsciously associated it with a scene.

That was when he first entered the internal space of the shan he remnant piece, seeing an ancient scene from an unknown number of years ago.

That sky-obscuring mountain and river giant cauldron, on its way ascending to the heavens, had shattered with a crash!

The woman’s voice showed no regret, only a hint of pity. As her words fell, in Qin Chi’s mental perception,

a scene appeared.

In the scene, bamboo rustled, and a stream gurgled. In the clear water, carp with dragon whiskers could be seen, swimming and occasionally leaping up, as if practicing to leap over the dragon gate.

Qin Chi immediately reacted.

This was the location he was currently in, only, this was an image left from an unknown number of years ago.

He focused intently, observing every detail around him.

It was at this moment.

The bamboo house in the bamboo forest entered the scene.

Looking at it, this place could truly be called an elegant spot. The environment was serene. Above the bamboo house, luan birds perched, looking extraordinarily divine. In front of the bamboo house, a woman dressed in a light blue gauze dress stood with her hands behind her back.

Her face was covered by a veil, making it indistinct, with only her eyebrows and eyes visible. Despite this, upon seeing her face, Qin Chi still felt a sense of astonishment.

It was the purest astonishment, the first impression of beauty.

Brows like painted strokes, eyes like stars, like a fairy – that was probably the best description.

The woman in the scene gazed at the sky, her brows furrowed with worry, as if speaking to herself, and yet also as if speaking to latercomers like Qin Chi.

“Imperial Brother, you are too eager.”

“If it succeeds, it will indeed benefit generations, but if it fails—”

“The countless accumulations of my Tiancang Immortal Dynasty being destroyed in an instant is a minor matter; the consequences are likely to be even more severe.”

In a soft murmur, she paced several times, finally letting out a long sigh.

“Forget it.”

“Let’s just leave a seed.”

She reached out and lightly grasped in the void, and paper and a brush fell into her hand.

On the stone table beside the bamboo house, she wielded her brush, quietly writing.

Soon after she began writing,

a blurred, indistinct call came from within the scene.

The woman stopped, looked at the white silk paper, and shook her head slightly, as if she hadn't finished writing. With a flick of her sleeve, the paper crumpled together, light shimmering, and transformed into a jade pendant.

“Latercomer.”

At this moment, the woman seemed to see Qin Chi.

More accurately, she knew that when latercomers discovered this place, they would explore this jade pendant in this manner. At this time, she was more like leaving a message for the “latercomer” in her words.

“If, when you obtain the tiancang jade pendant, you have still heard of the name Heavenly Vault,”

“Then you may carry this pendant and go to the Heavenly Vault Imperial Capital; I will bestow upon you a great opportunity.”

“If the name Heavenly Vault no longer exists in the world—”

At this point, she fell silent, saying no more. Turning, her light veil swirled, and she vanished without a trace.

The scene was quiet for a moment, then shattered with a crash.

Qin Chi’s mental energy exited the jade pendant. In the cockpit, he closed his eyes slightly, his brows furrowed.

“So, those two unknown characters on the jade pendant are [Heavenly Vault].”

“Tiancang Immortal Dynasty.”

“Born in an Immortal Dynasty, calling him Imperial Brother, this woman truly deserves the title of a fairy.”

Qin Chi slowly exhaled.

The current Great Wilderness, although he didn't know the situation in the sky, still had the Great Sun Golden Crow.

So, in ancient times, how magnificent must this world have been?

To be named an Immortal Dynasty, what a terrifying force this must have been.

When he acquired the shan he remnant piece, he once speculated that this land had a splendid civilization, with a mature cultivation system and an industrial system. Now—the Tiancang Immortal Dynasty mentioned by the person in the pendant undoubtedly fits this point.

“Was the Tiancang Immortal Dynasty the power that forged that mountain and river cauldron?”

“Then, what is the Divine Kingdom that Qi Chuan and those tribal elders speak of?”

“According to them, the Divine Kingdom exists in legends, and no one has truly seen people from the Divine Kingdom for a long time.”

Various thoughts flashed through his mind.

Qin Chi’s mental energy was about to withdraw from the jade pendant.

After the ancient projection finished displaying, the space within the jade pendant completely darkened.

Just as Qin Chi was about to withdraw,

his mental energy sensed something, and his movements paused.

In the dark space within this jade pendant, above the sky, characters appeared!

These characters, like the two characters Heavenly Vault, seemed to belong to the same system. They were brilliant gold, and after appearing, they hung in the sky of this dark space.

This was just the beginning.

After the first character appeared, lines of characters emerged, all brilliant gold, suspended in the sky, neatly arranged, looking like an article.

After one article ended, on the other side of the sky, more characters appeared, gradually revealing themselves.

“This is?”

Qin Chi thought of everything he had seen in the scene. This tiancang jade pendant was an evolution of paper!

“These are the words that woman wrote last.”

Qin Chi’s heart was filled with intense curiosity. He couldn’t understand these characters, so he could only continue to use his old method, touching them with his mental energy to see if he could gain anything.

His mental energy moved upward, targeting the first character that appeared.

The moment of contact.

As if reflected in his mind, the meaning of the characters was perceived by Qin Chi. The woman who left these characters had clearly anticipated this, fearing that latercomers would not understand, and had made preparations.

Starting from the first character, the meaning of each character was understood by Qin Chi, and he gradually mastered this ancient script.

It was at this time that the profession panel quietly appeared, with light flickering above it, and a new profession generated.

[Decipherer]

[Ancient Script]: Lv1 (0.0051%)

Qin Chi noticed the generation of the profession.

However—

For the first time ever, he didn't immediately pay attention to the newly generated profession.

Because, after mastering these characters, the golden characters on the sky of this dark space were truly perceived by him, and he understood the content written on them.

His gaze focused on the characters that appeared first.

Qin Chi’s eyes swept over them, silently reciting their meaning in his mind.

[Dao Foundation Realm]