18: Chapter 18 Ancient Battlefield

Deep within Phoenix Mountain, the cave was dark and deep.

The Mountain Wolf lay curled up near the sacred tree, its body bathed in a soft, pale golden light as it silently healed its wounds.

The sacred tree radiated vibrant life force, which seeped into the wolf's wounds in thin wisps to aid its recovery.

Li Xiuyuan coiled nearby, his massive snake body winding into a small white mountain.

He lowered his head, his brown slit pupils fixed intently on the small ancient coin before him.

The coin was no larger than an adult's index finger, glowing with a cold bronze luster, its surface engraved with complex and obscure ancient inscriptions.

Li Xiuyuan could sense that those inscriptions were attempting to draw in the surrounding spiritual energy.

The reason he brought this coin back was simple: it possessed considerable power, and leaving it in someone else's hands would eventually become a hidden danger.

What if one day someone found it and used it against him?

Rather than leaving a potential threat, it was better to keep it.

In his spare time, he could just fiddle with it.

Li Xiuyuan quietly examined the ancient coin, his thoughts drifting.

Suddenly, a faint golden light appeared on the surface of the ancient coin. At first, it was just a glimmer, but it grew brighter and brighter, like a lamp lit in the darkness.

Li Xiuyuan immediately became alert, but the next moment, the ancient coin resonated with the sacred tree nearby!

The sacred tree had no mouth, yet it could communicate mentally with Li Xiuyuan.

A gentle thought entered his consciousness: this ancient coin and the sacred tree shared the same origin, both being relics of ancient ancestors.

The ancient coin resonated with the sacred tree, and the sacred tree had long since acknowledged Li Xiuyuan as its master.

In other words, Li Xiuyuan had now also become the master of this ancient coin.

Li Xiuyuan's eyes flickered as he re-examined the small coin, attempting to draw a wisp of spiritual energy and inject it into it.

In an instant, the ancient coin erupted with a blinding, scorching golden light, illuminating the entire cave. The light was as intense as the sun, dyeing every inch of the stone walls gold.

Li Xiuyuan's consciousness was suddenly pulled into a strange space. At first, there was bottomless darkness all around, and then, a deafening clamor rushed toward him.

The sound of metal clashing was constant, battle cries shook the sky, and killing intent surged like a tide!

Li Xiuyuan discovered that he was actually standing on an ancient battlefield.

The sky was dim, and blood flowed like rivers.

Countless figures wielding weapons were locked in combat. They stepped on the earth, yet also soared into the air, clashing fiercely in the sky like gods engaged in mutual slaughter.

In one of the factions, a Taoist wearing robes stood in mid-air, rapidly chanting incantations. Every syllable was ancient and obscure.

Then, he raised his hand and conjured a coin the size of a little finger.

The coin left his hand, transforming into a golden streak of light. It was so fast it was impossible to track, darting through the battlefield like lightning. Wherever it passed, heads flew into the air, and blood sprayed.

After cutting down a swathe of enemies, the golden streak of light suddenly stopped before Li Xiuyuan.

The ancient coin hovered in mid-air, the obscure inscriptions on its surface slowly shifting. They gradually transformed into meanings that Li Xiuyuan could understand, slowly imprinting themselves into his mind.

A moment later, a blinding white light flashed.

Li Xiuyuan's consciousness returned to reality, still coiled in the cave on Phoenix Mountain, as if everything that had just happened was merely a fleeting dream.

He composed his thoughts and refocused his gaze on the ancient coin.

By now, the luster on the coin's surface had gradually faded, returning to the cold sheen of bronze.

But Li Xiuyuan could clearly perceive an invisible connection between himself and the object.

With a thought, the ancient coin vibrated slightly and slowly floated up from the ground.

Li Xiuyuan raised his eyes and looked toward the top of the cave.

'Swish!' The ancient coin transformed into a streak of light, piercing the air with the speed of thunder. In the next instant, it was deeply embedded in the stone wall at the top, leaving only a tiny crevice behind.

A look of satisfaction appeared in Li Xiuyuan's eyes; this thing had considerable power, and with more practice, it could serve as a lethal move.

The sacred tree seemed to sense his mood, gently vibrating its branches as if asking for credit.

Li Xiuyuan glanced at it, "You played a part too."

...

Ever since the silent contract was established with Gu Xiao, Yunfeng Mountain had undergone new changes.

Not long after Gu Xiao reported the situation, Director Du of the Jiangcheng Security Bureau received orders from a higher level to immediately lead people to cordon off Yunfeng Mountain as a restricted area, forbidding anyone from entering.

The Security Bureau was already short-staffed, so he had to scrape together whoever he could, even making his subordinates work extra shifts.

Being overworked wasn't the main issue; what he feared was that the one inside Yunfeng Mountain would cause trouble.

Yet, Director Du couldn't suppress his curiosity. What was the origin of that snake inside Yunfeng Mountain? Why did the people above call personally, using such a serious, almost warning tone, repeatedly admonishing him never to enter the mountain?

In order to learn even a shred of the truth, Director Du personally sought out Gu Xiao, carrying two boxed lunches, and called Gu Xiao into his office to ask while they ate.

"Old Gu, what exactly is in Yunfeng Mountain?"

Gu Xiao shoveled in his boxed lunch, his mouth oily, without lifting his head: "What else could it be? Just what you're thinking."

"Is there really a huge snake? Did that snake become a spirit?" Director Du put down his chopsticks and lowered his voice.

Gu Xiao swallowed a mouthful of rice: "It's not just a spirit; it's also sentient."

"There are some things I can't tell you right now, but you should know before long, because these things can't be hidden. Haven't you noticed that the changes in this world are becoming more and more wonderful?"

"Anyway, Old Du, what we are about to face is an unknown world, a world that has only been recorded in a few ancient texts, but it is also a world full of opportunities."

Gu Xiao spoke vaguely, but Director Du understood the meaning behind his words.

However, Director Du's thoughts were still too shallow, and he probed: "Could it be that martial arts movies have all come true?"

"Martial arts? Xianxia."

Gu Xiao said as he shoveled the last bite of rice into his mouth and burped, "Old Du, I'm going to Dongting Lake tomorrow; something incredible has appeared over there. Help me keep an eye on Yunfeng Mountain."

"Remember, do not let anyone in. In about five days, someone will come to take over, and by then, you won't have to worry about it anymore."

Whenever the Jiantian Bureau discovered a powerful Rising Beings, as long as it had a gentle temperament, they would strive to communicate with it. As long as the Rising Beings agreed not to roam around, the Jiantian Bureau would set up several formations in that area, which could both prevent outsiders from entering and prevent the Rising Beings inside from rashly leaving.

Director Du froze in his chair. Xianxia?

He even suspected that Gu Xiao's words were a bit too exaggerated. After all, in Director Du's view, although this world had undergone some very strange changes, at most it was just like some martial arts TV dramas—practicing a bit of true qi or internal energy was the limit.

Who would have thought that Gu Xiao was actually talking about Xianxia.

"Is it really that exaggerated?" Director Du still felt it was hard to believe.

Gu Xiao nodded: "That's not exaggeration; it will become reality."

The changes in this world would happen very quickly because the Jiantian Bureau had already detected that the concentration of spiritual energy across the Xia Kingdom was increasing exponentially. The more abundant the spiritual energy, the more benefits even those who had never cultivated would receive.

Prolonging life and strengthening the body were just the most basic ones.

Gu Xiao picked up a piece of paper from the table and wiped his mouth, "I'm leaving, Old Du. You must remember what I said."

If it weren't for the recent trend of spiritual energy erupting in various places, leading to a shortage of manpower in the Jiantian Bureau, Gu Xiao would never have left Jiangcheng.

"Don't worry, I will go and guard it myself."

Director Du also knew the importance of the matter and personally guaranteed that he would absolutely not let anyone enter Yunfeng Mountain.