293: Giant cave

When the last wisp of the Restriction's spiritual light dissipated, the scene it had shielded for eons was finally revealed—it was a mountain range older than legend, its peaks like the spine of a sleeping dragon winding across the landscape, every inch of rock etched with the wrinkles of time.

A surge of Spiritual Qi, so dense it nearly solidified, carried the vast, ancient aura of ten thousand years. It surged out like a bursting dam, turning the air into a faint spiritual mist wherever it passed; a single breath made the Cultivators' Meridians tremble with relief.

"Charge! An ancient land like this must hold great treasures!"

"The Opportunity is mine! No one even think of stealing it!"

"Get in quickly! If we're late, there'll be nothing left!"

The moment the Restriction shattered, the Cultivators who had been waiting outside the mountains for weeks completely boiled over.

Their eyes were bloodshot, like sharks scenting blood. The dharma swords at their waists hummed as their spiritual light surged, transforming into streaks of multicolored light that vied to be the first to charge into the newly revealed ancient mountains.

To seize the initiative, some did not hesitate to use Secret Techniques that drained their Cultivation, their figures leaving long afterimages in the air, completely ignoring the curses and spiritual energy fluctuations caused by collisions behind them.

However, the imagined immortal palaces and floating pavilions did not appear.

Deep within the mountains were only jagged, strange rocks and dense ancient trees with gnarled branches and leaves shimmering with a faint spiritual light, having grown for untold ages.

Though the Cultivators were doubtful, they were unwilling to give up, continuing deeper in the direction of the densest Spiritual Qi. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they finally stopped before a towering stone wall.

The stone wall was as smooth as a mirror, with faint Formation patterns flowing in the center—clearly the entrance to the Immortal Cave.

"Do it! Break this Formation!"

Someone shouted, and the crowd immediately unleashed their Magical Artifacts. Dharma swords, hammers, and Talismans rained down upon the defensive Formation on the stone wall.

"Boom!"

A massive explosion shook the valley, and the spiritual light of the Formation on the stone wall suddenly flared, forming a translucent shield.

Countless rocks tumbled down amidst billowing smoke. The low-level Cultivators who had struck first felt a massive force hit them head-on, as if they had slammed into a bronze wall. Their bodies recoiled uncontrollably, blood leaking from their mouths, and cracks even appeared on the Magical Artifacts in their hands.

Yet the Formation's light shield remained perfectly intact, its patterns even flowing more rapidly, as if mocking the crowd's overestimation of their own strength.

Within the crowd, Mo Chenggui, dressed in green robes, furrowed his brows. Seeing the situation, he immediately shouted:

"Cultivators of the Golden Core Stage and above, strike with all your might! This Formation has a reflective force; handle it with care and do not fight individually!"

As his voice fell, over a hundred Cultivators at or above the Golden Core Stage stepped forward. Shimmering with brilliant spiritual light, their gold, green, and purple spiritual energy converged into a torrent, surging toward the Formation Restriction at the cave entrance like a rushing river.

This time, the torrent of spiritual energy steadily resisted the Formation's reflective force. The patterns on the light shield began to flicker violently, waxing and waning like a candle in the wind.

Even the Mysterious Clarity Master, who had been watching from the side, couldn't help but lend a hand. He pinched a secret seal, infusing a streak of silver-white spiritual energy into the torrent. However, the moment it touched the Formation, he was jolted by a backlash that turned his face pale. He quickly retreated several steps and sat cross-legged to begin healing.

"Crack!"

A crisp sound rang out as the Restriction patterns on the stone wall shattered like glass, with cracks spreading rapidly.

In the next second, the light membrane completely vanished, and a massive, pitch-black cave entrance appeared before everyone. A dense Yin Cold Qi drifted from within, seemingly freezing the air. The faint sound of wailing wind could be heard, like a giant beast dormant for ten thousand years slowly baring its fangs, waiting for its prey to walk into the trap.

Mo Chenggui straightened his robes and slowly stepped forward.

He scanned the entrance warily, then took three yellowed "Fire Talismans" from his Storage Pouch. With a flick of spiritual energy, the Talismans ignited with a soft white light, and he threw them into the cave.

The white light slowly spread inside, illuminating the area near the entrance.

What met their eyes was a giant Karst Cave of unimaginable proportions. The ceiling was lost in darkness, with only scattered points of light flickering, while the ground was covered in smooth white stone, emitting a faint chill.

Mo Chenggui's expression turned stern, his voice heavy with gravity:

"The Immortal Cave is open! Fellow Daoists, the situation inside is unclear and the spiritual energy is chaotic—there is both pure Spiritual Qi and Yin Evil Qi. Everyone must act according to their own strength and not rush blindly for merit."

But his warning had long since been tossed to the back of the Cultivators' minds.

Hearing the words "Immortal Cave is open," the greed in everyone's eyes could no longer be hidden. Someone immediately rushed into the entrance, fearing that being a step late would mean someone else would snatch the Opportunity.

The Mysterious Clarity Master didn't even bother with pleasantries with Mo Chenggui. Clutching his chest, he stumbled into the cave.

From breaking the Restriction earlier, his Divine Soul injury had worsened again. He had to find a place rich in Spiritual Qi as soon as possible to refine the cold marrow jade fruit he had already consumed to completely stabilize his condition; otherwise, if the injury worsened, he might not even be able to protect himself, let alone compete for Opportunities.

In the crowd, Situ Jun did not follow the surging masses.

His gaze swept over the chaotic crowd as he spoke slowly:

"No rush. Let's observe for a moment. This Immortal Cave is quite eerie; rushing in blindly might be dangerous."

A moment later, seeing no danger emerge from the cave, he led the two women and entered the cave steadily under the escort of Bai Yu and the other Guards.

Upon entering, the view opened up, yet it also struck them with awe.

This was no ordinary Karst Cave; it was clearly a massive space where the entire mountain's interior had been hollowed out.

The dome hung high, at least a hundred zhang up, with countless Stalactites hanging down. Some were like towering ancient trees, others like sharp longswords, their surfaces shimmering with various spiritual lights—faint blue, emerald green, and crimson—barely illuminating this underground world.

Stalagmites stood like a forest on the ground amidst jagged rocks. Some were over ten zhang tall, while others were only half a person's height. Crystalline liquid occasionally seeped from the crevices in the rocks, giving off an enticing spiritual aura.

Even more startling was that the rock walls around the Karst Cave were riddled with countless channel entrances of all sizes.

Some of these channels were pitch-black and deep, like the throat of a giant beast, while others shimmered with faint spiritual light, their destinations unknown.

Some Cultivators tried to use their Spiritual Sense to investigate, but as soon as it entered a channel, it vanished like a clay ox entering the sea, clearly interfered with or swallowed by some unknown power.

Looking at these channels again, they were of various forms—some were wide enough for several carriages to pass side-by-side with smooth floors and walls, clearly man-made; some only allowed one person to pass sideways, filled with sharp stone thorns that would scratch the unwary; some emitted the rich fragrance of Spirit Medicine, intoxicating anyone who smelled it as if the depths were filled with Heaven And Earth Treasures; some carried a heart-palpitating Evil Qi mixed with a faint scent of blood, making one shudder; and some channels were deathly silent, without even the sound of wind, as if they led to the nine levels of Hell, making one's skin crawl just by looking at them.