47: Ancient temple!

Chapter 47: The Ancient Hall!

The lair of the Frost Wolf King was located in a natural rock cave deep within the valley.

The entrance was covered by thick ice, the cold biting, requiring ordinary Cultivators to circulate their magic power to resist it when approaching.

Lu Qiu and Han Li stepped into the cave. The light suddenly dimmed, but immediately, a strange fruity fragrance mixed with rich Spiritual Qi rushed towards them, invigorating their spirits.

The interior of the rock cave was quite spacious. Countless crystalline ice crystals condensed on the walls, reflecting the faint natural light, creating a scene of deep blue haze.

And in the center of the cave, on a small, relatively dry open space, a cluster of strange plants was growing.

The plants were not tall, with pale golden branches and leaves, their veins clear like white jade carvings. Hanging among the branches and leaves were seven or eight fist-sized fruits, entirely crystal white like jade. The surface of the fruits naturally formed pale golden cloud patterns, emitting a soft halo and a refreshing fragrance.

These were the heavenly spirit fruit!

Judging by their appearance and the Spiritual Qi they emitted, their age was at least three hundred years, and a few might even be close to five hundred years!

What made the light in Han Li's eyes flicker even more was that next to this cluster of mature heavenly spirit fruit plants, there were several significantly smaller, younger seedlings with tender branches and leaves, full of vitality.

"Senior Brother Lu, according to our previous agreement, you take the lion's share, please go ahead." Han Li's gaze swept over the precious seedlings. He was secretly delighted, but kept a straight face, making a gesture for Lu Qiu to proceed.

Lu Qiu knew this well and didn't expose him.

Old Devil Han's target was indeed the seedlings. However, for him, while the green liquid that could ripen Spirit Medicine was miraculous, he didn't have the little green bottle. Taking these seedlings back to cultivate would take too long, making the mature fruit far more practical.

Thus, he was not polite. He stepped forward and carefully picked the seven or eight mature heavenly spirit fruit one by one, sealing them in special jade boxes. Each of these heavenly spirit fruit was worth several hundred Spirit Stones; seven or eight combined were worth thousands of Spirit Stones, an astonishing fortune.

Han Li quickly stepped up and carefully dug up the heavenly spirit fruit seedlings along with a large chunk of the surrounding spiritual soil, putting them away with great care.

Both got what they needed and were satisfied.

As for the corpses of the two Frost Wolf Kings, they were simply divided, each taking one. The wolf hides, wolf bones, and demon cores were all excellent Artifact Refining and Alchemy Materials, worth a considerable sum.

"Junior Brother Han, it was a pleasant collaboration." Lu Qiu was in a good mood and held out his hand.

Han Li was momentarily stunned, looking at Lu Qiu's outstretched hand, seemingly unfamiliar with this handshake etiquette, but quickly reacted. He also extended his hand and shook Lu Qiu's, a rare sincere smile appearing on his face: "Senior Brother Lu's strength is formidable; this Junior Brother is impressed. This collaboration was indeed pleasant."

"Next time something this good happens, remember to call me." Lu Qiu withdrew his hand, laughed heartily, and did not linger. He turned and walked out of the cave, his figure quickly disappearing into the cold mist.

Han Li watched Lu Qiu's retreating figure, then looked down at the Storage Pouch containing the seedlings. The corner of his mouth slightly lifted, and he quickly left the icy valley as well... After leaving the valley where he parted ways with Han Li, Lu Qiu did not travel far.

He found a secluded spot, set up a Formation again, and then took out the gray bead he had obtained from the Yanyue Sect Disciple from his inner clothing.

With a thought, he transferred the seven or eight heavenly spirit fruit he had just obtained, along with the thousand-year ice heart lotus, the seven-hundred-year purple monkey flower, and all other precious Spirit Medicine over a hundred years old, into this spatial bead, which could block Divine Sense.

After doing all this, he truly breathed a sigh of relief.

With this treasure, the Sect's inspection checkpoint after the Forbidden Ground ended would be nothing more than a formality.

Subsequently, he took out the Beast Skin Ancient Map and spread it out before him.

The map was crudely drawn, but a mark in the core area was exceptionally clear—a pattern resembling a palace.

"About a dozen miles away." Lu Qiu carefully identified the map against the surrounding terrain and quickly determined the route.

Without hesitation, he put away the Ancient Map and headed toward the location marked on it.

An hour later.

Lu Qiu passed through a dense and quiet forest, and the trees ahead suddenly became sparse.

On a relatively open flat ground, an ancient and dilapidated hall stood prominently.

The hall had endured countless years; its walls were mottled, covered in moss and vines. Tiles were scattered everywhere, and the main door had long since decayed and collapsed, leaving only a pitch-black opening.

An aura of antiquity and desolation permeated from the old palace.

"This is the place." Lu Qiu's eyes narrowed slightly, and he heightened his vigilance.

He slowly walked into the ancient hall.

The space inside the hall was small, filled with broken beams, pillars, and fragments of collapsed statues. Thick dust covered the ground, indicating no human presence for a very long time.

Lu Qiu fully deployed his Divine Sense, sweeping every corner of the hall inch by inch, not sparing the walls, the floor, the dome, or even the fragments of the broken statues.

After searching for a long half-day, and sweeping his Divine Sense back and forth several times, he found nothing.

There were no hidden Restriction fluctuations, no signs of secret compartments, and no traces of any Spirit Objects remaining.

Was this just an ordinary, completely abandoned ancient hall?

Lu Qiu frowned slightly, a hint of doubt rising in his heart.

Could the "Ancient Incomplete Map" and "Great Secret" that the Yanyue Sect Disciple mentioned so solemnly in his dying breath merely point to this empty, broken hall?

"Wait, the intelligence Opportunity."

Lu Qiu's eyes lit up.

If there was an Opportunity here.

Then he might as well wait here until tomorrow, when the Opportunity intelligence is refreshed, perhaps yielding a clue.

With this thought, Lu Qiu immediately settled down in the ancient hall.

He set up a defensive Formation outside.

He also released the humanoid puppet to guard the exterior.

Only then did he feel at ease to regulate his breathing and meditate.

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning.

Lu Qiu immediately looked at the newly compiled intelligence for the day.

white information: A hundred-year Black Serpent Fruit grows by the Black Water River seven miles away.

silver information: A five-hundred-year Blood Soul Flower grows on Bloodstone Ridge five miles away.

gold intelligence: Hidden beneath the ancient hall is a profound mystery, concealing the Legacy left by the Secret Realm's master.

Lu Qiu's eyes brightened.

It was indeed refreshed.

Subterranean Legacy?

His gaze fell upon the ground beneath his feet. The floor of the ancient hall was paved with grayish-white stone slabs that looked unremarkable.

Suddenly, his heart stirred, and he concentrated his Divine Sense again, probing the ground.

This time, he keenly sensed a slight abnormality—when his Divine Sense touched the stone slabs on the ground, it seemed to encounter an extremely weak, almost natural barrier, being repelled slightly.

This obstruction was very subtle; if his Divine Sense hadn't far surpassed his peers, and if he hadn't deliberately probed carefully, it would have been impossible to detect.

"This ground... can block Divine Sense perception?" A sharp gleam flashed in Lu Qiu's eyes.

He tried summoning his qingming sword and, controlling its force, lightly slashed at one of the stone slabs on the floor.

Clang!

Sparks flew.

Only a shallow white mark was left on the stone slab's surface. Its hardness far exceeded expectations. Even with the sharpness of the qingming sword, it couldn't break through!

"There is indeed something strange." Lu Qiu was delighted rather than surprised.

He began to search meticulously inside the hall, no longer relying on Divine Sense, but observing every stone slab and every seam in the walls with his naked eye.

Hard work pays off.

After half an hour, in an extremely inconspicuous corner in the northwest of the main hall, he discovered a very tiny protrusion on the edge of a stone slab.

This protrusion was only the size of a grain of rice, its color blending perfectly with the stone slab, and it was covered in dust that was almost invisible. Had he not crouched down to examine it inch by inch, he would never have found it.

Lu Qiu took a deep breath, extended his index finger, and gently pressed the tiny bump.

Click.

A barely audible sound of machinery turning echoed.

Immediately after—

Rumble... The largest and smoothest stone slab floor in the center of the ancient hall suddenly began to vibrate slowly, sliding open to both sides, revealing a dark, downward-extending passage entrance!

An even older and purer Spiritual Qi, mixed with the scent of long-sealed dust, surged out from the passage.

Lu Qiu couldn't help but praise, "What a clever arrangement! To use mechanical methods almost like a Mortal, combined with this stone material that blocks Divine Sense... No wonder no one has discovered the secret of this place for countless years."

He did not enter rashly. Instead, he first retreated outside the hall, found a hidden corner near the entrance, set up the Mist Obscuring Eyes Formation and the Lesser Golden Light Formation, and released the humanoid puppet for vigilance.

Then, he returned to the hall, standing before the deep, dark passage entrance.

"Subterranean Legacy..." Lu Qiu recalled the gold intelligence he had received today, his heart filled with anticipation.

He hesitated no longer, leaping into the seemingly bottomless passage.

His figure was swallowed by the darkness, with only the faint sound of his robes cutting through the air echoing in the profound passage.