Volume 1 Chapter 8: The Mysterious Room

Xiao Ye chuckled to himself; he couldn't believe that Qin Feng had actually refused! It was utter stupidity! However, this played right into his hands.

Xiao Ye replied, "That is correct! According to sect regulations, outer sect disciples are required to go out on missions every month unless there are exceptional circumstances. Previously, Qin Feng’s cultivation had been crippled, which is why he was exempted. Now that his cultivation has recovered, it is time for him to go out and contribute to the sect."

Chen Sheng said coldly, "Then let him go to Fengmen Village to investigate the traces of demonic cultivators."

"Understood!" Xiao Ye nodded.

Yuhua Peak.

Qin Feng was focused on his cultivation within his cave dwelling. Suddenly, he felt the Primordial Sword Seed in his dantian burning like a blazing sun, piercing through the darkness and emitting a brilliant radiance.

"Huh?" Qin Feng snapped his eyes open.

He saw that the previously dim Primordial Sword Seed in his dantian was now radiating a profound rhythm. It grew increasingly powerful and bright, consuming the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Realizing something, Qin Feng interrupted his cultivation, intending to head to the Yuhua Peak training chamber.

Meanwhile, in the Enforcement Hall, Xiao Ye was struck by a sudden realization upon hearing Chen Sheng’s words.

"Great Elder, I understand. I will carry out your instructions immediately. The reason Qin Feng did not perform sect missions before was out of the sect’s pity. Now that his mourning period is over, everything should return to its proper course."

"Go. Remember, I do not want too many people to know about this."

"Yes." Xiao Ye nodded respectfully, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes. *Qin Feng, with the Great Elder acting personally, let’s see how you escape this time!*

Having settled all his affairs, Qin Feng returned to Yuhua Peak. He first went to visit his master and recounted everything that had happened over the past two days.

"Master, please rest assured. From this day forward, I will never be soft-hearted again. It is only a pity that my cultivation is still insufficient, and I cannot investigate why you were injured back then. However, Master, with my current aptitude, I believe that one day, I will surely find out who harmed you!"

After speaking, Qin Feng offered incense to Yue Qingxian before returning to his training chamber. He activated the cultivation barrier and summoned the Buddha Sword Pagoda. Gazing at the small, antique, and imposing pagoda before him, Qin Feng moved his thoughts and entered its interior once more.

Even though he had been here once before, the sheer scale of the vast space still left him in awe. He wondered what kind of supreme master could have forged such a magnificent pagoda.

"Boom—"

Just as this thought crossed Qin Feng’s mind, a wave of invisible energy surged. His body trembled.

"What are you thinking about?" A cold, detached voice rang out.

Qin Feng followed the direction of the voice and saw the Empress of Nine Nether looking toward him.

"Nothing much," Qin Feng turned his head away. "I was just thinking that since this Buddha Sword Pagoda is so large, its function shouldn't just be limited to imprisonment."

His current strength was still too low. Even with the God-Demon Sword Bone, a genius who had not yet grown was still an ant. His master’s accidental death had made him unwilling to continue trusting the Eternal Heaven Sect. To improve his strength, he had to find a new path.

"You are quite clever." A hint of appreciation appeared in the Empress of Nine Nether’s beautiful eyes. "The Buddha Sword Pagoda indeed serves more than just imprisoning us. Its greatest function is suppression. However, for you right now, it is far too early to utilize that function. The pagoda has only just begun to recognize you as its master; you are still a long way from truly mastering it."

"Still, I think I know what you’re planning. Go to the right; there are several doors there. See if you can open them."

Qin Feng had only been testing his luck, and he hadn't expected her to actually know. He immediately cupped his hands in a salute. "Thank you, Senior."

Arriving at the right side of the structure, Qin Feng saw several thick, heavy doors. They were ancient and imposing, with faint flickers of light upon them—the lingering traces of arrays. It was no wonder the Empress of Nine Nether had said that even if he knew the doors were here, he might not be able to enter.

Qin Feng observed the doors one by one. He couldn't tell which would be easier to breach. Based on the basic array knowledge he had learned, he could tell these were seal arrays and did not possess significant offensive power. That made sense; the predecessor who set them up likely intended to test those who came after, not to kill them.

After careful observation, Qin Feng finally discovered some clues within the array. He tentatively reached out his hand toward one of the doors, his palm condensed with Buddha Sword Qi.

The moment the sword energy touched the array, it was like pouring boiling water into a pan of oil. An invisible pressure spread instantly. Qin Feng was caught off guard and sent flying by the force, crashing to the ground.

Fortunately, his body had already been tempered, and its resilience was far greater than before; otherwise, that strike would have certainly caused internal injuries. Qin Feng rose to his feet, his eyes locked on the shifting array. A profound, mysterious aura began to permeate from it. He could feel that the array carried a trace of the "Buddha" aura. *Could it be that the senior who set up this array also practiced the Buddha Sword Scripture?*

Qin Feng was filled with doubt. Just then, as the array faded, the heavy stone door slowly creaked open. Qin Feng looked inside cautiously. There was no attack.

Entering the room, Qin Feng discovered that it was completely empty. *How could that be?* He didn't believe that a room protected by such an array would be devoid of anything. He held his sword and searched every corner, but still found nothing.

Just as Qin Feng was about to give up and explore later, his gaze caught on a section of the stone wall. Its texture seemed slightly different from the rest. He wasn't sure, so he stepped closer to observe, and realized he hadn't been mistaken.

"This wall... this material..."

Qin Feng reached out to touch it. The texture felt no different from ordinary stone, except that it felt smoother and more delicate.

"Hiss!"

Just as he was pondering what information might be hidden in the wall, a sudden, blade-like sensation sliced into his fingertip. He quickly pulled his hand back, discovering a deep cut on his finger.

For a cultivator, such a minor injury was usually nothing. Qin Feng instinctively channeled his spiritual energy to heal the wound. However, as soon as his energy reached his fingertip, he realized something was wrong: his internal spiritual energy had no effect on the wound. In fact, a mysterious force at the site of the cut was actively resisting his energy.

This force carried a faint aura of Geng Metal, along with a destructive quality. Because of this power, Qin Feng began to lose feeling in his finger. He felt a moment of panic, but he quickly suppressed it. A thought occurred to him: if his spiritual energy couldn't contend with this destructive force, what about the Buddha Sword Qi?

He acted on the idea immediately. A stream of Buddha Sword Qi was released. When it tangled with the mysterious force, the latter resisted for only a moment before being completely ground away. Qin Feng channeled his spiritual energy again, and this time, there were no hitches.

As the wound healed, Qin Feng looked at the wall again. This time, he was certain that the opportunity within this room lay right here. With his recent experience, he didn't reach out again. Instead, he slashed a beam of Buddha Sword Qi directly at the wall. The energy struck the surface and quickly vanished.

At the same time, Qin Feng instinctively sensed a wave of danger.