Chapter Forty-One: Within the Ruins (Part Two)

Song Changsheng conjured a “Heavenly Light Technique” to illuminate the way and led the charge into the cave dwelling, with Zhuang Yuechan and the others following close behind.

Beyond the door sprawled a corridor much wider than the entrance, and thanks to the magical light, the walls revealed a series of simple murals. Yet Song Changsheng and his companions were baffled, unable to decipher the story the murals sought to tell.

The passage was not long; they could already glimpse the spacious chamber at its far end. But traversing it was no easy task—just as Song Changsheng had anticipated, the corridor was riddled with arrays. To trespass recklessly was to court a gruesome death.

Yet amidst the labyrinth of formations, Song Changsheng discerned something unusual. “The arrays are numerous, but none are of high rank, and each is ingeniously devised. Without a unique understanding of formations, one could rack their brains to no avail.”

He pondered briefly and grasped the cave master’s intention. His suspicions from the stone door outside were now reinforced by these findings. The cave’s owner had not designed these arrays to keep intruders out, but as a deliberate trial—seeking someone gifted in array arts to inherit his legacy.

This was not a mere conjecture, but a conclusion drawn from careful analysis of the evidence.

The realization stirred Song Changsheng’s excitement. The cave master’s mastery of formations was profound; if he could obtain that inheritance, it would be an extraordinary boon.

With utmost concentration, Song Changsheng broke each array in succession, growing swifter as he advanced. In less than half an hour, they reached the end of the passage and entered a man-made stone chamber.

“It looks like a receiving room,” Zhu Yiqun affirmed after surveying the space.

“With a stone table this large, even without your commentary, we could see that for ourselves,” Song Changsheng replied, examining the chamber for hidden mechanisms.

“Hmph, I won’t argue with you. I’m off to hunt for treasures—this is a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s cave, surely there’ll be good things!” Zhu Yiqun’s small eyes gleamed, and he strode through the main entrance.

Song Changsheng shook his head helplessly, then smiled at Zhuang Yuechan. “Let’s follow him, lest that fat rascal take all the spoils.”

——————

While the group explored the cave, the Blood Demons outside were not idle.

The Black Steward stood atop a height, watching as a host of minions, directed by several lieutenants, toiled ceaselessly. They placed special black ceramic jars around the perimeter of the formation. On closer inspection, the jars were set precisely at the points where Song Changsheng and his companions had opened the passage—weak spots in the array.

It was a simple mimicry, but for these demon cultivators, it was an arduous task. Approaching the array’s boundary caused the vital yang energy to relentlessly drain their demonic qi, inflicting great pain and torment. If not for the Black Steward’s cruelty and authority, they would have abandoned the task long ago.

When the final jar was positioned amidst cries of agony, the skeletal man hurried to the Black Steward, bowing and nodding. “My lord, the black blood jars are all in place. What do you think?”

“What are you waiting for? Break the formation quickly. If you fail the Master’s orders, I’ll make you wish for death,” the Black Steward’s icy gaze made the skeletal man tremble.

“Rest assured, my lord. This black blood is refined by a secret method from over a hundred children with spiritual roots, brewed for forty-nine days—its yin energy is overwhelming. If we had enough, we could have shattered the ‘Profound Yang Heavenly Array’ already. Now, using the weak points they opened, we’ll set the ‘Blood Demon Yin Array’—we’re sure to break through in one stroke.” Wiping cold sweat from his brow, the skeletal man hurried to explain.

“Hmph, it better be so.” The Black Steward sneered and closed his eyes to rest.

With the skeletal man’s command, the ‘Blood Demon Yin Array’ was activated…

Inside the cave, Song Changsheng and the others pressed deeper, but the stone chambers numbered in the dozens, making their progress slow.

After another fruitless search in a chamber, Song Changsheng suggested, “At this rate, we’re too slow. Let’s split up—whatever each finds, let fortune decide.”

Zhu Yiqun glanced at Xu Yunhe, troubled. “If we do that, what about Friend Xu…?”

“As long as I don’t join in any combat, my injury won’t matter.” Xu Yunhe, now reinvigorated, saw no reason to be a burden with fortune at stake.

“Then let’s do as Friend Song suggests and let chance guide us,” Zhuang Yuechan agreed.

No one objected, and each chose a direction to explore.

Song Changsheng followed his intuition and stopped before a stone chamber. He pushed open the door; inside was spacious, with only ordinary furnishings and nothing of value. This was not the first disappointment, but Song Changsheng was undeterred. After a thorough search, he moved on to the next chamber.

This one was different, circular in shape, and furnished like a study. The rosewood bookshelves around the room confirmed his suspicion.

The shelves were piled with jade slips, coated in thick dust. Song Changsheng suppressed his excitement and began searching them one by one.

Soon, he realized his joy was premature—the cave’s age was unknown, and most jade slips had lost their contents, rendered worthless. Complete sentences were rare, let alone techniques or spells.

Unwilling to give up, he searched the shelves tirelessly. Heaven favors the diligent; in the end, he found several jade slips preserved in pristine condition.

These had clearly undergone special treatment, or else they would not have lasted so long—evidence of their importance.

Trying to steady his racing heart, Song Changsheng picked up the first jade slip and pressed it to his forehead. As a faint light flickered, its contents surged into his mind.

“‘Transforming Spiritual Qi Technique’?”

He lowered the slip, a flash of astonishment in his eyes—it contained a secret art.

A secret art differs from a spell; spells have cultivation requirements and limited power, but secret arts derive their might from the user, with no upper limit.

Secret arts were rare; Song Changsheng had learned dozens of spells, but only one secret art, the “Concealment Technique,” gleaned from the Daoist scriptures.

What delighted him most, however, was the effect of this particular secret art…