Chapter 100

The group each took their seats and set up a formation to ward off any nosy intruders, then began to speak in earnest.

The first to speak was the organizer, Daoist Yuheng. "The place we're going this time is an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling that I happened upon several years ago. It lies in a mountain a few hundred li from here, densely covered with trees and infested with serpents and insects, which is why a natural miasma surrounds the cave."

"An extremely sophisticated formation has been set up outside the cave, and it is guarded by two spirit beasts—both sixth-rank lion-tigers."

"Last time, when I went into that forest to gather herbs, I stumbled upon the cave by chance. But the poison in the woods was so vicious that I only managed to make a hasty survey of the outer perimeter before I was forced to retreat and treat the toxins. As such, I know nothing of what lies inside."

"However, I did ask Mr. Tan to go back and search through some ancient texts, and he managed to find a few relevant records about this cave dwelling to serve as reference. Now, let me turn the floor over to Mr. Tan."

"*Ahem*—" Mr. Tan, much like Han Yangzi of the Heavenly Secrets Hall, was exceedingly fond of his long beard. Though he did not groom it daily as Han Yangzi did, he was forever stroking it gently or coiling it idly around his fingers. He cleared his throat, elegantly smoothed his three wisps of beard, and began: "After Brother Yuheng told me about this cave dwelling, I had a vague impression lingering in my mind. The matter weighed on me so heavily that I could not sleep a single night in peace—until one day, it suddenly struck me that I had once seen it in a certain ancient tome called—"

"Get to the point!" Daoist Junjian, who was rather blunt by nature and sensed that Mr. Tan was about to ramble on endlessly, cut him off at once.

"Ah, well—in any case, I found the records concerning this cave dwelling. As it turns out, this was the residence used by the Realm Lord of our Luoxing Realm before he ascended. After his ascension, he built new halls elsewhere, and this place was sealed shut. Still, there are books he used to read often before his departure, magical instruments, materials, and the like left inside."

"As for the two lion-tigers outside the cave, they may well have taken up guard on their own. You see, at the cave entrance grows a ten-thousand-year Pengzu Fruit tree. It may well be that they stay for the sake of that tree."

"Now, that fruit tree just happens to be ripening around this time. So if we go now, we can kill two birds with one stone."

"Realm Lord? Did our Luoxing Realm even have a Realm Lord?" Daoist Tuhe asked, feeling as though this somewhat overturned the understanding he had held for many years.

"Of course it did—and not just our Luoxing Realm; the other four realms each had one as well. It's only that thirty thousand years ago, the Realm Lords fell into dispute over some unknown matter. Some died, some were wounded, and the realms were left leaderless. The sects turned upon one another, and a great calamity erupted from that chaos, until our respective founding patriarchs joined forces to establish a new world."

"That stretch of history was sealed away from that point on, and many people no longer know of it. Though I've heard that since that time, not a single person has managed to ascend."

Mr. Tan suddenly lowered his voice and spoke with a mysterious air.

"Let's divide up the work, then." Daoist Junjian, seeing his gossipy expression, quickly interrupted.

"I've already prepared the pills to suppress the miasma in the forest. Once we enter, any other dangers will be handled primarily by Daoist Junjian and Daoist Tuhe. As for the two lion-tigers before the cave, the four of us will split into pairs, one beast each, while Junior Sister Huai Zhen is responsible for unraveling the formation."

"When we enter the cave, let caution be our watchword. Junior Sister Huai Zhen and I will take the lead. The Pengzu Fruit tree bears three fruits, there are also the two lion-tigers, and whatever else lies within the cave—the five of us shall share everything equally. How does that sound?"

As the organizer, Daoist Yuheng naturally took charge of the division of labor, and none present raised any objection. They prepared to set out.

Inside, Hansu felt quite hesitant. This cave dwelling, it seemed, was exactly the one used by Immortal Lord Rongling before his ascension. She could not shake the feeling that she was aiding in a crime—helping others ransack his home. Though... he had abandoned this place, still...

But the others had invited her along out of kindness. Such ancient cultivator cave dwellings were not uncommon in the world, and cultivators who came upon them rarely let them go—where was the notion of "ransacking" in that?

Hansu recited inwardly who knows how many times, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do, when in Rome, do as the Romans do..." Yet she still wavered on whether to report this to Immortal Lord Rongling. But if she truly did such a thing, would that not make her a traitor?

Caught between a rock and a hard place, she remained torn—until she walked into that forest and began fighting the ubiquitous demonic insects. Only then did she come to terms with it and throw caution to the wind. "Perhaps he has already taken everything he loved with him. And maybe the Immortal Lord would be willing to reward his juniors..."

Fortunately, she possessed a fire spiritual root and had also brought Snow Spirit out with her, which proved highly effective against the demonic insects. Moreover, while her practical combat experience and worldly knowledge could not match these Nascent Soul Daoist Masters who had weathered centuries, the techniques she had previously mastered for purifying and compressing spiritual energy were very effective, and the amount of spiritual energy within her was still considerable. Thus, for a time, she showed no sign of defeat, leaving the Daoist Masters quietly astonished.

Daoist Yuheng, in particular, felt his earlier conviction grow even firmer.

And so they advanced, burning their way through, until at long last they reached the cave entrance, where the two lion-tigers swiftly blocked their path.

Daoist Yuheng paired with Daoist Junjian, while Daoist Tuhe paired with Mr. Tan—each pair taking on one beast. Hansu, meanwhile, was tasked with waiting for the precise moment the Pengzu Fruit ripened to pluck it, after which she would unravel the formation set before the cave gate.

A sixth-rank spirit beast was the equivalent of a Spirit Severing stage cultivator. Though every move they made emitted a formidable pressure, in the end their minds were far simpler than those of human cultivators. All four sustained some injuries, but gradually they gained the upper hand. It was at this moment that the Pengzu Fruit was about to ripen.

The little golden fruits grew ever fuller and rounder, exuding a sweet and tantalizing aroma. Seeing this, the two lion-tigers, heedless of their wounds, charged madly toward Hansu.

Hansu had long anticipated that the spirit beasts would go wild the moment the fruit they guarded ripened, but she had not expected them to go *this* wild...

She hastily turned to defend herself, even as the four Daoist Masters rushed forward to entangle the two beasts. It was only under this barrage of storm-like attacks that they finally managed to pluck all three spirit fruits and place them into jade boxes.

Once both beasts had been slain, Daoist Tuhe cheerfully set about dismembering them on the spot—clearly no stranger to the task.

Hansu, meanwhile, had the important work ahead of her: unraveling the formation.

How strange. Every formation Immortal Lord Rongling had set up outside this cave dwelling—he had taught her all of them. It was almost as though he had known she would come.

She finished it in the space of three moves, earning a fair measure of admiration from the others.

Unlike the invisible gates commonly used in this day and age, this cave dwelling from tens of thousands of years ago had a heavy bronze door, carved with intricate patterns.

They gently pushed the door open and stepped inside. After a narrow, dim passage, the view suddenly opened up—they had arrived at a spacious courtyard!

The group was left utterly dumbfounded. Never had they seen such a beautiful courtyard. That within a cave dwelling clinging to a mountainside, one could behold such a broad and bright scene was beyond belief!

This was the hollow of a mountain, with a skylight open at the top. Plants grew lush and lovely within, and sunlight poured down from above—it was like a fairyland.

Nor was it purely natural scenery; everywhere bore traces of deliberate human carving, clearly the result of careful design. Mr. Tan wandered about in every direction, feeling that even two eyes were not enough, and quite forgetting any desire to go deeper. He immediately pulled out paper and brush, insisting on splashing ink in a fit of artistic frenzy!

"Aiyaya, with scenery this exquisite, no wonder it belonged to a Realm Lord! How could the vulgar sorts of today ever craft such a thing? A garden is three parts nature and seven parts owner—if the owner lacks aesthetic sense, then the garden may as well forget about elegance!"

He was bursting with excitement and wished to discuss it with someone, but unfortunately all the others were philistines, either searching for spiritual herbs and medicines or worrying about hidden dangers. Only Hansu stood there, silent.

She remembered this place. The first time she had entered the Immortal Palace, she had seen paintings in the study there. Most were done in just a few sparse strokes, depicting small scenes—a scattering of winter plum blossoms, or a few stalks of green bamboo. Now she realized, these were paintings of this very place.

He must have missed it dearly, to commit it to paper and brush with such recollection after leaving.

Inexplicably, she had no desire to go further in. She did not want these people to disturb the tranquility of this place.

"We sh—"

"Let us go." She had summoned her courage and was about to speak, only to have Daoist Yuheng steal the words from her mouth.

The others paused in what they were doing and looked at him.

"Even after tens of thousands of years, this place remains so exquisite and refined—clearly, its owner cherished it deeply. Although Junior Sister Huai Zhen's mastery of formations allowed us through this gate, who knows whether some prohibitions lie within? Since the owner is one who has already ascended, and a Realm Lord at that, his methods are certainly formidable. Best not to risk it. Consider it a gesture of respect to its master."

"We're already inside... and if the garden is this fine, there must be even better things deeper in..." Daoist Tuhe muttered, reluctant to leave.

"I agree with Brother Yuheng." Mr. Tan was the first to stand on his side.

Hansu could not suppress the joy spreading across her face, and nodded vigorously.

Daoist Junjian said, "Fine."

Only Daoist Tuhe alone had his complaints, but since everyone else had spoken, he had no choice but to trail after them slowly. Inwardly, however, he resolved to bring his own people back another time.

When they retreated to the entrance, Daoist Yuheng asked Hansu to seal the cave dwelling again, and she added several concealment formations of her own.

"Three Pengzu Fruits, each extending one's lifespan by five hundred years, plus two sixth-rank lion-tigers. Divide those among yourselves as you see fit. I'll take no share."

So said Daoist Yuheng, and none raised any objection. Hansu likewise declined her share. Daoist Tuhe, however, had some private thoughts on the matter—and being as outspoken as he was, he voiced them on the spot.

"Say now, you two fellow disciples want nothing, and you hustled us out of there—you wouldn't be planning to keep that cave dwelling all to yourselves, would you?"

At his words, Mr. Tan raised his head, his hand drifting habitually to his long beard. "Speaking of which... that Realm Lord was said to be of dual ice and fire spiritual roots as well..."

With that added remark, even Daoist Junjian raised his head. At this rate, if they said they had no hidden motives...

"I am willing to swear a Heart-Devil Oath," Daoist Yuheng said, glancing at them calmly.

"As am I," Hansu hastened to add.

"Oh? And just how do you intend to make off with *my* cave dwelling?"

A clear, bright voice sounded from afar, and in an instant, the color drained from every face present.

Author's Note: Today's update was a bit late—why, you ask? Well... it's like this: I was working overtime until six o'clock when I remembered I hadn't updated yet, so I started typing away. Halfway through, I happened to glance up and saw outside... utterly...!!!

The sky right after the rain was a blue that would move men to silence and women to tears, and paired with the afterglow of the setting sun, it was heartbreakingly beautiful.

After a moment's hesitation, I resolutely walked out the door to embrace nature... So... sorry, sorry!!! 166 Reading