booktalesy Chapter 297, Level 3!
Chapter 297, Level 3!
Soon, the battle within the Sword Tomb came to an end, and Blood Dove led his remaining troops in a sorry state.
"Senior!" Jiang Yi leaped off the stone platform with his sword in hand. The crimson flames around him had not yet completely subsided, and the sword-shaped mark on his forehead was faintly burning.
He knelt on one knee, his voice hoarse yet carrying a hint of youthful spirit:
"This junior has already received the 'Flame Emperor' sword as his master, and the complete inheritance of the 'Crimson Flame Sword Technique' has also entered his sea of consciousness!"
Chen Jinshu's gaze swept over the ancient sword in his hand. The sword was crimson like newly solidified magma, and fire patterns flowed on the hilt. Its grade had actually reached the middle level of the fourth rank.
She nodded slightly: "Stand up and speak. The inheritance is good, but don't be complacent. The retreat of the Blood Fiend Sect is only temporary. When the Blood Hand Demon himself arrives, neither of us will be able to defeat him."
Jiang Yi stood up, about to respond, when he sensed the figures of Sha Xie and others not far behind him. Each of them had torn robes, indicating that the battle with the Blood Fiend Sect had not been easy.
Sand Scorpion wore a smile on his face, but his eyes held a scrutinizing gaze. His eyes swept back and forth between Chen Jinshu and Jiang Yi several times before finally settling on the Flame Emperor Sword in Jiang Yi's hand.
"Fellow Daoist Chen...?" Sand Scorpion's tone was clearly tentative.
"So it turns out that you are not a true disciple of 'Master Chen', but she herself has come here in person. I've had quite a bit of guessing to do this."
Chen Jinshu raised his eyes to look at Sand Scorpion, and said coldly:
"Please forgive me, Alliance Leader. It was not that I intended to conceal anything, but these are turbulent times, and I have no choice but to leave some room for maneuver."
Sand Scorpion chuckled and raised his hand to touch the short, stiff stubble on his chin:
"It's alright, it's alright! In the world of cultivation, who doesn't have a few trump cards up their sleeve?"
"Fellow Daoist's cultivation at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, combined with that unparalleled mastery of the zither, I am more than impressed; how could I possibly blame you?"
As he spoke, his gaze turned to Jiang Yi again, and his smile deepened.
"This young friend is truly lucky. The Sword Tomb inheritance... countless Golden Core cultivators near Flowing Sand City have coveted it for years, but none have managed to gain even a fraction of its benefits."
Young friend, you've already gained the recognition of an ancient sword as your master upon your arrival. What an incredible stroke of luck...
Jiang Yi tightened his grip on the sword hilt slightly. He subtly took a half-step back, standing beside Chen Jinshu, his tone respectful yet wary:
"I was just lucky; it was all thanks to your protection, senior."
Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming somewhat awkward, Sand Scorpion smiled and waved his hand, changing the subject:
"So what are your plans next? The restriction on the entrance to the ruins can only last for seven more days at most. I originally planned to return after exploring the Sword Tomb, but now that I've come this far..."
Before he could finish speaking, a low, resonant humming sound suddenly came from the stone wall at the end of the Sword Tomb.
The sound wasn't loud, but it made your soul buzz, like a giant beast that had been sleeping for ten thousand years turning over.
Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of the stone wall, with a faint blue light shining through them. The light grew brighter and brighter until finally, with a loud "boom," the entire stone wall collapsed inward, revealing a stone staircase that could only accommodate one person at a time.
The stone steps descend into darkness and depth, their destination unknown.
A thick, malevolent aura surged from the depths of the passage, carrying with it a rotten, pungent smell and an indescribable sense of oppression.
"The entrance to the third level has appeared." The old man with the cold wind spoke in a hoarse voice, a glint of light flashing in his turbid eyes.
"The place where ancient cultivators pass away is the most rumored to have restrictions, and it is also the most likely place to hide great treasures."
Sand Scorpion looked at Chen Jinshu: "Fellow Daoist Chen, what do you think?"
Chen Jinshu did not rush to answer.
She walked to the entrance, stretched out her palm, and sent a wisp of her divine sense into the passage.
The moment his divine sense touched the edge of the stone steps, it was bounced back by a cold, sinister force.
She frowned slightly, withdrew her hand, and said calmly, "The malevolent energy is extremely heavy, and it carries a strong resentment. Without a special method to ward off the malevolent energy, those below the Golden Core stage would probably not last more than three incense sticks' time."
Upon hearing this, Tie Yan scratched his bald head and grinned, saying:
"What are you afraid of? We're a few Golden Core cultivators, why would we be afraid of a few wisps of malevolent energy?"
“The evil aura itself is not scary; what is scary is what is hidden within it.”
Chen Jinshu turned to the side and looked into the depths of the passage:
"I sensed with my divine sense just now that there was not only death energy inside, but also... the heartbeat of living beings."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone present changed.
The eyes above the veiled face narrowed slightly, and her voice was cold and clear:
"Living creatures? This place has been closed off for who knows how many years, where would living creatures come from?"
"If there are any living creatures, they are either the demonic beasts guarding the ancient palace, or..."
"That ancient cultivator from back then did not truly pass away."
Sand Scorpion chuckled dryly: "Fellow Daoist is joking. The lifespan of a Golden Core cultivator is no more than five hundred years, and even a Nascent Soul cultivator only lives for a thousand years."
According to records, this ancient palace has remained untouched for at least three thousand years; even a Nascent Soul cultivator would have long since turned to dust.
“That’s not necessarily true.” Chen Jinshu raised his eyes, his gaze calmly meeting that of Sand Scorpion. “What if there’s a secret method to prolong life, or… to become a ghost cultivator?”
Upon hearing this, the smile on Sand Scorpion's face froze for a moment.
Seeing his expression, Chen Jinshu said no more and turned to look at the passageway:
"In any case, now that we've come this far, there's no reason to give up halfway. If the Alliance Leader is willing to come along, I, Chen, would certainly welcome it."
However, let me make this clear beforehand: the third level is fraught with peril. If I encounter a fatal crisis, I will prioritize my own safety. I ask for the Alliance Leader's understanding.
A flicker of displeasure crossed the Sand Scorpion's eyes, but it vanished in an instant.
He laughed heartily, adopting a magnanimous attitude as well:
"Fellow Daoist, rest assured. I have roamed the Western Regions for decades. What storms haven't I weathered? Once you enter the Lost Mansion, you are responsible for your own life and death. It is all just and fair!"
Chen Jinshu nodded slightly and said no more.
She took out a white crystal the size of a thumb from her sleeve. The crystal was warm to the touch and emitted a soft light. It was a fragment of the "Soul-Suppressing Stone" that she had collected from the ancient battlefield.
She held the Soul-Suppressing Stone in her palm and whispered to Jiang Yi beside her, "Follow me and don't stray more than three steps away."
Jiang Yi nodded, gripped the Flame Emperor Sword tightly, and the sword's crimson light flashed slightly, dispelling the surrounding baleful aura.
Chen Jinshu was the first to step into the passage.
The stone steps were narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time. The stone walls on both sides were covered with a thick layer of dark green moss, which emitted a sour, rotten smell.
The stone steps spiraled downwards, and the deeper one went, the stronger the malevolent energy became. The air also became damp and sticky, as if it were covered with a layer of moisture.
Occasionally, you'll step on something soft. Looking down, you'll see it's broken bones, some human, some beast bones, all long since decayed and brittle, crumbling into powder with a single step.
After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the passage finally came to a close.
The palace covered a vast area, with a dome about ten zhang high, inlaid with countless fist-sized luminous pearls that emitted a faint white light, illuminating the entire palace as bright as day.
The ground is paved with solid black jade slabs, smooth as a mirror, reflecting people's images.
The walls were covered with intricate runes, which were dark red and looked as if they had been drawn with blood.
In the very center of the palace stands a stone statue that is five zhang tall.
The stone statue depicts a middle-aged man dressed in an ancient robe, with a clear and shrewd face, eyes looking straight ahead, and a long sword in his hand, which he leans on the ground.
The base of the stone statue is engraved with four ancient seal characters: Xuanming Daofu.
“Xuanming…” the old man in the dark wind murmured, a thoughtful look on his face.
"I have seen this name in ancient books. It seems to be a rogue cultivator from the Western Regions in ancient times. It is said that his cultivation had reached the late stage of Nascent Soul, but he disappeared inexplicably. I never expected that he would pass away here."
The scorpion's eyes gleamed even brighter:
"Late Nascent Soul stage! Then the legacy left behind by this person must be..."
He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.
Because that stone statue moved.
First, the eyes of the smallest statue slowly moved, looking at the crowd. Then, the statue's lips parted slightly, emitting a long sigh.
The sigh wasn't loud, but it seemed to resonate from the depths of the earth, causing the entire palace to tremble slightly.
"Anyone who trespasses into the Xuanming Dao Mansion will be killed without mercy."
The stone statue's voice was old and cold, devoid of any emotion.
As soon as he finished speaking, the runes on the four walls of the palace suddenly lit up, and the scarlet light dyed the entire palace blood red.
The ground shook violently, and the black jade slabs flipped open one by one, revealing a dense mass of white bones crawling out from beneath. Some were humanoid, while others were in the form of various demonic beasts. Each skeleton had eerie green flames burning in its eye sockets, and it held broken weapons, emitting a piercing sound of bones grinding together.
"The White Bone Army Formation!" The old man with the cold wind's expression changed drastically.
"This is the protective formation of the Xuanming Sect! Damn it, ancient texts record that the Xuanming Old Monster is indeed proficient in necromancy!"
The sand scorpion's forehead veins bulged as he roared in anger:
"Damn it! Wasn't it said that the ruins only had three levels? How come there are still living protective formations here!"
"The stone statues guarding the Dao Mansion are the core of the formation," Chen Jinshu said coldly, the Soul-Suppressing Stone in his palm shining brightly.
"If the statues cannot be destroyed, these skeleton legions will keep regenerating."
"Then let's fight!" Tie Yan roared, slamming his fists into the ground. A yellowish-brown light exploded, shattering the dozen or so skeletons in front of him into fragments.
But the moment the fragments hit the ground, they were absorbed by the blood-red runes on the ground and reformed into a new skeleton, even more solid than before.
"They're unkillable!" Ying Sha retreated several steps, unleashing several wind blades from her sleeves that severed the necks of several skeletons.
But the skulls that rolled to the ground were immediately drawn back by the runes and reattached to the cervical spine.
Chen Jinshu's gaze sharpened slightly. Without further hesitation, she flipped her right hand, and the Star Moon Guqin was once again placed across her knees.
With the left hand pressing down on the strings and the right hand plucking the strings with five fingers, a somber and desolate melody, "Breaking the Enemy's Formation," flowed from between the fingers.
'Ding ding dong—'
The sound of the zither was like the clash of swords and the thunder of horses, the sound waves condensing into sharp, sword-shaped phantoms that shot out in all directions.
Wherever the sword's shadow passed, white bones fell down like withered grass, their ghostly flames shattered by the soul-suppressing power within the sound waves.
This caused the Bone Legion to finally pause briefly.
But then, the statue let out a low, cold laugh.
Its longsword, which it had been using to prop itself up, slowly rose, the tip pointing in Chen Jinshu's direction.
An invisible pressure surged in like a tide, and the sound of the zither was suppressed in an instant.
Chen Jinshu paused, his face turning slightly pale.
She could feel that her sound waves collided with that oppressive force, like a stone sinking into the sea, barely even causing a ripple.
"The power of a Nascent Soul level soul..." she murmured to herself, then looked at the Soul-Suppressing Stone in her palm.
The white light inside the crystal has dimmed considerably and can only last for another fifteen minutes at most.
"Senior!" Jiang Yi stepped forward with his sword, the Flame Emperor Sword blazing fiercely. He attempted to strike the stone statue with his sword energy, but the sword energy was blocked by an invisible barrier three feet away from the statue, exploding into a sky full of sparks.
“It’s no use,” Sand Scorpion said in a deep voice. He took out a blood-red jade talisman from his pocket. The surface of the talisman was engraved with dense runes.
"This is the 'Barrier-Breaking Vajra Talisman,' which I spent thirty years finding in an ancient cultivation cave. It can tear open a Nascent Soul level restriction for a moment, but can only be maintained for three breaths."
"Three breaths are enough."
“I used the Star Moon Qin music to disturb the stone statue’s soul, and you took the opportunity to break the seal with the jade talisman. Fellow Daoist Tieyan struck the stone statue’s joints. Although this statue is strong, it seems to be an inanimate object and may not be able to withstand a direct impact.”
Sand Scorpion and Iron Rock exchanged a glance and nodded to each other.
"I will strike that blow." Jiang Yi gripped the Flame Emperor Sword tightly, his tone resolute.
“If I, a junior, do not even dare to draw this sword after receiving the Sword Tomb’s inheritance, then the inheritance will have been for nothing.”
Chen Jinshu glanced at him but did not stop him. He simply said, "If things cannot be done, retreat."
Jiang Yi nodded and took a deep breath.
The sand scorpion crushed the jade talisman.
The blood-red light exploded, transforming into a crimson cone that precisely pierced the invisible barrier three feet in front of the stone statue.
The light cone collided with the barrier, unleashing a piercing screech. The barrier trembled violently and finally cracked open with a "crack".
"Now!" Sand Scorpion roared.
Chen Jinshu placed both hands on the strings simultaneously, the blue lotus mark between his brows lit up, and the spiritual power within his body poured into the instrument like a flood bursting its banks.
"Ding-dong-"
She suddenly plucked the string, and a dazzling beam of moonlight rose from the instrument, shooting straight towards the stone statue's brow.
At the same moment, Tieyan roared and crashed into the right leg joint of the stone statue. The earthen-yellow protective aura of his body collided with the protective evil aura of the stone statue, producing a muffled, thunderous sound.
The stone statue swayed slightly, and a hair-thin crack appeared on its right leg.
Upon seeing this, Jiang Yi immediately leaped into the air, and the Flame Emperor Sword emitted a clear and melodious sword cry. The crimson flames on the sword condensed into a fire dragon phantom, which fiercely stabbed towards the crack in the chest of the stone statue.
He transformed into a streak of red light, his swordplay so fierce it seemed to tear the heavens and earth apart.
"puff--"
The sword tip pierced the crack, and a bloody pattern exploded on the statue's chest.
Jiang Yi landed on the ground, kneeling on one knee, blood spilling from his mouth.
That sword strike exhausted most of his spiritual power, but it did indeed damage the stone statue.
The stone statue let out a muffled groan, and cracks spread from its chest to its entire body. The luminous pearl shone brightly, illuminating the entire palace as if it were daytime.
The stone statue's eyes slowly turned, finally looking in Chen Jinshu's direction.
"Young man... you do have some skill." The stone statue's voice became hoarse, filled with deep weariness.
"But this is just the beginning... My legacy is not so easily obtained..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the light on the surface of the stone statue quickly dimmed.
The cracks all over its body grew larger and larger, and finally, with a loud "boom," it shattered into countless pieces of stone, which crashed to the ground.
As the stone statue shattered, the skeletons, as if stripped of their support, crumbled and disintegrated into piles of bones.
The crimson runes on the ground gradually faded, and the black jade slab returned to its original dark black color.
A dull creak of a mechanism turning came from deep within the palace.
A stone door slowly opened, revealing a secret chamber behind it.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Tieyan leaned against the wall, panting heavily. The old man with the yin wind sat on the pile of bones and wiped his sweat. Ying Sha put away her short dagger, a hint of fatigue flashing in her eyes.
Sand Scorpion stepped forward, looked at the open stone door, and smiled:
"Finally passed the first level. It seems the third level isn't so scary after all."
He was about to step into the secret room when he said that.
"Wait a minute." Chen Jinshu suddenly spoke, her voice slightly hoarse. She put away the Star Moon Guqin, slowly stood up, but her expression was not as relaxed as the others.
"Don't you think this is too easy, Alliance Leader?"
Sand Scorpion paused, turned around and looked at her:
"Fellow Daoist, why do you say that? We expended a Vajra Talisman to break through barriers, and we both sustained some injuries. How can you say it was easy?" (End of Chapter)