Chapter 204

"They might have been monitoring the observatory all along." Lin Yu answered while crawling, "The commotion we made triggering the mechanism was too big."

The duct suddenly sloped downward, and the two couldn't control themselves and slid down, finally falling into an enclosed space.

"Where is this?" Xuanyuan Qing rubbed her bruised knees and looked around.

By the faint light penetrating through the cracks, the two found themselves in a circular secret room. The walls were covered in exquisite murals, depicting a group of people in ancient costumes looking up at the stars and measuring the mountains and rivers.

"Activity records of the Shangyuan Society." Lin Yu walked closer to look, "They seem to be looking for some kind of celestial phenomenon."

Xuanyuan Qing pointed to a mural: "Lin Shu, look at this! Nine stars connected in a line, pointing to the top of the Kunlun Mountains."

Lin Yu leaned in to observe: "Nine stars in a line... this is some kind of celestial prophecy."

Below the mural was carved small text: "Nine stars in a line appear, the Heavenly Ladder portal opens. Once in a hundred years, don't miss the opportunity."

"This is the reason the Tongtian Pavilion is in such a hurry to act!" Lin Yu suddenly realized, "The nine stars in a line are about to appear, and the Heavenly Ladder entrance will appear briefly."

In the center of the secret room was an old desk, piled with yellowed scrolls and manuscripts. Lin Yu carefully flipped through them and discovered these were records from generations of Shangyuan Society leaders.

"These records describe in detail the process of their search for the Heavenly Ladder." Lin Yu said while reading, "They believed that there was a passage to the Immortal Realm in the Kunlun Mountains, but the entrance location would move with changes in celestial phenomena."

Xuanyuan Qing suddenly exclaimed: "Lin Shu, look at this portrait quickly!"

A row of portraits of past leaders hung on the wall, and the person in the last portrait had a face extremely similar to someone Lin Yu had seen at the Tongtian Pavilion stronghold.

"Isn't this... that middle-aged man from the Tongtian Pavilion?" Lin Yu's eyes widened, "How is that possible? This portrait is at least a hundred years old!"

Below the portrait was marked "The 18th generation leader of the Shangyuan Society, Heaven-Reaching Child."

"Tongtianzi... Tongtian Pavilion..." Xuanyuan Qing murmured, "Could the Tongtian Pavilion Pavilion Master be this Tongtianzi? He has lived for over a hundred years?"

Lin Yu recalled the Qin Family War God's words: "The Qin Family War God said the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion Pavilion Master has lived for a hundred years and mastered the art of delaying aging. It seems this person is the last leader of the Shangyuan Society, who later reorganized into the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion."

Xuanyuan Qing continued to explore the secret room, suddenly discovering an inconspicuous protrusion in the corner. "Lin Shu, there's a mechanism here!"

Lin Yu walked over, checked carefully, and pressed the protrusion gently. The wall moved slowly, revealing a hidden compartment. Inside the compartment lay half a jade pendant, strange in shape, with edges showing irregular fractures.

"This shape..." Lin Yu took out the jade pendant he had obtained earlier from his bosom, compared the two, and they actually fit together perfectly.

"They are a pair!" Xuanyuan Qing said in surprise.

Lin Yu carefully pieced the two jade pendants together. In an instant, the jade pendant emitted a dazzling light, illuminating the entire secret room. A beam of light shot out from the jade pendant, forming a three-dimensional map in the air.

"The Kunlun Mountain range!" Lin Yu recognized the map's outline, "Look, this flashing point should be the location of the Heavenly Ladder entrance!"

A red dot on the map flashed continuously, surrounded by complex terrain markers.

"This terrain..." Xuanyuan Qing observed carefully, "It seems to be a canyon at the northern foot of the Kunlun Mountains."

Lin Yu nodded: "According to this map, the Heavenly Ladder entrance is located in a cave deep in the canyon."

Xuanyuan Qing suddenly pointed to the edge of the map: "Lin Shu, look at these symbols, they look like some kind of warning."

The map was surrounded by nine special symbols, each with strange text annotations beside it.

"Ninefold Heavenly Pass..." Lin Yu recalled the records he had seen earlier, "These symbols represent the nine passes guarding the Heavenly Ladder, requiring nine tokens to pass."

Xuanyuan Qing picked up the pieced-together jade pendant: "This jade pendant should be one of the nine tokens."

Lin Yu thought for a moment: "The Tongtian Pavilion has been searching for the Shennong Secret Treasury; now it seems the Shennong Secret Treasury is likely these nine tokens."

The secret room suddenly shook, and a dull crashing sound came from afar.

"The Tongtian Pavilion people have found us!" Xuanyuan Qing grabbed Lin Yu's arm nervously.

Lin Yu quickly scanned the surroundings for an exit. There was an iron ladder in the corner of the secret room leading upward.

"Go, go up from here!" Lin Yu pulled Xuanyuan Qing and climbed the iron ladder quickly.

The iron ladder led to a narrow tunnel; the two crawled forward, finally arriving at a small cave entrance. Pushing aside the weeds covering the cave entrance, the two discovered they had returned to the surface, located in the woods behind the observatory.

"Finally out." Xuanyuan Qing breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Yu observed the surroundings vigilantly: "The Tongtian Pavilion people must still be searching, we must leave quickly."

The two traveled quickly down the mountain along the mountain road, avoiding potential pursuers.

"Lin Shu, where are we going next?" Xuanyuan Qing asked.

"Return to Huacheng, gather Xu Jianhua and Xiao Chengzhou, then head to the Kunlun Mountains." Lin Yu's tone was firm, "The nine stars in a line are about to appear, we must find the Heavenly Ladder entrance before the Tongtian Pavilion."

Xuanyuan Qing looked at Lin Yu worriedly: "But we only have one token, how can we pass the Ninefold Heavenly Pass?"

Lin Yu touched the jade pendant in his bosom: "The jade pendant the Qin family elder gave me is also one of the tokens; plus the one we just pieced together, we already have two. As for the rest... we can only take it one step at a time."

At a turn in the mountain road, Lin Yu suddenly stopped and pulled Xuanyuan Qing into the bushes by the road. Not far away, several men in black were searching along the road, their weapons flashing with cold light in the sun.

"The Tongtian Pavilion people have blocked the road down the mountain." Lin Yu frowned.

Xuanyuan Qing took the silver bell from her waist: "Should I use the Soul-Absorbing Bell?"

Lin Yu shook his head: "There are too many people, the Soul-Absorbing Bell's effect is limited. We must find another path."

The two bypassed the depths of the mountain forest, avoiding the patrolling men in black. Lin Yu suddenly felt the jade pendant in his bosom heating up slightly, and the True Qi in his body surged uncontrollably.

"Here it comes again..." Lin Yu groaned, cold sweat seeping from his forehead.

Xuanyuan Qing looked at him worriedly: "Lin Shu, what's wrong with you?"

"The jade pendant is resonating with the True Qi in my body, but this force is too strong, my meridians can't bear it." Lin Yu gritted his teeth and endured the pain.

Xuanyuan Qing thought for a moment: "Could it be because you have Yan Nanshan's martial arts memory in your body? The jade pendant might be stimulating some kind of potential."

Lin Yu endured the pain and continued forward: "Regardless, we must leave here first. We'll study the secret of the jade pendant after returning to Huacheng."

The two crossed the dense forest and finally found a remote path. In the distance, the Tongtian Pavilion's search team was still shuttling through the mountains, but they could no longer stop them from leaving.

"Lin Shu, what do you think the Tongtian Pavilion Pavilion Master wants to do?" Xuanyuan Qing asked, "Just for immortality?"

Lin Yu shook his head: "I'm afraid it's more than that. If Tianyuan is fully opened and otherworldly creatures invade, the consequences would be unthinkable. The Tongtian Pavilion Pavilion Master's ambition is likely far beyond our imagination."

As the sun set, the two embarked on the return journey, their hearts filled with both the excitement of discovering the truth and the worry of facing even greater challenges.