Chapter 205

"Lin Yu, this way!"

A voice, familiar beyond familiarity, came from deep within the bushes.

Lin Yu shook all over, his footsteps nailed to the spot. This voice—yes, that's right, this low, hoarse voice had echoed in his dreams countless times.

"Don't just stand there, bring that girl over quickly! The Tongtian Pavilion people will be here soon!"

The bushes were pushed aside, and a tall figure walked out slowly. His green robe was slightly open, his long beard fluttering, his face covered in the ravages of age, yet it couldn't hide those eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

"Yan... Yan Nanshan?" Xuanyuan Qing's jaw nearly dropped.

Lin Yu stared fixedly at the person before him, his heart churning. Wasn't his master dead three years ago?

"Enough nonsense, saving our lives is the priority." Yan Nanshan didn't wait for the two to react, pushing aside the grass to reveal a hidden path, "Follow me."

The three traveled rapidly along the rugged path, the shouts of pursuers behind them fading into the distance. Yan Nanshan was surprisingly familiar with the mountain roads, leading the two through twists and turns, soon shaking off the Tongtian Pavilion's tracking.

"Master, you..." Lin Yu was full of questions, but when the words reached his lips, he didn't know where to start.

Yan Nanshan found a flat boulder and sat down, letting out a long breath: "I didn't die."

Four simple words, yet like a thunderclap on flat ground, making Lin Yu dizzy.

"The Shennongjia plane crash back then, I really almost went to the afterlife. The Tongtian Pavilion people dragged me out of the wreckage and imprisoned me for over two years." Yan Nanshan's tone was flat, as if discussing someone else's affairs, "They needed something in my body, extracting my blood for experiments every day."

Xuanyuan Qing gasped: "Too cruel!"

"Half a year ago, I found an opportunity to escape." Yan Nanshan rubbed the scars on his wrists, "Since then, I've been secretly investigating the Tongtian Pavilion's conspiracy."

"So you've been alive all along..." Lin Yu murmured, his emotions beyond description.

"Don't be in a hurry to be moved." Yan Nanshan tapped Lin Yu on the shoulder, "We must leave this area quickly. The Tongtian Pavilion Pavilion Master will soon send more people to search the mountain."

The three continued forward, Yan Nanshan explaining as he walked: "The Heaven-Reaching Pavilion Pavilion Master is named Qin Tianluo, a descendant of the last leader of the Shangyuan Society, and also a traitor to the Qin family."

"A traitor to the Qin family?" Lin Yu was astonished.

"Three hundred years ago, the Qin family and the Shangyuan Society were originally two major organizations guarding the Heavenly Ladder." Yan Nanshan whispered, "Qin Tianluo was obsessed with the power behind the Heavenly Ladder and privately studied forbidden arts. He discovered that the Heavenly Ladder not only leads to the Immortal Realm but also connects to an otherworldly space full of evil spirits."

Xuanyuan Qing swallowed nervously: "So he betrayed them?"

"That's right. Qin Tianluo betrayed the Qin family, slaughtered his clansmen, and attempted to monopolize the Heavenly Ladder. The surviving Qin family members fought to the death to seal the Heavenly Ladder and scattered the nine keys to open it—the Shennong Secret Treasury."

Lin Yu touched the jade pendant in his bosom: "So this is the reason the Tongtian Pavilion is hunting us?"

"The Tongtian Pavilion has already collected seven keys, lacking only the two in your hands and the final one." Yan Nanshan stopped, vigilantly scanning the surroundings, "Qin Tianluo's true purpose is not just to open the Heavenly Ladder to seek immortality, but to release a certain terrifying existence sealed in the otherworldly space."

The three passed through a dense forest and arrived in front of a hidden cave on the mountainside. Yan Nanshan pushed aside the vines covering the cave entrance, signaling the two to enter.

The cave was a world of its own—simple living utensils, desks and chairs piled with data, maps and photos plastered on the walls, and all sorts of strange instruments.

"This is my temporary stronghold." Yan Nanshan lit a kerosene lamp, the dim light illuminating the small space.

Lin Yu walked toward the map on the wall, discovering it was a detailed topographic map of the Kunlun Mountain range, marked with numerous red dots and routes.

"These are the locations I've recorded tracking the Tongtian Pavilion's activities." Yan Nanshan pointed to the largest red dot, "This is the possible location of the Heavenly Ladder entrance; in three days, the nine stars will align, and the Heavenly Ladder will appear briefly."

Xuanyuan Qing flipped through the data on the table: "So, we only have three days to stop the Tongtian Pavilion?"

Lin Yu suddenly felt the jade pendant in his bosom heating up violently, and the True Qi in his body surged uncontrollably again. He groaned and knelt on one knee.

"Again?" Xuanyuan Qing hurriedly supported Lin Yu.

Yan Nanshan's brow locked, and without a word, he opened Lin Yu's shirt, revealing a strange birthmark on his left chest.

"Sure enough..." Yan Nanshan said in a low voice, "The Chosen One."

Lin Yu gritted his teeth and endured the pain: "Master, what exactly is going on?"

Yan Nanshan didn't answer, pressing his hands on Lin Yu's chest, his palms suddenly glowing with an eerie blue light. Lin Yu felt the True Qi in his body instantly calm down, and the pain dissipated.

"Master, you..." Lin Yu looked up in surprise, only to see Yan Nanshan's eyes become as clear as jade, stars seemingly flowing in his pupils.

"Heavenly Eye state." Yan Nanshan's voice became ethereal, "During my imprisonment by the Tongtian Pavilion, they injected me with energy from the otherworldly space. This is a side effect; I can see energy flows that ordinary people cannot."

A moment later, Yan Nanshan's eyes returned to normal, and he let out a long breath, exhausted.

"Lin Yu, you have something in your body that the Tongtian Pavilion has been searching for—the resonance mark of the ninth key."

"What do you mean?"

"The ninth key was hidden by the Qin family ancestors in their own bloodline, passed down from generation to generation. And you, are very likely a descendant of the Qin family bloodline."

Lin Yu was struck by lightning, his thoughts in chaos. He had grown up in an orphanage since he was a child and had never heard of any connection to the Qin family.

"Impossible..."

"Lin Yu, recall your childhood, do you have any special memories?"

Lin Yu closed his eyes and pondered. Suddenly, long-sealed memory fragments surfaced—when he was five, an old man sent him to the orphanage, leaving behind the sentence "When you grow up, you will understand."

"So... I really am a Qin family member?"

"Very likely." Yan Nanshan took out an old-fashioned phone, "Contact Xu Jianhua first, see the situation in Huacheng."

Lin Yu dialed the phone, and Xu Jianhua's urgent voice came through: "Lin Yu! The Tongtian Pavilion has launched a major attack on Huacheng, Zhongcaotang has been destroyed, Xiao Chengzhou is seriously injured, the situation is critical!"

"What?" Lin Yu gripped the phone, "How is Old Xiao's injury?"

"Temporarily out of danger, but he needs professional treatment." Xu Jianhua's tone was heavy, "Worse, the Tongtian Pavilion has publicly declared they will find you, giving you three days, otherwise they will blood-wash Huacheng!"

Lin Yu's thoughts raced, and he immediately made a decision: "We're going back immediately."

After hanging up, Lin Yu informed Yan Nanshan and Xuanyuan Qing of the situation.

"No, it's too dangerous." Yan Nanshan refused flatly, "The Tongtian Pavilion just wants to lure you out."

"I cannot sit by and watch innocent people in Huacheng suffer!" Lin Yu was agitated.

"Calm down, kid!" Yan Nanshan said in a deep voice, "You have a more important mission—to stop the Tongtian Pavilion from opening the Heavenly Ladder. If the Heavenly Ladder is opened and otherworldly creatures invade, it won't just be Huacheng, all of humanity will perish!"

The cave fell silent for a moment. Lin Yu took a deep breath, suppressing the restlessness in his heart: "Then what should we do?"

Yan Nanshan pointed to the map: "We will head directly to the Kunlun Mountains, arriving at the Heavenly Ladder entrance before the Tongtian Pavilion. The two keys in your hands plus the mark in your body are enough to temporarily seal the Heavenly Ladder."

"Then what about Huacheng?" Xuanyuan Qing was worried.

"I have already notified the remaining Qin family forces to go and support." Yan Nanshan packed his gear, "Now, we must race against time to reach the Kunlun Mountains."

Lin Yu took one last look at his phone, silently engraving the faces of his friends and family in Huacheng into his heart. The big picture was more important; he had no choice.

"Let's go."

The three left the cave and traveled rapidly toward the Kunlun Mountains.