Chapter 256: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, the Oriole Lurks Behind

"No abnormalities."

The Shi Tian Shu transmitted in a low voice.

Deep in the night, when all was quiet, moonlight spilled across the Xiao family's ancestral hall.

Faintly visible inside were dozens of spirit tablets; on the walls of the hall hung seven or eight portraits, likely of their ancestors.

"The secret chamber's mechanism is behind the third portrait; go check if there are any hidden formations," Qin Ming said cautiously.

The Shi Tian Shu immediately replied, "Master, this is just a small Foundation Establishment family; there shouldn't be any danger, right?"

"How about I sneak in directly and grab that artifact spirit for you?"

Qin Ming's eyes flickered uncertainly; after pondering briefly, he stated with conviction, "I just feel something isn't quite right."

The moment his words fell.

Right at this instant!

Qin Ming's powerful divine sense detected three cultivators with strong auras flying rapidly toward this location.

He immediately concealed his and the Shi Tian Shu's presence.

Moments later, three streaks of light flashed by and landed within the Xiao family's ancestral hall.

Qin Ming focused his gaze secretly and saw they were two late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators and one peak Foundation Establishment great cultivator.

'It's actually these three.'

When he was in Moyuan Yunze Xiancheng, he had once seen these three before; they were the quite famous 'Three Friends of Meishan' from the State of Liang.

"Big Brother Xu Yang, are you certain this is the place?" one of them asked the peak Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Xu Yang stated with great conviction, "It is indeed this place; there can be no mistake."

"Second and Third, take out the items you each hold so we can compare them once more."

Upon hearing this, the two immediately retrieved one-third of a map each from their storage bags.

Xu Yang likewise took out a fragmentary map.

After the three joined them together, excitement appeared on their faces.

"To think it really is located here!"

"If there truly are secret treasures inside, then we, the Three Friends of Meishan, will soar to the skies in a single leap!"

"Second, do you think there might be an opportunity for Core Formation inside?"

"Perhaps there really is!"

"Don't get excited just yet; we still don't know what's inside."

"Let's see first before deciding."

Among the Three Friends of Meishan, the eldest, Xu Yang, appeared relatively steady and cautious; he immediately interrupted the other two.

Subsequently, the three crept into the interior of the Xiao family's ancestral hall.

In the darkness.

Qin Ming and the Shi Tian Shu exchanged a glance.

Unconsciously, the same thought arose in their hearts.

"Fishing!"

If not for this, how could the Three Friends of Meishan have obtained a map pointing to the Xiao family's ancestral hall?

However, the maps held by those three seemed somewhat different from the silk scroll he himself had obtained.

The Three Friends of Meishan had no idea what lay inside.

"Master, what should we do?"

"It seems someone behind the scenes wants to use the scattered maps as bait for fishing."

"There is a ninety percent chance that what's inside is a trap."

The Shi Tian Shu analyzed.

"However... since those three are scouting the path ahead."

"We can follow behind them to see what's really going on; if the situation turns wrong, we leave immediately."

Qin Ming pondered briefly before speaking.

That he could say such words stemmed from a certain confidence in his current strength.

"Good!"

Qin Ming and the Shi Tian Shu concealed their auras and followed silently and soundlessly.

Inside the ancestral hall.

The Three Friends of Meishan were seen fiddling about; facing a portrait on the wall, they formed hand seals and cast spells. Gradually, three complex runes were outlined upon the portrait, linking together.

Suddenly.

A white radiance ignited upon the portrait, shining toward the center of the ancestral hall, where a white gate of light suddenly manifested on the ground.

The Three Friends of Meishan exchanged glances, hesitated on the spot for a long while, and after some discussion, ultimately decided to enter the gate of light.

After testing it slightly, the figures of the three merged into the white gate of light and vanished. Just as Qin Ming was about to continue following, he detected movement coming from outside again.

He did not act rashly.

Outside, two figures stepped into the ancestral hall.

"Have all three of them entered?" a robust voice rang out.

"Reporting to the Clan Leader, they have all entered."

Qin Ming released his divine sense to observe: a burly middle-aged cultivator with half-white hair and an old man in gray robes entered his field of vision.

During this period, while gathering intelligence near Taihu, Qin Ming had naturally recognized the burly middle-aged man; this person was precisely the Xiao family's Clan Leader, 'Xiao Zhongren'.

However, at this moment he had changed his usual demeanor, revealing an appearance of profound scheming.

"After waiting so long, someone has finally managed to break the ancestral hall's restrictions."

"The artifact spirit is secondary; the most important thing is to obtain that person's inheritance from its mouth," Xiao Zhongren said unhurriedly, his eyes flashing with sharp light as he spoke.

"Yes!" The gray-robed old man replied respectfully, bowing deeply to him.

Subsequently, the two of them also followed and entered that gate of light.

Only after everyone had gone in and it was confirmed that no one else was around did Qin Ming and Shi Tian Shu slowly materialize.

"A Jin Dan cultivator?" Shi Tian Shu asked Qin Ming uncertainly.

Qin Ming nodded faintly. "Indeed. I didn't expect the Xiao family head to be hiding his depth so profoundly."

"He is probably a bit more formidable than Linghu Yang."

"It seems this person knows something about the situation inside."

"Hehe! Even so, he is no match for this Great Lord."

"Should we...?"

Shortly after.

Qin Ming and Shi Tian Shu also followed behind the several figures, drilling into that gate of light.

They both felt a momentary dizziness before their eyes; when they opened them again, they had arrived in an exceptionally vast place.

The scene before them left both Qin Ming and Shi Tian Shu utterly stunned.

Because this place was actually the bottom of Taihu; where they stood was a lakebed ravine stretching for thousands of li.

Above their heads lay the emerald-green lake water, with countless aquatic creatures swimming within it.

Strangely, all the lake water nearby bypassed this massive ravine, as if some inexplicable force was influencing this body of water.

Human cultivators here could actually breathe freely.

The ravine before Qin Ming was bottomless and pitch-black.

It resembled a colossal canyon spanning the lakebed, from which gusts of yin wind blew forth.

It was as if someone had used a long sword to strike down at the lake bottom, creating a 'wound' extending for thousands of li.

Waves of mournful, weird wind drifted up from below, sounding like the wails of wronged souls, making one's spine chill.

A bone-piercing, eerie cold seemed to surge forth from the abyss.

"At first glance, this is certainly no benign place," Qin Ming frowned.

He did not rush to descend, instead releasing his divine sense to probe downward.

After sinking more than ten li or so, Qin Ming's divine sense finally reached the bottom.

A vast space appeared within his vision: a huge limestone cave, yet slightly eerie.

On the sandy ground lay scattered skeletons of various demonic beasts and cultivators, as if the path itself were paved with white bones.

Not only on the ground, but the surrounding rock walls were also entirely decorated with bones, appearing extremely bizarre.

The figures of the Three Friends of Meishan also appeared within Qin Ming's line of sight.

At this moment, the three of them were proceeding cautiously along the path; by the time they reached the depths of the limestone cave...

The scene before them instantly sent the three into a frenzy of joy! Countless spirit stones and heavenly treasures emitting astonishing spiritual energy were piled up nearby like a small mountain.

There were also various secret treasures and ornately decorated treasure chests, piled in the corners as if they were trash.

"Heavens! So many high-grade spirit stones!"

"Ah! What is this?!"

"The inheritance of a Jin Dan Yunxi Laozu!"

"Hahaha! We've struck it rich; there's even a Core-Forming Pill!"

"Third-grade top-tier spiritual material: Three-Eyed Bodhi Fruit!"

"And there are top-grade magical treasures!"

"."

(End of Chapter)