Chapter 313: The Sparrow Behind the Bird

"No anomalies."

The Devouring Rat whispered telepathically.

Deep into the night, silence reigned; moonlight spilled across the Xiao family's ancestral hall.

Faintly visible were dozens of spirit tablets enshrined within, and on the walls hung seven or eight portraits—likely their ancestors.

"The secret room's switch is behind the third portrait. Go check for hidden restrictions."

The Devouring Rat immediately said, "Master, this is just a Qi Refining-level minor family—surely there's no danger?"

"Why not let me sneak in and grab the spirit core for you outright?"

Qin Ming's gaze flickered uncertainly; after a moment's thought, he declared firmly, "I have a feeling something's off."

The moment he spoke.

At that very instant!

Qin Ming's powerful spiritual sense sensed three powerful cultivators approaching at high speed.

He swiftly concealed himself and the Devouring Rat.

Not long after, three streaks of light flashed past and landed within the Xiao family's ancestral hall.

Qin Ming peered covertly—it was two Cultivation Base late-stage cultivators and one Cultivation Base peak elder.

'It's these three.'

He had seen them before in Moyuan Immortal City—they were the famed 'Three Friends of Meishan' from Liang Kingdom.

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

Xu Yang replied with absolute certainty: "This is it. No mistake."

"Second and Third, bring out what you've got. Let's compare again."

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

Xu Yang also pulled out a fragment of a map.

When the three pieces were joined together, their faces lit up with excitement.

"Who would've thought it was truly here!"

"If there's a secret treasure inside, the Three Friends of Meishan will soar to the heavens!"

"Second, you think there might be a Core Formation opportunity inside?"

"Maybe there really is!"

"Don't get carried away yet—we don't even know what's inside."

"Let's see first."

Among the Three Friends of Meishan, the eldest, Xu Yang, appeared calm and cautious; he immediately cut off the others' chatter.

Then the three slipped quietly into the interior of the ancestral hall.

In the darkness.

Qin Ming and the Devouring Rat exchanged a glance.

An identical thought arose in both their minds.

"Fishing!"

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

Yet the maps they held seemed different from the silk scrap Qin Ming had acquired.

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

"Master, what do we do?"

"It seems someone behind the scenes is spreading maps to lure others in."

"There's almost certainly a trap inside."

The Devouring Rat analyzed.

"But since these three are going in first—"

"We can follow behind them, see what's really going on. If things turn bad, we leave immediately."

Qin Ming considered briefly.

He could say this only because he had confidence in his current strength.

"Fine!"

Qin Ming and the Devouring Rat suppressed their spiritual energy and silently followed.

Inside the ancestral hall.

The Three Friends of Meishan fiddled with the wall, chanting incantations before one portrait; gradually, three intricate runes glowed upon it, linking together.

Suddenly—

A white radiance blazed from the portrait, shining toward the hall's center, where a white light-gate suddenly materialized on the floor.

The Three Friends of Meishan exchanged glances, hesitated long in place, debated, then finally decided to enter the light-gate.

After a cautious probe, their figures vanished into the white gate. Qin Ming was about to follow when he sensed movement outside.

He did not act rashly.

Outside, two figures stepped into the ancestral hall.

"Have those three gone in?" A deep voice rang out.

"Report, Clan Chief—they've all entered."

Qin Ming extended his spiritual sense and saw a burly middle-aged cultivator with half-gray hair, and an old man in gray robes.

During his time gathering intelligence near Taihu, Qin Ming had recognized the burly man—he was Xiao Zhiren, clan chief of the Xiao family.

Yet now, he had shed his usual demeanor, revealing an air of profound cunning.

"After waiting so long, someone finally opened the hall's restrictions."

"The spirit core is secondary—the key is to extract from it the legacy of that person," Xiao Zhiren said calmly, his eyes gleaming with sharp intent.

"Yes!" The gray-robed elder bowed respectfully.

Then the two also stepped into the light-gate.

Only after everyone had entered and confirmed no one remained outside did Qin Ming and the Devouring Rat slowly materialize.

"A Jin Dan cultivator?" The Devouring Rat asked Qin Ming uncertainly.

Qin Ming nodded faintly. "Correct. I never expected the Xiao clan chief to hide so deeply."

"Probably stronger than Linghu Yang."

"It seems he knows something about what's inside."

"Heh! Still no match for this Great Master."

"Shall we—?"

…

Afterwards,

Qin Ming and the Devouring Rat followed the others into the light-gate.

They felt a momentary dizziness; when they opened their eyes again, they stood in an extraordinarily vast space.

The scene before them stunned Qin Ming and the Devouring Rat.

For this place was the bottom of Taihu—they stood within a ravine stretching thousands of li beneath the lake.

Above them flowed emerald-green water, countless aquatic creatures gliding through it.

Strangely, the surrounding water all flowed around this massive ravine, as if some unseen force influenced the waters.

Human cultivators here could breathe freely.

Before Qin Ming, the ravine plunged into bottomless darkness.

Like a colossal canyon carved across the lakebed, cold winds howled from within.

As if a giant sword had cleaved the lakebed in one stroke, leaving a wound stretching thousands of li.

Piercing, mournful winds rose from below, like the wails of vengeful spirits, sending chills down the spine.

A bone-deep chill seemed to surge from the abyss.

"This is no place of good intent," Qin Ming frowned.

He did not rush down, but extended his spiritual sense downward.

After descending roughly ten li, his spiritual sense finally reached the bottom.

A vast chamber came into view—a massive cavern, yet unnervingly grim.

The sandy ground was littered with the bones of demonic beasts and cultivators, as if paved with white bones.

Not just the ground—the cave walls were also decorated with bones, creating an eerie spectacle.

The Three Friends of Meishan appeared within Qin Ming's sight.

Now, they moved cautiously along the path, advancing deep into the cavern.

The sight before them filled them with ecstatic frenzy: countless spirit stones radiating astonishing spiritual energy, along with rare treasures, piled like a small mountain nearby.

Various magic treasures and ornate treasure chests lay scattered in the corners like trash.

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

"What's this?!"

"The legacy of a Jin Dan Ancestor!"

"Hahaha! We're rich! And there's Golden Core pills!"

"Grade-three supreme-grade spiritual material—Three-Eyed Bodhi Fruit!"

"And a top-grade magic treasure!"

"."

(End of Chapter)