Chapter 54

They descended into the mine.

Around them were all kinds of rainbow-crystal ores; deep within the tunnel, a hole the size of half a man emitted a faint blue glow.

Had it not been for Fang Zijing and the other deliberately carving it out, it would have been nearly impossible to find.

Chen Zhao and the other two crouched low and crawled through the opening.

The scene before them instantly opened up.

This place was boundless, twice the size of Tiankui Sect, as if they had entered another dimension.

Chen Zhao looked out across the expanse.

Before him was merely one corner of the sect's main gate.

Several mountain-sized stone pillars lay toppled and half-submerged in water, gleaming under the silver moon.

In the distance stood a faded plaque, its former glory long gone.

Yet he glanced at it once—and his heart clenched sharply.

On the plaque were three large characters—

Tiankui Sect.

Was it merely a coincidence, or was this truly the old site?

Chen Zhao narrowed his eyes, silently pondering.

Tiankui Sect was far from other sects; nearby, only Fulong Mountain and Shanlian Immortal City lay close.

And yet, Tiankui Sect's old site might well lie beneath Shanlian Immortal City.

Was there some hidden story between them?

Flying past the gate, the space expanded further, drawing them closer to the silver moon.

Across a vast square, countless skeletons clad in robes stared upward, lost in thought.

Each bore a different expression, lifelike—but not a trace of spiritual energy stirred.

The square connected to four branching paths.

In the distance rose pavilions, towers, and halls, shrouded in mist like gauze.

With Fang Zijing still unaccounted for and unknown prohibitions lurking within the sect, none dared split up rashly.

So they began searching from the leftmost path.

The Spirit Qi here matched that of a Second-tier Spirit Pulse, yet not a single living thing stirred—only deathly silence.

Chen Zhao used the Qingfeng Blade to probe ahead, yet triggered no prohibitions.

Soon, a three-story pavilion came into view.

The pavilion's roof appeared to have been cleanly sheared off by some force, the shattered fragments frozen mid-air, motionless.

"Tiankui Sect must have endured a cataclysm—and everything was frozen at the instant of its destruction."

Su Muqing pointed to a skeleton at the pavilion's entrance, waving as if greeting them, a Storage Bag hanging at its waist.

Yet the moment they lightly touched it, it turned to ash.

Chen Zhao reluctantly withdrew his hand and stepped over the threshold.

This appeared to be the scripture hall, littered with countless cultivation techniques—but most crumbled to dust at the slightest touch, having endured countless years.

The first floor held Foundation Establishment techniques, as well as Earth-grade spells; the Nourishing Life Art and the Golden Talisman Chanting Art were among them.

Most of these items had turned to ash; the group had little interest, so they climbed upward.

The second floor contained Golden Core techniques—but Fang Zijing had already ransacked them, leaving only fragments, useless for cultivation.

After searching the entire place, they found only three skeletons, their hands forming spell seals, Identity Tokens strapped to their waists.

"Even Inner Sect Disciples had access to Golden Core techniques..."

What privileges would True Disciples and Elders have enjoyed?

Chen Zhao recalled the Sword Qi that had torn open the heavenly gate.

But he had arrived too late—the upper floors were likely empty.

Chen Zhao gazed at the stairs, a stubborn glint in his eyes.

He was most in need of cultivation techniques; if he didn't search thoroughly, his heart would not rest.

As the saying goes: one doesn't become a true man until he sees the Yellow River; one won't give up until he hits the southern wall. He formed a hand seal and sent the Qingfeng Blade ahead.

The Dharma Treasure passed through unimpeded; Chen Zhao then stepped cautiously onto the stairs.

His first step landed.

Hum!

A surge of spiritual energy descended from above, as if scanning him inside and out—but within an instant, it faded back into stillness.

Chen Zhao frowned and immediately checked himself.

No abnormalities.

Yet when he turned back, he saw the two women looking frantic, pacing in place on the stairs as if trapped in a ghostly loop.

Why could he enter, but not them?

Chen Zhao pulled out Wu Xuzi's Token; it showed no reaction whatsoever.

"Perhaps I imagined it."

He calmed the two women and continued upward alone.

The third floor was in even greater ruin.

All the walls were shattered; one corner of the roof had been completely torn away, revealing a silver moon far larger than himself.

As for the interior—

Two skeletons were locked in fierce Dharma Battle, vying for an ancient, weathered scripture.

All other books turned to ash in the Dharma Battle, but this book remained untouched through time, revealing its preciousness.

The pages hovered in midair, fluttering open.

Chen Zhao glanced at the page beside his ear, and his heart surged with emotion.

"This cultivation method is only half a scroll—and yet it can be cultivated to Nascent Soul?"

It seems Fang Zijing, despite possessing the Law Pearl, could not penetrate this layer of sealing—my step was correct.

He hurried to gather the scattered pages.

An hour later.

"Xuan Shui Chang Sheng Lu... capable of sparking competition among core members—certainly no ordinary artifact, and this is only half a scroll..."

Chen Zhao tidied the ancient text slightly, skimmed through it once, and couldn't help but marvel.

As a water-element cultivation method, it should prioritize nurturing Qi and secondarily extend lifespan—but this method does the exact opposite.

In Qi Refining Stage, each minor breakthrough extends lifespan by ten years.

In Foundation Establishment Stage, sixty years; in Golden Core Stage, one hundred and twenty years!

It can also conjure ink-and-water clones, disguising itself as other things.

As long as the drawing is skillful, it is indistinguishable from a real person except for its Qi fluctuations.

"The drawback is slow cultivation speed, and it must be the primary cultivation method—switching to it midway renders the lifespan extension useless."

Chen Zhao stroked his chin, pondering silently.

This method possesses the wood-element's lifespan extension ability, combined with the water-element's elusive transformations.

It seems ancient cultivation methods were all vastly superior to today's.

First there was Ku Rong Gong, then Xuan Shui Chang Sheng Lu...

If ancient cultivators all possessed heavenly-reversing methods, why did they all die out?

Could there be something wrong with these methods?

Zi Shi had passed; Chen Zhao quickly consulted a divination.

"It seems cultivating Xuan Shui Chang Sheng Lu poses no harm to me."

He exhaled in relief, then placed the book into his Storage Bag.

This is not a good place to switch cultivation methods; Chen Zhao planned to return to a safe location before secretly practicing.

Seeing Chen Zhao descend the stairs.

Xin Tong put down her scroll, her tone tinged with pique,

"You just went up without a word... never mind, as long as you're unharmed."

"What did you find? If you got nothing... I still have a Foundation Establishment cultivation method here."

She reached behind her and pulled out a water-element cultivation method, waving it.

Fang Zijing scornfully passed it up—she picked it up as a leftover.

"Too bad, my copy is also a Foundation Establishment method—not much different."

Chen Zhao sighed in disappointment.

"Foundation Establishment methods are still good... I'll ride the donkey while searching for a horse—I believe you'll surely have a Golden Core destiny!"

Xin Tong smiled faintly, lowering her eyes, and patted his back.

Another mountain peak.

The mountain body had been pierced straight through, leaving only its peak floating in midair.

Chen Zhao and the others flew across the plank bridge, and a small house came into view.

This place suffered the most damage.

Behind the house should have stood pavilions and halls—now only broken walls and shattered tiles remained, scattered across ten thousand acres of Ling Tian, not a single Spirit Medicine surviving.

What a waste!

Chen Zhao shook his head and sighed, walking to the front of the house.

In a ruined Pill Furnace, two pills had turned to black charcoal, yet faint white traces still lingered in the ash.

"Did Fang Zijing come here again?"

Shelves inside the house were overturned, pills scattered on the ground, their medicinal power entirely gone.

This man likely found nothing either.

Chen Zhao searched the area thoroughly.

The only useful thing was the clear spring in front of the house.

The spring water was Qionghua Dew—without any rank, only capable of gently nurturing Spirit Medicine and preserving its freshness.

Fang Zijing dismissed it—but it was a windfall for Chen Zhao.

The pool held little water, enough to fill only a dozen or so bottles; at the bottom lay a single black lotus seed, long dead.

"The pills in the bottles... and this lotus seed—if you don't want them, Zhao, I'd like to keep them."

Seeing Chen Zhao nod, Xin Tong eagerly plucked up the lotus seed and shoved it into her Storage Bag.

She always loved keeping these little trinkets.

As she said, who knows when they might be useful?

Chen Zhao couldn't help but fall silent, letting her have her way.

He lifted his gaze toward the third mountain peak.

A tall pavilion had been severed mid-body, leaving only its bottom two stories.

The gate plaque gleamed gold and jade, inscribed with three golden characters: "Enguang Ge."

It seemed to be a treasure hall.

Tiankui and Enguang were truly complementary nobles, and as a silver moon hung high in the sky, it seemed to carry a faint omen.

Chen Zhao showed a hint of contemplation.

But two figures burst through the door, flipping through the air toward the last mountain peak.