Chapter 174

In the abandoned herb garden, it was so silent that one could hear one's own heartbeat.

Wang Shan sat cross-legged on a relatively flat stone slab, and the medicinal power of another Fourth Tier Clear Heart Pill dissolved in his body, like pouring a basin of snow water onto a volcano about to erupt. The violent beastly power in his meridians temporarily subsided, but Wang Shan knew this was only temporary, like a pack of savage beasts felled by sedatives; once the effect wore off, they would become even more frenzied.

Treats the symptoms, not the root cause.

He opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Li Hu and Zhang Mei, who were speaking softly not far away. Each held a Beast Source Crystal Core in their hands, their faces mixed with pain and excitement, obviously absorbing that violent energy. In the corner, his grandson Wang Zhize stood guard beside his older brother Wang Zhitao; Wang Zhitao's breathing had steadied considerably, and the Beast Source Crystal Core on his chest emitted a faint light, maintaining a fragile balance with the strange poison within his body.

For now, none of them will die yet.

Wang Shan's gaze finally settled on the pitch-black jade slip in his hand.

This thing, obtained from the Earth Vein core of Ghost Sorrow Cliff, and then underwent an anomaly in his grandson's hand—what exactly is it?

He calmed his mind and carefully extended a thread of his Spiritual Sense into it.

Just as before, inside lay an ocean of runes, so complex it made one's scalp tingle. But this time, borrowing the momentary clarity brought by the Clear Heart Pill, Wang Shan did not try to forcibly decipher those runes; instead, he emptied his Spiritual Sense, like a drop of water merging into the sea, to feel its 'intent'.

Gradually, a wonderful feeling emerged.

This jade slip seemed like a huge resonator. The countless runes inside were not static; they vibrated minutely at an extremely profound frequency. And the source of this vibration seemed not to be the slip itself, but to come from a distant, deep, ineffable place.

The deepest part of the Ten Thousand Beasts Origin.

That feeling… was as if someone, at the other end of the secret realm, had lightly plucked a string, and this jade slip was the other string tuned to it, humming along.

"Interesting..." Wang Shan muttered to himself.

This resonance carried a deadly allure, as if summoning something, promising something. Was it power? Was it the source? Or... liberation?

But accompanying this allure was a terrifying pressure that made even Wang Shan's Foundation Establishment soul tremble. It was like a dragon capable of devouring heaven and earth coiled beside a tempting fruit.

"System, using this jade slip as a medium and combining all known information, re-calculate the 'Beast Source Core'."

【Ding! Command received, reconstructing analysis model……】

【The jade slip is the authorization key for the Yushou Sect Inheritance Core, and its internal rune system resonates with the underlying rules of the core area of the Ten Thousand Beasts Origin.】

【Update: Going to the core area is the only way to resolve Zhuren's cultivation backlash and the strange poison in your grandson Wang Zhitao's body. Success-rate assessment: obtaining or controlling part of the power of the 'Beast Source Core' gives a 95% chance to eradicate Zhuren's cultivation backlash and a 90% chance to completely resolve the homologous strange poison.】

【Final warning: The core area has been completely locked onto by an ancient guardian consciousness; current status: awakened and extremely active. Threat level: Extinction. This consciousness regards all incoming lifeforms as invaders, and approaching triggers an indiscriminate purification protocol.】

Wang Shan looked at the scarlet characters 'Extinction' in his mind, and the corner of his mouth curled into a cold arc.

Indeed so.

This jade slip is neither a map nor a mere treasure; it is a key.

A key that can open Pandora's box.

And this key seems usable only by someone of one's own bloodline.

He stood up and brushed off the dust on his body.

"Li Hu, Zhang Mei, come over here."

The two immediately stopped cultivating and hurried to Wang Shan's front, their expressions solemn.

"Master."

Wang Shan looked at them, got straight to the point, and said directly: "We can't stay here."

Li Hu hesitated for a moment: "Master, isn't this place quite safe? That seal can still hold for a while."

"It can hold for a moment, but not forever." Wang Shan shook his head. "Old Wan Tianxiong is still out there; who knows what mischief he'll stir up. More importantly, the trouble between me and Zhitao isn't rooted here."

He paused, then pointed toward the direction deep in the secret realm that made one's heart palpitate.

"The antidote is there. But that place is also ten thousand times more dangerous than any danger we've encountered before."

Wang Shan spoke calmly, but Li Hu and Zhang Mei felt their hearts tug. A place that would make their master say 'ten thousand times more dangerous' must be what kind of dragon's pool and tiger's den?

Zhang Mei, more thoughtful, asked: "Master, just how dangerous is it?"

"Even 'nine deaths, one life' is a sugarcoated saying." Wang Shan spoke frankly. "The core consciousness of that place wants to kill all of us, including Wan Tianxiong. Going there is like drilling into the eye of a storm; one slip and not even scraps will remain."

The air instantly grew heavy.

Li Hu's sturdy hand gripped the hilt of his knife, knuckles whitening. He fell silent for a moment, then suddenly broke into a grin, showing a mouthful of white teeth: "Master, this life of mine was given by you. You say where to drill, we drill there. Even if my head gets a bowl-sized scar, eighteen years later I'll still be a good man."

Zhang Mei gave him a sideways glance, then turned to Wang Shan with a determined expression: "Master, we have no choice. Staying here is waiting to die; going there is seeking death, but seeking death… at least offers a sliver of hope. Give us your orders."

"Good."

This is exactly the attitude Wang Shan wanted. He didn't need hesitation or doubt, only absolute execution.

"Since we've decided, let's make some preparations."

His consciousness sank into the system interface, looking at the string of over sixty thousand Spirit Plant Points, and this time he felt no pang of regret.

Money is a bastard; you can earn it back after spending it, but if your life is gone, it's truly gone.

"System, exchange me for three sheets of 【Fourth Tier·Immovable Wisdom King Talisman】, and then three sheets of 【Fourth Tier·Godspeed Thousand Miles Talisman】."

【Ding! Exchanged 【Fourth Tier·Immovable Wisdom King Talisman】*3, consuming Spirit Plant Points.】

【Ding! Exchanged 【Fourth Tier·Godspeed Thousand Miles Talisman】*3, consuming Spirit Plant Points.】

Another forty-five thousand points vanished in an instant.

The Immovable Wisdom King Talisman is a top-tier defensive talisman; when activated, it forms a strong protective light shield that can easily withstand attacks from Golden Core cultivators. The Godspeed Thousand Miles Talisman is a top-tier escape talisman; once activated, it can instantly shift the user hundreds of li away.

One is for preserving life, the other for fleeing for life.

Wang Shan then spent a few thousand points to exchange a batch of third-tier medicines for healing injuries and restoring spiritual power, which he stuffed into Li Hu and Zhang Mei's hands.

"Put these away; they can save your lives at critical moments."

"Thank you, Master!" The two received them as if they were priceless treasures.

After doing all this, Wang Shan's Spirit Plant Points balance once again dropped below the ten-thousand mark—truly coming fast and going fast.

He walked to the corner, his gaze falling on the two grandsons.

Wang Zhitao remained unconscious, but Wang Zhize was awake. This child seemed far more mature than his peers; he did not cry or fuss, merely holding the black jade slip quietly, his small body pressed close to his older brother.

Wang Shan noticed that the jade slip in Wang Zhize's embrace was emitting a faint light barely perceptible to the naked eye. That light resonated with the faint glow of the Beast Source Crystal Core on Wang Zhitao's chest, as well as with the elusive will deep in the secret realm, forming a peculiar echo.

It seemed as if, guided by Wang Zhize's bloodline, this key was slowly, bit by bit, being inserted into the lock.

"Looks like, this journey, my two grandsons are the key......"

Wang Shan gained a sudden realization.

He took a deep breath, and there was no hesitation left in his heart.

Ahead lay an extinction-level ancient will; behind were half-step Golden Core pursuers, and he was also burdened with a bunch of wounded and dead weight.

This card game is utterly terrible.

But the more dire the situation, the less we can be cowardly.

He walked to the edge of the ruins, raised his head and gazed at the twisted forest and the depths of the secret realm shrouded in miasma.

"Li Hu, Zhang Mei, pack up your things, check your equipment."

Wang Shan's voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"After dawn, we set out."