Chapter 87: Unexpected Discovery! Ancient Sect Relic?

The Three-Tier Healing Pill's effect was indeed immediate; after the two severely wounded Clan Members took it, within moments their paper‑pale cheeks flushed with color, and their breathing became steadily strong.

"Clan Leader, your pill… it's practically divine!" a Clan Member who had been on the brink of death now managed to sit up, looked at Wang Shan, and his voice was filled with post‑calamity relief and incredulous awe.

"Indeed, Clan Leader, without your pill my life would have ended here!" another echoed, his gaze at Wang Shan showing gratitude and a hint of fanaticism.

The rest of the Wang Family murmured in amazement, utterly reverent of Wang Shan's pill cultivation skill. They had only known the Clan Leader was formidable, but now realized it was beyond formidable—truly unfathomable!

Wang Shan waved his hand, signaling them to rest and recuperate.

"Enough, stop the useless talk. This place isn't fit for lingering; those who can move, gather yourselves, and we'll press onward."

He knew in his heart these were merely minor incidents; the real test lay ahead.

After a brief rest, the party, led by Wang Shan, continued deeper into the miasma‑filled Hundred Beast Valley. The farther they went, the more densely the Red Dots marked on the System Map clustered, some exuding a scent that even he found somewhat troublesome.

"Clan Leader, the demonic beasts in this valley seem increasingly unmanageable," Wang Zhitao warned, eyes scanning the surroundings, his hand clutching several Talisman.

Wang Shan hummed in acknowledgment, saying little. He had long anticipated that, being called a perilous place, Hundred Beast Valley would not surrender its depths so easily.

After marching for about half an hour, the scout Wang Yong suddenly halted and whispered, "Clan Leader, look ahead!"

Everyone followed his pointing finger and saw, beyond a thicket of dense vines, a faint glimpse of a massive gray‑black stone wall.

Parting the layered vines, an ancient, weathered stone gate loomed before them.

The stone gate rose several zhang high, its material unknown, yet despite centuries of erosion it remained unusually sturdy.

Above the lintel, faint carvings traced patterns; upon close inspection they resembled about seventy‑percent of the mysterious symbols on the beast‑skin scroll Wang Shan had seized from the corpse of Wan Hong.

"This... this is..." Wang Zhize stared wide‑eyed, scarcely believing.

Wang Shan's heart thudded sharply.

Could this be the entrance to the legendary ruined ancient sect's relic? He kept a calm exterior while covertly triggering a system scan.

"Beep— Scan result: behind the stone gate lies a powerful residual energy fluctuation and a complex Array structure; no obvious signs of living activity detected."

No living beings?

Wang Shan raised an eyebrow; this was a neither‑good‑nor‑bad piece of news.

He stepped forward, extended his hand, and gently brushed the cold stone gate.

The instant his fingertip met the gate, the previously dim mysterious symbols suddenly glowed with a faint ethereal light.

Immediately, a massive, ancient torrent of information surged into his mind like a breached river.

"System Prompt: Received unknown fragmented Array data... Received partial historical information fragments..."

Wang Shan closed his eyes, swiftly digesting the newly arrived data.

Moments later, he slowly opened his eyes, a hint of insight flashing within.

"Beast Taming Sect..." he murmured.

"Clan Leader, what did you say?" Wang Zhitao leaned in curiously.

Wang Shan glanced at him and explained, "According to the information just received, this place was once a sect called Beast Taming Sect. They excelled at taming and controlling various demonic beasts; the Ten Thousand Beast Method we obtained is likely only one of their most basic introductory techniques."

"Introductory technique?"

Everyone inhaled sharply at the words.

If merely an introductory technique could let the Wang family dominate Qingyang City, then during its heyday the Beast Taming Sect must have been immensely powerful!

"Then how did they meet their downfall?" Wang Fang asked, unable to hold back.

Wang Shan continued, "It appears an accidental energy leak caused the entire sect's annihilation. That leaked energy also mutated the demonic beasts in Hundred Beast Valley and... created a natural thunderstorm zone."

"Thunderstorm zone? Could it be..." Wang Zhize mused.

"Exactly, the Thunderstorm Canyon."

Wang Shan nodded, "It seems Hundred Beast Valley and Thunderstorm Canyon share a connection we hadn't anticipated. The Wang family's Ten Thousand Beast Method is likely eighty‑plus percent spread from here."

In other words, a more complete Beast Taming Sect inheritance, perhaps even a way to counter the Ten Thousand Beast Method, likely lies beyond this stone gate!

Thinking of this, Wang Shan felt a surge of excitement.

He refocused on the stone gate, attempting to channel Spiritual Power to push it open.

However, the symbols on the gate flickered a few times before remaining inert.

"It seems this lingering Array requires a specific Spiritual Energy Fluctuation, or perhaps a token, to activate," Wang Shan said, rubbing his chin.

A token? A flash of insight struck him; he recalled the family token bearing the character "Wan" he had found in Wan Hong's storage bag—a uniquely crafted piece he always kept on his person.

He hurriedly retrieved the token from his chest and approached the stone gate cautiously.

Sure enough, when the token was less than half a foot from the gate, the archaic "Wan" on it emitted a faint glow, resonating with the gate's symbols and creating a marvelous resonance!

Clack... Clack...

Accompanied by a teeth‑aching grinding sound, the sealed stone door slowly opened inward, forming a narrow slit just wide enough for a single person.

Beyond the slit lay a pitch‑black, abyssal passage, its end invisible, exuding an ancient, mysterious aura.

"It's open! It's really open!" the Wang Family members whispered in low astonishment.

However, just as Wang Shan was about to signal everyone to enter and investigate, his internal system emitted a piercing high‑intensity warning!

"Warning! Warning! Thirty li southwest, a high‑speed signal from target 'Wan Tianjue' detected; expected to enter the scan range edge in fifteen breaths! The target is rapidly approaching the host's current location! The previous signal‑blocking effect appears to have vanished!"

What?!

Wang Shan's complexion changed abruptly. How could the undying Wan Tianjue catch up so quickly? And why had the prior shielding vanished? Perhaps that old fool employed a secret technique, or the valley's unique environment nullified the shield.

Now the situation: ahead lies an ancient sect relic of unknown risk, behind them a Foundation Establishment cultivator bristling with murderous aura!

For a moment, Wang Shan felt overwhelmed—like a leaky roof struck by a night storm, just out of the wolf's den into a raging tiger!

"Clan Leader, what's wrong?" Wang Zhize keenly noticed Wang Shan's altered expression.

Wang Shan couldn't elaborate, only said gravely, "Wan Tianjue has caught up! Its speed is extreme! We must decide immediately!"

Enter, or not? Or perhaps take another route?

This sudden turn sank the Wang Family's spirits once more, their hearts plunging to the valley's depths.