Chapter 131: Provocation from the Ancient Castle

Three days later.

Li Xuan stared at the turned‑over earth before him and furrowed his brows deeply.

Li Xuan had been digging here for three days, originally thinking the soil should contain many corpses, but after two days of digging, there wasn't a single bone in the earth.

Li Xuan looked at the soil ahead, his careful mind filled with disappointment.

Li Xuan had originally thought he was in a mountain of corpses and sea of blood, but now it seemed only a small chaotic burial ground.

Besides the lack of bones, the soil here had been in contact with Blood Mist for years, rendering it essentially useless; Li Xuan had even considered digging up some of it to take back.

Li Xuan sighed; the absence of bones meant there were no Soul Guide Devices here, so the space inside the Heaven‑Grasp Bottle could not continue expanding.

"What a pity, the Great Teleportation Talisman's cooldown won't refresh for at least another month; we have to wait for the cooldown to end before entering the Slaughter Treasure Vault," Li Xuan said, glancing at the nearby Slaughter Treasure Vault and furrowing his brows.

The Slaughter Treasure Vault gave Li Xuan a very uneasy feeling, like a monster with a gaping mouth waiting for him to step inside.

After a moment of contemplation, Li Xuan set up a simple tent about fifty li from the Slaughter Treasure Vault, then, with a shift of mind, entered the space of the Heaven‑Grasp Bottle.

Inside the Heaven‑Grasp Bottle, soul power was abundant, making it more suitable for Li Xuan's cultivation; since he was just waiting for the cooldown, he might as well use the time to diligently cultivate and strengthen himself.

After entering the Heaven‑Grasp Bottle, Li Xuan first tended the surrounding Heavenly Material Earth Treasure, then used Green Spirit Liquid to accelerate the ripening of a purple walnut tree, picking up two Green Thunder Walnuts and twenty Silver Thunder Walnuts.

Having tended the plants, Li Xuan soaked in a Hot Spring, and only then began his formal cultivation.

Although Li Xuan's talent was decent, he could not waste it; he had to seize the time to cultivate and strive to break through to Level 30 as soon as possible.

Moreover, Li Xuan's Second Soul Ring had already been arranged; once he broke through, he could absorb the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower's soul ring.

A month later, Li Xuan, seated cross‑legged beside the Hot Spring, suddenly trembled; the next second, the surrounding soul power began to slowly converge toward him.

Immediately, the soul power formed a small spiral vortex, and Li Xuan sat steadily within the Wind Eye.

The martial soul illusion of the Nine Hearts Nine Flame Lotus slowly appeared behind Li Xuan, while the surrounding soul power rushed en masse into his body.

The original Level‑29 bottleneck was pierced as easily as a sheet of window paper, with no pressure at all.

Puff!

Li Xuan's soul power level naturally rose to Level 29, and upon reaching Level 29, he felt his strength increase a few more points.

After breaking through, Li Xuan steadied his cultivation beside the Hot Spring, then slowly opened his eyes and got up from the ground.

"This breakthrough was smooth, not as arduous as the Level‑28 one," Li Xuan said, stretching his stiff limbs; after sitting for two hours, his muscles were a bit tense.

Then Li Xuan lowered his head to glance at the Great Teleportation Talisman hanging on his wrist, calculated the time, and concluded the cooldown should have ended.

【Talisman Script: Great Teleportation Talisman】

【Grade: Sixth Grade】

【Description: After using the Talisman Script, one can instantly teleport ten thousand li without any side effects; the script can replenish its own energy and can be used once every one hundred days】

【Cooldown: 0/100】

"The Great Teleportation Talisman's cooldown has ended; I can finally see what treasures lie within the Slaughter Treasure Vault, though it feels like a trap, yet something important is inside," Li Xuan said, feeling the warm‑as‑jade Great Teleportation Talisman, his brows slowly furrowing. Regardless, he decided to inspect the interior of the Slaughter Treasure Vault.

The Great Teleportation Talisman is a Sixth Grade Talisman Script, corresponding to divine power; even though this is the domain of the Asura God, as long as the Asura God does not personally seal the space, the Great Teleportation Talisman can carry Li Xuan out.

Thus the Great Teleportation Talisman is Li Xuan's greatest confidence! With a shift of thought, Li Xuan stepped out of the Heaven‑Grasp Bottle's space and returned to his own tent.

Just after returning to the tent, Li Xuan was startled; his tent clearly showed signs of someone having entered. Turning around, an envelope had suddenly appeared on his bed.

"What is this situation?" Li Xuan circulated his soul power, his surroundings wrapped by Filthy Flame and Burning Heart Divine Flame, watching the envelope on the bed warily.

Could there still be someone alive here?

Or perhaps a soul beast that can write?

This environment has been sealed for so long, and with the lethal Blood Mist, even a soul beast couldn't survive here.

Li Xuan furrowed his brows, looking at the letter lying on his bed, various thoughts forming in his mind.

"Damn it, seems I still underestimated this place. Fine, let's read the letter first," Li Xuan muttered, furrowing his brows and pausing, then put on gloves and carefully opened the letter on the bed.

Inside the envelope was a single sheet of paper, on which crookedly were written a few common characters from Douluo Continent.

"Welcome to the Slaughter Treasure Vault"

Li Xuan stared at those words, his eyes widening instantly.

"Is this a provocation?" Li Xuan muttered irritably.

With a shift of mind, he burned the letter to ash.

Someone entered his tent and left such a letter; it seemed intended to lure him into the Slaughter Treasure Vault.

"Interesting," Li Xuan said, rubbing his chin.

Glancing at the nearby Slaughter Treasure Vault, he snapped his fingers; the tent ignited instantly, and the next second a thumb‑sized black bat flew out, aiming for the Slaughter Treasure Vault.

"Sure enough, a bat," Li Xuan scoffed, pulling a cast‑iron pot from the space, swinging it hard to slam the tiny bat inside, then taking a ceramic jar, placing the bat inside with a vent hole, and turning away.

Soon, Li Xuan arrived at the Slaughter Treasure Vault's main gate not far away, gazing at the massive black iron door, and double‑checked the Great Teleportation Talisman's cooldown.

Just as Li Xuan confirmed the Great Teleportation Talisman's cooldown had ended, the door opened by itself.

Creak... Creak... Creak...

With a series of heavy gate‑opening sounds, the doors that had been shut for an unknown number of years finally opened again.

"Honored guest, please enter!"

A hoarse, feeble, ancient voice echoed throughout the space.

Hearing the voice, Li Xuan raised an eyebrow and glanced inside.

It was a castle; beyond the opened gate lay a deep, dim corridor, whose far end opened into a spacious hall, though the distance prevented Li Xuan from seeing the interior clearly.

More importantly, after a month, Li Xuan finally sensed the presence of Blood Mist.

"I do want to see what exists inside the Slaughter Treasure Vault," Li Xuan said, a smirk at the corner of his mouth, a cold snort, then stepped into the narrow, dark corridor.

Puff!

As Li Xuan repeatedly entered the Slaughter Treasure Vault, the oil lamp on the wall ignited spontaneously, lighting the road ahead for Li Xuan.

Wishing all the esteemed readers and gentlemen a happy National Day, hehe, I've endured many days and finally got a good sleep—feeling comfortable.

(End of chapter)