Chapter 161: Insights into the Medical Dao

"This road…… seems to be connected to a 'living' thing." Her voice got even lower, "It's huge, very old, like…… it's asleep."

Zhang Jun kept walking, hearing this he smirked: "Alive? Good, saves us from feeling around blindly. Asleep or awake, we're here, we've got to kick the door and shout a greeting, right?"

Though he said that, his whole body tensed, the pure yang energy inside him subtly stirred, guarding against any mischief that might jump out at any moment.

On the walls on both sides of the passage, some blurred carvings began to appear.

These marks are incredibly ancient, not characters nor drawings; they look like extremely complex energy circulation diagrams, the lines deep and mysterious, as if they conceal some great principle.

Unfortunately, most of them have been worn smooth by time, making them impossible to see clearly.

After walking forward an unknown distance, that invisible pressure had grown so heavy that Zhang Jun felt his chest tighten, his whole back weighed down as if carrying a mountain.

Just then, a faint light seeped through ahead in the passage.

That light wasn't any color they knew—neither white nor black, hazy and mysterious.

At the same time, a low, rhythmic vibrating sound began to come from ahead.

That sound traveled up through the ground beneath their feet, penetrating their bodies, making their five viscera and six bowels tremble along with it.

"Thud…… thud…… thud……"

The sound grew clearer and heavier, carrying an indescribable dignity and…… vitality.

Zhang Jun and Lin Xue glanced at each other.

"You hear that?" Zhang Jun lowered his voice even more.

Lin Xue nodded, her tone uncertain: "Hmm, like…… a heartbeat?"

"A heartbeat?"

Zhang Jun twitched his ears; the "thud…… thud……" sound became more distinct, steady as hell, like a colossal heart down below pumping blood.

The two exchanged a glance, didn't stop their feet, and felt their way toward the source of the light and sound.

The passage came to an end.

Before them suddenly opened up a fairly large circular stone chamber, about as spacious as a basketball court.

The walls were slick, not ordinary stone but some unnamed bluish-black material polished to a shine. They were also covered in inscrutable symbols, more complex and dense than those in the outer passage, though these symbols remained dark, lifeless.

The light in the whole chamber came from the center.

About two meters off the ground floated a fist-sized light ball, its shape shifting, with no fixed form.

The light it emitted was soft, not glaring, its color indescribable; inside seemed to hide the secret of life's very beginning. A pure, quintessential life essence, together with the unfathomable aura of the origin of medical Dao, continuously emanated from the orb, filling the entire stone chamber.

The "living" energy source we'd sensed earlier, and that "thud-thud" heartbeat—turns out they're both coming from this thing!

This thing is almost certainly the Medicine Sect's hidden treasure!

Beneath the light ball on the floor lay three futons, looking aged, woven from who-knows-what.

Two of them were empty, with a thick layer of dust accumulated on top.

Right opposite the light ball, the futon actually had a figure sitting on it!

No, it's a desiccated corpse!

It had long since dried completely, no moisture left, utterly devoid of vitality.

The corpse's clothing was especially old-style, the distinctive robe of the Medicine Sect, its color faded to a dull gray, the fabric brittle as paper, yet its style could still be recognized.

The corpse sat cross-legged, hands neatly placed on its knees, head slightly bowed. Its skin had dried into old bark, but from the outline, when alive it must have been a steady, amiable old man.

He had remained seated here, as if time had frozen, as if using his last breath to guard the fluttering light ball above, until his oil ran out and the lamp went dry.

"Hum……"

Zhang Jun and Lin Xue's Yin Yang Jade Pendants, upon seeing the desiccated corpse and the light ball, began to vibrate intensely!

The pendants trembled nonstop, emitting a soft glow, no longer guiding but seemingly expressing something— a touch of sorrow, a hint of longing, above all a deep-seated respect.

The two walked over slowly, their steps feeling much lighter, afraid to disturb the place's tranquility and rouse this unknown Medicine Sect elder.

As they drew near, the Yin Yang Jade Pendants gave a slight tremor.

Some clearer but still fragmentary images and thoughts, like a trickling stream, flowed along the pendants into both of their minds.

"Medicine Sect…… seventy-second generation sect leader…… Guardian One True Person……"

"To protect…… the Medical Heart Origin…… exhausted heart and blood…… underwent sitting transformation here……"

"The Medical Heart Origin…… is the root of medical Dao…… the source of life…… must not fall into…… the hands of demons……"

These thoughts trickled out bit by bit, fragmentary, but enough for them to grasp what was going on before them.

This desiccated corpse turns out to be a Medicine Sect sect leader from some unknown generation, his daoist name Guardian One True Person! The light ball he guarded is called the "Medical Heart Origin," sounding like the Medicine Sect's inheritance, even the very core of medical Dao, the ancient root of life!

Guardian One True Person, to protect this thing, gave up his life, finally sitting here until he simply sat himself into oblivion.

Their hearts felt heavy, yet a sense of reverence rose. Gazing at the desiccated corpse whose seated posture remained proper, they silently bowed and paid their respects.

Just as they straightened up, the light ball in the center of the stone chamber moved.

It seemed to sense the Medicine Sect aura on them, and the origin ripple emanating from their Yin Yang Jade Pendants.

The light ball trembled slightly, splitting off two exceptionally fine threads of light, like strands of hair.

The threads looked weak, but inside they held an indescribable pure force, utterly free of impurity. They shot straight toward the glabella of Zhang Jun and Lin Xue.

They didn't dodge, simply letting the threads pierce into their bodies.

The moment the threads entered, they didn't feel a surge of inner strength, nor did their bodies feel stronger. They were like two clear-to-the-bottom streams, rushing straight into the depths of their minds.

A force that was impossibly gentle yet overwhelmingly vast began to softly, thoroughly cleanse their minds and souls!

The Medicine Sect texts and abilities in their minds, which had been convoluted and hard to grasp, now felt as if layers of mist had been lifted—suddenly clear, as if they could reach out and touch them.

Their understanding of the mysterious principles of medical Dao, of how yin and yang transform, of life's ancient root, and of heavenly-earthly laws, at this moment felt like they'd strapped on a rocket and leapt up a great height!

It felt like cramming years of cultivation insights into their brains, their hearts instantly clearing; many former puzzles snapped apart with a crack. Using their power became smoother, reaching a new realm!

This wasn't just a boost in internal strength; it was a fundamental upgrade, far more valuable and powerful than mere brute force!

Both were immersed in this sudden baptism, bodies motionless, yet their qi subtly shifted, transforming toward a higher state.

But just as this baptism reached the most crucial point——