Chapter 122: Secret

A massive stone gate broke through the earth, its surface carved with ancient and mysterious Runes; the Runes flickered with a faint blue light, as if recounting the vicissitudes of time.

The stone gate rose slowly, and an ancient, powerful aura rushed toward them; everyone felt their breathing hitch, as if their throats had been gripped by an invisible giant hand.

Taking advantage of the moment everyone was stunned by the aura of the stone gate, Ye Wujin flashed forward, charging toward the gate. A crazed light flickered in his eyes as he shouted, "Wanxing Sect, you are finally mine!"

Seeing this, Li Zhi'an was anxious; ignoring the powerful pressure radiating from the stone gate, he raised his Sword and chased after him: "Ye Wujin, don't even think about it!"

Cheng Xi followed closely behind, the light of her compass shining brightly to shield herself and Li Zhi'an from the erosion of the stone gate's aura.

However, as they neared the stone gate, a powerful repulsive force slammed them back. Li Zhi'an and Cheng Xi lost their footing and fell to the ground. Ye Wujin was likewise blocked by this repulsive force, but he was not reconciled; he charged at the stone gate again and again, only to be thrown back each time, his wounds multiplying as blood stained his clothes red.

At this moment, the people in the cave recovered from the shock brought by the stone gate; Jiang Zhongqiao and Yan Jishu supported each other as they came to Cheng Fenglan's side to check on Cheng Yunjian's injuries.

Cheng Yunjian remained unconscious, but his breathing had steadied significantly. Jiang Zhongqiao took a small jade bottle from his robes, poured out a Pill that emitted a delicate fragrance, and fed it to Cheng Yunjian: "This is a Rejuvenation Pill; it should help him recover."

Around the stone gate, the Silver Snow grew denser and the Star Sand condensed more heavily, as if forming a silver Barrier that separated everyone from the stone gate.

And that mysterious Silver Snow seemed to have some connection to the stone gate; they swirled and danced around the gate, their flickering light making the Runes on the stone gate even more clearly visible.

Cheng Xi struggled to stand up, looking at the stone gate before her and the crazed Ye Wujin, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart. She carefully observed the Runes on the stone gate, attempting to find a way to resolve the current predicament from them.

Suddenly, she discovered that those Runes seemed to be flickering according to a certain pattern; a flash of inspiration struck her mind, and she recalled records in ancient texts regarding the Wanxing Sect, which mentioned that opening the Wanxing Sect required specific spiritual power fluctuations to resonate with it.

Cheng Xi turned to look at Li Zhi'an, a determined light flickering in her eyes: "Zhi'an, I think I know how to close this stone gate. We need to channel our spiritual power into the compass at a specific rhythm, allowing the compass to emit fluctuations that resonate with the stone gate's Runes."

Li Zhi'an nodded slightly, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Cheng Xi; he gripped the compass with both hands, closed his eyes, and began to slowly channel the spiritual power within his body into the compass.

Their spiritual power was like a trickling stream, gathering on the compass, and the golden Runes on the compass shone ever more brilliantly. Cheng Xi silently calculated the rhythm of the Runes' flickering in her heart, then, following this rhythm, adjusted the output of spiritual power together with Li Zhi'an.

As the spiritual power was channeled in, the compass emitted a melodious humming sound; the sound echoed within the cave, gradually aligning with the rhythm of the flickering Runes on the stone gate.

That mysterious Silver Snow also seemed to be affected by the humming of the compass; their originally chaotic dance became orderly, and they swirled rapidly around the compass and the stone gate, forming a massive silver vortex.

Hearing the humming of the compass, Ye Wujin was startled; he realized that Cheng Xi and the others were attempting to stop him from opening the Wanxing Sect.

He charged at the stone gate even more crazily, black spiritual power condensing in his hands as he desperately attacked the silver Barrier surrounding the stone gate. Under his attacks, the silver Barrier rippled, but it remained indestructible.

Seeing Cheng Xi and Li Zhi'an working to close the stone gate, Jiang Zhongqiao and Yan Jishu also wanted to step forward to help. Ignoring the depletion of their own spiritual power, they each unleashed spells, attempting to weaken Ye Wujin's attacks and buy time for Cheng Xi and Li Zhi'an.

The disciples also began to take action; some treated their injured companions, while others stood guard for Cheng Xi and Li Zhi'an to prevent any sneak attacks from Ye Wujin.

Just as everyone was working in concert, the Runes on the stone gate suddenly shone with great intensity, and a power even more formidable than before surged out from the stone gate.

This power was like an invisible storm, sweeping everything around it into its wake. Ye Wujin was struck by this power; his body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, slamming heavily into the cave wall and vomiting another mouthful of blood.

Cheng Xi and Li Zhi'an were also impacted by this power; their connection of spiritual power was nearly severed, and the light of the compass dimmed significantly. They gritted their teeth, exerting all their strength to maintain the flow of spiritual power.

The light of the compass lit up once more, and it was even more dazzling than before. The humming sound emitted by the compass also became louder, reaching the peak of resonance with the stone gate's Runes.

At this moment, the silver vortex began to rotate slowly, moving toward the stone gate. The instant the vortex touched the stone gate, the light of the Runes on the stone gate gradually weakened, and the stone gate began to descend slowly.

Seeing that the stone gate was about to close, Ye Wujin struggled to stand up, using his final ounce of strength to lunge toward the stone gate.

However, just as he was about to touch the stone gate, it slammed shut with a boom, and a powerful shockwave sent him flying; he fell heavily to the ground, his breathing faint.

The cave fell silent instantly, save for the heavy breathing of the group. After the stone gate closed, that powerful aura vanished along with it, and the Silver Snow and Star Sand gradually dissipated. Everyone collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, yet their faces were filled with the joy of surviving a catastrophe.

Cheng Xi walked to Ye Wujin's side, looking at his dying state, her heart filled with mixed emotions: "Ye Wujin, your ambition has ultimately been shattered."

Ye Wujin looked at Cheng Xi, his eyes filled with resentment, but he was now too weak to speak. A moment later, his gaze gradually dimmed, and his life force dissipated completely.

Having dealt with Ye Wujin, the group began to clean up the aftermath. They gathered their injured companions together for treatment and recuperation.

Jiang Zhongqiao and Yan Jishu carefully checked everyone's injuries, providing them with Pills and healing spells. Cheng Xi and Li Zhi'an came before the Altar, studying the remaining Runes on it, attempting to figure out the secret behind all of this.

After some examination, they discovered that the Runes on the Altar were closely linked to the opening of the Wanxing Sect. It turned out that in order to open the Wanxing Sect, Ye Wujin had utilized a sealed Demon and the ancient Altar, attempting to break the balance between heaven and earth to obtain powerful strength. Fortunately, everyone had stopped him in time, otherwise the consequences would have been unthinkable.

In the depths of the cave, the group also discovered some ancient texts and Dharma Artifacts regarding the Wanxing Sect.

Everyone was overjoyed; in this way, they would have more certainty in controlling the Wanxing Sect.