Chapter 377

This cave is strange.

It appears sealed and dark, yet there is no scent of decay—even the air feels fresh, despite Li Yan holding a torch.

Li Yan mused, "I heard the Daoist say that some underground caves lie atop dragon veins, with openings above and underground rivers flowing beneath—both heaven's gate and earth's door open, called 'vital energy flow.'"

"No wonder the ancient Fuxi tribe lived here."

Lu San asked curiously, "Isn't Fuxi an ancient deity?"

Li Yan whispered, "Yan Yan Jiuling left a book documenting these things—I've also consulted Master Lin of the academy."

He drew an 'S' shape on the ground. "In ancient times, the Fuxi and Nüwa tribes formed an alliance—not merely two deities. Their symbols were birds and frogs, visible on ancient pottery, later evolving into sun, moon, dragon, and phoenix motifs."

"Among these tribal alliances were also the Baihuang, Eunuch, and Datian clans, who took turns as leaders."

"Oh."

Lu San frowned again. "Why did they live in caves?"

Li Yan raised his torch and gazed ahead. "The Fuxi and Nüwa tribes' shamans communicated with spirits and demons, comprehended the Great Dao, mastered yin-yang and the Eight Trigrams—finding these dragon vein nodes isn't surprising."

"At the time, Ezhou wasn't the main territory of the Fuxi and Nüwa tribes, and spirits and demons ran rampant, with countless savage beasts—perhaps the caves were safer…"

As he spoke, a stone chamber suddenly appeared before them.

The chamber was ancient, its walls covered in murals, with stone platforms and shattered pottery vessels, and wooden racks scattered with strange knives, all thickly coated in dust.

Li Yan picked up a long needle covered in verdigris and frowned. "Is this… ancient acupuncture equipment?"

He hesitated, then raised the torch toward the nearby murals.

The murals were equally ancient, depicting tiny figures kneeling before four chieftains, who sat cross-legged as mist rose from their heads, forming mountains, rivers, and monstrous beasts…

Soon, the four chieftains transformed into monsters.

One resembled a headless dog with four wings; another, a winged tiger; another, a sheep's body with a human face, its eyes growing under its armpits.

They alternated between monstrous forms, devouring people, and human forms, leading armies into battle, then bound and dismembered by chains…

Then another became a winged tiger—but already dead, placed upon a stone platform.

Two figures stood beside it: an elder wearing a tall ceremonial cap, and another wearing a small hat, clad in a feathered robe resembling a magpie…

"I understand!"

Li Yan suddenly realized. "No wonder the Tian Sheng Sect seeks this place!"

"The murals depict the Four Ancient Evils—Hundun, Qiongqi, Taowu, and Taotie—legend says they were the unworthy descendants of Di Hong, Shao Hao, Shenshen Zhuan Xu, and Jinyun clans, exiled by Emperor Shun."

"This must be where Chang Sang Jun lived in seclusion. The man beside him is his disciple Cai Bian Que—according to the murals, they captured a Qiongqi and dissected it."

"The Tian Sheng Sect's 'Tian Sheng Gong' is rumored to be the Qiongqi incarnate, and all its followers bear the Qiongqi tattoo on their chests."

Lu San frowned. "Is this 'Qiongqi' a transformation technique?"

Li Yan nodded gravely. "According to the murals, yes—and it's clearly linked to the Fuxi Ancient Cave."

He turned his gaze upward, where another cave lay, smaller, barely wide enough for one person to crawl through.

Strangely, the cave's entrance was carved with auspicious clouds and palace motifs, as if climbing through would lead to a celestial palace.

"Let's go—this must be the passage!"

Li Yan's gaze grew solemn as he glanced back at the murals.

In truth, he had not mentioned one thing.

According to Yan Yan Jiuling's book, the Shenzhou Xuanmen had two turning points: the Fengshen War, and the Great Flood.

In ancient times, shamanism ruled; the strongest were tribal chieftains, called 'Di.' After the Great Flood, no 'Di' remained in the mortal realm.

The so-called 'Four Evils' were all descendants of ancient 'Dis'—likely tied to power struggles between tribes.

Perhaps they were also secret shamanic techniques from that savage age.

After all, many myths record that numerous 'Dis' transformed into monstrous or divine beasts.

What secrets does the Fuxi Ancient Cave hide?

All these mysteries deepened Li Yan's curiosity.

The celestial palace cave was narrow, its walls smooth and slanting upward—Li Yan could only extinguish his torch and crawl inside.

Wu Ba, the largest among them, was especially cramped.

Without torchlight, darkness swallowed everything; the confined space would terrify anyone with claustrophobia into a fatal panic.

The cave itself was strange—its walls unnaturally smooth, as if eroded by some colossal worm, winding up and down.

Even Li Yan had lost his sense of direction.

After crawling for about two incense sticks, Li Yan suddenly brightened and whispered, "Shh—stop. I hear sounds."

He muttered a spell, flicking his little finger.

Whoosh!

A straw spirit paper doll shot from his waist pouch, landed, and raced swiftly through the cave, vanishing in moments.

Li Yan closed his eyes, his vision following the doll's movement.

Twenty paces ahead lay the cave's exit.

Beyond the cave, the view opened into a vast mountain gorge, as if the underground rock had been violently split apart—at least twenty stories high.

Below, the roar of water echoed—the underground river. So violent was its flow that it churned mist and currents.

Along both walls of the gorge were countless caves, simple and ancient, with no elaborate decorations.

Between each level, steps carved into the steep rock faces connected countless rope-and-wood bridges linking the two cliffs.

Good heavens!

Li Yan stared, dumbfounded.

He had assumed the Fuxi Ancient Cave was merely a cave system, a refuge for ancient folk.

He never imagined such a massive undertaking.

And this place was strange—some taboo seemed to be in place: Lu San could not summon animals, nor could the Two Goddesses of Han River guide his spirit here.

"Ha! Found another one!"

Suddenly, a rough voice echoed from afar.

Then came the voice of the Tusi princess Tan Tan Yuner: "Set the array—don't let them escape! Capture them all and turn them into yin puppets!"

Li Yan's heart stirred—he guided the straw spirit doll up the cliff wall, soon spotting distant flames.

At the lowest level of the ruins, flickering torchlight danced.

Along both banks of the underground river, broad stone platforms had been built, with larger caves carved out, towering stone pillars rising, even carved with patterns—like temples.

Every hundred meters or so, stone piers connected massive waterwheels.

Most waterwheels were ruined, reduced to wooden frames, but some still turned, forged from pitch-black mystical wood, driven by underground currents, rumbling as they spun.

On one platform, over a dozen firepots burned, and nearly a hundred people labored.

Tan Tan Yuner and others drove wooden stakes, tied red ropes, and encircled a temple—clearly setting up an array.

Others stood beside the stone piers.

Thick chains hung from the piers, thrashing violently in the water—as if bound to something.

Nearby, on another platform, crouched a massive toad, its tentacles slowly twisting—none other than the Old Ancestor of Donghu. Splash!

The underground river surged—out burst a colossal tuolong, a metal ring around its neck.

It's Tu Shi!

Li Yan's eyes lit up—he exhaled in relief.

But then he frowned.

Tu Shi's condition was clearly wrong.

Above his head floated a massive bronze coffin, from which thick black hair poured, wrapping his head completely.

Tu Shi's eyes had turned white, as if veiled by a milky film.

Tu Shi was bewitched!

That bronze coffin—if he guessed right—was the same as the ghost sect demon they'd slain in Zigui County, who practiced the Water God Immortality Art.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Tu Shi trudged forward, his sharp claws gripping the cliffside as he climbed upward. At the shore, he opened his mouth.

The demons beside him stepped forward, carefully extracting from his mouth an object—a jade cong half a man's height tall.

Leading the demons was a Daoist, clad in black robes, his face bluish-green, his crown coiled with a venomous serpent.

!.

"Too slow!"

He sounded impatient, turning to Tan Tan Yuner. "Friend, I counted—we need eighteen total. We've found only ten after so many days. Make the giant toad move!"

Tan Tan Yuner glanced at him coldly, sneering. "Who are you to command me?"

The Daoist's face darkened, but he dared not retaliate. "Master Huang Six had promised—this place is under my charge. If I spoke disrespectfully, I beg your pardon, Princess."

"Hahaha…"

Tan Tan Yuner laughed seductively. "Yu Yu Faling, don't overestimate yourself. Your master swore he could handle that boy and reveal this place's secrets—that's why Elder Huang granted you and your master face. Now your master is dead, you've drawn that boy and imperial naval forces—what right do you have to lead this?"

"Your master is already dead, and you've brought that boy and the imperial navy—what right do you have to preside over this?"

The Daoist was furious, yet his voice weakened. "The situation is urgent—Princess, what should we do?"

Tan Tan Yuner nodded, satisfied, then took a hand drum from her waist and struck it twice. The Old Ancestor of Donghu let out a pained shriek.

Tan Tan Yuner nodded in satisfaction, then drew a hand drum from her waist, struck it twice, and the Old Ancestor of East Lake let out a agonized scream.

Tan Tan Yuner spoke bluntly. "You heard me? Don't make the Princess suffer—jump down and find it yourself."

Tan Tan Yuner spoke without ceremony: "Did you hear that? Don't make this princess have trouble—jump down and find it yourself."

Humiliated like this, the Old Ancestor of East Lake's eyes flared with bloodlight again, and instantly, gales howled around him, dark qi spreading thickly.

"Hmph!"

Tan Tan Yuner sneered: "You stupid, death-seeking toad—still putting on airs? If the Black Water True King of my Tusi City had come along on this trip, where would you be?"

"Be sensible, or I'll make you suffer."

Saying this, she picked up her hand drum again.

As if hearing the name "Black Water True King," the Old Ancestor of East Lake's bloodlight vanished swiftly—he leapt up with a thunderous crash and plunged into the water.

The controlled crocodile master, too, showed no awareness, turning back and leaping into the water.

"Princess, we've caught him!"

At that moment, shouts erupted from the side.

From within the temple, countless tiny black dots poured out—every one of them the "Jing people" they had seen upon entering the mountain.

The demons beside them pulled out enormous sacks and stuffed all the "Jing people" inside.

On the high stone walls, the straw-and-paper effigies vanished silently, turning to ash.

Li Yan awoke and described what he had seen below.

Lu San frowned: "Aren't they searching for Wang Chan's Hidden Scripture Grove? Why are they hauling up those jade cong?"

"I don't know."

Li Yan said grimly: "This Fuxi Ancient Cave is strange—but no matter what they're after, we must stop them."

"They're numerous and have experts among them—we can't fight head-on. First, we find a way to rescue the crocodile master. I'll go under the water, look for a chance to break his bindings. You two create a distraction to cover me."

"Done!" Lu San agreed without hesitation.

The two continued climbing, reaching near the cave entrance.

After leaping out, Li Yan immediately slipped into a nearby cave.

The interior was simple: just a stone bed and stone stove.

In the corner stood clay jars of various sizes, clearly marked with 's'-shaped lines and frog-bird patterns; wooden tools hung on the walls; the bed was covered in straw, now rotted black and thickly coated in dust.

On the stove, the clay pot still held a black, hardened substance—clearly still being simmered.

Was this really the dwelling of ancient ancestors?

No time to ponder further—Li Yan immediately formed the hand seals and chanted: "Nuo Gao! Heavenly Primordial Great Simplicity, essence of Ren and Gui..."

Hss~

Around him, cold winds howled; he was swiftly wrapped in mist, his form fading in and out, using the darkness to slip toward the bottom.

Along the way, Li Yan saw more.

This was a complete tribal settlement—not only granaries for storing grain, but even a blacksmith's forge and animal pens.

The deeper they went, the larger the caves became, the more luxurious their contents—jade artifacts appeared, along with carpets woven from animal pelts.

Many caves held clay pots simmering food; everywhere was in disarray, and occasionally, rotted skeletons could be seen.

Clearly, the Fuxi tribe had fled in haste.

What exactly had happened back then?

Li Yan's mind grew heavier with questions.

Had some disaster once struck here?

Finally, he reached the lowest level.

As he had seen before, below lay nothing but temples for sacrifice—square earthen platforms, stone pillars carved with patterns, inlaid with numerous jade pieces.

In that ancient age, jade was used for worship; such large-scale use was exceedingly rare.

Stranger still: none of the jade artifacts contained any gangsha qi—they may once have been treasures, but now were mere mundane objects.

And atop the temple's earthen platform lay a depression.

Seeing it, Li Yan instantly understood.

There were roughly eighteen temples, lined along both banks of the ruins. These people had been hauling up massive jade cong—they must have intended to activate something.

Realizing this, Li Yan felt a dread rising—he hesitated not a moment, slipping into the water from the farthest point from those people.

Above, Lu San and Wu Ba also quietly emerged from the cave.

"Wu~wu~"

Just as they prepared to descend, a whimper came from behind—it was the little white fox.

"Don't cause trouble..."

Lu San's head throbbed—he turned quickly to scold, but froze.

In the little white fox's mouth was a tiny figure, face twisted in panic, flailing its arms and legs...

(End of Chapter)