Chapter 68: Nine Twists and Turns Cave

Not long after, Wang Zhenqiu and the others successfully dealt with the group inside the cave.

After regrouping, Zhang Chulan revealed his discovery, and everyone suddenly realized, each filled with shock.

Without hesitation, they all unleashed their techniques and rushed toward the cave they had just left.

But when they returned to the cave, Lin Yu was already gone—only Baron sat quietly on the ground.

Xia Liuqing glared at Baron: “Foreigner, did you let him escape?!”

“Let him escape?”

Baron glanced at him with a self-deprecating tone: “Do I even have the right to let him go?”

The others froze. Wang Zhenqiu frowned, scanning the surrounding rock walls—he found not a single trace of struggle.

This was more terrifying than a chaotic scene, for it meant Baron had been utterly powerless before that man!

Wang Zhenqiu’s heart sank.

Xia Liuqing and the others also noticed this, their faces darkening.

Baron stood up calmly: “Don’t worry. As the cockroach girl said, he meant no harm—he only had a few questions he wanted answered.”

“As for what those questions were, that’s my personal privacy—I can’t tell you yet…”

Here he paused, looking at them with mild confusion.

“Why are only you here? Where’s Zhang Chulan?”

What?!

Wang Zhenqiu’s pupils contracted—he spun around instantly, and sure enough, Zhang Chulan was nowhere to be seen.

…Damn, we were so focused on that mysterious youth, we forgot about this guy!

Wang Zhenqiu gritted his teeth, a rare look of frustration crossing his face.

From the start, he’d suspected Zhang Chulan’s motives weren’t pure—he just hadn’t understood why.

Now it was clear: his guess was right. Zhang Chulan was willing to risk everything to act alone, meaning what he wanted was almost certainly among Wu Gensheng’s treasures!

Thinking this, Wang Zhenqiu bolted forward, ignoring the stunned stares around him as he raced out of the cave.

…

…

According to the structure of the Twenty-Four Junctions of Heaven’s Valley, after passing through the Three Cart Power Valley lies the cave named “What Is a Human?”

If that long, narrow valley symbolized the human spine, then this cave was the skull connected to it.

At the cave’s focal point—the Baihui acupoint of the skull—stood a temple-like platform.

After obtaining the Six Storehouse Immortal Thieves, Lin Yu took He Jingfeng through the chaotic battlefield and arrived here in silence.

Climbing the stone steps to the platform, Lin Yu stopped and stared at the two sunken footprints before him: “You’ve seen the plot—open the door yourself.”

“Alright.”

He Jingfeng nodded, then squatted down, channeling Qi to his fingertips and pressing each one onto the Yongquan acupoint of the footprints.

Instantly, a thunderous rumble shook the ground—the central stone slab sank, revealing a massive Taiji pattern.

Then the two Yin-Yang fish of the Taiji moved, slowly opening like stone doors to expose a hidden passage beneath, lined with a spiral stone staircase.

Beneath these steps lay the legacy left by Ziyang Zhenren Zhang Boduan in the Twenty-Four Junctions!

Back then, Wu Gensheng solved this riddle but told no one—only gave Jin Feng two hints.

The first hint was the cave’s name: “What Is a Human?” The second was a single, simple character: “Sincerity.”

From the name “What Is a Human?” and the valley-cave structure resembling spine and skull, one could deduce the Twenty-Four Junctions taught living beings how to be human.

The monkey, whose Du Mai had been opened by the Three Cart Power Valley, gradually stood upright—this showed Ziyang Zhenren’s definition of a human required standing tall and firm.

But standing tall and firm wasn’t enough—the cultivator also needed sincerity.

Sincerity means faithfulness—it is the Way of Heaven. Heaven’s Way is the universe’s unyielding law, allowing no compromise. Humans must follow Heaven and Earth with absolute fidelity, leaving no room for shortcuts.

Thus, the reclining valley and the cave were not true “standing tall and firm.”

The two unremarkable footprints on the platform were the true key to this riddle.

“Boom… boom… boom…”

Amidst the rolling thunder, the Taiji Yin-Yang fish fully opened.

Lin Yu stepped forward, leading He Jingfeng into the passage and descending the spiral staircase to its bottom.

Here lay a square stone chamber, its entrance carved with the four characters: “The Human Body Is Rare”—the script unmistakably Ziyang Zhenren’s.

Lin Yu entered the chamber, and before him stretched a vast cavern.

The walls were covered in countless tiny characters, some erased, the remaining fragments scattered—impossible to reconstruct.

“Wu Gensheng, you truly are no son of man!”

Lin Yu glared at the erased characters, teeth gritted: “He thought Ziyang Zhenren was a bad teacher, so he arbitrarily altered the valley and wiped out the legacy left behind!”

“Yet he didn’t realize—the external qi formation here was so powerful, it had already rigorously filtered all who entered.”

“Any cultivator who made it through the Twenty-Four Junctions was deeply accomplished, with profound understanding of numerology.”

“Ziyang Zhenren was simply seeking worthy successors to his Dao. It was you, the lawless leader of Quanxing, exploiting the uniqueness of the Divine Spirit to brute-force the correct path—only then did ordinary outsiders gain access to the Twenty-Four Junctions!”

Lin Yu grew angrier as he spoke, finally lashing out—his consciousness swept across the wall, erasing the five characters Wu Gensheng had carved to accuse Ziyang Zhenren of being a bad teacher: “Nine Twists and Turns Cave.”

As his consciousness brushed the wall, Lin Yu suddenly sensed something still remained.

He stirred his mind, touched the wall—and immediately received a clear, distinct spiritual force signal.

“The human body is rare; time slips away. Who can fathom life’s span? How to escape karmic retribution…”

“Those who refine the Golden Elixir and Return-to-Origin Pill must find it hard to encounter but easy to complete—they must thoroughly comprehend Yin-Yang and deeply penetrate Creation…”

Lin Yu’s eyes lit up: “Is this Ziyang Zhenren’s Awakening to the True?”

I knew it!

As a being in the One Below the Heaven world who might be an immortal, Ziyang Zhenren’s legacy could never be so easily destroyed.

Though the characters on the wall were gone, their spiritual essence remained—still a valuable gain!

Lin Yu’s anger vanished, replaced by a cheerful smile as he accepted the Awakening to the True.

Seeing this, He Jingfeng’s lips twitched—he knew Lin Da wasn’t defending Ziyang Zhenren; he was just furious that Wu Gensheng had erased the legacy!

At that moment, hurried footsteps echoed from above the staircase.

Lin Yu had already obtained what he wanted most—he turned without hesitation, smiling:

“Let’s go, Xiao He. Let’s meet Zhang Chulan…”

…

…

Meanwhile, Zhang Chulan broke away from the group and arrived at the platform first.

According to the map provided by Granny Jin Feng, this was where Wu Gensheng’s treasures were hidden.

“If my earlier guess was correct, Wu Gensheng’s treasures were already taken by the person behind the scenes—but even so, they still assembled this team and deliberately arrived at the valley on the same day as us.”

“This means they had another goal besides Wu Gensheng’s treasures…”

To test this theory, Zhang Chulan risked angering everyone—while the others searched for Baron, he slipped alone to this platform.

But… why was there nothing here?

No—not nothing. Someone had beaten him to it!

Zhang Chulan’s expression turned grim, his gaze locked on the hidden passage entrance.

The next moment, slow, steady footsteps emerged from the passage.

Two figures ascended the stairs and appeared before Zhang Chulan.

“You?!”

Seeing that familiar face, Zhang Chulan’s heart sank.

Lin Yu smiled faintly, feigning ignorance: “Zhang Chulan, what are you looking for?”

Before Zhang Chulan could answer, Lin Yu pulled out a painting, smirking: “This one?”

“….”

Zhang Chulan’s pupils contracted—he stared fixedly at the aged oil painting.

It clearly depicted a smiling little girl with delicate features, clear eyes, dressed in Republican-era clothing, her hair braided into a thick plait…

From any angle, she looked like a miniature version of Feng Baobao!

Lin Yu admired the painting, murmuring in wonder: “I may not like Wu Gensheng, but I must admit—he was a gifted cultivator. Even Western oil painting, which only recently arrived, he mastered to this level!”

He looked at Zhang Chulan and smiled: “The little girl in this painting… is she Feng Baobao, the one beside you?”

(End of Chapter)