Chapter 56: Exploration

Li Tongya went and returned, holding a bleating little white lamb, and went up Meichi Mountain. At this moment, the sky had darkened. The two nodded, and Li Tongya threw the little lamb in his hand into the cave.

"Baa... baa."

The sheep bleated for a while, trembling and wanting to walk out.

"Go!"

Li Xiangping forcibly turned it around and whipped the sheep's buttocks with a branch. Only then did the sheep bleat loudly and enter the depths.

The few waited for a while, listening to the sheep still bleating, and then looked at each other, cautiously entering the cave.

The tunnel could accommodate two people walking side by side. The air was quite fresh, but it was a bit dim. As they approached the depths step by step, the concentration of spiritual energy began to climb.

Just after entering the cave, they saw a spacious hall. The surrounding stone walls were all chiseled bluestone, and night-luminescent pearls were suspended on the top, providing a little faint light, just enough to see the things in the cave. The spiritual energy in the air was thick and comfortable, making people sigh in admiration, wishing they could stop immediately to breathe and practice.

A few pale golden formation patterns were drawn on the ground, and in the very center was a small opening, puffing out spiritual energy. On the side were cushions, and a few cyan stone shelves were empty, covered with dust.

Li Xiangping looked around, only seeing a stone table and a few cyan jade stools. They were empty, and there was nothing on them, so he couldn't help but be disappointed:

"This cave is cleaned so cleanly, as if it had been ransacked."

It was the walls that still had three stone doors. The sheep pushed one open, and Li Tongya let the sheep enter first as usual, and then he and Li Xiangping entered the first stone door on tiptoe.

The space inside the door was quite spacious, and there were moon-luminescent pearls hanging on the top. A few stone shelves were placed, also empty. The two searched carefully for a long time, and except for dust, there were a few piles of black ash that had rotted into nothing.

Li Tongya and Li Xiangping looked at each other, speechless, and had to walk toward the next stone door.

"This cave is empty. I'm afraid it's not the remains of any predecessor. I'm afraid it has been abandoned."

Li Xiangping nodded, looked at the open second stone door, and said softly:

"Not bad. Even if the owner died outside the cave, there should be some leftover supplies in the cave. It was cleaned so cleanly here, I'm afraid the owner had long been prepared to leave, so they packed the jade slips and elixirs into the storage bag."

Behind the second stone door were seven or eight stone platforms, on which were placed a few white jade bottles. The two checked the jade bottles one by one. Either the elixirs inside had lost their spiritual energy and medicinal properties, or they were simply empty, with nothing left.

There were still a few piles of black ash on the stone platforms, which could no longer see what they once looked like. On the middle stone platform was a hexagonal jade plate covered with formation symbols, which was now broken into pieces. Cyan-white jade fragments were scattered all over the floor. Li Xiangping picked up a piece with his hand, and it was still slightly hot.

The two couldn't laugh or cry, so Li Tongya and the other had to retreat.

"That jade plate is quite like the formation plate that Wan Yuankai mentioned on the road."

Looking at Li Xiangping's confused eyes, Li Tongya explained:

"Formation flags and formation plates can both set up formations. Unlike formation flags that rely entirely on formation cultivation and formation diagrams to set up formations, formation plates can only set up one kind of formation. Whatever formation diagram is engraved on it is what it is, and it is relatively rigid. Fortunately, it does not require too high formation cultivation, just know how to adjust the input spiritual energy."

"Once the formation is broken, the formation plate immediately shatters into a pile of debris, while the formation set up by formation flags can be set up again as long as the formation flags are intact."

"So that's how it is. This formation plate should be the guardian formation at the entrance. We used the Supreme Yin Profound Light to break the formation, so the formation plate naturally shattered into pieces."

Li Xiangping nodded, returned to the hall with Li Tongya, and watched Li Tongya cautiously let the lamb enter the third stone room before entering together.

Inside the stone door was a stone bed. The cushion on top had rotted into nothing. There was a small jade bottle at the head of the bed. Li Xiangping opened the bottle mouth lightly, and except for a wisp of elixir fragrance, there was nothing left.

Li Tongya had sharp eyes and found a slender cyan jade bottle and a piece of white cloth with a special material and full of small characters on the couch. Only then did the two let out a sigh of relief, and Li Xiangping immediately smiled:

"At least it's not a total loss."

"Not necessarily."

Li Tongya shook his head and replied:

"Just this cave, the gathering formation in the center of the cave, and that small hole puffing out spiritual energy are already huge gains. We didn't fall into any traps or get hurt, and we got such benefits, and got such a cave where the spiritual energy is almost 40% higher than the outside world. We should be content."

Li Xiangping nodded and leaned over to look at the white cloth and slender cyan jade bottle in Li Tongya's hand.

Li Tongya first spread out the cloth and read it carefully:

"Chi Wei bows: That person has arrived at Moon-Watching Lake. The sect has already sent people to surround and block him. Please, Fellow Daoist, take action quickly. The Fierce Fire Ascending Yang Technique you need has been delivered. After this matter is concluded, the Spirit Jade Fire Crystal will be personally offered to the cave."

"That person is powerful, be very vigilant, and don't hold back. If you encounter that person by surprise, please fly toward the direction of my Green Pool Sect and notify us quickly."

The two finished reading this confusing paragraph, and naturally, they were completely in the dark, not having obtained any useful information, so they had to put away the white cloth and look at the slender cyan jade bottle in their hands.

Li Xiangping shook the cyan jade bottle, seeing that the bottle body was warm, and it seemed empty inside, so he carefully unscrewed the stopper, but nothing poured out.

Li Tongya's spiritual sense turned on the bottle body, and he immediately blurted out:

"This is a magic tool!"

Then he frowned, studied it for a while, used his spiritual sense to probe the inside of the bottle, and said uncertainly:

"It seems to be a special storage magic tool, containing a kind of spiritual energy as hot as fire."

"No wonder I couldn't pour it out."

Li Xiangping nodded and asked in confusion:

"Could it be the heaven and earth spiritual energy for the Embryonic Breath breakthrough to Qi Refining?"

"In any case, we can't use it now, so let's store it well first."

Li Tongya tucked the cyan jade bottle into his arms, and he and Li Xiangping carefully checked every corner of the cave. Only then did the two lead the lamb out of the cave.

Li Yesheng was leading the Jingyang Village villagers to ram the foundation by the hillside, not daring to approach the cave entrance. Seeing Li Tongya and Li Xiangping come out, he immediately let out a sigh of relief and smiled:

"I saw this cave entrance early in the morning, and even sent someone to Lijing Mountain to invite the two brothers, but I didn't expect to miss them."

Li Xiangping handed the lamb to Li Yesheng and chatted with Li Yesheng about the construction arrangements on the mountain, then returned to Lijing Mountain with Li Tongya first.

"The spiritual energy in that cave is abundant, surpassing Lijing Mountain by several percent. We must send someone to guard it."

Li Xiangping talked to Li Tongya in a low voice while walking.

"Not bad."

Li Tongya nodded and said:

"Let that Li Qiuyang come back. Meichi Mountain will be watched by me and Xuanxuan together. This child's cultivation environment will be better, and he will be able to go further in the future." ===== CHAPTER 57 =====