Chapter 924: Right Before My Eyes

Pan Yun followed Master Xuanmiao into a cave, pressing her chest to suppress her fear: "Thankfully I was prepared—if not, I'd have been smashed into pulp."

"If you can't even get through the cave entrance, it's better to die outside than in—at least someone can collect your corpse."

Pan Yun rubbed her nose, glancing curiously around and finding it was merely a large cavern, its depths dark and without visible edges.

She felt a chill rising from beneath her feet, swiftly climbing up her spine, making her feel as if thorns pricked her back.

Pan Yun stopped joking, swallowed hard, and pressed tightly against her senior sister.

Master Xuanmiao also tensed her spine, but she had been here before and was more experienced than Pan Yun.

She walked straight ahead, stopped after nine steps, and Pan Yun, lost in thought, reached out and touched the air—indeed, a barrier blocked her path; her touch sent wave after wave rippling outward.

Pan Yun could sense it was a powerful array—she couldn't break it, and even her current explosives would struggle to do so.

So neither could whatever lay inside.

Master Xuanmiao pressed the token against the barrier, formed hand seals, murmured a spell, and a golden light leaked from the token; upon touching the barrier, the water-like surface rippled and parted, allowing Master Xuanmiao to grab Pan Yun and dash through—the array sealed shut behind them, the token piercing through and returning to Master Xuanmiao's hand.

Master Xuanmiao held the token in one hand and pulled Pan Yun with the other, walking deeper into the blackness.

"It's locked inside?"

"No."

Master Xuanmiao pulled her for a long time; Pan Yun thought they were circling in place until she stepped on a tiny pebble, lifted her foot—and the pebble rolled gently forward.

Pan Yun fell into thought, focusing intently, and realized they had been descending all along—only the slope was so slight, and the darkness gave her the illusion she was walking straight ahead.

Here, they could not use Yuan power; spiritual energy was cut off—but she could still sense pressure, the humidity, the scent in the air…

Through these, a map slowly formed in her mind; after walking nearly another quarter-hour, Pan Yun felt she understood enough.

The air here was thick with moisture, yet carried a sense of agitation—contradictory. Most importantly, every step now felt excruciating, as if a thousand jin heavy weight pressed on her shoulders.

Master Xuanmiao's face was pale, yet each step was steadier and lighter than Pan Yun's.

Pan Yun couldn't help turning to look at her.

Without speaking, Master Xuanmiao knew what she was thinking: "I was locked in the outer cave for nine days. When I was first thrown in, I could barely move a finger. They all expected me to be crushed, my bones broken, my flesh seeping into the rock, dying here so they could dispose of my corpse easily—just toss me into the grotto, and it would devour me clean, leaving not a trace."

Pan Yun's mouth opened slightly; she hadn't thought the Zhang family could go this far.

But Master Xuanmiao's expression remained cold, untroubled by the memory: "I lay in the outer cave for three days before I finally reached a steamed bun, able to chew it. By the ninth day, when they came to retrieve me, I could walk to the cave's edge and climb into the basket myself."

"Though my cultivation is inferior to yours, I've been in this cave five times—this is the sixth. I'm more accustomed to the pressure than you."

Pan Yun pondered: "So that's why you're so tough, so resilient—this cave's pressure training helped a great deal."

Her eyes sparkled: "Then if I want to be like you, is it enough to come here often?"

Master Xuanmiao gazed at her silently, then said: "You can try."

Another barrier loomed ahead; Master Xuanmiao pressed the token against it, formed hand seals, and opened the barrier.

The two entered one after the other; the pressure slammed down, nearly forcing Pan Yun and Master Xuanmiao to their knees.

Pan Yun strained to look ahead and saw a colossal creature lying before them, its body pierced through by chains, curled against the cavern wall, eyes tightly shut, snoring deeply.

Cultivators, unless afflicted, could see in darkness—so though the cave was black, Pan Yun could still make out the creature's shape.

Pan Yun murmured: "What is this? It looks a bit like a wolf—but its body doesn't match…"

"It bears the markings of a Taotie," Master Xuanmiao said. "It was captured by the Zhang family in the eighth year of Hongwu, with the entire martial world's strength gathered to set a trap on the grasslands. In that single battle, the Zhang family lost twelve disciples; all cultivation sects, including Buddhist ones, suffered a total loss of forty-two. The lowest cultivator among them was a First Marquis; the highest was a Third Marquis."

Pan Yun's mouth gaped open.

"After that battle, every elder who fought sustained hidden injuries, and within twenty years, they all passed away—among them, the Great Master Yuanhui of the Guardian Temple, and our Zhang family's First True Person."

Master Xuanmiao spoke gravely: "Over those twenty years, the Celestial Master's Mansion led cultivators in sealing thirteen demons and saving hundreds of thousands of civilians. After Hongwu, the cultivation world withered—nearly all elders above the Third Marquis level perished; those still alive withdrew into seclusion, rarely appearing in the world."

"I brought you here to show you how hard it is to seal them. The Zhang family's ancestral duty is to guard them, preventing their return to harm the mortal realm," Master Xuanmiao said. "Since you've become State Advisor and taken up the Dragon Map, you must shoulder this responsibility. If one day it gains the potential to break free, you must die to reseal it here."

"During this Zhang family infighting, do you think Zhang Liuzhen could have so easily suppressed Zhang Zhengchang and his descendants? Remember, Zhang Zhengchang held power over Xitang; because Zhang Liuzhen's Upper Dantian was shattered, nearly a third of Dongbi sided with Zhang Liuyuan. Of the rest, half remained观望; only Zhang Ziwang and a few others firmly supported Zhang Liuzhen."

"Even if the Crown Prince is the rightful heir, his legs are crippled, his life short, and he has no heir—any minister would hesitate before backing him," Master Xuanmiao said. "Yet in our final counterstroke, we gained the upper hand because Zhang Liuyuan attacked the Imperial Academy while they were focused on reinforcing the array."

Pan Yun pondered: "That's like the imperial army pouring all its strength to repel a Xiongnu invasion—only for a prince, in his bid for succession, to betray the army from behind, nearly letting the Xiongnu break through and conquer the nation."

Master Xuanmiao: "So when Zhang Zhengchang and Zhang Liuyuan led their forces to besiege the main courtyard, I could force those who once followed them to stand by, refusing to intervene—and that's how I gained enough manpower to counterattack Zhang Zhengchang."

Master Xuanmiao spoke with deep meaning: "Sister, if you want to hold the position of State Advisor long and securely, some lines must never be crossed."

Pan Yun immediately said: "Sister, what are you thinking? I naturally place the realm's welfare above all."

Master Xuanmiao nodded: "I hope you remember your words today."

The great beast exhaled a puff of air from its nose, rolled over, lifted its eyelids slightly, and spoke in human voice: "You humans are growing increasingly disrespectful toward me—educating your disciples right before my face? That's a grave insult."