Chapter 498: Cave Dwelling Secrets, the Mysterious Third Party

He stepped forward, placed his palm against the stone door, and attempted to use the energy within his body to perceive the operational trajectory of the Array. A moment later, Lin Xuan's brow relaxed; he had already understood the method of opening it—this Array required someone who possessed both the bloodline of Taijizi and the power of the three great origins to circulate their energy according to a specific trajectory in order to activate it.

Lin Xuan sat cross-legged and began to adjust the Three-Origin Power within his body. The Primordial Cold flowed like a tide, the Chaos Flame leaped like tongues of fire, and the Light of Lun Hui wove through like silver threads. The three types of power circulated slowly according to the trajectory that had emerged in his mind—a complex triple-helix structure.

As the Three-Origin Power circulated together to a certain critical point, Lin Xuan formed an ancient and complex seal with his hands—"Taiji Opening the Heavens."

"In the name of my ancestor Taijizi, by the power of the Three-Origin resonance, open!"

The Taiji Pattern on the stone door suddenly burst forth with dazzling three-colored light, and with a boom, it slowly opened to both sides. A wave of ancient and pure energy surged out from within the door, causing one's spirit to tremble.

Lin Xuan carried Muerxiu on his back and stepped into the cave dwelling. The scene before him surprised him greatly—the interior space of the cave was unexpectedly vast, as if it were an independent small world. Overhead were points of light simulating a starry sky, and beneath his feet was a flat, smooth bluestone floor. In the center was a massive Taiji Pattern about ten zhang in diameter, with three-colored radiance—ice blue, fire red, and silver white—circulating within it incessantly, breathing and pulsing like a living thing.

"I never expected that Taijizi would have left behind such a blessed land of caves," Lin Xuan sighed, carefully placing Muerxiu onto a stone bed.

This stone bed was located at the black fish-eye position of the Taiji Pattern, seemingly designed specifically for housing the wounded. After Lin Xuan placed Muerxiu upon it, a gentle silver light automatically emerged, enveloping his entire body and stabilizing the chaotic energy within him.

Confirming that Muerxiu was temporarily out of danger, Lin Xuan began to explore this mysterious space. Various functional areas were distributed around the cave dwelling—there were herb gardens, alchemy furnaces, weapon racks, a Library Pavilion, and more, all fully equipped. Although a thousand years had passed, they remained well-preserved, showing just how profound the cultivation of the person who arranged this place must have been.

Lin Xuan was drawn to a particular space. In the deepest part of the cave dwelling, there was a massive stone wall, entirely milky white in color, covered in dense, ancient characters and complex patterns. In front of the stone wall was a small Taiji Array, clearly prepared specifically for practitioners.

Moving closer to look, Lin Xuan discovered that these ancient characters recorded a profound cultivation technique called the "Taiji Three-Origin Resonance Method," created specifically for coordinating the power of the three great origins.

"The Taiji Three-Origin Resonance Method is the supreme mystery of the Balance Path," Lin Xuan read softly. "With the Three Origins working in unison, generating and restraining one another in an endless cycle, only then can one reach the realm of the unity of heaven and man..."

Lin Xuan sat cross-legged in the Taiji Array and began to practice according to the guidance on the stone wall. This technique was exquisite and peerless; it did not simply stack the three types of power, but rather allowed them to resonate at a specific frequency, forming an entirely new state of energy.

As Lin Xuan practiced, the Three-Origin Power within his body gradually shifted from mutual repulsion to harmonious resonance. An unprecedented sense of clarity surged into his heart, as if his entire perception had been infinitely expanded, allowing him to simultaneously sense the void and the reality of the universe, the past and the future.

Just as Lin Xuan was concentrating on his practice, a disturbance suddenly came from behind him. He turned his head in alarm, only to see that Muerxiu had awakened at some point and was standing unsteadily beside the stone bed, but his eyes were vacant, as if controlled by some force.

"Third Party... betrayal... truth..." Muerxiu repeated these fragmented words over and over, his voice hoarse and eerie.

Lin Xuan quickly stood up and walked to Muerxiu: "Muerxiu, can you hear me?"

Muerxiu did not respond directly, only muttering to himself: "They were all deceived... Taijizi was also deceived... The Third Party... hiding in the shadows..."

Lin Xuan's brow furrowed, and he decided to try using the Three-Origin Resonance Method he had just learned to help Muerxiu purify the chaotic Light of Lun Hui within his body. He gently placed his palm against Muerxiu's chest, guiding his own Three-Origin Power to form a special resonance field that seeped into Muerxiu's body.

"By the Three-Origin Power, purify the evil, restore my true self."

As Lin Xuan chanted the incantation, a stream of pure three-colored energy flowed into Muerxiu's body. Unexpectedly, Lin Xuan's consciousness touched upon fragments of Muerxiu's memories during this process, seeing a shocking scene:

In the ancient era, at the peak of a mountain shrouded in clouds and mist, three figures stood facing each other from afar. On the left was a tall man radiating vitality, clearly the legendary Nature God Monarch; on the right was a mysterious existence wreathed in the aura of nothingness, none other than the Void Sovereign.

However, what shocked Lin Xuan was that a third mysterious existence stood between the two! He was entirely gray-white, his face blurred, and he radiated a strange aura that belonged to neither the void nor Nature.

The memory scene continued to flow; Taijizi was seen holding the Taiji Disk, attempting to reconcile the powers of the Void Sovereign and the Nature God Monarch. At the critical moment, that mysterious Third Party suddenly struck, and a gray-white energy silently interfered with Taijizi's fusion process, leading to ultimate failure!

What shocked Lin Xuan even more was that the moment the mysterious existence turned his head, his blurred face vaguely overlapped with a familiar figure from the contemporary era. That temperament, those eyes... Lin Xuan was almost about to recognize who it was, but at this critical moment, the power within Muerxiu suddenly erupted.

"Ah—!" Muerxiu let out a shrill scream, and a strange black-purple energy shot up from within him, straight to the ceiling of the cave, triggering a violent tremor throughout the entire dwelling.

At the same time, an incredible scene occurred—the stone wall recording the "Taiji Three-Origin Resonance Method" was struck by the energy, and the characters and patterns on the surface dissipated like an illusion, revealing a second part of the content hidden underneath!

These newly revealed contents were even more profound and difficult to understand, appearing to be an advanced section of the "Taiji Three-Origin Resonance Method." At the very top were seven ancient characters: "Three-Origin Returning to One, Taiji Eternal."

Lin Xuan had no time to examine this new content closely and rushed to help the struggling, pained Muerxiu. However, just as he touched him, Muerxiu's eyes suddenly regained clarity; he grabbed Lin Xuan's arm tightly and used his last bit of strength to say:

"Be careful... he has always been in the shadows... manipulating everything... even the Nature God Monarch and the Void Sovereign... are his pawns..."

Before he could finish his words, Muerxiu fell unconscious again, but this time, his breathing became steady and his complexion gradually returned to normal, as if the chaotic energy within his body had been temporarily purified.