The emerald radiance erupting from the Jianmu Fragment was like a lighthouse in the darkness, instantly piercing the terrifying gloom cast by the dense fog and tearing apart the panic spreading through the group.
The light pointing west was filled with an indescribable aura of life, forming a stark contrast with the cold, eerie mist around them.
Ying Zheng's gaze swiftly swept across the glowing fragment in Cheng Xi's hand and his faintly brightened face with excitement. Without the slightest hesitation, he decisively ordered, "Turn! Follow the light!"
The commander of the elite warriors immediately directed the convoy to force its way off the abandoned ancient road, plunging westward, toward where the Jianmu Fragment pointed, into an even denser primeval forest where there was almost no path at all! The fine horses struggled through thorns and vines, while the carriages jolted like lonely boats on a raging sea.
Strangely enough, as they ventured deeper westward, the thick, sticky fog carrying its hallucinatory strange fragrance gradually thinned! The unsettling chill in the air swiftly receded as well, replaced by a fresh, moist, natural scent brimming with the vitality of plants. The Jianmu Fragment's glow also stabilized. Rather than flashing fiercely, it continued emitting a gentle guidance.
It was as though an invisible barrier had cut them off from the filth and strangeness of the outside world.
When the last trace of nauseating mist had been left behind, the view before them suddenly opened up.
This was a valley hidden deep within a mountain hollow. Ancient trees towered into the sky, yet the place did not feel gloomy. Verdant vines covered their gnarled branches, blooming with unknown exotic flowers that emitted a refreshing fragrance. Clear streams flowed babbling between strange rocks, their mist forming faint little rainbows. At the center of the valley, a massive azure stone wall, smooth as a mirror, rose straight from the earth and towered into the clouds, blocking their path.
Beneath the stone wall, amid hanging vines, stood a pitch-black cave entrance! The opening was an irregular arch, its edges covered with marks of weathering. A faintly cool aura drifted from within. The Jianmu Fragment's light pointed directly at that deep, shadowy entrance!
"This is it!" Cheng Xi leaped down from the carriage, gripping the warmly glowing fragment as he walked to the cave entrance. The cave was utterly dark and bottomless, with only a barely perceptible breeze brushing out of it, carrying the scent of soil and moss.
Ying Zheng came to his side, his sharp gaze examining the cave entrance and its surroundings. The valley was tranquil and peaceful, completely different from the strange mountain road they had just passed through, like a paradise beyond the world.
"Scout ahead." Ying Zheng signaled the commander of the elite warriors.
Two of the most capable elite warriors lit torches and carefully stepped into the cave. The flickering firelight barely illuminated the walls. They were not natural rock, but bore signs of being carved by human hands. Though crude, the lines were orderly. Vague engravings seemed to remain on the walls, but time had rendered them difficult to distinguish.
"Reporting to the Great King, the cave is dry. Stone steps lead downward, and there is no danger for now!" The scouting warrior's voice emanated from within the cave, carrying an echo.
Ying Zheng looked at Cheng Xi. His meaning was obvious.
Cheng Xi took a deep breath, feeling the clear, summoning pulse coming from the Jianmu Fragment. He nodded and stepped into the darkness first. Ying Zheng followed closely behind. Most of the elite warriors remained in the valley to establish camp and stand guard, while a select squad escorted the two men deeper inside with torches.
The stone steps spiraled downward, their destination unknown. The cave was exceptionally quiet, with only footsteps and the crackling of torches echoing through the empty space. The air was cool and dry, without the musty smell they had expected. Those vague carvings on the walls appeared and disappeared in the firelight, seeming to depict ancient sacrificial scenes and incomprehensible symbols.
[Environmental scan... Cave wall engraving analysis: Ancient Tribal Sacrifice Diagram (incomplete)... Symbol attributes: primitive nature worship/prayer runes... Energy environment: stable, Inert Energy particle concentration increasing...]
The system's prompt put Cheng Xi somewhat at ease. This did not seem to be a dangerous place, but more like an ancient ruin.
After descending for roughly the time it took to burn an incense stick, the space ahead suddenly opened up!
A huge natural cavern, as though formed by hollowing out the mountain belly, appeared before them! The ceiling soared high above, countless crystalline stalactites hanging down from it and refracting dreamlike colors in the torchlight. At the center of the cavern stood an ancient stone platform built entirely from uncarved boulders! Its surface was smooth, and planted squarely in its center was a strangely shaped... Stone Sword?
The Stone Sword was grayish white from end to end, with no sharp edge. Its blade was broad and thick, covered with naturally formed lines like cracked earth. Withered vines were wrapped around its hilt. The entire sword exuded a heavy, ancient aura, as though it had merged with the land beneath their feet.
Yet what drew Cheng Xi's gaze most was not the Stone Sword, but a... corpse sitting cross-legged beside the stone platform!
The corpse had long since become bare bones, and its clothing had completely decayed. Only a broad Daoist robe woven from some kind of unknown silver-gray thread had miraculously remained intact despite being covered with dust, draped over the skeleton. The skeleton's hands formed a strange seal before its knees, its skull slightly bowed, as though it were gazing at the ancient Stone Sword in the center of the platform.
Before the skeleton, a line of ancient seal script had been carved deeply into the flat stone surface with a sharp tool. Its strokes were forceful, carrying an air of desolation and unwillingness:
"The Tongtian Road has been severed; the Dao cannot endure. My body becomes mountain and stone; Soul Suppresses This Gate. Latercomers... beware! Beware! Beware!"
Those three startling words—"beware"—struck Cheng Xi's heart like blood-weeping alarm bells!
The Tongtian Road had been severed? The Dao could not endure? His body had become mountain and stone, his soul suppressing this gate? Who had this corpse been in life? And what "gate" had he guarded?
Just as Cheng Xi's mind reeled and he carefully studied the inscription, the Jianmu Fragment in his palm suddenly lit up again beyond his control! This time, its light did not point toward the Stone Sword or the corpse, but shot towards the chest of the skeleton's Daoist robe!
Beneath that dust-covered silver-gray Daoist robe, something seemed to be Echoing with the Jianmu Fragment from afar, giving off a faint yet distinct resonance!
At the same time, the system that had lain dormant in his mind erupted with unprecedented, near-frenzied prompts, like a boulder hurled into a still deep pool:
[Detected ultra-high concentration Inert Energy crystal! Location: corpse's chest cavity! Attribute: Earth Element Law Origin (extremely pure/dormant state)! Energy level: ??? (beyond current analysis limit)! Association determination: possesses deep resonance with the Jianmu Fragment!]
Earth Element Law Origin?! An energy crystal beyond the system's analysis limit?!
At that instant, Cheng Xi's heart pounded so violently it felt as though it would burst from his chest!
Before you continue