Divine Demon Relief

Meng Qingshan waved one hand lightly, brushing away the dust before him. He then slowly unfurled the scroll in his hand, revealing its fine white silk and several lines of clearly visible writing:

"Ever since my wife was gravely injured, I have lived in seclusion here. I heard that the 'Red Scale Tail' would benefit my wife's injuries.

I therefore went to Kunlun in search of this fish. Alas, Heaven's Will toyed with me. My wife's injuries only worsened, and no medicine could cure her. I then heard that the 'Black Dragon Red Sun Pearl' could rescue those in dire straits and even bring the dead back to life. Yet by the time I obtained the pearl, my wife had already passed away.

I too found life meaningless. Fearing that my wife would suffer alone in the underworld, I wished to follow her there.

However, the Ling Shu Atlas was passed down by my master, True Master Jiuxuan. I could not bear to let my master's Divine Skill be lost, so I left the mechanism here and quietly awaited someone destined to find it.

Yet I hated dishonest people most of all, so I left behind a trap.

If you see the words I left before my body and rashly touch me, without the Jade Coffin and cold marrow to temper my True Qi, your body will surely explode and you will die.

Furthermore, if you fail to follow the words inscribed on the Jade Coffin and instead hastily dig for the secret manual, you will already have died beneath the hidden crossbow I planted atop the stele."

Reading this far, Meng Qingshan could not help looking up. Sure enough, beneath the crystal radiance, he saw several crossbow bolts gleaming atop the stele at the center. Their sharp, keen points all aimed toward where Xiao Tianfang had died in meditation.

Meng Qingshan also broke into a cold sweat for himself and thought secretly, Luckily, I'm not the sort of person who likes taking shortcuts for rewards. If I had directly dug for treasure at the place where Great Hero of Shenzhou had died in meditation, I'd probably be lying dead here by now.

After a moment of reflection, he continued reading:

"Having endured all this and arrived here, you have proven yourself a person of utmost sincerity.

Since you have now kowtowed nine times, you have acknowledged me as your master. The mechanisms before the stele have been disabled. You may take the key there. Turn it left once and right three times, and the secret box beneath the stele will appear. Within it lies an unparalleled Divine Skill."

After reading the words on the scroll, Meng Qingshan felt a trace of emotion well up deep in his heart. No wonder Li Yufeng did not destroy the Ling Shu Atlas after leaving this place. After all, anyone capable of earning the recognition of 'Great Hero of Shenzhou' Xiao Tianfang could hardly have a truly vile character.

Meng Qingshan gently closed the scroll in his hands and swept his gaze around.

He saw that, on the cave walls where the stone had previously been shattered, twelve Divine Demon Reliefs several zhang high had now emerged.

Every figure in those reliefs possessed the majesty and mystery of a god or demon.

They were entirely naked, their distinct muscles displaying powerful, well-built bodies.

They raised their heads toward the heavens, their expressions varied—some joyful, some sorrowful, some mournful, and some enraged...

They were so lifelike that they seemed ready to leap out, creating an overwhelming visual impact.

Meng Qingshan worked hard to calm his excitement, focusing his gaze on the twelve lifelike Divine Demon Reliefs on the wall.

He knew that these were the legendary Ling Shu Atlas.

According to the game setting of Wulin Qixia Zhuan, cultivating the Ling Shu Atlas required first cultivating the Innate Breathing Technique to the twelfth level as a prerequisite.

Meng Qingshan had never obtained the Innate Breathing Technique in the game. Thus, even though he had once come here and seen the reliefs on the wall, he had never cultivated this legendary peerless Divine Skill.

As he looked at the reliefs on the stone wall, a thought crossed his mind, and information panels for the reliefs instantly appeared before his eyes:

Item: Twelve Divine Demon Reliefs—Chirong

Grade: Peerless (Orange)

Restriction: This technique may be comprehended only after cultivating the Innate Breathing Technique to the twelfth level.

Description: It is said that the Ling Shu Atlas originated from the supreme martial arts esoterica of ancient times—the Divine Demon Atlas. Its author is unknown. This profound art was once hidden in the "Divine Demon Great Hall" atop Buzhou Mountain. Later, Buzhou Mountain collapsed, and the "Divine Demon Great Hall" vanished without a trace. The Divine Demon Atlas was subsequently lost. Yet in ancient times, an immortal named Guangchengzi accidentally entered the "Divine Demon Great Hall" by a twist of fate. There, he comprehended and created a profound art known as the Ling Shu Atlas. After returning to the mortal world, he passed this martial art to humanity through the Yellow Emperor.

Effect: After comprehending it, it can be recorded in the Martial Arts Illustrated Book.

Note: Do you think there are immortals in this world?

Faced with the information panels for the reliefs, Meng Qingshan could not help thinking, Just as I thought.

He had now seized the initiative ahead of Li Yufeng. At this moment, he only needed to go beneath the stele to obtain the sole copy of the Innate Breathing Technique.

Meng Qingshan drew a deep breath and steadied his emotions.

He slowly rose and walked toward the stele with firm steps.

The stele towered majestically, as though it had endured countless vicissitudes, with the deep marks of time etched into it.

When Meng Qingshan reached the stele, he indeed found a neat, square stone pillar had appeared out of thin air before it.

The groove in the center of the pillar perfectly matched the horizontal jade at the scroll's spindle.

He removed the pages from the scroll, precisely placed the spindle into the groove, and slowly turned it according to the method described in the scroll.

Before long, the sound of gears turning echoed through the surroundings.

Immediately afterward, a stone pillar supporting a treasure box slowly rose from the ground before the stele, gradually revealing its full form.

Meng Qingshan opened the treasure box and, sure enough, saw a silk scroll rolled up inside.