Under the personal guidance of Captain Li, the two walked through the noisy martial arts arena and walked deep into the headquarters of Demon Suppression Division.
The scenery along the way is completely different from the past.
The patrolling Imperial Guard Captain walked in a hurry, making a chilling sound of metal collision as their armors rubbed against each other. Everyone's eyes were as sharp as an eagle, scanning the surroundings vigilantly.
There was a tense feeling in the air, as if a storm was coming and the wind was blowing all over the building.
"Armory is the home of my Demon Suppression Division. It is divided into seven floors." Captain Li explained the rules to Lu Chen as he walked. His voice was particularly clear in the depressing atmosphere.
"The first floor stores standard weapons and basic elixirs, the second floor contains rubbings of Cultivation Method Secret Manual and some strange artifacts. And the third floor..."
Captain Li's steps paused slightly, and his eyes looked at Lu Chen with a hint of complexity.
"The third floor is very special. Stored there are not only the truly powerful original Cultivation Method, but also many... sealed ominous objects. Some of them are evil weapons dug out from the ruins of High Antiquity, some are Demon Core who could not completely destroy his will after killing Great Demon. Over the past hundred years, there have been many amazing and talented seniors who got permission from the commander to go hunting for treasures, but in the end they became insane and became useless."
These words are more of a final warning than an introduction.
Finally, the two came to a huge door.
This door was actually made of a piece of unknown black metal, and was three feet high. The door was covered with complex and ancient runes. Threads of cold air seeped out from the cracks in the door, causing the surrounding temperature to drop a few points out of thin air.
Captain Li stopped here. He did not have permission to enter the third floor.
He turned around, raised his hand and patted Lu Chen heavily on the shoulder. The force from his palm was steady and powerful.
"Be careful in everything." He said every word in a hoarse voice, "Your life is more important than any other Cultivation Method."
Lu Chen nodded solemnly and watched Captain Li turn and leave. The tall figure quickly disappeared at the end of the deep corridor.
In the huge space, only Lu Chen was left, facing this cold, dead black iron giant door.
He took a deep breath and pressed the Darksteel Token into an inconspicuous groove on the door.
"Buzz--"
The runes circulated and made a low buzzing sound.
The huge black iron door, which was so heavy that it seemed like it could collapse a mountain, slowly opened a gap inward with a teeth-piercing friction sound, allowing only one person to pass through.
Lu Chen did not hesitate and stepped in sideways.
What was inside the door was not the splendid and magnificent scene he had imagined.
There was darkness.
The air is filled with the smell of old books mixed with light dust, and there is also a faint, weird smell that is similar to sandalwood.
As far as the eye can see, there are rows of bookshelves towering to the ceiling, with some Jade Slip, animal skin scrolls and ancient books scattered here and there.
And in the center of the entire empty, silent space, stood a lonely huanghuali wood table.
An old man with a stooped figure and dressed in washed gray cloth was facing away from the door. He was holding a feather duster in his hand and slowly and meticulously swept the dust on the table.
His movements were very slow, as if every movement used all his strength, and as if time had lost its meaning for him.
Hearing the sound of the door behind him, the old man's cleaning movements paused slightly.
He turned around slowly, extremely slowly, and raised his head.
It was a face covered with wrinkles like ravines, and a pair of eyes as cloudy as two dusty beads.
It is Clerk Chen.
"You're here."
"Junior Lu Chen, I have met Mr. Chen."
Clerk Chen didn't stand up, and didn't even mean to ask him to sit down.
He just sat peacefully on the old shabby Taishi chair, looking up and down at Lu Chen with his cloudy eyes that seemed to be able to see through people's hearts and pierce the bone marrow.
After a long time, he slowly spoke, but the first sentence had nothing to do with any of the Cultivation Method secret treasures in Armory.
"How does it feel to live a hundred years?"
His voice was still hoarse, but it carried a strange penetrating power that reached the deepest part of people's hearts.
"Do you feel that you can now sit back and relax and enjoy your old age in peace? Or do you feel that... the knife hanging around your neck is getting colder?"
Lu Chen felt a chill in his heart.
He did not answer immediately, but pondered for a moment, then raised his head, met Clerk Chen's gaze, and said in a deep voice, "Reporting to Mr. Chen, this junior does not dare to slack off at all. To me, these hundred years of life are not capital for enjoyment. It just gives this junior... more capital to struggle with."
The capital of struggle.
These five words made Clerk Chen's cloudy eyes feel a real wave of emotion for the first time.
He said "Yeah" noncommittally, and the conversation suddenly changed and became terrifying.
"The Holy Son is dead, you killed him."
"That smell shouldn't be pleasant, right?"
"I killed him, senior."
"I still underestimated you before, thinking that like me, you would eventually become Godslayer's lock. It seems that you will grow into the person who controls Godslayer."
The corner of Clerk Chen's mouth curved into a smile that was not a smile, and he continued to exert pressure. The invisible pressure was even more suffocating than facing the commanding officer Zhou Wei.
"Don't worry about being modest. Zhou Wei That guy is much smarter than me. This three-story door is not that easy to open!"
Lu Chen was shocked. He didn't expect that Zhou Wei was paying attention to his every move.
No wonder I let myself choose the second reward. It turns out I want to cultivate myself.
Clerk Chen tapped the tabletop with a feather duster, making a soft "click" sound.
"After seeing the ghost that was born under the influence of Godslayer, do you still think that the transaction between you and me at the registration office was just a simple transaction involving money and goods?"
A series of questions, like thunder, exploded in Lu Chen's mind.
Only at this moment did Lu Chen fully understand that this seemingly dying old man knew every move of his, even his most core secrets!
"Junior... is stupid." He admitted frankly, "Junior is indeed curious about that power, and also... wary. I came here today precisely to find a way to control it."
Seeing that Lu Chen was not dazzled by the victory, nor was he angry because the secret was exposed, but still maintained this rare sobriety and awe, Clerk Chen's old-fashioned face finally showed a trace of real approval.
He slowly stood up from the chair.
That stooped back, when he stood upright, seemed to have a majestic mountain rising from the ground.
"The commander asked you to choose the three Cultivation Method. It is a reward and a cover." Clerk Chen pointed at the dim bookshelf behind him, "You can see and choose from these three floors of Cultivation Method. But you and I both know that what you are really looking for is not here."
His words confirmed Lu Chen's suspicion.
Clerk Chen stepped forward. The pair of cloth shoes stepped on the dusty ground without making any sound.
He walked deep into Armory and stopped in front of an ordinary-looking wall.
He stretched out his skinny fingers and tapped the cold wall three times.
"Knock, knock, knock."
The sound is crisp and clear, but it seems to hit the beat of Lu Chen's heartbeat.
Under Lu Chen's astonished gaze, the tightly fitted wall slid open to one side silently, revealing a deeper and darker stone staircase spiraling downward.
An indescribable cold breath that seemed to come from under the Nine Netherworld spread up from the bottom of the stairs, making Lu Chen feel a sting in his soul.
Clerk Chen turned around, and those cloudy eyes became extremely deep at this moment, as if reflecting the death of the eternal stars.
He took a deep look at Lu Chen.
"The sword skills you want are down there."
"That place does not belong to Armory, but is part of the mausoleum."
"Whether you dare to go down or not is your choice."
"Remember, once you go down there, there will be no turning back."