Scavenging the Spoils of Battle

Only when they flew closer did they see the full extent of the mountain gate.

Echo Pavilion had been built against the cliffside, its pavilions and halls all carved into the rock and suspended in midair, linked by plank paths and winding corridors. Layer upon layer, it rose three or four levels high.

But now, the vermilion railings and green tiles were splashed with dark brown bloodstains, while shattered furniture and torn clothing lay scattered across the walkways.

Several carved wooden doors hung crookedly from their frames, their panels marked by several deep claw marks.

It seemed the rest of the people in the sect had long since met a cruel end, leaving not even bones behind. Most likely, they had been devoured completely by that thing from before.

Shen Hui landed his sword light on a relatively clean platform. After telling Lu Huan to stay close, he strode inside.

He first made a round of every pavilion and hall, confirming that no monsters had been overlooked, before systematically beginning his search.

The first place he found was the scripture repository.

Echo Pavilion's scripture repository was called Myriad Sounds Tower. It likely drew upon the meaning of "all sounds fall silent, leaving only the voice of heaven," making it quite fitting for a place called Echo Valley.

Myriad Sounds Tower had two floors. The doors on the ground floor stood open, its bookshelves toppled every which way, with scattered pages covering the ground.

Shen Hui bent down and picked up several books to flip through. Most were rudimentary texts on artifact refinement, explaining methods for tempering ordinary metals.

After giving them a quick look, he tucked them into his sleeve.

He went up to the second floor, which was still fairly intact. Several rows of nanmu bookshelves stood against the