Heavenly Book

"You're lying!"

Lu Xueqi's face turned deathly pale, and the hand gripping Tianya trembled.

"I'm lying?"

The smile on Bi Yao's face grew even brighter. "You can ask him, and that blockhead too—who has been finding them water to drink and food to eat these past few days?"

"If it weren't for me, they would have starved to death in here long ago."

"You!"

Lu Xueqi was choked by her words, her chest heaving.

She looked at the demonic cult enchantress before her, then glanced at the silent Li Xiaoyu, a surge of grievance and anger rising in her heart.

One was as cold and aloof as an immortal, the other as bright and vibrant as fire.

One was a pride of the righteous path, the other a demonic cult enchantress.

The two women met once again within the Blood-Dripping Cave.

The atmosphere was tense, ready to snap.

Li Xiaoyu and Zhang Xiaofan stood in the middle, feeling a massive headache coming on.

"Senior Sister Lu, Bi Yao, she..."

Zhang Xiaofan wanted to explain, but he was clumsy with words and didn't know where to begin.

Li Xiaoyu felt helpless.

He knew that the conflict between these two women was not merely a matter of righteousness versus evil.

It was, to a greater extent, a form of animosity between women.

"Enough!"

Seeing that the two were about to strike, Li Xiaoyu let out a low shout.

Lu Xueqi and Bi Yao both shuddered, turning their gazes toward him.

Li Xiaoyu walked between them, separating the two.

He first glanced at the aggrieved Lu Xueqi, a flash of apology in his eyes.

Immediately after, Li Xiaoyu looked at the provocative Bi Yao.

"Now is not the time for fighting."

His voice was steady.

"We are all trapped in the Abyss of the Dead, our fates uncertain. Our only chance of survival is to unite and find a way out."

"If you insist on fighting to the death here, then we will all die in this place, and none of us will ever get out!"

His words caused both of them to calm down.

Lu Xueqi suppressed her fury and withdrew the divine sword Tianya.

She knew that Li Xiaoyu was right.

The most important thing now was to stay alive.

Bi Yao pursed her lips, feeling unconvinced, but she didn't say anything more.

"For the sake of that blockhead, I won't hold it against you for now."

Bi Yao snorted coldly at Lu Xueqi, giving herself a way to back down.

The conflict was suppressed by Li Xiaoyu just like that.

But everyone knew it was only temporary.

As long as these two women remained together, they would be like water and fire, impossible to reconcile.

Li Xiaoyu looked at them and sighed inwardly.

Under Li Xiaoyu's mediation, although the atmosphere in the Blood-Dripping Cave remained strange, it finally returned to a temporary state of calm.

Lu Xueqi found a corner as far away from Bi Yao as possible, sat cross-legged, and closed her eyes to regulate her breathing, ignoring everyone as if she were an ice sculpture.

Bi Yao, on the other hand, pulled Zhang Xiaofan aside to continue pestering him for gossip about the Green Cloud Sect, laughing from time to time as if she hadn't taken the earlier conflict to heart at all.

Li Xiaoyu looked at the two distinct groups and shook his head.

He walked to the cave entrance and looked out.

Outside, there was still only darkness and deathly silence.

Li Xiaoyu knew they could not keep waiting like this.

They had to take the initiative and search for a way out.

"Xiaofan, Miss Bi Yao, come over here for a moment."

Li Xiaoyu beckoned to the two people inside the cave.

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaofan and Bi Yao both walked over.

In the distance, Lu Xueqi also opened her eyes, casting a cold, clear gaze toward them.

"I have decided; we cannot continue to sit here and wait for death."

Li Xiaoyu looked at the three of them and said in a deep voice, "Although this Blood-Dripping Cave is safe, it is not a long-term solution. We must explore deeper to see if there are any other exits."

His proposal immediately received Zhang Xiaofan's agreement.

"Senior Brother Li is right; we should go and find a way out."

Bi Yao's large eyes rolled, and she nodded as well, saying, "Alright! I love exploring! Who knows, we might even find some treasures!"

Li Xiaoyu turned his gaze toward Lu Xueqi.

Lu Xueqi did not speak; she simply stood up in silence and walked to his side, her actions signaling her support.

Seeing that no one had any objections, Li Xiaoyu did not hesitate further.

"Very well, let us set off now."

"I will take the lead to scout the path, Xueqi will cover the center, and Xiaofan, you and Miss Bi Yao will bring up the rear; keep a constant watch on what is behind us."

He made the arrangements swiftly.

This plan took into account everyone's strength while cleverly separating Lu Xueqi and Bi Yao to avoid friction.

Thus, the four of them formed a temporary expedition team, holding torches as they walked into the depths of the Blood-Dripping Cave.

The interior of the Blood-Dripping Cave was far larger than they had imagined.

The tunnels twisted and turned like a labyrinth.

The cave walls were covered in strangely shaped rocks that, under the flickering torchlight, resembled clawing ghosts and monsters.

In the air, the scent of blood and a strange, faint fragrance grew increasingly thick.

After the four had walked for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the passage ahead began to widen.

Finally, a massive stone chamber appeared before them.

The chamber was circular, a hundred feet in diameter, with an extremely high vaulted ceiling.

In the center of the chamber stood a colossal stone statue.

The statue depicted a woman dressed in magnificent palace robes; her features were stunningly beautiful and her expression dignified, yet her brow carried a trace of sorrow.

At the feet of the statue lay scattered, decaying prayer mats and ritual implements.

On the surrounding walls of the chamber, dense rows of characters were carved.

Those characters were written with sweeping, vigorous strokes, each one seemingly imbued with a peculiar, magical power.

"What is this place?"

Zhang Xiaofan asked in a low voice as he looked at the scene before him.

"Judging by the clothing and the ritual implements of this statue, this must be a place of cultivation for a predecessor of the Joyous Union Sect."

A strange look flashed in Bi Yao's eyes; she was clearly more knowledgeable about the history of the Demonic Sect than the others.

"The Joyous Union Sect?"

Disgust flickered in Lu Xueqi's eyes.

Li Xiaoyu's gaze, however, did not linger on the statue.

He was drawn to the dense rows of characters on the surrounding walls.

He could feel that those characters contained a profound and immense power.

That power felt like the origin of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, encompassing all things and containing the most fundamental truths of the world.

"Look at those characters."

Li Xiaoyu said in a deep voice.

Hearing this, everyone turned their eyes toward the walls.

When they clearly saw the content of those characters, everyone's body jolted violently.

"Heaven and Earth are unkind; they treat all things as straw dogs!"

This sentence was filled with doubt and subversion toward Heaven, Earth, and the laws of the world.

It was the exact opposite of the philosophy they had been taught their entire lives—to conform to the Heavenly Dao and revere nature.

Shock was etched onto the faces of all four.

They continued to read downward.

They saw that the wall used ancient characters to detail a complete and profound theory of cultivation.

That theory was not constrained by the boundaries of righteousness or evil.

From an unprecedented height, it dissected the essence of the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth, explained the relationship between the human body and the universe, and revealed the mysteries of immortality and power.

"This is..."

A tempest raged in Li Xiaoyu's heart.

The moment he saw these characters, the Taiji Profound Clarity Path technique within him began to circulate on its own, beyond his control.

He felt as if he were seeing a door opening to a brand-new world; all the confusion he had previously felt regarding his cultivation was resolved before these words.